MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

The sight of Rose's battered body hanging from the chains struck them all like a physical blow. Blake felt his knees weaken, his heart constricting painfully in his chest. Without thinking, he lurched forward, desperate to free her from her self-imposed bonds.

"Rose!" he cried out, his voice raw with emotion.

Suddenly, strong hands gripped his arms, holding him back. Blake struggled against Reggie and Randal's restraining grip, his eyes never leaving Rose's limp form.

"Let me go!" he snarled. "We have to help her!"

Reggie's voice was tense but firm. "Blake, think! We don't know if it's really her right now. It could be a trap."

"He's right," Randal added, his medical training warring with his emotions. "We need to be careful. This could be the Nemesis trying to lure us in."

Blake continued to struggle, his desperation growing. "I don't care! We can't just leave her like this!"

Their argument grew heated, voices rising in the small cabin. The commotion seemed to rouse Rose from her unconscious state. Her eyelids fluttered, and a weak groan escaped her lips.

"Blake?" she called out, her voice barely above a whisper.

That single word shattered Blake's last shred of restraint. He wrenched himself free from his friends' grasp, determination etched on his face.

"I'm getting her down," he declared. "Whether you like it or not."

Before Reggie or Randal could protest further, Blake was at Rose's side. With shaking hands, he began to undo the chains, careful not to cause her any more pain. As the last restraint fell away, Rose collapsed into his arms, her body alarmingly light and fragile.

"It's okay," Blake murmured, cradling her gently. "I've got you. You're safe now."

Rose's eyes, hazy with pain and blood loss, focused on his face. A flicker of fear passed through them. "No," she whispered hoarsely. "Chain me back. Please, Blake. I shouldn't be free.

I'll... I'll hurt you."

Blake shook his head firmly, his arms tightening around her. "No, Rose. We're here to help you. You're not capable of hurting me. I trust you."

Rose's gaze drifted to Reggie and Randal, who stood nearby, their postures tense and wary. "What about them?" she asked weakly.

The two men exchanged a glance before Reggie spoke up. "Don't worry about us, Rose. We can handle ourselves. What we really need to know is what's causing this."

Randal nodded in agreement. "We thought the ritual had broken the oath, but clearly something's gone wrong."

At the mention of the ritual, a strange expression crossed Rose's face. Her brow furrowed in confusion. "What oath?" she mumbled. "I thought the ritual..." She trailed off, then suddenly spoke louder, her voice gaining strength. "We never talked about the ritual."

Blake winced, guilt washing over him. "The reason I never talked about it was because you seemed better after it was done. Everything was okay, and I... I just wanted to move past it all. It's my fault. I shouldn't have overlooked it."

Rose's eyes narrowed, a spark of her old fire returning despite her weakened state. "Tell me what's actually going on," she demanded. "All of it."

The three men exchanged uneasy glances before Randal took a deep breath and began to explain. "We believe you've been contracted to a familial spirit, but we're not certain. The ritual we performed, based on Dumphries' book, was supposed to free you from its influence. It should have worked, but..."

"Somehow, you're still tied to it," Reggie finished grimly.

As they spoke, Rose's expression changed from confusion to growing horror. She began shaking her head vehemently. "No, no, no," she insisted, her voice rising. "You've got it all wrong."

Blake frowned, concern etching deeper lines into his face. "What do you mean, Rose? What have we got wrong?"

Rose's mind raced, her thoughts a jumbled mess of confusion and growing realization. Contract, contract, contract... The word echoed in her head, each repetition bringing with it a new wave of understanding. Wait! Her eyes widened as a sudden, terrible thought struck her.

If they were saying her condition was due to some contract with a familial spirit, could it mean what she thought it did? The implications were staggering, and a cold dread settled in the pit of her stomach.

Rose turned to Blake, her gaze intense despite her weakened state. "Blake," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "two years ago, when you fought Damien... what happened?"

Blake and Reggie exchanged a puzzled glance, caught off guard by the seemingly random question. Blake's brow furrowed in confusion. "Why are you bringing that up now?" he asked, his voice tinged with unease. "That was... that was a different part of me. I have better control now."

He paused, guilt flashing across his face. "What happened wasn't supposed to happen, and I regret it. But there's nothing I can do about it now. I can't go back and change the past."

Rose shook her head weakly, frustration evident in her eyes. "No, that's not what I'm saying," she insisted. "Can you tell me what actually happened? Please, Blake. It's important."

Blake hesitated, clearly uncomfortable with the topic. He looked to Reggie for support before beginning his explanation. "We fought," he said slowly, each word careful and measured. "I... I lost control. I killed Damien."

He glanced at Reggie again, as if seeking confirmation. "Even Reggie was there," he added, his voice gaining a touch of confidence.

But to everyone's surprise, Reggie's face twisted in confusion. "No," he said, shaking his head emphatically. "I wasn't there, Blake. You ordered us - I, Randal and Gunther- to take Celena and go as far as we could. That's exactly what we did. We all waited for you on the other side."

The room fell silent as the weight of this contradiction settled over them. Blake's face paled, his eyes darting between Reggie and Rose. "Wait," he said, his voice thick with disbelief. "But you were the one who stopped me. You pulled me off Damien's body when I... when I couldn't stop.

I saw you there!"

Rose's eyes widened as the pieces suddenly fell into place. "It must have been Mimic," she breathed, her voice gaining strength despite her injuries. "Blake, it wasn't Reggie you saw. It was Mimic."

Blake staggered back a step, his mind reeling from this revelation. "Mimic?" he repeated, his voice hollow. "But... but why? How?"

Rose's gaze never left Blake's face, her expression a mixture of fear and grim determination. "Blake," she said softly, "I think I know why this is important. I have a strong feeling... I don't think Damien is dead."