Prologue

Leandro

I kept toward the back of the launch as I watched the other vampires mingle in the dark. I'd never much liked it when the entire Fondatori gathered in one place, but my don, or king as he liked to think of himself, had commanded it, and I had no choice but to obey.

Many true-blood vampires would have considered it an honor, but I tried to stay out of the politics of the vampire world. I'd been living long enough that I wanted very little to do with any of them. My don had been alive longer. My uncle and one of the more interesting of the entire Fondatori.

He was two paces ahead of me and just to one side, also waiting and watching. We weren't the last to arrive and head to Seafarer's Island, but not by much. I had been able to see Nikolai's car pull into the bay not long after we had got on the launch.

The squire at the wheel of the launch had either not noticed another Fondatori arrive, or chosen not to. Either way, I was glad we had gone unnoticed. There were plenty of us on this one.

My uncle, Aldo, was one of the oldest vampires who would be present today and also a true-blood. All the Fondatori were true-bloods. There would be twelve of them arriving tonight, and each one was the had of a mafia family. A vampire family. I was my uncles chosen to take over whenever he decided he was done. I knew this much, but I'd not officially accepted.

Since he'd called me here, I had been terrified that he was finally going to ask me to serve. Thankfully, he hadn't yet and we were almost at the island.

The launch pulled up to the neutral area. We had been meeting here since our kind had arrived on the new world and no one saw any reason to change it.

I wasn't a fan of the pomp and ceremony, but I did understand the need for our next encounter. As the squire steered our launch around to the far side of the island and away from the docking area visible to most humans, we came up to a barrier of sorts. A long time ago, magic users close to one of the Fondatori families had added a protection to the meeting place. No one could pass through if they didn't have vampire blood within them.

I had never enjoyed passing through the barrier, although I had only ever been summoned here with my uncle on a couple of occasions. It took its time to assess all of us, holding each of us stationary and fixed while it did. Being held in place in such a way was far easier if we didn't resist, but it was instinctive to tense up and try to move. Only a great deal of self control saw me through the process, but I managed it. Aldo, as always, seemed not to notice it had even happened.

As soon as we came through and were out the other side, everyone on the boat visibly relaxed and we slowed to glide gently into the private dock tucked into the back of the island and barely visible until right upon it.

If my uncle knew why we had been summoned, he hadn't told me, but I got the impression that some of the others were in the dark. "Ashikaga called for us to come," my uncle said quietly as he leaned toward me. "We will find out why in a few moments. I insist that you hear this out and then I will speak to you when this is over."

I nodded, not uttering a word as our whispering already drew attention from the others.

With that my uncle led the way for our family up the embankment to the main property. The building ahead was made of stone. A stone from our home country, Italy. It had been dismantled from its original site and then rebuilt here, something I considered an unnecessary expense, but the Fondatori liked their traditions.

As we reached the side entrance of the sanctuary, a safe place for all vampires where no blood is permitted to be shed, my uncle unsheathed a dagger he always had with him. An amethyst adorned the hilt and from my understanding, it held the power of our family within it.

The dagger was considered the most precious possession of the family and it granted the wielder extra benefits. Apparently. I'd never been told what they were and I doubted my uncle planned to. If it was a rumor then It was less worth killing over.

In the past Fondatori kings had been murdered just so they could be the one to control the dagger. It was why I didn't have a father in this world anymore. My father had been our clan's don since long before I was born, but when I was still young one of the other don members had rebelled and tried to kill my father. My uncle had gotten there just in time to save the dagger and make the murderer pay for his crimes, but not in time to save my father. Adlo had been like a father to me ever since.

I didn't want to become part of the leadership if I could help it, but I reluctantly agreed to help my uncle when he had little choice but to ask me. He also had never wanted the power and it suited us both just fine to hold usurpers at bay and carry on the family legacy with as little ruffling of feathers as possible and very little attention drawn to ourselves.

With the dagger out on show briefly, I considered even getting to see it an honor. My uncle cut his hand with it and then inserted the blade into a small slit on the door. At the same time he put his now bloodied palm on a scanner on the other side, the sweet tang of his blood hitting my nostrils only a fraction of a second later.

I ignored the smell, glad I had eaten before I came. I'd made that mistake the first time. I'd had no idea this would take so long or be so taxing and assumed I could have a morsel when I was done. My stomach had rumbled and it had earned me a reprimand from my uncle afterward that I would never forget. Showing weakness wasn't a good idea here. Not even among Fondatori who had once agreed to share the power.

Since then I had worked out how to appear aloof, confident and ready for any attack that might come my way. It was how we survived.

After turning the blade like a handle, Adlo opened the door and led the way into the hall of the Fondatori kings. Similar to the tales of old kings, the table in the hall was circular with no section bigger, taller or marked in any way other than the twelve identical chairs that sat around it.

Throne would have been a more appropriate description. They were large metal and ornate and too heavy for any human to move. There were seven kings already here including Ashikaga Hikotake. He rules the clan in Kyoto currently and greeted everyone who had come as if they were personal friends, at least, he did each don.

After Adlo returned his bow, our summoner turned to me only briefly. "It is good to see you again, Leandro. It would do your late father proud to see you here among us looking so much like him, I am sure."

"He does us all proud."

"He does indeed." Ashikaga motioned toward our chairs, his palm out, up and flat by way of showing us he meant no harm and was fully welcoming. We've set a chair out for you near your uncle's, Leandro. Please, both of you make yourselves comfortable. The rest of our Brethren will be here shortly."

I had to stop myself frowning at the vampire king moved away to greet the next. He had given us no indication of why we were here.

If it frustrated my uncle, he didn't give any hint away either, but moved to his throne. He sat in it and I took up the chair behind and to his right, symbolic of me being his official right hand. I didn't like having to sit in the so obvious seat and have everyone here think I wanted this position, but for now there was little I could do but behave and wait.

We didn't have to wait for long before the final set of guests arrived. With that Ashikaga continued his greetings, making it clear he held more warmth for some than others. He briefly glanced across the table to someone on our right, his look far less welcoming and cold than any had been so far.

The look was brief, however, and he was soon in his own position. He didn't sit but stood in front of his own throne and addressed the hall.

"Thank you all for making the trip," he said, pausing to look around. "I apologize for interrupting your busy lives but have called this gathering because there is news."

The way he said news had some of the Fondatori glancing between each other, even if they were trying to be surreptitious about it.

"Two nights ago, Heinrich Rainier was dispatched to his final death. Leon Miller and his seethe have assumed power of Berlin." He gestured to the man he'd given the cold stare to earlier. He looked like an oversized gorilla in a much too expensive suit. The man looked more than a little smug and leaned in his chair. "By the laws of the Fondatori, when the Rainier clan was ended and Miller and his seethe took possession of the tiger's eye dagger, he assumed control of the Berlin seat."

Chaos broke loose as Fondatori threw accusations and questioned all sorts. I closed my eyes for a moment ans zoned it all out. This was exactly the sort of thing that I had wanted to avoid. Vampire politics. It was always death and destruction and plotting to kill. While I could kill, I saw no pleasure in killing for the sake of greed. I would kill when it gained me something more important. Something I actually wanted. And I wanted little to do with these idiots.

Eventually Ashikaga called for quiet and reminded everyone of the laws. It didn't matter that Miller was a half-blood vampire. One turned and not created. This wasn't a true blood, but they had a dagger.

I carefully took in the scene around the room. The diamond dagger king, I couldn't remember his name, was showing signs of being the angriest, although he hid it well. I was sure they had been friends a long time.

"Do we have proof of death?" a voice called out.

I didn't see who it was, but Miller reacted, grinning just enough the tips of his fangs showed through.

"I thought you'd never ask." Miller lifted two fingers and signaled his second. The brute behind him, barely fitting into his suit any better, lifted a remote and pointed it at the table. In front of each king a viewing monitor flicked on and a video started playing.

It was worse than a home made horror film if you were a vampire. The entire family, including all four adult children were beheaded and their bodies dragged to a window to be left in the sun. I gulped, knowing something similar would have happened to me had my uncle not been there to stop it.

Most of the Fondatori tried not to react or show concern, but not all of them managed and even the ones who were experts in keeping their countenance schooled showed the subtlest of hints that they weren't okay.

"Proof of death provided." Miller smirked again before leaning back. "I assume that settles the matter?"

Some of the Fondatori leaned toward their seconds and squires, not wanting to respond without discussing it first. Adlo glanced back at me and I could see the concern on his face. This had a lot of ramifications and not just for the Brethren. It was going to put every true-blood in danger.

Ashikaga motioned for quiet again, still on his feet. "May I remind you all of the tenets we live by. Miller is Fondatori now by right."

"He cannot be Fondatori, we are true-blood and not tainted-"

"If a Fondatori King wasn't strong enough to hold his position against my pathetic ‘outlier seethe' the honor of ruling that city shouldn't have been his to begin with," Miller gloated, cutting off the critic.

"Complacency is not the same as weakness," another Fondatori, the same one who had been friends with the deceased replied. "And rest assured that after realizing someone of your ilk would challenge someone of ours, this will not happen again."

Miller shrugged as if it was nothing to him. "Hindsight can really bite you in the jugular, can't it? Doesn't matter. My sights have only ever been on the Berlin operations. There will be no threat from me or mine to any of you."

I knew what Adlo and every other vampire in the room would now be thinking but not daring to say. He had set a precedent. It didn't matter if Miller was happy to be a vampire king and a don of Berlin, but he would encourage other half-blood to try and take on the Brethren.

"With that unfortunate business taken care of, does anyone else have something they wish to discuss?" Ashikaga said, taking the sting out of the conversation and refusing to let anyone else weigh into it.

There were only a few matters that were brought up but Adlo turned to me and motioned for us to leave as soon as it was clear we weren't going to discuss the main matter anymore.

Although I didn't think my uncle had been aware of this situation before we'd got here, it made more sense why he had invited me along with him and gave me an idea that he might have had knowledge of what was coming.

We walked out in silence, however. I knew better than to say a word while we had to travel within the earshot of other vampires.

Many wanted to leave swiftly and the first launch back to the mainland was crowded. Still, I hung to one side, grateful the barrier on the way back was far less taxing.

It took several more minutes for us to be alone in my uncles car, his squire driving us back to his waiting private jet.

"Is this why you asked me to accompany you today?" I asked as soon as it was safe to talk.

"Not exactly," my uncle admitted. "I knew that the half-bloods were becoming restless and suspected someone might try something rash, but not that they had already done so and succeeded. Many of the half-bloods think you are younger than you are still, do they not?"

I nodded, already knowing where this was going. If it wasn't clearly such a serious threat I would have been refusing and walking out, but I knew I couldn't walk away from this one or I might lose the only family member I had left. While I had seen my uncle be ruthless more than once, he was still my uncle. And I didn't want to be a target either. Not that many of the clan knew I existed.

We had kept it to the Brethren. Of course, with Miller at the meeting as well as me, he might have picked up on who I was, but I couldn't only hope that he assumed I was a lucky half-blood. I hadn't ever noticed Miller paying me any attention whatsoever, nor the muscle with him.

"You want me to keep an eye on the rest of the clan?" I asked when my uncle didn't go any further.

"Ludis. I want you to keep an eye on Ludis. And if he's trying to do anything stupid, stop him and then do what you need to in order to have him removed."

And there it was. The order I had feared. My uncle had to be careful of course. He couldn't be seen to kill any clan member who hadn't moved against him publicly, but having a half-blood challenge a true-blood publicly would be a mark of weakness all of its own. Somehow I was expected to deal with it and keep my own personal hands clean.

I was going to need someone to take the hit for me, because I had no doubt that Ludis was stupid enough to try something if the wrong person started talking to him about trying it. If he persuaded anyone to join him the whole clan could fall and if too many dons were taken out, our entire way of life could go with them.