"Pointing fingers at each other accomplishes nothing," Isabelle cuts in. "We need to focus on finding the girl. And finding a way to neutralize the trigger before Konstantin can use it."
"And the abilities?" Nadia asks. "The telekinesis? Whatever else is coming?"
"We learn to control them." Celeste's voice is muffled against my chest, but steady now. Hardening. "If Konstantin made me a weapon, then I'll be a weapon. Just not his."
She pulls back, and I see the change in her face. The fear is still there, but it's being consumed by something stronger. Determination. Fury.
"He took my sister." Her voice is quiet, but I feel the steel beneath it. Sharp and unyielding. "He experimented on me. He put a trigger in my blood that could turn me into a mindless killer. And now he thinks he's won?"
She looks around the room.
"Konstantin has been planning this for years," Celeste says. "But he made one mistake. He designed me to be strong. To survive. To adapt." Her hand finds mine, fingers intertwining. "He just didn't plan on me using those gifts against him."
Her resolve crystallizes. I feel it hardening into somethingdiamond-bright and unbreakable. The terror for her sister transforming into something more useful. More dangerous.
My bonded mate. My partner. My weapon, pointed exactly where I need her.
"We have work to do," I say. "Marcellus, double the perimeter guard. Someone in this compound is feeding Konstantin information, and I want to know who."
"Done," he says.
"Julian, dig into everything we have on Konstantin's operations. Properties, allies, anywhere he might be holding a human hostage. And research any precedents for removing implanted triggers or commands from vampire blood."
"I'll start immediately."
"Ethan, reach back out to your contacts. I don't care what it costs. Someone knows where Konstantin is operating from."
Ethan nods, already tapping at his tablet. "I have a few sources who owe me. I'll call in the debts."
"Isabelle, follow the money. Konstantin has to be funding this operation somehow. Shell companies, property purchases, anything in the last six months."
"I'll have a preliminary report by dawn," she says.
"Caleb, review the containment facility security. If there's a leak, it might have come from outside the main compound."
"Understood."
"Dr. Sullivan, I need you back in the human medical community. Listen for anything unusual. Missing persons reports, unexplained injuries, anything that might indicate where he's keeping hostages. And research any medical approaches to removing neurological triggers or implanted commands."
"I'll make inquiries," Sullivan says. "Discreetly. And I'll review the literature on deprogramming techniques."
"Nadia..."
I meet her eyes. She holds my gaze for a long moment, and I see her making a choice.
"I'll coordinate with Dmitri's people," she says finally. "If anyone has intelligence on Konstantin's movements, it's them. And I'll reach out to contacts who specialize in blood magic. If there's a way to remove what he put in her, they'll know."
A peace offering. Or at least a truce.
"Thank you."
"Elena," I say, "coordinate with Dr. Sullivan. If Konstantin is holding a human hostage, she'll need medical attention eventually. Monitor any unusual activity in local hospitals and clinics."
Elena nods, her face pale but determined. "I still have contacts from before I joined the network. I'll reach out."
Celeste turns to me, her voice strained. "Simone lives in Savannah. I need to go there. See her apartment, find out when he took her, how he found her..."
"Not alone," I say firmly. "And not tonight. Konstantin could be expecting exactly that." I turn to Ethan. "Send people to Savannah. Celeste will give you her sister's address and workplace. I want to know everything. When she was last seen, who she talked to, any security footage in the area."
