The Villains Must Win-Chapter 115: Valerian Cross 35

"She can’t be reasoned with anymore, Cross. Let’s just go," Evelyn said, her voice steady but laced with urgency.

Valerian shook his head, his grip tightening. "No. Not without my sister."

Evelyn exhaled sharply, frustration creeping into her features. "Your sister is no more, Cross. She’s already a vampire."

"NO!" Valerian shouted, his voice raw with desperation. He turned to Stephany, stepping closer despite the warning signs flashing in his mind. He reached out, pleading. "Please, Stephany, come with us. You don’t know what kind of life you’re stepping into. You don’t want this. Trust me."

Stephany’s expression twisted into anger. "Don’t treat me like a child, Brother!"

Her fangs extended, glistening under the dim moonlight, her red eyes flaring with unrestrained emotion. The presence of blood still lingered on her lips, a painful reminder of what she had already done.

"You don’t know what I want! You never have! You just wanted to control me! But no more! I would never be controlled by you anymore!"

"The problem is . . ." Evelyn’s voice cut through the thick tension like a blade. She smirked, arms crossed. "You don’t even know what you want."

Stephany’s face contorted with rage. "Stay out of this, you witch!" she hissed, venom dripping from every syllable.

"Oh?" Evelyn tilted her head mockingly, unimpressed by the outburst. "I figured you were newly turned. You can’t even control your own emotions yet."

Valerian barely had time to react before Stephany lunged at Evelyn in a fit of blind fury. He moved to intervene, but before either of them could make a move, another voice echoed from the shadows.

"Don’t speak to my woman that way."

The words were spoken softly, but the weight behind them was suffocating.

From the darkness, Lucien Blood emerged.

His crimson eyes glowed in the dim light, his presence commanding, effortlessly dangerous. He moved with slow, deliberate grace, as if he owned the very air around him. Without hesitation, he stepped beside Stephany, his hand finding hers.

He lifted it gently, brushing his lips over her bloodstained fingers with unsettling tenderness.

"She belongs with me now," Lucien murmured, his voice smooth as silk but sharp as a dagger.

Valerian’s heart pounded as he watched his sister—his once human sister—stand at Lucien’s side, no hesitation, no regret. She didn’t flinch, didn’t pull away.

And for the first time, the truth sank in.

He was losing her.

"Give me back my sister you virmin!" Valerian demanded.

Lucien’s grip on Stephany tightened as he turned his piercing crimson gaze toward Valerian. A slow, amused smile played on his lips, as if the whole situation was nothing more than a minor inconvenience.

"Tell you what," Lucien said, his voice smooth, arrogant, and unhurried. "Since you’re my Stephany’s brother, I’ll be generous. I’ll let you walk out of here. But only you." His eyes flicked to Evelyn with mild disdain. "Leave the witch and whoever else you brought with you. They will be useful."

Valerian let out a cold laugh, sharp and humorless. His grip on his sword tightened as he took a step forward, placing himself between Lucien and Evelyn.

"Like hell I’d follow whatever you say, you bastard." His voice was laced with fury, the air between them crackling with tension. He raised his sword, pointing it directly at Lucien’s throat. His hands were steady, his intent clear. "You’re the reason my sister turned into this. Do you even know what you’ve done to her?"

Lucien remained unimpressed, lazily shifting his attention back to Stephany. His fingers caressed the back of her hand, possessive and making a point. "What I’ve done?" His voice was soft, almost mocking. "I’ve set her free."

"Free?" Valerian’s breath hitched, disbelief flooding his chest like ice water. His grip on his sword wavered for a fraction of a second before he steadied it again. "Free?" His voice rose, cracking with rage. "You didn’t free her, you cursed her! You ripped her away from everything she knew, everything she was! You trapped her in a world of darkness and misery, you son of a bitch!"

Lucien chuckled, tilting his head as if Valerian’s anger was nothing more than an entertaining tantrum. "Oh, but isn’t mortality the real curse?" He leaned closer to Stephany, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear as she stared at her brother with conflicted eyes. "She’s rid of weakness now. Rid of suffering, of the inevitable decay of time. She’ll never wither. She’ll never be helpless again. She belongs to me, now and forever."

Valerian clenched his teeth, his knuckles turning white as he held his blade firm. "Over my dead body."

Lucien smirked. "That," he mused, his fangs glinting under the dim glow of the torches, "can be arranged."

"Don’t fight! Brother—Lucien—don’t hurt each other!" Stephany screamed, her voice raw with desperation. She reached out as if she could physically pull them apart, but her pleas shattered against the rising storm between them.

It was too late.

Lucien moved first—faster than the eye could follow. A blur of darkness, his coat billowing as he lunged, his predatory grace almost beautiful. But Valerian was ready. He had always been ready against creatures of the night.

Steel flashed as Valerian retaliated, his blade slicing through the air, aiming straight for Lucien’s throat. The vampire twisted at the last moment, the tip of the sword grazing his cheek, leaving a thin line of crimson that barely had time to well up before it vanished—the wound sealing itself instantly.

Lucien smirked, licking his lips. "Not bad," he purred. "But you’ll have to do better than that, little Cross."

Valerian didn’t waste breath on a reply. His body moved on instinct, muscle memory sharpened by years of training. He struck again, his sword a silver blur under the dim torchlight, the clang of metal against the stone floor echoing through the chamber. freeweɓnøvel.com

Lucien dodged with effortless ease, his movements almost lazy—mocking. He sidestepped a downward slash, his eyes gleaming like a predator toying with prey.

"You’re skilled," he admitted, dodging another strike, his voice dripping with amusement. "For a human."