CHAPTER 25: Viktor's Refusal

After some time, a subtle door knock caused my eyes to open. Viktor was up already. His pose was fixed as his eyes stared into the distance.

"What is it?" I mumbled.

The door cracked open before we could answer. Baba greeted us at the other side with a wink and told Viktor to come with her. I followed behind them. Once we arrived inside her room, she sat at a small wooden desk. Raoul stood there behind her. He was dressed in black trousers and an open-necked shirt, while she wore an elegant, flowing ivory gown that draped down to her ankles. They had a serious, down-to-business demeanour that intrigued me. Viktor was curious as well and glared at them.

"What is this about?" He asked.

Baba cleared her throat and slowly began to speak.

"Viktor, Raoul and I have been working in the shadows for a long time to depose Queen Naran," she said in a deep and sombre voice. "The only reason why she couldn't banish me this time is because I've kept some friends in the Vampire Council who are also secretly plotting against her. We've managed to keep our plans hidden until now and, fortunately, I have more allies that she can fathom."

My heart was pounding as Baba spoke; while Viktor's brows furrowed and his shoulders tensed as he listened.

Baba continued speaking with an air of seriousness around her. "By shutting down my Club, she has managed to end my operations base. You did ask me if there was something you could do for me... I need you... We need you, Viktor, to fight alongside us!"

"Stop!," he snapped suddenly. "I'm not interested. It'll only bring pain and sorrow, and I'm not going to be a part of it! You know why I left in the first place!"

Baba was not fazed by his outburst. She calmly replied, "Yes I do, and I would like you to find peace in this new life you are seeking... But you're fooling yourself if you think Naran would leave you alone. Do you want to escape your past? What you did? This is your chance!"

The conversation grew heated. Baba persisted and Raoul stepped forward and argued that they needed Viktor's help if they wanted to succeed, while Viktor shook his head in disbelief and only got angrier.

"I've said no! I'm not getting involved in your scheming. The days of old are gone, I'm a married man now, I have to take care of my family. I can't risk everything in some ludicrous endeavour that might get us all killed. I'm afraid I can't help you!"

He tried to turn around and leave, right as his words came to an end, but Baba wouldn't have it. She launched at him, grabbing his shoulder.

"Do you know how much we've all sacrificed, how much we've struggled? She's deranged... You've seen it with your own two eyes" the woman growled. "Naran has executed thirty two vampires this year alone… for treason. How can you just stand aside and watch while she tears apart our world?"

Regardless of her wailing, Viktor was unimpressed. He scoffed, jolting her off.

"It's not my business!"

I looked at Viktor with puzzled eyes, especially after he mentioned 'his family'; a sense of pride and utter love engulfed my chest, turning each breath to fire. Yet, part of me still couldn't believe that he cared so much about me… it sounded too good to be true.

I watched nervously as Raoul stepped forward, his arms outstretched in a calming gesture. Viktor was seething, his anger barely contained.

"Viktor, calm down," Raoul said firmly, his voice echoing in the empty room.

Viktor glared at Raoul, but his anger seemed to dissipate slightly. "You're not going to convince me," he growled.

"Do you remember the Great Vampire Rebellion?" Raoul asked, his eyes locked with Viktor's.

Viktor's eyes widened, and I could see the confusion in his expression. "Of course I do," he said slowly.

Raoul continued, his voice filled with emotion. "You were the one who led us, Viktor. We fought under your orders, for the side of Queen Naran when she rose against King Tritus."

I could see the sadness in Baba's eyes as King Tritus was mentioned. It was clear that she had been affected deeply by whatever had happened during the rebellion. Did Viktor help Naran rise to power?

"But she used us, Viktor," Raoul continued. "Especially you. She was the one who turned you, she was supposed to protect you… But she didn't. She was a tyrant. She had you recruiting people like me, she had you fighting her wars. And look at what she did to you, how she replaced you so easily."

Viktor's expression was one of remorse and sadness, and I could see the anger still simmering beneath the surface. Raoul carried on, his voice filled with empathy. "When you left the Vampire Council, so did I. I couldn't do it without you. I couldn't bear her after what she did to you. And I know you didn't want us to contact you, but… I've missed you."

I watched as Viktor's expression softened slightly, his anger turning into something else entirely. I could see the pain in his eyes as he looked at Raoul, and I couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for him. Viktor didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. And as I watched the two of them standing there, the weight of their shared history weighing heavily on them, I couldn't help but wonder what other secrets lay buried in Viktor's past.

"Viktor, don't abandon us! Fight with me once again, mon frère. What do you say?", he finally asked, his soft words lingering in the air.

Viktor's eyes were soaking in resolve when he looked up and carried a different sparkle. Now, he moved slightly towards me.

"I will not get involved in a pointless war regardless of what you say. I'm sorry!"

His last refusal angered Raoul, who dared to launch himself at Viktor; their foreheads nearly met, but there was no touch in between.

"Viktor!" Raoul gasped. "Please… we cannot kill her without you; she's too powerful! We only stand a chance if you help us."

But his attempt was futile… Viktor simply pushed his eyes away from him and turned his back on him, ready to leave the room.

"That's where you're wrong..." he said between his teeth. "You don't stand a chance even if I join you."

Anger mixed with despair came in horrific deluge. Raoul's chest became tense, as he whiffed burning air.

"I know why you refuse to help us... You still have feelings for Naran!"

Those words struck like a dagger in my heart, but I refused to say anything, and instead I turned my gaze towards Viktor. He was about to completely lose his temper. He quickly turned to face Raoul. He gasped for air as he stared intensely at his friend. The sound of gritting fangs could be heard from a distance, and I feared Viktor would jump on him and strike him.

"Viktor…" I barely whispered hoping to avoid tragedy.

Luckily, he turned around and left; I followed him closely, while the voices of Baba and Raoul still echoed behind us. Their plan had failed, and my soul was withered.

Once we returned to our small room, I closed the door and observed my husband. He was still rigid and silent, his fists clenched and eyes fixed on the floor. But then he looked up and his blue eyes were full of sadness and pain. Suddenly all of Viktor's walls seemed to disappear as I watched him grapple with an inner struggle that only he knew about. I could see past the mask he wore - past the façade of strength he presented to everyone else - and suddenly I realised how much hurt this man had endured during his life.

"So you and Naran were together..." I stated.

Viktor watched me with soothing eyes, but his lips rested in silence; the deepest sorrow captured me as I could feel Naran's effect on him. Her mark was there, in flesh and mind and there was nothing I could do to make it fade away.

"Did you love her?" I dared ask. "Do you still have feelings for her?"

As I stood there, holding Viktor's gaze, he looked at me with a mixture of sadness and concern. As the silence stretched on, I couldn't help but feel a twinge of despair. My mind kept returning to thoughts of Naran, of how she had touched Viktor, of how they might have been together in the past, how she must have kissed him, caressed him, made love to him... After what seemed like an eternity, Viktor's lips began to quiver and it appeared he would tell me in the end.

"I…" he uttered with a sigh, but then the wooden door echoed with a hard knock.