- I love you so much. - He whispered so softly that only she could have heard if she could have heard at that moment. - I’m sorry, I’m sorry, my love. I’ve betrayed your trust again. I’m sorry, I love you so much. I swear that I will be with you wherever you are, in this world or the next. Together and forever.

His fangs elongated and he tore the skin on his wrist in one sharp motion before placing it on her lips, allowing a large stream of blood to gush into her parted mouth.

He intentionally injured himself more than was necessary since she couldn’t swallow the blood he was giving her.

As soon as her mouth filled with his warm blood, he took his hand away and tilted her head back a little. He touched her cold, pale lips with his warm but trembling lips and tried to push the bloody liquid deeper into her throat before her mouth was free again.

Raphael repeated this procedure over and over until Ivrim told him to stop, but even then he didn’t seem to hear anything around him. The only thing he was focused on was hearing the soft beating of her heart again, her soft sigh. He wanted to see his favorite blush on her cheeks. He waited, but nothing happened.

- She needs time, you know that. - The elf king added. – Turning into a vampire does not happen at lightning speed. Just take her to your bedroom and stay there to be there when it happens. We’ll take care of the rest here.

Ivrim turned his gaze to Horel, Marcus, and Plyida, the fairy queen. The last two were too exhausted, but they were still on their feet, although they definitely needed care and rest.

The phoenix on Ivrim’s shoulder purred softly, periodically rubbing its wing against its beautiful head and shaking itself against the elf’s snow-white hair. Ivrim smiled and stroked the firebird with special tenderness.

Raphael rose silently, without saying a word, but stumbled over the crown that had fallen at his feet, which had lost its color and luster. The internal devastation caused excruciating pain in his head, but not a single muscle on his face twitched to show it. In an instant, he teleported him and Thea in his arms to his bedroom.

He laid her down on the soft, perfectly made bed and sat on the edge, watching her intently, expectantly.

It had been so long since she had been here in his room. It seems that it was a couple of years ago when she first appeared in this castle, being its prisoner. He remembered the day he first realized she had attracted his attention, remembered the smell of her blood running down her torn stockings when she decided she could run away from him.

By his standards, it seemed like a moment had passed, but for Thea, every year was a long time. She has matured so much over the years. The childlike gentleness and spontaneity that he had been forced to cope with in the early days had disappeared from her. And even though she was already trying to appear brave and defiant at the time, he knew it was just a show for him.

But now everything was different, recent events had hardened her character, hardened her, and he was not sure that he would ever see that carefree little girl again, who thought only about how to escape from an imposed marriage.

If she had been told from the very beginning that she would face such difficulties, he was sure that she would have laughed in his face.

His girlfriend, who wanted to commit suicide rather than get married, became so brave that she boldly stepped into the unknown, to meet death, but did not give up until the last.

Did she know about Lillian’s immortality? Why didn’t she resist? Why didn’t she use your magic to escape? The thought haunted him.

On the other hand, he was firmly convinced that she was the reason why both he and Lillian suddenly lost their immortality. Or rather, not her, but Artemis.

It seemed that with her death, all the chains of eternal life had crumbled into small links that could no longer be put together. He had yet to find the answers to these questions.

But now he could afford to close his eyes for a second and feel an inner peace that had not been in his heart and soul for many centuries.

A soft knock on the door woke him from a short sleep, although it was absolutely impossible to call it a dream, because he did not sleep for a second, his hearing was sharpened to the limit to catch any rustle that Thea might make. He just closed his eyes, letting them relax.

–Come in, Dex. - Raphael said just as quietly.

Although he wanted Thea to wake up as soon as possible, it still had to happen naturally, and he didn’t want to interfere with this process by making any changes.

Dexter came in with a slight limp and leaned against the door on the other side. There was deep concern and a frown on his face as he looked at the princess.

- Amanda’s fine. – That was the first thing he said. – She never listens to what she’s told, but she’s safe anyway.

Raphael nodded, showing no emotion.

- I had no doubt that you would look after her. Take care of her. I will definitely visit her later. In the meantime, I have to be here.

- I understand.

- Gather all the high nobility in the council chamber.

- Are you going to go? But in the end...

Dexter didn’t finish when he noticed how Raphael’s shoulder began to crack and a dark haze enveloped the entire arm, as if tearing out part of the flesh from it.

The black bird, with a wave of its raven wing, soared into the air and in the next instant appeared in human form.

Skars kneaded the bones, cracking them as if he had been tied up for a very long time.

- Well, finally.

- Well, then I’ll go for now. This will take a considerable amount of time, as some pockets of resistance have not yet been suppressed.

- Then do your best to bring them to me alive. - Raphael answered indifferently, and Dexter realized that in this calmness there was a promise of a terrible fate for all who decided to go against him.

- There were some problems with witches using black magic. They have bewitched our allies, forcing them to attack their own people. We still haven’t been able to clear their minds.

- Send everyone to the doctor, I’m sure he knows what to do about it. Now, please, Dex, just leave me alone. Figure it out for yourself. - There was an almost desperate plea in his voice, as if he was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

Dexter still couldn’t believe how quickly Raphael had dealt with his madness this time, which was felt even from a considerable distance. It seemed that they would all die from his thirst for murder, but Princess Riliya was really able to create a miracle with her mere presence, which caused him to admire.

He wished a hundred times that he had ever doubted her. And he also regretted that he would no longer be able to see Artemis to express his gratitude to her for how selflessly she fought for them, despite the fact that they did not trust her, despite the fact that they tortured her. She was as kind a soul as Princess Teanna, capable of forgiveness.