Page 35 of Viktor’s Temptation (East Coast Territory #2)

Viktor paced through the grim chamber, his movements deliberate and predatory, his sharp gaze sweeping over the walls of aged, crumbling brick.

The dark red bricks bore the scars of decades of soot and grime, their surfaces streaked with the oily residue of smoke and ash.

Rusted chains dangled ominously from iron rings embedded in the walls, and the air reeked of old blood, scorched flesh, and despair.

The faint flicker of a single bare bulb hanging from the ceiling cast eerie shadows across the uneven stone floor, which was stained dark in places with splatters of long-dried blood.

Along one side of the room, an ancient brick furnace sat like a malevolent relic of the past, its heavy iron door ajar.

Inside, faint embers glowed in the blackened interior, radiating residual heat that whispered of the horrors it had witnessed.

“This is definitely the place,” Viktor growled, his voice low and lethal, resonating with fury as his silvery eyes scanned the grotesque scene.

“There’s blood on the floor and chains on the walls,” Trent added, crouching near one of the shackles.

He touched the rusted metal, lifting it to his nose and sniffing.

The scent of fear and anguish clung to the iron, making his stomach churn.

Disgusted, he let it drop against the brick wall with a hollow clang.

“The incinerator is still hot,” Mikail announced grimly, his hand brushing over the cracked iron door. He peered into the furnace, the faint orange glow reflecting in his eyes. “Whoever was here wasn’t expecting us.”

The three vampires stood together, their powerful presence filling the room.

Each of them took in the horror etched into every corner: the dark streaks on the floor that told tales of lives extinguished in agony, the ominous chains that had once bound innocent victims, and the suffocating air of hopelessness that clung to the walls like a specter.

A faint shuffle of footsteps echoed from the next room, shattering the heavy silence. The three of them moved as one, pressing their backs against the wall near the doorway. Their bodies coiled with deadly precision, ready to strike.

Moments later, a man stepped into view. He was a vampire, carrying a limp woman over his shoulder. Her jeans and sweatshirt were torn, her bare foot dangling limply, and her tangled brown hair obscured her face. She was unconscious, her arms swinging like a broken doll’s as he moved.

The man, oblivious to their presence, gently lowered the woman onto the filthy floor. His hands trembled as he brushed her hair back from her pale face. “I’m sorry,” he rasped, his voice thick with desperation. Then, moving with agonizing slowness, he began attaching rusted manacles to her ankles.

The acrid stench of blood and burnt flesh masked the presence of Viktor and his men, allowing them to wait unnoticed. The man sighed heavily, straightening and turning—only to find himself face-to-face with Viktor.

Viktor’s hand shot out, his fingers closing around the vampire’s throat and lifting him clean off the floor. The man gasped and clawed at Viktor’s arm, his feet kicking helplessly in the air.

“What gives you the right to kidnap humans?” Viktor demanded, his voice a dangerous whisper that sent shivers down Trent’s spine.

The vampire’s eyes widened in terror. “I… I have to!” he choked out, his words strangled by Viktor’s iron grip. “My lord ordered me to! He said he’d… put me through the process again if I didn’t find more victims!”

Viktor’s eyes narrowed, his grip tightening. “Who is your lord?”

“Lord Dave!” the vampire wheezed. “He’s… coming back! I have to build him an army!”

The sharp sound of movement in the adjacent room drew their attention. Viktor motioned silently to Trent and Mikail, and the two moved with predator-like grace to flank the doorway. Viktor shifted his hold on the vampire in his grasp, tightening his grip just enough to keep him silent.

Another vampire entered the room, this one taller and more experienced.

His gaze flicked over the woman on the floor and then landed on Viktor.

His eyes widened in shock, and he turned to flee—but Mikail was faster.

In a blur of motion, he slammed the vampire to the ground, pinning him with one knee.

“Who the hell are you?” Mikail demanded, his voice cold and sharp as a blade.

The second vampire struggled, his eyes darting around the room until they landed on Viktor. Recognition and fear flooded his face. “My lord!” he gasped.

Trent stepped closer, his voice low and menacing. “You’ve been killing humans, Johnny. Did you really think no one would find out?”

Johnny tried to protest, but Trent’s hand around his throat silenced him. “Is this your idea of challenging Viktor’s leadership?” Trent growled. “Transitioning humans without permission, killing them when they don’t survive? Do you even understand the punishment for what you’ve done?”

Johnny glared defiantly but said nothing. His silence only deepened Viktor’s fury.

Johnny’s resolve crumbled under Viktor’s steely gaze, his confidence draining away like water through a sieve. Beads of sweat dotted his brow as he swallowed hard, his Adam’s apple bobbing nervously. Finally, he broke. “He’s… he’s nearby. Dave said he’d meet us here soon.”

Viktor’s eyes narrowed, their silver glow intensifying like a predator honing in on its prey.

His towering frame cast a long shadow over Johnny, amplifying the menace in his stillness.

“Dave,” Viktor repeated, his voice low and edged with lethal intent.

“He’s the one transitioning humans without permission? ”

“Yes,” Johnny whispered, then hesitated, his gaze darting to the others as though weighing the consequences of what he was about to say. His voice dropped to a shaky murmur. “But he’s not the one in charge.”

Trent’s head snapped toward Johnny, and Mikail straightened from where he’d been securing the other vampire with reinforced wires. “What do you mean, ‘not the one in charge’?” Trent demanded, his tone hard.

Johnny flinched but didn’t look away from Viktor, the weight of the clan leader’s gaze pinning him in place. “There’s someone else,” he said, his voice cracking. “A puppet master behind the scenes. Dave calls him… Cerberus.”

Viktor’s expression darkened, his jaw tightening as his mind turned over the revelation. “Cerberus?” he repeated, his voice sharp and precise. “Who is he?”

Johnny shook his head quickly, his eyes wide. “I don’t know! I swear! Dave said Cerberus is the one funding everything—the transitions, the setups, the dumps. Dave’s just… the middleman.”

Viktor’s lip curled into a snarl. “And you expect me to believe that you don’t know anything else?”

“I’m telling the truth!” Johnny stammered. “Dave keeps it all to himself. He doesn’t tell anyone where the money comes from or how Cerberus contacts him.”

Viktor’s patience snapped like a coiled spring.

He grabbed Johnny by the collar, lifting him off his feet effortlessly.

“And yet you helped him,” Viktor growled, his voice so low it was almost a rumble.

“You’ve been complicit in his atrocities, and now you’re trying to save yourself by feeding me scraps of information? ”

Johnny whimpered, his hands scrambling to grip Viktor’s unyielding arm. “I didn’t have a choice!” he pleaded. “Dave said Cerberus would come after me if I didn’t do what he wanted!”

Viktor dropped Johnny unceremoniously to the floor, where he crumpled into a heap.

The clan leader turned his attention to Charlie, who was still slumped against the brick wall, trembling.

The flickering light of the old crematorium’s bulb threw shadows across Charlie’s face, accentuating his haunted expression.

“Charlie,” Viktor said evenly, his tone softening but still commanding. He crouched down to meet the fledgling vampire’s gaze. “Tell me everything you know.”

Charlie’s shoulders shook, and he hesitated, his hands curling into fists on his lap.

“I was just a guy,” he rasped, his voice raw with emotion.

“I worked in IT, went to the dog park, planted roses in my garden.” His eyes squeezed shut as if trying to block out the memories.

“Then one night, I was walking home, and I got… grabbed. Next thing I know, I’m shackled in this place.

Dave and some other guy—Johnny, I guess—they brought people in, over and over, chaining us up like animals. ”

Viktor stared at the man, using his mind to force the truth out of him.

Suddenly, the vampire’s voice cracked, and he looked up at Viktor with desperate eyes. “I didn’t want to do this! They starved me, tortured me, until… until I couldn’t stop myself. I drank from them! From people who were alive!” He let out a choked sob. “I didn’t even know what I was doing.”

Viktor stood, towering over Charlie, his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and resolve. “You’re not to blame,” Viktor said firmly. “But you will help us stop Dave and Cerberus.”

Charlie nodded weakly, his tears streaking through the dirt on his face. “Whatever it takes.”

Mikail, who had been listening intently, stepped forward. “We’ll need to secure this place and keep it under watch. If Dave is on his way, we can’t let him slip through our fingers.”

Viktor nodded, his silver eyes gleaming like molten steel. “Agreed. And Johnny,” he said, turning to where the restrained vampire glared defiantly, “you’re going to make yourself useful. Because if you don’t, I’ll make sure you regret every choice you’ve ever made.”

Johnny’s face paled, and he finally dropped his gaze to the floor.

Viktor’s mind raced with the new information, but his anger burned hottest at the thought of Cerberus, an unknown threat pulling strings from the shadows.

As much as Viktor wanted to find Dave and end his reign of terror, he knew the true fight lay with the faceless monster orchestrating it all.

And Viktor was determined to bring him down—no matter the cost.