Then Victoria entered the scene, and all awe and congratulatory remarks shifted to her.
The winning vampire stood tall and proud in a golden-sequined dress that sparkled when she moved, catching everyone's eye whether they liked it or not. She sashayed with all the hurry of someone who had all the time in the world, vampires from all around the globe stopping her with a kiss or a handshake. Other notable vampires were visibly absent after the battles, and Lucinda filed their names in her head as she slowly sipped the blood, letting it fill her accordingly.
She could no longer sense Finn, which was just fine with her. With the large room crowded with vampires, he had no chance of navigating without getting caught, much less sticking to her side. She breathed easier at the thought that he was safe, even though she knew he could more than handle himself—had proven so time and again from the very beginning.
Stay safe, her mind pleaded. Stay away.
A young member of the council was talking to her about an invitation to Japan for a certain important someone's birthday. Lucinda politely responded the proper words, even while her mind drifted.
And then a sweet voice pierced her thoughts, putting her on edge right off.
“Lucinda. I must say it is an absolute pleasure to finally be your right hand.”
The woman’s grin sparkled as much as her gown, sending an unusual shiver down Lucinda’s spine. She answered in kind, inclining her head gracefully and giving Victoria a version of her own smile—bright, with a little bit of chill. The other’s grin turned tentative, but Oscar didn’t seem to notice as he proudly praised his bet in front of Lucinda.
“She will be a great addition to our world, Lucinda,” Oscar intoned. “Guide her well and we will be unstoppable. In a few years, we can finally stand on our own.”
The silent message was clear: in a few years, the alliance with the shifters can be severed.
It wasn’t progress as far as Lucinda was concerned; it was a massacre waiting to happen. Raphael had always supported her decision to keep the alliance with them, much like Lucinda supported John’s in the past. Unbidden, Raphael’s apology flashed through her mind, his eyes full of sincerity when he promised he would make it up for his mistakes.
Then an image of his surprised eyes followed, a few seconds right before he died. Victoria could have let him live—but she didn’t.
The anger that she was trying to control surged, and she had to fight with her internal self to drag it back in. She couldn’t afford this, not now.
“With your permission, Lucinda, I would like to propose a toast,” Victoria was saying.
“It’s not necessary, Victoria,” Lucinda replied, lifting the glass in her hand. “We’ve toasted enough, don’t you think?”
Something dark crossed Victoria’s face before the smile returned, sweeter than ever. “I still think another round wouldn’t hurt,” she insisted.
Oscar tried to interrupt diplomatically. “Now Victoria, perhaps you’d like to meet—”
“I would like to make my toast now,” Victoria cut in, ice in her voice as she levelled Oscar with a hard stare. She took a glass of blood from a passing waiter, held it in the air and clinked it with a fork. “I would like to gather everyone’s attention.”
No pause. The crowd didn’t go silent immediately, a fact that Lucinda noticed right away. She cleared her throat softly, didn’t so much as step forward when she spoke.
“Can we have everyone’s attention, please? Victoria here would like to make a toast.”
Everyone went silent as heads turned their way. The hardened stare turned towards Lucinda for a quick second before Victoria was smiling again and stepping in front, as if she were the one who called for attention.
“First off, I would like to make a toast to all my worthy opponents—most especially to Raphael, who had been one of the best. Cheers to him.”
The anger boiled over, and Lucinda carefully placed her empty glass onto a passing tray.
“My second toast is for Lucinda, who has graced us with her leadership in replacement of John. I have always admired her skills and will continue to do so.”
A soft murmur of agreement scattered. Victoria smiled as she raised her glass higher, eyes gleaming as she said her next words.
“And now, I would like to challenge Lucinda for her position.”
Silence.
A shocked silence, to be quite specific. Even Oscar’s eyes widened before he hid it as a palpable tension grew in the air.
Yes, it was in the rules. Yes, second-in-lines could challenge the leader for their position once in their lifetime, via a battle. But no one had ever dared out of knowledge that the leader reached that position through sheer power in all aspects—and out of respect. Leaders usually rose from second-in-lines when said leader died of causes determined to be accidents. In John’s case, he had to be part of the battle as the leader before him was murdered due to a conflict with some rogue shifters, along with all the leader’s in-lines.
A challenge hadn’t been in play for hundreds of years.
Another waiter passed by Lucinda’s side, and her hand flashed to get another glass. She raised the glass and looked Victoria in the eye as Raphael’s crumpled body came to mind again.
For Raphael, her mind supplied.
For keeping the shifter alliance safe, her heart murmured.
“I accept,” she said coolly. “And I believe we can do it right now, in this hallway.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
The great hall was cleared as the crowd gathered at the sidelines, with only two at the center—Lucinda on one side and Victoria on the other. From his spot perched on one of the Baroque-styled columns beside the balcony, Finn watched like a hawk as the two women eyed each other like they were friends. But a dark undertone was on Victoria’s expression, and Finn knew Lucinda well enough now—mostly because of their bond—to know she was far from happy.
Victoria’s golden gown sparkled and drew lots of attention, but Lucinda’s quiet blue dress and peaceful stature drew more command—which he noticed irritated Victoria a whole lot more than she was letting on. He’d seen the fights earlier, had seen the brutality in which Raphael’s winning moment was cut short by one flick of a careless finger. While he did not like the male vampire and didn’t trust the guy at all, it didn’t mean he wanted him dead just like that.
The hurt that Lucinda felt when Raphael’s life was cut off had echoed inside him earlier, a staggering intensity that washed over him like a tide. None of that hurt showed on her face, and he thanked the gods for that.
A few seconds of stillness came. Then Victoria attacked first, sharp nails clawing in Lucinda’s direction, specifically her chest area. It was similar to the move she did earlier with Raphael, and Lucinda readily sidestepped with the grace of a cat on the move. Then, in the same line of movement, she pounced.
Lucinda didn't use her nails—she used the strength of her elbow and drove it towards Victoria's nose, breaking it in the process. An audible crunch was heard as blood flowed out of her nostrils.
With a shriek, Victoria charged and attempted a punch, and Lucinda sidestepped again and dusted her dress. Some of the vampires laughed.
“Is that all you have?” Lucinda asked calmly, making a pretense of checking the chip of her nail polish. “Perhaps we can have another toast after this.”
Finn grinned and tried to stifle the laughter about to burst. The look on Victoria's face was positively furious, her lips curling into a snarl. Then she attacked again, multiple successive swipes that had Lucinda stepping backward and the crowd flowing away from them. While Finn wanted to note everyone's reaction and who was expressive enough to show open support for Lucinda, he couldn't tear his gaze away from her—could only watch with bated breath as she avoided the attacks and only went on the offensive when needed.
Then Victoria wrapped her limbs around Lucinda's hips and twisted, and what sounded like a snap echoed around the room loudly. Blood stained her dress in a sing
ular line.
Lucinda growled, a dangerous sound. She twisted her hip back in place as if the dislocation never happened, green eyes darkening and narrowed as they focused in on Victoria. The other female smirked, licking the blood from her nail with relish.
“I love this game we're playing,” Victoria said in a malicious tone. “The queen bleeds, after all.”
“I'm a leader, not a queen,” Lucinda replied coldly.
They circled each other like hawks anticipating their next meal. Then they attacked at the same time.
Victoria issued a kick that hit Lucinda in the knee, and Lucinda retaliated by kicking her back until she fell to the ground. It was like watching a dance—a perilous dance that would no doubt end in death and bloodshed.
Lucinda was no longer neutral as she attacked Victoria just as much as the other attacked her, and they went flying in the air in time with their movements. Eventually, they were no longer in the center of the throng as Victoria ran away to gain some leverage, only to be chased by Lucinda outside. The crowd trailed after them, leaving Finn and a few vampires behind. He quickly studied the chandeliers and knew he couldn’t risk swinging using them. There were some red banners hanging in between the arches, and Finn thought that was his best bet.
He leapt towards one, grabbing the wooden top-end using both hands and almost slipping. The banner strained for a second under his weight but managed it, and a young vampire looked up as if he sensed the sound.
Finn stayed still, willing his breath in and his heart rate down. The young vampire got distracted by the gasps outside and followed suit.
With a sigh of relief, Finn swung from banner to banner until he got to the end of the room and the empty hallway. He ran as quietly as he could towards where the noise was concentrated until he reached the crowd again, gathered on the front lawn with the two feuding vampires in the middle.
Victoria’s face was filled with blood, and Lucinda dress had now gone dirty from the mud. There was a streak of mud on her left cheek, a dark contrast to her fair skin. She kicked Victoria once more, toppling the vampire to the ground and filling her golden dress with dirt.
Victoria screamed angrily, losing any control she might have had at the beginning. Her silver eyes flashed as she stood up and leapt at Lucinda like a cat.
“I’ll kill you just like I killed that asshole Raphael!”
Lucinda had been in control of herself the whole time, but the moment Victoria released her declaration, it was like a trigger was pulled as Lucinda froze in her spot. Her eyes flared back, then went from green to red, a sign that she was a full-on predator now.
The crowd didn’t stop her—but then again, there was no stopping someone as powerful as her in this kind of frenzy, as she kicked and punched Victoria over and over until Victoria toppled to the ground again. Finn heard bones breaking and smelled blood, and he kept his eyes on Lucinda as the ruthless leader kept attacking. Then, right before she could deliver the killing blow, those red eyes turned back to their original color, and she stepped back, her body vibrating with tension as she looked down. Her hands fisted, nails digging on palm as the crowd remained quiet. Then she slowly opened her hands, slowly looked back up.
Lucinda nodded, gaze fixed on Oscar.
“I’ve won,” she said.
Oscar’s gaze was just as steady as he nodded his head back. There was a second wherein he glanced at Victoria, down on the ground and immobile from all the broken bones, but with a stubborn expression on her face. No reaction displayed on his face as he turned back to Lucinda.
“You didn’t finish it,” he said.
With a hardened expression, Lucinda reached out to the immobile Victoria, lifting her with one arm. Then she twisted Victoria’s limbs once more, earning a shrill, pained cry.
Victoria was thrown to the ground, perfectly still.
“Satisfied?” Lucinda asked softly.
Finn’s blood ran cold at the look in her eye. When Oscar nodded his head, she turned around and walked back inside, blood trailing on the grass and as graceful as ever. The governing council head’s eyes followed her exit before turning back to the dispersing crowd, then the woman on the ground.
He flicked his hand, and two of his guards on standby ran inside. A few seconds later, menacing sounds pierced the air and Finn froze as a rogue vampire swept past him.
Rogue vampires had loose skin hanging from their long bodies, red eyes, and fangs dripping with saliva. They also had dark claws that could swipe you to death in one vicious movement. Technically, they were the vampires that lost their humanity and sanity.
Finn thought them spawns of the devil themselves.
Currently, two chained rogues were set out the front lawn, held steady by long iron rods that connected to their neck to control their movements. Another flick of Oscar’s finger, and they were released with a click.
The rogues pounced on Victoria, mauling her body as a final scream pierced the air. Then, silence, with only the sickening sounds of teeth gnashing and skin tearing. They finished off Victoria in the span of less than a minute, then turned to pounce on the other vampires.
Another click, and the iron rods locked in place, preventing the rogues from moving further. The guards hauled them back inside, leaving Oscar alone outside.
Finn watched as the vampire stared at the corpse of his bet one more time before quietly going back inside.
Then Finn moved, slipping outside and away from the house’s disturbing smell of blood.
*****
The alley was the best way to make a quick escape and head home without getting detected, just like before—and if there was anything Finn wanted most in the world at the moment, it was to be alone.
The disturbing fight between the vampire leader and the second-in-line still hadn’t left his mind; Lucinda, despite her kindness in more ways than one, was still a predator… and the enemy of his kind. While he didn’t believe as strongly as his brother shifters about the all-out-evilness of the vampire kind, it didn’t mean he was willing to go all out and be a part of them.
Especially the part he’d just witnessed.
While the shifters weren’t exactly clean all throughout themselves, Dylan was a good and fair leader, and all the other clan leaders did their best to eliminate the rogue shifters who killed for no purpose. They certainly didn’t kill a so-called daughter for sport.
But Lucinda didn’t kill Victoria.
The mantra repeated in his head over and over, conflicting his thoughts even further.
A prickly feeling started at his neck, making his hairs stand up. The chill in the air changed, and Finn whirled around to face the person following him, hands poised to shift. There was no one in the street corner except for him—but the chill didn’t go away. He turned back around to face the direction of shifter headquarters—
And found red eyes in his path.
Finn jumped backward and growled.
Belvar glared.
“Raphael died without paying for his debts.”
“What the hell did that ass bargain with you?”
“Lives for magic,” Belvar said easily. “And I’ve come to claim my rights to the vampire leader.”
Finn would have run to warn Lucinda, or he would have fought, but the second of delay made everything too late as Belvar used some kind of magic to make him immobile.
Then a painful blow swept his head, and all senses were lost.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The bond with Finn chilled as soon as Lucinda got inside the mansion, but she didn’t allow herself to overthink as she locked herself in her office. Her hands were bloodied, her dress as good as ruined, and she simply wasn’t in the mood to be judged or condemned for actions and decisions she knew were for the betterment of her world.
She sat in the empty visitor chair and stared at the floor, still trying to get in terms with everything that had happened in the span of a few days.
Got kidnapped and tortured, check.
Had
sex with a shifter, check.
Got challenged into a fight for leadership, check.
Brutally beat someone until they could no longer move, check.
It was too much, even for a powerful vampire. What was worse was the slowly disappearing hurt that she felt regarding Raphael being dead—the feelings that were a stronghold to her humanity, keeping her from turning into someone she didn’t like. Lucinda looked at her hands, thinking that if John had been in her position, he’d have stood up to Oscar and not killed Victoria.
But she needed to stop comparing herself to John. He was dead, and she was the only one left to set things right.
The mansion had gone too quiet, a testament to the spectacle being completely over. Good riddance. She gave it a few more minutes by deciding to clean herself there and putting on a new dress before stepping inside the secret passage to get out of headquarters. A few steps in and she realized she was hiding from her problems as it was.
Why should she hide when she won, anyway?
Determined, Lucinda backtracked and went out of the office using the hallway. Some vampires passed her by and nodded in acknowledgment, while others tried to talk to her. She gave them all a stiff nod and practically zoomed out to the door, needing some fresh air.
The smell of blood on the front lawn was still there, coupled with something else. She quietly sniffed the air, then froze when she recognized the scent.
Rogues. She could smell rogue here.
All too fast, things clicked into place as she remembered John telling her Oscar had some pet rogues he used for some personal matters. The sickening thought of what had most likely happened here came to mind before another thought replaced it altogether.
Finn.
Their bond had gone cold.
The worry that set in almost immediately wasn’t normal for her. But Lucinda didn’t waste any time in thinking about it more as she moved, heading back to her office to re-access the secret passage and quickly get out. If she couldn’t sense Finn anywhere near the mansion anymore, that meant he went out. It was absurd how much she wanted to be with him at the moment—just to see if he was all right and safe, even though she knew he could take care of himself well without her. Lucinda walked quickly in the direction she thought he would be headed, passing alleys and brooding as she did so.
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