DAWN.
We appeared in the spacious living quarters of a house, and Cassius shoved me to the floor before helping the unconscious Elizabeta to a long sofa.
As I looked around the room, my mind raced with thoughts of escape.
But the room was wide and before I would be able to run to the door, the vampire would, without doubt, catch up with me.
Cassius seemed to have read my thoughts and spoke up immediately. "Remember, I'm twice as fast as any vampire," he warned, taking a blood bag from the fridge.
"Should you plan on attempting anything stupid, the consequences will be brutal."
I could only imagine Dragos' frustration. He had just lost his brother and now I had been taken from him too. He'd be losing his mind.
"What do you want with me?" I asked in a plea. "Please, let me go."
Ignoring me, Cassius focused on nursing Elizabeta back to health.
He handed her another blood bag and I watched her consume it within minutes, her skin already awakening from the desiccation.
As soon as she had gained back her strength, she hissed and lunged for me, but Cassius stopped her, moving to stand in front of me.
"Easy now, love. It's not yet time for her to die" he said, his tone almost teasing. "Besides, is this your way of thanking me for rescuing you?"
Her face relaxed and she shifted her focus to him. "Forgive me, Cass," she said, standing on her toes to hug him.
"Why would you do something like that?" he scolded. "Going off on your own to the Vlads was stupid. You could've told me."
"You were away," she murmured. "I had no idea of your whereabouts"
"You still should've called, or left a message, at least. I could've lost you," he said, sounding concerned.
Elizabeta sighed "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking straight. It's just that after Father's death, I..." she trailed off.
Cassius cupped her face affectionately. "I understand."
Suddenly, Elizabeta's expression turned to one of anger as she glanced behind him to see me. "Why is she still alive?" she demanded.
"Easy" Cassius replied calmly. "We have to make Dragos suffer. What better way to achieve that than to execute her in front of him?"
Elizabeta raised an eyebrow. "You could've done that back at the mansion."
"And risk losing you?" Cassius shook his head. "No, he wouldn't have handed you over after slaughtering the one he loves."
Elizabeta glared at me once more and I squirmed under her scrutiny.
"I don't understand what he sees in her. She's so... basic," she spat.
"You deserve someone better," Cassius responded.
I watched on in silence, afraid that if I spoke, I'd be severely dealt with.
"And what is 'better,' Cass? What could possibly be better?" Elizabeta retorted, turning to take off her cape "He's the Alesul, the strongest among us."
She sighed and turned to face him. "He is the 'better'"
She dropped into a sofa "So what's the plan? And where's this place?"
Elizabeta glanced around for the first time. "Where are we exactly?"
"Washington. My place" Cassius answered.
Both Elizabeta and I gasped simultaneously, in disbelief.
"I'd thought I was imagining things when I saw a portal open up in front of me but it was real.
"So you're saying we portaled all the way from the western Caribbean to here? How's that even possible?! It's over three thousand miles! " She exclaimed.
"That's why I chose to portal," Cassius explained, pouring himself a glass of wine. "Besides, it'll be hard for them to find us here. We have a lot to discuss"
"Indeed, we do. Let's start with where you got those powers from first, cause I remember quite vividly that you had no special gift when you were turned"
Cassius smiled, taking a swig of his drink, and walked to the sofa Elizabeta was seated on. He joined her there and draped an arm across it.
"I struck a deal with a demon," He said casually. "Till a few weeks ago, I didn't even know it was possible. It's all thanks to father's books,"
Elizabeta frowned "Father wasn't really one to keep those types of books. What are you talking about?"
Cassius set his cup on a nearby table "I thought the same until I discovered them hidden in the wall of his room. I was grieving his death, looking at the paintings on his walls when my hands touched something," He continued.
"They weren't just ordinary books, Liz, they were dark books. Books that delved into blood and dark magic. That's how I gained the knowledge to summon a demon—the demon responsible for granting me my powers."
"Demons never give things out for free, that's one thing for sure," Elizabeta said. "And to summon them requires blood magic too. What did this one demand in return?" She asked.
"The summoning part was quite easy. All I had to do was snatch three unsuspecting humans and sacrifice them on an altar of animal blood" he smiled for a bit before continuing. "In return, it asked for a piece of my soul"
"Are you crazy?!" Elizabeta shrilled, lurching to her feet "Owning a piece of your soul means it would have access to your mind and body! Anytime!"
"Yes. And not just that"
"Are you for real right now?!"
"It was a price I was willing to pay to get revenge" he paused and gazed at her "..and to get you back"
"Oh, Cass" She exhaled "You know you're all I have left"
"And you're all I have left, which is why I did what I did"
After a moment, Elizabeta nodded. "I need to get some rest," she said, throwing another glance at me.
"Also, I need to get away from here to resist the urge of killing this one."
Cassius chuckled and rose to his feet, directing her to her room.
As she left, the living room fell silent, leaving just the two of us.
"Please, just let me go," I said softly.
"Why would I do that, birdie?" Cassius asked. "You're the weakness of the man who hurt me. I intend on hurting him back."
"Are you going to kill me?" I asked again, my voice starting to tremble.
"Yes," he replied calmly.
"When?"
Cassius walked to where I was seated—on the floor and crouched to stare into my eyes.
"Whenever I'm ready. Could be tomorrow. Could be later today"
He grasped my chin, forcing me to meet his gaze. "And I'll do it while he watches. Or maybe I'll even let Elizabeta do it."
I shuddered in fear, desperately hoping for the shift to happen. The entity had been silent since Azrael's death, and I wondered if Dragos had anything to do with it.
But I desperately needed its help. This was a life-and-death situation.
Cassius tilted his head, studying me closely. "I heard you're the Divine Purge. Not exactly living up to the title, are you?"
I had come to realize something about myself. Whenever the shift happened, I had better control of my powers. I knew how to use my pyromancy, I knew how to use my telekinetic abilities, and the like.
It was like rage and hatred drove me into using them effectively and I always entirely felt like someone different.
But when I was just myself, I could barely manipulate the elements of wind or create energy barriers, and I wasn't great at any either. Or maybe, it was just because I hadn't mastered my powers.
My heart pounded with fear, but I decided to still attempt an escape.
Suddenly, I channeled my energy into a powerful gust of wind and aimed it at Cassius.
The sudden force caught him off guard, and he stumbled backward, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected attack. But he regained his footing quickly, his eyes flaming angrily as he watched me scurry to the door.
In a second, he was beside me and flinging me in the opposite direction.
"You think a little wind can stop me?" He growled angrily, striding to where I had landed.
Cassius released a scornful laugh and pulled me up. "You forget who you're dealing with."
I braced myself for whatever punishment would follow after defying his orders about attempting escape.
"What's wrong?" He taunted, a cruel smirk playing on his lips. "Your alter ego doesn't want to come out and play? How pathetic."
In the blink of an eye, he sent a stinging slap to my face, the force causing my teeth to sink into my lip, drawing blood.
"How do you intend to protect humanity from vampires when you can't even stop me?"
Another slap followed, sending me reeling to the ground. As I winced in pain, Cassius went and brought out a thick rope from a nearby drawer.
"You see I'd given up already, knowing I stood no chance against the Alesul or avenging my sire," He began, binding my hands.
"But then I bless the day I discovered those books, because, if not for them, I wouldn't have realized the power I could acquire."
With a merciless tug, he tightened the knot, ignoring my whimpers of pain.
"I knew then that I could make him suffer," he said.
When Cassius was satisfied with how well my hands were bound, he straightened up.
"You see, the demon didn't just grant me power, it granted me knowledge. Knowledge of how to deal with you... you, the Divine Purge."
Carefully, he reached into his breast pocket and withdrew a small bottle, holding it before me. "This," he announced, "This will keep whatever beast is inside of you dormant. Though for some reason I can't quite fathom, it already is. But to eliminate any possibility of it resurfacing while I carry out my plan, I will give this to you"