Lucy
Dawn is breakingas we exit the building where I’m faced with a huge cathedral.
“Where are we?”
“Germany,” Dominik growls as he looks up.
A stone gargoyle thumps down next to us.
“Viktor?” I gasp.
“You have your mate,” he says, being very careful not to meet my eyes.
“I have her. My guards are busy with the rest of the Van Helsing clan. If the Hadúr can be sure no one leaves andno one catches on fire, I would be most grateful.”
Dominik takes off his suit jacket and puts it around my shoulders. I try not to look at the mess where he was staked.
“So, you have exacted your revenge on those who would seek to destroy vampires?”
“Not revenge as such. A strategic dismantling which was long overdue,” I reply on Dominik’s behalf. “How did you do it?”
“Exactly as I described. I have lived a long life, and I have cultivated many friends, almost as many as I have enemies,” Dominik says as he holds me close. “But also I have a lot of money, more than the Van Helsing empire. Once you know howto grease the right human palms, and with a little help from those friends, ending what he stands for isn’t so hard.”
“I wish you could have done it sooner.”
“I would have, had I thought he was a threat to you, mygalambom. But unfortunately it seemed the threat was elsewhere.”
“Damek?”
“Damek.”
“Where is the rogue? I need to deal with him,” Viktor growls.
“You don’t,” I respond. “He wants to get back inside the vault to look for his mate. He has no intention of opening it or hurting anyone.”
“In fact”—Damek steps out of the shadow of the cathedral—“he is extremely sorry he caused any pain to Pack Kobór or to his brother.”
Viktor’s stone wings flare, and he reaches into his jacket pocket, pulling out a stake.
“I think we’ve established that doesn’t work on the Király,” Dominik says evenly.
Viktor growls low in his chest.
“And as much as I don’t want to give him any more chances, he helped my mate, and that has to count for something.”
“When I was first released from the vault, I wasn’t thinking straight,” Damek says to Viktor. “Hell is a place no one wants to go for a reason. It’s taken a long time for everything to be clear again.”
“You don’t say,” Dominik growls. “What about your progeny?”
“All released.” Damek spreads out his hands. “And now the amulet is in the hands of one who can use it for good, I can return without fear of anything being released in my stead.”
“The amulet?” Viktor queries.
“This.” I pull the ankh from around my neck.
The gargoyle does the biggest double take I’ve ever seen in my life.
“The amulet of Életfa!” Viktor exclaims.
