Chapter 8: Confession
1908words
"Crimsonvale?" Lina said the moment we were alone, her voice dripping with disdain. "Really, Ella? Did you think a fancy name and expensive dress would make everyone forget what you are?"
I turned to face her, drawing strength from my newfound identity. "And what am I, Lina? Please, enlighten me."
"A defective nobody," she hissed. "A clan embarrassment who couldn't even feed properly. Now suddenly you're living in a duke's castle, wearing royal jewels, dancing as though you were born to nobility?" She laughed, the sound brittle with jealousy. "What spell have you cast on Adrian Blackthorn?"
"No spell," I replied calmly. "Perhaps he simply sees value where others saw only flaws."
Lina's eyes narrowed. "There's something different about you. Your manner, your confidence... even your scent has changed."
I smiled, enjoying her confusion. "People do change, Lina. Though prejudices often remain the same."
"My father has been negotiating my marriage to Duke Blackthorn for decades," she said, abruptly changing tactics. "Whatever arrangement you have with him is temporary. Don't delude yourself into thinking otherwise."
"How interesting," I replied. "Adrian never mentioned these negotiations. Perhaps they're not as advanced as you believe."
Anger flashed across Lina's perfect features. "You dare use his given name? The arrogance—"
"Is at his request," I interrupted smoothly. "But tell me, Lina, why does my presence disturb you so? Are you afraid I might interfere with your carefully laid plans?"
"You?" She laughed again, though the sound held less conviction. "You're nothing. A curiosity he'll tire of soon enough."
"Then you have nothing to worry about," I said, turning to gaze out at the moonlit gardens. "Time will reveal the truth, as it always does."
Lina stepped closer, her voice lowering to a dangerous whisper. "I've heard rumors about werewolves searching for a vampire with special blood. A vampire who escaped a ritual sacrifice. The timing of your appearance here is... curious."
My heart raced, but I kept my expression neutral. "Werewolves and vampires rarely interact without bloodshed. What would they want with vampire blood?"
"That's what I intend to find out," Lina replied. "And when I do—"
"You'll what?" I turned to face her fully, allowing a hint of my power to surface. A faint crimson glow emanated from my skin, reflected in Lina's suddenly wary eyes. "Report me to the Council? Challenge Adrian's right to host whomever he chooses? Be careful, Lina. You're playing games you don't understand."
Before she could respond, the terrace doors opened, and Adrian stepped out. His expression was pleasant, but I sensed the tension in his stance.
"Lady Lina," he said smoothly, "your father is looking for you. Something about an introduction he wishes to make."
Lina hesitated, clearly reluctant to end our confrontation. "We'll continue this conversation another time, Lady Crimsonvale," she said, emphasizing my false name with a final sneer before departing.
When she was gone, Adrian moved to my side. "Are you alright?"
"Fine," I assured him. "Though Lina suspects more than she should. She mentioned werewolves searching for a vampire with special blood."
Adrian's expression darkened. "Rumors are spreading faster than I anticipated. We may need to accelerate our plans."
"What plans, exactly?" I asked, suddenly aware of how little I knew about Adrian's long-term strategy. "You've trained me to control my abilities, but to what end? When do I confront the Council? How do I reclaim a throne I never knew existed?"
Adrian glanced toward the ballroom, then took my hand. "Not here. Too many ears." He led me down the terrace steps into the garden, following a winding path until we reached a secluded alcove surrounded by night-blooming flowers. A stone bench sat beneath an ancient oak, hidden from view of the castle.
"This is my private sanctuary," Adrian explained, gesturing for me to sit. "No one comes here without my permission."
I settled on the bench, the silk of my gown rustling softly. Adrian remained standing, his tall figure silhouetted against the moonlight.
"I've been searching for the royal heir for over three centuries," he began, his voice low and intense. "When the coup occurred, I was away on diplomatic business. By the time I returned, the royal family had been slaughtered, the palace burned, and a new Council installed. Only rumors suggested an infant princess had been smuggled away."
"Me," I whispered.
Adrian nodded. "I spent decades following false leads, bribing officials, infiltrating the Council's inner circle. Twenty years ago, I finally discovered records indicating a royal child had been placed with the Nightshade clan for safekeeping."
"Safekeeping?" I laughed bitterly. "They treated me like a shameful secret."
"Because they were afraid," Adrian said, kneeling before me so our eyes were level. "The Council has assassins dedicated to eliminating any trace of royal blood. The Nightshade clan was protecting you in the only way they knew how—by making you seem worthless, not worth investigating."
The revelation stunned me. All those years of humiliation and isolation—had they been a twisted form of protection?
"When I confirmed your identity," Adrian continued, "I planned to approach the clan leaders directly. But then I sensed your blood awakening in the forest. The werewolf ritual, though brutal, accomplished what might have taken years otherwise—it forced your dormant powers to surface."
"So what happens now?" I asked, trying to process everything.
Adrian took my hands in his, his touch sending warmth through my veins. "Now we gather allies, strengthen your abilities, and prepare to challenge the Council. But we must move carefully. If they discover you prematurely—"
"They'll try to kill me," I finished. "To protect their power."
"Yes," Adrian confirmed, his grip tightening. "And I cannot—will not—allow that to happen."
The fierce protectiveness in his voice made my heart race. "Why?" I asked softly. "Why risk everything for me? Is it just your oath as a Blood Guardian?"
Adrian's eyes searched mine, crimson depths filled with emotions he'd kept carefully controlled until now. "It began as duty," he admitted. "But it has become... something else entirely."
"What?" I pressed, needing to hear him say it.
Thunder rumbled in the distance, and I glanced up to see storm clouds gathering, obscuring the moon. Adrian followed my gaze.
"We should return to the castle," he said, rising and offering his hand. "The storm approaches quickly."
I took his hand but didn't move to stand. "You didn't answer my question."
Adrian hesitated, conflict evident in his expression. "Ella, there are protocols, traditions. A guardian is meant to serve, to protect, not to—"
"Not to what?" I challenged, rising to face him. "Not to feel? Not to want?"
The first raindrops began to fall, pattering softly on the leaves above us. Adrian's composure slipped as he looked at me, rain-kissed and defiant.
"Not to love," he whispered, the admission seeming torn from him.
The word hung between us as the rain intensified, soaking through our formal attire. Neither of us moved to seek shelter, locked in a moment of truth that had been building since I first opened my eyes in his castle.
"And if the heir returns that love?" I asked, my voice barely audible above the rain. "What do your protocols say about that?"
Adrian's control finally broke. He pulled me to him, one hand cradling my face with exquisite gentleness despite the urgency in his eyes. "They say nothing," he murmured. "Because it has never happened before."
The rain fell harder as Adrian's lips found mine, tentative at first, then with growing certainty as I responded. His kiss tasted of ancient power and newfound vulnerability, of duty transformed into desire. My blood sang in my veins, reaching for him as my arms wound around his neck.
When we finally broke apart, both breathless, the storm had soaked us completely. Adrian rested his forehead against mine, his eyes closed as though overwhelmed.
"We should go inside," he said reluctantly. "Your guests will wonder where you've disappeared to."
"Let them wonder," I replied, but allowed him to lead me back toward the castle.
We had nearly reached the terrace when Adrian stopped abruptly, his posture alert. "Someone's coming," he whispered, pulling me into the shadows beneath a stone archway.
Voices drifted from the terrace above—Lina and an older vampire I recognized as Lord Varius, her father.
"—certain it's her," Lina was saying. "The defective vampire from our clan. She's changed somehow, but it's definitely Ella."
"And you believe she's the one the werewolves seek?" Lord Varius asked.
"It makes sense," Lina replied. "She disappears from the clan, werewolves start hunting for a vampire with special blood, and suddenly she's living in Duke Blackthorn's castle, transformed. There's more happening here than a simple romance."
"Romance?" Lord Varius sounded surprised. "Between the Duke and this... clan reject?"
"You should see how he looks at her," Lina hissed, jealousy evident in her voice. "Our marriage negotiations are worthless if he's besotted with her. We need to act quickly."
"What do you suggest?"
"Contact the Council," Lina said decisively. "Tell them we've found a vampire of unusual abilities being harbored by Duke Blackthorn. Let them investigate. If she's nothing special, we've lost nothing. If she's something more..."
"The Council will reward us handsomely," Lord Varius finished. "Very well. I'll send a messenger tonight."
Their voices faded as they returned to the ballroom. Adrian's grip on my arm had tightened painfully during the exchange.
"We've run out of time," he said grimly. "The Council will send investigators within days."
"What do we do?" I asked, suddenly afraid—not for myself, but for Adrian. "If they discover you've been hiding me—"
"My fate is irrelevant," Adrian interrupted. "We need to get you to safety, then accelerate our plans."
"No," I said firmly. "I won't run and leave you to face the Council alone. There must be another way."
Adrian studied me for a long moment, rain streaming down his face. "There is one possibility," he said finally. "But it's dangerous, and once begun, there's no turning back."
"Tell me," I demanded.
"We could perform the Blood Awakening ritual," Adrian explained. "It would fully activate your royal powers, making you strong enough to face the Council directly. But it requires preparation, specific conditions—"
"Then we prepare," I said, determination replacing fear. "I'm tired of hiding, Adrian. If I'm truly the heir to the Crimson Dynasty, it's time I started acting like it."
A slow smile spread across Adrian's face—proud, fierce, and tinged with something that made my heart race. "As you command, Your Highness."
He pulled me close once more, his kiss carrying the weight of both promise and warning. Whatever came next, we would face it together—guardian and heir, man and woman, two souls bound by blood and something far more powerful.
As we finally entered the castle, soaked and conspicuously absent from the ball, I caught Lina watching us from across the room. Her eyes narrowed at our disheveled appearance and Adrian's protective stance beside me.
Let her suspect, I thought defiantly. Let them all wonder. Soon enough, they would know exactly who I was—not Lady Crimsonvale, not the defective outcast, but the last heir of the Crimson Dynasty, returned to claim her throne.
And heaven help anyone who stood in my way.
