Black Blood

-B2- Chapter 81

In a mix of despair and aggression, I stride down the grand hallway. Corpses of Dawn members and guards lie against the walls like decorations, blood has covered the stones, and screams continue to echo through the building, here even more audible than in the other corridors.

Here and there, a servant stops walking and immediately kneels down. Guards now kneel as I pass them, and the living Dawn members are nowhere to be seen.

The aggression boils through my body, seeking the outlet I've long awaited. The face full of fear and pain that I've envisioned so many times, perhaps more often than that of my father.

That face is at the end of this corridor, screaming and fighting in a battle he will never win.

'I'll kill you!' echoes the voice along the walls.

'I wish you luck,' Novak calmly responds as he effortlessly holds Christian, restraining him. Desperately, Christian tries to break free from Novak's grasp, but he stands no chance.

Novak is stronger, he utilizes his magic, and he's more determined than ever. The aggression he holds towards my husband is evident in the cut on Christian's cheek. Blood drips from his jaw to the floor as he tries to strike Novak.

Novak swiftly seizes his arms, twists them behind his back, and locks them in a hold, leaving Christian powerless.

Finally, that's the moment when the two brown eyes land on me.

With my dagger clenched in my hand, my dress soaked in blood, and my gaze filled with bitter rage, I walk at a steady pace straight towards my husband.

This man has looked at me with a condescending and mocking gaze of disgust and hatred since I've known him. There was always a sense of amusement in his eyes, a look that portrayed me as an innocent, incompetent, and foolish child.

The look he gives me now still holds disgust and hatred, but much more fear. Deep fear that would send an animal fleeing.

A look of someone staring Death right in the eyes.

He starts again, futilely, attempting to free his arms. Novak grins as he offers no resistance.

I ignore the dozens of guard corpses who attempted to defend Christian as I cover the last few meters.

In complete silence, I halt a meter away from Christian, staring deeply into his brown eyes. He gives up struggling against Novak, looks me straight in the eye, and then spits in my direction.

'Die, you whore.' Before his spit can reach me, I discreetly move my fingers, letting it hang in the air where I'm sure Christian can see it before I direct it straight towards his bleeding cheek. Throughout the entire action, I keep silently staring at him.

The horror and fear in his eyes gain a genuine surprise when the spit touches his skin. Novak's grin widens.

'Your mother would have been ashamed of you, you foolish girl,' Christiaan shouts in an attempt to achieve something.

His words would have hurt me in the past; I would have wondered if I was foolish. But now I know better.

I twist the dagger in my hand as I turn my eyes for the first time to the knife in my hand.

'You know, Chris,' I say, turning the tip of the dagger against my left index finger without breaking the skin.

'I've long wondered if my life would have been different if my mother hadn't been murdered. If you wouldn't have been there. If we wouldn't be standing here now. I have an answer now.' My eyes shoot up, locking with his.

'The answer is no. My father would have gone mad eventually, and I would undoubtedly still have had to marry a conceited bastard like you. So, I'm glad you became that conceited bastard standing at that altar. Glad that you were so foolish, so naive, and so blind to who stood in front of you. I'm glad you were dumb enough to underestimate me.'