The next night, I was awoken abruptly by Raoul. He looked preoccupied, his brows knitted together in a worried frown as he gestured for me to get up. My heart started to beat faster and I immediately knew something was wrong - what had happened now?

Raoul confirmed my fears with two simple words - "Viktor left."

I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me and I gasped in shock. Why would Viktor do such a thing? Abandon us when we had a plan to rescue James tonight? And he didn't even say goodbye to me! He went to Raoul instead. He had done exactly what he swore me not to do to him, leave without a word! What the hell was wrong with him?!

My mind raced as anger, confusion and disappointment all mingled together inside of me. I sat up quickly, my heart pounding wildly in my chest.

"What happened? Did he say anything?" I asked desperately, looking Raoul in the eyes.

Raoul sighed, shaking his head and sitting down on the bed beside me. "He said he had something to do and that we should wait for him to come back so we can confront Dario together. He seemed to be in a rush."

I just sat there silently at first as my mind processed what Raoul had said. What, and he wanted me to waste time and wait for him? No way, no way… It’s not fair… I was frustrated beyond words but at this point, all I could do was clench my fists and try to control my breathing.

Suddenly, Raoul touched my shoulder lightly. He sat down on the bed next to me, and I could sense the weight of his words before he even spoke.

"Lucy, I know Viktor can be difficult sometimes," Raoul began. "But he's also one of the most kind-hearted and brave people I've ever met."

I looked at Raoul sceptically, wondering where he was going with this. But Raoul continued, telling me about how Viktor had saved his life many times. He talked about how Viktor had led him and the other vampires in the Great Vampire Rebellion, putting their needs before his own.

"I owe him everything," Raoul said, his voice filled with gratitude. "Meeting Viktor was the best thing that could have happened to me, even if I ultimately regretted serving Queen Naran."

"I... I didn't know that about Viktor" I muttered.

I tried to imagine Viktor as a general, leading an army of vampires. And he did all that for Naran? Why was it that he was unable to tell me about his past? I felt a mix of happiness and bitterness as Raoul spoke because on one hand, I was learning more about Viktor, but on the other, it should have been him the one who decided to open up to me. Raoul must have guessed I was still feeling angry and conflicted, as he put a hand on my thigh and squeezed my arm gently.

"I know it's hard", he told me. "The way he might seem unapproachable and distant... But it's a facade. You have to look in deeper than that".

Raoul explained that when they first met, he had nothing. He was a young man with no purpose, no money, living off of crime. He had begged Viktor to turn him into a vampire, and Viktor had seen something in him that he didn't even see in himself. He had given him purpose and friendship and never asked anything in return.

"He's been like a father to me," Raoul said. "And I know he cares about you too, even if he doesn't always show it."

His words evoked something in me and the tears started rolling down my cheeks.

"I've wanted to get closer to Viktor since we first met, but he's always pushing me away," I said between sobs. "Why is he so distant? Was it something Naran did to him?"

Raoul pulled me close, his strong arms enveloping my body as he tenderly cradled me against his chest. His fingertips softly ran through my hair, creating sensations of warmth that soothed away my sorrows. 

"You're right. Viktor was completely in love and devoted to Naran," Raoul told me. "But she never cared about him, she betrayed him and treated him like garbage."

Hearing these words stung my heart like a million little needles, but I already suspected that Viktor had an unrequited love. Even so, I couldn't help but feel jealous at the thought of another woman's affection for Viktor.

I looked up at Raoul with my tear-filled eyes, trying to grasp the whole situation.

"Why? What happened?" I asked breathlessly.

Raoul shook his head, obviously not wanting to venture too deep into this topic, but I pressured him into talking.

"Well, many vampires who fought under Viktor's command wanted him to become the new King. But Naran feared his rising popularity and demoted him from General under false pretences that he was weak and that he had run away from combat in the battle of Loch Morar," Raoul said in a low voice, taking a deep breath before continuing. "But it's not true… I know, because I was there. He fought like a beast!"

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The thought of Viktor being betrayed by someone he loved so much made me feel sick to my stomach. 

"So to make herself look like the hero, she called in King Tritus under false pretences that she was ready to sign a peace treaty," Raoul said, continuing his story. "You see, Naran was one of King Tritus previous lovers, and I feel like he still had some feelings for her, so he came, willing to talk… I know because I was one of the few who were in the party and we ambushed them. We attacked them from behind. There was no honour in that fight. Viktor must have known something was up, he told me not to go... I regret it now… Next morning Queen Naran appeared in front of everyone with Tritus’ severed head."

I was stunned by his story, my mind wandering to a vision of Naran standing atop a mountain, her body covered in blood, holding Tritus’ head high in the air. She appeared magnificent and terrifying all at once.

"Since then, she has held the throne as Vampire Queen. She also granted Viktor and I a place on the Vampire Council."

"Was he really part of the Council?" I asked.

I was so enthralled by his retelling that I grabbed his hand in mine. Raoul's gaze was intense, his amber eyes piercing mine like arrows. He nodded and I felt my face heat up as I realised how close we were.

"Oh, yes. Not that it mattered much, we just had to do whatever Naran wanted us to do. My hatred for her just grew the more I got to know her... and I couldn't stand the way she treated Viktor. Not only had she demoted him, but also replaced him with another as her main lover – a vampire whose favour she needed. Then another. And then another. While it was frowned upon by society, she slept with numerous vampires without any remorse. However, she forbade Viktor from even glancing at anyone else…"

His face was tense and full of hate. I imagined him standing in a battlefield with Viktor and other vampires around him, swords in hand and fire blazing in his eyes, ready to take on any adversary that dared stand in their way. I could definitely understand why Baba was attracted to him. I placed my hand lightly on his cheek in an attempt to soothe him, but he kept rambling on anyway.

"She would humiliate him in public. She would slap him and hit him. Once I even saw her spitting on him. I guess one day Viktor just had enough... He quietly renounced his position in the Vampire Council and left Babel to live away from vampire society in the human world."

I shook my head, feeling heavy and almost dizzy. Viktor was braver and stronger than I thought, but at the same time, how could he bear all of that from Naran? She was horrible! I felt a sudden surge of hatred for her, like an avalanche of emotions and thoughts crashing against my chest. But Viktor must have really, really loved her, unlike me. It was clear now he had never loved me – he never could. 

I stood up, feeling restless and unsure of what to do next. I started pacing back and forth across the room as I tried to make sense of everything Raoul had told me tonight.

"Are you all right?" Raoul asked.

"That's horrible... How could she do that to him?" I said, my voice trembling with emotion.

Raoul sighed and shook his head. He got up from the bed and wrapped his arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. I felt a warmth radiating from his body that was surprisingly comforting, but I was still too filled with energy and anger to be able to calm down.

"I know it's hard to understand, but I hope you can find a way to forgive him for leaving without saying goodbye."

My anger flared up again and I pushed him away.

"Forgive him? How can I do that? He was too cowardly to even face me!" I spoke through gritted teeth. "He should have never left like that! If he had any decency he would have told me himself... Or stayed..."

My voice trailed off as tears filled up my eyes. I stood in the middle of the room, my feet rooted to the ground as uncertainty fueled my inner turmoil. Viktor had left without explanation and asked us to wait for his return. One side of me argued that I should stay put and hope against hope that he would come back for us, yet the other part of me dreaded trusting a man who had kept so much from me, one who could easily go back on his word. Would Viktor even come back, as he said? And when would that be? James was in danger and I could not forgive myself if my inaction cost him his life.

Finally, I made up my mind. I turned to Raoul and looked at him with a determined expression on my face.