I woke up the next night and reached out to the other side of the bed. Viktor wasn’t there. I sat up. Where could he be? Should I go look for him?

After getting out of bed, I tried to look presentable. I needed to find Viktor. I traipsed throughout the hotel in search of him. He was in the hotel lobby with Raoul. I wondered what these two could be discussing. It was only then I realised we had been missing for two nights and did not say anything to him.

“Lucy, there you are,” Raoul greeted me joyfully. Viktor turned to me as well and met me with a smile and a hand on my waist. “Now that you’re here I should probably tell you. While the two of you were otherwise 'occupied',” he said winking an eye, “I took care of burying Dario’s body. Queen Naran can’t know that he’s dead yet. Because when she finds out, she will rain hellfire upon us.”

“Where did you bury the body?” Viktor asked suddenly. I turned to him to find his face serious and resolute.

Raoul looked confused, but he told Viktor where he buried Dario’s body. Viktor asked him to take us and so we left. We arrived at the plot of land on the outskirts, between nothing and nobody. Viktor wasted no time, he furiously dug up the body while Raoul and I stared at him in bewilderment.

“What happened to his face?” Viktor asked. He pointed at the scarring of where I melted off half of his face.

“I wondered the same thing…” Raoul said.

“It was me,” I confessed. They both turned to look at me, utter surprise etched on their features. “I… While he was attacking me, I discovered my vampiric power. Turns out I can blast sunlight from my hands.” I held up my palms at the end.

“That’s amazing!,” Viktor and Raoul said at the same time. They looked stunned and Viktor approached me. He gently took my hands in his.

“That’s wonderful, Lucy. You're incredible.”

It made me feel seen and appreciated. A blush crept across my cheeks.

Viktor turned away and picked up Dario’s head by his hair. He decapitated him in one swift motion. “Here,” he said to Raoul, tossing him the head.

Raoul caught it and looked at it confused. “What is this for?”

“That’s for Queen Naran. I want you to deliver it to her,” Viktor said. He walked closer to Raoul. “And tell Baba to prepare the rebels. We’re going to war.”

Raoul was ecstatic. I looked at them as Raoul rushed to embrace Viktor. “This is splendid, old friend! C'est magnifique! Viktor gave half a smile, stoic as ever. “And the severed head, pleasant touch! Exactly what Queen Naran did to King Tritus. Baba will be so happy!”

Viktor seemed lost in thought as we made our way back to the hotel. I knew that he had a lot on his mind after everything that had happened. When we finally arrived, Viktor told Raoul that we wouldn't be returning with him to Edinburgh.

"I'm afraid we have something else to do," Viktor explained. "But you should go to Baba now. We'll catch up in a week."

Raoul looked surprised but understanding. "I'll do as you order, my general," he said.

As Viktor walked away to start wrapping Dario's head and placing it inside a bag, Raoul turned to me. "Have fun," he said with a smug smile.

I nodded. "You too."

Raoul chuckled. "I'll miss you both."

He seemed sincere. We bid him farewell at the hotel's entrance, and he waved his hand before walking away with Dario's severed head.

The two of us headed back to our hotel room. I desperately wanted to relax after the day we had. However, I didn’t understand why we needed to go to war, and it kept nagging at me. When we were in bed I stared at Viktor. He was so handsome and brave, but I had to know why he sent Raoul away with Dario’s head. What good would it bring to declare war so openly?

“Why are you declaring war on Naran?” I asked him. The moonlight was streaming in through the half-drawn curtains. I could see the sincerity written on his face.

“Because you won’t be safe until she’s dead,” Viktor confessed. He put his hand against my cheek. “And I won’t be free. I want to be happy with you.”

I may not have understood why we had to go to war, but this was my fight as well. I was there to offer my support to my husband and if Viktor wanted to go to war, we shall go.

I kissed him again after that. I couldn’t keep all my feelings to myself any longer. We undressed in a rush to feel skin-on-skin. His cock grew heavier the longer we kissed, pressed up against my thigh. I wanted it inside me, I wanted it to fill me up.

I begged him to just put it in, I was ready to take him. Hunger and need rolled into one and it became a struggle trying to control my feeding urges. Viktor wasn’t too far off either. But we knew we wouldn’t give in, we couldn’t. I moaned when he plunged his rod inside my heat. He used those expert hips and experienced tongue to make me come several times in a row.

We rode our insatiable hunger until we were depleted.

***

We stayed at the hotel one more day, but the next night Viktor told me we needed to go soon. He asked me to meet him at the rooftop of La Roche Hotel, where he would explain everything, and I complied.

Once we were up on the roof, I stopped to take in the view of the city below us. The moon was high in the sky, casting a soft glow over the rooftops of Paris. The streets were quiet, with only a few lamps casting light on the cobblestone paths. Then I slowly turned around to look at Viktor's silhouette against that gorgeous backdrop. 

I remember it being cold and dark, but I felt my chest swell with a kind of warmth when Viktor looked at me. He was so serious-looking, but his strength was undeniable.

"What did you want to tell me?" I said.

Viktor turned to me. “We’re going on a trip.” He grabbed me by the waist and hoisted me up onto my toes. “We’re going to China for a little holiday…”

He looked at me with a seriousness that gave me chills. What was this about travelling all the way to China? Where was this all coming from? I put a hand to his perfect chest, scared of enquiring any further.

"What is it?" I finally dared to ask.

“Naran was turned in Asia,” he said. “It’s possible her begetter still lives there. I need to find him. She's too powerful to be killed through decapitation like most other vampires" he confessed. I could sense frustration in his words. "Her body can regenerate from just about anything. The only way I know of to kill her is by exposure to sunlight, which is obviously not an option we could use.”

Then Viktor grabbed both my hands and caressed them against his cheeks, giving me a look that melted my heart.

"But now that I can count on you, a smart, brave, powerful woman who can radiate light from her hands, we might have a chance to kill Naran after all".

I felt proud of myself but scared at the same time. I knew if we were successful in our mission, Viktor would be a hero and Naran's evil reign would finally be over. But I was also terrified at the thought of facing such an incredibly powerful enemy. Failing meant death, or worse. In an effort to remain strong, I nodded to Viktor and hugged him tightly.

The night was long and gloomy. There were dangers that lurked in the dark but there was also hope for a brighter tomorrow. The wind was cold against my skin so I stayed close to Viktor. We were together on this, no matter what came our way. He smiled at me and then scooped me up. His muscled arms held me close and his wings extended outwards. We jumped and soared high above the human world, our hearts beating as one.