Vampire's Assassin: The Original's Forbidden Vows

Eclipse Manor

I kept a tight grip on the steering wheel as Luther guided me onto the winding coastal road. The name Eclipse Manor brought images of endless twilight and hidden dangers.

I reminded myself of Philip Vanderbilt’s words to marry the mark, secure the alliances. When I extract the truth about the Winchester bloodline and once the family curse breaks, I would reclaim the pieces of my past that the Academy still hid from me.

These words felt like a strong shield in my mind. But every time Luther moved in the passenger seat, his scent filled the car and stirred my magic, weakening the shield in my mind.

“You’re quiet,” Luther said, his deep voice low. His dark eyes watched me closely even without looking directly. “Are you already regretting our deal before the ink is dry?”

I forced a short laugh. “Regretting? I’m thinking of exit plans, Luther. Alliances are fragile. One mistake and the Obsidian Council or your own Turned might decide a Winchester woman is more useful to them.”

He leaned closer. “You speak like someone who has fought for survival many times. I respect that. But know this: I do not make contracts lightly. Six months gives my people safety and gives you answers. After that, I will not hold you.”

His words sounded honest. They touched something in my heart. No one from the Academy or anywhere else had ever offered protection without a dark reason. My dead ex had proved that with his betrayal. Yet here was Luther Hernandez offering help with no immediate price.

“Liar,” I murmured, more to myself than him, but he heard. Of course he did. “Or optimist. Either way, you are dangerous.”

His lips curved in that slow smile again “Optimism died in me centuries ago, Lena. What you see is strategy. And perhaps... curiosity.” His fingers brushed the gear shift near my hand, close enough that the warmth sent my pulse rising. “You pulled me from the road when most would have driven on. Why?”

I kept my eyes on the narrowing road with coastal forest on one side “Call it impulse or opportunity, you’re not exactly invincible bleeding out on the highway.” A half-truth again, but the pull had been there from the first lock of our eyes, whispering of forgotten connections my Academy texts says is heresy.

The manor appeared as we drove up a rise, it is a sprawling cliffside fortress, its towers reaching into the night sky like fangs. It has modern security with western European architecture, reinforced gates too. As we approached, the gates parted with mechanical silence. Armed men were seen in the dark, their postures alert but at ease as they recognized Luther.

The moment I stopped the engine in the gravel courtyard, everyone's eyes settled on me. The gathered crowd started whispering. A striking woman stepped forward from the main entrance, her movements looks fluid and predatory. Her hair is dark with a mix of silver, framing her beautiful face, her tailored black attire hugged like a warrior’s cloth. I recognized her type immediately, later got to know she is a lieutenant, long accustomed to proximity to power but ambitious. The way she looked at me like I was a direct threat to her carefully cultivated influence.

“Luther,” she said, voice filled of displeasure. Her gaze ran over me, dissecting every detail from my rain soaked clothes to the way I sat. “You return from the jaws of the Council... with company.” The word dripped with skepticism.

“Elvira Johnson, I expect you'll speak first about her. Well, she is my bride,” Luther replied, stepping out with that effortless command that made lesser men straighten. He offered me his hand. I ignored it, climbing out independently, but he caught my elbow anyway, held me firmly, the contact lingering a fraction longer than I wanted. I was sensitive to his touch so much my magic hummed in response.

His bride. The phrase rang like a binding spell I hadn’t agreed fully to. I was here for information and ritual, not whatever domestic illusion in his head. Elvira’s eyes flashed with jealousy, yes, but with coldness as of someone who had positioned herself as indispensable for years, only to watch an unknown person arrive in a rain soaked car... She saw me as a challenge to the hierarchy she’d bled to maintain.

“Human?” Elvira asked, the single word mixed with so much of a doubt and subtle challenge. Her posture remained rigid, arms crossed, every line of her body screaming I am a threat.

“Precisely,” Luther said, tone leaving no room for debate. “Show Lena to her quarters, ensure it is adjacent to mine please. She stays close, under my direct protection.”

Elvira’s pressed her lips, but she inclined her head in obedience. “As you command.” As she led us through the entrance, she murmured just loud enough for my ears, “The manor has a way of exposing secrets, newcomer. Especially those carried by pretty outsiders who arrive with questions in their eyes.”

I met her stare eventually. “Good. I excel at guarding mine. And uncovering others’.” The subtle warning stood between us she knew she wasn’t the only predator here.

Inside, Eclipse Manor stole the breath from my lungs despite my conclusions. Everything was adorned with beauty and felt alive, more like its master.

Elvira guided me up a grand staircase. “You’ll find Luther’s inner circle... protective. We’ve lost too many to outsiders with hidden agendas.” Her words carried the weight of genuine grief beneath the antagonism, loyalty forged in shared survival, now threatened by my presence.

“I’m excellent at surviving scrutiny,” I replied.

We reached a heavy oak door leading to a lavish suite, in it a bed dressed in silks, a sitting area overlooking the waves below the cliffs, and an adjoining door that clearly connected to Luther’s private quarters. Elvira’s gaze moved to that door with displeasure before she withdrew. “Dinner will be sent up. The council will be gathered at dawn. Try not to complicate matters further. Be there on time.”

The door was shut behind her, leaving a loud silence. Soon Luther walked in, closing the distance, enough his presence filled the air. The attraction pulled harder now, my magic whispering possibilities of union rather than mission.

“You don’t have to do this,” he said quietly, searching my face with an intensity that took away pretense. There was no arrogance in the offer, only the empathy of a being who had carried isolation for lifetimes. “Philip pushed the contract. I see the worry in your eyes and the weighing of risks. If this cage feels too tight, I can find someone else.”

Whoever you want to find won't help deliver the Winchester truths or the power to break Vesper’s leash to me... I thought within me so hard the refusal stuck in my throat. “I made the deal,” I said, voice steadier than the confusion inside me too. “I honor my word. Until it no longer serves me.” The additional word remains unspoken 'until the ritual demands otherwise.'

He stepped closer still, backing me toward the edge of the bed without physical force. “There’s something about you, Lena Winchester. Something that calls to my heart. I don’t believe in coincidences anymore. I've learnt this over centuries.”

My heart raced. He felt it too? I had never truly kissed anyone with want, only calculated seduction in training. Now, inches from him, I craved it with a passion that terrified me. His gaze dropped to my lips, dark desires held by centuries of control.

The air felt... different as his hand rose slowly, giving me every chance to stop him, he brushed a strand of hair from my face. Heat rose low in my belly. Then a cold whisper came through my mind, disrupting the moment.

Lena.

Vesper Kane’s voice, shadows thickened in the room’s corners. Time is running out. A vampire Original? Really?! You know his blood resists easy harvest. Fail the rite, and we will descend on you, and this fragile empire you’ve stumbled into.

A phantom amount of pain hit my temple as a reminder of the blood price binding me. I flinched, pressing fingers to my forehead.

Luther noticed instantly, his expression switched from desire to being protective. “What is it?” His hand settled on my waist, steadying me.

“Nothing,” I lied, forcing composure even as dread held my gut. The Academy didn’t grant extensions to anyone. One mistake and they would unleash hell on Eclipse Manor, on the Turned who depended on Luther, and on the fragile alliances he fought to preserve. “Bad idea.”

He didn’t buy it. Instead, he cupped the back of my neck with surprising tenderness. “You carry trouble in your eyes, Lena. Whatever hunts you... I protect what’s mine. I saw the worry at Vanderbilt’s, the fear you hide. Let me stand between you and it.”

Protect me. His words sounded like a lie I desperately wanted to believe. The idea was funny, almost laughable. I stepped back, breaking the tension before I did something reckless like lean into his touch. “I need rest. Big day tomorrow, husband.”

His low chuckle sent shivers down my spine. “Sleep well, little witch. Dream of me.”

"Please stop calling me a witch."

"It's not up to you to decide what I call you. I find it rather romantic and more suiting to the beauty you possess."

As he slipped through the adjoining door, leaving it cracked just enough for me to hear his movements, I sank onto the bed. My body hummed with unresolved tension, the pull still thrumming on my skin.

This is dangerous, I thought, staring at the rainy weather through the window. He’s supposed to be prey. Not… this.

But with Luther’s attraction singing through my blood like a forbidden symphony, I wondered if the true sacrifice wouldn’t be his ancient heart. It might be my heart.

And in the Academy, Vesper’s laughter echoed like a promise of pain if I failed.