In a world of glamour and violence, Aiyden and Nero are sworn enemies, bound by hatred. As the daughter of Crimson Hollow's influential leader, Nero is expected to uphold her family's dark legacy.
But when their hearts collide, forbidden love ignite...
Prologue For some time now, I've made New York City my home, tirelessly hunting down those who once fled and concealed themselves from justice. These individuals, have cruelly snatched from me something of inestimable worth. Alas, no redress could mend the wrong they inflicted; the only fitting retribution was for them to forfeit their lives. A few years back, I arrived in the bustling metropolis, fixated on one singular purpose: vengeance. A solemn oath was sworn to Aiyden and to my own soul - these people would meet their demise as payment for their heinous deeds.
Nicodemo Gambino, the beast I am unfortunate to label as Father, is well aware of my impending arrival. This thought brings me some solace - the vision of him cowering in his hotel room, gripped by the most profound terror, knowing that his time is but a fleeting second away. It is a gratifying image, picturing him in the dead of night, unable to find a moment's peace, fearing that each breath he draws might very well be his last. Deprived of sleep, sustenance, and rational thought, his existence reduced to naught but anxious anticipation of his inevitable demise.
This grim fate, I have vowed to him, shall unfold in an excruciatingly gradual manner - an agonizing death that shall serve as retribution for the horrors he has wrought.
Silently, I tread down the dimly lit corridor, each step purposeful, deliberate. My presence must not be mistaken - I want him to sense my approach, to taste the dread that once consumed his own hapless victims. Behind that door, I hear it: the tremor of fear lacing his pleas for mercy. Oh, how the mighty have fallen! Where is your vaunted dignity now, Father? It crumbles like ashes, revealing the wretched truth of your character. Pathetic, indeed.
But deep within, I know that his reckoning is nigh. This man, once so ruthless, wielded his power and wealth like a cruel sword, leaving scars on the lives of countless, including my own. What he inflicted upon me was beyond forgiveness - an injury too profound to heal.
With a steady hand, I push open the door, revealing myself before him. "Hello, Father," I declare with a mixture of quiet resolve and haunting familiarity, "long time no see!" The air crackles with tension, and the moment hangs like a blade, suspended between past and present, between retribution and absolution.
A sinister grin dances upon my lips, a reflection of the sadistic satisfaction that courses through my veins. My mouth still bears the crimson stain of my latest victim's blood. Call me dramatic, but the sight of him cowering in the corner, his once proud countenance now ashen and eyes brimming with terror, is utterly gratifying.
Strangled gasps escape him as he attempts to speak, but words fail to form. The realization dawns in his eyes that there is no escape, that this is his fateful moment. The grand and powerful Nicodemo, once elevated above all, a king ruling his city with an iron fist, the untouchable sovereign commanding thousands to execute his every whim, now stands before me, utterly pathetic, reduced to a mere shadow of his former self - powerless and defenseless.
"Do not appear so surprised, Father," I retort, my voice laced with a chilling calmness. "After all, what daughter wouldn't want to pay her dear parent a visit on their birthday?"
His desperate pleas tumble forth like shards of shattered glass, each word an attempt to mend what he knows to be irreparable. "Nero, I beg you! I am sorry, it...it...it's not what you think. Just le...let me explain."
The audacity of his words fuels my mirth, and I find myself laughing at the once mighty figure, now reduced to a trembling mess before me. "Oh, no, Father. You are gravely mistaken. It is precisely what I think."
"Nero, I am certain that...that we can talk it out? We are family! Come on, let's fix it! Yes, that is it, we can fix it, I can make amends."
"Perhaps," I concede, allowing a brief glimmer of contemplation to surface. "But you see, I made you a promise, and I am loath to break it." My resolve hardens, and I take a step closer.
His fear intensifies, palpable in the air, and the rhythm of his heart reverberates in my ears. Yet, I remain unaffected. In this dance of predator and prey, I hold the reins of control, reveling in the taste of his fear and desperation as my teeth sink deliberately into his neck. His life force surges into me, an invigorating elixir that courses through my veins, leaving me feeling potent and alive. It is an intoxicating sensation, one I find myself craving endlessly.
As the last drops of his essence feed my hunger, I gaze upon his lifeless form, a sense of gratification washing over me. Justice has been meticulously served, and I know that I have vanquished a monstrous presence from this world. Yet, in that moment of triumph, doubt creeps in. Could this act, however just, define me as a creature no less monstrous?
Silent as a wraith, I depart the confines of the hotel room, melding seamlessly into the shrouded night, just one more vampire stalking the shadows. The sun will herald the news of my father's demise, thrusting New York City into an even greater state of unrest. These past days have seen the city abuzz with tales of three heinous murders. Reports speculate that a single hand orchestrated each vile act, and they are right. Four names now crossed off my vengeful list, yet a multitude remains... so many souls still marked for reckoning.
The city remains oblivious to my presence, ignorant of the role I play in this unfolding tragedy. But fret not, for soon enough, New York you will know my name.
