The night and subsequent day were rough on Erinna. The vulnerable state of her body due to the virus, exposed her mind and left her susceptible to all kinds of nightmares and hallucinations.

At one point she woke up in a cold sweat, breath coming out in pants and skin flushed with adrenaline. Her eyes were wild with terror and her hand was clutching her chest to steady her racing heart.

"Vlad," she gasped.

She felt like something was trying to suffocate her. She opened her eyes to see what it was but no matter what she did, she couldn't see. It was like somebody had tied a gauze cloth over her eyes.

It shouldn't have been that dark. Vlad did not like lights but he had compromised for her and allowed two dim lamps to be kept in the room whilst they slept yet the room was pitch black.

More than seeing the darkness, she felt it. With every power of her being. It seemed to be coming for her, or maybe it already had.

BIinking did not help, pinching herself made no difference. This was no dream, it was reality. Somehow whilst they slept, somebody had come and put out all the lights in her world and not in the metaphorical sense.

"Erinna?" Vlad called her name, shooting up from the bed at lightning speed.

His eyes quickly roamed around the room to look for an intruder.

"I-I can't see," she said, the panic in her throat escalating.

How could the darkness be so thick, so overwhelming and overpowering? It surrounded her and consumed her.

"Bad dream?" Vlad asked after ensuring there was no intruder in the room.

She shook her head sadly, a heavy sense of loss and despair coming down onto her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears.

"Its not a dream Vlad. I can't see, I really can't see."

She waited for the assurance, the realisation that this was all an error of nature, a hallucination but it was never going to come.

"I can't see," she repeated over and over again.

A wild distraught cry escaped her throat and she began clawing at her eyes and the area surrounding them. Vlad grabbed her hands and put them around his face so she would not do any damage to herself.

"Hey, I'm here. Calm down and tell me everything you remember. Can you do that?"

He kept his voice gentle yet strong and firm and it worked in calming her, at least enough for her to speak.

"I thought it was a dream. I was walking and this-darkness seemed to be chasing me. I ran, I tried but I was so tired and I couldn't see, there was this fog over my eyes. I stumbled and seemed to be falling but then I woke up and I still couldn't see," she related, the wild beating of her heart, loud in the room.

"Was it a vision?"

"I don't know," she cried.

Vlad knew no one could have attacked her in their bedroom, psychically or otherwise; Miya had assured him Armando restored the security barriers up again after the wedding.

But who was to say the attack had been external? There were a lot of times in the past that her body had tried to cope by destroying itself from the inside.

"Can you try closing your eyes then opening them again?"

"I've already tried that," she said but closed her eyes all the same.

"Any difference?"

Erinna shook her head, "It's still dark."

He was at a loss of what to do and feared the more they waited, the more permanent the situation would become.

"I'll get someone to call Miya," he said and stood up, putting on his shirt.

He was trying to keep the emotion at bay but despite his will, a deep fear was building in the pits of his belly. What if Erinna became blind forever?

It wouldn't make a difference to him of course, he would love her regardlessly but he was afraid of how she would take it. She was born of the light; a lifetime of darkness would be the cruelest thing anyone could ever subject her to.

He leaned down to kiss her before he left, "I'll be back soon. We'll get this fixed."

The tears he tasted on her lips broke his heart. She had wiped them off and there was no trace of them on her face but the remaining saltiness was unmistakable. He wanted to stay with her so much but it wouldn't help her.

Reluctantly, the Count left and went in search of a human servant who could go fetch Miya. At this rate, he would just have to allocate the witch sleeping quarters in the castle. He had tried in the past but she would not hear of living in a 'lair' flocking with vampires.

"My lord?" The head of his castle guards queried when he came across him.

"Send someone to get Miya now. If she is not here in five minutes, it'll be your life."

He could have gone himself but being a slave of the sun as he was, his movements were restricted to the night. He could move around the castle during the day but going outside would be a death wish. He would become one giant blister faster than he could cry 'shade'.

Besides his skin's aversion to the sun's rays, his powers were also highly suppressed as long as the sun was high up in the sky, smirking smugly at him and his kind. Teleporting, telekinesis and his other more specialised gifts were of no use during the day.

His only option was to wait on the human servant that his head castle guard was going to send. Being so helpless frustrated him no end. He wanted to do something. Erinna needed him for crying out loud. He punched the wall on his way back to the their chambers, desperate for an outlet for his pent up feelings.

Briefly he wondered if his wife's loss of sight had anything to do with the virus. When he had held her, her wounds had all seemed managed and the bond had not alerted him of any physical pain. So if it was not the virus then what was it?

A nasty feeling began at the back of his mind. It was something he didn't want to acknowledge in fear of speaking it into existence but faced with something like this, what choice did he have except to wonder if the very curse they lived in fear of had already started on its warpath?

They had mated three nights back after all, effectively triggering the curse and signing their own death warrants and those of their kingdoms. The union curse had no timeline so for all they knew, it could already be active.

He found Erinna still touching her eyes and pinching herself. His heart clenched; he also wished it was just a dream but knew better.

"Do you feel any pain?" He asked her.

"No. I felt suffocated when I woke up but the feeling's gone now," she said with a sigh, putting her hands down.

"Maybe this is because of the curse?" Erinna voiced the very thing that had been preying on his mind.

His fear transformed into anger. Why the hell would they attack her for a curse he had initiated? If they wanted to wage war on someone then it should have been him.

"You're jumping to conclusions," he said quietly, even though he had been thinking the same thing.

"I've thought about it and its okay, I think. I don't mind being blind if that's the price, I'll get used to it."

You don't have to, he wanted to shout but hurried footsteps sounded in the empty hallway.

A knock came and a guard mechanically opened the doors to reveal a flushed Miya. She must have ran the whole way. Vlad explained the situation and Miya came closer to the bed. She frowned as she looked at Erinna.

"She's not blind," she said.

An impatient sigh left Vlad's lips, "Well she is sure as hell not seeing either."

"Don't be sarcastic, I'm being serious. She's not blind. The reason she cannot see is because she's trying to see with her inner eye."

"What?"

The only time Vlad had ever heard of the inner eye was when he had met a group of travellers who had claimed to be psychic. He had not paid any attention to their psychobabble because frankly he didn't believe it.

"Everyone who has second sight, or who can get visions has what we call an inner eye. It makes them see the world at a clearer view than us. It is why they see more than just what's on the surface," Miya explained.

"And Erinna has this inner eye?"

"She used to. A lot of bonds are broken and others made when a person as powerful as Erinna loses her virginity. Second sight is one of them; it cannot survive the storm of emotion that comes with one's first conjugal high."

There was silence in the room. The fact that Erinna did not even blush at Miya's reference to their sex life made the gravity of the situation clear. Her cheeks were as pale as a ghost. Her huge emerald eyes sparkled terrifiylgly in her gaunt face.

"So I can't have visions anymore?" She asked quietly.

"I'm sorry," Miya said helplessly.

"How sure are you of this?" Vlad asked.

"I cannot swear by it since she's an elf but that's what generally happens to everyone else with precognitive gifts."

"She's right," Erinna answered Vlad, "Mara said she did not marry the man she loved because she didn't want to lose her second sight. Maybe the dream was just my subconscious trying to tell me what had already happened."

Vlad got into the bed next to her and pulled her into his arms. He hugged her tightly from behind and rested his head on top of hers. She was trying to be strong he knew but eventually, the dam broke and the tears she had been holding back, came gushing out. They spilled over her cheeks down to his arms which were wrapped around her torso.

Her frame shook with the intensity of her emotions and the sense of loss that emanated from her hit Vlad hard. Her pain became his pain and her loss his own.

He opened the bond wider, letting all the feelings soak in. He absorbed every bit of pain, every bit of anguish and every bit of guilt. He wanted to take away all her grief but was clueless on how to. Telling her everything was going to be fine would have been a lie.

"I'm sorry," he said and meant it.

It was his fault. Along with everything he had made her lose, he also had to go the extra mile and take away the one thing that had set her apart, the one thing that had made her different from everyone else. Erinna had a view of the world that no one else he knew had ever had.

"It's not your fault," she shook her head.

Yes it was, but he didn't want to make this about him so he didn't pursue the matter. Instead, he just hugged her tighter to his chest. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Miya quietly leave the room.

He rocked her back and forth, dropping kisses on her neck and in her hair. After half an hour, her sobs had died down and the worst of the shock was gone.

"Are you hungry?" He asked.

She shook her head.

"Angel, you need to eat."

"Not now."

He bit his lip, it was her choice but he was worried about her. She seemed to have grown thinner in one day. Both the virus and the loss of her sight had been rough on her.

"When?" He pressed.

"Later."

He scooted back so that his back rested on the headboard then made her lie down so her head was in his lap. He massaged her scalp and stroked her hair. He couldn't see any sign of the virus that had marked her skin the previous night but her skin was too pale and her lips too blue.

If she was anyone else, he would have given her his blood but she had reacted violently to it at the wedding, he didn't want to take chances again. He couldn't heal her before dusk either since the sun weakened his powers.

At a loss of what to do, he telepathically ordered Alexander to get her some tea.When his right hand man opened the door five minutes later with a tray, Erinna began to protest, "Vlad_"

"It's just tea."

Vlad took the tray from Alexander and sent him out. His friend seemed to have a lot of questions but at least he had enough tact and restraint to leave quietly. Vlad put the cup on the stool beside their bed and helped Erinna sit up.

"I don't think I can drink it now Vlad honestly."

"Just try, a few sips only."

She sighed and took the cup. Her hands were shaking but she managed to still them long enough to take three sips of the tea then pass the cup to Vlad. No way did those three sips satisfy him but he decided not to push her.

"You want to lie down?"

She nodded her head so he helped her back under the sheets and spooned her from behind.

He was getting more and more worried.

"Can you see now?" He asked.

Erinna shook her head.

"We'll figure it out," he promised kissing her jaw.

He didn't know how he was going to do it but he'd turn over the whole world if he had to in order to heal her. He massaged her stomach from behind whilst concocting his plan of action.

"I never liked my visions," Erinna said out of the blue, "They made me disoriented and disconnected me from the world. I had absolutely no control of them and I hated it that one moment I was awake and the next I was unconscious but right now..."

"They were a part of you for a long time, it's natural to feel the loss," he said quietly.

"I feel so blind. I mean I am, but it's more than the physical blindness. I lost my ability to read people when I hurt people and now my visions are gone. I can't even sense anything anymore."

"What did I tell you in Silvercrest? You're only as powerful as you let yourself believe you are. Even if you were to lose all your abilities, you're the strongest, kindest and most moral person I know. You don't need your second sight to make the right decisions."

"I hope you're right."

Vlad smirked, "When have I ever been wrong?"

"We'll both grow white hair before I get to the end of that list."

"I take back my words. Kindness should not be on your list of virtues at all."

Erinna laughed, it was small and quiet but a laugh nevertheless.

"I learnt from the best, angel."

She had never, not even once used that endearment on him before their wedding and suffice to say his whole body reacted when she did. It felt like being punched in the gut. Desire surged and coiled, bringing life to his slugglish veins.

"Since when am I angel? Aren't you stealing my lines here, Countess?" He teased her, struggling to bring his body's inappropriate reactions under control.

"What's yours is mine remember?"

"Your father will have a coronary."

Erinna laughed, imagining Eric's reaction as well. He used every opportunity to he got to call Vlad a demon and every other vile name under the sun.

"I think he has nightmares of you with horns and claws every night."

"Well I do have claws but horns went out of style last century so I cut them off."

She rolled her eyes but her spirits were higher and that was all that mattered. Even if he had had to tell bad jokes to achieve it.

😽💦😽💦😽💦

After a couple of hours of sleep, Erinna woke up at sunset feeling much better. She ate the breakfast Leila brought her and Vlad was relieved to see color return to her cheeks. After hearing Erinna was awake again, Miya returned.

"Are you ready now?" She asked.

"Ready for what?" The elf princess frowned.

"To see of course."

"You mean this can be reversed?"

"Of course, it's a mere case of you shifting from your second sight to your physical one. That door has been closed and that's why you're seeing darkness. You can't go there again."

Erinna nodded, "I'm ready."

Miya came to sit next to her. She took her hand and held it in her own and began instructing Erinna on what to do. Erinna closed her eyes and focused. She delved deep inside her mind to where all the psychic controls of her being resided.

Under Miya's instruction, she located her inner eye. It was nothing but an empty shell now, a lamp forever extinguished. Nostalgia hit her hard and the loss of what used to be came back full force.

But she had no regrets. Given a second chance, she would still go back and mate with Vlad. No amount of psychic gifts would ever be worth her mate.

She reached for his hand as she shifted dimensions. He moved closer to her and squeezed her hand, offering his strength and whatever else she might have required of him.

With a sigh, Erinna did something she knew could never be undone, she reached out mentally and shut her inner eye. Permanently. There would be no going back, no more visions and definitely no more premonitions.

Miya was right, that was a closed avenue and if she kept visiting it she would only hurt herself more. Her second sight was gone for good and keeping the door open was not only useless but detrimental to her mental health. The wounds would not heal if she kept herself open to episodes like the one in her nightmare.

"It's done," she said quietly.

She felt Vlad raise her hand to his lips and kiss it. Miya hissed something to him along the lines of 'you're messing with her concentration' and she could imagine him rolling his eyes in response.

"Now we need to shift your vision to the physical one."

In the next five minutes, she did as Miya instructed. It was not that hard considering she always shifted from her second sight to her physical one unknowingly. The only difference was that she now knew she was doing it.

"Ready?" Miya asked.

"Ready."

She opened her eyes, light flooding her eyes in what felt like abuse to her pupils and irises but she would welcome it any day to the endless darkness she had felt in the previous moments.

She turned her head to the right where she knew Vlad was. He was standing next to her, his tall form looming over her. His shirt was half buttoned and his hair in disarray but he looked just as handsome to her as he always did.

His brow was furrowed in worry lines and he seemed to be holding his breath as he looked at her, waiting to see recognition in her eyes. It made her heart grow twice in size to think he cared that much about her.

Unable to hold it in any longer, she smiled up at him and he exhaled in relief. He held out his arms and she stood up and hugged him.

"You're all welcome," Miya said sarcastically from beside them.

Erinna blushed at her ill manners and turned to Miya, "Thank you Miya."

"Hmm, you'll all pay me back one day," she said but her smile gave away her own joy and relief.

"You mean putting up with all your bullying is not payment enough," Vlad asked.

"I think you have the dynamics of this relationship all wrong. We all know who the bully is," Miya said.

"You are both bullies," Erinna laughed.

They were so alike they didn't even realize it. That was probably from living with each other for four thousand plus years.

"I can see that the cure worked," Miya said, assessing Erinna.

"You shouldn't have allowed her to do that Miya," Vlad reprimanded.

"What makes you think I had anything to do with it?"

"You encourage her," he grumbled.

Erinna still in his arms, leaned up and kissed his jaw. She didn't want a replay of his temper over what had happened yesterday.

"Can you gather the supplies so we can make more to distribute to everyone?" She asked Miya.

"I've already done that."

"I'll come with you then."

She felt Vlad's arms stiffen around her. She gently removed herself from his embrace so she could turn and look into his face.

"We need to hurry Vlad; we don't know how long they have."

He looked like he wanted to say a lot but he just shrugged and left the room.

"What did I do?" She asked Miya.