41. Damien

Fury churnsinside me at the sight of Viktor standing over Eliza’s unconscious body, yet, a sliver of doubt wedges itself into my heart.

“Viktor!” I call out his name, and his head whips around, eyes wild and bloodshot.

He stands, wiping his mouth, staring at me as if seeing me for the first time.

He’s high from consuming so much blood at once. And I’m going to use it to my advantage.

“Damien,” he growls. “What are you doing here? How did you find me? How did you get here?”

His confusion seems to be overwhelming his need to attack, which is exactly what I need right now.

“I found you because I know you,” I say simply. “And I’m here to make you an offer.”

“What kind of offer?”

“An offer for you to return to the clan and face judgement for what you’ve done.”

His laughter is bitter, filled with a darkness that chills me to the core. “Judgment?” he says. “You think there’s a place for me in your clan after this? After I turned my back on everything we stood for?”

“If you haven’t killed a human or bitten a supernatural, there’s a chance,” I press on, clinging to the laws that have governed us for centuries. “The Guardians won’t hunt you down. We can argue for rehabilitation.”

Viktor’s gaze drifts to Eliza’s still form. For a moment, his face softens, twisted with regret and something akin to sorrow.

Maybe there’s still hope for him.

Then, as quickly as it appeared, the hardness returns.

“You think there’s redemption for me?” He shakes his head and chuckles. “I’ve made my choice, Damien. And so have you, by coming here.”

I step closer, every instinct screaming that this is a pivotal moment between the two of us.

I won’t mess it up.

“Viktor, listen to me,” I say slowly, carefully. “This isn’t you. The man I knew—the warrior who stood by my side, my brother in arms—wouldn’t have followed Lucas so blindly. He wouldn’t have succumbed to such... darkness.”

“That man was a fool,” he snaps, voice rising. “A fool who believed in fairness, in a just hierarchy within the supernatural world. But where did that get me? Always in your shadow, always the second to your command, never fully appreciated for my strength and potential.”

His fists clench at his sides, and I see the raw, unfiltered emotion in his eyes. It’s not just anger. It’s pain, betrayal, and darkness. It’s a desperate man clawing for control over his life and his choices.

“I’ve never viewed you as a fool,” I say, praying with everything inside me that I can help him see the light. “You were always valued, and always respected. It’s why I made you the leader of the clan’s warriors. If you felt overshadowed, it was never my intention. But you can still return. We can make things right.”

“It’s too late for promises and regrets.” He doesn’t even pause to consider my words. “Lucas and his clan understand the true nature of our kind. They embrace it. And they’re right. If we don’t adopt their ways, the shadow souls will overrun this city, and all will be lost.”

I shake my head, unwilling to give up on him so easily. “Have you forgotten everything I’ve taught you?” I ask, pressing on before he can reply. “There’s always another way. Power doesn’t need to be cruel or absolute.”

“And what of Amber?” He scoffs, either not hearing what I said, or ignoring it. “Your precious project, your queen-to-be, the star touched girl you’re worshipping as if she’s a goddess herself. Do you think clouding your judgment with her makes you a better leader? A more powerful king?”

It stings to hear him say her name, and a defensive wall rises within me at the sound of it.

“My relationship with Amber has not clouded my judgment,” I tell him. “If anything, it clarified it. And her power is what’s going to ensure we beat the shadow souls. You’re blind if you can’t see that.”

“Wrong.” He laughs, harsh and mocking. “You’re so obsessed with getting her to be your queen that you can’t see the forest for the trees. She’s making you weak. You think she’s your salvation, but she’s actually your Achilles’ heel.”

“Is that why you tried to kill her?” I narrow my eyes at him, my magic rising inside of me.

I have to call on every ounce of restraint to not use it against him.

“Yes,” he says, his eyes locking onto mine with a ferocity that makes my blood run cold. “And I’d do it again.”

The declaration hits me like a physical blow.

My magic is a howling storm inside me.

And then, with the force of the wind at my heels, I pounce.

But not quickly enough. He dodges my attack at the last second.

I stagger, but recover, spinning to face him with my dagger at the ready.

He’s also in fighting stance, his dagger in front of him. It’s an exact replica of mine—weapons we had forged decades ago, to symbolize our connection as brothers.

“You won’t do it,” he snarls. “You don’t have what it takes.”

“I’ve always known you’re capable of a lot, Viktor.” My voice is steel, my resolve unshakable. “It’s why I chose you. But I never thought you’d underestimate me.”

We circle each other, the tension thick, our daggers catching the dim light of the hotel room.

Then, without warning, he lunges, his blade slicing through the air toward me.

I block his blow and send him flying back with my magic.

His back hits the dresser, the items atop it clattering to the ground, but he recovers quickly.

“You can’t win this,” I tell him, prepared for his next move.

“Watch me.” He launches at me again, jolting me back into action.

From there, neither of us hold back. Our fight is a rapid exchange of thrusts, blocks, and counters, our knowledge of each other’s techniques making each move predictable yet no less deadly.

“You taught me well,” he taunts, attacking with a kick that I barely dodge.

I don’t bother replying. Instead, I summon a vortex, aiming to disorient and distract.

But Viktor’s air magic is strong. He disperses mine with a wave of his hand, smirking.

“Lucas was right,” he says. “You have grown weak.”

“Because I didn’t descend into barbarity? Because I didn’t betray my family?”

I rush toward him, and our blades clash in a shower of sparks, our faces right up against each other’s.

“You forgot who your true family is when you decided to make her your queen,” he snarls. “It’s pathetic. She doesn’t want to be with you. She only stays because you’re keeping her prisoner in the city. She sees you—all of us—as monsters.”

“That’s not true,” I growl, although I can’t ignore the itching feeling in my brain that his point can’t be completely disregarded. “She was star touched by Sunneva so she can stay and fight with us. It’s her destiny. She’s the key to defeating the shadow souls. She’s on our side.”

“According to who?”

According to Morgan, I think, but I bite it back. Viktor can’t know about Morgan’s blood magic. He’ll tell Lucas, and it will make another one of my allies a bigger target.

Besides, nothing Morgan sees is ever set in stone.

“According to the sun goddess,” I say instead.

Youre deluded, he counters, pushing harder against my blade. “Do you truly think Amber will be loyal to you? That she won’t turn on you the moment she gets a chance? That she’ll ever actually love you?”

I hesitate for a split-second, and that’s all he needs to use his magic to send me flying across the room.

I crash into the wall.

It cracks as it absorbs the force of my body.

With no time to spare, I dart out of the way just as he aims to ram his dagger through my heart.

The blade stabs the wall instead.

If I hadn’t moved away in time, Viktor would have gone through with it. He would have killed me.

He’s really and truly lost.

My magic floods my system as memories of our time together flash through my mind—a storm of emotions that howl through the room and keep Viktor from getting close to me.

The night I sired him in Cortlandt Alley, when he was exposed as a thief by infamous crime lords and left for dead.

Our first hunt together in Hell’s Kitchen, when I guided him in learning how to take only what he needs without losing control and becoming a killer.

Standing side by side at the edge of the Hudson River on the night he accepted his future as a vampire and left his human life behind.

Holding our matching daggers for the first time, a symbol of our unity and shared commitment to defend the clan against all threats.

The first time we saw a shadow soul in the subway, the seamless communication between us as we learned how to destroy it, and the realization afterward that the world as we knew it had changed forever.

Throughout all these decades, even during the toughest of times, I never dreamed we’d end up here.

But I can’t put this off forever. It’s time to get him to admit a truth he’ll never be able to come back from.

A truth that will seal his fate.

So, I lower my wind shield, ready to do what’s necessary to keep myself and the woman I’m falling in love with alive, to make sure the city doesn’t descend into darkness, and that the world as we know it isn’t lost forever.