Chapter 156
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Since I no longer have to sneak into the council room, I am sitting beside Ragnar, going through the bloodlines in the Artume City census. There has to be something somewhere that holds some kind of record of these things. Specifically in Artume City. The way the Alpha King has been moving around lately leads me to believe that he might be a resident.
Foreign swaps are common. Especially after the mating galas. There have been six European transfers in the city over the past three years. Unlocking their files is not as easy as I expected. This was one of Luna Romano’s duties, and she was actually really good at keeping track of people. I guess there’s a reason for that.
Each file is taking forever to download as well. I’m guessing it’s a translation issue. Every now and then, I see Ragnar’s eyes slowly drift to my screen. Trusted elders have been let in on the secret, and the vampires think that the shadow wolves suspect someone knows.
“We’re relying a lot on a power we really know nothing about. Not to mention that the reason we’re all here is because of a little girl who isn’t even paying attention to the mess she has caused.” One of the elders scoffs in my direction.
“First, I am paying attention. I’ve been multitasking while studying since I could read. Second, I didn’t cause this mess. I discovered it. You people allowed this to happen. And lastly, you’re one of the most problematic elders on the council. Where is your daughter tonight, Elder Ravenwood? On another bender?” I growl.
“You insolent child,” he hisses.
The incubus hisses at me, baring his fangs, and I find myself flipping him off. Before I can add anything else, the file finally loads onto my screen, and I scream, lifting my laptop to show Ragnar. My guards immediately stand and almost come to my side until they see it’s not from an attack.
“This is him. I found him. This is the guy pretending to be the Alpha King,” I look over at the Elder and smirk. “What the fuck have you been doing other than talking in circles, old man?”
His mouth falls open, and he places his hand over his chest as if I’ve just insulted his entire bloodline. In my defense, he started that. I was literally sitting here minding my own business. But sure, I’m the disrespectful one.
“Good shit,” Ragnar laughs, taking the laptop.
He inserts something into one of the USB slots and pulls it up on the giant screen they usually use for video meetings. This is definitely an all–hands–on–deck matter. The files come up, and I see a couple of vampires react.
“I take it you know these dogs,” Ragnar says.
“That is one of ours,” Aurora says. She looks down at one of her guards. “What the fuck, Iazen?”
“My lady,” he says, bowing his head.
“What is happening?” the Succubus queen asks.
“Dad?” she says to her father. He lets out a heavy sigh and nods.
“He’s one of ours,” the vampire king stands. “That is Nikola Boris. Shit,” he scratches his eyebrow. “We owned their family for a very long time. They were pure. Generations before us only bred them with their own kind.
“When we started fucking with the new laws, we set them free per the council’s request. I warned you that changing the laws for these things was crazy. Do you know how much power these things have? They are trained to infiltrate whatever they please. They adapt quickly.
“Also, our fault. We figured out that keeping the blood types exact to the host keeps them coherent longer. They’re
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Chapter 156
themselves even with the strongest of blood types, including the Kings.
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“This is the son of the alpha. One of them. There are six sons and two daughters. All of them have their unique set of skills. Two can shape shift. The two youngest. The two eldest are an Alpha and Beta twin duo. The middle ones are questionable, but not to be underestimated. The two girls,” he lets out a heavy sigh. “We nicknamed them the shadow plague. The two of them can go through an entire underground network overnight.”
I immediately text Ana to tell her what was happening. If what he’s saying is true, and someone finds out that one of their little minions is in her crazy basement. I’m sure they’ll go for James even if just to kill him to prevent him from giving out trade secrets. Maybe moving them out of her house needs to happen a lot sooner. I also inform my grandmother so she can better protect herself.
“How do we catch these things?” Ragnar asks.
“Catch them?” the vampire king laughs. Others join him. “The only thing to do is put them down. Which is what was supposed to happen to them upon their release.”
Several of their men stand and take a knee. Before any of them can say a single word, the king lifts his hand. He straightens his fingers, and his arm cuts through the air. I flinch the second I hear the sound of an immense force of air cut through flesh. It’s a high–pitched screech that is followed by the heads of his men hitting the floor.
“We-” Aurora clears her throat. “We could have questioned them.”
Ragnar’s arm shoots out, stopping me from standing when he leaps forward and grabs her by the throat.
“This is what happens when you’re soft on these animals,” he shouts in her face. “What will you do if we lose two kings at once? How would you remedy this monumental fuck up, Aurora?”
The guilt in her eyes is obvious, but she doesn’t back down. She is fuming, fighting everything in her body not to disrespect her father in front of all these people. Those brilliant crimson eyes are staring right back at him challengingly. It’s majestic.
“They were little kids,” she says, blinking away tears. “A family. If you’re going to blame anyone, blame me. I couldn’t do it. You didn’t have to kill them. This is your problem, Father. You think everything is remedied with violence. So you create weapons like these people. I hate to be the one to tell you this, but the lesson being taught isn’t for me.”
The council remains silent as he processes her words. He loosens his hold on her, and she’s quick to push him away. He’s not the only one feeling the sting that comes after a slap like that. Embarrassed, the vampire king leaves. Leaving behind the heavy sound of his flight. The one person he can’t fight is the girl who looks back at him with eyes matching his own.
Congratulations, Aurora. You stood up for yourself and won. A small victory in a never–ending battle with those who raised us. That is definitely something to be proud of.
“Please, excuse my Father,” she recovers gracefully. Her eyes fill with tears as she takes a deep, shaky breath. I humbly offer my apologies. It was I who let the Boris family go. Their mother raised my siblings and me. I was naive to think that they wouldn’t use what we taught them against us.”
“That is very mature of you, Aurora,” the succubus queen says. “Is there anything you can offer us in terms of stopping
them?”
“My father is right. The goal shouldn’t be to capture but to terminate. I can have a couple of specialists cook up some of the wolfbane we need to slow them down and keep them from shifting.”
“Is there anything we can help with?” I offer.
“Yes, the kind of wolfsbane we need is not easy to find. Not just anyone can grow it.”
“Black wolfsbane?” Ragnar asks.
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Chapter 156
“Correct.”
“You’re in luck. Major General Zaraphine Helvig is an exotic wolfsbane enthusiast,” he looks down at me.
“What could someone want with black wolfsbane?” she asks.
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“She makes tea with it,” I answer. “It’s what makes her tea the best blends in the world and one of the biggest reasons why most lycans are immune to wolfsbane. They drink this like coffee.”
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