Perhaps that's for the best. Easier to kill something before it takes root than to watch it die slowly.
The intelligence briefingconfirms what I already suspected.
Ethan presents his findings to the core group: me, Marcellus, Nadia, and Julian. Celeste is conspicuously absent. I assigned her to shadow Elena in donor coordination, a legitimate task that also keeps her away while we discuss what I've been contemplating.
"Konstantin hit another operation last night," Ethan says, pulling up surveillance footage on the conference room screen. "Small donor collective in Decatur. Non-affiliated, but they'd been negotiating with us for protection."
"Casualties?" Nadia asks.
"Two vampires dead. Three donors hospitalized. The rest scattered." Ethan switches to a map showing attack patterns. "He's working inward. Started at the periphery, now moving toward our core territories. At this rate, he'll be testing our borders within days."
"He's trying to isolate us," Julian observes. "Cut off potential allies before the main assault."
"And it's working," Marcellus adds grimly. "I've had three inquiries today from smaller operations asking if we can guarantee their safety. I couldn't."
I study the map, tracking the pattern of attacks. Surgical. Strategic. Konstantin isn't trying to destroy, not yet. He's trying to destabilize. Create fear. Make vampires choose sides before they're forced to.
"What about his interest in Celeste?" I ask, keeping my voice neutral.
"Still active," Ethan confirms. "His people are watching. Asking questions."
The room is very quiet.
"Then we use that," I say.
Marcellus's head comes up sharply. "Use it how?"
"If Konstantin believes Celeste is a vulnerability, he'll try to exploit her. Target her specifically. We can use that. Set a trap. Let him think he's found an opening, then close it around him."
"You want to use her as bait," Nadia says flatly.
"She's not helpless bait. She's a skilled fighter with forty-three wins in underground combat, and she's adapted to vampire abilities faster than anyone I've trained in decades. If Konstantin's people underestimate her, that's their mistake."
I stand, moving to the map. "The neutral territory near Midtown. We have a donor meet scheduled for tomorrow. Low priority, routine. If Celeste handles it alone, with minimal visible backup..."
"Konstantin's people will see an opportunity," Julian finishes. "The gatekeeper's new protégé, exposed. Vulnerable."
"Exactly. We position teams nearby, out of sight. When they move on her, we take them."
The plan is tactically sound. Strategically elegant. Konstantin wants to find our weaknesses, so we give him a false one and make him pay for taking it.
But Nadia is watching me. "Does she know?"
"Not yet."
"Are you going to tell her?"
The honest answer is no. If she knows it's a trap, her behavior might change. She might be too cautious, too prepared. The deception needs to be complete.
"She'll be briefed on the mission parameters," I say carefully. "Routine donor meet."
"That's not what I asked."
"I know what you asked. The tactical advantage of her not knowing outweighs the alternative."
"And if something goes wrong? If we're wrong about their numbers, or their timing?"
"Then I'll get her out myself."
