Notes: Thank you for all the reviews, follows and likes! It means a lot to me.
Trigger Warning: self-harm mention
Eastern Europe - April, 2014
I hadn't been myself since my mother's death. I'd look in the mirror and see the face of a stranger. A part of me had died that day. There was a void, a darkness inside me that would never heal, not even as the months passed by.
I could no longer draw. I could no longer play with Auryk in the woods. My grades dropped and no one at school would treat me normally again. There were always the whispers, the looks, the rumors... Instead of Aleena Novak, I became 'the girl who lost her mother'.
That was when the mental health issues started too. Besides depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, I also developed panic attacks. Adrian wouldn't be a supportive father, everything he always told me was: "Your mother is dead. Get over it."
It was another usual school day. I didn't feel like wearing a jacket that morning. It was a hot day of Spring. That was when I noticed a group of girls staring and commenting.
"Look, check out the scars on her forearm."
"So that's really true?"
"She's been cutting herself."
I rushed to the girls' room and I locked myself in there. I fell sitting on the floor, at the edge of another panic attack. My pupils were dilated, paralyzed. My body started to shake and I couldn't breath... I couldn't cry... the tears wouldn't come out. My chest was exploding and it seemed like my own ability to cry and release my sorrow had been taken from me.
"Leena," somehow, Gustav had found a manner to open the door. He sat down by my side on the floor. "You're healing, you're surviving... you're doing great. Trust me."
I rested my head against his chest. And that's how we spent the rest of the morning.
Castle Dimitrescu, Bela's Room - Present Days
Bela's sleep was always dreamless. She didn't even have to sleep much. Only a couple of hours were enough to restore her energies. She'd close her eyes, sink into darkness and wake up again, thirsty for blood. That was how it was. Everyday.
That night was different though. She closed her eyes and started seeing scenes, like a movie playing in the back of her mind...
There was a girl, a long time ago. She came from a poor family, but she had many dreams to achieve. She wanted enough money to leave the village and conclude her studies in the city. She prayed for that when she attended Mother Miranda's cult with her parents that evening. And soon, her prayers had been answered... Through Mother Miranda, Countess Alcina Dimitrescu offered her a position to work on her castle. As her chambermaid.
Bela woke up feeling anxious and strange after the dream. She touched the side of her head, the scar was burning a little bit. She couldn't quite understand what was happening.
She had just taken a warm bath and changed into one of her usual black dresses when she heard a familiar voice coming from the front door:
"CASSANDRA, I'M HOME! IN MY OFFICE. NOW!"
"Good morning to you too, mother," Bela spoke to herself. Sometimes it felt like Alcina only had one daughter, Cassandra.
Castle Dimitrescu, Office - Present Days
When Bela entered her mother's office, Cassandra was already there. Daniela was the last one to arrive, as usual.
"Good morning, mother," Bela said. "I hope your meeting with Mother Miranda has gone well."
"Sort of, daughters," she always directed her words at all of them, as if Bela hadn't been the only one who cared enough to ask. "Sort of."
A maid entered the room in silence, bringing a tray with some breakfast for the four of them. Some tea, biscuits, and of course, a goblet of blood for each.
"Now, daughters, tell me," Alcina spoke. "Have you found the culprit? The one responsible for allowing that man into this castle?"
"Yes, mother," Daniela handed her mother a few envelopes. "I found these letters hidden inside her drawers. And this wonderful lipstick too."
Their mother slightly rolled her eyes and started to examine the content of the letters.
"But this is a lot of non-sense, Daniela. Why do you assume she was communicating with that rat and helping him to steal my goblet?"
"They were writing in some kind of code," Cassandra explained. "I was able to connect some of words to their real meaning. Here, mother, it clearly says something about a 'treasure' and a 'pirate's cove'."
"Huh..." Lady Dimitrescu smiled proudly at her middle child. The most loyal and reliable of the three. "Has she been punished?"
"Properly."
"What about my goblet?"
"The rat hasn't returned it yet."
The Countess eyes went directly to the corner of the room where Bela had been standing in silence, only listening to the conversation.
"The girl, Bela?" She finally asked. "What about the girl? Is she still around?"
"She's safe, mother. As I promised you."
Cassandra muffled a sarcastic laugh. Bela knew what it was about. She hadn't accepted the fact she wasn't allowed to kill Aleena. Her middle sister was feeling like a child that had been denied to have a toy.
"What's the problem, Cassandra?"
"She is truly safe, mother. Bela has been all around in her company. It has been lovely to watch. She even threw her a birthday lunch, besides giving her a tour of the castle."
Alcina stood up from her chair. Though her height felt a little bit intimidating, Bela knew she'd never be able to do anything against any of her daughters. But she kept her head down in shame. After all, she had disappointed her mother and she deserved the scold she was about to receive for her behavior.
"Cassandra and Daniela were tormenting her," Bela tried to excuse herself. "They even tried to kill her once you left. I was trying to make her feel safe and comfortable."
"Feel comfortable? What is that, Bela?" The woman asked with an annoyed expression. "Hotel Dimitrescu? Will you give her a bottle of wine with a 'I hope you enjoy your stay' as souvenir too? Honestly, daughter..."
"I'm sorry, mother. I was trying to follow your orders, in the best manner as possible. You want your goblet, she wants her safety."
"And who cares about what some stupid human girl wants? As long as her brother delivers my goblet, I don't care about what happens to her. He will also die as soon as he set a foot inside this castle again."
She never had any intentions of letting the twins live, as Bela always suspected. Her mother would never forgive such an act, especially coming from a man. And she'd kill Aleena too, only to make him suffer even more.
"Mother," Cassandra's eyes were shining brightly with a hint of revenge, "there's another thing you should know about her. Aleena is a candidate. I could sense it."
"Is she?" Alcina smiled, interested. Candidates for Sanguis Virginis were becoming extremely hard to find. Especially after Adrian Novak had created a sick ritual to encourage teenagers to lose their virginity. Apparently something had gone wrong with his daughter. "Bela, continue to keep her safe then. I've been called to attend an emergency at Donna's house. Once I return, we'll be draining her blood."
"Damn, I was starting to like her. She's fun!" Daniela complained while she left the room. "I'll keep her clothes, okay? No one is touching them. They're mine."
Bela had never cared about a human's life before. She was a predator and they were their prey. She needed human blood to thrive. She wasn't allowed to feel any sympathy for them. In some cases, she'd give in to her sexual desires. After all, she needed other forms of seeking pleasure and entertainment, but nothing more than that. So why did now she felt that unusual sensation of pain inside her chest? She was an undead being! Did she even have real feelings or a real heart anymore?
But Aleena was different. She couldn't tell how or why, but she was. She had no fault for what her brother did. She didn't deserve to be there and die for a stupid man-thing's mistake. She needed to act and quickly. If her mother planned to drain her blood that night, there was only one way to stop it...
Castle Dimitrescu, Guest Room - Present Days
I couldn't sleep that night. I was feeling extremely agitated, reflecting on everything that happened over the last three days. I wish I had a manner to communicate with Auryk, to make sure he was still alive and well. I wish I could find out a manner to escape that place. I wish I had my boring life back.
And god, there was Bela. The previous day felt like going on a date with the most popular girl in school, the one I knew I could never have. Too good to be true. And it wasn't, of course. I knew it was only part of one of her twisted games.
As result, I was late for breakfast. I had to go to the dining room to get some food. For my luck, none of the Dimitrescu women would be there. According to Mrs. Volkov, they had their own private meal inside Alcina's office.
She was wrong though. When I arrived, Bela was standing near the closed windows, staring at the courtyard outside. Her look was completely distant and cold.
"Penny for your thoughts?" I blushed, embarrassed by my own question. It was something stupid to say. She turned around surprised, as she didn't expect to meet me.
"Aleena. I didn't expect to see you here."
The tone in her voice was different from the previous night. Something had definitely changed after the reunion with Lady Dimitrescu.
"Guess who overslept and missed breakfast? This girl. Now Mrs. Volkov has ordered the staff to prepare me something exclusive and she isn't even a little bit thrilled about it."
"Is she ever thrilled about anything?" A joke at least. Mrs. Volkov always had a frown on her face and she was always complaining about literally everything. I assumed that should be the reason why she had been working for Alcina Dimitrescu for so long. They had the same energy.
"Anything wrong?" I asked. "You seem... upset."
"I'm not," she answered harshly, a little bit bothered by my question. "That's who I really am. Yesterday... that was something else."
"Was it something with your mom?"
Bela didn't answer. She remained still, staring outside as if she was reflecting about something, or trying to make an important decision.
While I waited for my breakfast, I decided to work on an drawing I had started on my sketch book. The surname Dimitrescu derived from Demeter, goddess of fertility and the mother of Persephone. I felt inspired to draw her conflicted relationship with Hades, living half of the year with her family, half of the year with her husband in the Underworld. I also added my own thoughts about her conflicted feelings. Was it love or something else?
"Do you think she learned how to love him? Hades? Despite the circumstances?" I hadn't even noticed Bela had sat down by my side on the table, examining my drawing. "After all, he found a manner to force her to be his."
I bit my lower lip trying to think of an answer.
"Is it wrong I believe she did?" I finally told. "While he kidnapped her and forced her to be his wife, he also granted her a good life, being a faithful husband and turning her into a queen. Some versions of the myth say they learned to get along very well and rarely fought. Those are signs of love, in my vision."
"I like how you're portraying it, adding those shadows and dark shades on this side, that represents her life with Hades. While the other side, that represents her life with her family has light, clarity."
"And in the middle," I pointed, "they merge. The conflict, can you see that?"
"Absolutely," the form how Bela's blonde hair was falling down her face while she looked down made me let out a sigh. She analyzed my art in silence for a few seconds.
"And besides," I leaned closer to her to explain a few more details of my drawing. I could perfectly smell the sweet scent of her hair now. "Some versions will even say she wanted to have a life apart from Demeter. A life with adventure, pleasure and even a little sin. Isn't it what everybody wants?"
"Is that what you want, Aleena Novak?" Bela gazed deeply into my eyes. If I wasn't so aware of all the stories, I wouldn't fight. I wouldn't resist it. I would run straight into that seduction game.
I was about to give her an answer when we were interrupted by Mrs. Volkov ugly snarl, bringing my plate of fluffy pancakes, with extra whipped cream and strawberries.
As I was about to take my first bite, I noticed Bela staring at my plate as if I was eating something completely strange and toxic.
"What? Want some?"
She was hesitant at first, but then she opened her mouth, allowing me to feed it straight into her mouth.
"This is... different... and good..." In a sudden move, Bela stole the fork from my hand and started stealing more of my pancakes, "and I want more."
"Hey! Get your own pancakes!" I fought back, trying to get the fork back.
"You want this back?" She grinned for the first time that morning. "Come and get it, darling."
She was taller than me and a lot stronger too. Just when I thought she couldn't do it any more harder, she dissipated into flies.
"Okay, now that's cheating!"
We start to giggle and chase each other around the long table, when suddenly we got interrupted by the sound of a pissed off woman clearing her throat. Lady Dimitrescu was standing by the door.
It was the second time I could tell she wanted to kill me. Bela returned me my fork and left the dining room, shutting the door behind her. However, I still could hear the argument between them.
"Bela, we spoke about this only a couple of hours ago. This isn't what I ordered you to do. This idiotic behavior I could expect from Daniela, but not from you.'
"My apologies, mother. I was only entertaining Ms. Novak a little."
"You're my daughter, not an ordinary stupid human-thing. Then stop acting like it."
And I could finally understand why Bela was so upset when I first saw her. Disappointing her mother was her biggest fear and she seemed to have done it, twice.
Castle Dimitrescu, Dining Room - Present Days
"Kill her... just kill her..." the voice inside Bela's mind kept repeating these same words over and over again. One precise bite and everything would end. The conflict inside herself. The conflict with her sisters. The conflict with her mother. Aleena was just another human, like all the others. And she was more than that, she was ageless and almost completely immortal. What was Aleena compared to that? She was nothing! She meant nothing!
"Bela..." the girl's voice appeared behind her, when she opened the dining room's door after Lady Dimitrescu left. "Are you alright?"
"Aleena, leave me alone."
She had to be alone. Otherwise, she could do something she'd possibly regret.
"Okay, but..." she approached, carefully touching her shoulder, "you're doing great. Protecting me and making me feel safe and comfortable in the scariest moment of my life. Remember that."
Bela closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. It should be enough. It was enough for Aleena. It was enough for herself. That was how she felt she was supposed to act. Then why did it feel so wrong? Why couldn't it be enough for her mother too?
She was about to lock herself in the library when a noise made every bone of her body shiver. The sound of a dying engine, followed by Daniela's desperate screams:
"It has stopped! It has stopped! Turn it back on, now!"
Cassandra came to find her in the main hall, in the form of flies and quickly shaped back to her human form.
"The heating system has stopped," she announced. "It needs to be fixed. Immediately!"
"I'll inform the staff."
Aleena. She had forgotten about Aleena who was still standing in the hall with them, having no idea of what was going on.
"Bela... what happened? I heard your sister screaming."
"The heating system has failed," Cassandra answered for her. "Or has been sabotaged. Right?"
"Shut up," Bela argued. "She doesn't even know!"
Aleena kept following them to the staff area. They need an excuse to send her away. The only problem was that girl was so stubborn as Bela was herself, she wouldn't leave until she knew exactly what was going on.
"We're in Summer. It won't get so cold."
"A castle this size, in the middle of the fucking mountains, can get very cold at night, genius."
"But I still can't see why it'll be so catastrophic."
"You're about to find out."
Cassandra grabbed her by the neck. Bela instantly reacted, squeezing her sister's wrist as strong as she could, until she let the girl go.
"Do it again and you'll be the one out in the cold, sister."
"What's happening here?" Mrs. Volkov heard the argument and found them in the middle of the corridors. "Any problems, Ms. Bela?"
"The heating system has stopped," Bela explained. "Can you ask somebody to fix it?"
"Well, we'll have to seek for an repairman in the village. We have none here in the castle."
"But it will take over a day!" Cassandra yelled. "And we don't have all this time."
"I think can do this," Aleena calmly told, interrupting the discussion. All the three women stopped to look at her. "Allow me to check it out?"
Castle Dimitrescu, Basement - Present Days
There was something wrong in that castle that morning. I could sense it from the moment I opened my eyes. Bela wasn't acting like herself. Now, this problem with the heating system that caused the sisters to freak out in a desperate manner I couldn't even understand.
Against her will, Bela was forced to guide me to the basement under the kitchen. It was a large, dark and eerie place. I couldn't quite tell what it smelled like. Rotting human meat maybe? I didn't want to think about it, but someone had probably died in there.
"Here," she pointed to an engine. "It's the main source to the heating system."
I took the flashlight Mrs. Volkov had given me, along the tool box and started to remove the screws. I felt the temperature had already started to drop down there. Bela started feeling impatient, pacing all around the place.
"So, you're good at literally everything, huh? You're an artist, a fighter and also can repair a failing engine. A talented girl, you are."
"Perks of living by myself. I have to fix my truck almost every morning. The house's generator is also old as shit, so it always needs some fixing."
"Do you think it'll take long?" She asked, running her hand through her blonde hair.
"A little," I said, pointing the flashlight to an specific part of the engine. "Are you seeing this set of gears here? It needs to be replaced. Someone will have to go to the village and buy it."
"Damn it... we're so fucked up."
It was the first time I saw her swearing. She seemed very very nervous. After I removed the gears, I gave them to the staff order a new set in the village. I also brought Bela one of my jackets.
"What is that?" She wanted to know.
"You're shaking and it's not even so cold down here."
"Thank you."
She wore it over her black dress and wrapped her arms around her own body, attempting to keep herself warm like we were in the middle of the snow.
"Our bodies can't handle the cold," she couldn't hide the truth anymore. "It's our only weakness. This is why the windows are always closed and we can't never leave the castle. Once the temperature drops, our bodies will start to break."
"Bela, I had no idea," in fact, I always thought vampires had issues with the sunlight, not the cold. "Are you feeling okay?"
"So far, yes. But as of right now, I have lost my ability of turning into flies. In this stage, any weapon can harm me. If it gets a little more colder, I'll lose my ability to heal too. And if it gets too extreme..."
"You die?"
"Mom says we crystallize, but she is unsure if she can reverse this state."
I stepped closer and took her hand. Now I could finally understand why she was wearing long dresses and gloves most of the time.
"It'll be okay," I assured her. "The village isn't so far from here."
"I-I... I'm not scared," she was lying, I knew. Headstrong as she was, she would never admit she was afraid.
"Why don't we go to the library until then? We can stay in front of the fireplace with Cassandra and Daniela, reading some books."
She simply nodded and followed to the basement's door. She forced the knob, but for some reason she couldn't open it.
"Aleena, do you have the key?"
"No. Mrs. Volkov never gave me any."
"We... we are stuck here!" She shoved the door hard. "Somebody has trapped us."
A castle that old had extremely strong doors. Not even Bela's strength was able to knock it down. She began to feel even more stressed. I tried every tool in the tool box, but someone had purposely made that door stuck.
I forced Bela to sat down on the stairs. She shouldn't waste any more energy. It was useless. We'd have to wait for her sisters, someone from the staff, or even Alcina, to come to our rescue.
"Mrs. Volkov! Where are you?!" I yelled. "Please, we need help!"
About an hour had passed, still no sign from any members of the staff, or even Bela's sisters. I tried to scream, call for them but no one would answer. Something should be seriously wrong in the castle, but I kept it to myself. I didn't want to add any more distress to the situation.
I glanced at Bela on the stairs, she could barely breathe. Her breaths were shallow and quick. Her entire body was shaking.
"Bela..."
"I don't wanna die," she muttered. "My chest... it hurts!"
"You're having a panic attack," I knew the signs. The basement's temperature had dropped but not enough to leave her in such a bad shape. It was all due to stress. I wrapped my arms around her. "I know how it feels like, but you need to calm down."
Patiently I taught her all the breathing techniques I learned over the years, since my mother's death. I also had to distract her, make her mind focus on something else.
"Tell me more about you, Bela Dimitrescu. What is it like to be... you?"
"I don't glow in the sunlight, if that's what you're asking," I could see a hint of a smile on her face. She relaxed, lying her head on my shoulder. "Maids would often ask that, you know? It was annoying."
"I can imagine. The modern concept of vampires can be very creative."
"Once Daniela found this book in one of the maids' bedroom and we discovered where the question came from. Even my mom laughed. She said she has never seen something so pathetic about vampires before."
"Yeah, turning into flies is a lot more cooler," I joked, trying to cheer her up. "And badass. You can be anywhere really fast, you can enter places unnoticed..."
"You can buzz at your sisters' ears while they're sleeping. It's fun."
We both laughed. I made her promise she'd never do that to me.
"Were you a human before?" I proceeded with the questions, as I noticed she started to feel agitated again.
"Yes, but I can't remember this past life, the old me," she told. "It's strange, Aleena. To think I used to have another family, another name and one day... it all changed. I woke up and I suddenly had no idea of who I was, or what I was."
Bela's breathing had finally returned to normal. However, her skin wasn't getting any warmer. Damn it, we had to get out of there as soon as possible.
A loud breaking noise and the sound of heavy footsteps coming in our direction broke the silence of that moment, we both got alarmed. That's when I heard them. I could never forget those sounds. The sniffing, the screeching, the howling... Lycans. Lycans had broke into the castle.
"What the hell?" Bela forced herself to stand up. From under her vests, she pulled a sickle. "How did these disgusting freaks even entered here?"
I pulled both of the daggers I carried inside my boots and got in defense mode. I had my amulet. Those creatures couldn't harm me.
They started to scratch the door with their long claws. The wood started to be teared down easily, which was strange. Those Lycans seemed to be different from those we used to see in the village. Their claws appeared more like Lady Dimitrescu's.
"Aleena, stay behind me," Bela ordered, noticing they'd enter at any moment. "Once they get in, I need you to promise me one thing."
"Anything."
"I'll distract them and you'll run. Run away from this castle, as far as you can. Find your brother, go to California. My mother will never follow you there."
"But I can fight, I..." she looked at me with pleading eyes. I nodded in response. "Okay. Will you be fine?"
"As long as I don't get exposed to the cold, I'm immortal."
The door exploded in a thousand pieces, about three Lycans invaded the basement. Bela started to streak all around the place to get them distracted. Though she was weakened, she was still extremely fast. I took the opportunity to run back to the kitchen, where I hid myself behind a counter for a moment to make sure no other creatures where coming my way.
Bela also ran back to the kitchen, struggling to fight against the monsters. I could tell one of them was already gone. The other two were attacking her persistently.
"Die, your ugly freaks," she moved that sickle with an impressive precision and skill. Even if she couldn't transform, she still had her advantages. Another Lycan was down. Only one to go.
After knowing she'd be okay, I continued to move. I was about to reach the dining room when I heard something that scared me more than anything. The remaining Lycan had broken the kitchen windows.
"Bela!" I yelled, running back to her aid. "No!"
The young Dimitrescu woman was pinned against the floor with the creature biting and scratching her body. She screamed in pain. The wind coming from outside was draining her abilities to heal, as well as her own life.
Without even thinking, I threw myself on the creature's neck. I remembered all the techniques Adrian taught me, go for the jugular or the heart, if possible, try to server their heads from their bodies. It was the easiest and faster manner to kill them.
The Lycan howled in agony before falling dead on the floor. I ran straight to Bela.
"Bela..." I shook her, she was almost unresponsive, only letting out a few moans. Her skin was turning gray. I needed to get her out of there immediately.
Castle Dimitrescu, Guest Room - Present Days
The Lycans that invaded the castle knew very well what they were doing. Windows from strategic spots had been destroyed. They were sent by someone who had the only objective of killing the Dimitrescu sisters.
For my luck, my bedroom was still intact. I don't even know how I gathered so much strength to carry Bela all over the way to my bed.
"You'll be okay," I caressed her cheek. "I promise you."
After covering her with many blankets as possible, I lighted up the fireplace. Anything to raise her body temperature.
"Aleena..." she spoke, weakly. "You saved me. You should have..." her sentence was interrupted by coughs.
"I owed you. Is there anything else I can do to help you?'
"I... I need blood. Human blood."
I didn't even question my decision. With my dagger, I opened a gash on my wrist.
"Drink it," I told her. "As much as you need."
I assumed her bite would be violent and painful, but it wasn't. She was soft and delicate, taking only small sips at once to make sure she wouldn't take much. To make sure she wouldn't harm me. I didn't feel any pain, in fact, the contact of her lips against my skin felt extremely good. I could even feel some... pleasure?
"It's enough for now," Bela told, pushing my bleeding wrist away from her. I wrapped a bandage against my wound and used a piece of cloth to clean up the corners of her mouth.
She smiled. I smiled back, holding her hand very tightly.
"I'll be okay now, Aleena. I only need some rest. Go check on my sisters, please."
"Okay."
She closed her eyes, falling asleep. For the first time I saw her perfect blonde hair without a hood or a hat, I gently stroke it. That was when I noticed a nasty scar on the side of her head. It should be part of her transformation ritual. Now I could see why she tried so hard to keep it hidden.
I found Cassandra and Daniela locked inside the creepiest chamber I had seen in that castle so far. There was a pool of blood in the center, surrounded by statues. They were sitting in the corner of the room, embracing each other in an attempt to keep their bodies warm. The blood covering their vests suggested they had been fighting Lycans too.
After convincing Cassandra I couldn't have caused all of that, I helped them to get to my room, where they sat in front of the fireplace. I made them some tea to help them to raise their body temperature.
"Somebody plotted all of this," the middle sister told. "They took mom out of the castle, sabotaged the heating system to weaken us, then sent the Lycans to finish the job."
"They were not usual Lycans," Daniela said. "They were like... Super Lycans. They were smarter and their bodies were stronger too. When they entered, they went straight to the windows."
"Their claws were similar to your mother's," I also served myself some tea to try to relieve my tension a little bit. "Where's the staff?"
"They were hiding their asses in a secret passage as soon as the attack began," Cassandra told, angrily. She smashed the teacup with her own hand. "Only two of them were caught by the Lycans. I bet they planned all of this. That Volkov woman, I never trusted her!"
"But why, sister? They knew that if anything happened to us, mother would go feral and burn each one of them alive."
"Daniela has a point here. It's someone outside the castle."
"Your beloved brother, maybe? As a manner of seeking revenge."
First, Auryk wouldn't be able to create mutated Lycans. And besides, we shared the same trauma. He'd never use the monsters who killed our mom to get me out of the castle. He wasn't even sure I'd be wearing the amulet to protect myself. He wouldn't risk my life this way.
"No," I shook my head. "He wouldn't. I could have died in the attack too. He wouldn't put me in so much danger."
"He's just an ordinary boy, Cass," Daniela agreed with me. "Ordinary boys won't create Super Lycans."
"Alright. Can we just stop calling them Super Lycans now?"
Both me and the younger sister shared a laugh. I noticed a hint of a smile in the corners of Cassandra's mouth too. She'd never say it aloud, but she was grateful I saved them.
I went back to my bed and sat down next to Bela. She was sleeping peacefully and the wounds were starting to heal.
"Don't worry," Cassandra stood by my side, "she's a drama queen. Tomorrow she'll be back on her feet."
The bedroom's door opened with a slam and Lady Dimitrescu entered through it like a dragon, seeking for her nest of eggs.
"Cassandra! Daniela!" The daughters ran straight to the woman's arms. She embraced them protectively, as if she was holding her most precious possession. In that moment, I confess I missed my own mother. I wish she could come to my rescue too and hug me that manner.
"Bela..." Alcina's eyes finally spotted her unconscious daughter in my bed. She glared at me with extreme fury. I could swear her eyes turned red. She advanced in my direction, grabbing me by the neck like she did to Auryk in the trial. "WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY DAUGHTER? THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
I couldn't speak. I couldn't even breath.
"She saved her!" Cassandra shouted in my defense. "She had the chance of running away but instead, she came back to rescue Bela from the cold."
"Is it true?" Lady Dimitrescu's gaze softened and she released me.
"Yes," Daniela added. "Then she helped us too. If it wasn't for her, all of us would be dead right now."
In that moment, the giant vampire woman looked at me in a manner I never expected to see. Her eyes expressed not only gratitude, but trust.
I had earned Alcina Dimitrescu's trust.