Chapter 23:

Ivy's POV:

As I looked toward the large pretty house surrounded by dry dirt and dead plants, I could barely hold in the groan of annoyance.

The house belongs to the master vampire Rosalie, a woman with a reputation for her beauty as well as having once been Valentino's lover. A willing one at that. So I'm sure it's easy to see just how unstable this woman might be. Not that it matters in the war that we'll all get caught up in, we need allies.

It includes this psycho woman.

"How do you like my home, Lady Ivanna?" Rosalie gave me a knowing smirk while leaning against the pillar that held up the entrance of the tall gates.

"It's a bit... dry," I shrugged my shoulders, ignoring her sneer, and the arrowing of those red eyes.

With long dark brown curls of hair, a heart-shaped face, and a slim figure, Rosalie tends to be an icon for beauty standards. At least, among vampires. There's no way I could walk around in public in half of the things she wears.

"Well, we make do with what we can. What with my nest having been cursed and all that good stuff," She sighed, trying to act indifferently toward me even though we both know that has never changed. While guiding me inside the lightly brown-colored mansion, the maids and servants were put in two separate lines.

Rosalie is the perfect example of people who just don't change, no matter how hard they try. The only way this woman and half of everyone else in the world could stop hating me is if they forget what I am.

"Welcome to my humble abode," With both arms spread out wide, Rosalie gracefully lead me through the space between her drones. Even with their eyes aimed toward the floor, I could feel their glares on my back the moment I passed them.

No one wanted me to be here, the same as me.

"What can I help you with? Marie, can you get our guest a cup of tea?" The master vampire took a seat on the single chair the moment we entered her living room.

"I won't be staying long enough for that. You didn't attend the meeting with the others so you missed the message from the seer. What are you doing about Valentino?" As soon as his name escaped my lips, Rosalie stiffened ever so slightly.

The nervous look shining in the maid's eyes as she came over to place a cup of hot tea on the coffee table told me everything.

"Valentino? Are you serious? What exactly am I supposed to do against him and that massive army?" Rosalie rolled her eyes while leaning back in her seat, trying to seem unbothered by the topic.

"Perhaps put your baby leeches to good use? I didn't think your soldiers were hanging around the shadows for nothing," I said with a raise of my eyebrows while ignoring the eyes I felt looking at me from a distance.

Vampires... ugh.

"Leeches..." Rosalie's hands squeezed both arms of the small couch she sat on. The expensive fabric made a ripping sound as those sharp nails tore into it.

"Yea, leeches. Those people you turned into vampires who have no choice but to be loyal to you... it's quite strange. How do you vampires have the audacity to look down on me when your problem has now become a worldwide threat," It was either the insult or that cold laugh escaping my lips that had Rosalie jumping off her chair.

A look of rage stormed those red eyes that narrowed at me though all I could do was raise an eyebrow.

Did I have to be so rude and hard to work with? Yes, I do. There's no way Rosalie will let me get anywhere if I'd been such a nice person. Our world likes to take advantage of people like that... its why Oriness worries me. Hanging around us is probably the worst environment a young girl can be in. Though... who else is willing to keep the monsters away from her? Usually being someone's savior isn't my forte but since she's Vivian's sister, that makes her mine as well.

"Such a fragile body yet you allow your mouth to spout such dangerous words. Maybe fearing death will do you a lot of good in making friends..." The master vampire lifted her head ever so slightly.

"Yet not a single one of you would dare try and test just how frail I am, will you?" I smirked at her with a raise of my eye, talking to Rosalie as well as the men and women waiting to attack.

How sensitive.

"Who do you think you are? An abandoned witch, coming into my home to speak to me with disrespect? That confidence must come from that old age," She tilted her head ever so slightly with a wild look on that beautiful face.

"Oh, please, I'm more than willing to leave as soon as you agree to the instructions given to you by the seer," This back and forth is for children, my patience for this vampire is running out fast.

Once more, there was a chilling silence in the room but I refused to look away from those angry red eyes.

"Are you willing to help us with killing Valentino Daphne or not?" Rosalie's pretty face scrunched up at the question as a look of horror filled her eyes.

The emotions that flew across her face for just a fleeting moment were all that I needed.

"I... I can't, Ivanna... I'm still in love with him," And there it was, that look of pain that was practically asking for someone to pity her.

That person wouldn't be me.

"Then, it seems like I have the answer to High Priest Nyx's request, correct? Hopefully, this will be the last time I'll see you," I gave Rosalie a cold smile with a slight tilt of my head, enjoying the way those hands balled into fists at her side. Without hesitation, my body turned as I made my way toward the front door.

Once word gets out that councilor Rosalie refused to help a seer with taking down Valentino, she'll lose respect from all over the world. No one will want to associate themselves with someone willing to bow to a broken man. It doesn't help that she's a former lover of Valentino, it will look like she's a part of his cause.

While the vampires Rosalie sired can't attack her, that doesn't mean other leeches can't get to her. Since no one can touch Valentino, she'd become the next best thing.

"W-Wait! Ivanna... please! You have to understand... I still love him..." Rosalie was suddenly in front of me with a pained expression on that usually cold face.

Yet I still couldn't find my heart moving to her emotions that mean nothing to me.

"I don't feel sorry in the least about your situation, Rosalie but I can be nice every once in a while. Help the seer with taking Valentino down and I can release the curse on your nest. Not only that but if you do, your name will be written down in history for more than just being the lover of a psychopath," Turning around slightly to look at Rosalie with a cold gaze, I watched as her pretty face screwed up. The stress of the situation was clear... she would have to pick her own survival or Valentino's.

If she dies, so do all the thousands of other vampires Rosalie created and now calls her children.

"Fine... okay, I'll join the war. I swear my allegiance to the High Priestess Noxana," Rosalie bowed her head with a tight fist held against her chest. Within seconds a white light flashed before it dimmed and disappeared.

The promise to the temple has been made with her verbal agreement so without another word, I left her house. Now that Rosalie is on our side, we'll have over 1,000 vampires at our disposal for the battle. It won't be enough to take down Valentino but they'll do well as a distraction if their roles are played right.

Now outside, I ignored the cool breeze blowing against my skin while getting into the car.

Rosalie is a pitiful fool... one that I can't even fault. She wasn't wrong earlier about me understanding because I do. That feeling of falling in love with someone you didn't know would be your downfall. You truly never do stop loving that person... at least, who they had once been.

Even now, my heart hurts from having to let him go... but the pain in my back from his betrayal is even more painful. Though it's one of the few things Rosalie and I have; when we'd been betrayed our reactions were completely different.

I sought revenge while she decided to wallow in self-pity and hope for his change of heart.

A mistake on her part. Monsters aren't capable of changing, Valentino is just one of many examples.

As I reached for the door to my car, the feeling of electricity zapped through my outstretched hand. Without any warning, black magic swarmed into me at a shockingly fast rate.

And... then everything went black.