Chapter 5
The solid gold cage where I had been locked up just a week ago now stood empty beside the bed. The bars were completely bent out of shape, smeared with blood and bits of flesh.
Damien’s breath hitched. Behind him came a low, growling sound.
A lowborn vampire lunged at him with a furious howl.
Damien raised his leg and kicked it hard, sending it flying across the room. His brows furrowed even tighter.
Where had I gone? What was this creature doing here? A thousand questions swirled in his mind, each one pointing to a
conclusion he didn’t dare believe.
Taking a deep breath, Damien forced himself to stay calm and walked slowly toward the creature. But before he could get close, Lilith’s voice rang out behind him.
She rushed over with the newborn in her arms and gasped dramatically, throwing herself into Damien’s embrace. The baby slipped from her arms and flew through the air.
Damien swiftly caught both mother and child. Still, an unfamiliar wave of irritation rose in his heart.
Without warning, his thoughts turned to me again. If it were me standing by his side, I would’ve never been so reckless. And I would never have put a child’s safety at risk.
He tugged at his collar, agitated.
Then, as he looked into Lilith’s frightened, pitiful eyes, he sighed and softened a little.
Suppressing the frustration inside him, Damien ruffled her hair and turned back toward the lowborn vampire.
But the moment his eyes landed on it, he froze completely.
The creature’s face had been mangled beyond recognition, yet the scar on its collarbone was unmistakable.
That mark-was his. The one he’d left when he brought me back to the manor and turned me into a vampire. A mark that
had been our unique symbol of love.
How could this be? His room was the most secure place in the entire estate. How could I possibly have been injured
here?
And more importantly, how had no one told him anything for so many days?
Damien’s chest heaved violently. He never imagined things would come to this.
He’d assumed our daughter would grow up to be just another monster. That was why he’d allowed Lilith to muzzle her. Allowed her to treat our daughter like some filthy beast.
But seeing me, the woman he loved, on my knees, begging for a so-called monster, his heart had twisted in pain.
He’d told himself the child couldn’t stay. Told himself I just needed time to cool off.
But it had never crossed his mind that I would leave him completely.
As he looked down at the frail, skeletal vampire lying on the ground, Damien suddenly knelt down and pulled it into his
arms.
Lilith watched from the side, her eyes full of venomous jealousy.
She had already turned me into this hideous thing-neither human nor vampire-the very thing Damien hated most. So why did he seem to treasure me even more now?
She couldn’t understand it. And she couldn’t accept it.
Taking a deep breath, Lilith forced a smile. She picked up the baby and approached Damien.
“Damien, what’s wrong? This monster… don’t tell me it’s Carmilla!”
“Oh my god, could she have disobeyed your orders and sneaked into the Forbidden Zone?”
“But this wouldn’t be the first time, right? I really think you’ve been too soft on her-that’s why she ended up like this-”
“Shut up!”
The sudden outburst left Lilith stunned.
Damien had grown up in an oppressive environment that demanded absolute obedience. More than anything, he hated being defied.
And Lilith had used that very tactic to drive a wedge between us.
But this was the first time Damien had ever shouted at her because of it.
“Carmilla is not that kind of person… Someone find out who did this to her. I want every detail.”
Damien’s voice was hoarse as he turned to the butler and issued his order.
Even he hadn’t noticed that his hands, still holding the lowborn vampire, were trembling uncontrollably.
Lilith shrank back, frightened by the sudden pressure in the air. She gave a forced laugh and tried to hand the baby to
Damien.
