“We need to gather the others.” Dad’s tone is somber. He already has his phone in his hand, fingers moving.
The next half hour is a blur of activity as calls are made, and we reach out to as many of our people as we can. Many have already heard the news. Others respond with shock as we update them.
I stalk across our living room, trying to focus on the crisis at hand rather than the lingering heat where Marcus’s hands touched me. People start arriving – witches, vampires, even a few humans who’ve thrown their lot in with our side. The room buzzes with urgent conversations and clashing energies.
“We need to coordinate our response,” Mom says, her voice cutting through the jangle of voices. She’s right, but I can barely concentrate with Marcus’s presence burning in my mind.
“Focus,”his thoughts brush against mine. Easy for him to say. He’s not the one who just had his world turned upside down twice in one night.
Zephyra sweeps in, buzzing with agitated energy. “Whispering Winds will back you completely; tell me how we can help,” she announces, then falters as she notices the vampire contingent. Her eyes narrow at Marcus.
I step forward. “They’re allies.” The words feel strange in my mouth, but I know they’re true. Whatever this thing is between Marcus and me, I trust his commitment to stopping Lucien.
Zephyra gives a curt nod, although I can still see the suspicion in her bearing. It’s going to be a while before she gets over the loss of her sisters.
Marina arrives next, bringing news from the Crystal Waters coven. More pledges of support, more suspicious glances at the vampires. The tension in the room thickens until it’s hard to breathe.
“You’re doing fine,”Marcus’s thoughts drift to me again. I want to snap at him to stay out of my head, but part of me – a part I’m not ready to examine – finds his presence comforting.
“Kara?” Mom’s voice pulls me back. “Are you alright? You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine.” The lie tastes bitter. Nothing is fine. Lucien controls the Blood Assembly, Gran is still missing, and I can’t stop thinking about kissing a vampire.
More than kissing.
What a mess.
“He’s going to run rampant,” Zephyra says sharply. “It’s going to be a bloodbath.”
“May the goddess protect us,” Marina breathes, a hand to her throat.
“We have to think clearly, be strategic,” I say, raising my voice enough to be heard over the commotion. “With Lucien in control of the Blood Assembly…” I can’t even finish the thought.
Dad rubs his eyes. “He’s going to come for our covens.”
“It’s not just the witches. He’ll come for anyone who doesn’t support him,” Marcus adds, his voice tight with anger. “Starting with any Council members who’ve ever opposed him.”
“He won’t stop there.” Darick’s words cut through the room like ice. “Lucien’s been waiting for this. He’ll use his position to legitimize everything he’s been doing in secret.”
The magnitude of it hits me. Lucien now has the authority to order witch hunts, to demand blood tributes, to punish anyvampire who stands against him. And it will all be perfectly legal under vampire law.
“What about Arabella?” Marina asks. “Surely some of the old guard—?”
“Are either dead or in hiding,” Soren interrupts. He glances at the phone in his hand. “I just got another update from my clan sister Emma. Arabella’s court is in disarray. He’s taken her prisoner. But not before he wiped out most of her elders.”
“Fuck.” Darick scrubs a hand over his face. “Why wouldn’t she listen? She should have seen this coming.”
“Lucien’s been planning this for centuries. He wouldn’t have moved unless he was certain of success.” Soren rolls his shoulders.
I feel sick. All those vampires who opposed him, who might have helped us – where are they now? The Blood Assembly has enforcers, deadly efficient ones. How many bodies will we find when the sun rises?
“We’ll stop him,”Marcus’s thoughts brush against mine, fierce with determination.
But I’m not so sure. Lucien has what he’s always wanted – absolute control over vampire society. And he’s made it clear what he thinks of witches. We’re nothing but food to him, resources to be used and discarded.
“He’ll come for us all eventually,” Zephyra says, echoing my thoughts. “Every coven, every vampire who’s ever defied him.” Her wild hair sparks as she moves, as if her agitation is streaming from her in glittering light. “Even the humans who’ve allied with us won’t be safe.”
The room falls silent as her words sink in. We’re no longer just fighting to save Gran. We’re fighting for survival.
