Chapter 14

CHAPTER 14

C onstantine stood over Cassara as her shoulder made a cracking noise, and she hissed. "You are healing faster than expected. How long until you are mobile?"

Cass pushed herself to a sitting position in Rene's bed. He had Con place her there, so she was involved in our conversation about Brigid and Davon's treachery. None of us believed Dimitri had suspected his brother was working behind his back, but Davon's motives were clear. He wanted Dimitri in charge. "Get me a glass of blood."

Rene grabbed a bottle from the minibar and poured it before handing it to Constantine. The burly warrior sat at the edge of the bed and held the glass to Cassara's mouth. There was a gentleness to his actions, and Cass wrapped her fingers around his hand.

I sat on the chair in the room, but sighed loudly when Cass released the glass. "Cass, what was Davon talking about? What proposal did you turn down?"

Cass grunted. "After repeated attempts to get me in bed, Dimitri sent his brother with a formal proposal. It outlined bonding with Dimitri and his intention to support me as the next clan leader."

Constantine's eyes flickered. "He proposed a politically-motivated bond?"

Cass nodded. "Can you believe that shit? I told him to take a flying fuck, and he never made any additional overtures after that. Honestly, I never thought more about it until Davon mentioned it. That was over fifty years ago."

Constantine's eyes remained on Cassara as she rolled her shoulder. "Rene, I wish to challenge Dimitri. I know Cassara did not tell you about this proposal, but that was a disgrace. He was attempting to use her position as your personal adviser as a way to retain power. He will seek to align with a weak-minded female that he can control in order to regain power over the clan."

Rene shook his head. "Dimitri is a virtual pariah now. He will never hold any position of power within the clan."

I stood from the chair. I had changed from my beautiful dress to simple black capris and a white blouse with a tan jacket, while Cass was healing. "That could make him more dangerous. He has nothing to lose."

Con turned to me. "Do you believe he will attack Rene? He is no match for him physically."

Cass pushed on Con's shoulder, forcing him to move before she got up from the bed. She pulled off the long formal leather jacket that signified her as my attendant for the ceremony. Her leather tank top was tucked into her belt, adorned with various weapons. "Dimitri won't go after Rene. He will go after Raven. Once he rebounds from his brother's death, she will be his target."

Con shrugged off the long leather jacket that matched Cassara's and tossed it on the bed. "He will die painfully if he comes anywhere near her." His muscles bulged, and I pursed my lips before Cass gave me a dirty look.

"Don't say it, Raven."

"I wasn't... it's just there is a lot you could do with..."

"He basically decreed that everyone in every clan refer to you as the queen. We don't call Rene king, so you technically have more power than he does."

"Wh... what?" I stammered. My eyes moved to Rene. "That isn't true, right?"

Con shrugged. "It is."

My jaw dropped, and I placed both hands on my hips. "Why would you do something so stupid? Everyone practically hates me already."

Cass sighed. "Because Rene would turn into something that even Constantine couldn't stop if you died. With Rene's evolution at hand, you are the only thing that can keep him sane through it. You are the most important vampire alive."

I blew out a breath. "No pressure."

Rene walked over and kissed my cheek. "Do not concern yourself with..."

The entire mansion shook, and the chandelier danced in the room. Constantine and Cass grabbed their weapons, but the vibrations stopped right before the shouting. Cass grabbed her phone before hissing.

"There was an explosion in the training facility. Val and Quinn want us down there now," Cass said.

Con opened the door. "Cass, you flank. We take no chances with Raven's life."

I expected Cass to balk at the order, but she nodded her ascension without a flicker of irritation.

Con disappeared into the hallway before Rene guided me through the exit. There was nobody on the upper floor and Cass followed after us with her staff in her hand, though it wasn't extended.

We made our way down the stairs and to the hall to the training facility, but I inhaled the smell of burnt wood before we entered the massive room.

As I stepped through the large door of the training facility, my heart squeezed at the horrifying sight. The place the death dealers had used as a sanctuary for honing their skills was now engulfed in orange flames that consumed the walls and sent black smoke billowing into the air. It replaced the familiar scent of wood and metal with the malevolent stench of destruction.

The exterior wall bore a gaping hole that looked as though it had been hit with a missile, shattering the concrete and metal like fragile glass. I froze as my eyes took in the surreal scene. The majority of the training center had been ripped apart, leaving behind only chaos and devastation. Cass made a strangled noise as her eyes moved over the loss of her personal sanctuary.

The training apparatus that had once stood proudly beneath the massive, vaulted ceiling now lay buried beneath mounds of debris and rubble. The place where Cass had spent countless hours training her death dealers, perfecting their techniques, and forging unbreakable bonds with her team was now reduced to a heap of smoking ruins.

It scattered broken and partially-burned weapons across the charred floor, their usually gleaming edges now dulled by the fire's touch. These tools had once been wielded with precision and finesse and seeing them in such disarray was like a punch to the gut. Cass looked like she was ready to skewer whoever was responsible and she had Constantine to back her up. His face was a mask of fury.

Val approached her with his hand on his weapon. He was forced to sidestep a pile of rubble. "Nobody was hurt, but the integrity of the exterior wall is compromised. We will need a human crew if we want debris removal and construction to continue during the day."

Rene's jaw ticked. "I do not want anyone on site that we can't trust. Who is responsible for this?"

Val's lips pursed. "Brigid blasted the wall, but Dimitri met with her and left with over fifty clan members. They have fled the mansion."

Rene's eyes flickered red. "What?"

Val glanced at Constantine, whose eyes blazed with red fire. "Several clan members witnessed Dimitri talking to Brigid after she magically bombed us. Then they all left."

"He joined the dark faction?" I whispered.

Constantine glanced at the smoking hole in the wall. "The witch played us."

Cass and Rene glanced down and while they seemed to know what Constantine was talking about, I didn't. "What does that mean?"

Con clipped his staff back on his belt. "Davon was a traitor, but he had no political pull, nobody who would follow him."

My eyes widened. "She used Davon to get to Dimitri."

Cass nodded. "Every kill was meant to seed frustration and discord. She chose vampires that would upset the clan and ensure they wanted new leadership. Dimitri already had a massive following and many of the clan believed Rene was on the brink of madness. He wasn't a traitor... until we killed his brother."

Constantine shook his head. "She manipulated Dimitri as easily as her own coven."

Rene's face hardened. "I want a list of every vampire who left with Dimitri. Once they take action against us, they will be considered traitors, and every warrior and death dealer will hunt them until they are dust upon the earth."

Rene grabbed my hand and led me from the smoking room as Constantine and Cass followed behind us. He said nothing as he led me to the foyer, where dozens of vampires stood with shocked faces. Some had smudges of smoke and they looked as if their entire world was about to collapse.

When he stopped at the edge of the hallway and scanned the room, I leaned toward him. "What do you mean by take action against us?"

Rene raised his voice. "Once a vampire turns on his or her clan, they have broken our laws. There may be those who have been misguided or threatened into leaving with Dimitri the traitor. If any clan member returns before unsanctioned actions against their clan, then there will be no punishment imposed. As it stands, any who oppose us are under a death sentence to be carried out by the death dealers or the warriors."

Several well-dressed clan members stared at Constantine, but it was a young vampire who spoke up. "The warrior is staying here?"

Constantine stared at the tiny man with open hostility. "This clan is a disgrace. Rene has been far too lenient with your political stupidity. I will bring more warriors from the Shadow Phantom Clan to ensure both Rene and Raven's safety and to restore order to this traitorous clan. I will not tolerate this uprising."

The young man who spoke up stepped back. "Can we contact the people who left with your permission? Try to get them to return?"

Rene nodded. "Email them or use whatever means necessary to get them to see reason. Constantine has my full support. They have little time. Once Dimitri acts against us, this concession is over."

The quiet in the room was palpable and Cass stared at the floor as if she had personally failed Rene. While he would never see it that way, Constantine's eyes were on Cassara as well. Hurting the clan was one thing, but making Cass feel like she had failed was something else. Dimitri had made the deadliest enemy on earth, and I had no desire to witness the pain that traitor would endure.

Rene's cell phone made me jump as he pulled it from his jacket before reading the text. "Manu thinks he has found the last page. Val, is the conference room still intact?"

Val nodded. "Only the training facility was damaged. It was hit in the center of the exterior wall, so as long as we avoid this room, we should be okay."

I touched Rene's arm. "I can use magic to reinforce the conference room." I thought about the destruction. "It would take more power to fix the training facility with magic than manually, though."