Bride To His Darkness-Chapter 366: A Futile Sacrifice

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In a fortress that stood defiant against the abyss, Marius paused at the entrance, his gaze sweeping through the building he owned—a fortress he resided in before his soul got fragmented during the first battle he had with the vampires of the North.

The buildings blackened spires pierced through the murky sky, and the air reeked of sulfur, a testament to the souls he had trapped within those walls. Releasing a deep, satisfied breath after making it back to his old time fortress, he stepped inside, the doors opening at their will to grant him entrance.

He carried the unconscious Samantha in his arms, taking her through the corridor where the souls he had stolen and sealed resided, but none of them dared to come closer, despite their desperation to consume the vessel Marius had brought with him.

Samantha’s golden-blonde hair spilled over his arm, and her delicate features were marred by a bruise on her temple—a testament to her struggle when she eventually woke up to find Marius abducting her from the tent, but he knocked her out before she could even make a sound.

Reaching a secluded chamber, he gently laid Samantha on a crimson crib that could fit her body size, its velvet fabric sinking in after he settled her in like a corpse. Marius stepped back when he was done making her feel comfortable, and he studied the woman’s beautiful face.

Her lips, which were once defiant, now trembled in her slumber, as though she was having a nightmare or something similar to that.

"He won’t find you here." Marius reached the crib and gently stroked her smooth face. The look on her face gave no sign of her regaining consciousness soon, and he had finally brought her to the underworld where he could tame her with no disruptions from those meddling vampires.

"Marius?" a feminine voice uttered his name from the entrance. However, he didn’t need to look in order to know that the one who called for his attention was Carmela.

The fact she was here could only mean....

"You died." He uttered, glancing at the figure who walked in. Her whole body emitted a soft blue glow, and she was approaching Samantha in the crib where she rested.

Carmela stood at the side, staring down at the unconscious beauty, but before she could touch her, Marius was quick to grab her hands.

"Don’t."

"I died for you." Carmela freed her hand from his grasp, a frown contorting her face. "Once I die, you said I can own her body. You promised me before I dared to put my life on the line like that, so what’s with the hesitation?"

"You can’t own her body just yet, it’s not a vessel if she still has her soul intact." he explained, "I’ll expand the situation later, but it’s best you wait at a corner for me while I deal with this. We can go ahead with the rest of our plan afterwards."

Marius spoke calmly, "you want her body, and you will have it, but mistakes are inevitable once made."

"So long as you fulfill your promise to me." She said, making him aware that she won’t take any disruptions of plan too heartedly. She died a gruesome death for his sake, she honestly didn’t think she could wish for death, and now, she was more than frightened of that man called Ivan.

If he ever got a role in hell, he’d be the executioner. Right now her soul was bound to Marius since she made a deal with him, that’s why she ended up here, and probably not some place worse.

Brushing the horror aside, she stepped back like Marius had instructed, but still kept a close eye to ensure he didn’t pull any funny stunts.

Marius’s plan was simple: to break Samantha’s spirit, bend her will, and make her an instrument of his dark design. He had seen her power, when she screamed the other time—the raw energy that flowed through her veins like liquid starlight—he feared she would get her wings, he naturally thought she would, but alas! There was a chance that he had luck on his side, aside from the blood moon tonight, and she might never get her wings back.

"That husband of yours must know by now he’ll bear a child soon." Marius’s gaze settled on Samantha’s still flat stomach, and when he placed a finger to where her bellybutton was located, he could feel the life pulsing inside of her. The child would grow to be as strong as the father, as emotional and witty as the mother, but will he allow it?

Marius knew he needed to act swiftly. Ivan’s love for her was both his strength and his weakness. If he doesn’t play his cards properly, he might end up pushing the wrong button, and that was a mistake he couldn’t risk making, not at a time like this.

"You will serve me." He whispered, his voice a venomous caress as he leaned in to get a whiff of her floral scent. "Your magic will fuel my dominion, and your defiance will be but a distant echo."

To Marius, love was a weakness to exploit, and power was the only currency that mattered. However, he’ll have to get rid of the abominable thing growing inside of her first, since it could hinder his spell and cause a counter-effect on him—the tiny thing wasn’t even out yet, but it was causing him big troubles already.

"If you ever get to bear a child that lives, it would be mine." Marius promised, his fingers elongated and pointed. It hovered menacingly over Samantha’s unconscious form, settling on her stomach. The child within her womb was his target, and he would not let it live.

"Begone!"

As Marius prepared to strike, to tear her open, the room suddenly quivered, the walls shaking from the unknown disruption. Inside the crib, where Samantha lay vulnerable, unexpectedly pulsed with an energy that felt familiar, but before he could guess where he had sensed such power from, vines erupted from the crib itself, twisting and coiling like serpents, so much so that the sight of it had Marius momentarily dazed.

Marius stumbled back, and he watched as the vines encircled the crib, forming an impenetrable barrier. But it wasn’t just foliage—he had seen the cause, and what seemed to be the head of a plant was perched on the thick vines.

"It’s you." He mused, regaining composure.

How did he forget the little beast plant? His dark Fae’s loyal companion. It had been with her through her past torture, it feared for her back then, but never had the ability to stop him, but right now, the scaredy plant he remembered seemed to have gone missing.

"I thought you’d be dead by now." He mused at the plant, but Viney was not having it.

"Stay away from her." Viney warned, its tendrils tightening, shielding the unconscious woman and her baby from harm.

Marius’s rage turned to frustration, and he scowled menacingly at the plant, but Viney refused to yield. Its roots dug deeper, anchoring Samantha’s fate to the earth— the unborn child, cocooned in its green tendrils, would survive.

"You want to fight me?" Marius laughed at the plant’s sudden guts, but it was brief, cause in a matter of seconds, he was frowning. "Have you forgotten who you’re messing with?"

"A bastard? Doesn’t matter which body you possess, I can tell a bastard when I see one, and you will bring no harm to my master."

"I see." Marius grinned, "she lost her wings and you grew one." He approached where Viney kept Samantha shielded, nails like claws, already making Viney hesitate from the sight of it.

"I heard when a plant loses a vine, it’s like losing an arm, and you have many arms." he tilted his head, eyes glinting with malicious intent. "Let’s see how long you can keep up."

And with a swift move of his hand, Marius sliced through the thick foliage, and he noticed how the plant trembled from a single slash. Its leaves dropped to the ground, once vibrant green, now turning a shade brown on the floor.

Viney could not attack, not when it had a master to protect. Instead, it would keep Samantha shielded for as long as it can, and hopefully, Ivan makes it here on time before it loses its vitality. Viney’s roots dug deeper into the floor, anchoring itself without giving Marius the satisfaction of watching it fall.

"Stupid Plant!" Marius gnashed his teeth at the plant’s persistence.

His nails were like razors as he mercilessly sliced through Viney’s protective layers. Each relentless cut sent waves of pain through the beast plant’s consciousness, but it persisted, refusing to surrender the woman it presently protected. Each time Marius cut away the vines, a new one showed up, replacing the old ones, and it only made Marius grunt in frustration.

"You think this will be enough to save her?" He hissed, bloodlust filling his eyes. "Your loyalty is futile! Once she wakes up, she’ll remember nothing of you, or that husband of hers! Your sacrifice will be for nothing! And the same goes for my dearest Carmela, who was foolish enough to tie her soul to me."

From a corner in the shadows, a pair of eyes silently watched the scene. It wanted to move forward, to help, but there was a chain bounding the figure’s neck to a wall, limiting its movement.

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