Ardonis' point of view.

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the cold expanse of my penthouse. Nyra followed me out, with nervous steps, as if her presence was unwelcome. The wedding had been a spectacle, every forced smile she gave the cameras, every polite nod she gave my associates, was all a lie that I paid for.

"Home sweet fucking home" I groan.

I don't spare her a glance as I head down the hallway and finally into my bedroom. The lights were low and the king-sized bed was laid neatly to perfection. I turned to her. Her wide green eyes were fixed on me, a look of fear I'd grown tired of seeing swam in them.

"Take your dress off", I ordered. My voice flat, devoid of any warmth.

She flinched but didn't argue. With trembling fingers, she went to the back of her dress. The white fabric whispered as it slid down her body, pooling at her feet leaving her in nothing but a set of lacy white bra and panties.

I took her hand and led her to the bed; she lay down stiffly looking like a sacrificial lamb. This was the part I have been dreading, touching her. But it was necessary, a biological procedure. I knelt on the bed, parting her legs with my hands. Her breath hitched. I ignored it, leaning down and pressing my mouth against her core.

She tasted clean and pure. I spread her folds with my thumbs, my tongue finding the sensitive nub of her clit. I sucked, hard, knowing the reaction that would cause. Her body jolted, a strangled gasp escaping her lips. Good. A response meant arousal and arousal meant a higher chance of conception.

I worked her methodically, licking upwards of her cunt to her stomach, my mouth finding the tight peak of her nipple. I bit down gently, then soothed it with my tongue, feeling her body arch beneath me. A shudder ran through her and she let out a soft cry. She orgasmed. One box ticked.

I slid a finger into her, then two, feeling the tight unyielding barrier of her. She tensed, a whimper of pain escaping her.

"Please", she begged, her voice barely a whisper. "Be gentle. I've never done this before."

I ignore her and scissored my fingers inside her. Stretching her, preparing her. It was a matter of efficiency. When she was sufficiently slick and widened, I rose and unfastened my trousers, freeing my cock. It was a tool, nothing more.

"Look at me", I command. "I want you to look at me when I take you.

I positioned myself between her legs and drove into her with one sharp thrust. as I tore through the barrier of her innocence, she cried out, a raw pained sound that grated on my nerves.

I felt her tear, as the brief resistance of her virginity gives way. I set a hard, fast rhythm. My only goal was release, to deposit my seed and be done with it. I watched her face turn to the side a single tear tracing a path down her cheek. Pathetic. I closed my eyes, focusing on the friction, on the end goal. Finally, my own orgasm hit, a wave of pleasure that was more relief than ecstasy. I came deep inside her, then pulled out.

The sound of her silent tears filled the room. I stood, putting on my clothes without a backwards glance. Without a word, I walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind me and leaving her inside. I make way to my home office.

In my office, the silence was a balm. I poured myself a stiff drink, the whiskey relaxing my tense muscles. I pulled out my phone and dialed Elara's number. She answered on the second ring.

"Well?" she purred. "How was the wedding night husband? Did you enjoy deflowering your little bride?" her tone was smug, amused.

I downed the rest of my drink in one go. "It was the hardest thing I have ever had to do," I said, my voice low and tight. "She just lay there crying. It was like fucking a corpse."

Elara laughed a low husky sound. "Poor baby. But you did what you had to do for us. For our future."

"I had to." I confirmed, staring out the window into the city lights. "The sooner she gets pregnant, the sooner I can serve her the divorce papers. I can't wait to be done with her."

She laughed softly, the type that turns me on. "You sound bored. Good thing I'm here to......liven things up. How soon until you come to me?"

I stared out the window into the night. "Soon. My love. I tire of pretending. She's fragile. I miss being with someone who understands who I am."

"Someone who wants what you are." She said, then lowered her voice. "You'll come back to me, won't you? After you've done your duty?"

"Yes," I said quietly. "I can't wait to be with you again. To feel your warm...." I cut myself off, tightening my eyes. "To feel all of you."

A brief silence floated between us before she spoke again.

"Just remember Ardonis.... The clan sees everything. Your marriage is not the only thing they are watching."

"I know the consequences."

She hummed. "Good. Because if you forget...well, your uncle's warning wasn't a suggestion."

And just like that the memory crashed into me.

I stood before my uncle, high lord Marcus, inside the ancient stone chambers of our clan hall. Torches flickering along the walls.

His deep voice boomed along the aged walls "You are the last of your line Ardonis. In the past decade, we have lost three of our strongest males to this disease." He pauses then continues. "They're targeting us. At first, they say they want to make peace with us but now, they turn around to stab us in the back. Slowly killing us off one by one."

I remained silent.

Marcus leaned forward, laying his cold grip on my shoulder. "Whether you love her or not is irrelevant. You will marry. You will breed. Our bloodline must survive."

I don't flinch.

"If you die without an heir, our enemies win. If Elara can't give you one, then you will find another woman. Do what you must."

I inhaled deeply as I come back to the present.

"I haven't forgotten," I murmured into the phone.

"Good." Her voice sharpened. "Then don't get distracted by her tears."

I clenched my jaw. "I won't."

I ended the call without another word.

Outside my study, I could still hear the faint echo of her tears. And for a single fleeting moment......

No..... I just need a child, and I'm done with her forever.

Nyra's point of view.

I wake up feeling like someone relocated every bone in my body. It takes a moment for me to remember why everything aches.

Wedding night.

Consummation.

Then nothing.

I haven't seen him since he took my virginity last night. I slip out of bed and make my way into the massive bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror. My face is lined with dried tear streaks and my hair is tragically mussed up from last night.

"You survived", I whisper to myself. But it doesn't make me feel any better.

I head downstairs to the kitchen. A woman in her early fifties stands near the counter sorting fresh produce. She's human, judging by the way her eyes widen slightly when she sees me.

 What kind of Vampire hires humans? Probably one that marries them I would assume.

"Good morning Mrs. Stepanov," she says gently.

"Nyra," I correct softly, forcing a smile. "Please. And I'd like to make breakfast, if that's okay."

She hesitates. "We usually-"

"Please," I repeat. "I just...need to do something normal."

She nods stepping aside. And then leaves the kitchen.

I crack eggs into a bowl and grab a whisk to beat them.

The small television screen above the counter plays the morning news. A news reporter stands outside a government building that looks half destroyed.

"-third attack this month on human administration facilities. Authorities suspect extremist vampire factions protesting the recent rise in deaths linked to "Heamatodipsia" a nerve disease killing majorly the vampires..."

Images of vampires being dragged into armored vans fill the screen.

"-leaders claim the virus was engineered as a targeted biological weapon. Tensions between humans and vampire communities continue to escalate...."

I freeze.

Engineered?

Before I can process the thought, the screen goes black.

I turn. Ardonis stands at the doorway, remote in hand. Fully dressed, black suit immaculate. He looks like last night didn't exist.

His tone is sharp. "Don't watch that."

I set the whisk down. "It's just the news."

"Its unnecessary." He steps further in. "You don't need to involve yourself in political matters."

"It's my world too," I say quietly.

He doesn't respond. Instead, he grabs his coat.

"You're leaving already?" I ask

"It's a workday."

"I was.... making breakfast," I offer. "Would you like some?"

"No."

I swallow. "Do you want me to do anything while you're gone?"

He sighs. "Just stay out of my way."

"I took leave from work," I remind him. "For our honeymoon."

He pauses for the smallest moment.

"Honeymoon?" he scoffs. "Honeymoons are for real couples in a real marriage... this" he points between us. "This is not a real marriage so do whatever occupies you. Just, don't expect anything from me."  

My chest tightens. "So, I just occupy myself then?" I pause then continue. "at least tell me...is it always going to be like this?"

Silence.

Then-

"That depends on how efficiently this arrangement achieves its purpose."

And then his gone.

***three months later***

The morning sickness had been subtle, then violent. For three weeks I blamed it on the stress from working at the lab. But this morning, I went to the hospital for routine tests.

When the nurse confirmed I was pregnant, I became overwhelmed with a sense of hope. That perhaps there was a chance that this marriage could be real. Maybe this was a bridge, that would finally change things between us. A baby. An heir. A family. He was a man of duty, after all and a child was the ultimate duty.

I head straight to the penthouse. It was the middle of the workday; the house should have been empty. But a distinct sound drifted down the hallway from the master bedroom.

Laughter. A woman's laughter.

My heart pounds against my ribs as I moved down the hall as if being pulled by an external force. I stopped in the doorway, and my world shatters.

The sheets, usually pristine and spotless, were a tangled mess of white silk. Ardonis lay his back against the headboard, his chest bare, looking more relaxed than I'd ever seen him. Beside him, her head resting possessively on his shoulder, was Elara. They were both naked as the day they were born.

I clamp my hand over my mouth, pressing myself against the doorframe hidden against the angle of the wall.

"You have to go soon," he murmured, using his fingers to idly trace patterns on her arm. "Nyra usually returns from work by three."

"Let her come," she scoffed, shifting so she could look him in the eye. "I'm tired of hiding, Ardonis. This bed is more comfortable than the hotel anyway." She paused, her voice turning sharp. "Did you keep doing what we discussed? With her?"

He sighed, "Yes. I slept with her again last week. I made sure of it."

My knees almost give out. I grab the walls to steady myself.

"Good," Elara purred. "Because my patience is wearing thin. I want to be the lady of this house, not the secret kept in the dark."

"it's a matter of biology now, Elara," he says, his voice clinical. "The moment she conceives, the clock starts ticking. We will need the heir to secure my bloodline and my place in the clan."

"And the mother?" Elara asked tracing a finger down his chest. "What happens when the baby comes?"

Ardonis chuckled darkly. "Once the child is born, we will take custody. The lawyers are already drafting the paper work. We'll paint her unstable. Unfit. She'll be cast out with a settlement, and the baby remains here."

"With me." Elara corrected softly. "I'll be a mother to it. A better one than she could ever be."

"With us," he agreed kissing the top of her head. "Just wait a few more months. Once we have the child, we discard the vessel."

The vessel.

That is all I am to him. A means to an end.

The tears stream down my face. Hot and silent. The ultrasound picture in my purse felt like it was burning a hole through the leather. they didn't want a family, they wanted a product to use as they pleased. They were planning to steal my child and hand him to this woman-this woman who was plotting to destroy me in my own bed.

A moment of clarity hits me. If I walked into that room now and screamed, I would lose. They would lock me up and monitor my every move until I gave birth, and then they would take everything.

I had to disappear, become a ghost.

I backed away, step by careful step, until I reached the foyer. I grabbed my keys and the emergency cash stash I kept in my old box. I don't pack any bags, not even a coat. That would look too suspicious if they checked the cameras later.

Once in the car I drove with no sure destination in mind. I drive aimlessly for a while until I reached a grimy gas station on the outskirts of the city. I parked in the shadows, and took out my cell phone and dialed the only person I could count on now.

"Hello?"

"Kelly," I choked out, the dam breaking once more as sobs racked my body. "Kelly please I need your help...I'm in trouble."

"What do you need?" she asks with a resolve that told me that I could count on her.

"I have to disappear. Now."

"Done. Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up."

I tell her my location and hang up.

Then I pulled the Sim and battery from my cell phone and tossed it in the dumpster.

Ardonis' point of view.

***6 years later***

"Mr. Stepanov...., your blood analysis confirmed it. You have stage three heamatodipsia." I don't move as Dr. Halloran hands me the test results.

For a moment I imagined that perhaps the doctor made a mistake. in the past, Vampires never got truly sick. They were weakened, starved, harmed-but disease didn't touch them.

Until now.

The doctor continued. "It's the same strain recorded in the recent medical reports. Your nervous system will gradually deteriorate. Paralysis begins in approximately six months, and then-"

"Death." I cut in.

Silence thickened the room like fog. Halloran swallowed.

"I'm sorry."

I stood up and left without another word.

I had seen others brought down by this disease. Proud clan lords, brought down gasping for breath while human reporters whispered that perhaps they weren't gods after all.

The drive back surfaced a memory from six years ago.

I remember sitting in my office when the phone rang. The hospital number flashed on the screen. I'd answered casually expecting normal checkup results. Instead, the doctors voice had sounded cheerful.

"Congratulations, Mr. Stepanov. The pregnancy has been confirmed. Mrs. Stepanov is six weeks along."

I'd erupted into joy thinking that yes, finally all my sacrifices were paying off. But by the time I'd gone home, she was gone. I had gone to her father to ask of her whereabouts, even shook him up a little to get him to talk. But he denied knowing where she was. The private investigators found nothing. No travel records, no credit card uses, no footprint, nothing. It was as if she had vanished into thin air.

My wife. My unborn child. No note. No trace.

And now six years later, I was dying with no heir to continue my bloodline.

Elara my partner and countess had left me for another Lord. I suspect she must have sensed the disease eating at me and she decided she wanted no part of it. Typical.

I barely remember walking into my office suite-into the board room, where the directors sat in hushed tension.

A project flickered on the wall: Acquisition finalized.

Human government pressure, economic sanctions, pharmaceutical accusations-they had pushed the company to the edge. And now it had been bought by an investor I never heard of.  I had been removed as CEO since the new owner had bought the most shares.

"Ardonis," chairman Vale began, "The transition has been approved. The new owner is assuming leadership directly. We-"

The conference room doors opened.

High heels clicked across the marble floor with a slow, calculated precision.

 I freeze. The last person I expect to see walks in.

Nyra Hearthe. In the flesh.

She wore a black fitted corporate suit emphasizing her slim waist and full hips. Sleek blonde hair is pulled back, chin raised high, eyes cold as mine had once been. There were no traces of the timid bride I had disvirgined. No hesitancy. No warmth just pure power.

She doesn't look at me.

"Good afternoon, gentlemen," she said smoothly. "As of today, I am the new chief Executive officer of Vosper Pharmaceuticals."

The board members rise to greet her. She shook hands with each of them. I couldn't speak.

She finally reached me and then casually, her gaze brushed over me.

There is no hatred, no rage.

Just indifference.

"Mr. Stepanov," she said with polite formality. "You're still here?"

I stare at her, shock blocking my words.

"Nyra." I finally managed.

She didn't flinch.

"Ms. Hearthe," she corrected. "We're not familiar. Remember you work for me now."

She turned back to the board.

"Thank you all for the warm welcome. I'll keep this brief."

She opened the folder on the table. "Effective immediately, I am assuming full operational control of Vosper pharmaceuticals. Departments will be restructured, starting with research and development. This company has spent the last few years trying to manage losses-my intention is to regain purpose."

I leaned forward at that. "What purpose?" I asked.

She doesn't look at me. "The development of the cure for Heamatodipsia."

Silence.

Several board members looked at each other uneasily. Their expressions show intense worry. Not for people but, their investments. Chairman Vale speaks up first.

"That disease is theoretical, Ms. Hearthe. We still don't even know the cause of it, talk more of a cure."

Nyra shoots him a glance, and he falls quiet.

"It's real. Deadly. And its not just killing vampires any more. Some humans have begun to show early symptoms of a new variant of the disease."

I felt a jolt move through me. I keep my face neutral.

Nyra places a small USB drive on the table. "Over the last four years, my research team has developed a treatment blue print. We're ready to begin phase two-live testing."

Another board member Anthony asks. "You're saying you already have a cure developed?"

She nodded. "A prototype. It requires genetic calibration using infected vampire subjects."

I stiffened. She has it. She has the cure.

Nyra continued, "Funding will be reallocated from non-essential divisions. All research teams will report directly to me. I expect written confirmation from department heads by end of the day."

She closed the folder. "Any objections?"

Murmurs. None dared to speak. She finally turned her gaze to me. Her expression was calm, professional and cold.

"I expect everyone's cooperation. There will be consequences for those who intend to stand in the way of progress."

A few board members turned, shocked. They just realized they have gotten more than they bargained for with the new CEO.

"Meeting adjourned." Nyra says then promptly leaves the board room and almost immediately the room burst in chorus of complaints against the new boss. I tune them out and leave to my office as well.

With sudden urgency, I reached for my phone and dialed my private investigator.

"I need you to get me everything there is to know about Nyra Hearthe from the last 6 years. Her address, contacts, anyone she's close to. Everything. And start searching also for any information regarding a child."

"Understood sir," he responded and hung up.

she has the cure.

 She came back stronger than ever. This cure is the chance I need to get close to her, my second chance.