Chapter 65

Chapter 65

ANDREAS

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5)

The moment I stirred from unconsciousness, a surge of disorientation and panic jolted through me. My eyes flickered open to a dimly lit dungeon, and the reality of my situation crashed down like a leaden weight. Cold stone walls surrounded me, and the metallic bars of a cell enclosed my space. With a start, I scrambled to my feet, a rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins as I struggled to comprehend my situation.

I grabbed the cell and tried to pull it but it was futile, even with my full strength.

“It’s no use,” said an eerily familiar voice, shattering the silence. Lord Theon sat confined in a neighboring cell. His presence only added to the confusion swirling within me.

“They made sure you won’t break out,” his voice echoed, cutting through the air with a hint of resignation.

“What’s the meaning of this? Why are you here?” I growled, my voice barely a whisper as I struggled to contain my rising anger. Memories flooded back with searing clarity, recalling how he had been the last face I saw before darkness enveloped me.

“Just like you, Sir Andreas, circumstance has ensnared me,” Lord Theon spoke, his tone laced with bitterness and resignation. “They know of my association with you and used me to lure you out.”

He merely looked at me and I know that he could not tell me about as well. Unless he would rather have himself

killed.

“Where are we?”

“We’re still at my house, Sir Andreas. Several feet below, hidden from prying eyes,” he replied, his words dripping

with a mixture of defiance and despair.

A surge of frustration and confusion gripped me, threatening to overwhelm my senses. The urge to lash out, to confront him for his deceit, pulsed through my veins like a massive wave. Every fiber of my being yearned to storm his cell and seize him by the throat, to demand answers with clenched fists and bared teeth.

“My connection to you, Sir Andreas, has led me to this dire circumstance,” Lord Theon confessed, rising to his

feet with an unsettling ease. A disconcerting smile played upon his lips, belying the gravity of his words. His gaze flickered towards the crude weapon lying just beyond the bars of our cells.

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“I will tell you what I can but you have to promise me something,” he said. At that moment, a sinking feeling settled in the pit of my stomach, the weight of what he was planning to do bore down upon me with crushing

force.

Silence settled between us as we both knew what would happen minutes after I agreed.

“What is it?” I asked. Relief flooded his gaze.

“I need you to watch over Herbert and Grace,” Lord Theon’s voice rang out, his gaze piercing mine with unwavering resolve.

Silence sat between us before I asked. “Why can’t you do it yourself?”

A bitter smile played upon his lips, tinged with a hint of amusement. “You’re no fool, Sir Andreas, much mother, Lady Cressida in her prime. You understand why I’m entrusting this to you.”

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If there was anything I could do to stop whatever he planned, I would do so. But the look on his face tells me that he has already made up his mind and no one can stop him anymore.

With a heavy heart, he rose from his seat and approached the weapon resting just beyond the confines of his cell. There was a solemnity in his movements, a resigned acceptance of the path he had chosen for himself- the

path he had chosen to help me.

“This is better than taking out my own heart,” he said before he walked towards me and handed me the piece of wood. “I want you to do it for me before I do it to myself. I want you to make sure I am dead, otherwise, I will come after my children.”

“Lord Theon–

“Please, Sir Andreas.” He pushed the piece of wood closer to me and I had no choice but to accept it. “I don’t think I would be able to tell you everything but I will do my best to tell you parts of what you need to know.” His breathing hitched and both his hands held tight to the cell bars, to stop them from moving on their own.

It was the power of compulsion. If a vampire compels someone to do something, the victim won’t be able to stop it no matter what. For Lord Theon, telling someone else about what he knows is the trigger for him to kill himself. That’s how he was compelled.

“It’s an experiment… they’re trying to make hybrids–” he gasped again, his hold against the cell bar went tighter. “They’re trying to make strong warriors and they’re using the vampires as test subjects–”

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Chapter 65

“Who? Who are they?”

He attempted to speak, but his words were stifled by an unseen force, a potent compulsion imposed upon him. by a vampire of formidable strength.

As his gaze locked with mine, I discerned a silent plea etched within his eyes, a desperate entreaty borne of profound desperation-emotions with which I was familiar.

“Lord Theon, who are they?”

He convulsed, coughing and grunting as though some primal force sought to wrench itself free from within him. His hands clenched into fists, knuckles white with the intensity of his struggle, while a guttural growl emanated from deep within his chest.

“Lord Theon–”

Before I could react further, his hand darted toward his chest, intent on delivering the fatal blow. However, I was faster and I intercepted his movement, seizing his hand in a vice-like grip. Despite my efforts, his nails managed to draw blood from his chest. His eyes widened in a mixture of shock and fear, the depths of his terror laid bare as it flooded his gaze.

“Tell me who they are,” I repeated, tightening my hold against his hand. “Tell me who’s doing this.”

Struggling against the invisible chains of compulsion, Lord Theon fought to convey his final message through gasps and strained breaths. “The Palace…” he croaked, his voice barely audible amidst the turmoil gripping him. “Answers lie within… you must seek… the Palace…”

Each word was an agonizing effort, his nails digging deeper into his flesh as if driven by an unseen force. “Please, Sir Andreas,” he pleaded, his voice tinged with desperation. “I’m powerless… can’t tell you more…” Another inch, another wave of anguish, and I knew what had to be done.

Grabbing the piece of wood, I met Lord Theon’s gaze with a heavy heart. “This won’t be easy,” I murmured.

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips. “I… I understand,” he whispered, his voice barely above a hoa rse murmur. “But to die in your hands is so much better than dying in theirs. Bring justice to this tainted realm, Sir Andreas. Bring them all to their knees.”

With a heavy heart and trembling hands, I tightened my grip on the makeshift weapon and aimed it squarely at Lord Theon’s heart. The air seemed to still as I drove it forward, piercing through flesh with a sickening thud. A

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strangled gasp escaped his lips, followed by a crimson torrent that spilled forth, staining the ground beneath

him.

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Gradually, the tension in his body ebbed away, his once-strong grip on the cell bars slackening as his breathing grew labored. With each shallow exhale, his life force waned until, finally, he stag gered backward and collapsed to the cold, unforgiving floor. A heavy silence descended upon the chamber as I stood there, grappling with the weight of what I had done.

Death was no stranger to me, nor was the sensation of blood staining my hands. Yet, as I gazed upon his still figure, a haunting familiarity washed over me-a chilling reminder of the first time I had taken another’s life.

The metallic ta ng of blood lingered in the air. Slowly, I sank to the ground, my back pressed against the rough

surface of the dungeon wall.

As his blood pooled upon the cold stone floor, a sense of determination took root within me. Whoever was behind these experiments, whatever dark forces lurked within the shadows, would not escape justice.

But the question remains unanswered: who could it be? Who could be doing all these experiments and who’s controlling them?

I knew at that moment that I needed to find a way to get out and put an end to the evil that lurks in this land.

I stood and took a deep breath before I prepared myself as I heard footsteps coming closer to where I was.

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