VALERIAThe vampire soldiers were being attacked, dark claws treacherously emerging from nowhere.No matter how good their vision was, it was almost impossible to predict them.Screams echoed, and the scent of blood thickened in the air.“Damn it, Valeria, run! Run to the exit of this shit, or I’ll throw your flea-ridden friends to the first specter I see!” the Vampire King roared at me, and I did exactly that—I started running like a madwoman.My dress billowed, darkness swirled around me, they were chasing us—red eyes everywhere, shrieks, and fear.Amid all the blackness, I saw a brilliant light, like the crack of a giant door slightly ajar, and on the other side, salvation should be waiting.Even my ankles were being grabbed, the heels of my boots sinking into something sticky, and my arms were held by sharp claws.I had to fight several times; I didn't think that just because I was a Selenia, I would be completely safe.“We’re here! Run, guys, run!” I screamed to my friends follow

VALERIA"Valeria, what are we going to do? You can't give that psychopath what he wants, we...""Quinn, honestly, I can't promise that all of this will turn out fine, but I'll do everything in my power to save you," I murmured, keeping it vague due to the enemy's proximity.And because, quite frankly, I had no idea how to unlock the spell on those collars—I was going in blind, relying on the magic my mother left behind to protect me."Your Majesty, we're the only ones left," I looked back, shaking off my clothes, and was somewhat satisfied to see that only half of the vampires had survived.Some of them even had wounds—no one could leave this place alive."Good, I thought fewer would make it, so we're not doing too bad," he replied, as if talking about animals and not his own people.I don't even know why they keep following that bastard—probably out of fear, I suppose."It's time, princess. Let's go. You, keep a close eye on your little friends," he ordered, walking toward me. I clen

VALERIAI lifted my eyes and gazed upon the world where Umbros was imprisoned.The sensation was horrifying, as if all happiness had been sucked into a vortex of evil.A floating island loomed in the distance, far beyond our reach, the only solid thing in this place.Everything else was shrouded in ink-black mist, with distant flashes of lightning flickering through storm clouds and darkness.It felt like floating in the void.“Take the first step and get us to the Lunar Island.”“The first step? To where?” I asked, looking down. The vertigo made me step back quickly once again.“Don’t be an idiot. I saw you had raven wings when you fought the Lycan King—use them and stop wasting time. Fly to the island.”I closed my eyes and summoned the transformation, hoping it would work. The truth was, I couldn’t control it so easily.However, the itching sensation began on my back, followed by discomfort.My dress tore slightly, and enormous wings covered in dark feathers spread powerfully, but

VALERIAThe Vampire King didn’t desire Umbros’s power.I had always wondered how he could be so foolish as to want to control such immense evil, but his eyes were set on this power—the combined magic of the Selenias that sealed this space.If I took it from here, Umbros would find a way to break free.I hesitated, my fingers just inches from the red light.“Take it! Take it, Valeria, or I’ll tear those werewolves' throats out with my bare hands! I SWEAR I’LL KILL THEM, TAKE IT NOW, TAKE IT!” he screamed like a madman, and I even heard the splashing of blood.He dared to step into the lagoon, his ambition for power was that overwhelming.“Touch it, Valeria, just touch it,” the voice of my old magic echoed in my mind, and finally, I stretched on my tiptoes to sink my fingers into the cold crimson stone.Memories flashed through my mind like lightning.A powerful woman sitting on her golden throne, blue eyes, long black hair. Her happiness made my heart swell as I watched her gently care

VALERIAShe started walking again toward the Vampire King. I knew it—he was deceiving them by drinking my mother’s blood, the one that had been meant for me. She was confused, guided only by the instinct of the bond she had left behind to strengthen me."I have your blood too, Gabrielle! How can you not recognize your own daughter?!" I shouted, furious.All the guardians were now turning toward me—suddenly, I was the intruder. The Vampire King was disguising himself as one of them, as a Selenia, and Gabrielle's blood was far more powerful than my flawed power.What do I do? Damn it, what do I do? I was going to die for sure. I could never withstand their attack, and while I perished, he would steal the heart.That’s it—the heart!I looked toward the unguarded fountain. The seconds were slipping away. I had to make a decision—now.“Steal the heart, Valeria! Take it and free your mother, hurry!” The voice inside the pendant urged me to do something reckless.I spread my wings and flew l

VALERIAMy heart was hanging by a thread, shocked, but I couldn’t just sit and watch Aldric fight to the death against the Vampire King. I had to act—I had my own power too.I pushed myself up from the ground; fainting was a luxury I couldn’t afford. I had to save my friends—we all had to get out of here."I am strong, I am strong, I am strong."I repeated it in my mind over and over as I stood and lunged at the vampires already battling Quinn and Celine.Their powers were restricted by those horrible collars, and fighting against so many elite vampires wasn’t easy.Gathering all the speed I could muster, I went straight for the first one's head, my nails sharpening into deadly claws, and a murderous hiss escaped my lips.“Aw, damn it! Watch out for the Selenia!” one of them shouted to the others, barely dodging my claws that tore through his chest, sending blood gushing out.The scent of slaughter ignited my violent instincts. I couldn’t take on the Vampire King—not in my current sta

VALERIA"I never lied to you. You can leave this place by falling into the abyss—I just never assured you that you could do it alive," I said, looking into their terrified, resentful, and astonished eyes. They had no time to defend themselves.I gripped their hearts tightly in my hands and tore them from their chests, crushing them into pulp between my claws.They fell backward over the edge of the bridge. I extended my bloodied hand and caught the chain in the air, the key dangling from it, shining."Wait for me, my love. I’m coming to help you." I flew back to where Nana was, ready to free Quinn and Celine.Only one enemy remained, but the Vampire King was as powerful as an entire army.*****"Here’s the key," I descended immediately, kneeling between them, clenching my fists at the sight of their broken bodies.They were in terrible shape, their skin almost raw. I couldn’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t managed to free them from those chains."Unlock them, quickly—the

VALERIAI started patting down my clothes—this couldn’t be happening. I couldn’t have lost it during the fight, or worse, when I recklessly chased after those vampires.I looked around the ground in desperation, and then I saw it, a few feet away from where I stood.The heart no longer had the shape of a ruby; it had melted into a dark pool, the same color as the lagoon—concentrated, powerful blood.I pushed myself up with trembling legs, battered and on the brink of collapse, holding on purely through adrenaline and the will to survive.I knelt before that blood and begged—something I had never done before—watching my mate fight like a beast against our enemy, trying to keep him from reaching us."Please, my ancestors, I beg you, Juno, mother, please. Gabrielle, I summon you, powerful Selenia, help me in this moment of need, help me!"The words poured from my heart as tears and drops of my blood fell onto the small pool forming before me.The calm surface began to bubble, as if simme

VAMPIRE KINGI knew that bastard Aldric was strong, but the damn mutt had me on the brink of death more than once.And to make things worse, he and his little defective Selenia dared to attack me together—pathetic. That damn failure couldn’t even complete a simple task properly.They were wearing me down. The blood of Gabrielle, which had nourished my powers slowly over the years, was keeping me alive—but even that power wasn’t limitless!I had used a great deal of it to heal rapidly, and the blood loss was significant. I needed to end this fight once and for all.The idiots I brought with me were all dead—this was a disaster!I suddenly attacked the Lycan King, using the proximity he himself had created, hoping to injure him enough to fly over to Valeria and take her hostage.She was my ticket out of here—my chance to take the immense power that must still be in her hands. I believed I could still fix things.Something unsettled me—my instincts screamed that I needed to escape immedi

VAMPIRE KINGSo I got up, barely able to breathe, and screaming like a madman, I lunged at her with my claws and fangs bared.She lunged at me too. We fought like we did in the past, only this time it was to the death—no more games.My attacks aimed for her throat, her eyes, her chest, her weak spots. But she just dodged and dodged, toying with me like a pet, leading me exactly where she wanted me.Suddenly, her hand grabbed my head, her claws digging in so deep that I thought she’d crush my brain into pulp.Furious and desperate, I struck at her chest, trying to wound her—but it didn’t even faze her.Her beautiful, cruel face came closer, filled with hatred and resentment."Don’t think it’ll be that easy, Kael. As long as I live—and this time I plan to live for a very long time—you will always be by my side. Isn’t that what you wanted? Didn’t you crave my blood and power?"Her vicious words froze me. Her claws sank deeper and deeper into my skull, and the pain brought me to my knees.