Page 40 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

Another hush fell over the gathered vampires as everyone settled into their spots. Through the open doors, I made eye contact with as many of my comrades as possible.

“Nearly two weeks ago, Princeton was brutally murdered by the born, his body desecrated,” I began.

A few gasps broke through the silence. Some muffled sobs escaped. This was the first time I was publicly acknowledging the atrocity. My inner circle had already been made aware, but the broader clan had been kept oblivious out of an abundance of caution until we filled the power vacuum Princeton had left behind.

Evie reached for my hand and intertwined her fingers with mine. Sweet girl.

The show of tenderness despite her own mending distrust and heartbreak allowed a trickle of my own grief to leak through.

I glanced at Blade, his eyes glassy.

I let my eyes shine with loss. I wanted my clan to see my humanity, the way it did nothing to detract from my power that surged through the room in a steady hum.

“He was my mentor and my oldest friend. He was our maker. His magick will live inside this clan forever. Death is not the end. It’s just another beginning.”

Evie jolted, staring up at me. I wasn’t precisely certain of the reason for the sudden curve of her lips, but I let it fuel me, anyway.

“Do not fear grief,” I said. “We are not the born. Parts of us are still human, and we must never forsake them.”

My voice filled the space, booming with the weight of my power. I wondered if the entire underground could hear me.

I decided to give few details about the nature of Princeton’s death, especially with his killer still at large. I could see the panic ripe in the eyes of the crowd. They were looking around, assessing each other’s fear. An undercurrent of anger ripened at the same time, accompanied by smoky shadows circling at our feet.

“The born slaughtered Princeton,” I said, inhaling the strong notes of anger that permeated. Vengeful curses and hisses coiled up with the shadowed whispers. “And he chose a successor to take his place.”

Evie straightened. This brave, resilient woman showed not an ounce of the fear I could detect in her rapidly beating heart. Every pair of vampire eyes was on her petite, mortal form.

My hand moved from hers to the small of her back. We both stepped closer to each other at the same time, the subtlest of movements that were certain to have been tracked by everyone in the room.

I couldn’t help the slow curve of my lips. The clan knowing that Evie belonged to me, formally and officially, was like a shot of the strongest elixir straight into my veins.

“Princeton will be avenged,” I said, a sacred vow. The crowd erupted in uproar, and I allowed the din to rise and peak before lifting a hand. My clan hushed. “But we are stronger than ever.You will likely read and hear through the borns’ propaganda machine that it was an act of Lillian that destroyed a plot of forest two days ago.”

I grinned down at Evie. She took a steadying breath, choosing to stare into the crowd instead.

“But the truth is, it was Evie who birthed the strongest witch-conjured storm in over a century, and she did so to defend against the born and Servants of Lillian,” I said with beaming pride. It felt like I’d been waiting for years to brag about my girlfriend. “The acts of the gods Etherdale has seen in the past few months—they haveallbelonged to the witch by my side.”

The fear of what Princeton’s death meant for the clan swiftly turned into a frenzy of excitement, a readiness that mirrored my own. It was a careful balancing act, the art of leadership in a time of turmoil. I had to move with the moods of the crowd, gently guiding, never letting my mask of ultimate authority slip.

“The rumors are true. The born will take Etherdale tonight.”

No one on the dais flinched. Shadows slithered along the floor. Murmurs turned into battle cries.

All attention settled on me, desperately searching for answers.

“The born will expect us to drop our masks and come out from the shadows. And believe me when I tell you this was indeed my primary instinct,” I said. “But it would be a mistake. King Earle may be losing his ancient, psychotic mind, but his council remains keen strategists. This is an intelligence-gathering mission. It’s a ruse. They want to operate from the strongest position possible, luring us out of our stronghold and remaining a step ahead. It was intentional for us to know they were coming. The born suspect we are stronger than we’ve let on, and they’re frustrated by their lack of understanding. They’re also hoping our anger, grief, and panic in the wake of Princeton’s death has weakened our magick and our judgment. On allaccounts, we will not bend. We will not play their game. The longer we remain formless, the more decisively we can push the born out of Etherdale for good.”

I’d trained my clan in a wide array of disciplines in the realms of psychology, philosophy, war strategy, and mythology. It wasn’t aboutwhatto think. It was abouthowto think.We weren’t a disorganized mass of adolescents like the born hoped we were. We’d been strategically underestimated for decades.

The born had no fucking idea who they were up against.

“They’re not going to make this easy,” I said. “Our restraint must become its own weapon. We need as many mortals on our side as possible, and the born temporarily taking Etherdale under their control will be that catalyst. Loyalists must see the consequences of their own actions and inactions. Reality must grow darker before the shadows can deliver us from tyranny. This is the nature of the world.”

Minds processed, including Evie’s. I looked down at her, the furrow of her brows and the frown on her pink lips.

“Wewillfight from the shadows. Rest assured that pacifism is not my decree. But we are an example to the realm now. This is our story to write. We must craft a convincing narrative for all of Ravenia, a call for revolution that cannot be refused. Etherdale will be the first of many. More turned clans will join our coalition. We will destroy the current system together. King Earle himself will fall. The born do not deserve this world; and we were made to take it from them.”

I felt Evie’s power surge now. The crowd erupted in cheers and hollers. Every source of light in the space turned deep purple, illuminating the shadows with an iridescent sheen.