Chapter 52 The Alliance

Chapter 52 The Alliance
Rosalie finds me in the garden behind the mansion, staring at the scorched earth where the Primigenii breached the walls.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” I tell her as I spin around at the sound of her footsteps. “Petra said you needed at least another week of rest.”
She waves a dismissive hand, but I notice the way she lowers herself carefully onto the stone bench beside me. “Petra is overcautious. I’ve been lying in that infirmary for days. If I had to stare at those ceiling tiles for one more hour, I was going to lose my mind. I already missed all the action.”
“How are you feeling? And don’t lie to me.”
“Like I got thrown into a wall by my newborn vampire friend and then spent a week being poked and prodded by an overzealous healer.” She grins at me before she adds, “So, pretty good, all things considered.”
“Rosalie, I’m so sorry. I never meant to—”
“Stop.” She holds up a hand. “We’ve been over this. You didn’t know what was happening. Neither did I. And honestly, getting tossed across a room is far from the worst thing that’s ever happened to me.” She pats the space on the bench beside her. “Sit down. You’ve been out here for over an hour. Thad is worried about you.”
“Thad is always worried.” I take a seat on the cold stone and turn my attention back to the blackened grass. Two days ago, vampires in crimson robes poured through this exact spot. And I killed half of them without even meaning to. “I needed some space to think.”
“About what happened during the battle?”
“About everything.” I pull my knees up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. “The power, the prophecy, what I did to you in the training room. I keep waiting to wake up and have this all be some horrible nightmare.”
“I hate to break it to you, but this is your life now.”
I rest my chin on my knees. “Before all this, I had a plan. Work hard, get promoted, maybe meet someone and settle down. Normal stuff. Now I’m some kind of prophesied weapon with powers I can’t control, and every ancient vampire clan in existence probably wants to either use me or kill me.”
“When you put it that way, it does sound rather bleak.”
“You think?”
She laughs, and despite everything, the sound makes me feel a little lighter. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re handling it better than most people would. I’ve seen vampires crumble under far less pressure than what you’ve been dealing with.”
“I don’t feel like I’m handling anything. I feel like I’m barely keeping my head above water.”
“That’s handling it.” She squeezes my arm. “One night at a time. That’s all any of us can do.”
Before I can respond, Dominique appears at the edge of the garden. She’s moving fast, and the look on her face makes my stomach drop.
“Thad needs you inside,” she announces. “Both of you. Now.”
“What’s wrong?” I ask as I climb to my feet.
“Messenger just arrived. From the Obsidian Court.”
Rosalie and I exchange a look. Nothing good has ever come from the Obsidian Court. Viktor made that abundantly clear during his visits.
“What do they want?” Rosalie asks.
“That’s what we’re about to find out.”
The war room is fuller than I’ve ever seen it. Thad stands at the head of the table with Elias and Gabriel flanking him on either side. Dominique takes her position near the door as Rosalie and I enter. Against the far wall stands a vampire I’ve never seen before.
He’s older than Viktor, with grey streaking through his dark hair. His clothes are formal and expensive, and he wears a silver pin on his lapel in the shape of a crescent moon. The symbol of the Obsidian Court.
“Miss Wright,” he greets me with a slight bow of his head. “It’s an honor to finally meet you in person. My name is Aldric. I serve as senior counsel to the Obsidian Court.”
“What do you want?” Thad demands before I can respond.
Aldric doesn’t seem bothered by the hostility. He simply reaches into his jacket and withdraws a sealed envelope, which he places on the table between them.
“The Court has been watching recent events with considerable interest.” Aldric clasps his hands behind his back. “The Primigenii’s attack on your compound was not sanctioned by their allies. Their willingness to move against you in daylight, without discussing it with the Court, has caused significant concern among our leadership.”
“The Obsidian Court was working with the Primigenii,” Thad states. “Viktor made that abundantly clear during his visits. Why should I believe anything you have to say?”
“Viktor acted with the Court’s blessing at the time, yes. But circumstances have changed. The Primigenii promised us a seat at the table. They promised equal power and influence once they obtained the Valdris heir. What they failed to mention was their intention to keep her abilities entirely for themselves.”
“So you’re not here out of the goodness of your heart,” I cut in. “You’re here because they double-crossed you.”
“I prefer to think of it as a realignment of interests. The Court proposes an alliance. Our resources combined with yours to ensure the Primigenii do not achieve their goals.”
“And what does the Court want in return for this sudden change of loyalty?”
“Access to Miss Wright. Our scholars have spent centuries studying the ancient bloodlines. We believe we can help her understand and control her abilities in ways that would otherwise take decades to master on her own.”
“She’s not a test subject,” Thad growls.
“We have no intention of treating her as one. Our interest is purely academic. Her existence represents an unprecedented opportunity for vampire scholarship. We would study her abilities with her full consent and participation. Nothing would be done without her explicit agreement.”
“You sided with the people who tried to kidnap her,” Thad points out. “You sent Viktor into my home to threaten her. And now you expect us to trust you?”
“I suspect you can recognize a mutually beneficial arrangement when you see one. The Primigenii will return. They will keep coming until they have what they want. You cannot fight them alone forever.” Aldric spreads his hands. “We offer protection, resources, and knowledge. All we ask in return is the opportunity to study abilities that haven’t been documented in over four hundred years.”
“Except the part where you get to poke and prod at my mate like she’s some kind of experiment.”
Elias places a hand on his arm. “Let him finish, Thad.”
Aldric inclines his head toward Elias. “The terms of our proposal are outlined in that envelope. I encourage you to review them carefully before making any decisions.” He turns back to me to add, “Ultimately, this choice belongs to Miss Wright. Not to you, Mr. Samford. Not to your council. To her and her alone.”
Everyone in the room turns to look at me.
“So,” Aldric continues, “what do you say, Miss Wright?”