Walk Into The Light - Shadows of the Night 6

Chapter 10

Hi,

Okay, so we all know Alexander always has an end game. So what exactly did he mean by removing one of Vladislav's chess pieces and what else do you think he might have planned?

I am perfectly aware that this is a difficult one - let's face it: Alexander's as transparent as a lead wall... Anyway, I hope you like the chapter! Thanks for reading :-)

Lara

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Chapter 10

What was Alexander seeing when he looked at me?

I had showered in Giuliana's hotel and my long brown hair was no longer in a mess, but neatly tied up in a ponytail. My face was bare – no makeup or any other kind of war paint for me to hind behind.

Perhaps it was the long leather coat I had started wearing ever since I stole it from Rafael Medici. Was it enough to make me look like one of his enemies? Couldn't he see it in my eyes?

When he took me in and added all details into the equation, how could he conclude I was just a thing that could be pushed around, ordered and perhaps, if convenient, just gotten rid of?

I was more than a thing, I was a person. This time my mind wasn't tainted by the excessive, addictive power of Spirit and even though I could feel Vladislav's presence in the city, I believed he wasn't in my head at this point in time. If nothing else, I had to believe in that.

Straightening my spine, I gave Alexander a cool look. "So now that you think Vladislav's controlling me, you want to kill me?"

His face remained immobile and frigid. The street light threw shadows on his face, making his high cheekbones stand even more out. Even here in semi-darkness, his lips looked unnaturally red against his pale skin, beckoning to me in ways any other vampire's never would. They were pressed into a thin line – hard and unmovable just like his body posture.

He was clad in black-superfine – black pants and a silk shirt that fit him perfectly – as if he'd dressed up for the occasion. His hair was a composition a high end hair stylist might have created for a nationwide TV appearance. The two top buttons of his shirt were left open, showing pristinely white skin underneath – a personal trademark sign he was apparently unwilling to part with, even in times like these.

"No, I will not kill you, Anna", he said. "I will simply remove you from the playing field."

A chess piece he wanted removed – that's what Alexander saw in me. Not someone who could eventually get herself out of this on her own. Or help save this city.

I knew who I was up against. And truth be told, I had no idea if or when Vladislav would take over my mind again, but I had fought him once and I was going to fight him again. I saw the place where the twenty humans were killed by vamps in his mind.

What I saw, when I was in Vladislav's mind was real – I had proof of that now. That in turn meant, I might be the only one to figure out what Vladislav was going to do next.

"What if I tell you that Vladislav isn't controlling me?"

He looked at me, remaining still, oh so still and for a moment I almost believed in the illusion that he was an immovable statue. Then the moment passed and he shifted ever so slightly.

"It does not change anything. I have lived under Vladislav's rule for two-and-a-half centuries. He has been inside your mind once. He walked into your head and accessed parts of your mind you would have shared with nobody except yourself. Wishes, fears and weaknesses – he will catalogue them and make use of them to bring his enemies to heel. And he always succeeds."