Chapter 5

It didn't take long to sense countless energies. Looking around, auras emerged amidst the humans who had begun to dance, sipping exotic drinks and enjoying themselves with loud laughter and naive smiles, unaware that several predators surrounded and watched them.

A shiver down my spine put me on high alert; one of the energies was familiar to me.

They were close... far too close for my liking.

I quickly stood up, under the perplexed gazes of my new "friends." Without any explanation, I simply ran for the bar’s exit, weaving through as many humans as I could on the dance floor, trying to delay whoever was following me.

Picking up my pace, I didn't pay the slightest attention to anyone entering the place; I only cared about feeling the cool night breeze on my face.

As soon as I felt it, the hope of having lost them was reinforced by the thought that the further I got, the better.

Running, I rounded the block, holding my breath for a second while I decided on the best path to hide from Eduardo. I needed only a few more hours to secure the blessed protection that had been lost by mere minutes.

"Hell! I was so close!"

Perhaps if I caught a taxi and kept moving through the city until dawn, they wouldn't be able to catch me. I smiled at the thought, heading toward the main road, but when I tripped over something, I knew it was already too late.

A powerful blow to my ankles struck without warning, which made me fall immediately. When my hair was grabbed intensely and my body was dragged into a dark alley, I knew I had to defend myself or I would be lost.

Despite not wanting to come face-to-face with that bastard, I grabbed his arm, looked up, and bit the hand that was holding me.

I wanted to see if Eduardo was there in person to punish me, but a second blow followed quickly, blinding me for a moment. The punch landed squarely on my face; I could feel the pain of the bruise pulsing in sync with my heartbeat.

A third blow came, even stronger than the first, leaving me sprawled on the dirty pavement once again. Feeling the taste of my own blood in my mouth, rage took hold of me.

I hadn't allowed Eduardo to taste my blood on that night of passion, and I wouldn't allow him to spill it now, just to suit his whims.

I got up, intending to face him and return his blows; I was not an expert fighter, but I knew some self-defense. But quickly, the word "impossible" crossed my mind.

Defending against the precise kick that struck my stomach was an illusion; the blow left me breathless, making me groan painfully while bile mixed with my blood in my mouth, causing me to cough and spit out everything I had in it.

The kick had been delivered with the intent of leaving me lying there incapacitated, and it succeeded; I couldn't move. I raised my gaze, hoping to see a satisfied smile on Eduardo's face, but to my astonishment, it was one of his lackeys.

Even though I was a dhampir, I didn't heal that easily, which proved to be a major problem there, right now, in my current situation. He moved slowly, as if he knew there would be no challenge in this fight.

Gasping, I tried to stand up again, protecting my stomach with crossed arms, but the intense pain stopped me.

There was no way to protect myself, no way to defend myself—it was all over. I would be Eduardo's prisoner forever, at the mercy of his cruelties and madness.

"Heavens!"

Tears streamed down my face—not from physical pain, but emotional.

As I waited for the next blow from my attacker, a stranger interposed himself between us, leaving me surprised.

A fight started immediately—a severe confrontation with fierce punches and kicks in a violent dance.

On my knees, I avoided groaning through the pain that wracked my body, crawling slowly away from there. Perhaps if someone called the police, I could get rid of both of them.

A horrible sound echoed through the place, followed by a macabre silence. Swallowing hard, I looked back, apprehensive, nervous, and afraid.

My body trembled; the sound of bones disintegrating when the body hit the wall made me believe I wasn't out of danger yet. Between groans and a near loss of consciousness, I noticed a huge figure kneeling in front of me, picking me up in his arms with care.

The intense pain that began to surge incessantly indicated that some ribs were broken, and I didn't know how badly I was injured internally. Analyzing the face of my savior, his striking features and intense green eyes left me silent for a second, thinking that, after all, there was still hope.

Blinking, I thanked him mentally; my lips wouldn't move even though I tried. It didn't matter who he was at that moment; all that mattered was being away from Eduardo.

Even if it was just for one more day, that was enough for now. For a few seconds, I truly believed in that, but after a few steps, the pain was unbearable. With every movement, my groans became more persistent, which left me a little embarrassed.

I writhed in his arms trying to ease the pain; I didn't want to be ungrateful, but my body rubbing against his hard chest with every long stride increased my suffering.

Abruptly, he stopped, staring at me fixedly, and in just a second, I felt trapped, the intense emerald green of his eyes hypnotizing me.

Without even realizing that his lips were moving, I heard a masculine and firm voice in my mind emitting a single word: "Sleep!"

A word that enveloped me in immediate relief and also... in darkness.