CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

S ofia stood in her office, boxes at her feet, staring out through her glass wall as a dozen of the carefully chosen tech experts set up half a million dollars’ worth of equipment. It was just the tip of the iceberg when it came to the total investment made by the rebellion to take over the leadership of the vampire race.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, she had been deeply committed to this cause, just as her father had been. But now...now she was beginning to question it.

She had never been a royalist and felt the Moretti’s needed to step down or evolve the way they ruled. Something needed to change. Human history proved that change was inevitable, and those countries which hadn’t, were considered communist or a state or one led by a dictator.

Sofia didn’t believe Vincent Moretti was a dictator, but any country or race with only one person in charge was never going to grow and develop. For one, nobody really knew him. Sure, he was smart, and had regular communications streamed to vampires around the world, but it was a one-way discussion.

Who was he?

What did he like?

What did he really stand for?

Sofia believed these were healthy questions everyone should ask, and not continue moving along like a sheep accepting what was. This was her fundamental issue with being led by a monarchy.

Since the beginning of their race, they had been led by a Moretti king—the first of their kind. She understood that was how they had come to be, but it didn’t mean it should always be that way.

Another question could be, what would happen when they were eventually discovered by the human race?

Having the ability to manipulate minds was their saving grace, but she knew it was just a matter of time with the invention of social media. No vampire wanted to be a lab rat, and so they were all aligned with keeping the race hidden.

She had questions, and wanted to be part of a group that would deal with these in a democratic way. And she still did. But she was now questioning the vampires she had partnered with. Especially after the other night.

Her stomach lurched at the memory.

Her father had been a staunch supporter of Roberto Russo, and had been furious when he’d heard about his beheading. The Moretti king had hunted him down and killed him for having independent thoughts and wanting to revolutionize the race.

He had wanted justice for the man. And somehow, that had become her purpose too. She had been introduced to the Russo brothers and inducted into the rebellion, and now, the rest was history. She had proven her worth and ended up being promoted to head of operations in the highest-level security program.

Her father had been so proud, and she had been thrilled to be able to make actual change. Sure, she’d been shocked the day they’d all been briefed by Stefano on the new strategy. Vampires would die, and that didn’t sit well with her. However, her father had said many a time, there were always innocent victims in war. Sacrifices were made in the name of evolution.

But were they, though?

She was not a young vampire, and had seen centuries of evolution. What she had witnessed was death at the hands of greedy and power-hungry men. Evolution happened around that.

Stefano had offered no opportunity for feedback. He was a dictator in his own way, and that was becoming more and more evident. It had concerned her from time to time, and now she knew the nagging feeling in her gut had been right.

The vampire had raped her.

She wasn’t going to sugarcoat it. He’d ripped her skirt up and shoved his cock inside her, and then coated her with his repulsive cum. Vomit rose in the back of her throat, and she wrapped her arms around herself.

Afterward, she’d gone home and lay on the floor of the shower for over four hours trying to wash his stench off. While it had washed off her skin, she would forever be scarred on the inside. Nightmares haunted her, and any time a large male came near her, she jumped, which was a problem, given most of the males she worked with were big and muscular. A few of them had noticed her reactions and given her odd looks.

As their boss, she’d had to cover it up and damn fast. While none of them were alphas, vampires considered females weaker, and it was only her smart, quick mind which had won her the coveted position. She had to maintain authority with these males. They were all predators by nature, after all.

Her focus right now was on getting her team set up and keeping away from Stefano Russo. She wouldn’t survive a repeat performance. Neither mentally nor physically.

She wondered again at the purpose of this operation. Was this the answer? Was she working for a madman?

The time for denial was over. She knew the answer.

Except now she was stuck between a rock and a hard place. If she walked away, she would lose everything, including her family and her beloved father. Worse, she’d be hunted and killed. One didn’t just walk away from the rebellion or a Russo when you’d been in a senior position.

And she strongly suspected Stefano hadn’t just had a bit of sexual fun with her the other night. No, ejaculating on her like that had been an animalistic way of marking her. Not in the way of mates, but yeah, like an animal.

And he was going to return for her.