Chapter 50 Vivian
VIVIAN
The world came into focus slowly, and I blinked against the sunlight streaming through the windshield.
I was in comfortable clothes instead of that awful outfit Izo had put me in.
My head felt heavy, my body sluggish, but the first thing I saw was him—Raffaele, his jaw tight, one hand gripping the steering wheel while the other rested on the gear shift.
His face was a study in concentration, dark eyes fixed on the road ahead, but the tension in his shoulders betrayed him.
“Where…” My voice cracked, raspy from disuse. “Where are we?”
His head snapped toward me, relief flooding his features. “Vivian.” His voice was tinged with an emotion I couldn’t quite place. “You’re awake.”
“Barely,” I muttered, wincing as I shifted in my seat. My whole body ached, reminding me what I’d suffered. “What… what happened? How did we get here?”
Raffaele’s lips pressed into a thin line before he answered.
“You’ve been out for hours. After the arena…
” He trailed off. “Izo gave us safe passage out of the Ashen Territory. Luca veilstepped us to his apartment. I borrowed some comfortable clothes for you to wear. I didn’t want to waste time, so I got you in the car, and here we are. ”
I tried to piece it together, the fragments of memory swimming in my mind. “I remember… Vincenzo was holding me,” I said slowly. “I was so weak, but I saw…” My breath hitched as the image came rushing back. “Izo killed Altair. And then—” My eyes darted to Raffaele. “You made a deal with him.”
His grip tightened on the wheel, his knuckles white. “It was the most strategic option. Trust me, if I was being completely selfish, I would’ve killed the bastard in front of his people.”
I stared at him, searching his face for… something. His powers were back—that much I could feel. The bond we shared thrummed with a vitality I hadn’t felt in ages. Relief washed over me, but it was fleeting. There was something else, something urgent clawing at the back of my mind.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice steadier now.
“Back to the cabin,” he said firmly, his tone leaving no room for argument. “You need to rest. To heal. After everything that’s happened, you’re not going to lift a damn finger until you’ve recovered.”
“No.” I sat up straight, ignoring the sharp protests of my muscles. “We don’t need to hide anymore.”
“Vivian—”
“I’m serious, Raffaele.” My voice was sharper than I intended, but I didn’t care. “I’ve figured out a way to kill your father. For good.”
He slammed on the brakes, the SUV screeching to a halt on the side of the road. The sudden stop jolted me forward, and I barely caught myself against the dashboard.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” he snapped, his eyes burning into mine. “There’s no way in hell I’m taking you back to my estate. Not after everything he did to you.”
“Fuck that,” I shot back, my frustration boiling over.
“I’m not hiding anymore, Raffaele. You know I’ve been working on tying NexusCore to the Mirror of Truths.
I think I know how to defeat your father.
To kill the bastard once and for all. It’s almost like my brain had a break from thinking while under Izo’s control, and now I’m being flooded with all these new ideas. I can do this.”
His jaw dropped slightly before he recovered, and he shook his head vehemently. “Vivian, do you even hear yourself? You’re traumatized—don’t try to deny it. I’m not going to risk your life again, not for him. Not for anyone.”
“I’m not asking. I’m telling you. This is the only way. I want you free of him. Now. And I think I know how to do it.”
“You can’t be serious—”
“I am,” I interrupted, my hands shaking as I balled them into fists.
“This… this thing I’ve been working on. It’s the answer.
Your father is tied to that damn object that keeps him alive, right?
The Mirror of Truths can reveal its location.
And my program can force the mirror to show us everything.
Every fucking secret he’s buried. But we can’t do it from a distance. We have to go back.”
He stared at me like I’d lost my mind, and maybe I had. But I knew I was right. I wanted to end this nightmare that had haunted him, his family, and now me.
“Are you absolutely sure about this?” he asked.
“Positive.”
Raffaele exhaled sharply, his hand raking through his dark hair as he processed my words. Finally, he muttered, “You’re impossible, you know that?”
“I’ve been told.”
He rubbed his temples, muttering under his breath, before his gaze locked onto mine again. “Fine. But if we’re doing this, we’re doing it my way. I’m going to put an illusion on you before we get anywhere near the estate. And while we drive, I’ll focus on warding the upper levels of the house.”
“Deal.”
He shifted the SUV back into drive. The tires crunched against the gravel as we pulled back onto the road, and I leaned back in my seat, letting out a shaky breath.
As the SUV rumbled along the winding road, I turned my head to look at Raffaele.
His profile was tense, his hands gripping the steering wheel tightly, the veins in his forearms standing out.
The air between us was heavy with unspoken questions, but one bubbled to the surface, refusing to be silenced.
“So…any idea how I’m alive?” I asked. “I stabbed myself, Raffaele. I felt it… I was dying. Dead.”
He glanced at me briefly, his expression conflicted, before focusing back on the road. “I’ve been trying to figure that out myself.”
“But you have an idea,” I pressed, watching him closely.
He let out a long sigh, his shoulders sagging slightly as if the weight of everything was pressing down on him at once. “I think it has to do with our bond. The magic that ties us together. I’ve never seen anything like that before, Vivian.”
I swallowed hard. “What do you mean?”
He hesitated, his brow furrowing as he searched for the right words.
“When you stabbed yourself, I thought… I thought that was it. That we were both going to die. That’s how these bonds work.
If one half is severed, the other follows.
That’s why my father bound his soul to an object.
My mother was dying, and he wanted to live.
But instead of both of us dying…” He trailed off, his jaw tightening.
“Instead, it was like the bond reacted. Like it wouldn’t let you go. ”
My heart pounded as I processed his words. “Our bond healed me? I thought our bond was practically nonexistent by the end. I couldn’t feel you.”
He nodded, though his expression remained grim.
“It was dwindling because of my waning magic and the siren’s kiss, but it was still there.
Faint, but there. I felt it when you stabbed yourself.
The magic between us… it surged. I could feel it, Vivian, as clearly as I feel your emotions right now.
It was like our connection wasn’t just fighting for us… it was keeping us alive.”
I stared at him, trying to wrap my head around it.
I put my hand over his on the gearshift. “Raffaele… thank you. For fighting for me. For not giving up when I was so far gone.”
His fingers relaxed slightly under mine, and he glanced at me again, his eyes softening.
“You know, for someone who’s supposed to be all brooding and shadowy, you’re ridiculously sentimental.”
He chuckled. “Don’t get used to it.”
“I already have,” I teased, squeezing his hand before leaning back in my seat.
As the trees blurred past us, I let his words settle into my heart. The bond between us was more than a lifeline. It was something deeper and powerful. And as terrifying as that was, it also gave me hope. Together, we were stronger than anything that tried to tear us apart.
We were headed straight for the lion’s den, and for the first time in weeks, I was hopeful. If we could do this—if we could end this—there was a chance for peace. For freedom. For us.
The estate loomed in the distance, an imposing silhouette against the backdrop of the evening sky.
My heart thrummed with anticipation and unease as the SUV rolled to a stop in the long, winding driveway.
It felt surreal to be back here after everything that had happened.
Raffaele stepped out and opened my door before I could even unbuckle my seatbelt.
“Raffaele, I can walk,” I protested as he scooped me into his arm.
“You’re still weak,” he said as he cradled me against his chest. He pressed a kiss to my temple. “And I’d rather keep you close, anyway.”
I didn’t argue. The warmth of his embrace, the steady beat of his heart under my cheek, and the strength in his arms were impossible to resist. He carried me toward the front doors, where Eldora was waiting.
Her eyes darted between the two of us before settling on Raffaele. She smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I see your powers have returned,” she said, her gaze briefly flicking to me, veiled as a vampire prisoner once more under Raffaele’s magic.
“They have,” Raffaele replied, his tone clipped but calm. “We need time to rest and plan.”
Eldora inclined her head. “Of course. What can I do to assist?”
“Keep the house running smoothly,” he instructed, his grip on me tightening slightly. “And alert me if anything feels off. My illusions will be up and fortified, but vigilance is key.”
Eldora nodded. “It’s good to have you back, my lord.”
Raffaele carried me through the grand entrance. The familiarity of the estate—the sweeping staircases, the intricate woodwork, and the scent of aged stone—wrapped around me like a bittersweet memory.
With every step he took up the staircase, Raffaele’s magic rippled out, invisible to the eye but palpable in the air.
I could feel the layers of protection he was weaving, the wards he was carefully placing to ensure no one could penetrate the sanctity of these walls.
Our bond thrummed, stronger than ever before.
“Raffaele, you don’t have to—”
“I do,” he interrupted. “This house will be safer than it’s ever been by the time I’m done.”
We reached his bedroom, and he nudged the door open with his foot, closing and locking it behind him. He laid me gently on the bed, his touch lingering as though he were afraid I might disappear.
“Stay here,” he murmured before turning away to pace the room. His hands moved through the air with practiced precision, weaving wards that only he could see. The energy in the room shifted with every pass of his hand, a palpable cocoon of safety and strength wrapping around us.
I watched him closely, the sharp lines of his jaw, the tension in his shoulders, and the way his brows furrowed with concentration. He was so serious, so brooding. Seeing him like this tugged at my heart.
Minutes passed, and finally, he sank onto the bed beside me. Before I could stop myself, I fell into his arms, my composure crumbling.
“I’m so sorry,” I choked out, burying my face in his chest as tears streamed down my cheeks. “For everything. For hurting you, for torturing you—I tried so hard to fight against Izo, but I couldn’t stop myself. I couldn’t—”
“Shh,” he whispered, pulling me into his lap and running his fingers through my hair. “You don’t have to apologize. None of this was your fault.”
“But it feels like it was,” I sobbed. “I should’ve been stronger—”
“Vivian.” His voice was firm but gentle, a balm to my frayed nerves.
He tipped my chin up, forcing me to meet his gaze.
His eyes, dark and intense, held no anger, only love.
“You were strong. Stronger than I ever could have been. You were willing to kill yourself rather than harm me. Do you know what that means?”
I shook my head, tears still blurring my vision.
“It means you love me,” he said softly, almost as if the words surprised him. “I’ve never experienced love before. I don’t deserve you. I’ve never loved anyone, not really. Not until you.”
His confession took my breath away, my heart swelling to the point of pain. “Raffaele…” I whispered, my hand trembling as I touched his face. “I love you. More than I ever thought I was capable of loving someone. I can’t stand the thought of losing you.”
“You won’t,” he promised. “You’ll never lose me. Not now, not ever.”
And then he kissed me. Tenderly. Reverently. As though I were the most precious thing in his world. The kiss deepened, and I melted into him, every fiber of my being drawn to his. In that moment, nothing else existed—no pain, no fear, no memories of the horrors we’d endured. Only us.
“You’re everything to me, Vivian,” he said quietly.
“I believe you,” I whispered, and for the first time in a long while, I truly did.