Clocksworth unleashed all his fury on the lifeless bodies. The staccato sound of the machine guns reverberated through the corridor, even as Roch placed a calming hand on his shoulder. "Boss... they're dead..."

But Clocksworth's finger remained pressed against the trigger, squeezing until the magazines were empty. With a roar of frustration, he hurled the guns aside, letting them clatter against the bodies. "Where the hell did he go?!"

"In there," Roch pointed, his voice steady.

"He won't come out alive," Clocksworth spat, and I could see the old Clock creeping back out from his shell, the man I feared and revered.

I gritted my teeth and crawled towards Marianne, gently lifting her chin to meet my gaze. "Hey, honey... are you okay?" My heart soared with relief when she managed a weak smile and nodded.

"Stay here!"I looked up at Clocksworth, towering over us, his fangs visible and glistening in the dim light. 

"You said he was mine..." 

His expression had shifted, dark and cruel, the familiarity replaced by something colder. "Stay here. That's an order."

"Lu is in there," Marianne whispered, tears brimming in her eyes, and suddenly I understood why Clocksworth was determined to face this alone.

I pulled Marianne into my arms, holding her tightly, hoping to comfort us both. Then, from inside the room, I heard a mocking voice, "Looking for someone?"

Slowly, Clocksworth closed the door behind him, and an oppressive silence fell. Seconds later, piercing screams sliced through the air, chilling me to the bone as I heard him beg for his life. He deserves this, I told myself, yet the sounds that emerged from within made me shiver. I almost felt sorry for him. Almost.

Then, silence. A moment later, a scream erupted that ended in a gurgling gasp—just before the door flew open again.

I looked up into Clocksworth's face, now splattered with blood, a chilling coldness radiating from him that I had never seen before. Without a word or a glance, he strode past us, heading down the stairs and out of the castle.

Gingerly, I helped Marianne to her feet, wanting to enter the room and see what had happened, but I didn't get the chance. Instead, Roch emerged, carrying a body—long and slender, dressed in a white suit.

Mariannes' wail echoed through the castle as she threw herself over the lifeless form, frantically shaking him, screaming for him to wake up. But he remained unresponsive in Roch's arms. Tears streamed down her cheeks as I stood helplessly by, feeling utterly lost. What the hell were we going to do now?

"Bel... Belmont... BELMONT!" Roch had set the body down and gripped my shoulders, shaking me urgently. "Cars! Do you hear them? Calvos is coming." 

I listened intently and nodded. I could hear engines revving, tires screeching, and gunfire. "Help him! I'll get the others."

"Roch!" I called after him, "Have you seen Anthony?" But he just shook his head.

I paused for a moment, torn between my next move—Clock or Anthony? Ultimately, I chose the man I loved, knowing I had no idea where Anthony was and that he could likely fend for himself.

I cast a quick glance at Marianne before I dashed down the stairs, my heart pounding. Clock was out there. Alone. I burst into the courtyard, breathless, catching sight of six black cars parked in a half-circle, with Clocksworth in the center, talking to a rotund little man. The vampire, who had to be Calvos, stood with at least ten men behind him, all poised to shoot Clock on their boss's command.

I froze as I realized they were actually talking calmly with each other. Calvos looked up and turned his gaze towards me, standing by the stairs. He said something that made Clock turn around, meet my eyes, and nod. What were they doing? They shook hands. Some kind of agreement? Thoughts spun in my head as some of the men walked back to their cars. Calvos and Clock exchanged a few final words before he headed toward his armored vehicle.

"Traitor!"

The word vibrated across the castle courtyard, and everyone's attention turned to the grand entrance. I barely had time to react before strong fingers closed around my neck, sharp claws pressing against my Adam's apple.

Ten vampires with automatic weapons aimed their gaze directly at me and the person behind me.

"It's over, Anthony!" Clocksworth roared, "Give up, for fucks sake!"

"It's not over until everyone is crawling in the mud," he hissed in my ear, tightening his grip. It was damn lucky I didn't need air, but I knew it was only a matter of time before he broke my neck. And as far as I knew, vampires didn't survive without their heads.

"Let him go," Clocksworth growled, stepping closer. He was so near that I saw his eyes change color; the beautiful chestnut hue completely gone, replaced by a bright red glow. His teeth grew longer, and even his skin began to shift on his face. "Let him go!"

Anthony pressed my back against his body, holding me in a vise-like grip. "So you betrayed me after all," he hissed, "after everything we've been through."

Clock ignored his words and advanced fearlessly toward us, his eyes fixed on Anthony. "I saved our lives!"

"What did you promise him, Theodore?" Anthony spat, shoving me aside.

"I promised we'd leave France," Clocksworth replied, his voice soft. "We'll go back to Manchester, Anthony. You, me, and Bel. We'll start something new."

Anthony hesitated, his brow furrowed with conflict, as he took a hesitant step toward his husband while I instinctively backed away. "And leave everything we've built to that idiot over there?" His eyes flickered towards Calvos, a mix of disdain and anger.

"Swallow your pride, darling," Clock murmured, taking a tentative step forward.

My eyes were glued to the scene before me, but the men began to move behind them. I glanced at Calvos, who stood calmly watching, but something was off.

"Manchester?" Anthony whispered, despair lacing his voice. 

Calvos gave his men a nearly invisible signal, and I raised a warning hand, my mouth opening to scream a warning—but it was too late.

A shot fired, and I watched in slow motion as a bullet flew through the air. Clocksworth was just about to caress Anthony's cheek. He smiled, poised to say something when the silver struck Anthony square in the forehead. A marksman.

I heard Clocksworth gasp, a sharp intake of breath that shattered the heavy silence, before he collapsed to his knees, his body shaking with the weight of despair. He cradled the heavy body that hung limply in his arms, an anchor of sorrow that threatened to drag him into the abyss of grief. Tears streamed down his cheeks, glistening like shards of glass in the dim light, as the sound of screeching tires filled the air. The cars skidded out through the castle gates, engines roaring as if they were fleeing from the chaos that had just unfolded.
I stared in disbelief, my mind struggling to process the scene before me. The body began to dissolve into smoke, wisps of gray curling upward as if attempting to escape the finality of death. Clock's hands gripped the fabric of the coat tightly, his knuckles white from the strain, as he fought to hold on to something that was slipping away faster than he could grasp. But with each passing second, the reality set in, and soon, there was nothing left to hold on to—just empty air and the haunting echo of what once was.Confusion swirled within me; I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Everything felt so surreal, like a scene ripped from a film—an absurd, tragic tableau that played out in slow motion. The air was thick with the scent of gunpowder and smoke, and my heart raced in my chest, a frantic rhythm against the backdrop of chaos. Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, the ground beneath us began to tremble, a deep rumble that resonated through my bones. The large gray stones that formed the castle walls began to disintegrate, crumbling away one by one as if they were merely sandcastles confronted by the rising tide.Skeptically, I watched as everything Anthony had built—the fortress of his power, the dreams he had spun into existence—started to vanish around us, dissipating like a mirage. Dust and debris swirled in the air, catching the fading light as I stood frozen, caught between disbelief and despair. In just a few minutes, the landscape transformed into a graveyard of memories, all traces of our past obliterated. The only ones left standing amidst the wreckage were Roch, Rami, and a few of the new recruits. They emerged from the thickening smoke, their expressions a mixture of confusion and fear, looking bewildered as they tried to comprehend the devastation unfolding before their eyes.As the last remnants of the castle crumbled to dust, I felt a heavy weight settle in my chest—a realization that we were now untethered, cast adrift in a world that had shifted irrevocably beneath our feet.

Roch stepped forward with a worried expression. "What the hell is happening?"

"Calvos left," I mumbled, rising to my feet.

"I can't find the girl. I think she took off."

Clock nodded silently. "She'll turn up one day."

"And the prince?"

"He's dead," he replied, wiping his tears with his shirt sleeve before turning to me. "Are you okay?"

I nodded slightly, wrapping my arms gently around his neck. We stood there for a moment, holding each other.

"What did you say to Calvos?"

"That I wouldn't fight him. That without me and Lu, Anthony wasn't a threat anymore and that Calvos could take over his district and let us go."

"So he trusted you, just like that?"

"Calvos is rotten in many ways; he plays dirty and does whatever it takes for more power." He ran his fingers through my hair. "But he knows me; he knows I don't give up easily, so he knew it was serious."

"Do you think Anthony would have come with us to England?" I murmured quietly.

Clock sighed heavily. "He would have," and he looked away toward the spot where Anthony had turned to smoke, and I held him tighter.

"So what's next, Boss?" Roch muttered restlessly beside me.

Clock glanced at Roch and Rami. "You can probably get jobs with Calvos."

"And what about you two?"

He laughed bitterly and kissed my cheek. "We're heading to fucking Greenland."

Roch frowned and shrugged. "Alright, have fun; I've heard it's pretty cold there." He gave us one last thoughtful look before leading Rami away to the others.

When we were finally alone, I cupped his face in my hands and kissed his lips softly. "I'm so sorry, Tick-Tock. So sorry for Lu, for Marianne... and Anthony."

He nodded and buried his face in my neck. "Me too, Little One. Me too."I held him tightly, breathing in his scent and listening to his breaths. 

Damn, after all this shit, we survived. It was a fucking miracle. "So when do we leave?"

His arms tightened around me. "Whenever you want, Bel, whenever you want," he whispered, and I felt the tears falling from his cheeks, dripping onto my skin.