Page 46 of Sophie’s Ruin (Crimson and Shadows #2)

We returned to the study a few minutes later, with the five clan leaders and Celeste in tow.

Just like the humans deserved a seat at the table during this meeting, the White Witches also needed to be included.

Besides, Henry and I had a plan on how to enforce the new world order, and we needed Celeste’s help to help carry it out.

Still holding my hand, Henry led me to stand in front of the oversized desk.

My gaze briefly snapped to the Battle of New Haven painting on the wall behind it.

The art piece was something I would be glad to leave behind when we moved out of the estate.

Turning away from the canvas, I faced the other vampires in the room.

Henry assumed a position to my right, with Isabelle and Wren standing beside him.

Celeste flanked my other side, and I wondered if Henry had placed me closest to her in case things went very wrong again.

Even if they did, I wouldn’t leave him. Never again.

Henry glanced at me as if he knew what I was thinking, and I gave him a reassuring smile before I faced the clan leaders again.

My gaze slid over all the perfect faces.

Thanks to me, Yvonne was the only original clan leader left.

She was also the only one who’d seen first-hand what I was capable of.

Unease rolled off her in waves as she shifted from foot to foot, her gaze cast down to the floor.

A young man with rich-brown skin and short, thickly curled hair stood to her right.

I knew his name was Remy, and he was the new leader of the Stern clan.

Thankfully, I didn’t pick up on the same air of arrogance and entitlement his predecessors had displayed when his dark brown eyes met mine.

His flawless face was open as he stared back at me, which I hoped was a good sign.

Shifting my gaze away from him, I looked at Dion Bouvier, who’d taken over after Lena.

The male was tall and slim, with a narrow face that seemed to be permanently set in a snide expression.

He stood to Yvonne’s left, and his cold, nearly translucent eyes bored into me as he lifted his chin in defiance.

I smirked at him and briefly glanced at the two remaining vampires in the room.

Adelaide had taken over after Camilla, and Delphine after Moreau.

The former had long blonde hair and pale-blue eyes, while the latter had glossy, black locks that currently sat in a topknot.

A few wispy strands were left down to frame her face, highlighting her unusual violet eyes with upswept corners.

The two females were a striking contrast to each other, standing off and to the side between Dion and Isabelle.

Their expressions were mostly neutral, if a little wary.

“Without further ado, thank you all for coming tonight,” Henry’s deep voice rang out in the study.

Gone was the brief moment of weakness he’d let me witness earlier.

Now, he was a cool, stoic presence by my side.

“Your clans have chosen you all to replace the ones who perished.” All eyes in the room darted to me.

Even Yvonne finally dragged her gaze from the floor to focus on me.

Henry’s choice of words had been intentional—he’d wanted to establish dominance, to remind them who was in charge.

“We hope that you are different from your predecessors, and that you will help us usher in a new era.”

He looked around the room at the other vampires, but all the wide-eyed, wary gazes were still fastened on me.

“Everyone in this room knows what transpired a few nights ago,” I spoke up, my voice loud and steady.

It bounced off the walls in the otherwise quiet study.

“Your former leaders crossed me, so I retaliated. The only reason you are all still standing here is because I chose to spare your lives.” I gave Yvonne a pointed look.

She swallowed thickly but held my gaze. “The past few days have proven I’m capable of great monstrosities, but I am not a monster.

You don’t have to be one, either,” I paused, letting the words sink in.

“We’re offering you a chance. A chance at a future in a new world ruled by humans, not vampires.

You can live alongside them or not live at all. ”

I could feel Henry’s rapt attention on me like a physical touch. He was enjoying this—my shameless display of power.

“A new world ruled by humans? Where would we live?” Dion asked. Not surprising he would be the first one to speak up.

“How will we feed?” Adelaide chimed in, her glacial gaze darting around the room.

I noticed Yvonne’s lips curve into an arrogant smile—she’d expected such resistance from the others. Moreover, she’d counted on it.

“You can keep some of the wealth you have accumulated,” Henry took over like I’d known he would.

After all, we’d discussed our plan of action beforehand.

“But you will have to move out of your lavish estates and give them back to the humans. As for feeding, you can take the blood you have left in your cellars with you. When you run out, you can feed from humans but do so discreetly and without harming anyone. It’s all about self-control.

That was how we survived in the past, before the Red War.

We would feed from humans, but then give them our blood to heal the bite marks and compel them to forget.

We would return to that, to leading a quiet, discreet life in the shadows. ”

Delphine snarled and jerked her head to the side, fixing her gaze on the wall. She clearly hated what we were suggesting, but was choosing not to engage. Smart.

“The rules are simple,” Henry continued. “We are not asking you to do something you haven’t done before. Vampires had lived in the shadows before the Red War. We are simply going back to how it used to be. To how it should be.”

“And what if we don’t agree to your terms?” Dion challenged.

“Ask Yvonne if you should find out what happens then,” I challenged back.

Dion’s fish eyes darted to the female who paled, looking like she was about to be sick. “I buried Emeric’s clan under a mountain. Do you want your family to meet the same fate?” I forged on. Henry and I were planning to dig them out eventually, but he didn’t need to know that.

“No,” Dion rasped, meeting my gaze again.

I wasn’t proud of what I’d done when the darkness had consumed me, but the clans would never know I felt even a smidge of regret.

All they would ever see would be the cold, menacing facade of a predator who was more powerful than them.

I hoped that would be enough to deter any thoughts of rebellion in the future.

And if it didn’t, well…we would have to find a way to squash it, hopefully without resorting to me embracing the darkness again.

“We propose a pact forged in blood to seal the agreement,” Henry said, and the clan leaders exchanged nervous glances at his words. This was where Celeste came in. In training with her, I’d been growing stronger with my light magic, but I wasn’t powerful enough for such an intricate spell.

“A blood pact?” Yvonne asked, her dark brows climbing her forehead.

Henry nodded and glanced at Celeste—a cue for her to take over.

The witch let the suspense build for a few seconds as her gaze slowly traveled over all the vampires in the room. When her perusal was finally over, she reached into her cloak and retrieved a piece of parchment.

“All I need is a drop of blood from each of you,” she said, as she walked around the desk and rolled the parchment out on top of it. I could recite the words on the paper by heart—after all, I was the one who’d written them down. They mirrored the terms Henry had laid out to the clan leaders.

Yvonne stepped closer to the desk first, peering down at the parchment atop it. Her eyes quickly scanned the paper before lifting to Celeste.

“How will this work?” she asked.

“Your blood will make it binding. If you ever break any of the rules outlined in this agreement, the spell I will place on it will alert me, and then…” She trailed off, turning her head to look at me.

“I’ll take it from there,” I said darkly, trying to infuse my voice with as much menacing energy as I could.

Yvonne paled and staggered back a step.

“We are not going to require that everyone in your clan signs the agreement,” Henry said, drawing the attention to him. “But as the clan leaders, it will be your responsibility to keep your families in line.”

“And what if we don’t?” Dion asked.

“Then you are not fit to be their leader,” Henry told him.

The look he gave him spoke louder than words, making Dion curl into himself.

“I’ll go first,” Henry said, letting go of my hand.

“The Duval clan will be a part of this contract just like everyone else,” he declared, in an attempt to show good faith.

He turned toward the desk and pricked his index finger with his claw, letting a drop of blood drip on the parchment.

“Who’s next?” Celeste asked, as Henry’s blood bloomed on the paper.

“I’ll go next,” Remy said, speaking up for the first time.

“The sooner this meeting is adjourned, the sooner I can be on my way to begin making preparations for our new way of life.” His boyish voice didn’t carry even a hint of malice, and he sounded almost relieved by the decision.

I angled my head, taking a closer look at him.

It appeared not everyone in the Stern clan was a depraved psychopath.

After he’d stepped up to the table and added his blood to the parchment, silence stretched as everyone else in the room stood unmoving, their gazes cast down to the floor.

“You do realize that when Henry said we propose a blood pact, that wasn’t really a suggestion?” I said, folding my arms over my chest.