The Crown's Obsession (WN)
chapter-460

Madeline finally reached the last step of the stairs, and she quickly went to Calhoun's side, and pulling out the knife that was in the shoulder and saw blood drip down from there. She was ready to turn and ask Vladimir on what was wrong with his head, when she caught sight of the knife that was stuck in Vladimir's face.

"Are you alright?" she asked Calhoun anxiously. She placed her hand on his shoulder, and before she could even part her lips to whisper a spell, Calhoun caught hold of her wrist, and put her hand down, leaving her puzzled.

"Don't," there was a hint of anger in his eyes that were directed at her, and it made Madeline wonder what she did to receive this reaction from him. "You used your ability to bring back Lucy." She now understood why. He had made her promise so that she would not put herself in danger, but she had done it anyway as she was swayed by emotions after Lucy on the ground.

Biting her cheek, she said, "She was losing so much blood. I couldn't leave her just like that."

"Every time you try to save someone, you hurt yourself," said Calhoun, his hand reached out for her face, and his thumb went to touch the side of her lips where the blood had dripped down from her mouth before. "You idiot," he muttered under his breath before pulling her to his arms. It felt good to have her back, knowing she was safe.

Calhoun pulled back to quickly take a look at all her fingers that were still there on her hands. He glared at Vladimir who now pulled out the knife from his face, and a drop of blood slid down from the wound before the wound healed itself.

Vladimir looked at the couple and then focussing his eyes on his grandson, "What?" he asked as if he had no clue and wasn't the one to start the fight. "I never said the finger belonged to her," he shrugged his shoulders.

"Cal, he's your grandfather," Madeline revealed the truth so that Vladimir wouldn't continue provoking Calhoun.

"I thought I locked you up with Odin, how did you get out of the room?" questioned Vladimir, unhappy that he wouldn't be able to test and get more acquainted with his grandson.

"We broke the door," replied Madeline, and Vladimir's lips set itself in a thin line.

"Odin!" Vladimir's voice boomed, and the bat who was hanging on the ceiling in his bat form turned to his vampire form once he got back on the ground.

Odin bowed his head, "Master, she is related to you now. I thought it would be rude to refuse her words." Vladimir rolled his eyes.

Calhoun's eyes narrowed, and he stared at Vladimir, who offered him a bright smile. "We are leaving from here, Maddie," said Calhoun, not bothering to speak to Vladimir, and the older vampire's smile fell from his face. He snapped his fingers to close the doors of the entrance and the other windows of the castle.

"Did Constance mention about me to you?" Vladimir questioned, and Calhoun replied,

"No."

Madeline's eyebrows raised at Calhoun to see the passive expression on his face.

"What do you mean no?!" This time it was Vladimir whose eyes had turned narrow and he was unhappy hearing his daughter had not mentioned him to his grandson. There was no way out with the doors and the windows closed, and it didn't look like Vladimir would let them go in peace.

When Calhoun had left the castle in search of Madeline and the stranger who had stolen his wife from him, he hadn't expected to end up near the mountain of Belmont, to find the scent coming from the cave. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he sensed something more than Madeline being here. The smell was abundant, and for some twisted reason, it had made Calhoun feel like he was finally home.

It wasn't like his mother hadn't mentioned about her father. The reason why Calhoun had even thought about passing through the wild forest before the mountains appeared in the past, was to see if the man truly existed, but halfway through, he had decided not to go further. Something he had deep down buried and tried to forget it. It was why when he had ended up here a few minutes ago, he knew he would be meeting that one person who was related to his mother.

"You are supposed to be dead," answered Calhoun, meeting Vladimir's shocked eyes.

"She said I was dead?" whispered Vladimir.

"No, I declared you to be dead," deadpanned Calhoun.

Madeline could tell by the look on Vladimir's face that he was not happy. "Tough luck. I am still alive."

"Unfortunately," Calhoun replied, and the nerve in the older vampire's head popped. More than anyone, Odin looked back and forth between his Master and the boy who was his Master's grandson. "What is the point of having a father who isn't there next to his daughter's side when she needs him?"

"You should know that I wasn't aware that she would flee from here, and end up with that fucker in the castle," Vladimir's words were not even a bit filtered. "Your father-"

"He's not my father," Calhoun was quick to correct the man's words, and Vladimir stared. "All you had to do was fucking wake up in between and see if she was alright." This man might be the devil, the fallen angel and his mother's father, but Calhoun had not forgotten the tears his mother had spilt in pain.

Vladimir took a step forward, and Madeline quickly came in between them. She said, "We can sit down calmly and sort out the differences. There's no need for more bloodshed."

"You think I wanted her to get hurt and die? I protected her for decades! Knowing well how she was, just like her mother. She looked human, lived like a human, but part of her blood came from me. My daughter, Constance!" Vladimir's voice was filled with emotion, shaking the little things around them. "Even she wasn't aware of it. I did everything to protect her. Killed every person who laid their eyes on her knowing how vile people are."

"It wasn't enough," commented Calhoun.

"I didn't expect to sleep that long, and since the time I found out that she died there isn't one moment where I haven't wished to turn back time so that I would not go to sleep. Wishing that I could have spoken to her, letting her know how precious she was to me. That all I did was to protect her-"

Calhoun interrupted by saying, "I think she got the message the day her heart broke and she was thrown out of the castle, letting her know the world was exactly the way you told it to be."

Madeline didn't know if she was supposed to blame Vladimir for what happened or not.

Calhoun was angry because he had seen his mother break down, but not once had she spoken about going back to her father. At first, he didn't understand if it was the same pride that flowed in their veins that had stopped her from going back to the place she came from, or if she was ashamed for what happened. His hands clenched in tight fists, and he looked away from Vladimir.

He whispered, "I didn't understand mother's reasoning in the beginning, but I do now."