Page 42 of Claimed By Fangs and Darkness

I wasn’t the girl Kylo first fell in love with. At what point would I become so far removed from my original form that he no longer even recognized me?

In some moments, it was hard for me to even recognizemyself.

Yet, here I sat, in a room full of vampires who no longer regarded me with blatant distrust. They absorbed me into the fold, the bulk of their energy and attention focused on the horizon now. The promise of a better tomorrow.

I wanted to be there too. I didn’t want to imagine the born above us, moving into the city and instating unjust laws. Were they burning more ancient texts? Rounding up witches?

My fists clenched, my skin hot and itchy.

“We’re going to infuriate them,” Kylo said. “Commander Lachlan, your unit is going to continue protecting these kids. Born authorities will target professors and students and try to replace all curriculum with their own propaganda. It’s the oldest trick in the book.”

A tendril of Kylo’s power curled around my ankle under the table, as if in a show of comfort.

“Take out as many as you can. When they’re on their way to feeding clubs. When they’re on the hunt. The moment they think they’ve gotten away with something, take them out like the rabid beasts they are,” Kylo said. “Calculated, never passive.”

Lachlan nodded. “Understood.”

He was mid-height, blond, with angular features but soft brown eyes. He could almost pass as Idris’s brother. I was focusing on remembering everyone’s names and magickal signatures so I wouldn’t dwell on the idea of mortals in danger. Lachlan oversaw the clan’s presence on Etherdale University’s campus.

“Can we make sure libraries have added protections?” I asked Kylo. “Or perhaps move certain texts underground?”

“We did that for witch texts,” Lachlan offered. “They’ll likely target social sciences next, particularly history.”

Kylo nodded, sweeping his dark gaze to mine. “Of course, baby.”

His pet names in front of this powerful room of vampires made my stomach flutter and cheeks heat.

“Don’t be afraid to speak up,” he said to me. “You’re a part of this.”

The conversation continued, and I learned more about the inner workings and far reach of the clan than ever before.

“How much time does the Serpent Clan need?” a lithe, lethal-looking woman with a shaved head asked. Her hands were in her pockets, her green eyes sharp.

“Two months minimum,” Kylo responded. “Their forces combined with the clans of Terasette and we could absolutely withstand King Earle’s army and keep Etherdale in our grasp. We’d become the central hub of the revolution.”

In his eyes was a righteous fire, his words a command to the fates.

“The born don’t want war. They know what war means for their precious mortal blood supply. Their hope is pushing us into battle quickly, crushing us absolutely with a large fleet, and being done with it all. That’s what they did to Zander’s clan. They believe we’re mostly isolated, dispersed, and weak. But once we take this city, combine forces, and solidify alliances with shifters and witches, we will be poised to take the realm the same as Rune took Valentin.”

Blade nodded. “We’ve already put in the groundwork. Anyone on the fence will be forced to choose, and their choice will become obvious. We have an entire web of allies across the realm. And perhaps Valentin would join us once the clans have all risen from the underground.”

At this, Kylo’s eyes sparked. It was cute how much he looked up to Rune.

When Kylo first told me the born were going to replace all mortal leadership and institutions with their own and employ force to do so, I was aghast that the clan would allow that to happen. But after listening to the intellect, power, and steadiness of the surrounding vampires, I’d been sufficiently humbled. They didn’t want Earle to send a fleet before we wereprepared to face the full might of his army. Right now, we were only dealing with the regional forces of Lord Conrad.

I was new to all of this. But these vampires had been at it for decades. My anxiety would remain, but at least Idris was safe underground.

We didn’t just have safety; we had realpowernow.

No more running. It was the borns’ turn to run.

“We’re low on magickal supplies,” a man in the back of the room said. “Looting Valentin’s imports is becoming far more dangerous, especially with their own clan conflicts. Not to mention King Earle’s obsessive hoarding. He wants us starving for weapons, poisons, and blood replenishing potions.”

“Why does Rune still allow exports to the kingdom?” a woman muttered angrily.

Kylo shook his head. “He has no choice. He’s doing what’s best for the mortals under his protection. No one wants war. As inevitable as it may be.”

Something was brewing in Kylo, at the mention of his most worshipped idol. I wondered what he was thinking. He glanced at the clock.