Betrayed By The Hero, Loved By The Lord

In the dead of the night when the mansion was meant to be quiet, a chilling scream filled with terror reached Selene's room. 

Selene sat up, alarmed by the scream which scared her for reasons she didn't know yet. It wasn't common to hear this kind of scream unless a human had found themselves the source of a vampire's meal. 

Selene moved her covers and got off the bed to investigate. Something about this didn't sit well with her. 

Upon exiting her room, Selene heard faint cries she thought to be from Cassandra after listening intently. 

"You're safe now," Selene heard Gabriel's comforting words. 

"Agnes?" Selene whispered, puzzled by the sight of Agnes standing by the library door with her hand covering her mouth. 

The fresh scent of blood in the air made Selene rush to the library. The smell was familiar and the scream started to make all the more sense as to why it gave her a bad feeling. 

Selene stood before Agnes and peered inside the library at the horrifying sight which both scared and angered her.

Gabriel had his arms wrapped around a tearful Cassandra like any lover would but what alarmed Selene was the sight on the floor. Her beloved maid laid lifeless on the floor with her head torn from her body.

There were prisoners in the kingdom who were given a better death than this.

Selene balled her right hand into a fist, her nails digging into her skin almost to the point of piercing the flesh. "Why?" She started but could not get the rest out. "Why did you kill Elsie? She did not deserve this."

Gabriel wasn't surprised Selene was taking the maid's side without knowing what she did. "She tried to hurt Cassandra so I killed her. Cassandra is my lover. No maid can hurt her and get away with it. You've stooped low to send your maids to do your work,"

"It's not true!" Agnes cried, refusing to let the harlot in Gabriel's arms lie on Elsie. "Elsie was called here by Cassandra to speak-"

"Shut your mouth before I kill you too!" Gabriel yelled, infuriated by how disrespected Selene's maids were. "Your maids are out of line. She's a liar," Gabriel accused Agnes.

Gabriel believed Cassandra's story, which was that Elsie had suddenly attacked her. It was something one of Selene's maids would do under her orders. 

Selene ignored what was said and went to Elsie's lifeless body. Elsie could be rash at times but Selene knew she wouldn't have attacked Cassandra. "Did you make up a lie because she called you a mistress?"

Selene did not forget what occurred between Cassandra and Elsie earlier in the day. 

"You are accusing Cassandra of making up this story? Your maid slapped her," Gabriel fed Selene the truth. 

Selene picked up Elsie's body. The blood staining her night dress and the gruesome state of Elsie did not rattle her. "Agnes, her head."

"Selene put the maid down," Gabriel said, letting go of Cassandra to get to Selene. "She acted on how you felt or perhaps on your orders. You," he stepped back, surprised by Selene's glare.

"I would kill you if I could right now but I know in my current state, I will lose. I did not order her to harm Cassandra and I know Elsie well that she did not slap anyone. You do not need two wives. I will leave," Selene announced.

Gabriel took away someone she loved dearly and for that, Selene couldn't spend another night here. She could not let Elsie be mistreated anymore even in death. 

Agnes came to Selene's side to get Elsie's head. She wept, saddened by the loss of her old friend.

Selene's mind was filled with thoughts of killing both Gabriel and Cassandra but despite being a pureblood, she needed more than just her strength to defeat Gabriel and get Agnes out of there alive.

Selene looked beyond Gabriel to Cassandra who smiled. One day she was going to wipe that smile clean off of Cassandra's face. 

"I will make a request for divorce in the morning," Selene said as she turned around to leave. 

Gabriel was amused by her mentioning a divorce. It had not come to them needing a divorce but he wanted to see how she would be without him. "Go," he encouraged Selene to act upon what she announced. "You'll come crawling back."

Selene carried Elsie out the door with Agnes close behind her. Gabriel's confidence that he could treat her as he liked and have her crawling back to him stirred something inside of Selene.

Gabriel's status had changed so it was hard for her to go against him alone. Other than her pureblood status, Selene didn't have anything else to use. 

"Wake the coachman and tell him I have somewhere to go," she informed Agnes. 

Selene couldn't look at Elsie's face which still had the haunting look of how she felt in her final moments. 

Selene gripped the cold body in her arms. The little warmth Elsie had was already gone. 

Elsie's death brought on a mixture of feelings Selene had not felt since her parents died. Selene could not manage to hold back her tears anymore and mourned the loss of Elsie.

Selene left as soon as the coachman brought the carriage around and headed toward the one place she could think of. She did not put down Elsie's body even when she was inside the carriage. Someone had to comfort Elsie during this time.

Agnes worried about Selene because of the way she clutched Elsie's body like she would fight anyone who tried to take it from her. She had witnessed vampires on the verge of losing their sanity and going on wild attacks which ended in their deaths. Selene appeared near the point of no return.

Agnes looked outside the carriage to see where they were headed. 'The Blackthorn estate,' she realised. "Lady Valor, this is Lord Xavier's land."

"I know," Selene replied. Who else could she turn to?

When the carriage stopped, Selene stood and placed Elsie's body in Agnes's arms. 

"Wait here," Selene told Agnes. 

Selene got out of the carriage without waiting for the coachman to open the door for her. 

Already, the front doors of the estate were open but there wasn't anyone present. It was only when Selene made her way up the steps that Xavier came forward.

"This is a lovely surprise," Xavier said, overlooking her bloody appearance. "It doesn't smell like human blood so you didn't go crazy and kill her. It is not his either."

'It is my maid's blood. If I weren't so desperate, I would not be standing here before you. I want my former status back and you seem to be the only one uninterested in Gabriel's current glory. Marry me," said Selene.