Hearing the command, Leroy moved to the wall where the lever was placed. He pulled in it and slowly, the roof divided starting with a small creaking sound and growing a bit louder as it became wider. It then came to a stop when it was wide enough.

The sound of bones cracking could be heard shortly after that and all eyes turned to look at the course slowly moving their limbs, trying to get used to being awake again. Lucinda couldn’t think of how to get there, but she could tell that it was more than a hundred years from the place stunk and the fact that they have been trying to wake them for a while now and it seems to work until tonight.

"Don’t make a sound," Azraul said suddenly standing beside her. The lord could protect himself against the creatures better than any of them so Lucinda’s safety was his topmost priority.

"I didn’t want to until you said..." he covered his right hand, muffling the rest of her words and she glared at him. He directed her with his eyes to look at what had its attention on her.

One of them was awake, probably the first one that Dmitri dropped the blood on. It was still Lying down but its head was turned towards her. Its red eyes locked on her neck unlike everyone inside her, Lucinda was a witch, and without her powers, she was basically a human. She had a beating heart that pumped blood and all these vampires could hear it, they would be attracted to that heartbeat knowing that there was blood for them from whatever had it. She followed and her body stiffened, she nodded to his silence to keep quiet and he relaxed knowing she understood him.

He gave a faint smile before removing his hand from covering her mouth despite how much he loved to feel her lips pressed against his palm. Unable to resist the urge, he pressed a kiss on her forehead to assure her that he would be her to protect her. She turned red both from embarrassment and anger but she tried not to act on any so she wouldn’t make any noise to attract more attention to her.

He leaned forward toward her side and she stiffened. He smiled seeing her reaction. He was tempted to tease her here where she won’t be able to do anything but he resisted the urge to do so. He leaned to her ear and whispered, "Can you do something about your heartbeat? I love to hear it but right now that is proving dangerous for you."

She was confused and distracted by his breath touching her skin for a moment but nodded right after snapping it and understanding what he was saying. Her lips moved but no sound was heard and soon the sound of her heartbeat started to reduce until it was almost nonexistent. Azrail smiles admiring her from the side.

The vampires started to move their hands as life started entering their bones. They blinked many times to adjust their sight to what they had woken up to. Their gaze took up at the moon that brightened the cave. After a minute more, they began moving their legs, trying to stand.

Dmitri walked a few steps back from where he stood earlier and then to the middle where they would have to see him. While Leroy braced himself for anything even having hungry and thirsty vampires who haven’t been fed for thousands of years. Azrail moved in front of Lucinda to keep her out of their sight. There was one already looking at her and he didn’t want more to join him. While Lucinda closed her eyes and prepared for anything.

"Leroy, have the humans ready and brought in five minutes," Lord Dmitri said and Leroy couldn’t be any happier having to leave them here and do something else that didn’t involve fighting the dark vampires. He was curious to see them up close and now his curiosity has been satisfied.

"Yes, my lord," he said in a hushed tone as if afraid they would hear and get mad. He turned around and walked out of there looking happy. He would rather pass through the humans in there than stay around and pray not to be their meal. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

That was the thing about the dark vampires, it didn’t matter what creature stood before, they would kill you unless you were strong enough to be recognized by them. Leroy didn’t know if he was among those that they would recognize as strong enough so he would not take the chance. He would rather they see him as the one feeding them.

"Young witch," Lord Dmitri called, looking over his shoulder at where she stood though he could not see her because Azrail blocked his view of her.

She stepped to the side so she could see him and hear what he wanted to say knowing he wouldn’t be louder than he spoke.

"You have seen it. They are awake, you don’t have to stay, leave before they rise, they will be attracted to the blood that runs through you," Lord Dmitri said and she frowned.

"I am to be here while you carry out everything," she said, not liking that he was asking her to leave.

"Then do not be a burden to him," Dmitri said without looking at her anymore. Looked at Azrail and sighed inwardly. He would have told not to get entangled with a witch but who was he to say so when he had one in his arms?

"I am protecting myself," she said and glared at him. She moved back backward when she saw them starting to rise from where lay and Dmitri smirked.

Azrail was strong but he doubted he would be able to handle as many they would be going after the woman he had chosen as his. He would love to see them fight to keep her alive. They would be pulled to the blood that was running through her veins. She could barely hear her heartbeat that did not mean it was not there, it was and the creatures could hear it, they could see her presence which was like them, the vampires.

"If you say so," he said and watched the vampires take their first step towards him looking like children learning to walk. "I won’t stop them, Azrail, so protect her."

Azrail did not reply but he held her close to himself. He would love to send her out but she was stubborn and would not listen so it was best to save his strength and fight rather than waste in talking and trying to tell her why she should leave.