The night was drenched in fear.
Mira ran, barefoot over the forest floor, cuts blooming along her ankles as sharp branches tore at her skin. The moonlight filtered through the thick canopy like shards of broken glass, chasing her breath as it came in ragged gasps. Her heart wasn't just running—it was screaming. She didn't care where she ended up. She just wanted away.
Away from the mansion.
Away from the four Lords.
Away from the punishment, the pain, the war she never asked to be part of.
But the jungle had a soul of its own—and it was loyal to its rulers.
She barely made it past the outer wards when they found her. Vampires—not the Lords, but guards loyal to their house—emerged from shadows like specters, cloaks fluttering as they cornered her. One of them grinned, revealing crimson-tipped fangs.
"Tried to run, golden blood?"
"Let me go!" Mira cried, struggling. She kicked, twisted, but they were too strong.
"She needs a lesson," hissed another, gripping her arm tighter.
Within minutes, they dragged her back to the black gates of the mansion, where its cold elegance loomed like a predator. They shoved the doors open and threw her at the marble floor as the four Lords appeared from the hallway above.
Kael's boots clicked slowly down the stairs, rage dancing in his eyes. "She tried to flee. Again."
Lucien's jaw clenched. "Ungrateful girl."
Aedric didn't speak. His gaze alone could slice bone.
Thorne stepped forward, fury barely restrained. "Maybe pain isn't enough for her."
Kael raised his hand. "Then let her understand fear."
The moment his hand rose to strike, Mira flinched, eyes shut tight.
But the blow never came.
The air shifted.
It turned cold—icy enough to burn. A howling gust swept through the grand hall, snuffing out the candles. Every vampire stilled. Even the Lords felt it: an ancient magic surging through the walls like a tide.
And then came the shadow.
A tall, cloaked figure stepped into view through the splintering moonlight pouring from the broken window. Every vampire in the hall fell to their knees, eyes lowered, spines bowed—not from respect… but from fear.
Kael's voice dropped. "No…"
Lucien stepped back. "It can't be…"
Valen.
His name wasn't spoken, but it hung in the silence like a blade at every throat. His eyes glowed faintly—an ethereal crimson that made fire itself seem tame. His presence twisted the mansion's very bones, as if the walls themselves remembered the blood he once spilled here.
Valen looked at the four Lords, unblinking, unreadable.
And then he walked past them like they were nothing more than dust in his path.
Mira lay on the floor, trembling, unsure what had stopped the violence. She opened her eyes—and saw him.
Valen knelt before her, his voice so low only she could hear. "You should not have bled alone."
Before she could speak, he lifted her gently into his arms, careful not to touch a bruise, not to stir another cry. The same hands that once tore kingdoms apart now held her like she was made of starfire and smoke.
Kael stepped forward, chest heaving. "You have no right—"
Valen didn't turn. He only whispered, "Try me."
The storm in his voice silenced even Kael.
As Valen carried Mira up the stairs, not a soul dared stop him. Not even the Lords. And for the first time since she entered that cursed mansion, Mira felt something strange wash over her—
Safety.
In his arms, away from cold rituals and brutal laws, she could finally breathe.
And for the first time, the four Lords realized:
They were not the only monsters that ruled the night.
IF WANT THE SECOND VOLUME SOON THEN COMMENT.....♡
VOLUME 2>> BONDS OF DARKNESS...