Chapter 5
651words
"You look miserable, Adrian."
Adrian turned to find a woman beautiful as carved ice standing in the doorway. Her silver-white hair cascaded like moonlight over a black Gothic gown, her presence radiating both aristocratic refinement and lethal danger.
"Lilith," Adrian acknowledged flatly. "What brings you here?"
Lilith Dracul—vampire noblewoman and one of the few immortals Adrian considered a friend.
"Word is you've been frequenting human establishments," Lilith glided into the room, her movements cat-like in their silence. "The elders are concerned. Now I see why. You reek of humanity, and your... condition is troubling."
Adrian's jaw tightened. "My affairs are none of your concern."
"On the contrary," Lilith settled gracefully into the chair opposite him, "you are Dracul. Your blood is noble, your actions reflect on our family's honor. Tell me, which mortal has you so... distracted?"
Adrian said nothing, his face a mask.
Lilith studied his expression, then her eyes widened with sudden understanding. "You've fallen for one of them? A human? Adrian, have you lost your mind?"
"It's none of your business, Lilith," Adrian said, ice coating each word.
"None of my business?" Lilith rose, fury flashing in her eyes. "Have you forgotten who you are? You're a noble vampire, soon to be elevated to Duke! You're the heir to a thousand-year bloodline! How dare you debase yourself for some human plaything?"
"She is NOT a plaything!" Adrian shot to his feet, crimson fire blazing in his eyes. "Don't you EVER speak of her that way! She has more purity and beauty than all our so-called 'noble' kind combined!"
Lilith recoiled, shock giving way to white-hot rage. She and Adrian had been companions for centuries, yet here he was, defending some mortal and speaking to her—his oldest friend—with such venom.
"Look at yourself," Lilith sneered. "Raging at your own kind over some human. She's bewitched you completely."
"I'm not bewitched," Adrian's voice softened but remained resolute. "I love her."
"Love?" Lilith scoffed. "Do you know how long human love lasts? A few years? A few decades at most? You have eternity—is it worth this misery for something so fleeting?"
"It's worth everything," Adrian answered without hesitation. "Each day with her holds more meaning than the thousand empty years before her."
"And what's your grand plan? Marry her? Watch her wither and die? Then return to your solitude, carrying fresh grief?"
Adrian's face fell, Lilith's words striking his deepest fear—he couldn't bear losing Lucy, yet she refused Transformation.
"I offered to Turn her," Adrian admitted, anguish evident in his voice. "She refused. She insists on remaining... mortal."
"Then compel her," Lilith said dismissively. "Human will is fragile. Use your powers to bend her mind. Make her beg for the gift of immortality."
"No!" Adrian roared. "I will NEVER force her! Love means nothing without choice. Coerced devotion isn't love—it's slavery!"
"Then you're a fool," Lilith stood, disappointment hardening her features. "This is your final warning, Adrian. Return to your rightful place and forget this human. Otherwise, the family won't stand idle."
"Is that a threat?"
"I'm saving you," Lilith replied coldly. "If you won't return willingly, the family has other methods. We won't allow our ancient name to be tarnished by your human pet. Either she becomes one of us, or you cease to be."
With that, she turned and vanished, leaving Adrian alone in the vast, empty hall.
Adrian knew Lilith never made idle threats. The Dracul were among Europe's oldest and most powerful vampire bloodlines. They would never tolerate one of their own "degrading" himself with a human. If he defied them, Lucy would be in danger.
