Chapter two alternate (Lucian)

Chapter two from Lucian's POV.

From the shadows, I watched as the scene unfolded before me, a grotesque theater of cruelty. My heart burned with rage, a fire that seared through my veins like molten lava. Caroline, my beloved, stood there, bound and vulnerable, and the sight ignited a fury within me that was nearly unbearable. The crowd below was a mass of depravity, their faces illuminated by a sickening glee as they awaited the execution. How could they find pleasure in her suffering? How could they cheer for the end of a life so vibrant, so full of potential?

I clenched my fists, the urge to leap from my hiding place overwhelming. My anger boiled over, a tempest of emotions swirling within me. Her parents, those wretched beings, had condemned her to this fate, blinded by their own arrogance and pride. I could feel my teeth grinding, each moment stretching painfully as I struggled to contain the violent thoughts racing through my mind. 

They thought they could extinguish her light, but they had no idea of the power she held, even in her darkest hour.

As the executioner prepared the blade, time seemed to slow. My breath caught in my throat, a visceral reaction to the horror about to unfold. I had come to save her, to whisk her away from this nightmare, but what if I was too late? The thought was unbearable. I could see the fear in her eyes, the way she fought to maintain her composure, a warrior facing her fate with grace. 

The sight of her made my chest ache, a painful reminder of how deeply I loved her.

The crowd’s cheers grew louder, a cacophony of madness that echoed in my ears. Each shout felt like a dagger, piercing through my resolve. I wanted to scream, to lash out at them for their cruelty, for their insatiable thirst for bloodshed. They were nothing more than vultures, circling above, waiting to feast on the remains of a life they had no right to take. My body tensed, a coiled spring ready to unleash hell upon those who dared to revel in her suffering.

Then it happened. The blade fell, swift and merciless. Time froze as I felt my heart stop, a moment of sheer disbelief washing over me. I had seen death before, but this was different. This was Caroline. The world around me blurred, and I fought against the urge to scream, to rush forward and defy the very laws of nature. My Caroline was gone…and I didn’t do anything. 

But then, something primal stirred within me. As her head rolled away, a dark desire crept in, overshadowing my rage. Even in death, she was exquisite. Her pale skin glistened under the harsh light, her hair framing her face like a halo. It was grotesque and mesmerizing all at once. I felt an overwhelming urge to protect her, to claim her as my own, to ensure that no one else could ever touch her again. The thought ignited a possessive fire deep within me, a need to assert my dominance over her, even in this twisted moment.

When the impossible happened and she got up, her head still on the floor. She walks towards it grabbing it by the base of the neck. I watch as those delicate fingers of hers dip into the exposed flesh in the wound, like how mine once did inside her. 

She then brings the severed head to its position back on her body, My eyes darken as I watched the skin form around the wound, reattaching her head. I was captivated. The sight of her, alive again, ignited a fire within me�"a lustful hunger that eclipsed my rage.

She was beautiful, more than ever, and I wanted her, body and soul. My thoughts became a whirlwind of primal instincts, a raw, unfiltered desire that surged through me. I needed to possess her, to make her mine in every sense of the word.

As the crowd erupted in cheers, oblivious to the truth of what they had witnessed, I knew this was not the end but merely the beginning of our twisted tale. I would claim her, not just as my lover, but as my eternal companion in this dark world. The fire of my anger had transformed into a burning passion, a need that would not be quenched until she was in my arms once more.

I stepped from the shadows, ready to embrace the chaos, ready to fight for her, ready to unleash the darkness that had been simmering within me. Caroline was mine, and I would stop at nothing to ensure she would never again be threatened by the cruelty of this world.

I was about to step away from the crowd to meet Caroline in the woods when I heard her father’s voice whispering to his guards.

“Bring her back to me, in pieces. Her heart is to be impaled by a wooden steak, her skin is to be stripped of the family emblem, and her head, severed, with the teeth bashed in. Collect the blood in the process so I may have it stored away to drink on special occasions. The burn of my own ‘daughter’s’ blood, how refreshing.”

That’s when my blood boils again. This sick f**k is her father and here he is talking about how he wants his daughter killed, much less cherishing her blood as if it’s his favorite brand of whiskey. Though I doubt he drinks any actual alcohol since in this sad excuse for a kingdom everyone seems to get off on drinking vampire blood. Something about the burn being more pleasant and the high they get from is said to be more intoxicating.