Chapter 3 #3
“I appreciate that, but for now, I’d like to keep the wolves out of this fight for as long as possible. I’ve spoken with the alpha a couple of times in the past month, and he has an understanding of the current state of vampire politics.”
Aiden was being polite. What he really meant was, shit was going to hit the fan very soon, and it was smart if the wolves kept their fucking heads down for as long as possible.
“But the plan isn’t to start a war with hundreds of vampires,” Marcus said. He shifted from one foot to the other, as if anxious to take action rather than simply discussing it. “We can kill Damon, and this will be all over.”
“Cut the head off the snake,” Winter murmured, and Marcus nodded.
“It worked with Minerva and the Black Wolf clan. It worked with Nolan and the MacPherson clan,” Bel listed.
“Maybe,” Aiden softly hedged.
Winter sat up from where he’d been slouched in the chair, eyes narrowing on their father. Aiden had been incredibly tight-lipped when it came to Damon, other than to point out his lack of respect for human life. Any life, really.
“What are you thinking?” Winter inquired.
“Killing Damon would create a power vacuum. The forces are already gathered. I wonder if someone wouldn’t simply step into that opening and pick up where he left off.”
“Like Christopher Heller?” Bel asked.
Winter was already shaking his head. “I’ve watched him. He has no more ambition than Damon lets him have. He can barely manage his own clan. They follow him out of fear of Damon.”
“No, I was thinking Paavo,” Aiden admitted.
“I’ve encountered him a few times in my long existence.
He’s smart, crafty. I think Damon’s ego makes him miss some critical things when it comes to Paavo.
The vampire would happily use the murder of Damon as an excuse to deftly seize power and come after us.
” Aiden paused and scratched his jaw. “We need to think on this some more. We can’t do anything rash.
” He looked directly at Winter when he delivered that final statement.
As if his father knew he’d just decided to pay the vampire’s lair a little visit.
With a smirk, Winter nodded. He would hold his blade for now.
Aiden then turned his gaze over to Rafe. “As much as I hate to suggest this, it would be a good idea to close Blush temporarily.”
“What?” Rafe cried, jumping to his feet. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. Damon would have no qualms over starting this war in front of the humans. And he would have you at a great disadvantage.”
“The security at Blush is excellent,” Rafe snapped.
“But limited. You and your people wouldn’t hesitate to save the humans that packed the club. Damon’s soldiers would use that. They would happily slaughter countless humans, using them as a distraction to hurt you and any vampire who worked for you.”
The angry energy in Rafe drained away to be replaced with weary resignation.
His brother loved his nightclub, and he loved his human customers.
They had been a source of endless amusement for him over the years, and he was quite protective of them.
Aiden’s words rang with a painful truth.
Rafe would do anything to protect the humans, and he would die trying to keep them safe.
Winter could easily see the same thing happening to Rafe’s mate, Philippe, and his friend Lola.
“You’re right. Closing Blush would also make it harder for one of Damon’s little bitches to get to a clan member,” Rafe grumbled.
He nodded and returned to his seat. “I’ll tell them tonight that the party was a bit of a farewell.
I’ll see the staff paid handsomely and the club closed for the foreseeable future. ”
“I’m sorry, Rafe,” Bel murmured. He reached around River to place a hand on his twin’s arm.
The vampire smiled as if he didn’t have a care in the world, but there was worry in his deep blue eyes. Winter could see it even from across the room. “No worries, my sweet Bel. This will give me a chance to spend some much-needed quality time with my Philippe.”
Ethan snorted. “Yes, I’m sure he’s been sorely neglected.”
“Bite your tongue, Little Varik. I’d never neglect mon ange. I was just thinking of some more intensive bonding,” Rafe finished with a devilish deepness to his voice.
“Just keep it off Instagram and out of my text messages,” Winter groused.
Aiden cleared his voice as if he were trying to cover up a laugh and pushed on. “Damon’s gathering army is one concern, but it’s not our only one.” He turned his attention to Winter, indicating he should take over.
“I recently spent some time poking around Christopher’s lair. Their security has improved, but they are definitely more disorganized than what I’ve seen from Damon or Paavo.”
Marcus groaned, scrubbing a hand over his eyes.
“I don’t want to think about you being anywhere near any of their clans.
” He turned and dropped onto the love seat with Ethan.
His lover cuddled close, wrapping his arms around his waist as if he could protect Marcus from what was still to come from Winter’s lips.
“Apparently there’s a prophecy floating around about the demise of the Variks,” Winter continued.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rafe demanded. “A prophecy? What utter nonsense!”
“This coming from the man who is friends with a so-called witch,” Winter mocked.
Rafe sat up and pointed one long finger at his brother. “Keep Zelda out of this. She is a very powerful witch.”
“Well, I have a feeling Zelda is the one who has put herself in the middle of this. I heard her name mentioned several times as I was sneaking about. I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I think it’s very possible she’s the witch who has graced Damon and his followers with this prophecy.”
Rafe’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out as his eyes jerked over to Aiden in stunned silence. Winter turned to their father as well.
“Would your friend hand out such nonsense about our clan and not tell you?” Winter snapped.
“I honestly don’t know,” Aiden replied softly, and Winter hated the stunned, lost quality to his voice.
“Are there a lot of witches out there who are as powerful as Zelda? Could it have been another witch? Someone we don’t know.” Winter pressed.
“Possibly. I’ll admit Zelda is the only witch that I know,” Aiden said.
Winter looked over at Rafe, and his brother shrugged. “It’s by sheer luck that I even know Zelda. I know of no others.”
“I’ll try to get in contact with Zelda, see if she’s heard anything about this prophecy,” Aiden said.
“What about the prophecy? Do you know what it says exactly?” Bel inquired.
Winter shook his head. “I haven’t gotten the exact wording yet. All I know is, a witch is supposed to bring the downfall of the Variks. A witch holds the key to changing our world.”
“Well, isn’t that delightfully vague?” Rafe complained, throwing his arms up in the air.
“True, but it apparently was enough for Damon and his minions to act. There’s a witch being held by Damon.”
Silence claimed the room. It had been easier to brush the idea of a prophecy off as nonsense until that moment. Even if the prophecy was true, there was no proof that this witch held the key to the fall of the Variks. But a captured witch definitely made it all the more real.
“My plan is to sneak into Damon’s compound and reach the witch. I’ll either kidnap her so we can get to the root of this prophecy insanity or kill her on the spot.”
“Absolutely not!” Marcus shouted first, launching to his feet.
The other brothers joined in with their shouts a heartbeat later, just as Winter had predicted. Winter didn’t actually blame them. It was an insanely dangerous mission, but he had the best odds of succeeding.
While his brothers yelled over each other, Winter turned his gaze over to Aiden, who was watching him with a growing sadness in his eyes. He didn’t like Winter’s proposal any better than Marcus, but at least he recognized that Winter was their only real chance of getting close to this witch.
“He’s the only one who can get in and out of Damon’s undetected,” Aiden said carefully.
The others fell silent for only a couple of seconds. Marcus was the first to start growling.
“There has to be another way!”
“What if Winter takes me with him?” Bel suggested. “I’ve gone with him to the other side.”
“No!” River shouted. He grabbed Bel’s arm, his eyes wide and frantic. The wolf had already suffered through being disconnected from his mate once before. River and Wyatt had described it as feeling like Bel had died. Winter couldn’t imagine they’d be in a rush to experience it again so soon.
Winter shook his head. “I can’t. It’s far too draining, and I would need to do this for an extended period of time. It’s easy enough for me to manage alone, but not with you there. Plus, what if I can manage to kidnap her? I know I can’t hold the three of us there.”
“It’s too dangerous,” Rafe declared.
“It’s more dangerous if we don’t strike against this prophecy and witch while we can,” Winter countered. “If I go alone and succeed, it will leave them scrambling and confused. If all of the Variks go, we’re declaring war.”
“Damon has already declared war on the Variks!”
Aiden was shaking his head. “Not yet. There have been zero attacks on our clan, and I’m hoping to stretch that period for as long as possible. Winter’s suggestion helps to remove one more advantage from their arsenal. And if Damon’s allies know of this prophecy and we steal away the witch…”
“He could lose allies,” Marcus finished.
“Winter has to go,” Bel added, sounding haunted by the idea.
He tried to smile at his brother, wishing he could ease the scientist’s fears. “Just a quick in and out, Bel. I’ve done this more times than I can even count. Damon and his men will never know I was there.”
“What about the witch? What if she doesn’t know anything about this prophecy?
What if she doesn’t mean us any harm? Is it right to end her life?
” Ethan demanded. His wide eyes darted around the room as he grabbed a throw pillow and clutched it tight against his chest. “I mean, I obviously don’t want any of the Variks to be hurt, or our allies, but what if this isn’t her fault either? ”
No one seemed capable of meeting Ethan’s eyes. Frowning, Winter looked directly at his new brother. “I’ll do what I can to determine the innocence of the witch. If she means to hurt us, I won’t hesitate.”
Ethan nodded, and Winter didn’t comment about what he’d do if the witch was innocent. He’d been careful in his long life. He didn’t believe he’d ever killed a person who was truly innocent. All the blood on his hands had come from people who meant to harm his family.
But this witch might prove to be the one exception.
“When will you go?” Rafe asked.
“Soon. I need to strike before Damon figures out we know about the prophecy.”
Conversation largely died off after Winter’s announcement. There was nothing more to discuss. They made plans on how to strengthen their own defenses and what resources they could pull on for information. Winter watched his brothers draw into themselves with worry.
The Variks had spent their entire lives protecting each other, always there for their siblings. But in those early years, the threat had largely come from Julianna. It had been easier to band together.
This time, Winter was leaving his brothers on the outside, and they all hurt for it.