The Prince's Gift

Chapter 58.

Zane's POV

Ana's eyes began to glow bright emerald green and this time, I couldn't look away. I watched as her face pulled into a scowl, concentrating as she began to harness the energy she'd been collecting.

Maddox must have sensed the change in her because he instantly pulled away from her, looking down at her in confusion as her blood dripped down his chin before pulling away completely in shock. Just as he released her, I heard her soft command ring out once more, and this time every vampire left standing stilled as their heads turned slowly to stare back at her.

"No more." She said as a lone tear dropped down her cheek, blood freely flowing from the wound in her neck.

I noticed her body tremble, but I didn't dare move as I felt the air around us begin to charge. It was as if every particle was alive and pulling toward her and drawing us all in with it.

Maddox blinked at her in shock before shaking himself out of the haze that had locked him into place. In one movement, he lunged for her, his eyes darkening as he took a step closer, but as he did, her entire body convulsed.

Suddenly, the energy she'd been absorbing burst forth, erupting from her as it crashed over us like a wave swallowing up everything surrounding her and knocking me off my feet as she fell hard to her knees. Her shoulders slumped forward in exhaustion as the glow that had been surrounding her only moments ago disappeared completely.

As I tried to shake myself out of the shock, I looked around to see all of the newborns had been stunned. They were no longer able to stand, or even move as the rest of us slowly got back on our feet as best we could. I slowly made my way back to a standing position just as Maddox had and my chest tightened instantly as I saw the bloodied silver blade back firmly in his hand.

I attempted to flash to her side, but the affects from the energy surge were still working against me. My energy was severely depleted, and my movements were slow in comparison to their normal pace. I moved as quickly as I could, lunging for her as I watched Maddox do the same. I screamed out as she let out a loud gasp in pain, his blade piercing through her chest as she reached out for me.

"You son of a bitch! I'll fucking kill you." I yelled as I made my way up to the platform, my fist connecting with Maddox's jaw. "Why? Why would you want to kill her? After everything you've done to obtain her, why?" I screamed.

He chuckled darkly, looking back at me as if I should know the answer already. "Because my daughter can be the only carrier of this kingdom's heir. She holds the future King within her, and I couldn't allow a slave to overthrow everything we'd worked for by bringing another contender for the throne into the mix."

I froze, not knowing if he was telling the truth or not. I turned and gently placed my arms around Ana as she fell backwards. Maddox staggered forward, still healing from Ana's energy surge as well as he watched her.

"I knew once I felt her powerful pull that she'd learned to harness her power. She'd never let me drain her now. All that was left was to end the future problem growing inside of her. I knew the moment I tasted her that it wasn't mine." He sneered, stepping back from us as he made his way slowly down the stairs.

"I'll come for you. I'll hunt you down to the very ends of the Earth until I find you and kill you for what you've done here today." I said, my voice dropping to a menacing level.