Page 44 of Forty Deaths Till Us Part

Rene nodded sadly when the silence stretched between him and the clan. “I declare those not with us today as traitors. We must declare war on the dark faction as well as the witch who leads it. Any who follow her will be terminated.”

Florence stepped forward with uncertainty plain on her face. “What about a clan head? Will you start the reselection process?”

“As Dimitri is dead to us, a new permanent clan leader will be chosen. Constantine will head this clan until you choose your replacement. I will approve all initiates personally and call an election when you have at least three suitable candidates selected.”

A young man I had seen with Dimitri stepped forward. “The clan has always chosen its candidates. Have protocols changed?”

Rene’s eyes flickered. “Of course they have. We have a rogue faction full of vampires led by a witch. The humans have every right to turn on both the empowered and vampire species. We have broken the accords and unless the candidates prove their top priority is our survival, I will not accept their candidacy.”

I glanced at Constantine and despite his new elevation, he looked angrier than ever. I winked at him and noticed several members gasp. The young man who had been speaking looked at me like I had lost my mind.

“He is really very sweet,” I said before I considered Constantine may not like me defending him.

Cass grunted and covered her mouth. “Only to you, honey.”

Constantine gave Cassara a dirty look but remained quiet.

The young man swallowed nervously. “How do we stop the attacks? Now that the dark faction has been discovered, they will inundate us with that poisonous compound.”

I leaned toward Rene. “Buy up all the Star Canyon. If they don’t have the plant, they can’t make more. It isn’t something they can mass produce. The seeds are too rare.”

Rene nodded. “We will ensure the supply of the compound is very limited, but until we put the rebel witch down, protective protocols will remain in place.”

Florence nodded. “What about the vampires that have turned to Dimitri’s cause? They continue to try and recruit those within the clan. They will try the others soon.”

Rene’s eyes narrowed. “Dimitri has attempted to get you to join his rebellion? Since he left the clan?”

Several vampires nodded while others looked around, just as curious of the answer as Rene was.

Florence sighed. “He asked me to train the fledglings he took with him. The young are impressionable, and it pains me to admit we have failed them.”

My eyes roamed the cluster of vampires until they rested on Julian. There was a sense of relief that the man Rene and I had chosen together had stayed with the clan. It made me wonder how deep the betrayal of those who left Rene was on the overseer’s soul.

Several other clan members regaled stories of Dimitri contacting them and trying to convince them that Rene was on the brink of madness and that a stable leader must be chosen. That the new leader must be a member of Shadow Bone, or the other clans will consume them.

Rene hissed. “That is pure idiocy. His actions could incite another clan war. Us fighting against ourselves will ensure our destruction. Things are not as they once were. The humans outnumber us a thousand to one, but if we tip that balance, we ensure our starvation.”

Rene’s jaw ticked. “What of Dimitri’s brother? What made Davon turn against the clan?”

Val stepped forward. “Quinn and I have been looking into Davon’s activities since his betrayal. I don’t believe Dimitri knew that his brother was working behind his back to depose you. Davon was reported to be in the Shadow Demon clan the month before his return to Shadow Bone, but when we checked with the clan head, they reported Davon was never there.”

Rene huffed. “He was busy conspiring against us.”

Val nodded. “It appears so.”

Rene rolled his shoulders. “Then Constantine was correct. Brigid used Davon to bring Dimitri to her cause. He allowed his fear of losing power within this clan to cloud his judgment.”

I stared up at Rene. “What do we do now?”

CHAPTER 17

Several clan members began to speak at once and Rene held up his hand to still the confusion and fear.

“I assure you that Constantine and I will answer all your questions. We wish to gather any additional information on Dimitri and those who left with him. We will be looking for any clues as to their whereabouts and appreciate your willingness to help.” Rene lowered his voice before he leaned toward me. “This will take some time. Why don’t you and Cass check on the training facility and see how debris removal is progressing before you retire to our suite? I will join you later.”

Constantine touched Cassara’s shoulder. “You will remain with Raven until Rene returns to their suite.”

Cassara’s eyes flickered. “I had no intention of leaving her, numbskull. I have been protecting her since the moment I saw her.”