Chapter 8 I’m afraid of you Aria
The "vampire king business" wasn't conducted in a throne room or a dark dungeon. It happened on the second floor of Kael's building, in a series of high-end conference rooms that looked more like a tech startup than a supernatural lair. I followed Kael down the hallway, my heels clicking against the hardwood. I was still reeling from what the mirror had shown me in the guest room. It had confirmed that marrying Kael had put a target on my back which was exactly what I wanted but it also showed me that the shadow was still moving. If I didn't act soon, the deaths would never stop.
Kael stopped in front of a heavy door and turned to me. "This is the Green Room," he said, ushering me inside. The name was an understatement. The walls, the ceiling, and even the leather chairs were a deep, dark emerald. In the center was a massive black table polished to a mirror-like shine. Three people were already waiting.
"Aria, this is the inner council," Kael said, his voice regaining that cool, professional edge I'd seen in the coven chambers. He introduced Pierce, his brooding progeny who looked like he’d rather be anywhere else, and Simone, a woman who looked like a high-powered CEO but had eyes that were a thousand years old. Then there was Thierry, the ancient vampire who looked like he'd seen everything and found it all slightly boring.
Thierry drawled from his seat, leaning back with a lazy smile, "If the introductions are over and done with, may we please get down to business?".
"Business," as it turned out, meant looking at the victims. Pierce began taping photos of the murdered witches to a massive whiteboard. I expected gruesome crime scene shots, but these were photos of them while they were still alive ordinary people with lives and families.
"Teresa Dames," Kael started, pointing to the first photo. "Found five months ago. Drained of blood".
As they went through the list, I realized something that none of them had picked up on yet. I felt my heart hammer against my ribs. I looked at the way they were analyzing the magic, the bite marks, and the locations, but they were missing the human element.
"Wait," I interrupted. The entire room went silent, four pairs of predatory eyes tracking to me. Kael tilted his head, watching me with an intensity that made my skin prickle.
"Enlighten us, then," Thierry said with a thin, mocking smile.
"You're looking at why they were killed, but look at who they are," I explained, leaning forward. "Witches are kind of insular. As a general rule, we keep to our own kind as much as possible. We don’t really mix with other members of the supernatural community. And we definitely don’t mix with regular, non-magical humans".
I pointed to the photos. "But these victims... they were the ones who lived outside the stronghold. They were the ones who had human friends, who worked in offices, who lived in the community rather than with the coven".
The realization hit the room like a physical weight. Kael looked at me not as a "void" or a "fake bride," but as a partner. I saw the gears turning in his head as he re-evaluated the data. "They were the most vulnerable because they were the most integrated," he whispered.
"Exactly," I said. "Whoever is doing this knows the coven's layout. They aren't just attacking witches; they're attacking the bridge between our worlds".
Kael stood up, pacing the length of the emerald room. "If the goal is to start a war, targeting the ones who live among humans is the fastest way to create panic on both sides". He stopped and looked at me, his onyx eyes searching mine. "Your safety was in jeopardy the moment we tied the knot. You realize that, don't you?".
"My safety was in jeopardy the moment the first witch died," I replied evenly, crossing my arms. "Now, at least, I'm a target with a plan."
The council erupted into a heated debate about security protocols and patrol routes, but I could tell Kael was barely listening to them anymore. He was looking at me. Gone was the coolness in his expression; instead, his gaze was filled with a strange mixture of admiration and fear.
"I’m afraid for you, Aria," he said, loud enough for only me to hear over the din of the council. "And I will admit that I don’t like that feeling at all. But what you’re trying to do, who you so clearly are that is not lost on me".
"I still might be kind of an asshole," I told him, trying to lighten the heavy air between us.
Kael’s smile returned, turning mischievous. "You know what? That’s not lost on me either".
I couldn't help but laugh, and for a moment, the emerald room didn't feel so cold. The war was coming, the mirror had shown me that, but as I looked at Kael, I realized that I wasn't just fighting for my coven anymore. I was fighting for the man who was currently holding my world together