Page 129 of Her Vampire, His Ruin

“Eternal life, of course.”

“She already has it. She’s a fucking vampire.”

“Ah, but you see, ordinarily if the siring vampire dies, so do their progeny. I broke that chain with Sybil. If you die, she will still live. If she dies, her progenies will live. It took me years to figure out how to do it, but I did.”

“And what about Logan and Viktor? What about all the vampires Logan has sired? Didn’t you consider them, Sybil?” I shout, her betrayal cutting me to the bone. “They’re your family. We’re friends. We’ve stood side-by-side for three centuries. Why?”

“But don’t you see? I don’t want you dead. That’s why you’re here. That’s why she’s here,” Sybil replies, glaring at Edie, whose pulse slows dangerously. “I knew you’d come here to seek answers, that you would find Basilia here. So I lied to Edie in order to get her to come with me. I could’ve killed her the second she stepped over her fucking doorstep, but I brought her here so you could at least say goodbye. Everything I’ve done has been for you, for us. This is an act of kindness.”

“You think doing this is an act of fucking kindness? You’ve betrayed me. You’ve betrayed our family. Edie is dying!”

Sybil’s eyes cut towards Edie. “I tried to warn her. I tried to prevent this from happening.”

“Don’t lie to me. You want her dead.”

“Not at first. I wanted her to leave you of her own accord, so I insinuated we were more than we are. When that didn’t work, I put up the website knowing she’d eventually go looking for information on you. I thought if she saw the painting of you and Basilia, she’d finally figure out what you are, and walk away. I was trying to prevent this from happening, but it didn’t work. She stayed and you started to fall for her anyway. I had no other choice.”

Edie whimpers, and my heart fucking constricts in my chest as I choke on my blood.

“Don’t you see? Your love for her is killing you. If she dies, your love for her dies too. Eventually, you’ll see I’m only trying to help you.”

Basilia shakes her head, stepping towards Sybil, a cruel smile spreading across her face. “Ah, but perhaps I wasn’t so honest when I promised you I’d keep Dorian alive, that he could be yours. That is not going to happen.”

“What?” Sybil rises to her feet, taking a threatening step towards Basilia.

“I wouldn’t if I were you. I could sever your head with one quick command.”

Sybil ignores the threat, launching herself at Basilia. But like me, she’s thrown against the opposite wall, pinned in place. Sybil screams in rage, her hands tearing at the invisible rope trapping her against the wall.

“You fucking bitch,” Sybil snarls.

“That’s enough of that,” Basilia replies, pinching her finger and thumb together. Sybil’s lips slam shut, her response muffled by Basilia’s magic. “Dorian dies tonight, and he will go to Hell knowing he couldn’t save his beloved, and I will live on knowing he has been stripped of everything he loved, just like I was.”

“I don’t love Edie. It was infatuation, nothing more,” I lie.

“Then you won’t flinch when I rip her head from her body?” Basilia retorts, kneeling over Edie. She hauls her into her arms, twisting her body to face me. She’s so weak, her body is loose like a rag doll.

“Edie,” I whisper, my soul fracturing with grief. Beneath my skin, my tattoos constrict, burrowing into my flesh, slicing through muscles and tendons. I clench my jaw, refusing to cry out, refusing to give Basilia the satisfaction she craves.

Basilia grabs a handful of Edie’s hair and roughly lifts her head. Bending close, she whispers something into Edie’s ear. After a moment, her eyelids begin to flutter open as she struggles to focus her gaze. Finally, Edie’s eyes find mine.

“Dorian,” she whimpers, tears spilling over her lashes.

“LET HER GO,” I roar, ignoring the pain as emotions well inside me like a storm. I don’t acknowledge the bones in my arms breaking. I don’t cry out when my legs snap at my knees, forcing them into an unnatural angle. I don’t beg for my life as my skin splits over my chest, peeling back over my rib cage.

“What are you doing to him?” Edie cries, weakly struggling in Basilia’s hold. “Please, don’t hurt him.”

“You stupid, foolish wench,” Basilia sneers. “He isn’t worth your life. He’s nothing but a cruel, adulterous bastard. He doesn’t deserve to live. He broke me, and so now I will break him.”

Edie’s eyes widen as she looks up at Basilia. She gasps. “You’re his wife.”

“I was never his wife, not in the ways that counted. He betrayed me. He hurt me. He cast my love aside as though it meant nothing.”

“I’m sorry, Basilia. For everything I did. I deserve your wrath, your hatred. I deserve it all,” I say, choking on the blood dribbling from my mouth. “But Edie doesn’t. Let her go. Please.”

“It’s too late for that now,” Basilia sneers.

“Don’t do this,” Edie begs.