*Avery*
“Why are we heading to the Vampire Kingdom, Father? You know this will draw a lot of attention,” I questioned my father, but he remained silent. The car glided smoothly along the road while he continued to gaze out of the window. His expression remained unreadable.
“Father, you’re taking an enormous risk. We can’t afford to attract undue attention to us, you know that,” I warned him.
“Shut up, Avery,” he sharply scolded, making me wince. “After spoiling my plan, you still have the audacity to complain,” he spat with disgust, though his focus remained outside, his anger palpable.
“What did I do, Father?” I asked, my tone tinged with defiance.
“Really, Avery?! Do you not know what you have done?! I gave you enough time to seduce Zander and make him fall in love with you, but you were unable to do this. Not only this, you were unable to eliminate Selena from your way. Now she is back in Zander’s life, and my dream of becoming the king of the Werewolves will only remain a dream, unfulfilled because of you!” He shouted at me so loudly and vehemently that even the chauffeur glanced at us.
“What?! Focus on the road,” I snapped at the stupid shifter.
“How can you say that, Father?” I protested in a soft tone. I knew my father had a very bad temper. “I tried everything, and if you are forgetting, Zander was my love. Because of your foolish strategy, I lost him,” I grimaced, remembering how abruptly Zander had told me I should leave right then.
“Do you think I will believe your nonsense? I know how much you love him,” Father taunted rudely. “You were only with him for power, aiming to become the queen of the Werewolves. After you messed up everything, now only Damon can help me get what I want,” he mumbled.
“Damon?!” I frowned. “But how?”
“That’s why we are going to see him because he has a proposal for us,” Father informed me, and for the first time, I saw a small smile appear on his face.
Interesting.
On one hand, the new Vampire King pretended to be friends with Zander and Selena, while here, on the contrary, he offered to help us take them down. This game was becoming more intriguing.
As soon as the car entered the Vampire Kingdom, we were escorted by two guards to the Vampire castle. A vast gate opened, and another Vampire guard led us inside the castle, where Damon awaited us in a castle chamber.
“Welcome, Elijah and Avery!” Damon greeted with an expressionless face.
“Damon!” Father greeted the new Vampire King with a warm smile. “Tell us, why did you call us here urgently?”
“As I mentioned, I have a good proposal for you that will be beneficial,” he explained, rising from his chair and walking toward us.
“What proposal do you have that is beneficial for us?” Father asked, casting a skeptical glance at Damon. Damon gazed at us intently, creating a moment of anticipation as we waited for him to speak.
However, Damon did not reply. Instead, he turned away and ordered, “Follow me.”
Father and I exchanged suspicious glances, but we had no choice but to follow him to discover what he actually wanted from us.
He led us deeper into his castle. As he strode through the dark gallery, all the wall lamps lit up with a flick of his finger in the air. I had only heard that vampires knew magic, but now I was experiencing it live for the first time, and it was mesmerizing.
We continued onward through what felt like an endless gallery until we finally spotted a large door. It swung open at Damon’s gesture, without him even touching it.
Damon led the way inside, motioning for us to follow him into the room. As we entered the large chamber, darkness enveloped us until the lamps suddenly illuminated, casting a majestic glow. In the dim yellow light, a large portrait stood before us, gleaming.
The image before us left us speechless.
“Selena!” I gasped. Although the woman depicted in the portrait bore a striking resemblance to Selena, the painting appeared significantly very old, and the lady in the painting was dressed in an ancient fashion. My father glanced at me, equally puzzled by what he saw.
“She is not Selena,” Damon finally broke the silence, adding to our confusion.
“But she does look like Selena,” I argued, gesturing with my hand. Damon glared at me before he walked closer to the painting. Tilting his head, he gazed intently at the portrait as if it were a living woman.
“She is Arabella!” He declared and his eyes fixed on the painting.
“Arabella?!” I furrowed my brow. “Do you think we’re fools? She is Selena, and I am damn sure of it.” I rolled my eyes.
“Shut up, you foolish woman,” Damon bellowed furiously, baring his teeth, and his two sharp vampire canines showed up. I took a step back in fear. What had suddenly angered him so much? Father looked annoyed as he motioned for me to keep my mouth shut.
“So, you mean this woman in the picture is not Selena but Arabella?” Father inquired calmly.
Damon stared at my father again, but as he turned to look at the picture. His eyes softened as they glowed in the soft, dim light.
“Selena was Arabella, and Arabella is now Selena,” Damon whispered.
Agh! It was so confusing.
Father and I exchanged a glance because what he was saying didn’t make any sense.
“Please enlighten us,” I implored with my most stunning smile.
Damon glanced at me with his piercing, icy blue eyes that shone when he spoke. “It all started thousands of years ago when witches and warlocks used to rule Earth, and other shifters were minorities, obeying and submitting before the Warlock King.”
He turned to face us as he continued, “The story began when the Warlock King, Zephyr Blackthorn, met a beautiful wolf princess: Arabella.”