The Vampire's marked Witch

Finally Found

Nova's POV

The city streets looked like pictures I had seen on the internet. The place was alive and very beautiful.

Suddenly, the transport truck halted. A female guard ordered three of us to get off. We stood in front of a big mansion that radiated wealth.

We were led to the back of the house and pushed inside. The interior was magnificent, nothing like I had ever seen in real life.

"Take off your overalls and wear this," the guard commanded, tossing us heavy, deep emerald-green velvet robes and gloves.

The robe was long with a wide hood. It was thick enough to block out the biting cold of the house. The guard stopped and faced us.

"You are going to a high-society event. The High Lord of the Valerius clan is celebrating his coronation. You are not to speak to or look at anyone. Keep your eyes on the ground. Number 57, you go first."

A guard dressed in grey led me outside and guided me into a white Bentley. A few minutes later, a man stepped into the car and sat beside me. Because of my hood, I couldn't see his face, but he wore a grey suit and had a ring with the letter F on his pinky finger.

"Hopefully Lady Luna won't be mad at me for arriving late," he muttered to himself.

My mind drifted back home. Sister Joan would be so sad. I failed her, I should have stayed on campus. I'm sorry, Mom, I thought as tears slipped down my face.

The car stopped in front of a large castle-like manor. The gates opened after the guards scanned the mark on my master's hands. We stepped out, and I followed closely behind him into a big crowded hall, it felt like a palace. There were dozens of other feeders in green robes, some plain m like mine, others had theirs embroidered with gold.

My master took a seat far behind the front rows, and I was given a low stool to sit on right beside his legs.

"Hail Lord Lucius of the Valerius clan!" the crowd chanted loudly.

"It's time for a toast. Let us raise our glasses to our new Lord," a voice announced.

After the toast, everyone sat down. The guard pulled my hood back, exposing me to the chill of the palace room, and loosened the rope around my neck to reveal my shoulders.

I felt my master gently shift my hair forward. His breath tickled my neck. I closed my eyes and braced myself for the bite.

But it never came. He tried a second time, then stopped and groaned in frustration.

"What kind of feeder was given to me? Hey, take her out of here. I can't feed from her. She's a bad product. Get me another and get rid of her."

Get rid of me? My heart raced. I looked up at my master. He was young, with strawberry blonde hair and piercing red eyes.

His guard immediately dragged me out to a secluded courtyard behind the hall, throwing me roughly onto the cold stone floor. The guard walked over, gripping my chin to force me to look at him.

"You're beautiful, damsel. You have nice eyes," he said, shoving me back down. "I can't let you go to waste just yet." He began unbuckling his belt.

"Please, don't. I promise to do better. Please don't get rid of me," I begged, hot tears streaming down my face.

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle," he sneered. He pinned me down, ripping open my robe to expose my chest.

"Please stop! Help! Anyone, please help me!" I screamed, punching his chest, but he was too strong.

A heavy hand slammed across my face. The slap stung terribly. "Shut up. Since you want it rough, I'll give it to you rough." He slapped me again.

Shocked and terrified, I stopped fighting. I closed my eyes and cried silently as he sucked on my n*****s.

Suddenly, a heavy force threw the guard off my body. I opened my eyes and saw a tall man with dark hair and grey eyes. His face was covered in blood.

The guard scrambled to his feet, furious. "Who the hell did—" He froze, instantly dropping to his knees in terror. "My... My Lord, I'm sorry. I..."

I quickly pulled the ripped pieces of my robe tightly against my chest, shivering.

"Leave," the dark-haired man commanded.

The guard glanced at me, bowing low. "Baron Decimus ordered me to get rid of her, my Lord. He couldn't feed from her. She's a bad product."

"I won't say it again," the man repeated, his voice dropping.

The guard didn't hesitate. He scrambled up and blurred away into the darkness.

The blood-covered man turned and walked toward me. Panicking, I crawled backward in fear, wondering if he was about to do the same thing the guard did. Instead, he reached down and gently lifted the hair away from my neck, staring at the skin.

"Finally, I found you," he murmured.

Before I could say anything, he scooped me up into his arms. I stared up at him, my vision blurry, unable to see his face clearly through the blood.

What did he mean, he found me? Who was this man?

Lucius's POV

The crowd chanted loudly, "Hail Lord Lucius of the Valerius clan!"

I drummed my fingers on the armrest of my throne, nervous. I just wanted this ceremony to end so I could leave Nix Borealis and look for the girl.

My uncle and father-in-law, Lord Orion, raised his glass to the room. "It's time for a toast. Let us raise our glasses to our new Lord."

Once everyone sat back down, a feeder was brought to me. I bit into her neck, drinking from her as she let out a soft moan.

Suddenly, my heart raced fast. I stopped feeding looking up at he crowd. I could feel her. The girl was here in the manor. How can that be? I shoved the feeder away and scanned the room. Through the sea of people, I sighted m a guard dragging a hooded figure out the back exit.

I stood up to follow them.

"Where are you going?" Ava asked, grabbing my hand.

I pulled out of her grip not replying her. Finn stepped forward to follow me, but I glared at him. "Don't follow me, Finn."

I hurried out of the hall into the cold night air.

At first, I saw nothing. Then, a cry for help echoed from the dark. I went toward the courtyard and found a guard pinning a lady to the stone floor, forcing himself on her.

Anger boiled inside me. With a wave of my hand, I threw the guard off her body.

The girl opened her eyes, gasping. I froze. There they were, those same beautiful, blue-hazel eyes I had seen twenty-two years ago m. It couldn't be.

The guard scrambled to his feet, terrified.

"Leave," I commanded in a whisper. He bowed low, stammering out some pathetic excuse about a bad product, but I wasn't willing to repeat myself. Terrified, he turned and blurred away into the darkness.

I walked slowly toward the girl. She crawled backward, looking at me with terror in her eyes. Please, let it not be her, I prayed silently. I knelt down and gently lifted the hair away from her neck.

There it was. The spiral mark I had embedded into the baby twenty-two years ago.

My heart raced louder.

"Finally, I found you," I whispered.

I scooped her up into my arms, lifting her off the freezing stone floor. She stared up at me through her tears, her face full of silent questions.

"What do you think you're doing?" Ava's voice said from behind us.