Darick’s eyes sweep over all of us, landing finally on Marcus. “Lucien’s just held his first Blood Assembly as Grand Elder.”
“That was fast,” Marcus mutters, stepping closer to me despite my earlier rejection. I hate that his presence steadies my nerves.
“He’s wasting no time consolidating power,” Darick continues. “He’s already imposed new vampire laws.” His gaze shifts to me, then my sisters. “Including officially sanctioning the hunting of witches.”
“What?” The word bursts from me. “He can’t do that!”
It’s not unexpected.
“He can now,” Soren says grimly. “As Grand Elder, his word is law among vampires.”
“How many will actually follow him?” Mia asks, her hand clutching Soren’s.
“Too many,” Marcus answers. “Some out of fear, others because they’ve wanted this for centuries. The old guard especially – they’ve never accepted peace with witches.”
I feel sick. This is exactly what I’ve been afraid of – vampires showing their true colors. But when I look at Marcus, the anguish in his eyes makes me doubt my own certainty.
“Lake says Lucien’s already dispatched hunting parties,” Darick adds. “They’re targeting known witch locations first.”
My heart pounds. Our home. Our business. All our sacred places. “We have to do something!”
“The covens are already moving to safe locations,” Darick assures us. “Your father’s coordinating with Morgan and the others. But the priority is to get the High Priestess and Evelyn away from wherever he’s holding them.”
I nod slowly, trying to convince myself that things are going to work out. It’s hard to stay focused, though. Because all I can think about is Gran, trapped somewhere with that monster who’s now officially declared war on our kind.
19
Chapter 19
Marcus
Anothersecretmeeting.Andthis time – hopefully – in a location that will escape Lucien’s scrutiny.
The gentle sway of the ship barely registers as I scan the faces around the meeting table. Each person here has been thoroughly vetted, but old habits die hard. My gaze lingers on Morgan Shadowmaster – his presence unexpected but valuable if Seraphina’s trust proves well-placed.
The leather of my chair creaks as I shift, hyper-aware of Kara across the table. Her scent mingles with the salt air drifting through the ventilation system, making it harder to maintain my carefully constructed facade of indifference. She’s withholding her thoughts from me, and it’s driving me nuts.
Morgan’s plan hangs in the air between us, bold and dangerous. And I’m still not convinced it’s a good idea. Too brazen. Too exposed. Too soon, perhaps?
What he’s proposing feels like madness.
I think Selene feels the same way because she’s resting her elbow on the desk in front of her, her chin in her palm, surveying him silently. I can see the cogs turning.
“I’m not sure,” I say cautiously, not wanting to ruffle feathers. But I still have too many questions to simply dive into this thing. “You’re certain we’ll have support from within?”
“Yes,” he says without hesitation. “Most of them are going into this Assembly ready to engage. I imagine they’d do it with or without us. But there’s more chance of success if we’re on board.”
“So we’d be what? Charging in as the cavalry?” I raise an eyebrow, not sure I like the idea. Shadowmaster’s network of infiltrators within the Blood Assembly could give us the advantage we need, but the risk…
The metallic taste of tension fills the room as he outlines the details of the proposed attack.
“Call it what you like,” he says. “If it bothers you that you’re not in control…” He splays his hands, probably insinuating that I’m letting my ego get in the way of his plan. I grit my teeth. The man may be playing on our team, but that doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole.
Frankly, that’s probably half the reason he might be trustworthy. If he was trying to worm his way into our good graces, he’d probably be more charming.
I doubt that’s in his social repertoire.
“Having control is not what bothers me,” I respond coolly. “What if we arrive and they’ve called off the uprising? You’re saying that they intend to turn on Lucien once everything is infull swing. What if they decide it’s too risky, and we pitch up, ready for war, and there’s nobody on our side?”
