The darkness swallowed everything. It was pitch dark. As if the world started all over and God had just begun creating. As if the spun of darkness created an awareness in everyone.
It was though the entire castle itself had suddenly stopped breathing. Elena could hear only three things…the storm raging outside. Her own drumming heartbeat. And Lucien. Standing somewhere directly in front of her. Then, something moved. It was swift. Unnaturally fast. A violent crash exploded through the entrance hall. Stone shattered. Wood splintered. Viktor roared.
The sound shook the castle foundations. Elena gasped. Lightning erupted outside. For a brief second, the entrance hall illuminated white. And what she saw stole the breath from her lungs. Lucien had Viktor pinned against a stone pillar. One han
