The Villains Must Win-Chapter 109: Valerian Cross 29

Days passed, and Stephany still hadn’t left her room. The grand chambers of Lucien’s castle, with its towering stone walls and crimson velvet drapes, felt more like a gilded cage than the sanctuary she had imagined.

Servants brought her meals in silence, their eyes carefully averted, as if even acknowledging her existence was a sin. She could feel their disdain, their reluctance. Whispers slithered through the halls—the human girl, the enemy’s sister, the weakness of their master.

Meanwhile, Lucien was drowning in chaos outside her doors. The moment word spread of his relationship with a mortal, unrest swept through the Blood Mansion like wildfire. His most loyal subjects were wary, but it was his noble kin who posed the greatest threat.

They had expected him to unite with a noble-blooded daughter, to strengthen their lineage and fortify their power. Instead, he had brought her—a human. Worse, the sister of their greatest enemy, Valerian Cross.

They feared she would weaken him. That she would ruin everything they had built.

Stephany wasn’t blind to it. She could feel the tension pressing against the walls, suffocating her even when she was alone. Each day, the fear inside her grew—fear of the vampires who loathed her, fear that Lucien’s resolve would waver, fear that she had made a mistake in choosing him.

The only relief she had was when he came to her.

Lucien never stayed long, but the moments he did spend with her were the only times she felt safe. His presence alone was enough to silence the noise in her head, to make her believe, even if just for a little while, that everything would be alright. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ

But deep down, she knew this peace was fragile.

And it wouldn’t last forever.

=== 🖤 ===

The candlelight flickered against the dark stone walls, casting long shadows across the room. Stephany sat on the edge of her bed, her hands clenched tightly in her lap as she stared at Lucien, her heart pounding in her chest.

"How long am I going to be kept inside here, Lucien?" Her voice was quiet, but the frustration and hurt bled through every word. "How long am I going to be a hostage?"

Lucien sighed, running a hand through his dark hair. "You’re not a hostage, Steph."

"Oh really?" A bitter laugh escaped her lips. "Then why am I trapped in this room? Why can’t I leave? You told me I’d be free with you, but this life . . . this isn’t any different from when I was locked away in my brother’s mansion."

Lucien’s jaw tightened. "I told you, I’m still working things out with the others."

"But you’re the leader of this house, aren’t you? You’re the lord. Your word is supposed to be law."

"I am the lord, and that’s the only reason you’re still alive." His crimson gaze darkened, and the weight of his power filled the room like a suffocating fog. "But being a leader isn’t that simple. I have kin, loyal followers who have sworn their lives to me. Without their trust, without their belief in my strength, do you think I would hold the power I have now?"

Stephany bit her lip, her mind spinning.

Lucien stepped closer, his fingers gently brushing over her hand before taking it in his. His touch was cold, yet impossibly soothing, like a lullaby whispering to her veins. "There is a way, Steph. A way for you to walk freely within these walls. To be by my side without anyone questioning it."

A shiver ran down her spine. "W-what . . . what is it?"

Lucien hesitated, his thumb tracing slow, hypnotic circles against her skin. Then, with a quiet intensity, he said, "I will mark you. Turn you into one of us."

Stephany’s breath hitched. "What?"

"It’s the only way." His grip on her hand tightened, his eyes gleaming like molten rubies. "If you really love me, you’ll do this for me. Or . . . would you rather remain a weak human, caged here forever? Worse—return to your brother and never see me again?"

Her mind reeled. The words slithered through her like poison, wrapping around her thoughts, twisting them until they no longer felt like her own.

If she stayed human, she would always be a prisoner wherever she go. She was weak. And if she left . . . she would lose Lucien forever.

Lucien tilted her chin up, forcing her to meet his gaze. His lips hovered close to hers, his breath cool against her skin. "I love you, Stephany. But this world won’t accept you as you are. If you truly want to be with me . . . there’s only one choice."

Her pulse thundered in her ears. Every warning in her mind screamed at her to stop, to run—but when she looked into his eyes, she felt herself drowning, unable to think clearly.

Lucien smiled, slow and knowing, as he pressed a kiss to her trembling fingers.

She knew she should say no.

But the words wouldn’t come, and she nodded instead.

Stephany’s breath came in uneven gasps as Lucien hovered over her, his crimson eyes burning with something primal, something inescapable. The dim candlelight cast flickering shadows across the lavish chamber, reflecting off the deep crimson drapes and the ornate carvings of the massive bed they now lay upon.

She had barely processed his words before she found herself beneath him, her body surrendering to the weight of his presence. His hands traced her skin with an aching slowness, igniting fire where his fingertips roamed. The scent of aged wine and something darker—something unmistakably him—filled her senses, intoxicating her far more than any spell.

"You belong to me now, Stephany," Lucien murmured, his lips brushing over her throat, where her pulse pounded erratically. "And I to you. I will claim you completely this very night and not a minute longer."

His fangs grazed her skin, teasing, a silent promise of what was to come. Fear and desire tangled inside her, making her body tense beneath his touch. She had chosen this, hadn’t she? She had given herself to him.

And yet, the finality of what was about to happen made her chest tighten.