My sister and I slept for a thousand years. Tonight, we would Awaken. We would become true High-Bloods.

Our Sire, Countess Lylandra, brought us two men. We had to choose a Blood Thrall.

A cold, celibate priest.

A young, harmless noble prince.

In my past life, Lilith grabbed the prince by the neck and vanished into the shadows. She left me with the cold-hearted priest.

The prince's blood was sweet, his soul pure.

He was supposed to be the perfect sacrifice for the Awakening ritual.

Lilith should have become a High-Blood without any trouble.

But she fell for the prince's sweet words and gentle lies.

She poured her ancient power into him.

She forged a false blood bond to help him seize the throne.

On his coronation day, he plunged a dagger dipped in blessed silver into her heart.

With his own hands, he carved out her new Blood Core.

He offered it to his werewolf allies.

Lilith nearly turned to dust.

And me? The priest helped me purify my blood. I broke the vampire curse.

I no longer feared the sun or blessed silver. I became the legendary Daywalker Queen.

Jealousy drove her mad. She used her last drop of power to unleash a kin-curse. It killed us both.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was back. Back to the night we chose our Blood Thralls.

This time, Lilith chose differently. She wrapped herself around the priest, a vision of seduction. Her blood-red wings spread, ready to carry him away.

My fangs slid from my gums.

A choice? Why should I have to choose?

The priest and the prince... Both are mine for the taking.

My sister and I slept for a thousand years. Tonight, we would Awaken. We would become true High-Bloods.

Our Sire, Countess Lylandra, brought us two men. We had to choose a Blood Thrall.

A cold, celibate priest.

A young, harmless noble prince.

In my past life, Lilith grabbed the prince by the neck and vanished into the shadows. She left me with the cold-hearted priest.

The prince's blood was sweet, his soul pure.

He was supposed to be the perfect sacrifice for the Awakening ritual.

Lilith should have become a High-Blood without any trouble.

But she fell for the prince's sweet words and gentle lies.

She poured her ancient power into him.

She forged a false blood bond to help him seize the throne.

On his coronation day, he plunged a dagger dipped in blessed silver into her heart.

With his own hands, he carved out her new Blood Core.

He offered it to his werewolf allies.

Lilith nearly turned to dust.

And me? The priest helped me purify my blood. I broke the vampire curse.

I no longer feared the sun or blessed silver. I became the legendary Daywalker Queen.

Jealousy drove her mad. She used her last drop of power to unleash a kin-curse. It killed us both.

Then I opened my eyes.

I was back. Back to the night we chose our Blood Thralls.

This time, Lilith chose differently. She wrapped herself around the priest, a vision of seduction. Her blood-red wings spread, ready to carry him away.

My fangs slid from my gums.

A choice? Why should I have to choose?

The priest and the prince... Both are mine for the taking.

...

"My dear daughters, to think you would both Awaken at the same time. Before you are two men. Each of you will choose one. They will be your Blood Thralls for the ritual."

Our Sire Lylandra's voice echoed through the cellar, mixed with the metallic scrape of chains.

I slowly opened my crimson eyes.

Chained to stone pillars were two men, bound by holy silver etched with runes.

To the left, a priest.

Even in chains, he radiated a suffocating stillness.

His tailored vestments were torn, revealing a lean, solid frame.

His gray-blue eyes were terrifyingly calm, as if death was just a peaceful return to his god.

To the right, a prince.

Young, handsome. Strands of golden hair stuck to his brow.

His amber eyes burned with royal pride and defiance.

My sister, Lilith, was the first to rise from her stone coffin.

She moved with a practiced fragility.

"Lady Lylandra," she murmured, biting her lip. Her voice was pitifully sweet. "May I choose first?"

Our Sire nodded, intrigued.

Lilith's form dissolved into a wisp of blood-red mist, reappearing instantly before the priest. She reached for him.

"Lilith," our Sire stopped her. "He is a Knight of the Holy Temple. Holy light flows through his veins. Are you certain you can handle him?"

"It is because he looks so... dangerous," Lilith said, turning back. Her face was a perfect mask of distress. "I could never let him harm my dear Elena. Sister, you should take the prince. He looks young and gentle. He should be much easier to control."

Our Sire was clearly pleased with this charade of sisterly concern. "Lilith, you honor your title as the elder sister."

She produced a crystal vial of aged blood and tossed it to Lilith. "The blood of a saintess from a century ago. It will fortify your power before the Awakening."

"Thank you for your gift." Lilith accepted it gracefully, but the flash of greed and triumph in her eyes didn't escape me.

I scoffed inwardly.

Such a flawless performance.

With a thought, I wrapped the prince in tendrils of shadow. I pulled him toward my coffin. "Then thank you for your 'generosity,' sister," I said softly.

Lilith glided over. "Sister, the prince's blood must be wonderfully sweet. Do enjoy it. As for me, I suppose I'll have to make do with this stubborn priest."

Her stare was raw hunger. A desire to conquer and devour. She wasn't "making do."

I just smiled.

We'll see who gets the soul.

Lilith and I were embraced nearly a thousand years ago. Only now could we undergo the final Awakening and become true High-Bloods. The price of this power was the soul of a powerful and pure mortal.

We could just drain any mortal dry. But our Sire taught us a secret.

A powerful, pure soul, willingly sacrificed for love. Fusing their blood of "true love" with our own.

This could break the vampire curse.

We could become the legendary Daywalkers.

Daywalkers. Beings who could walk in the sun.

The ultimate dream of every vampire.

In my last life, Lilith snatched up the seemingly pure-souled prince, Adrian.

She thought all noble princes were foolish and romantic, easy to make fall in love.

She begged our Sire for a glamour. A magical balm to hide her vampire nature. She became a mysterious noblewoman.

She "happened" to meet Adrian in a moonlit castle garden. He was smitten at first sight. Soon, they were spending every night together at his country estate, like any mortal couple in love.

But as Adrian "fell" for her, she fell for him.

Foolishly, Lilith hid from our Sire's watchful eyes as she transferred her own ancient blood-power to Adrian, helping him plot to take the throne.

While she was drunk on his sweet nothings, he was secretly plotting with our sworn enemies—the werewolves.

She never knew. Adrian was a half-breed, born of a human and a wolf.

The day of his coronation.

Lilith would never forget how Adrian, in front of everyone, plunged a dagger dipped in blessed silver into her chest and carved out her still-unstable Blood Core.

"For the glory of the pack!" he roared, holding his bloody trophy high for the werewolf army below.

A thousand years of power, gone in an instant.

As for me, I was forced to take the priest. I knew he would be difficult.

But his holy power shattered our Sire's dark restraints. I thought I was dead for sure.

Instead of killing me, he saw a chance for my "redemption."

He told me that killing the innocent would cast me into eternal darkness, but saving lives could earn God's forgiveness.

Under his guidance, I began to use my powers for good. The more good I did, the stronger the Holy Light's protection over me became.

Finally, when the Black Death swept through the city, I poured out a thousand years of my blood-power to cleanse the city of the plague.

When it was done, the people, grateful I had saved them, built statues of me.

They prayed for me day and night in the churches.

The priest channeled their faith. He used its immense power to forge my Blood Core anew.

I broke the curse of my blood, bathed in the sunlight, and became the Daywalker Queen, protector of the city.

But Lilith returned, and she could not stand it.

She used a forbidden ritual, igniting her last dregs of power to unleash a curse strong enough to destroy a city. It took us both down.

Now, we were both back.

A slow smile spread across my face.

Oh, Lilith. My dear, sweet sister.

If you insist on choosing my priest, then I'll just have to take the man you once loved. I'll take his heart first... and then his future crown.

I brought Adrian to an abandoned manor outside the city and tossed him onto a long chaise. His breathing steadied, and his amber eyes snapped open.

"Where is this?" He scanned the room, ready for a fight.

"Somewhere safe." I sat across from him, crossing my legs. "Adrian de Rake. A half-breed. Part wolf, part human."

His body went rigid. "How did you know—"

"In moonlight, your pupils narrow to slits. Like a beast's. Your heart beats twice as fast as a man's. And most importantly..." I gestured to his hand. "When you're tense, your nails sharpen without you realizing it."

Adrian looked down at his hand and cursed. "Damn vampire senses."

"Relax, Your Highness," I said with a small laugh. "I only feed on the wicked. You may be a half-breed, but your soul is clean enough."

"Feed on the wicked?" He scoffed. "First I've heard of a picky vampire."

"That's because your world is too small."

Adrian tried to stand, but his legs were still weak. The effects of our Sire's "Sleep's Embrace" spell took time to wear off.

"What do you want?" He stared right at me. "If you're going to drink my blood, get it over with."

"Drink your blood?" I chuckled. "Your Highness, you're underestimating your own value."

I stood and walked to a bookshelf, brushing the dust from a heavy tome.

"Look at these." I pulled out a copy of The Prince, its pages filled with notes in an ancient script. "Do you recognize this language?"

Adrian frowned and shook his head.

"It's Old Elvish. It took me two hundred years to master." I flipped through the pages. "This section is about how to divide your enemies. This part, how to buy your allies. And here..."

My finger traced a line of elegant script. "This teaches you how to make your brothers tear each other apart while you emerge as the 'peacemaker' and claim all their power."

Adrian's expression shifted from disdain to intense focus.

"You want the throne. But you have a wolf's strength, not a man's cunning. You are the bastard son. Forever pushed to the edge of power."

"...What are you getting at?"

I sat back down. "I will be your mentor. Alliances. Conspiracies. Court intrigue. I have lived for a thousand years. This game is in my blood."

Adrian was silent for a long moment. "Why would you help me?"

"Because you have potential," I said bluntly. "A wolf king who understands the art of power is a far more useful tool than a mindless beast who only knows how to howl. You could be the sharpest blade in my collection."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Simple." My eyes glittered with a dangerous light. "You are my student now. You will obey my every command. And you will sit on that throne."

Adrian considered this. "And if I refuse?"

I didn't answer. I just lifted a finger.

An invisible wave of Mental Domination slammed into his mind.

"Ah!" Adrian grunted, the pain so sharp it nearly made him black out.

I spoke calmly. "A warning. From a superior. You will suffer this pain every time you fail me."

"You crazy bitch!" Adrian tried to lunge at me, but his body wouldn't obey.

"Now, Your Highness," I looked down on him. "Tell me. If you wanted to eliminate a powerful duke with three sons and a large army, how would you do it?"

"Kill him!"

The mental assault hit him again.

"Wrong. Killing is the tool of a fool," I said, shaking my head. "The right answer is to turn his three sons against each other for the inheritance. Let them destroy themselves. Then, you step in as the 'peacemaker,' resolve the conflict, and take control of the entire duchy without shedding a single drop of your own soldiers' blood."

Adrian's eyes went wide. He had never imagined such a vicious, insidious strategy.

"Is that... how all vampires think?"

"No," I corrected him. "It's how winners think. Now, for your second lesson..."

For the rest of the night, I poured the poison of politics into the heart of the beast.

Just before dawn, I prepared to leave.

"We'll continue tonight," I said from the doorway. "Remember, Your Highness. The throne has its price."

When I returned to the Sire's castle, I heard the interesting new rumors.

"That 'Saint in White' in the city saved a dozen more sick people today."

"Her and the priest, Cassian. A divine pairing."

"I hear the clinic she opened in the slums treats the poor for free."

The Saint in White. Lilith's new identity.

She and Cassian were doing good deeds across the city, earning a stellar reputation. It was a clever move, using good deeds to harvest faith, all to make the priest offer up his soul willingly.

She was following my past life's path to the letter.

When I entered the great hall, I saw a surprising scene.

Before Lilith sat a small, silver mortar and pestle. She was grinding rare white herbs into a powder, then carefully mixing it into a vial of holy water, making a healing salve for the priest. She handled the ingredients with a delicate touch, as if they were the most precious treasures in the world.

Seeing me, my sister smiled, unable to hide the smugness in her voice.

"I hear my little sister is spending her nights with that half-breed. Have you forgotten our Sire's command?"

Our Sire's cold gaze immediately locked onto me.

"Elena. The first law of our kind is to never develop feelings for our food. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"

Just as our Sire was about to punish me with dark magic, I lowered my eyes and explained.

"I am merely waiting. For him to lay a kingdom at my feet."

"The power of a kingdom?" The Sire sneered. "Elena, do you take me for a fool? I won't believe such a childish excuse."

Lilith chimed in softly. "Sire, I am worried Elena has truly grown fond of that prince. She hasn't returned on time for days. They say... she's been at the manor teaching him how to read."

"Teaching him to read?" The Sire's voice turned dangerous. "Elena, are you raising a pet, or are you looking for a mate?"

"I am increasing his value!" I argued. "A king with a sharp mind is far more useful than a mindless animal!"

"Enough!" The Sire swept her hand through the air.

The shadows on the floor writhed. They twisted into sharp thorns. They shot out like vipers, wrapping around my body and squeezing tight.

"Ah!" The sharp pain sent me to my knees. The barbs on the thorns dug deep into my flesh. Cursed energy burned through my veins like fire.

"The first rule of our kind," the Sire said, looking down on me, "is to never indulge in mortal affection."

The Shadow Thorns tightened again.

I bit my lip, refusing to scream.

I gasped, looking up. "And sister... preparing healing salves for a man? Is that not a breach of the rule? Or are there two sets of rules for your daughters, Sire?"

A flicker of panic crossed Lilith's eyes before she composed herself.

"Elena, you misunderstand," she said with a gentle smile, pulling out an ancient parchment scroll. "My dealings with Father Cassian have been nothing but a means to an end. Just today, I managed to trick him into revealing the secret to purifying our blood curse."

She presented the scroll to our Sire with a bow. "This is the Litany of Light. It contains an ancient ritual that can channel the power of faith to cleanse the darkness from our very nature."

The Sire took the scroll, her eyes blazing with greed.

"Excellent, Lilith!" she nodded in satisfaction. "Once you have proven this ritual works, our entire clan will be free of this damned curse!"

She removed a crystal vial from a ring on her finger. It was filled with blood that shimmered like a ruby.

"A vial of century-old virgin's blood. A reward for your loyalty."

Lilith accepted it reverently, the look of triumph on her face now impossible to hide.

"Do you see, Elena?" The Sire turned back to me. "This is how a proper vampire behaves. Not drowning in foolish emotions, but coldly using everything and everyone."

The Shadow Thorns silently receded, but the wounds they left behind continued to bleed black.

I struggled to my feet, wiping the blood from my lips.

Lilith walked over to me, uncorked the vial, and took an elegant sip. "Ah, such sweet power. A pity you don't get any, sister."

She leaned in close, her voice a cold whisper in my ear. "Men are fickle, Elena. They whisper sweet lies. They plot betrayal. Use them before they use you. Drain him of his value. Be a good girl. Just... eat the prince."

"Fine," I said with a smirk.

I glanced at the silver bowl of herbs beside her, my heart turning to ice.

My dear sister. Did you really think your cheap imitation would work?

The priest and the prince. Both of them will be mine.

Three days later was the Royal Knight's Tournament. It was the perfect stage for Adrian to make his mark among the nobility.

I had a suit of exquisite black armor made for him, embroidered with his mother's family crest in silver thread.

A single, roaring wolf.

"Remember what I taught you," I said, adjusting his cloak. "Victory is not the goal. Winning their hearts is everything."

"I know." Adrian checked his broadsword, his eyes glinting. "Defeat my opponents with grace, show mercy to the weak, and deliver the killing blow only when it matters most."

Good. The little wolf was a fast learner.

As we walked toward the tournament grounds, we ran into a familiar pair at a street corner.

Lilith was walking out of the church, arm in arm with Cassian. She wore a pure white dress, looking every bit the part of a flawless saint.

What shocked me was that she was standing in the afternoon sun. Her skin was unnaturally pale, but she wasn't burning.

The purification ritual... it was already working.

All the glory that was once mine was now becoming hers.

"Elena!" Lilith smiled when she saw me. "What a coincidence. Are you here for the tournament too?"

Her eyes fell on Adrian behind me, and a flash of killing intent crossed her face. She almost lost her composure. But Cassian just lightly tapped her on the forehead, and she immediately became docile again.

He used to do that to me, to make me listen.

I looked at Cassian. The man in the black priest robes looked distant and ascetic. But I knew he had the softest heart.

In my past life, he helped me purify my curse and become a Daywalker.

In this life, was he going to give it all to a fraud?

Adrian whispered to me, "That woman's a vampire, too."

I nodded. "That's my sister."

Adrian thought for a moment. "I've heard of her. 'The Saint in White,' right?" He sneered. "Look at your sister. Then look at you. One is a saint. The other, a demon."

Before I could retort, a wave of cold, malevolent energy seeped into my blood.

No.

I watched in horror as my magical disguise failed. My fangs shot out. They pierced my lips. My eyes blazed crimson. A desperate hunger flooded me. Not a craving. A curse. A Blood Frenzy.

"Elena?" Lilith looked at me with "concern," but I clearly saw a faint wisp of dark magic fade from her fingertips, hidden in her sleeve.

Dark magic.

The people on the street saw my transformation and screamed in terror.

"Vampire!"

"Monster!"

The crowd scattered.

"Father Cassian!" Lilith shrieked, hiding behind him. Her voice trembled. "Please, you have to stop her! Purify this... this monster before she hurts innocent people!"

Cassian raised the blessed silver cross he wore. A holy light began to glow.

I closed my eyes, bracing for the searing pain of purification.

But the agony never came. Instead, a warm, pure energy enveloped me.

The maddening thirst began to slowly subside under its light.

My fangs retracted, and the red faded from my eyes.

Ignoring a panicked Lilith behind him, Cassian turned to me, his voice steady. "You haven't lost control. Stay alert. This is dark magic, meant to make you fall."

Beside him, for the first time, the perfect, saintly mask on Lilith's face began to crack.