Viktor paced in his room for nearly an hour. He was aggravated and tired. He needed air, he needed to breath. He wanted nothing more than to tear Adriene's throat out with his bare hands. He couldn't do that, though. He needed to calm down and breathe. He was surprised when he heard a knock on his door. It rattled the hinges and he called, "One moment, please."
As he walked to the door, he wondered who it could be. He wasn't shocked to see Selene in the hallway as he pulled open the heavy, mahogany door. "I have something to ask of you. I know it's horrible but I feel I have waited such a long time," she said, her voice soft. He stepped aside for her to come in. "Thank you."
Viktor raised his eyes as he watched her come into his room. Her boots barely made a sound on the hardwood floor. "What is it?" he asked. They sat on the couch together, side by side. "I, well," she stuttered and sighed. She seemed really upset and Viktor began to grow worried. "Kraven told me something…"she stopped. A painful look appeared on her face and she shook her head. "Go on," Viktor said, reaching out to touch her cheek softly. "After he hurt me," she began. "Kraven, I mean," she said, clarifying. "I want to know if what he told me was true."
Viktor's mouth became dry and he swallowed hard, and visibly. "He said it wasn't the lycans who killed my family, Viktor. He told me that blood lust had gotten the best of you that night, so many centuries ago." Viktor's world turned to ash in mere moments. "He said you couldn't kill me, that I reminded you too much of Sonja, your daughter." Tears began to fill her eyes. "Tell me he was lying, please."
By now, Viktor had turned to stone, unable to move. He just watched her. Her lip quivered as she looked to him. "Tell me he said that to hurt me, that it wasn't true." He knew now that he was truly alone. He would lose another daughter to him tonight. He would lose Selene now and she would never know the truth nor believe it if he tried to tell her. "I cannot, my child." She let out a sob and tried to wipe away her tears with a shirt sleeve. They came without warning and she couldn't fight them.
Without thinking, he reached out to wipe them away but she pushed his arm away. "Don't! Don't touch me." Viktor took a deep breath and looked away. She quickly got up to leave and he followed. "No, Selene." Before he got a chance to catch up with her, she turned and punched him with all her might. "Damn it," he said, his hand immediately finding his broken nose. Blood slipped through his fingers and down his face. She looked satisfied as she turned and made for the door. "How could you have lied to me for all this time?" He stopped walking and sighed. His voice was softer than usual as he said, "I cannot tell you but I can show you." She may not believe it but perhaps it was worth a try. He could show her and it might change her mind.
"What?" Selene asked, seeming thoroughly surprised. She didn't leave but she stayed next to his door, ready to leave at any moment. She wiped her cheeks with the sleeve of her old tunic as she watched him. He thought for a moment, carefully weighing his options. "My blood… Drink my blood." He noticed that she had begun to calm down. He could hear her pulse as it slowed and it gave him confidence. "Why?" she suddenly blurted out. "So I could see you murder my family?" He shook his head, still keeping his hand over his nose and mouth. "No, so you can see the truth. It's too hard to explain."
She watched him as he grabbed a towel and wiped his face. He winced as he pushed his nose back into place. The noise nearly made Selene sick. She suddenly felt horrible that she had hurt him. She was hesitant but she walked over to him. He cut his wrist with a small knife that he kept in his boot. "Go on," he told her, reassuring her that it would be okay.
The moment she let the blood flow down her throat memories began to assault her. "This may hurt a little," Viktor told her softly. He ushered her over to the couch and made her sit down. "You are not an elder," he explained. "It might be hard to process everything." He took the towel and covered his nose with it, keeping the blood at bay. "You have not lost your touch, my dear. That hurt." They both chuckled.
After a few minutes, the bombardment of memories ended. She soon realized she was able to pick through them as if she were going through a file cabinet. She never expected it to be that easy but it was. At first it was uncomfortable adjusting to the new space in her young mind. It would take some getting used to.
Other than that, her senses were heightened to an extreme amount from his blood and it scared her. She could hear people whispering about Adriene on the other side of the mansion. She could smell the blood in the cellar that was four floors away, and she could even make out the soft thud of rat feet on the cellar floor.
Viktor merely waited. He kept the towel to his healing nose as he wondered what she was thinking. In her new memories, she saw everything from Viktor's point of view and she suddenly realized that she was exploring his most private possessions. What was it like to be him? To be an elder, the strongest of your kind?
She heard the council ordering him to condemn his daughter, Sonja, to death. She was found guilty of consorting with lycans and having been with and also impregnated by Lucian. Tanis had stood up to the council, saying that their judgment was clouded. She was a strong willed woman and had a good heart. She didn't deserve to die. No one came to his aid, though, but he didn't back down. Selene suddenly felt a new admiration for Tanis and she vowed never to go against him again. Viktor was at a crossroads, stuck between the love of his precious daughter and the hurt she had caused him in her 'betrayal.' Speaking up would do no good though as her fate had been decided and he needed to do his job. There was nothing he could do. Her mind sped up to Viktor leaning against his bed post, heart broken, as she burned alive. She could hear Lucian as he screamed his heart out.
Her mind flashed to another memory, one of he and Amelia. They were dancing and, not to mention, both human. He spoke about having become human and his sisters being wed before he had taken the thrown. Amelia was beautiful in her blood red dress and it was easy to see why she had so easily captured his attention.
Again, her mind flashed to another memory. Marcus and Viktor were alone in his study. Marcus sat in an old leather chair and sighed. He went on to talk about a family that needed to be dealt with. Viktor merely listened as he leaned against the wall. Marcus spoke of them having killed dozens of Death Dealers and that it was enough, and high time they were put in their place. Marcus had lost someone he cared deeply for to the family too, though Selene didn't know who it was. She imagined it was a lover or something along those lines.
It was then that Selene remembered something about her precious family. They had been vampyre hunters, though her father had built William's prison. All her life they had gone out to kill the very thing she had become. In that moment, she felt as if her heart had been set on fire.
Her mind flashed to one more memory. Death Dealers were in the process of setting her house aflame and Viktor was on his way out. He found Selene running to jump out of the window. She was dazed and confused. It was true that she reminded him too much of Sonja and he could not harm her. He snuck her out of her home that night and brought her to the castle. That was the night he had changed her into an immortal and changed the course of history.
All at once Selene began to cry. "I'm so sorry," she said. Viktor pulled her into his arms where they sat. "It's alright," he answered, soothing her. "Kraven said those to hurt you even more." She held in a sob and he felt her shoulders shake. "Why did you not tell me?" she asked. He closed his eyes for a long moment, holding her close. "I did not want you to have to live with it." That, she had to admit, was a very good reason to keep it from her and she felt for him. "Oh."
"Well," he began, pushing the conversation in a direction. "It is only fair. I robbed you of your memories and so it is only fair that you see mine." She smiled lightly, her eyes meeting his. There was something so intimate about sharing blood. Memories were different, they were private thoughts and feelings. Everyone kept their memories to their self for a reason... They didn't want other people to know what they were thinking or feeling at certain times. She would forever treasure the idea that he trusted her enough to hand his memories over to her.
"Sorry about your nose," she said, touching his face. He pouted and she smiled at his expression. "It will heal," he told her. "Do not fret."