Once Betrayed Never Forgotten

Chapter 114: Return to the Castle of Endless Night

So much for spending some sexy alone–time with Aleksandr. And so much for romantic strolls along the Seine or sipping café au lait in a quaint Parisian café. I think wryly as Aleksandr conjures the swirling portal that will whisk as may from my dream city. Paris, the city of love, and here I am, rushing through it without so much as a glimpse of the Loute, or even a proper look at the Eiffel Tower. “Next time, I murmur to myself, a promise that feels as flimsy as a croissant flake, especially with the weight of our impending doom hanging over us.

1 step into the portal hand in hand with Aleksandr, steeling myself in anticipation of the usual sensation of exhilaration and nausea, a cosmir roller coaster that no amusement park could ever hope to replicate. I’ve been through enough purtals now that you’d think I’d get used to it, but nope – I feel just as sick and disorientated every damned time. Stars seem to rush by as we travel at the speed of light though the vortex.

And then, as suddenly as it began, it’s over. We’re standing on the vast, shadow–draped balcony of the Castle of Endless Night. The cold stone underfool and

the sharp bite of the night air are farmingly familiar, a stark contrast to the warm, vibrant streets of Paris.

It’s been ages since I was last here, and it feels like several lifetimes ago. Back then, I was blissfully ignorant of the true nature of this place. I thought that the portals were linking different spots on Earth – I never could have imagined they were able to link entirely different realms. The realization that this castle isn’t just in another country, but in an entirely different realm, makes it feel both alien and awe–inspiring. It’s as if I’m seeing it afresh, for the very first time, with new eyes. 1 gaze up at the gothic spires clawing at the sky, the eerie blue flames flickering in the tall, arched windows. The whole scene is like something straight out of a dark fairy tale.

Below, the dark forest stretches into the valley where the village lights twinkde–a reduced number of them. Back when I believed myself a prisoner in this place, after first arriving with my mother, I’d often gaze down at the sparkling golden lights below, an entire sea of hearth fires, the place I believed represented safety from the monsters on the mountain that kept me captive. I didn’t realise hack then that the real monsters were the humans, down in the village. They paid dearly for their ignorance and fear, when they tried to burn me at the stake. Aleksandr saw to that,

Beside me, Bloodbane’s voice breaks into my thoughts, his bone an odd mix of reverence and unease. The night realm is as fearsome and majestic as I expected,” he says, his red eyes taking in the vast expanse with an evident warrior’s respect for a formidable territory.

Pyra, standing next

him, nods slowly, clearly impressed by the oppressive beauty of the castle. “It’s certainly majestic,” she agrees, ber voice a whisper lost to the howling wind.

Their reaction pulls a brief smile onto my lips, but it fadles as quickly as it appeared when I suddenly feel arms wrap around my waist from behind. Startled, I look down to see Seraphina, her bright eyes wide with relief and excitement as she squeezes me tighter.

“Arianna, I’m so glad you’re okay” she exclaims, her voice bubbling with joy. “You came back!”

The warmth in her greeting thaws some of the cold dread that had settled around my heart. “Seraphinn!” I reply, returning her embrace with equal fervor. “It’s so good to see you. I missed you.”

As we pull apart, her eyes scan my face, taking in the changes–the pale skin, the red streak in my blonde hair, my now crimson eyes. A flicker of surprise crosses her features, and she reaches out to touch the streak of crimson, her eyes growing wide with wonder.

“What happened to you?” She asks.

“It’s a long story… a very, very long story actually,” I say. “I’ll fill you in once we’re inside.”

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“Seraphina, these are our friends, Bloodbane and Pyra.” Aleksandr says, gesturing towards the Blood Wraith warrior and the Fire Wraith priestess Anus of course, you already know Kieran of the Verde clan.”

Seraphina looks Pyra and Bloodbane up and down suspiciously, before making an exaggerated curtsy

“Friends of Arianna and Aleksandr’s are friends of mine,” she says with a small smile.

06:50

“Where’s my ” I was about to say the word “mother“, when I’m interrupted mid–sentence by the balcony doors bursting open several feet away. As if a cue, my mother rushes out, with Konstantin in tow, closing the gap between us in mere seconds.

“Oh Ari, I thought I lost you!” She cries between sahs, her voice breaking with emotion. “When Seraphina told us that you were abducted in Los Angeles, I thought… I thought that…”

Her voice breaks with emotion as she sobs into my shoulder, clinging tightly to me. It only takes a moment for me to burst into tears as well.

After what feels like forever, she pulls away

ay to g get a better look at me, and her gasp of surprise follows shortly after.

“Arianna…… your eyes….. they’re glowing red! And your hair…” she murmurs, touching her hand to the crimson streak in my hair, just as Seraphina had

12:44PM

Chapter 114. Return to the Castle of Endless Night

done moments before. “You’re no longer human?”

I shake my head, as her eyes go wide with dishelief, shilling to horror, then fary as she turns to face Aleksandr,

“What did you do to her, Aleksandr?” Her voice suddenly low, trembling with rage and laced with an ley threat.

“Nothing!” I say, before Aleksandr can snap back something sarcastic to her. “He had nothing to do with this. I promise, he didn’t turn me. I did this to myself, sort of. lly accident. It’s a long story. But, I’m not a vampire, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

“She’s a Blood Wraith,” Konstantin says, suddenly stepping between my mother and me, pulling her back towards him. My new step father says words “blood wraith like they’re dirty, a curse.

He looks between Bloodbane and 1, baring his fangs ever so slightly as he hisses.

“I don’t understand,” my mother says, her voice trembling.

the

“You don’t need to,” Konstantin says, his eyes burning with a hatred could never have imagined he was capable of. He’s always so calm, and fair, and stele… but not now. Now, he’s looking at me like a threat, something vile and terrible, something that my own mother needs to be protected against.

“Brother, don’t be like this,” Aleksandr says, stepping forward slowly in an attempt to calm his adoptive brother. “She is still Arianna, your step daughter, that hasn’t changed. Do not let your prejudice poison you against your own family.”

Konstantin looks uncertainly between Aleksandr and I, then takes in the sight of Bloodbane, his eyes narrowing in distrust.

“Anya won’t like this,” he says ielly.

“Correct, I certainly do NOT like this, not one bit,” a familiar voice rings out from above. Swooping down, Anya soars through the star–filled sky, her vast leathery bat wings extended as she lands on the balcony several feet away from is with a resounding thud,

“Now, Aleksandr my dear darling son, pray tell…” she begins, the words hard as steel, “what in the seven hells is the meaning of this?”

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