Then, with a grinding shriek of metal that made Able bark, the gates began to swing inward very slowly. The movement was smooth despite the noise, enchanted hinges easily supporting the massive weight.
Beyond the gates, a long driveway stretched into shadow, lined with ancient oak trees whose branches interlaced overhead.
Viktor’s jaw set in a hard line. “Last chance to back out, babe.”
“We’re not backing out.” Ant kept his voice steady despite the uncomfortable prickling sensation crawling across his skin. “Drive forward.”
Viktor held his gaze for one more moment, then nodded and pressed the accelerator. The car rolled through the open gates.
The moment they crossed the threshold, Ant felt the wards snap into awareness around them - not hostile, but intenselypresent, like being watched by hundreds of invisible eyes.
We’re inside Claudius’s territory now, and he likely believes that makes us under his control.If Ant had been the snorting type, he would’ve done so. As a mage, he couldn’t be thralled, and neither could Viktor, and while Viktor didn’t have magic as such, Ant had enough for both of them.
Behind them, the gates swung shut with a heavy, final clang that echoed through the trees. It was as if they were echoing Viktor, saying, “There’s no going back now.”
Chapter Four
Viktor cut the engine and sat motionless, his hands still maintaining their stranglehold around the steering wheel. The Raven Estate loomed before them - a sprawling Gothic manor built from gray stone that seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it. Gargoyles perched along the roofline, their features worn smooth by centuries of weather, and narrow windows stared down like suspicious eyes.
I fucking hate this place.In hindsight, Viktor knew he’d always hated the place.
He’d lived in the gloomy estate, back when he’d been young enough - relatively speaking - to believe that being a part of an established vampire society had something to offer him. That was before he’d realized that the “noble traditions” Claudius and his ilk prattled on about were just elaborate justifications for treating everyone else like livestock or entertainment.
And because of that, I walked away and never looked back.
“Viktor.” Ant’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts. “We need to get out of the car.”
Actually, they didn’t. As far as Viktor was concerned, he didn’t want to get out of the car at all. In fact, even turning off the engine had felt wrong. What he should have been doing was turning his new SUV around and burning rubber to get back out of the gates and away from the oppressive atmosphere that had hit well before they’d gained access to the main house.
But I can’t do any of that.Viktor wouldn’t let his mate down, and that meant he had to get out of the car. They had a job to do. Ant had a scene reading to do that would verify what Viktor already knew – that Claudius was a murderous asshole.
Forcing his fingers to release the wheel, Viktor reached for the door handle. The moment he stepped out onto the gravel drive,the weight of the estate’s magic pressed down on him like a physical force. It wasn’t just the wards, although those were formidable enough. It was the accumulated power of centuries of vampire habitation, layer upon layer of blood magic and territorial marking that screamedthis place belongs to usto any paranormal creature with the senses to feel it.
Able jumped down from the back seat, immediately pressing against Ant’s leg. The dog’s ears were flat, his tail low. He was a smart dog who knew what danger felt like.
Ant got out of the car as if they were ready to go to dinner, instead of breaching a vampire’s lair, the act of straightening his jacket was the only sign he was in any way nervous. He’d dressed in one of his professional outfits - charcoal slacks, white button-down, and a navy blazer. The clothes of someone who expected to be taken seriously.
Claudius won’t see it that way. He’ll see prey dressed up in fancy clothes.
The estate’s front doors swung open before they’d taken three steps toward the entrance. Five vampires emerged in a choreographed display that was pure Claudius, who never did anything that hadn’t been calculated to have maximum impact. Four guards flanked a central figure, dressed in modern tactical gear that looked absurd against the historic backdrop. Although Viktor noticed that all of them carried themselves like warriors from a different age, which they probably were. Claudius collected vampires the way some people collected antiques.
And there, in the center of the formation, was Claudius himself. Viktor’s jaw clenched so hard his teeth ached. Claudius looked exactly as Viktor remembered - tall and lean, with sharp features that would’ve been handsome if not for the cruel set to his mouth. His dark hair was pulled back in a style that had been fashionable three centuries ago, and his eyes were the pale grayof winter ice. He wore an immaculately tailored three-piece suit in deep burgundy, because of course he did. Claudius had always been obsessed with appearances.
“Viktor.” Claudius’s voice carried across the driveway, smooth, cultured, and dripping with false cheer. “How utterly unexpected to see you again after all these years. I heard you’d been living in the gutters with the humans, but I confess I didn’t quite believe it.”
Every word was a calculated insult.Gutters.As if Viktor’s life for the past few decades - working for Tony, building his own reputation, finding his fucking mate - had been nothing more than slumming. To be fair, the assessment of his life with Tony was probably exactly that, but to disregard his whole life… Viktor’s vision flickered.
No. Not here. Not now.
He forced his breathing to slow, but his fangs were already dropping, and his nails had started to sharpen into claws. His second form lurked just beneath his skin, desperate to burst free and remind Claudius exactly what Viktor was capable of when provoked.
In the meantime, Claudius’s gaze swept over Ant in a dismissive once-over that lasted less than a second before returning to Viktor. “I see you’ve brought your...pet. How quaint. I didn’t realize the Justiciary was allowing humans to observe official investigations now.”
Tell me why I can’t rip his fucking head off.He just called my mate a pet.
Viktor’s muscles locked as he fought against the transformation that wanted to rip through him. His second form was a thing of nightmares – a massive and unstoppable force. It was what vampires became when they stopped pretending to be civilized.And Viktor was very close to showing Claudius just how uncivilized he could be. His vampire side adored Ant.
One of the guards moved slightly, his hand drifting toward the weapon at his hip. They’d noticed Viktor’s struggle.Good. Let them be afraid.
