That only fueled his anger.

He pulled the knife away, his grip tightening on my head, forcing me to face the east.

“Look, Eulalie. The sunlight is coming.”

Sebastian stepped back, taking refuge in the shadows, his eyes fixed on the punishment about to unfold.

My skin sizzled under the harsh rays, pain crashing through me like a tidal wave, but I remained still, my gaze fixed on the smoke rising from my arm.

But something was different this time.

My skin didn’t just burn; it cracked, revealing the flesh beneath and already turning to ash.

“What’s going on?”

His voice was laced with confusion for the first time. “You…”

I smiled. For the first time, I saw fear flash in his eyes.

He rushed forward, grabbing me and yanking me back into the shadows.

Even that rough movement tore my skin like paper and blood mixed with ash, leaving a trail behind me.

“What did you do?”

He demanded, his eyes ablaze with fury and something new: panic.

I didn’t answer. Just one more day and I would be free forever.

“Tell me. What did you do?”

He leaned over me, pressing closer, rage boiling in his eyes.

“Why is your body like this?”

I turned my head away, remaining silent.

With a curse, Sebastian slapped me hard.

My cheek split like paper, the wound refusing to heal, blood seeping out slowly.

He roared, his voice thick with anger, “Eulalie, answer me. What did you do to yourself?”

At that moment, the lab door creaked open.

Gwen walked in, dressed in a sheer nightgown.

She looked as though she had just woken up, sleep still clinging to her eyes, her movements slow and delicate.

“Sebastian, what’s going on?”

She yawned softly before her gaze settled on me.

Sebastian turned, his tone softening instantly.

“Gwen, why did you get up?”

Gwen walked over, her fingertips brushing the wound on my face with an eerie gentleness.

Her touch seemed full of pity, yet the pressure beneath it spoke of something darker.

“Why does she look like this? Her wounds aren’t healing at all.”

“I don’t know,” Sebastian muttered, frowning.

“It must be because she refused your blood last night. Now she’s being punished.”

Gwen tilted her head, her expression as innocent as ever, her gaze full of feigned purity.

Sebastian stared at me, his gaze thoughtful.

“You’re saying she’s like this because she didn’t drink my blood?”

“Of course.”

Gwen nodded with uncertainty. “She brought it on herself. How dare she reject your gift?”

I closed my eyes, tuning out their speculations.

Only I knew the truth about the broken blood pact and that secret would die with me.

Sebastian was silent for a moment before suddenly making a decision.

“Then I’ll give her my blood.”

I snapped my eyes open, shaking my head in refusal, but he grabbed my chin, his grip tight.

The sudden movement startled Gwen.

“Sebastian, what are you doing?”

“If her condition is because of lack of blood, then I’ll feed her mine.”

His tone was cold, commanding.

“I need her alive, at least until I find a way to make you human again.”

Sebastian pulled out the silver knife he always carried, slicing open his wrist.

Blood trickled down his arm and he held it over my lips.

“Drink,” he ordered.

I clamped my lips shut, resisting with everything I had.

“You really think I can’t make you open your mouth?”

Sebastian sneered, suddenly leaning down, pressing his lips against mine.

This wasn’t a kiss; it was punishment.

His lips were cold and cruel and his breath filled with hatred.

He bit through my lower lip and as I cried out in pain, parting my mouth, he poured the blood from his wrist into it.

The blood seared like molten lava, burning its way down my throat.

I wanted to spit it out, but he held me firm, forcing me to swallow.

A hundred years ago, we’d been in the same position.

He was dying and I leaned down to feed him my blood.

His lips had been warm, soft, filled with the innocence of youth and gratitude.

To prevent him from becoming a vampire, I chose to form a blood pact.

At the time, he promised that if he survived, he would protect me for a lifetime.

A lifetime.

Such a bitter, ironic word.

Sebastian finally released me, stepping back, his twisted satisfaction evident as he watched me struggle to swallow his blood.

“Sebastian!”

Gwen’s voice cut through the tension, filled with clear displeasure. “How could you do that?”

“Shut up.”

Sebastian’s voice was cold and dismissive, never leaving my face as he waited for any sign of change. His blood churned inside me, fighting against the broken blood pact.

My skin cracked more rapidly, flaking away piece by piece like it was decaying at an accelerated rate.

“Something’s wrong.”

Sebastian narrowed his eyes, his voice tinged with panic. “This isn’t just a blood deficiency.”

He grabbed my jaw once more, his grip so tight it felt as though my bones might crack.

“Tell me, Eulalie, or I’ll show you what real pain is.”

There was a flicker in his eyes, something I couldn’t quite place.

Was it fear?

Reluctance?

I didn’t dare hope anymore.

“Very well.”

He straightened, sneering coldly. “Since you won’t speak, I have other ways to make you.”

He turned to the guards at the door. “Bring up Eulalie’s family.”

My eyes flew wide, my body trembling with terror.

No. Not them.

Sebastian caught the panic in my eyes and the corner of his mouth curled into a cruel smile.

Gwen laughed too, walking to the lab bench. Her fingers brushed the cracked skin on my arm, delicate yet mocking.

“Eulalie, why don’t you just talk? Spare your parents some suffering.”

I bit my lip and the taste of blood was bitter in my mouth.

After they were captured, I had done everything to protect them if Sebastian used them to threaten me.

“Sebastian,” Gwen cooed, “I want to be alone with Eulalie for a bit. Maybe women talking alone will reveal something new.”

Sebastian glanced at me thoughtfully, then nodded.

“Fine. Ten minutes. But…”

“Don’t worry, I know my limits,” Gwen said sweetly.

The door clicked shut behind Sebastian, leaving only Gwen and me in the lab.

Her smile vanished in an instant, her eyes now cold, filled with hatred.

“Who do you think you are?”

She leaned in close, her voice a whisper in my ear. “How dare you let Sebastian kiss you?”

I had no strength to answer. It had never been my choice.

Gwen moved to the tool rack, her fingers brushing over the silver instruments with an unsettling familiarity.

“Did you know? I’ve studied every kind of torture device for monsters like you.”

She picked up a slender silver needle, its gleam sharp under the light.

“This one’s my favorite. It’s made to pierce the nerve endings of vampires. Not deadly, but the pain? A hundred times worse.”

With slow, deliberate movements, Gwen raised the needle and pressed it beneath my fingernail.

The searing pain coursed through my body like a live wire. I gritted my teeth, fighting the urge to scream.

“Still holding out, huh?”

Gwen sneered, her fingers curling around a small, specially-made knife. “This blade is coated with holy water. The wounds will burn endlessly.”

She sliced into my arm with practiced precision; each cut forming an intricate, eerie pattern.

The wounds never hit anything vital but were designed to maximize agony.

The flesh beneath my skin sizzled, the faint smell of burning filling the air as the holy water worked its corrosive magic.

“You know…” Gwen murmured, her voice cold as she worked.

“Sebastian doesn’t care about you. He needs you only as an experiment. Once I’m human again, you’ll be nothing.”

I kept silent though every fiber of my being screamed in agony.

Seeing me unmoved only seemed to fuel Gwen’s fury.

She set down the knife and reached for a wooden box, its edges worn with age.

“This, I prepared just for you.”

She opened the box, revealing a dusting of silver powder inside.

“Pure silver dust. Melt it and inject it into the bloodstream; how do you think that’ll feel?”

She poured the powder into a small crucible, setting it alight over a flame. The silver melted, glowing like molten lava before she drew it into a syringe.

“Sebastian said you can’t die. But he never said I can’t make you wish for it.”

Gwen’s smile was cruel as she pressed the needle against my carotid artery.

I couldn’t hold back any longer. A scream, sharp and blood-curdling, tore from my throat.

Gwen’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction as she watched my torment. “This is just the beginning, Eulalie.”

“Tell me, why doesn’t Sebastian’s blood work on you?”

I gasped for air. “I didn’t do anything.”

“Liar.”

She refilled the syringe. “If you want to die, I’ll grant your wish.”

Just as the needle descended, the door slammed open.

Sebastian stood there, his expression dark, as though forged from iron.

“Enough,” he growled, his voice a low rumble of danger.

Gwen immediately set the syringe down, her face morphing into one of feigned innocence. “Sebastian, I only wanted to help you uncover the truth.”

Sebastian’s gaze lingered on me, his eyes darkening as he took in my broken state.

My condition was ten times worse than when he had left, my body nearly broken. The silver running through my veins made me convulse uncontrollably.

“You’ve crossed the line,” Sebastian’s voice was ice as he turned to Gwen.

Gwen pouted, aggrieved. “I just wanted to help…”

“Get out,” Sebastian’s voice sliced through the air, cold as steel.

Gwen froze, unable to comprehend the sharpness of his command.

She looked from Sebastian to me, her eyes darkening, then gritted her teeth before turning to leave the lab.

As soon as the door clicked shut behind her, Sebastian stepped closer.

“Still won’t tell me the truth?”

I weakly closed my eyes, the weight of silence pressing on my chest.

“Very well.” With a sharp gesture toward the door, he commanded it open once again.

My parents were led in and as their figures entered, the blood in my veins turned to ice.

“Mom! Dad!”

I cried out hoarsely, struggling against the restraints that cut deep into my flesh.

“Eulalie, my child…”

My mother’s voice trembled as her eyes fell on me, her tears flowing freely. “What have they done to you?”

Sebastian chuckled, a sound like cold stones grinding together. “Reunion time’s over. Eulalie, tell me what you did, or…”

He suddenly drew a silver knife and pressed it to my father’s heart.

“I’ll let him die right here in front of you.”

“No!”

My scream echoed through the room. “Let them go! They don’t know anything!”