A Bastard's Allure-Chapter 27: Freed!

Elena sat on the edge of the bed, her thoughts now a mess. Still, she wondered what Darion was up to. The words ’dirty work’ had been raised in their conversation with Gabriel. She feared it might mean something different from what she was thinking.

And Gabriel, he looked like a lost cause! She could tell the murder was haunting him with every waking second, though he didn’t want to admit it. Only if he let someone to help him. She wanted to help him, badly at that. But how the hell was she doing that by confining herself in the room the whole day?

She stood up, meeting with her eyes in the mirror. Judging from her previous appearance, she noticed she had gained some weight. She heaved a sigh before making for the door.

The hallways were as scary as she could remember. Gargoyles stared back at her with every corner she took, their eyes glowing as if they were alive. On the walls was inscripted the vampire history which she didn’t care to stop and read.

Her walk led her to a darker side of the castle where she hadn’t been before. This hallway was particularly eerie, not even a maid was walking around. Still, it looked unkempt and dirty to say the least. Cobwebs reigned over the ceiling above and darkness seemed to have found solace in a particularly sunny day.

At the far end of the hallway, Elena spotted a door, metallic one. It was wrapped in rusted chains and several padlocks graced it. She took a step forward despite the warning bells ringing in her mind, fear getting the better part of her.

The dusty floor left imprints of her shoes, but there was another pair before hers. The darkness swallowed her as she stepped forward. Her heart was racing so loudly she lost count of her beats, beating loudly close to her ears. But it momentarily halted when she spotted a pair of blue eyes in the darkness. And as if that was not enough to scare the life out of her, several other pairs followed, turning the once dark hallway into a horrid path.

’Run!’ Elena’s mind screamed but her body refused to obey. It was as if it was rooted to the floor! She let out a shriek when one of the blue eyed beings appeared closer, and the next thing she knew, she was falling hard on the floor! Her left hand took the impact, a fresh wound materializing on her elbow.

Elena saw a hoarde of bats fleeing to the direction of the light when she had the courage to lift her eyes. ’Bats!? Huh!’ She had never felt ashamed of herself. She stood quick to her feet and dusted her dress. Unbeknownst to her, drops of her blood were falling on the floor as she made for the door.

The padlocks were so huge in her hand. She wondered what was beyond this door that needed so much protection. The chains were the heavy ones, those that would be used to bound an elephant at least.

Drops of her blood continuously landed on the spot where the door was slightly raised, now creating a pool. Only when the wound brushed against the chains did Elena feel the pain. Surprised, she held her elbow and touched the liquid coming from it.

"Oh no!" She said. This had to be taken care of. She turned around in haste to tend to the wound before Gabriel would start asking questions.

From inside the dark room, the chained figure of a woman lying was woken up by a strong scent of... Wait! Was that blood? She raised her nose high in the air, the intoxicating scent waking an innate hunger she’d never felt before for ages.

She crawled towards the direction of the scent but the chains were restricting her movement. Frail as she was, she felt a sudden surge of energy course through her, and the next thing she knew, the chains were cracking. So hellbent she was to find the source that she didn’t care about the effect of the chains on her wrists.

And in the dim of light, she spotted a little pool of blood through the slightly raised door. However, the chains held her firm despite her previous attempt. But the scent was too strong to ignore. Liberation was just at arms reach away!

Turning to the side of the wall, she held the chains with her hands and used her back as support. She pulled with all her might, hurting her back in the process. The rusty bolts loosened, and with her last ounce of energy, she was thrown close to the door, her body landing hard with a thud.

The scent! Now that she was close, it was even stronger! She crawled with whatever energy was left in her, her fingers slipping through the narrow gap. She touched the warm liquid and drew it fast to her cracked lips. And it worked magic when it landed on her tongue.

Her cracked lips were no longer cracked! She drew more and sucked the dusty tips of her fingers. In place of her white and countable strands of hair now was a head full of black silky hair. Her composure returned to normal, her bent back cracking straight when she stood. Her figure hugged the loose fabric she wore, her curves hugging it as if it was made for her only! 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

Her lips moved, and with them the chains that held the door. The door slowly turned open with just a thought, the once dark hallway turning into a pathway to heaven filled with light.

She stepped out barefooted, her features coming into view in the morning sun. Her lips were painted dark from gods knows where, her long eyelashes batting with flattery at the morning sunlight. Her jaws were sharp for a woman, and just one look, anyone could mistake her for Gabriel’s reincarnate.

She drew in a long breath, the fresh air bringing the end to her miseries, and with it flooding her mind with old memories.

She shot her eyes open, the golden in them shining upon the world. "Let’s have a taste of our freedom!" She said and stepped on Elena’s blood as she walked into the light.