The Dark Prince's Captive • Complete

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐰𝐨 - 𝑨𝒍𝒆𝒙

“So this is it.” Alex looked down on the completely unremarkable set of human remains, sweat on his forehead, hands and clothes covered in dirt and grit from the grave’d they just dug up. “After all this time, you think we finally found her?”

Savannah nodded from where she was crouched down, bent over the bones. She had a large smear of dirt across her nose and cheek and her clothes were filthy, too.

Mihai shined his flashlight at the rough survey map of the area done in 1821 before the old monastery had fallen into disrepair.

“The spirits said this was the spot.”

Alex felt his jaw harden and he glared Savannah’s way. “The same spirits that hitched a ride in the mother of my son’s body, and influenced who knows how many of her actions almost the entire time I knew her?”

Savanna glared at him. “Aren’t you ever going to let that go? I’ve apologized a million times. And it wasn’t like I wanted to call the spirits that day. You pressured me to. How many times have I tried to tell you that the spirits don’t give a shit about us? They aren’t benevolent, even back when they were gods and goddesses. They never cared about humans, just what gets them off.”

Alex closed his eyes. He was sorry to have lashed out at her. Especially when she could hit back exactly where she knew it hurt.

Firstly, he’d always been the world’s biggest jackass for questioning River’s loyalty even for a second.

And second, River hadn’t always been in control.

Not since they’d gone to Savanah’s dorm room and called on the spirit that day.

Because they’d gotten more than they bargained for. It wasn’t just any spirit that had responded that day.

Savannah had since learned that occasionally, powerful diviners who played with things they didn’t understand, especially if they stumbled across even more powerful ritual ingredients…like say a near-Crisis pre-turned vampire’s blood?

…bad things can happen.

Bad things like accidently summoning an ancient goddess instead of just a regular ole’ spirit from the Otherworlds.

Whoops.

Savanna hadn’t been able to remember until own her mother performed a memory ritual on her. But then it had come back. What happened during that brief moment when she’d dragged River into the bathroom after the dorm-room ritual.

After savanna had called the ancient goddess, the ancient goddess never left. She stayed in Savanah’s body, even after the seance was ended. In the bathroom, possessed by the ancient goddess herself at first, Savanah had grabbed River in a headlock, her palm locked to the nape of River’s neck.

The ancient goddess’ essence were then transferred into River, where she stayed wreaking havoc—maybe to this very day. If she’d ever managed to survive beyond the birth.

Something Uncle Vlad had never allowed in the past.

The mortal mothers were usually quickly dealt with so the new vampire son could be removed and raised without interference, and at Vlad’s sole discretion.

Alex told himself he was reconciled to the idea.

And he was able to live and fight another day because they had a son.

And they’d heard whispers of the Uncle Vlad living at a new compound deep in the Ukrainian mountains. And they’d heard of a child living there.

There’d been no mention of River or any other women living there.

Alex had tried on and off to grieve her over the last years, but even the tiniest possibility that she might still be alive… No, it was just another torture.