I watched my mother's face drain of colour. "What?!" She asked in shock.
"I'm going to bring her back," I repeated.
"Bring her back?" My mother's voice was barely above a whisper, her hand flying to clutch her chest as if to steady herself. "You've gone mad," she whispered, almost in disbelief. "My son has gone mad."
I rolled my eyes. "Mother, I just simply refuse to accept that she's gone forever. Besides, there's hope," I continued. "Her body shows no signs of decay for a reason. So, there must be a way to bring her back."
"And how do you even plan on doing that?" Dacianus cut in before she could respond.
I folded my arms across my chest. "Just like Cassius, I'll enlist the help of a demon."
They all made a sound of disapproval.
"You don't mean that. Tell me you don't mean that, you foolish boy!" My mother yelled angrily, moving to stand in front of me.
"If there was a way to bring back Dad, wouldn't you have done it?" I challenged, staring into her eyes.
"Huh, mother? If not that he was cursed and nothing could save him, wouldn't you have done it?"
Her lips shook, and she turned to cry in Geta's arms.
My heart ached for making her feel that way.
"Dragos, come on, you can't seriously be considering making a deal with a demon," Geta spoke, smoothing down my mother's hair as she sobbed. "You know it involves sacrifices. Human sacrifices, and besides, they demand much in return. They are traitorous creatures ..."
"I don't care," I interrupted. "I'll do whatever it takes."
"It's madness."
"Well then, in case you haven't noticed, uncle… I am mad!" I snapped, stepping forward, "And I will not rest until I've exhausted every option to bring her back. Even if it means journeying into the very depths of hell itself!"
I left without another word, my frustration boiling over. I knew the risks... the dangers of dealing with demons, but I simply did not care.
I refused to sit back and do nothing like the others did. I refused to accept that I had lost Dawn forever.
The real problem was where to start and how to begin. But then I remembered Ryker, who had helped during the incident with Cassius. Surely, he could assist in some way.
But before I took matters into my own hands, I needed to sate my hunger.
My thirst for blood had become insatiable these past few days, and I understood it to be because I'd gone too long without feeding from the vein, only to continue recently.
The pile of bodies was growing, leaving people wondering who was responsible for the streak of mysterious deaths targeting sex offenders and other criminals all of a sudden. Little did they know, it was I, a grief-stricken vampire behind it.
I stopped at an orchard to catch my breath, feeling a sudden tightening in my chest. Lately, I had noticed that I was tired easily, my heart occasionally racing with palpitations. At first, I dismissed it, but now I realized it was becoming more serious. The curse was starting to manifest.
Azrael had experienced signs of it before his death, and now it was my turn. I couldn't bring myself to tell Mother because it would devastate her. She had already lost my older brother, and learning that she might lose me too, without any possible solution, would break her.
I was 565 years old, depressed, angry, bloodthirsty, and still unfulfilled in my duty to unite the humans and the vampires.
I had lost my girlfriend, the only hope of lifting the curse on my bloodline, and now the curse was killing me.
None of it made sense. Dragavei knew about the curse… why hadn't he revealed himself sooner?
Why hadn't he clarified my true purpose so I could have fulfilled it?
Things just didn't feel right.
Now, I was dying, and it didn't seem like such a bad thing anymore.
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I returned to the mansion late at night, trudging in.
As I pushed open the door to my room, I stilled. Dawn's body was gone.
Panic immediately struck me.
Had my family gone behind my back to bury her? They knew I was willing to commit the forbidden, to bring her back.
"No, no, no… NO!" I muttered repeatedly, pacing in frantic circles like a madman. "This can't be... NO!"
I rushed to the bed where I'd left her, yanking back the covers as if hoping to find her hidden there. When the truth sank in, I dropped to my knees, checking under the bed.
That's when I heard it—my name.
"Dragos?" A soft voice I would recognize even in the depths of madness called out, freezing me in place.
Slowly, I rose to my feet, my heart pounding hysterically.
As I turned around, standing at the bathroom entrance was Dawn.
I stood still for a moment, wondering if I'd had too much blood to drink and was now hallucinating.
Had my mind chosen to conjure the image right in front of me, or was it real?
My legs seemed to move on their own accord, carrying me forward to confirm before my mouth could even speak words.
"Dragos," she whispered again, coming towards me, and I knew it wasn't a mere hallucination.
On reaching her side, I crushed her to myself, pulling back to gaze into her eyes, my hands running all over her body in abject shock.
The wound on her throat that was once a brutal gash, courtesy of Cassius, was now fully healed, but leaving behind the slight trace of a scar.
"H-how? How is this possible? How are you alive? Is this... Is this real?"
She nodded, her eyes glistening with tears. "Yes, it is real." Her hands smoothed back my short hair. "I had a revelation while I was gone, Dragos. I know what to do now…"
She paused on noticing the length, and touched it again, her eyes growing sad.
"You cut your hair," she whispered, caressing my cheek. "You were grieving."
I took her hand in mine, pressing a kiss to it.
"Oh, Dragos," Dawn's voice sounded sad. "I'm so sorry, I can't imagine how you must've felt, I …"
"All that matters is that you're here now, and you're real. This…" I drew her closer to me. "... is real"
I knew I looked like a mess. My eyes were sunken and tired, my face a mirror of my miserable state.
A rough stubble had grown on my chin, and I'd had no will to shave it off. My hair was tousled and unattended.
I was a shadow of my former self. A degraded version of the man I once was, and all because I'd lost the woman now standing right before me.
Dawn smiled up at me again. "I'm alive because I haven't fulfilled my purpose" she explained, "That's what saved me, if not…"
I froze, my hands stiffening around her waist. "Does that mean when you eventually get to fulfill it, you'll die again?"
She shook her head "No"
I relaxed in relief. "I was ready to do anything to bring you back, Dawn. I was ready to trade with demons, and I didn't care what they would demand in return."
A sigh left my lips. "I just couldn't let you go that easily. I couldn't bring myself to bury you."
Her eyes watered, "I'm glad you didn't."
We had just started to share a kiss, our lips barely touching, when my mother burst in, shattering the moment.
"Dragos, where have you been? I..."
Her eyes rounded in shock as she took in the sight of Dawn, her gaze quickly shifting to me.
"Tell me you didn't… You didn't summon that demon, did you?"
I shook my head. "No, mother, I didn't".
Her face further squeezed in confusion. "Then how?"
I shrugged. "I found Dawn alive in my room. Apparently, some... force brought her back to life."
"What?" my mother looked at Dawn suspiciously. "How is this even possible?" she asked, bewildered.
Dawn smiled warmly. "Hello, Mrs. Vlad."
"Oh, dear child," she responded, hesitating first before moving to embrace her.
"All this is rather strange," she muttered, keenly studying Dawn. "Are you well at least? Are you feeling alright?"
Dawn smiled again. "Yes, I am, ma'am. I will explain with everyone present".
"We can do that in the morning,g" I interrupted quickly, grasping Dawn's hand in mine.
I wanted to be with my girlfriend tonight before all the craziness returned.
My mother nodded in understanding, staring at Dawn a little longer, before heading for the door.
"I'll give you two some space"
"Goodnight, Mother"
"Goodnight"
After she was gone, Dawn dropped into the bed, a faint laugh escaping her lips. "I'm not convinced she believes I'm still the same person."
I watched her for a while, not believing my eyes, before sinking to my knees beside her. Then, wrapping my arm around her waist, I rested my head on her thighs, groaning in relief. Earlier today I'd still mourned her, and now, I had her in my arms again.
It all seemed too good to be true, but I couldn't bring myself to question it.