The dining hall exploded with shouting voices and slamming fists. Shifters growled their protests, unwilling to accept that the humans planned to guard only their own borders and leave others vulnerable.
This war wouldn’t end if one party decided to retreat.
"Alpha Elcar, sit down, now," Kai said firmly, his voice low but commanding as he quelled his irate commander. He could understand their feelings but forming a discord couldn’t help them win.
Lord Alekin leaned toward King Benkin, his voice a hushed warning. "He has a point. If we withdraw, it’s only fair they pull back to their borders as well. The war in this realm has ended. We destroyed those tunnels."
Across the room, tempers flared. They threw insults at each other like flying arrows, sharp and rciless.
"Cowards! Do you really think crawling back to your cozy little hos will keep the vampires away? They will sneak to your bed, kill you, and fuck your wives."
"Shut up, beast! We’re not hiding, we’re strategizing! Vampires are scattered, lurking everywhere."
The room trembled with tension, on the verge of erupting into violence, until a booming voice cut through the din.
"Silence!" King Benkin roared. His dragon aura surged through the hall like wildfire, heating the air until even the stone walls of the temple seed to sweat. Conversations stopped mid-breath as power thickened the space like smoke. His aura was hot, just like dragon breath.
"You’ve fought shoulder to shoulder for over a year," he thundered, his gaze sweeping across both humans and shifters. "Have you already forgotten what we’ve endured together? The world has changed, Luther is dead, and the vampire horde is leaderless. They won’t attack with the sa precision again. That last assault was their final coordinated strike."
The King turned to Kai. "Take your soldiers back to Thegara’s borders, near the mountain range. I trust your senses; you’ll sll them before we do."
Kai’s eyes narrowed at Alpha Elcar of the adow Pack. "Next ti, wait for to speak before stirring up chaos."
The Alpha lowered his head, ears flat, chastened. "We obey your command, Your Majesty."
Kai exhaled slowly, brushing a hand through his hair. "We’ll speak in private. But rest assured, our presence is no longer needed here. The vampires are on the move. We’ve t their lords; the rest will be easier to find."
Across the table, Minister Karon set down his spoon with a quiet clink and fixed King Benkin with a probing gaze. "Then tell us, Your Grace, why did you call for a ceasefire?"
It was the question everyone had been waiting for, unspoken on their lips but heavy in the air.
"Vampires have allies," King Benkin began, his tone steady but grim. "Sorcerers, rogues, pirates, creatures who can strike in broad daylight. I don’t want another war that leads to more ruins and more graves. Those sorcerers can summon clouds above our cities. I want to know what they want first."
But he kept his true intentions hidden behind a mask of diplomacy. He didn’t trust the man seated across from him, this man was a traitor, he was sure of it. Chancellor Oka had not acted alone, and Benkin suspected this man’s hands were just as bloodied, if not more. The family he ca from was known for its patience, and even more so for its ruthlessness.
"Is there still hope for peace?" one of the commanders asked, his voice uncertain, like a man reaching out into the dark.
The King nodded slowly, his gaze distant. "Yes. I believe a new age of peace is possible. But mark this, vampires are forbidden from killing us. If they spill even a drop of innocent blood, we’ll unleash our elite vampire hunters without hesitation."
A low murmur swept through the room, the mood shifting like a breeze. For the first ti in a long while, hope shimred in their voices. It was a dangerous hope, fragile but welco.
After dinner, Ren and Kai strolled through the narrow, lantern-lit streets of Oak Village. The quiet hum of night insects filled the spaces between their footsteps, and the breeze carried the scent of woodsmoke and earth.
"Have you decided what to do with Daniella?" Kai asked, his tone casual but laced with gravity. He still believed it would be wiser to make an example of the girl, greedy, deceitful, and dangerous. Burning her was the only option in the back of his mind. But the choice belonged to his wife.
Ren shook her head gently. "I don’t know yet. But I won’t kill her," she said with quiet conviction. "She knows too much. I haven’t seen her since her testimony, and that bothers ."
Kai’s lips tightened. "Do you rember what Sigaros said? That Victor likes her. If he does, he might try to save her."
"Would he take that risk now?"
Kai shook his head. "Not yet. He wouldn’t jeopardize the other Lords’ trust so easily. He’ll bide his ti."
Ren reached over and squeezed his hand, her eyes reflecting the faint glow of the village fires. "I hope our plan works."
They walked in silence for a while longer, eventually stopping by the infirmary to check on Agara. He was resting, his breathing steady. Assured he was safe, they returned to their room. As he said, his heart had gotten better.
...
In their room, the fire was low but warm. Kai picked up her comb and gently began brushing her hair, each stroke slow and deliberate not to hurt her.
"You’ve been dreaming again," he murmured, not as a question, but a truth he had sensed.
"Yes," she replied, her voice almost a whisper. "I keep finding myself in the Realm of Mirrors. Your father cos to there, teaching how to speak with beasts. It’s not easy. Each one has its own soul, its own way. If you approach them wrong..."
"You die," Kai finished for her, his voice worried.
Ren nodded. Despite the risk, she was determined. She had been carefully recording each lesson in her notebook, docunting the subtle behaviors and ancient knowledge passed down to her. Each ti she entered that realm, her ntor shared only one truth, one fragnt of his understanding from beasts, before pulling her out of that world again.
"Let read what he’s taught you," Kai said, concern threading through his voice. He didn’t trust his father, not entirely. Among those lessons could be hidden runes, or worse, dark spells woven in disguise to darken her soul.
"All right," Ren agreed. "I’ve recorded five lessons. Check the notebook, it’s on the desk."
She pointed across the room, where a clean, leather-bound notebook rested neatly in the candlelight.
Kai finished combing her hair, setting the comb aside with care, then strode over and opened the notebook. He read through each page with sharp focus, his fingers tracing so of the markings.
"Nothing dangerous so far," he murmured, flipping through the entries. "But be careful, little wife. Especially when he tries to make you ta the hell beasts. If he ever asks you to bond with a dragon, refuse. Tell him you prefer Griffins."
Ren turned to him, frowning, her hand resting gently on his arm as she glanced at the notebook in his grasp. "Why? What happens if I ta a dragon?"
Kai hesitated. He closed his eyes and exhaled slowly, as if the truth itself burned on his tongue.
"Wife," he began, his voice quiet but heavy, "you carry a dark shade inside you. That’s not always a curse, it gives you strength, even clarity at tis. But if you deepen that shade by bonding with a dragon... especially one born in the Underworld... it could overwhelm you."
She blinked, the warmth draining from her face.
"It would consu your soul," he continued. "And once that happens, you may no longer know right from wrong."
Ren’s hand slipped from his arm. A chill crawled down her spine like a phantom’s breath.
"How is that even possible?" she whispered.
Kai nodded slowly. "Too much power, when left unchecked, can unravel the mind. It will drive you insane. If you don’t use it with care, it begins to use you. That’s how the dark Fae ca into being, it’s a long story. But it’s the reason your uncle despises people like us."
Ren’s throat tightened. "People like us... are dangerous?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Kai turned toward her, gently set the notebook aside, and cupped her face in his hands. Her blue eyes shimred with worry under the soft glow of the lantern.
"Yes," he said quietly. "In the old days, they were called the Dark Fae, demons. They couldn’t control their magic, couldn’t see right from wrong. Their power eclipsed their judgnt, and the Fae King had no choice, he ordered every last one of them executed. That’s why, in the Fae realm, only those with a pure soul are ever permitted to bond with dragons."
Ren stood frozen, unable to speak. Her mind raced. That must be why her uncle Lucieth, cold, aloof, always watching, kept her at arm’s length. She hadn’t known the history. Until now.
"What did they do?" she asked finally, her voice shaking.
Kai hesitated. "They killed without hesitation. Burned entire forests. Cast spells laced with shadows. They wanted a throne. They called it ’the Throne of Night’." He stopped himself there, not wanting to deepen her fear. His hands stayed on her cheeks, grounding her.
"But you are not them," he said firmly. "You are half-human, doe-eyes. You feel. You question. You care. Those others... they were sothing else entirely."
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