Selena hid under a bush, watching her clan fight the Blackthorne. She saw her father struggling against their leader, Lord Vesperian. Her butler whispered, asking her to go back to her mother, but Selena just went "shhh!" and put a finger to his lips. She wanted him to be quiet so she could keep watching the fight. She was worried about her father.
"Lady Selena," he said, his brow furrowed with concern, "We need to go back. Your father prohibited you from coming here. Please, for your own safety, let's go back to your mother."
"You can go back on your own. I will not leave until it's not done." she firmly said.
Butler gives up asking Selena to go back, he is just guarding her. Selena saw a man running toward them. It was Drake. She saw the panic in his eyes, the terror that made him fire blindly, not even knowing who he was aiming at. Blood was dripping from his wounds, making him barely able to stand.
As he collapsed, one of the Blackthorn vampires saw them and moved in to attack. Selena's butler fought off the vampire, keeping it busy. While he was distracted, Selena quietly followed Drake. She found him lying on the ground, about to be killed by the vampire.
Without thinking, she stepped in front of him, scaring the vampire away with a fierce look. It fled, leaving Drake barely alive, unconscious on the ground.
"Are you alright?" Selena asked softly, trying to wake him up.
She listened closely for his heartbeat, but it was so weak, she could barely hear it. Without thinking, without hesitation, Selena bent her head to his neck, her fangs baring. She sank them into his skin, drawing his blood, desperate to save him.
The taste was rich, warm, and it surged through her. She could feel his life force returning with each breath she took, his pulse strengthening as the blood flowed through her.
After Selena healed Drake, she went back to help her butler, who was still fighting. But just as she moved, two more vampires from the Blackthorn Dominion appeared. Her butler was already exhausted and badly wounded, struggling to stay on his feet. Selena tried to fight the two new vampires, but they were too strong. She fought with everything she had, but soon, her energy gave out.
Before she could react, they blindfolded her and tied her hands together, leaving her helpless. Her butler lay on the ground, unconscious, unable to help.
*****
Selena's butler, Mr. Finch, rushed toward her, breathing heavily.
"Where have you been, Lady Selena?" he asked, his voice strained.
"I was just in the forest, Mr. Finch. What's going on? Why are you in such a hurry?"
"Your father called an emergency meeting with the congregation... including you."
"Why?" Selena asked, puzzled.
"The vampire slayer escaped."
Without another word, they both hurried toward the conference area. When Selena arrived at the conference room, her parents were already there, along with Cassandra and her own parents. Mr. Clark, her father's secretary, stood off to the side, and the four elders—Elder Margarette, Elder Victor, Elder Silas, and Elder Valentina—were all present.
The atmosphere was thick with seriousness, but what caught Selena's attention the most was her father. He looked absolutely furious, his face tight with anger as he glanced at everyone in the room.
"Yesterday, we caught a vampire slayer," King Armand began, his voice heavy with frustration. "And the next thing we know, he's escaped. I don't know how he managed it, especially when I left him barely able to move. We need to evacuate. We are not certain that he won't return with more slayers."
"Maybe someone helped him escape," Cassandra interrupted.
Everyone's eyes turned to her with growing curiosity.
"Who would do such a thing?" Elder Valentina asked, her voice calm but filled with suspicion.
"King Armand is right. We need to find a new place to stay," Elder Silas said, his tone serious as he nodded.
"We can't assume someone helped him. First, he's a vampire slayer. Second, our men searched the area and found no other vampires," Queen Aurelia said.
Cassandra raised an eyebrow. "Why don't we ask Selena?"
The room went quiet, and all eyes turned toward Selena, who sat there, stiff and uneasy.
"I don't know anything about it," Selena replied, her voice firm, but the tension in her eyes was clear.
Lavinia, Cassandra's mother, leaned forward with a cold smile. "Why don't you tell us what you know, my dear niece?"
Selena's gaze hardened. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Cassandra stood up abruptly, her gaze fixed on Selena as she moved to stand beside her. "If Selena won't tell you, then let me tell you," she said, her voice cold and accusing. "The one who helped the slayer is none other than our Lady Selena herself. I saw her with that slayer, heading toward the exit tunnel. This isn't the first time she's helped him, is it, Lady Selena?"
Selena stayed silent, her eyes downcast, unwilling to meet anyone's gaze.
Cassandra's voice grew louder, sharper. "You don't find it strange, how often is she in the forest? Or is that really where she goes?"
Selena's parents exchanged looks, their expressions growing more intense by the second.
"What's she talking about, Selena?" Queen Aurelia's voice was firm, a demand for an answer. Selena remained silent, her lips pressed tight.
Cassandra didn't give her a chance to respond. "She saved the slayer the night we fought the Blackthorn Dominion. I followed her. I saw everything. Even her butler begged her to return to our queen, but she wouldn't listen. She drank from that slayer. Sucked his neck dry. Selena kept visiting him at his apartment, over and over."
"Does it mean Lady Selena has betrayed our clan?" Elder Victor said.
"Well, the verdict is yours." Cassandra responded and went back to her seat.
Is this true, Selena?" King Armand's voice cut through the tension, his eyes burning with anger.
Selena's silence was her only answer as she gave a small, reluctant nod.
The room erupted in fury.
"She's a traitor to our clan!" Lavinia shouted, her voice sharp. "She should be locked away in prison for what she's done!"
Elder Margarette stepped forward, her face hard as stone. "We need to evacuate before it's too late. But we also must punish Lady Selena. She has put the entire clan at risk with her actions."
Queen Aurelia stood up suddenly, her eyes filled with a mix of disbelief and anger. Without a word, she slapped Selena hard across the face. The shock was written on everyone's faces—except for Lavinia, who smirked slightly, as if she had anticipated this reaction.