CHAPTER 234

CHAPTER 234
Ethan's POV

I didn't say a word for a long moment, just stared at the circle of swords pointed at my chest while my mind processed the betrayal unfolding before me. These were men who had sworn loyalty to me, who had served under my command for decades, and now they were prepared to execute me because they believed I was weak.

"What are you waiting for?" I finally asked, my voice eerily calm. "You have the swords, you have everything you need. Just kill me."

They shifted uncomfortably, clearly not expecting such a direct response to their threat.

"After all," I continued, my tone growing more conversational, "my powers are now being transferred to my fiancée. So go ahead—kill me and watch the whole clan collapse. Since you're all suddenly blind to the consequences, since you think I can't fight without supernatural abilities, let's see what happens next."

I could see uncertainty flickering in their eyes, but I wasn't finished.

"After you slay me, Sebastian will come back and smile at your handiwork," I said, watching their faces carefully. "I'm sure he'll be very impressed with your decision-making skills."

At the mention of Sebastian's name, every single one of them flinched. It was subtle, but unmistakable—the way their grips tightened on their weapons, the way their eyes darted to each other, the slight step backward that the man closest to me took without realizing it.

That flinch told me everything I needed to know about their confidence in this plan.

In that moment of weakness, that split second when their attention wavered, I moved.

I lunged forward and grabbed the sword from the guard directly in front of me, using his own momentum against him as I twisted the blade from his grasp. Without pausing, I slashed across the line of them, the steel cutting through skin and drawing blood from each man in one fluid motion.

They all fell to the ground, crying out in pain and shock as they clutched their wounds. But I wasn't finished with them.

Without any warning, I raised the sword and began systematically executing each of them. The blade moved with deadly precision, ending their lives before they could recover from their initial injuries or call for help.

"Anyone who wants to betray me will also betray Malia," I said coldly as I worked, my voice steady despite the violence I was committing. "And I will never let that happen."

The truth was, I had never depended solely on my supernatural powers. My father had trained me relentlessly in combat, in strategy, in the art of killing with nothing but skill and determination. Who the hell said I wouldn't be able to control these motherfuckers just because I didn't have vampire strength anymore?

When the last guard fell silent, I stood among their bodies, breathing heavily but feeling more like myself than I had since losing my powers. This was who I was at my core—not just a supernatural being, but a warrior who would do anything to protect what was mine.

I cleaned the blood from the sword and sheathed it, then retrieved my phone and called Davlon. The phone rang once, twice, and I was beginning to think he wouldn't answer when his voice came through the speaker.

"What the hell is happening, Ethan?" he demanded. "The war is done. Why are you calling me?"

"We're not done with anything," I said firmly. "I need to know where Malia is. Do you have her with you?"

There was a pause, then Davlon's voice came back filled with disgust and irritation. "You're a stupid king, you know that? As much as you're selfish enough to want to keep Malia all to yourself, it doesn't mean I would be stupid enough to kidnap a girl who is modern enough to make her own decisions. I have nothing to do with Malia's whereabouts."

"Malia is missing," I said, trying to keep the desperation out of my voice. "And because Heaven is close to you, I need you to call her and ask about Malia's whereabouts."

"This is disgusting," Davlon muttered. "Talking to you about anything reeks of pride and arrogance. But fine, I'll make the call because I want to get this conversation over with."

The line went quiet as he presumably contacted Heaven. Those five minutes felt like hours as I paced among the bodies of my former guards, my mind racing with possibilities of where Malia could be and what kind of danger she might be in.

When Davlon came back on the line, his voice was reluctant and apologetic.

"Malia is with Sebastian," he said finally. "But not at Moon Park. They went to the White Cave. Heaven begged me not to tell anybody about it, but now I have no choice but to betray my lovely sister."

At the mention of the White Cave, I froze completely.

The memories came flooding back with crystal clarity—the desperate journey to that cursed place when Heaven had been dying, the witch who had tried to manipulate Sebastian, the way the entire cave system had collapsed when supernatural forces clashed within its crystalline walls. I could remember vividly the terror of watching the ceiling come down, the way the ancient magic of the place had turned destructive and chaotic.

"Why the hell is Sebastian taking Malia there?" I demanded, my voice rising with panic and fury.

The White Cave was dangerous under the best of circumstances, but for someone like Malia—someone who was already dealing with unstable power transfers and supernatural changes she didn't understand—it could be deadly.

"I don't know," Davlon said, and for once his voice was free of mockery or irritation. "Heaven didn't give me details. She just said they needed to go there for some kind of solution."

A solution. Of course. Malia was trying to fix the power transfer situation, trying to find a way to give me back my abilities without understanding the risks she was taking. She was putting herself in danger because she blamed herself for my condition, because she couldn't accept that I would rather be powerless than lose her.

"How long ago did they leave?" I asked, already moving toward the door.

"This morning, early. Ethan, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going after them," I said without hesitation. "And if anything happens to her because of this, I'm holding everyone responsible."

I ended the call and grabbed my weapons, my mind already calculating the fastest route to the White Cave. The journey would take hours, even if I pushed hard, and I had no idea what I would find when I got there.

But I knew one thing with absolute certainty—I wasn't going to lose Malia. Not to supernatural politics, not to power transfers, and definitely not to whatever ancient magic resided in that crystalline tomb.

I had just killed my own guards to protect her. I would tear apart the entire supernatural world if that's what it took to bring her home safely.

The White Cave had nearly destroyed Sebastian and Heaven once before. I wasn't going to let it claim the woman I loved.

Not while I still had breath in my body and a sword in my hand.