Chapter 201

Chapter 201
Alaric

"You're a clever man, Alaric." He gestured vaguely at the castle behind me. "Resourceful. You managed to orchestrate the downfall of an ancient vampire lord using nothing but ambition and a stolen serum. Surely you can figure out how to staff your new empire."

"That's not—"

"Besides," he continued, speaking over my objection with the kind of easy confidence that came from holding all the cards, "I imagine your family has plenty of outcasts. Mixed-bloods like yourself who've been denied titles and lands. The ones who weren't important enough to receive invitations to tonight's celebration." His smile widened fractionally. "Consolidate them. Give them what Byron never would. Turn resentment into loyalty."

I hated that he was right. Hated the patronizing tone he used, like he was teaching a child basic arithmetic. But he was right. The Sanguine family had hundreds—maybe thousands—of lesser members scattered across territories Byron had deemed too insignificant to bother with. Members who'd spent centuries watching pure-bloods like Byron and Silas lord their superiority over everyone else.

Give them power, and they'd be mine. Completely.

"Fine," I bit out. "I'll handle recruitment myself. But we need to leave. Now." I started walking toward him, already planning our exit route. "I need to process this. Killing Byron—it's..." I laughed, the sound edged with hysteria I couldn't quite suppress. "Fuck, it's like I just slayed a god. I can barely think straight. We should get somewhere secure, somewhere I can calm down and plan the next moves."

I was rambling now, words spilling out faster than I could control them. "Maybe grab some of that vintage AB-negative from the cellar. Or better yet, that aged O-positive Byron kept locked away for special occasions. Yeah, that would—"

I'd reached the edge of the courtyard, close enough now to see the details of Draken's expression. Close enough to notice that he hadn't moved an inch since I'd started talking.

"Draken." My voice sharpened. "I'm giving you an order. We're leaving. Now."

He still didn't move. Just stood there, hands clasped loosely behind his back, head tilted in that maddening way that made me feel like an insect under glass.

Something cold unfurled in my gut. Wrong. This was wrong.

"Draken, I said—"

"But you're forgetting something, Alaric." His voice was soft, almost gentle. The tone you'd use to explain a simple mistake to someone you pitied. "There's still one more person here who needs to die."

I frowned, genuinely confused. "Silas? He's still useful. I'm not planning to dispose of him immediately. We can leverage his connections, use him to—"

Fire erupted around Draken in a perfect circle, blue-white flames that cast his features in harsh relief. The heat hit me like a physical blow, making me stumble backward even though I was twenty feet away.

His eyes—fuck, his eyes. They'd gone from amber to molten gold, blazing with an intensity that had nothing to do with reflected firelight.

"No," he said, and there was nothing gentle in his voice now. Nothing controlled. "I'm talking about you, Alaric."

The world tilted. My brain struggled to process the words, to reconcile them with everything I thought I knew. "What the fuck are you—"

"You didn't really think I was under your control, did you?" He took a step forward, and the flames moved with him, an extension of his will. "That pathetic serum you're so proud of?"

Another step. The fire spread, cutting off potential escape routes with methodical precision.

"It never worked on me."

No. No, that wasn't possible. I'd seen him obey. Watched him carry out every order without question. He'd been the perfect weapon, the ultimate tool in my arsenal. He'd—

The massacre. The excessive brutality. The personal nature of each kill.

Oh god.

"You..." My voice came out as a whisper. "You weren't helping me. This whole time, you were—"

"Using you?" Draken smiled, and it was the most terrifying expression I'd ever seen on a living face. "Yes. Your little rebellion provided the perfect cover. How else could I slaughter an entire vampire household without raising immediate alarms? Without giving survivors time to scatter and regroup?"

He spread his arms, encompassing the field of corpses around us. "The Sanguine family has been a thorn in my side for decades. Longer. And you—you beautiful, ambitious fool—you handed me the perfect opportunity to eradicate them in one night."

My legs felt weak. The triumph I'd felt moments ago curdled into ash in my mouth. Everything—every victory, every carefully laid plan—it had all been manipulation. I hadn't orchestrated anything. I'd been a puppet dancing on strings I couldn't even see.

"But I helped you," I heard myself say, hating how desperate I sounded. "Whatever you think about my methods, I still helped you eliminate your enemies. That has to count for something."

"Helped me?" Draken's laugh was cold as winter wind. "You tried to kidnap my mate. Twice. You stole from me. You dared to think you could control me with chemistry and arrogance."

He was fully transformed now, scales rippling across his skin, wings unfurling from his back. The human facade dropped away, revealing the predator beneath. "The only reason you're still breathing is because I wanted you to understand exactly how thoroughly you've failed before I killed you."

I should run. Every instinct screamed at me to move, to fight, to do something. But my body wouldn't obey. I was frozen, watching my death approach with the inevitability of sunrise.

"Wait." The word came out hoarse. "Wait, just—the ascension initiate. It's already in motion. The serum distribution, the infrastructure—it's all in place. I can still give you power beyond anything you've imagined. We can rule together, reshape the world however you—"