"Is he dead?" The vampire inquired, looking Asher all over before poking him slightly on the chest. His head lay limp and his blues lips chapped, his chalky skin was whiter and dry.

"What a fool you are, do vampires die from starvation?!" His brute partner shoved him roughly to the side before punching Asher on the face which stirred him.

They all knew vampires who haven't been fed for a long time would desiccate, staying unmoving and until they were fed would their healthy complexion return.

"Shouldn't you be gentle? Don't you remember, is Alpha's son we're treating this way?" The much smaller framed vampire reminded him with caution.

The brute grinned mockingly at him, he was amongst the few who knew the imprisoned fool with Raphael's face wasn't the real one. He was the son of Antonio, their alpha's enemy.

They had to keep the secret from most vampires so they don't spread and warrant unnecessary attention.

"Don't you remember what he did? The alpha permitted us to treat him this way" The brute said, grabbed Asher's neck, and lifted him off the ground.

Asher wasn't human so there was no fear of suffocation yet the vampire was crushing his neck.

"He doesn't deserve to have mercy"

The brute vampire who was still using Asher as an object of caricature never anticipated that the weak vampire would suddenly hook his legs around his neck, snapping it.

The smaller framed vampire went still with shock, he never expected that the vampire they had intentionally exsiccated was this vigorous.

Asher had deliberately waited, having the patience of a tortoise and when they least expected it, attacked like a cobra.

Before the small framed vampire could finally put his legs into action, the vampire had yanked out one of the chains from the wall and curled it around his neck, dragging him back.

"I-I it's me, Raphael" he struggled, trying to be set free, "I didn't want to h-hurt you but the Alpha ordered us to"

A cold smile that was capable of sending chills down one spine appears on Asher's expression, "Sorry, I'm not Raphael but don't worry, he'd be joining you soon"

With that being said, Asher pulled at the chains until the vampire's head was ripped out of his body.

Done, Asher stepped away from the dead vampire as he shook the dizziness out of his head, he had not taken enough blood so what he just did was taking its tolls on his body.

He pulled the second chain out of the wall and his arm came free. He'd have to find a way to get rid of the cuffs around his wrists if he wanted to use Raphael's abilities - which meant he had to find the witch.

Thanks to his daughter pushing his button, he had figured out a secret hack to get out of those restraints.

A day ago.

"Reject your mate and I'll release you," Electra told him with her head held high.

Asher was stunned for a while, her words sinking into his head which made his eyes turn red.

"Get out! I said get the hell out of here!" he snarled, baring his fangs at her.

Electra laughed, "The thought of it makes your blood boil, right?" She purposely incited him, "So how does it feel to lose someone precious to you?"

"I'll set you straight once I'm out of here," Asher promised her.

"That's the problem!"Electra taunted him, "When are you going to get out of here? While you're here lying like a pathetic bastard you are, your smart-ass brother is out there, making advances at your woman…" she faltered.

Electra looked him in the eyes with a wicked smile," Who knows, your mate might be lying beneath him right now while he drives his massive cock inside of her as she screams his name - your name!"

It was that instant that he moved forward with all the accumulated anger in his heart and heard a cracking sound from the wall.

Asher realized a loophole at once, the dampening cuff had taken away his power but not his strength. Ezekiel knew that too which was why he purposely starved him. Without feeding, there would be no strength to pull.

Asher pulled again but couldn't create much impact since he was weak already moreover, the emotion that drew out that response in him had died down.

His head whipped around to her," I need a favor"

Electra made a snorting chuckle, "I just gave you a proposal and you rejected it. Now you're asking for a request"

"Hey, listen up here you little snob of a vampire from my lineage," he said to her sternly, "When I was your age I had already started making major decisions in my clan not tracking down people who made my life miserable.

"You claimed I killed your mother? Fine, I did, I admit it. But before you ask me to pay up for the life you lost, why don't you first pay up for the numerous lives your mother took during her jealous fit. Trust me, my past lovers she killed off were mothers or sisters or daughters to other people too! "

It was obvious that whatever Asher said stunned Electra so much that she could not speak for a while until she heard.

"Now are you granting me the favor or not?!" Asher barked!

"Fine, what do you want?" She added quickly, "Don't think I'm helping you out of here. My proposal still stands - pep talk or not" The young vampire told Asher yet was unsettled by this strange feeling gnawing at her heart.

"I'm so hungry that I would drain a human dry at this rate. Neither can you smuggle a human in here without getting discovered and you don't want to help me escape either, so I'll work everything out myself. I just need you to get me a blood bag"

"A Blood bag? Just that?" Electra scoffed at him, "I was expecting a favor much difficultlt and challenging"

"I would have needed numerous bags but they believe I'm starved, so if I would take many - "

"The changes in your body would be apparent. You just need one that wouldn't satisfy you yet make a huge contribution" she filled in.

"You're indeed my blood. There's that glint in your green eyes whenever one's involved in an exciting mission. The feeling is akin to a human's blood throbbing with anticipation" Asher explained.

Electra rolled her eyes, "I'm not here to catch up on my ancestry which I don't give a damn about" she told him pointedly, "Now, what do I get in return for this? I'm not here to do voluntary services"

"Wish," he said.

" What?"

"I'll grant whatever wish you want as far as it doesn't involve my mate being hurt or snatching my position as Nicoli's clan

head," he stated, having known he had an extremely smart daughter.

"What can I wish for aside from those two?" She argued.

"Take it or leave it, "Asher insisted.

"Fine" she agreed reluctantly.

"Also" Asher added, "In case you want to know, your maternal grandmother is here"

"What?"

"She's being kept somewhere in this building, you can check her out later"

"I don't care," Electra told him, yet her voice wavered at the end.

"I just wanted to let you know"

End of flashback.

"Shit" Asher cursed at the way the chains rattled with his every movement. He had to get rid of this soon else, his presence would be announced to his enemies before he could even make a move.

With calculated nimble steps, he broke out of the underground prison and found himself in the large house with no clue where to go. There were numerous rooms and passageways and he had no idea which one was occupied by the witch or his mother at least.

He wasn't a fool to think he would escape this house without getting caught. This was Raven Clan and Raphael was a very famous face, he would get caught once he stepped out - if he wouldn't get caught inside.

So far he had managed to evade two distracted vampires and kept searching through empty rooms until he caught a whiff of a delicious scent that made his stomach flip - a human.

Asher was far too hungry to think about his resolve not to feed on humans. He traced the human down to the kitchen where he found her leaning over the counter and chopping some vegetables.

She must have sensed his presence cause she turned around that very moment.

"I'm sorry," Asher said before he grabbed her, pushed her back against the counter, and sank his fang into her neck.

That terrified look on her face would be forever imprinted in his mind as he fed on her till her resisting hands fell by her side, lifeless.

Asher was still savoring the feeling of being full-which haven't occurred for a while now - when he felt another presence and a dangerous growl.

"Oh boy" Asher cracked his neck, it was about to go down.

And so, the fight began.

At first, it was just the both of them punching their faces until another came and another and before he knew what was going on, he was facing off against six vampires and more incoming.

In no time, Asher was overwhelmed and tossed to the ground where he landed beside the dead human but something happened.

The cuff on his wrists somehow touched the pool of blood on the floor and it clicked open.

Things just got better.