Selene stood at her window, absent-mindedly combing her hair and watching as Elder Amelia's envoy arrived in a shiny black car outside. Some house servants had arranged a line of black umbrellas from the car to the house, to protect the elder and her entourage from the pounding rain.
She didn't want to go to this party. She wasn't like her housemates. They called her brazen and unruly, unconcerned with what was truly important; more content to sneak off in the night, head the evening patrols and take on the most dangerous and risky missions for the Death Dealers.
Death Dealers were a team of organized vampires who descended upon the city at night, seeking out rogue packs of Lycans and disposing of them. Selene, fiercely loyal to her coven, begged Viktor for the chance to join the Death Dealers. After much argument and bargaining, Viktor allowed her to train among them. Within a month, she rose through the ranks and became one of the most disciplined and lethal Death Dealer of them all. She was pleased to know that this vexed her narrow-minded father.
Well, he wasn't her real father. Selene's family had been massacred when she was young by mob of ruthless bandits. She was the only one who was spared. When the mob fled, Viktor was the one who found Selene, hiding alone in the cellar of their house. As she remembered him telling it to her many years ago, Viktor had said he took her in and gave her the Dark Gift because he could not bear to leave such a beautiful and innocent child alone to die. His gift was that of immortality, and a promise of protection and love.
Selene had always looked at Viktor as her father. She had respected and obeyed him all her life, but in these times of political unrest, it was becoming more difficult.
Tonight, Elder Amelia and her clan would be arriving to pay respect and fealty to Viktor and his coven. They were joining alliances against the ever-present threat of the Lycans. It would be a momentous event and, as a council member and appointed surrogate heir to the throne, Selene was expected to attend. She was tempted to skip out and tolerate Viktor's wrath, but she was weary about displeasing him in the presence of the other coven. Heaving a grudging sigh, she went to her wardrobe to find something to wear.
There came a knock at the door.
"Come in," Selene said absently, caring not who it was.
"Selene," an unexpected and unwelcome voice said. Selene turned.
It was Kraven. Second in command to Viktor, Kraven was also poised for a seat on the throne. He was arrogant, deceitful and rude, but he played well at politics and he was an accomplished soldier, so the council members kept him on. Recently, he had asked for Selene's hand in marriage, so that they might "rule the coven side by side" as he had put it.
Selene had refused him on the grounds that he was, in fact, arrogant, deceitful and rude. However, that did not stop his overly presumptuous romantic advances on her.
"What do you want, Kraven?" Selene asked venomously.
Kraven swept into the room, kicking the door shut with his heel.
"You know I wanted you by my side tonight, Selene," he said, placing his hand over hers. Selene yanked hers away.
"Ask Rayne, she's dying to go with you," Selene replied dismissively, turning her attention back to her clothes.
"You know," Kraven launched into a lecture. "You are a well thought-of council member, not to mention heir to the throne. It would be wise for you to appear on the arm of another well-though of council member and future covenmaster, I might add. Otherwise, you may soon be regarded as the disgrace of the coven and an embarrassment to your lord father."
At the mention of Viktor, Selene surged with fury. How dare he pass judgment on her in the name of her father.
"You know," Selene mocked him. "You sound just like him."
Kraven glared at her venomously.
"Fine. So long as you do appear among your fellow council members, it is no skin off my back whether you do so honorably or not." Kraven snarled. He stormed from her room, slamming the door behind him.
Finally left by herself, Selene undressed. She didn't like to dress up, but it would only be for a little while. She picked out the only gown she could stomach; pale gold silk overlaid with black lace and a black bodice that cinched the waist. She combed her hair and twisted it into a knot on top of her head, letting a few coal black strands fly free. In truth, the gown was not that bad. The gold set off her milky white skin and complimented her honey colored eyes. As long as it pleased Viktor, it was good enough. She headed downstairs.
As she filed into the council hall with the other members, she passed Viktor.
"Father," she nodded to him. Immediately, he pulled her aside, his grip tight on her arm.
"What have you said to Kraven?" he hissed in her ear. Affronted, Selene replied.
"I have said nothing to give offense, my lord." She said incredulously.
Viktor raised an eyebrow, his expression one of severe disbelief. His gun-mental blue eyes seemed to search her soul for the truth.
"Then why has be been to me, once again, complaining of your insolence? You have refused his company for the evening and come late to council. What is your excuse?" Viktor said stiffly.
"I need no excuse," Selene spit. "I am a highborn member of the council, an heir to the throne. It is not their place to pry into my affairs and wonder why I am late." Selene hardened her face and her resolve against her father. She refused to let him win this argument.
"You're right," Viktor whispered almost tenderly and he stroked her cheek. "It is my place." With a swirl of his heavy, black, bejeweled cloak, he climbed the dais to the highseat. Selene resentfully took her place at the bottom of the steps to his right. Kraven stood on Viktor's left, glowering at her.
Council was a long and boring process. The court members brought up long resolved political and royal issues, redefined the evening's expectations and steeled the council's resolve against the victory of the vampires over the Lycans. Everything Selene had already heard.
When it was finished, Selene, not wanting to seem overly enthusiastic, waited for the queue to diminish instead of bolting for the door. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched a heated discussion between Viktor and Kraven on the steps of the dais. When Kraven fell silent, Viktor's eyes darted to Selene, and they did not look pleased.
Her first instinct was to leave the hall immediately. But she would not let her father's anger make a coward of her. Standing still and straight, made-up and laced up like a good council member, she watched him approach her calmly.
He grabbed her arm again, his fingers digging into her flesh. Selene tore her arm from his grip and stared at him crossly. He stared back and then leaned in close.
"I would like a word in private with you, my dear," he said. He was trying to sound pleasant, but his fury was leaking through.
"Of course, father," Selene replied nonchalantly. Viktor led her to the private audience chamber behind the dais. He closed the door with a snap. Then, he whirled on her.
"Kraven has just professed to me that you apparently refused his offer of marriage." He said, each word exploding from his hard mouth like gunfire. He looked at her expectantly.
"I did." Selene replied, wondering why this was a problem.
Viktor scoffed and shook his head disappointedly. He stepped even closer, looking her over threateningly. Suddenly, under his icy gaze, Selene's pulse quickened and she became hyper-aware of how dangerously close he really was. So close, in fact, that she could see the carved lines of his face, she could count each slick, sable hair on his head. She could make out the burning inferno is his eyes. She could feel his breath against her face, could almost feel his heartbeat pounding a rhythm in the air around them. Suddenly, she felt afraid.
"You have no choice," he said, jarring Selene from her trance. "Kraven is the only other member of the coven who is eligible for the throne. Either you marry him and rule together, or forfeit your place as future covenmistress and let Kraven choose a more suitable wife." Then, his face changed, softened, and his voice grew tender.
"Selene, I love you… like a daughter" he added, almost as an afterthought. "But… but I cannot let you go on making a fool of yourself and disgracing the coven. As your lord, I command you to allow Kraven to court you and be generous and receptive to his advances." He paused and inched closer, cupping her jaw in his hand.
"As your father," he said quietly, stroking the rise of her cheek with his thumb. "I ask you to do what is right and what is best for your family."
The tension between them in those lingering moments of silence was so tangible, Selene thought to cut it with a blade. Somehow, with those unexpected words of affection, Selene had glimpsed something in Viktor she had never seen before, and felt something stir in her soul that should never have been awakened.
Finally, the bubble around their precious moment of bonding burst and Viktor stepped away, putting some much needed distance between himself and Selene's throbbing, trembling body. He seemed to resume his place as elder and his eyes became impassive as he once again spoke.
"Above all, I am your king before I am your father, and that is for the safety of the coven. You will be loyal to this family," he said, gazing hypnotically at her. "And to me."
Without another word, he swept from the audience chamber, leaving Selene, thankfully, alone.
She stood there against the wall, clutching her heaving breast and wondering what on earth had come over her. Suddenly, it had been as if they were quarreling lovers. She had never realized how closely related her anger and her baser, humanly needs were. She had never noticed how terribly attractive Viktor was, and that thought shamed and infuriated her.
What daughter would harbor such sinful feelings for her father? He isn't really your father, interjected the voice in her head. That didn't matter! He was close enough wasn't he? Besides, Selene knew Viktor; he was a man of strong moral fiber. He would never disgrace himself or the coven or Selene's honor by seeking her affection. But what about Selene herself? Was her moral fiber as impenetrable, her resolve as strong? If Viktor walked in on her now and confessed his undying love for her, more than a father's love, would she refuse him? She didn't know. She wasn't sure…
No! Of course she was sure! Viktor was nothing less than her father and her king. It was an absurd notion to entertain thoughts of a secret affair between an elder and an heir. She had done enough already to soil her name among the council members, she would not stoop any lower.
She had wasted so much time pacing the audience chamber fretting that she had forgotten about the ceremony. It had probably already started. She fled the chamber in bounding steps and headed for the great hall.
She would make a foolish entrance if she went through the main doors, so she snuck into the audience chamber of the great hall and from there, slipped onto the dais and into her highseat beside Viktor's throne.
The elder turned to glower at her from the corner of his eye as she sat and pressed the creases out of her dress.
"Where have you been?" he demanded under his breath. "They announced you among the other council members and you were absent."
"I am sorry, my lord," Selene replied weakly. She kept her eyes aimed at her lap. She felt she could not handle his gaze straight on.
"Look at me," Viktor told her, his voice softer now, sweeter.
Taking a deep breath, Selene looked up.
Viktor stared at her for a moment. His anger seemed to ebb and something like a smile flashed fleetingly across his pale lips. Then, as he looked away again, he took Selene's hand in his own and squeezed it gently. Then he let go.
Selene's jaw almost dropped. She couldn't believe he showed such merciful kindness to her in front of the covens. She fell into brooding, confused silence as the ceremony began.
The torches dimmed along the walls of the hall and servants entered through hidden doors bearing silver trays laden with goblets of blood. Selene took one and held it delicately in her lap, staring into its thick, crimson depths. Suddenly, she imagined it was Viktor's blood. What would she see if she drank from his veins? What memories would flood her soul? What secrets might be revealed?
Forgetting herself, she smiled drunkenly and took a healthy gulp from the glass, not realizing when a single rivulet of the sweet nectar made a bid for freedom down her chin. She was in the middle of imagining Viktor's memories when she felt his eyes on her. She looked at him.
He was looking back with an expression as if he had just caught her in the midst of some forbidden act. Selene broke their gaze quickly, wiping the blood from her mouth and lowering her goblet to her lap again. She wondered if he could see her sinful betrayal in her eyes. Could he read her shameful thoughts? Curse me, Selene thought to herself. From that one tiny seed of wonder had sprung a weed of doubt.
She tried to be reasonable, to think logically. Of course she loved Viktor. He was a good, loving father and a just, albeit strict, ruler. It was only natural that she would love him. But gods forgive her; she loved him because he was handsome as well. She loved him because suddenly, his voice made her shiver. His gaze all but reduced her to a puddle. Before, disobeying Viktor and gaining his disapproval had been a rite of passage; now it was his praise she secretly longed for.
Unable to finish the blood without imagining it was Viktor's, she set her goblet aside and instead, toyed with her pendant, a sigil of Viktor's coven and a proclamation of her birthright. It was a geometric circle cast in bronze, and inlaid with a single rounded green stone at the center. Engraved on its back were the words intemporaliter laurifer: eternally victorious, the words of Viktor's house.
With a sigh, Selene slumped farther down in her chair and fell to running her nail over the carved words on the pendant. She watched the ceremony impatiently. She couldn't wait for it to be over so they could start the feast, and be that much closer to being finished.
When it finally did end, the highseat holders left the hall first. Selene stood and dazedly took the unexpected arm Viktor offered her. Her sudden wave of flattery was turned to less than a trickle when he almost immediately passed her off to Kraven, who grinned lasciviously at her. She went from feeling on top of the world to feeling devastated in less than ten seconds.
She shouldn't be reacting this way! It would not be seen as proper for the elder to lead his heir from the hall. That was a job for her betrothed; in this case, Kraven. Selene wanted to run and hide in her room. She was so hurt by Viktor's wordless dismissal that she almost wanted to cry. But that made her even angrier. He was her king. Her father. This could not go on.
As they made their way to the dining hall, Kraven leaned close to her ear and whispered, "I'm glad you're finally beginning to see it my way." He smirked when Selene looked at him contemptuously. As they walked, she lifted her skirts, ground her heel into his toe without a word and took his arm mockingly, all without missing a step. Kraven grimaced and let out a strangled cry of pain.
For one tiny second, Selene thought she made a big mistake when Viktor glanced behind to look at them. But he said nothing, only continued on his way to the feast.
The feast was a loud, garrulous affair. Selene was a little surprised at how hard Viktor had worked. Long white tapers burned in the sconces along the walls, as well as flickering candelabras placed about every three feet along the huge banquet table. Two hired musicians played concertos on their violins while the guests ate and drank and talked. The overall mood was cheerful, even in these grim times of political uncertainty.
Seated on Viktor's right at the head of the table, Selene watched in silence. Viktor had rested his elbows on the table and propped his chin on his folded hands. He was surveying the table with a cold, indifferent stare. Selene couldn't bear to look at him very long, so any further observations were lost to her. Instead, she turned her attention to Kraven, seated across from her on Viktor's left. He was slumped back in his chain, his fingers laced and his elbows resting on the arms of his chair. He was glowering down the length of the table with his smoldering green eyes. Rayne, Selene's bubbly little blond friend, was bouncing in her chair, talking animatedly and smiling flirtatiously at the ever somber Kraven. He was paying no attention.
Selene laughed a little under her breath. Poor Rayne; she had no idea. And Kraven; she could have killed him. How dare he accuse Selene of being an embarrassment to the coven when he was so tactless and rude himself.
When the feast ended, Selene was proud of herself. Seldom was she able to sit an entire council meeting let alone an alliance ceremony and a feast. Now another half an hour would be wasted on thanks-yous and farewells. Selene rubbed her temples at the thought of it. All she wanted to escape to her room to be alone, to think. She wanted to get out of these silly peacock clothes, stop playing the part of princess and get her head on straight.
I am not in love with Viktor… I am not in love with Viktor… She repeated that mantra to herself as everyone filed out of the great hall and into the cavernous foyer. As everyone crowded the doors, she found herself squeezed in front of Viktor. At once, it was as if everyone else vanished. She became aware only of how close he was to her. She could feel the inch or so of empty space between them begging to be filled. She imagined his chest pressed against her shoulder blades, his spidery, nimble fingers leaving trails of hot passion along her arms, his forbidden mouth breathing words of secret, foreign attraction against her throat.
Selene felt her eyes rolls back in her head and her knees begin to tremble. She was growing faint; the room was darkening and blurring. She could feel a cold sweat breaking out on her brow. She tried to move forward, following the crowd out into the foyer, but she stumbled and tumbled backwards.
She fell unconscious just as Viktor caught her in his arms, looking into her fading face with terror in his eyes.
Later, Selene wasn't sure how much later, she came around. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see that she was lying across the chaise lounge in Viktor's solar. She sat up slowly, rubbing her aching temples. She had a headache. She let out a whimper of pain.
"You're awake," suddenly, Viktor was at her side, kneeling by the lounge. He placed one hand on her knee and the other palm up across her forehead as if checking for a temperature.
"My bodice… was too tight, I think…" Selene grimaced. It felt like a knife was twisting in her brain. "I couldn't catch my breath…"
Viktor straightened and sat on the lounge behind her. Before Selene realized what he was doing, she felt her corset loosen. She could hear the laces hissing through the holes, feel a tugging pressure. Viktor was unlacing her bodice.
It was almost more than she could handle. The irony of the moment was unbelievable. In Selene's mind unfolded scenes of desperate passion acted out on this very lounge, and she knew Viktor was completely ignorant to her distress. His mind was far from such shameful acts, she knew. He was merely taking care of his daughter.
His daughter, Selene, the voice in her head emphasized.
Before she did anything foolish, Selene stood up. She watched her corset laces slipping through Viktor's fingers as she turned to face him. He looked up at her expectantly. His blue eyes were a blue inferno of forbidden obsession.
Holding her loosened bodice against her stomach, Selene broke the silence.
"Has Amelia left already?" she asked.
Viktor stood and replied as if he had lost his train of though and suddenly found it.
"Yes… a few minutes ago. She hopes you are feeling well." He sounded distracted. Then he looked up at her.
"I am… exceedingly pleased… with you… for attending council and the ceremony." he said falteringly. It was as if praise for his daughter was difficult to articulate, but that didn't surprise Selene.
Viktor reached out and stroked Selene's cheek. He smiled infinitesimally and tilted his head to the side. "You made me proud."
Then he leaned forward and grazed the corner of her mouth with a kiss.
Selene was fit to faint all over again. With a giddy smile that she tried desperately to hide, she blushed. "Thank you, father."
Viktor dismissed her and Selene left his solar cursing herself. She was acting like a child with a silly crush. This was no game. This was real life. She could not allow herself to become so vulnerable in his presence.
Back in her chambers, Selene rid herself of her breathtaking gown and put on her Death Dealer clothes instead; a suit of black leather, tall black boots and a long black coat. She would not be able to sleep now, she knew. She might as well spend the remainder of the night patrolling. Arming herself lightly, she went up to the front balcony that looked over the grounds of Viktor's estate.
Perching on the edge of the balcony, she scanned the grounds; empty, as she had expected.
It wasn't so bad when she was alone. Her heart returned to its normal rhythm, her thoughts ceased their endless swirling, her knees stopped wobbling. She wondered how long this would last. Was it just a phase that would remedy itself with time? Or was it something serious that she had to take care of immediately, before it got out of hand?
Even though she was relieved to be out from underneath his gaze, free from his paralyzing presence, she longed for it again. She wished he would come and find her, for any reason at all; it didn't matter, just so she could bask in that tender, agonizing, unspoken glory.
All of a sudden, it seemed her wish was coming true. She heard a pair of voices murmuring in the stairwell that led up to the balcony, and one of them, she realized with a start, belonged to Viktor. The other was Kraven.
Oh, no… Selene thought irritably. Were they coming to shame her into marrying Kraven? Would they stand there lamenting her absence at council and her reluctance to follow the rules until she caved?
She caught the very end of something Viktor was saying.
"…she must never, ever know the truth. It would break her heart."
"I understand, master." Kraven replied solemnly.
There was a pause and Selene panicked as their footsteps grew closer. She didn't want to hear this; what if they found her and accused her of eavesdropping? She was too terrified to move.
"My secret has been kept from Selene for centuries; ever since I found her. For her to find out would put the coven in jeopardy." Viktor continued. At the mention of her name, Selene stopped breathing.
Viktor's secret? What terrible truth had he sought to conceal from her for all these years? And why would it be dangerous to the coven if she knew?
"Should I wed Selene, I will make certain that she is never the wiser, my lord." Kraven said smugly.
And then, the pair emerged onto the balcony in full sight of Selene.
Viktor stared at her in absolute horror for a fraction of a second before he regained his composure.
"Selene," he said. "What are you doing up here? Morning is nearly upon us." He stepped toward her.
Selene ignored him.
"What secret, father? What is it you can't bear to have me know?" she hissed venomously.
Selene could see the horrible truth confirmed on Viktor's face. She had heard them.
"Selene, some things are better left unsaid. You are young and naïve and you are not ready to hear such harsh truths. Perhaps when you are older and wiser, you will know."
Selene slid from the railing to the balcony in one smooth movement. She headed for the door.
"Perhaps when you find your honor, you will tell me." She snarled as she swept past Viktor.
When she reached the middle of the stairwell, she stopped and listened. Would he follow her? The door at the top creaked as it opened. Selene didn't feel much like sparring with her father anymore tonight so she fled soundlessly from the staircase.
When she reached the sanctity of her chambers, the sun was hovering just below the tree line outside. Selene drew her heavy curtains, plunging the room into blackness. She crawled into her bed and after laying still and silent for a few moments, she began to cry.
In the evening, Selene's hunger woke her. She got up and parted the curtains at her window. Outside, the sun was just disappearing behind the trees.
Perfect, she thought. She'd go hunting before anyone else woke.
She put on her Death Dealer suit and left her room. In the corridor outside, she listened closely to the sounds of the house. It creaked and groaned but otherwise gave no hint to anyone else's stirring.
She left the house and sprinted across the lawn till she reached the edge of the grounds. Her head felt clear here outside in the muggy mist of the coming night. For the first time since her infatuation with Viktor began, she felt powerful and deadly again. She slunk off into the growing darkness of the city beyond the mansion.
Leaping rooftops and fire escapes, Selene searched for her prey. The streets were nearly empty with only a few passing strangers, presumably heading home for a good night's sleep.
Finally, she spotted a young man turning a corner into an alley. For a while, Selene only followed him, becoming familiar with his movements, trying to read his feelings. He glanced over his shoulder as he walked the length of the shadowy alley. He was probably a little scared; out by himself in the dark of night. He pulled the collar of his coat up against his neck. Cold, maybe? The night felt deliciously warm to Selene.
Just before the man turned the corner again, Selene pounced. She leapt from the rooftop and landed silently at the man's feet. He looked down at her in horror. She straightened, slipped her knife from her bootstrap and pressed the blade against the young man's neck. He fell against the wall, speechless and trembling with fear.
Selene studied his face. She realized with a pang of guilt that he resembled Kraven; young, relatively handsome, with eyes as green as sea foam. This was the kind of man she ought to be attracted to; not her king and father who was several centuries her senior.
In a flurry of cynical hunger, Selene removed the knife and sank her fangs into the hollow of the man's throat. Immediately, his memories flooded her mind: a beautiful blond woman, a marriage proposal, a baby shower…
Though his memories were bitter and they filled Selene with contemptuous irony, his blood was sweet and refreshing. She sucked him dry and laid his body gently at the base of the building in the dark alleyway. His darling wife-to-be would be missing him.
In her head-long flight back to the mansion, a sudden thought occurred to her that stopped her in her tracks. When a vampire drank blood, their victim's memories were revealed to them. It was the simple truth that had evaded her since the beginning of this predicament. If she drank of Viktor's blood, she might be able find out what he was keeping from her.
While the thought of biting Viktor's neck sent a more than sexual thrill through her body, the idea of uncovering his secret was tantalizing. He had no right to keep anything from her, especially his daughter, and especially if it concerned her anyway. She was reminded of an old saying she had heard long ago; there can be no secrets in a house where there are children. Well, Selene was hardly a child, but the basic principle still applied.
When she reached the mansion, it had begun to rain fitfully. There was no thunder, but flashes of purple lightning split the sky in eerie silence. She crept inside.
Now, others were waking. In twos and threes, they were descending the stairs and heading outside, on their way to feed. Selene even passed Kraven, who stared blankly at her as he stepped outside.
She hoped Viktor was in his solar. She could not think of a better time to execute her plan: the house was nearly empty. No one would be around to find her latched to the covenmaster's throat, convulsing with his clandestine memories.
Slowly, not wanting to seem in a hurry, she made her way up the spiral staircase to Viktor's chambers. The staircase opened on a little, dimly lit foyer, and there stood the tall double doors that led to Viktor's rooms.
Taking a deep steadying breath, Selene pushed open the doors without knocking.
Viktor was standing at the floor length window in his solar, watching his clan disperse in the night. At the sound of the doors, he whirled around.
"Selene," he said, startled.
"Father," Selene replied by way of greeting. She crossed the solar in three strides, vaulted Viktor's desk and bit him.
Viktor slackened and collapsed against the window frame, groaning in surprise and pain.
Selene had expected his memories to come flooding forth at once, but first, she was accosted by her own wild desire, blinding her with sudden, unfulfilled needs. Her heart pounded in her chest and concentrated on the taste of Viktor's blood, coursing over her tongue and down her throat like some illicit, ecstatic elixir.
She could feel Viktor's hands on her. One of them was tangled in her hair, the other resting in the curve of her lower back. She opened her eyes and saw Viktor's, darting in their sockets, burning their white-hot blue gaze into some invisible omen of defeat.
Then, the wave of his memories crashed over her.
She saw a younger Viktor, dressed in decorated plate armor looking down at a child version of herself. He caressed her cheek, pressing the sobbing child against him.
"It's alright, my child… they are gone… you are safe…" his voice was like the whisper of a ghost, completely independent from the movement of his mouth.
Then, the scene changed. Viktor was kneeling over the body of her father, his fangs buried to the gums in the man's neck. His eyes burned with such a frigid indifference that they seared Selene's soul. Behind Viktor lay the dead bodies of her mother and sisters.
Unable to stomach anymore, Selene tore away from Viktor's neck, his life's blood dripping from her mouth. She sat slumped against his desk, eyes filling with tears.
Viktor pushed himself to his knees, swiping his palm along his throat. He stared at his hand, dripping with blood and then looked at his "daughter".
"What have you done?" he rasped.
"What have I done?" Selene screeched. "You murdered my family!" she sobbed. She could hardly get her head around it. "You killed them all and then lied to me!"
She watched Viktor's heart breaking on his face. She didn't care. It was nothing compared to the agony she felt now. She gasped and sobbed again, slamming her fist into the stone floor of his solar.
On his knees, still bleeding, Viktor came closer. He pulled Selene, limp, into his arms. There, cradled against his body, Selene cried hard. She cried for the family she lost and the lies bred by Viktor's actions. She cried for the guilt that twisted in her gut every time she looked at him. He had killed her family and lied to her, and still she loved him. Gods forgive her, she still loved him…
"Selene…" he whispered into her hair. "Selene, I loved you more than anything…" he declared sadly.
Selene turned in his arms to look at him. "Is that why you stole me away from my dead family? Why couldn't you have left me in peace? Instead you took me here and made me a vampire. Now my life will be an unending lament to the family I never knew!" Selene cried.
"I SPARED YOU BECAUSE I COUL NOT BEAR TO KILL YOU." Viktor bellowed. Then his face crumpled in pain and he cupped Selene's face in both hands. He rested his forehead against hers. "I spared you because you looked so much like my Sonja."
"Sonja…?" Selene murmured. Viktor had never mentioned her.
With a heavy sigh, Viktor closed his eyes and leaned back against the desk.
"That is a story for another time, my love," he said, blindly caressing Selene's face.
Selene pushed his hand away.
"No. Tell me now. No more secrets, Viktor." She scowled.
He looked at her for a moment and all the sadness in the world seemed to well up in his eyes. "Very well," he breathed.
"Thousands of years before you were even born, Selene, I had a daughter called Sonja. I loved her more than anything. I loved her just as much as I love you. She was so important to me that I did everything in my power to protect her, even if it made her angry." Viktor explained.
"Finally, to spite me, it seemed, Sonja consorted with Lucien, the leader of the Lycan resistance, and came away carrying my grandchild." Viktor's voice was a mix of remorse and disgust.
"The child was a monstrosity. A union of the bloodlines would wreak more havoc on our family than we could ever hope to combat." Here, Viktor paused and closed his eyes, as if steeling himself against an invisible wave of agony. When he continued, his voice was softer than a whisper.
"I had Sonja executed, and forced the Lycan to watch." He fell silent for a moment. "It was the most horrible and difficult thing I have ever had to do and it hardened my heart forever against anyone else's love." Then he looked at Selene.
"Until I found you." He stroked her cheek. "You looked so much like Sonja; your black hair, your honey colored eyes, your ferocity… I loved you immediately."
Selene almost wanted to flinch from his touch. She had never seen him look at her with such feverish affection, although she assumed it was the same way she had looked at him as of late.
Tangled together in a heap of coats and robes and boots and blood and tears, they came to the edge of a new territory. Viktor leant forward and brushed his mouth against Selene's. It was not a kiss, not exactly, but rather an intimate exchange of breath, of essence; far more tender than a kiss could ever hope to be.