My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 205: I need to Be Stronger

Diane’s hands trembled uncontrollably. Her breath came in short, shallow pulls as her eyes remained fixed on the body before her. This had to be a dream. It had to be. There was no other explanation.

He could not die like this.

Viviane and Isolde had always said the same thing about him. That he was special. That he was fated to destroy vampires, not fall beneath them.

A man strong enough to endure burning, agony, and loss should not be lying motionless in front of her, cold and hollow.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head slowly. "This is Latros’ trick. This can’t be real."

Latros thrived on deceit. She remembered Mark’s words clearly, his promise of evolution, his certainty that she would break.

Of course this was an illusion. A deliberate cruelty meant to push her mind past its limit, to force her to evolve or collapse entirely.

That was what she wanted to believe.

But then she saw Maria. She was crying, her sobs broken and desperate as her tears fell onto Seamus’ pale face. Her hands clutched him as if refusing to let go, as if denying reality with every breath she took.

Diane’s certainty wavered. "Wh... what happened, Maria?" she asked quietly.

There was no response. Maria did not even lift her head.

"I am what happened." The voice echoed from ahead.

Diane turned sharply.

It was not Mark standing there. It was a sphere of flesh suspended in the air, a grotesque mass of muscle and exposed tissue bound together by thick veins that anchored it to the ceiling.

The walls no longer resembled stone or metal. They pulsed faintly, slick and alive, expanding and contracting like a living organ.

Just as Maria had said. A stomach lining.

The sphere tightened, contracting rhythmically as if mimicking a heartbeat.

"Why are you surprised?" Mark’s voice resonated from within it. "Didn’t you want to evolve?"

Diane rose to her feet, summoning her scythe as her grip tightened around its handle. Her eyes burned with fury and resolve as she pointed the blade at the grotesque thing before her.

"I will defeat you whether I evolve or not," she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "This isn’t real. This is your domain, and all you’ve done is poison my mind."

A low chuckle rippled through the flesh. "Then killing Maria should not matter to you."

"No."

A scream tore through the space behind her.

"AAAAAH! DIANE!"

Diane spun around to see veins, thick and slick like living cords, wrapped tightly around Maria’s body, lifting her from the floor.

They dragged her downward toward the pulsing ground, which softened beneath her like wet flesh.

"HELP ME!" Maria screamed, clawing helplessly. "I DON’T WANT TO DIE!"

Her body began to sink. Half of her disappeared beneath the surface as the ground swallowed her whole, rippling hungrily.

Diane stood frozen, eyes locked on Maria and the writhing mass below. This time, she could no longer tell what was real.

And that terrified her more than anything else.

Diane knew Mark was smiling even though she could not see his humanoid figure. She could feel it, that sadistic amusement curling through the air as if the domain itself delighted in her suffering.

Maria clawed at the ground desperately. Her nails dug deep into the living floor, tearing strips of flesh from it as the surface consumed her inch by inch.

"Diane, please!" Maria sobbed, her voice breaking. "I’m real, I’m not fake!"

Her hands trembled as she struggled to hold herself up.

"We’re not even close," Maria continued through tears.

"I know you don’t like me. I know you hate me. But I always thought of you as my friend. You, and Seamus too. So please..."

Diane’s breathing collapsed into ragged gasps. The terror in Maria’s eyes was too real, too human to ignore.

She clenched her teeth and rushed forward and grabbed Maria’s hand, her grip desperate and shaking.

Maria’s expression softened instantly, relief washing over her face.

"Th-thank you—"

The words never finished.

A thick vein, sharp at its end like a jagged spear, burst from the ground and pierced straight through Maria’s torso. Dark blood spilled from her mouth as her eyes widened in shock.

"MARIA!"

Diane screamed as she tried to pull her free, but the force below was overwhelming. The ground dragged Maria down with brutal strength, swallowing her whole in seconds.

"No! What have you done?!" Diane shrieked, spinning toward the pulsing mass of flesh with eyes filled with murderous intent.

A laugh echoed. "She was fake, didn’t you say it yourself?" Mark’s voice mocked calmly.

The flesh pulsed again.

"But even in an illusion, you couldn’t save someone you cared about. You couldn’t fight back. You couldn’t protect anyone."

The voice shifted. "Tell me, Diane. What kind of vampire are you supposed to be?"

The sphere twisted, reshaping itself as a familiar figure emerged from the flesh.

Isolde.

Her mother stood before her, formed of muscle and sinew, laughing softly.

"Do you know why I never looked at you?" the figure asked coldly. "Because you have no talent. You are useless. You try and try, but nothing you do will ever make you strong."

Each word cut deeper than any blade. Diane’s heart clenched painfully, yet something inside her resisted.

No. Her mother would never speak like this.

Even when Diane was expendable, Isolde had still used her. Manipulated her, controlled her, and not discarded her outright.

Or perhaps this thing understood the truth too well. That no matter how hard Diane tried, she would never reach what she wanted.

Her fingers tightened around her scythe. But there was still someone she needed to be with. Someone who saw her as herself, not as a name or a tool.

Diane raised her head, eyes burning.

"I don’t have time for this game," she said firmly. "Or for whatever nonsense you’re trying to use to tear my mind apart."

She lifted her blade. "Seamus is waiting for me somewhere. And I need to be strong enough to reach him."

Her voice steadied. "Even if I’m weak, I can still be useful."

She slashed the figure down. Isolde’s form shattered into countless spiders that ignited instantly, burning away like ash.

Diane moved without hesitation, charging toward the central mass where Mark’s laughter still echoed.

"Interesting," the voice hummed. "Very interesting."

Her blade struck again and again, cutting through veins and muscle, climbing atop the writhing flesh as she hacked mercilessly. The wounds closed immediately, reforming as if untouched.

"You think determination is enough to evolve?" Mark mocked. "Wrong. It’s suffering. Pain is what makes you strong."

The mass shifted violently, splitting into smaller floating orbs that fired compressed blasts of air at blinding speed. The impacts shattered the ground and walls alike.

Diane dodged desperately. One blast tore into her arm, nearly ripping it free. She bit down hard, refusing to scream.

"I need to be strong," she gasped, blood soaking her sleeve. "I need to be strong and find Seamus."

Another blast detonated beside her, sending her crashing into the wall. Her vision blurred. Blood streamed down her face. Her lungs burned as she struggled to breathe.

Then she heard it.

"Diane."

Her body stiffened.

"Are you okay?"

Her eyes widened. "Seamus?"

"Yes. It’s me. Wake up."

Her vision snapped into focus. Seamus was right in front of her.

"Seamus!"