The Wicked Ones: Destiny of a Vampire

Feelings

"Ghost town." Cassius shook his head and closed his eyes. "How could she do that to us?"

"It wasn't her fault." Arius ran his palms through his face as he tried to convince himself as well that it wasn't Keira's fault.

But it was.

"It wasn't her fault?! She murdered almost everyone!" Cassius shouted but then sighed deeply. He knew that Keira had been in a blackout, but it seemed unfair that innocent vampires were murdered.

Arius realized that he had been asleep when Keira slaughtered everyone inside. The guilt and frustration boiled over him as he thought that Keira  simply killed his friends and distant family members without any good reason. He had known these vampires longer than he could remember. Some of them had been turned back in medieval times. Each resident held some importance to Arius, and now they were all gone.

The donors weren't that important to him, yet it was a pity that so many unnecessary deaths were caused. Although they were just random girls without any real significance, there was one who was different from the others.

Anastasia

She was different; her blood was different, and she was important to Arius for reasons he couldn't quite understand. Ana helped him cope with his emotions after leaving Nashville, and thanks to her, he came back from the blackout. Perhaps that's why he cared about her.

"Ana," Arius whispered.

Although Arius had no deep feelings for her, Ana still mattered to him. She had been his donor for years, and they shared a strange connection. The thought of her being killed for no reason made his body tense, and he wondered how he would behave after finding her dead.

They exchanged a glance and, without a word, both ran to her apartment. Arius swung the door open and quickly scanned the room. His eyes locked on Ana's body, lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He rushed to her side, kneeling to check her pulse. It was faint, and Arius had little time to decide what to do.

Arius chanted a few spells, trying her body to restore the lost blood and heal. Slowly, Ana's heartbeat began to steady. Relieved, Arius gently lifted her and placed her on the bed.

"Don't worry, I will watch over her." Said Cassius as he noticed Arius's worried face. "You have another one to babysit."

"Keira probably left her alive because of her blood." Arius muttered almost to himself.

"I don't know why I murdered them all." Keira's voice came out of nowhere suddenly, making both of them cringe in fear and turn around. Keira stood behind their backs, sadly gazing at Anna.

"It's alright," Arius responded, doing his best to sound calm, though Keira could feel his frustration. "No one could see that coming."

Cassius raised an eyebrow, knowing  well that those words were a lie. The Oracle had likely foreseen this outcome, but the ancient trio had been too foolish to ask her. Back then, their only concern was defeating the Inquisitors, no matter the cost.

"I’m heading back to the apartment. I need to rest," Keira said softly, casting one final glance at Ana before turning to leave.

"Go with her, and get some rest." Cassius pushed Arius through the door.

"Rest with her?" Arius grinned sarcastically because resting with Keira sounded impossible. 

Arius walked down the hallway to where the elevator was. Keira stood nearby, waiting for him, as she had overheard their conversation back there, which is why she decided to wait for Arius. Neither of them spoke as they stepped inside, and both kept their eyes fixed on the steel doors, avoiding any glances at each other until the elevator finally reached the top floor.