The Vampire's Luna

Isolde paused. "I think I forgot something at my house at the boundary," she said. "I will go pick it up." She angled her face toward the road.

"I can send someone to do it. You do not have to go through the stress."

"I'm the only one who knows what I am looking for."

"Let someone drive you then."

Isolde turned to the small, eager woman. "I need the exercise," she said, an almost languid shrug that disguised adrenaline. "Listen, Natasha. I have to do this alone. I need to ensure the king wins this war. Because if he dies, I and my child are done for. Now that the queen is labelled a traitor, I am next in line."

Natasha nodded in understanding.

Isolde, satisfied with her explanation, swept into the car. Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel as she pulled out of Blood Castles.

The road to the boundary was long. Isolde's mind ran in circles as she drove. She hoped Williams had seen the mark she left him.

*****

"Eryk, talk to me." Damien's voice cut through the air as he strode into his office at the Royal Empire. The doors slammed shut behind him.

Eryk stood by the window. He bowed his head slightly before answering. "Isolde has made her move. The meeting point is her house at the boundary. She's still being watched."

"Good. Let the viper think her nest is safe." His gaze slid across the room to the map pinned on the wall, littered with red markings of werewolf camps and vampire patrols.

"Did you give the necklace to Sage Veyron?" he asked.

"Yes," Eryk confirmed, stepping forward. "Thessa delivered him straight to the Alpha King. They remain at the boundary."

Damien let out a slow exhale.

"Who is watching Magnus?" Damien asked finally.

Eryk, reading the shift in his tone, softened his reply. "I've placed my most trusted guard with him. Doctor Thessa and his nanny, Leora, are with him as well. He's safe."

Damien turned away, his hands braced against the desk.

"Am I missing anything? Are we forgetting anything?"

"The queen?" Eryk reminded him after a pause.

His mind slipped back to the last time she had fought him. "The queen can hold her own if the situation arises." His gaze went distant, his jaw working as if chewing on the thought. "Even without her wolf, she is still a werewolf warrior. She proved that to me more times than I'd like to admit."

"I think that's it, Your Highness,"

"As soon as we win," he said, "arrest Isolde."

Eryk hesitated. He cleared his throat. "Uhm… Your Highness. The queen requested that she be informed when we are to apprehend Isolde."

He rubbed his temple. "Of course, she did," he muttered. "She means to kill her." His eyes narrowed, the predator in him recognizing the same bloodthirst in his mate. Then, softer, almost reluctantly: "In case I am not there, make sure you find every way to stop her."

Eryk's brows furrowed, skeptical. "You want me to stop the queen?"

"I understand her rage. I share it." His gaze turned inward, haunted. "But Isolde still carries my child. I am not saying she doesn't have to die. I'm saying she lives until the child is born."

Eryk swallowed hard, suddenly less certain. Still, he nodded, even as doubt gnawed at him. "I will try, Your Highness."

"Do you have vampires secretly guarding the Alpha King?"

"Yes."

"He is Williams's target."

"Okay. I think that's it. Right?" Damien asked again. His eyes flicked toward the maps, toward the reports scattered across his desk. Nothing could go wrong…nothing.

"I will keep you informed." Eryk bowed deeply before excusing himself.

Damien exhaled sharply. His hand raked through his hair, tugging until the roots ached. "If there was ever a time I needed you, Morvakar…This is it."

*****

William hands flexed at his sides. The hunger in his eyes was feral. He leaned forward, drinking in her report of the chaos brewing in Blood City. Everything he had schemed for, every ritual, every sacrifice, every humiliating rebirth as a fragile human—it was all paying off. The war is here. My redemption is here.

"You are a masterpiece," Williams whispered. "You did it. You truly did it." His grin split wide, sharklike, dangerous.

Isolde did not bask in the compliment. Instead, she leaned closer, her fingers curling into the fabric of his coat as desperation laced her words. "Listen, William. The king needs help. I don't care about the war. He cannot die."

Williams barked a laugh, throwing his head back. "Do you hear yourself? He is the vampire king! Damien could annihilate the entire werewolf kingdom if he wished." 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"He seems unsure. Don't you understand? I think the bond with the queen has something to do with it. He feels like he cannot take Kyllian."

Williams was silent for a moment. Slowly, he muttered, "That makes sense." His eyes glittered dangerously. "Of course. The mate bond—both his strength and his weakness."

"He said he would turn to Morvakar. But Morvakar lost his powers. He had to go into purgatory to retrieve them."

"What?" Williams shot to his feet.

"What? Why? Do you know him?"

Williams pushed a hand through his hair, the motion defensive and small. The mask of the predator slipped for a second. "Yeah," he said finally. "Morvakar is my father."

"Okay…" she said slowly, rising to her feet. "We are getting off track here. You have to help Damien."

Williams snorted. "Fine. Now I miss my rogue vampires," he said, eyes flicking to the window as if imagining old allies slipping back into the city's alleys. "Looks like this is up to me."

"Thank you. Thank you so much." Gratitude in her tone was genuine for the first time—less a performance, more a brief, honest pulse. She stepped forward and placed her hand over his in a quick, conspiratorial squeeze. "We have to leave. The war will start any minute." The urgency in her voice refitted the pieces of the plan into place.