MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

Blake's knuckles were white as he gripped the steering wheel, stealing glances at Celena in the rearview mirror. Her small face was pinched with worry, eyes red-rimmed from crying. The silence in the car was heavy, broken only by the occasional sniffle from the backseat.

As they approached Gunther's parish, Blake's heart felt like it was being torn in two. He knew this was necessary, but the thought of leaving his daughter behind clawed at his insides.

He pulled up to the modest stone building, its stained glass windows dark in the fading light. Gunther was already waiting on the steps, his weathered face grave as he had already received a call from Blake earlier on.

"Sweetheart," Blake said softly, turning to face Celena. "We're here."

Celena's lower lip trembled. "I don't want to go, Daddy. I want to stay with you and Mommy."

Blake felt his composure crack. He got out of the car and opened Celena's door, kneeling beside her. "I know, baby. I know." He cupped her face in his hands, thumbs wiping away the tears that had started to fall. "But remember what we talked about? Mommy's not herself right now, and it's not safe for you to be at home."

"But why can't you stay with me?" Celena pleaded, her small hands clutching at his shirt.

Blake swallowed hard, fighting back his own tears. "Because I have to go help Mommy get better. But I promise you, Celena, I will come back for you as soon as I can." He looked into her eyes, trying to convey all the love and determination he felt. "I'm going to do everything I can to make Mommy better and bring our family back together."

Celena threw her arms around Blake's neck, sobbing into his shoulder. He held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her hair, memorizing the feel of her in his arms.

"I love you so much, sweetheart," he whispered. "More than anything in this world."

"I love you too, Daddy," Celena hiccupped.

Blake gently disentangled himself, helping Celena out of the car. Gunther approached, his kind eyes understanding.

"She'll be safe here, Blake," he assured him. "I'll guard her with my life."

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Blake nodded, unable to speak past the lump in his throat. He knelt down once more, looking Celena in the eye. "You be good for Gunther, okay? And remember, I'll be back before you know it."

Celena nodded bravely, though her chin still quivered. "Promise?"

"I promise," Blake said firmly. "Nothing in this world could keep me from coming back to you."

With one last, lingering hug, Blake forced himself to let go. He watched as Gunther led Celena inside, her small hand trustingly in his. Just before the door closed, she turned and waved. Blake waved back, a watery smile on his face.

Only when the door shut did he allow the tears to fall. He leaned against the car, shoulders shaking with silent sobs. After a few moments, he straightened, wiping his eyes. There was no time for this. Rose needed him.

The drive back was a blur of conflicting emotions and racing thoughts. When he finally pulled up to the rendezvous point, Reggie and Randal were waiting just at the spot he had told them to wait.

"Let's go," he said tersely, sliding into the passenger seat of his car, and giving Reggie the space to take the wheels.

Blake sat tensely in the passenger seat as Reggie drove them back to the cabin. His mind raced, replaying the events of the past few hours. Celena was safe now, hidden away at Gunther's parish - a place Rose had never been. The decision to separate his daughter from her mother tore at Blake's heart, but he knew it was necessary.

'The Nemisis isn't just in Rose's body,' Blake thought grimly. 'It's in her mind too. Anything Rose knows, it knows. I can't risk Celena's safety should in case she has already left the house and come after us,'

He glanced at Reggie's tight-lipped profile, then caught Randal's worried eyes in the rearview mirror. The silence in the car was oppressive, broken only by the hum of tires on asphalt and the occasional crackle of gravel.

Blake's thoughts drifted to Celena, picturing her tear-stained face as he'd left her with Gunther. Gunther had promised to guard her with his life, and Blake trusted him implicitly. Still, the separation weighed heavily on him.

'She'll be safe there. Rose hasn't been to the parish before so I doubt she'd get to Celena,' he reassured himself silently. 'Gunther will protect her. And Rose... Rose would want her safe, no matter what. That's the woman I married,'

As they neared the cabin it was already dark, tension mounted in the vehicle. What would they find? Had Rose succumbed to the Nemisis's influence? Or was she still fighting, clinging to her sanity?

Reggie's knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as he guided the car down the final stretch of road. Blake could feel the anxiety radiating from both his companions. They all knew the stakes were impossibly high.

The car rolled to a stop in front of the cabin. For a heartbeat, no one moved. Then, as if triggered by an unspoken signal, they burst into action. Doors flew open, and the three men sprinted toward the cabin.

Blake reached the door first, his hand outstretched for the knob, but he froze mid-motion. The cabin door hung askew, barely clinging to its frame by a single twisted hinge. The wood around the lock was splintered and torn, as if it had been wrenched open with inhuman force.

The sight sent a chill down Blake's spine. He swallowed hard, his mouth suddenly dry.

"Holy shit," Reggie breathed as he came up behind Blake, his eyes wide at the scene before them.

The door swayed slightly in the breeze, creaking ominously. Fragments of wood littered the porch, crunching under their feet as they approached. The damage was fresh; Blake could smell the sharp scent of newly exposed wood.

"She's gone," Blake whispered, a mix of dread and resignation in his voice.

The open doorway gaped like a wound, revealing glimpses of the cabin's dark interior. An occasional crackle of gravel behind them signaled Randal's approach, his footsteps faltering as he took in the scene.

Blake steeled himself, pushing aside his shock and fear. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, carefully maneuvering around the hanging door. "We need to check inside," he said, his voice tight with tension. "Be ready for anything."

As they crossed the threshold, the scene that greeted them was beyond their worst nightmares.

Rose hung from chains attached to the support beams in the roof of the cabin. Her body was covered wounds. Blood coated her skin, dripping steadily onto the floor below. Her clothes were in tatters, revealing a network of cuts across her torso and limbs. It was almost like a fight between her and a beast has occurred and she lost terribly.

But it was her face that truly horrified Blake. Her eyes were sunken, ringed with dark circles that stood out starkly against her pallid skin. Her lips were cracked and bleeding, and a deep jagged wound across her throat oozed slowly.

Despite the grievous injuries, her chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. She was alive, but barely.

"Oh God, Rose," Blake whispered, his voice breaking.

"She did this to herself," Reggie said, his voice a mixture of awe and revulsion. "Look at how she's positioned - she made sure she'd be in direct sunlight. The wounds are self inflicted too. It's all to weaken herself. The chains are there to make sure she can't find blood in order to heal up if she slips out of control. Damn Rose, you still haven't changed,"

"Those wounds, she's not getting out of these chains with those wounds," Randal murmured as his eyes went about how Rose managed to get herself in such position. The sheer guts and will power it would have taken.

Blake nodded grimly, his heart breaking. "She knew she was a danger. This was her way of protecting us... protecting Celena."