She took a long breath and ran toward it when she felt a strong huge hand gripping her arm causing her to abruptly stop her run.

She turned around. John was there glowering at her. A breath of relief escaped from her mouth but his eyebrows were knitted down in a frown and his arms were folded.

"What did I tell you?

" His tone of voice was raised as he gazing around, preoccupied someone would attack her.

"Go back inside.

" He ordered. His angry tone of voice made her nod silently and slowly come back inside while he kept an eye on her. He sighed. She was very headstrong.

He turned around when a dark shadow appeared on the ground. He groaned, realizing his archenemy was there.

At each step he took, the shadow was stepping back as if it was following his movements.

"Too afraid to be seen?

" John whispered as his eyes darted, trying to understand what he might be.

The strong wind started rising the pebbles from the ground as the soil quaked.

"What is that you want so deeply? The realm? Or do you want to steal my vampire powers?

"

"You could not be further from what I truly desire.

" He finally spoke, but his voice was low and the sound couldn't be well-identified as it sounded magnetic. Maybe he was using some device to change his voice, if so, why would he want to do it?

"Do I know you?

" When John asked that question, from the ground opened a furrow that drained him inside. He succeeded in holding onto a stone, preventing him to fall inside the sulcus.

He clenched his teeth; he didn't expect him to have powers. How many things could he do?

"I am afraid you will never find out.

" His voice was clearer now, and John's forehead frowned when it sounded almost exactly like his voice.

"John!

" Roselyn screamed as she reached them in a fast run.

"Go away,

" John murmured as he was cursing her internally for having disobeying him not once but twice.

"What happened?

" She asked, bending over and stretching her hand to try to help him.

"Take my hand.

" She screamed. The wind became strong and she was hardly holding onto the ground. The wind pushed John's body from one side to another, and he was having difficulty to keep clinging to the stone that prevented him to fall deeper into the furrow.

"John!!

" She screamed again seeing him unwilling to take his hand.

"He is here go away!

" He screamed as a groan escaped from his mouth.

"Who is h..

"

He jumped on her abruptly, tossing her against the near tree. The strong grip was impeding her any movement. She shut her eyes as she felt the familiar sensation she felt when coming in contact with someone linked to a death.

"What are you?

" He screamed at her, the ground kept quaking and the lady didn't know what to do.

She kept looking away trying not to meet his gaze in fear of being discovered.

His grip intensified, his claws penetrated to her thin skin and she screamed in pain.

"I won't repeat myself a second time.

" She kicked in front of her trying to get free from the grip but he seemed to be made of a stone, an invisible one.

Annoyed by her weak, useless tentative of trying to get free he pushed her strongly against the tree. A cry of pain escaped from her lips while her vision blurred. Her eyelids felt heavy, probably because of the hit in her head.

John jumped to the ground. A second later he was on that creature. He took him by his neck and threw him against the ground, ruthlessly he sat on his almost unconscious body and began punching him in the face multiple times. He couldn't escape since John's weight was keeping him down, yet he didn't show his appearance.

"Show yourself.

" The King ordered. He could see blood coming out but that evil creature didn't give up.

"John!!

" Roselyn screamed from behind, crying to see the blood coming out of her wrists and her head. The blood became darker and darker the more it came out. Her vision was blurry and she felt her head spinning.

His eyes darted back and forth to her and him. If he let him escape, he would lose the chance of finally killing him but at the same time, Roselyn would die.

The lady closed her eyes felling on the ground.

He heard a laugh coming from the creature, which drove him even more furious. He gave him the last punch, stronger than he could to finally rush to save Roselyn.

Lifting her body he carried her slowly inside the house, he was worn out of energies. Arriving in front of the castle, he saw all his guards' bodies dead in the yard. If he had the energy to, he would scream in anger, but it was enough he managed to reach there.

He knocked on the door that had been locked by the maids as they probably feared the worst. They opened to him and rushed to carry the lady's body to bring her on the bed, gently laying her down.

"Should I call the doctors?

" A maid asked while her eyes widened in fear seeing him in that condition and gazing at the unconscious lady bleeding black blood.

He shook her head.

"A normal doctor won't be able to cure her.

" He murmured as he fell desperately on the floor, he clenched his fists in anger and punched strongly against the nightstand.

John took some sips from his glass and after having finished few glasses, useful for him to recover part of his energies.

He leaned closer to the lady as he touched the black sustenance that was coming out of her body to sniff it.

He groaned, recognizing the familiar smell, his eyes were of an intense red.

"She was poisoned... with the same substance that killed my father.

" A tear ran down his face while he wrapped his arms around her..

"Wake up.

"