Chapter 3To Sire My True Love

“Ten days,” I announced, my voice cutting through the silence of the room. “We have ten days. Let’s see whether you can make Seraphina de Valois stand, or I can awaken the sleeping Elara d’Amboise.”

“So, Julien Reed,” I asked, my eyes locked with his. “Do you dare?”

A wave of whispers erupted through the hall. A flash of triumph lit Julien’s eyes. “I accept!”

I let my smile widen. “I will not lose.”

From her wheelchair, Seraphina laughed with contempt. “Elara is a living corpse. You couldn’t even fix my legs, and you think you can wake her?”

My gaze drifted down to her legs, my sight feeling as though it could pierce the skin and see the slow rot taking place within. “Be careful, Seraphina. All medicines come with a price. With Monsieur Reed’s ‘miraculous’ arts, you might just find that in addition to your legs remaining useless, you’ve acquired some other… interesting afflictions.”

With that, I turned and walked away.

The next morning, Madame d’Amboise escorted me to the hospital. Sunlight cast dappled patterns on the floor, and I instinctively avoided the patches of light, keeping to the shadows.

I walked to Elara’s bedside. She lay perfectly still, her breath so shallow it was nearly imperceptible. I reached out, my cold fingertips brushing against her cheek, feeling the last lingering trace of mortal warmth. Then, I held out my own wrist and, using a fingernail sharpened to a point, drew a fine, precise line across the skin.

There was no mark of a mortal blade. The skin simply parted, and a few drops of blood, so dark they were almost black, welled up. They carried a strange fragrance, a mix of ancient dust and night-blooming flowers. This was not a simple gift; it was the sharing of my very eternity. I let the drops fall between her lips, watching them disappear against her pale mouth.

Seven days, at most. My blood, my essence, would call her sleeping soul back to her veins.

“Monsieur von Valerius, thank you,” Madame d’Amboise whispered, her voice choked with emotion.

“Madame, I am not doing this for payment. I am doing this to win,” I said, meeting her tear-filled eyes. “And rest assured, I will wake your daughter.”

Before she could respond, Julien appeared, pushing Seraphina’s wheelchair.

“So this was your game all along,” he sneered. “You’re just after the d’Amboise family’s money.”

Madame d’Amboise’s expression turned to ice. “I have absolute faith in Monsieur von Valerius.”

Seraphina was quick to her defense. “Madame d’Amboise, you can’t let him touch Elara!”

I raised a hand, silencing Madame d’Amboise’s retort, my gaze settling on Seraphina’s legs.

“Seraphina,” I said calmly. “Haven’t you noticed? Your legs… they’re atrophying even further.”