DRAGOS.
Dacianus immediately went after Dawn, and as Elizabeta attempted to give pursuit, Geta moved forward, hissing and blocking her path.
"I don't think so, Miss"
She responded with a hiss of her own, taking on a confrontational stance. Geta laughed raucously, giving her a once-over.
"Is that what passes for intimidating these days?" He asked rhetorically. "Don't think I'd go easy on you, love. I won't"
"Let's take this outside, then."
"After you"
They both left the cave.
Sword in hand, I closed in and began to circle Cassius like a predator stalking its prey. "One would think with all your power, you would have foreseen such a move, or at least recovered quickly enough to prevent her escape," I scoffed, shaking my head. "Yet here you are, as weak as ever. It's pathetic."
Cassius fumed, suddenly reaching for me. He attempted a strike with his sword, but I easily blocked the attack with Blitzkrieg.
They clashed against each other.
Cassius, strong as he was, lacked the finesse of a skilled fighter like me.
"You're no fighter," I said flatly as I moved fast, slashing him across the chest. He staggered back, grunting in pain, but held his ground.
"Tell me, did Flavius actually train you, or just let you play with wooden swords?"
My voice remained calm, betraying not a hint of worry or fear. But deep down, I was. All I wanted was for Dawn to be safe.
"Elizabeta, of all people, would put up a better fight than this."
Gritting his teeth, Cassius seethed with rage and attacked again.
He wasn't thinking with a clear head. His anger clouded his judgment, making him attack restlessly and without composure. This left him unable to think strategically.
"Having tantrums now, are we?" I smirked, easily dodging a swing. "What a child."
I met his gaze. "You were wise to seek help from external forces. I could have ended you in seconds, but that's not what I want."
Suddenly, Cassius released a crazed yell and channeled his demonic powers, releasing a flash of light that blinded me for a second. Seizing the opportunity, he ran his sword into my side and delivered a head butt. An unbearable pain shot through me, unlike anything I had ever felt before, and I bled from the mouth.
What was that sword?
Cassius started to cackle. "You thought it was just an ordinary sword, didn't you?"
He yelled hysterically. "Didn't you?!! I call her vindicta!"
I winced again, clutching my injured side, but still, I remained on my feet, my eyes never leaving Cassius'.
"It means vengeance!" He continued, taking another menacing step closer. "I won't end you yet. No, I swore to make you suffer as I have suffered. Today, you will watch Dawn die."
With that, he bolted from the cave with blinding speed and went in search of Dawn.
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DAWN.
Someone caught up with me, appearing suddenly before me. Startled, I released a scream and furiously attacked with all my might, unaware of who it was.
He caught two of my fists and tried to calm me down. "Relax, relax. It's me," he said softly. "It's me, Dacianus."
Gradually, I stopped fighting and burst into tears, moving into his arms.
He stiffened, uncertain of how to react, before awkwardly patting my back.
"We have to find a place to hide you until it's over," he said, once I'd composed myself.
Then he reached out and snapped the ropes binding my arms.
I exhaled in relief.
"Can you use your powers?" He asked, glancing around us to ensure we weren't being followed.
"No," I shook my head, fighting back sobs. "He fed me something. A potion. I'm just as powerless as any normal human."
Dacianus looked down at my wrists, then gradually his gaze ascended to my face. "Explains why you haven't been healing"
He lifted me into his arms. "It's alright, no need to get all emotional. Let's go"
Without another word, he sped through the forest in search of a hiding place. Eventually, we stumbled upon a run-down shack among the tall, frightening trees. I figured it must have once belonged to a hunter.
Relieved, Dacianus set me down inside the shack and walked around, checking the surroundings to ensure that the place was safe from any threats.
When he was convinced we were alone for the time being, he turned to face me.
"This should do. We'll be safe here for now," he assured me. "I'm certain we can defeat them before the sun comes up."
I sank into a worn-out couch, shaking my head. "No, you need to go help Dragos," I said. "Cassius' sword is dangerous. It's not ordinary."
Puzzled, Dacianus frowned. "What do you mean?"
I shifted forward in my seat. "It may look ordinary, but it's not," I said urgently. "The blade was forged in hell. Cassius claims it's capable of injuring Dragos."
I leaned forward. "Please, you have to go help him."
Dacianus shook his head. "I can't leave you alone here. Besides, he has Geta"
"I know, but still... I have a really bad feeling about this."
"Dawn," Dacianus called. "Dragos will rip me to shreds should anything happen to you. I'm not risking it."
Subconsciously, he raked a hand through his long dark hair and walked towards a broken window.
"He won't be able to do that if Cassius kills him!" I exclaimed in frustration.
"Cassius will not kill him."
"How are you so sure of that?"
"Because he's Dragos," Dacianus sighed. "You've known him only for a few months. You barely know him."
Walking away from the window, he continued, "Your boyfriend used to be the subject of bedtime tales for young vampires before he entered his slumber. That's how intimidating he was. Strong too.
Before he met Rose, he was a different person altogether." He stared at me.
"Vampires were terrified of him. They called him Dragos the Damned for a reason... his sins were so grave that even the most depraved vampires believed redemption was beyond him. And that his soul was condemned to the deepest depths of hell. So, trust me when I say some... hell-forged blade isn't enough to stop him"
"So we just wait? We just wait and do nothing?"
"Shouldn't you be a bit happy? You look a mess," Dacianus remarked, settling into another worn-out couch. "And in answer to your question, yes. We wait and do nothing as long as you're safe."
I rolled my eyes, leaning further back into the couch.
"Back there, you said Cassius gave you a potion," he continued the conversation.
"Yes," I replied. "He knew so much about me. He knew about the shift. Now, I'm just as useless as any human. I can't even heal."
"He knew all he knew because the demon told him. Demons carry knowledge for ages," Dacianus explained. "Did he state if the effects of the potion were permanent?"
"No, he said they were temporary, but I don't know how long they'll last," I answered.
Dacianus didn't respond.
"I wish there was a way to make them permanent," I whispered. "I don't want all this, I just want to be human."
"There's no escaping your purpose, Dawn," he said. "Remember, Azrael died for you. If you do find a way to escape it, his sacrifice would've been for nothing,"
Silence ensued between us for a moment before I continued.
"You knew about demons and the knowledge they held. Why didn't anyone let us consult one all the while we were searching for answers? Why pretend like you knew nothing?" I asked.
"I never pretended like I knew nothing, seeking counsel from demons was an off-limits area. They're no good. They ask dangerous things in return," Dacianus stated.
"Cassius said summoning one required three human sacrifices, and that he gave away a part of his soul," I recalled.
Dacianus nodded, "As expected."
"How were you able to get here fast?"
"We already knew where you were before he gave us the coordinates" He answered, stretching tiredly and fighting back a yawn.
It was obvious his body was exhausted from their travels.
"We flew to Germany to meet someone who helped us track Cassius' portal. Then he portaled us here"
I sighed "That must've been so exhausting"
"Yes, we've barely gotten any sleep. Get some rest while you still can" he muttered.
After that, silence fell over the room. I lost track of the time, unsure of how long we waited until the sound of a portal opening suddenly interrupted us.
Cassius stepped through again, sword in hand. He was panting heavily, his wild eyes now fully pitch black.
Dacianus quickly moved protectively in front of me and released a challenging hiss.
"You again," he sneered, "So... persistent."
Cassius' gaze locked onto mine. "Surprised to see me?" he taunted. "You didn't think I'd let you go that easily, did you?"
"How did you find us?" Dacianus snapped.
The rogue vampire smirked, gesturing towards the jacket I wore.
"Oh, it wasn't too difficult," he chuckled. "You see, it's all thanks to the tracking device conveniently sewn into that jacket I gave you back at the cave."
I felt my stomach fall to my feet as I realized the truth. Angrily, I took off the jacket and flung it across the room, letting out an angry yell.
"Come on now, birdie. You didn't think I'd have a plan B in place, in case you ran?" He asked casually, enjoying my outburst.
"I won't let you harm her," Dacianus stated.
"I know," Cassius replied.
As Dacianus made to attack first, Cassius unleashed a burst of demonic power that sent him flying backward with incredible force.
The impact was so great that it tore through the already weak walls of the shack and even sent him crashing through several trees.
My scream pierced the night air as I attempted to run, but Cassius quickly blocked my path, grabbing me tightly.
"And where do you think you're going?" He hissed, his face inching down to stare at me. "Don't worry, all this will be over in a few minutes"
Cassius threw me over his shoulder and left the shack, breezing through the darkness until we reached a hill overlooking the deep, murky waters of a lake.
As he set me down in front of him, I gasped at the height, my eyes struggling to figure out how deep the waters below were in the darkness.
I knew death was coming soon, and all I could think about was that I never got to say it back.
I never got to tell Dragos that I loved him.