Raymond’s POVAn hour had passed since the Lords had left, and I hadn’t moved from my spot.Not a step. Not a breath too loud.I just stared at the door, waiting for something—anything—to happen.When the knock finally came, I almost jumped out of my skin.Xalor entered like a shadow, as always. No expression. Just purpose."Jude requests to see you," he said. Simple. Direct.My mouth went dry.I stood, tried to hide the stiffness in my knees, and followed him through the mansion. The halls felt colder than before. The house had emptied out of its danger, but somehow it felt more haunted now. Like every wall remembered the weight of the Lords.We walked in silence until we reached the office.The double doors were closed, carved with the sigil of Jude’s house. Xalor opened them, gestured me in, and then turned and left without a word. The doors shut behind me with a soft but final click.Jude stood at the far end of the room, behind his massive desk. His coat was gone, his gloves disc
Raymond’s POVI waited.And waited.And then kept on waiting, until waiting wasn’t just a thing I was doing—it was a state of being. A condition. A curse.I’d been told by Jude himself, straight to my face, that I was going to be brought into the meeting."At the right moment," he’d said. "Only when it’s safe. Only when the atmosphere is controlled."And I believed him. Because he doesn’t lie. Not to me.But here I was, three hours later, still sitting in this room. Still watching the same pale moon drift higher into the velvet night sky.And then I saw it.The first shadow moved across the driveway.I was at the window, as usual. Half out of boredom, half out of habit. I don’t know what I expected to see—maybe Jude’s signal. Maybe Xalor coming to fetch me like before. Maybe nothing at all. But what I did see made my stomach turn.The Lords.Leaving.Not just one. Not just two.All of them.I counted the black vehicles sliding down the marble drive, slow and silent like predators retu
Jude’s POVMy jaw clenched. "He is not dead. You all know that. Banished, yes. But not gone. And if he gets his hands on the Seraphin, we will not be having meetings. We will be hiding in ash."They didn’t respond, but the air tightened.I pushed forward. "This Seraphin is under my protection. He is human. He is... still awakening.""Human?" Trask spat. "Then he is vulnerable.""Which is why I called you. I am not asking for war. I am asking for restraint."Akira leaned in. "You want us to sit back while your little pet becomes a ticking bomb?"I didn’t flinch. "He is not a pet. He is a shield. He is a key. And most of all, he is not your enemy. Unless you make him one."The silence after that was complete.I let it stretch.Xalor stepped forward. "We have evidence. Scrolls. Traces. Witnesses. The child bears the mark. The magic flares match ancient patterns."Akira narrowed his eyes. "This meeting wasn’t to warn us. It was to warn us off."I didn’t deny it."If you try to take him, t
Jude’s POVThe room smelled of fire roses and ancient incense. I stood tall, motionless, as the maids worked around me with silent, careful precision. The ritual of being dressed in Lord’s attire was not something I rushed. It was tradition. Power wrapped in velvet and shadow. And tonight, of all nights, every fold had to be perfect."You look so good, sir," one of the younger maids whispered, her voice full of awe as she adjusted the edge of my collar."Thank you," I answered, my tone soft, but regal.My eyes caught my reflection in the full-length obsidian mirror that stood at the far end of the chamber. The figure staring back was something even I barely recognized. Not just a vampire. Not just a Lord.Royalty.My Lord’s attire had been crafted centuries ago by the blind tailors of the Moon Forge, stitched with thread laced in night-silver and lined with fabric spun from shadowmoth silk. The coat itself was deep maroon—so dark it looked black in certain light—with an underlayer of
Raymond’s POVBack in my room, the weight of everything slammed down like a stone throne crushing my chest. I sat at the edge of the bed, elbows on my knees, fingers tangled in my hair. My heart wasn’t just racing anymore. It was doing backflips, side-spins, and God knows what else.Tonight.The Vampire Lords.All of them.Under Jude’s roof. In this mansion. Breathing the same air as me.My fingers clenched tighter.I wasn’t ready for this. Not mentally. Not emotionally. Maybe not even spiritually. These weren’t just some blood-hungry creatures Jude happened to know. These were apex predators. The ones the nightmares had nightmares about.I swallowed hard. My mouth was dry, but my palms were sweaty.I stood up and started pacing.Everything in my chest felt electric, like static waiting to pop. I had to be careful. I had to move carefully, talk carefully, breathe carefully. Because the smallest mistake...The smallest wrong word...Could get me turned to ash. Or worse, enslaved. Or ha
Jude’s POVThree days. That was all the time it took to arrive at the single most important night of this century. Three nights ago, I had set the summoning marks in blood and flame. Three nights ago, I sealed my will in shadow and smoke and sent it to the five other Lords scattered across the human world. And now, they were coming.Tonight.It was happening tonight.The city was quiet beneath the veil of night, but the sky itself was a different thing entirely. It was heavy. Pregnant with storm. The air didn’t move the way it normally did. It pressed.The kind of pressure that came before history.I stood in my office, staring out the tall windows. The reflection staring back at me looked like a carved god — marble skin, eyes like smoldering frost, black suit cutting a perfect silhouette.Behind me, Xalor leaned against the wall, arms crossed, always composed. But I could feel it rolling off him. The anticipation. The dread. The fire."Xalor," I said, without turning. "Do you really t