Ivo paced in Yuri's now forr personal chambers. It hadn't taken too long for the Custodians to repair all the damage done by the battle.
He gritted his teeth, his fists clenching tightly, mind running a mile a minute. He knew just how close he'd co to death, fighting against Yuri. If he'd been a hair too late in his dodge attempt, his heart would have been destroyed instead of his lower body, killing him instantly.
If it had been just him or Armand fighting alone, they'd have been killed easily by her. And If they'd been more of them, Yuri could've used the situation against them, taking out more than one person at once. She was crazily good like that. And that was why this wasn't supposed to happen.
He wanted to be ruler of Southside but not with Yuri still alive.
He knew how… focused she could get. With the way she had been betrayed, no one knows what she'll do to bring them down. And there was nothing stopping Yuri from making a deal with Vladimir to flush them out, which would be pretty devastating.
Yes, he had a deal with Solomon. But that was for non-interference. If Yuri sohow got Vladimir to help her, no one knows if Solomon would uphold his end of the deal. He'd probably find a way to use this to extract more from them. The man was a vulture, looking for carrion. And there was now a lot of that in Southside.
His foot wore out a path on the carpet below as he paced. He hated the fact that the man stood over him like a sword, ready to fall at any mont, taking his head with him. He knew what he'd been getting into but he'd never thought it'd be like this.
This wasn't how he envisioned his rule to begin. He'd pictured that there'd be more laughter and celebration. Maybe even him sharing a glass with his new peers.
Ivo's head snapped up as the door creaked open, Amara walked in. At the sight of her, he cald a little but it wasn't enough. Amara was his balm. His strength. But this ti, the problem he was facing was much more than that.
"Oh, Ivo." She said, shaking her head as she walked closer. "There's no use worrying." She ca closer to him and held his hand, stopping his pacing. "Worrying won't solve anything. Wherever Yuri is, we won. Without you and Armand, she won't have as much vitality. The longer this drags on, the weaker she becos.
At this point, it's a waiting ga. Whatever happens, we win. Alright?"
Ivo took a deep breath, nodding at her words. "You're right." He smiled at her. "We've already won, haven't we?"
"Yes, my love." Amara smiled, giving him a kiss. "We've already won."
Ivo smiled, drawing her close into a hug. She really was his strength. Then, he drew back, raising an eyebrow. "Weren't you here for a reason?"
"Oh. right." Amara said, sheepishly. "I just got notified that Solomon is on his way."
"Shit." Ivo cursed, pulling away completely. "That man really is a vulture. I an, circling to feast before the body is even cold? Couldn't he wait?"
"There wouldn't be a war or even an opportunity for a coup if he hadn't been greedy, Ivo." Amara said. "We take the good with the bad."
Before Ivo could respond, the door opened again and Armand entered. Ivo could already see from the expression on his friend's face that whatever he was about to say, it wasn't good news.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"We lost the A X E girls." Armand said, his shoulders dropping. "I think Yuri was able to get a ssage to them and they were aware of the coup. They didn't even give us a chance. We couldn't capture or kill them. They've likely t up with Yuri by now, right?"
Ivo clenched his fists, trying to work out the tension creeping back into his body. He was tempted to start pacing again but he stopped himself, glaring at the floor like it held the answers to his problems.
Now, they won't be facing a lone woman. They'll be facing a woman with reinforcents. A woman who's also aware that it's a waiting ga. A woman who would want to strike as soon as possible, with the help of the A X E girls.
How had they let this happen?
He forced himself to return to a state of calmness at the sound of the approaching footsteps. Showing weakness in front of a rival vampire was just asking to be torn apart. They were all just animals in the guise of humans. Monsters in human skin.
"Give us the room, will you?" He said to his companions. Amara opened her mouth to ask him a question before pausing, her eyes asking the question instead.
Ivo nodded calmly at her. He needed to be alone for this.
She held his gaze for a few seconds before nodding in acceptance. She followed behind Armand, leaving the room and letting their guest enter the room.
Ivo stared as the man stalked into the room like a lion, searching for whom to devour. He was dressed impeccably, as always, but his eyes glead with that insidious hunger that Ivo once admired and had now co to loathe.
The man was eager to claim his prize and Ivo's skin crawled knowing what was about to happen.
"Solomon." He nodded in greeting. "This is a pleasant surprise, isn't it?"
"Ivo, the man of the hour!" Solomon praised. "Congratulations on your success." He said smoothly, the faintest trace of a smirk pulling at the corner of his lips. He sauntered closer, as if enjoying the mont. "Southside will be yours, as agreed. But if I may."
Ivo eyed the man in suspicion.
"May I see Yuri's body?" Solomon's smile was big enough to display his fangs. "I've always been curious about what she'd look like dead, you know?
Reviews
All reviews (0)