The Villains Must Win-Chapter 106: Valerian Cross 26

"Don’t listen to him, Stephany! Don’t go with him!"

Valerian’s tone was raw with urgency. He stepped forward, but the moment he did, a crimson wall of writhing, pulsing blood surged up between them. It hardened into jagged tendrils, shifting like living thorns—an impenetrable barrier.

The other hunters behind him braced themselves, weapons drawn, but none dared to step into Lucien’s trap.

Stephany turned to her brother, her chest tightening. His face was pale with fury, his silver eyes stormy with anger and worry.

"But I . . ." She hesitated, torn between love and loyalty, her heart aching.

Lucien’s hand reached for her, his cold fingers brushing against hers. "Don’t you see, Stephany?" His voice was low, coaxing. "Your brother is keeping you locked away. If you don’t come with me now, we may never see each other again."

Her breath hitched. Never see him again?

The thought alone sent panic clawing through her chest. She couldn’t bear it. She loved her brother—but she needed Lucien. The thought of being apart from him, caged in this prison while he was out there, alone, longing for her . . . it would kill her.

Valerian’s voice cracked as he roared, "Stephany, don’t you dare—"

But she had already turned, already reached for Lucien’s outstretched hand.

"Yes." Her voice trembled, but her resolve did not. "Lucien . . . take me with you. I don’t want to be caged in here any longer. I want to be finally with you!"

Valerian’s eyes widened, something inside him breaking. "No . . . No! Stephany!"

But it was too late.

Lucien pulled her close, wrapping her in his embrace. The scent of blood and night enveloped her as his cloak billowed, shadows rising around them.

Then, in a blur of crimson mist—

They were gone.

"No . . . Stephany . . ." Valerian’s voice was barely a whisper, raw with anguish. His knees buckled beneath him, and he collapsed onto the cold stone floor. His body trembled as he stared at the empty space where she had stood only moments ago.

She was gone.

He was supposed to protect her. It was their parents’ last dying wish. He had spent his entire life making sure she was safe, shielding her from the horrors of the night. And now, in a matter of moments, she had been stolen away by a vampire—one of the very creatures he had sworn to destroy.

"This can’t be happening . . ." His hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms until the sharp sting cut through his haze of grief. His heart felt like it was being torn apart, shattered into pieces too small to ever put back together.

After everything he had done for her, she still chose to go with a vampire in the end?

Did she not understand how dangerous that was?

Did she not realize what fate awaited her?

The silence in the hall was deafening, thick with unspoken emotions.

Then—

A voice shattered the stillness.

"What happened?"

Valerian’s head whipped around to see Evelyn entering, her steps slow and measured. Her expression was the same, forever paralyze, those ashen eyes flickering with something he couldn’t quite place.

Without thinking, he surged to his feet, his movements fueled by the storm raging inside him. He seized her wrist, gripping it tightly.

"Why are you only arriving now?" His voice was hoarse with fury. "If you had been here sooner, that damn vampire wouldn’t have taken Stephany from me!"

Evelyn’s expression remained calm, almost indifferent, as she tilted her head slightly. "So . . . a vampire took her?"

Valerian’s grip tightened. "Damn right he did! And now she’s lost—"

She waved a hand dismissively. "Then we’ll get her back."

Her words were spoken with such calm certainty that it sent a fresh wave of rage through him.

Valerian’s temper snapped.

"How the hell are we going to find her, Evelyn?!" His voice echoed through the hall, the other hunters watching with wary silence. "She’s in another dimension by now, surrounded by bloodthirsty monsters! There’s no trail to follow—no way to track them!"

"Calm down, Cross."

Her voice was steady, too steady.

"Calm down?" Valerian let out a sharp, humorless laugh. "Don’t ask me to calm down! This is your fault! If you had been here sooner, we could have stopped him! Stephany would still be safe!"

SLaApP!

The sound of flesh meeting flesh cracked through the air.

Valerian’s head snapped to the side from the force of Evelyn’s slap.

The entire hall went silent. The hunters froze in shock, their eyes wide as they stared at the scene unfolding before them.

Valerian’s cheek burned, but the pain was nothing compared to the shock that coursed through him. He turned back to Evelyn slowly, his silver eyes burning with disbelief and barely restrained rage.

Evelyn, however, remained unfazed. Her gaze was steady, almost challenging.

"Pull yourself together, Valerian Cross." Her voice was like steel wrapped in velvet—calm, yet commanding. "Pointing fingers and drowning in self-pity won’t help us. The longer we stand here and play the blame game, the more time your sister spends in danger."

She took a step closer, lowering her voice, but there was no softness in it—only a quiet intensity. "So what’s it going to be? Are you going to wallow in regret, or are you going to do something about it?"

Valerian stared at her, his chest rising and falling with uneven breaths. He hated her in that moment—hated her for being right.

For the first time in his life, he felt powerless.

But he refused to stay that way.

Gritting his teeth, he exhaled sharply, forcing himself to push the rage down, to think. His fingers clenched, then released.

". . . We find her." His voice was rough but resolute.

A slow, knowing smile curved on Evelyn’s lips. "That’s more like it. As it happens, you’re in luck—I know a way to track her even if she’s in another dimension."

"You do?" Hope rekindled in Valerian’s heart.

Evelyn nodded. "I just need a piece of her used clothing, that’s all. She must have left something behind . . ." Her gaze swept over the mess and piles of rubble. ". . . somewhere in here."