Chapter 26
Satellite images of the Carpathian Mountains filled every available surface of Sophia’s war room.
The images showed elevation charts, access routes, and defensive positions.
Weapons were neatly arranged on side tables.
There were silver blades, wooden stakes, and newer technology developed for vampire warfare.
“The castle sits on a cliff face here,” Antoine said, pointing to an aerial photograph. “Single access road, easily defended. He chose his fortress well.”
“How many does he have with him?” Devon asked, his voice cold and precise, a predator planning his hunt.
“Our sources suggest no more than six,” Sophia replied. “Vampires loyal to his maker’s bloodline, old enough to be dangerous but not ancient enough to pose a serious threat to our numbers.”
“And our numbers?” Luc asked from his position near the weapons table.
“Twelve,” Devon said. “More than enough to handle Aleksander and his allies, assuming we can breach their defences.”
Kate felt a strange tingling sensation at the base of her skull, like the beginning of a headache. She rubbed her temples absently, trying to focus on the tactical discussion.
“The approach will need to be coordinated,” Antoine continued. “Three teams, one to create a distraction at the main gate, one to scale the eastern wall, and one to—”
Come to me.
The voice whispered through Kate’s mind like silk over steel, and she flinched, her hand flying to her chest where Aleksander’s mark burned beneath her shirt.
“Kate?” Devon noticed instantly. “What is it?”
“He’s… he’s calling to me,” Kate said, her voice strained.
You cannot resist me forever, little Pet. I am your maker. You belong to me.
Kate’s vision blurred, and for a moment she saw not the war room but a different scene entirely, stone corridors lit by torchlight, ancient tapestries depicting scenes of violence and conquest, and at the center of it all, Aleksander waiting for her with that cruel smile she remembered from her nightmares.
“Kate.” Devon’s voice seemed to come from very far away. “Stay with us. Focus on my voice.”
But the pull was undeniable now, more insistent. Kate found herself standing without conscious decision, her body moving toward the door as if drawn by invisible strings.
That’s right. Come home to me. Come home to your true master.
“No,” Kate whispered, but her feet kept moving. “No, I won’t—”
“Kate!” Luc’s voice cut through the terrified, and she felt his hand on her arm. “Fight it. You can do it.”
Kate tried to stop, tried to turn back to the table where Devon and the others watched with growing alarm, but her body wouldn’t obey. It was like a tide, pulling her inexorably toward the door, toward the exit, toward the road that would take her to Romania and the monster who had made her.
You feel it, don’t you? The bond between us. It cannot be broken, cannot be denied. I am in your blood, in your bones, in every beat of your dead heart.
Kate reached the door of the war room, her hand moving to the handle without permission. Behind her, she could hear Devon calling her name, could hear the scrape of chairs as the others rose to follow her.
But the pull was magnetic. She was going to leave. She was going to walk out of this compound, out of this life, and go to him like a puppet on strings.
Good girl. You’re learning to obey.
The condescension in Aleksander’s mental voice sparked something in Kate. Not fear, or despair, but rage.
Pure, incandescent fury at being treated like a possession, like a thing to be owned and controlled.
“I am not your good girl,” she spat out loud. “And I am not your Pet.”
Kate’s hand froze on the door handle as she threw every ounce of her will against the compulsion. The maker’s mark burned like fire against her skin, and she could feel Aleksander’s surprise ripple through the bond.
You dare defy me?
“I dare,” Kate said, fury growing in her voice. “Because I am not the helpless human you turned, the broken victim you abandoned. I am Kate fucking Morgan, and I choose who I serve.”
The pull intensified, becoming almost physically painful, but Kate held her ground. She thought of Devon’s love, of Zoe’s friendship, of her parents’ unconditional support. She thought of her paintings, her art, the beauty she could still create despite everything Aleksander had done to her.
She thought of the woman she had been and what she was becoming, and she chose.
“I choose Devon,” she said, turning away from the door. “I choose my friends. I choose my family. I choose love over fear, freedom over possession.”
The compulsion shattered like glass, leaving Kate gasping but free. She looked around the war room at the faces watching her. Devon’s fierce pride, Luc’s admiration, Sophia’s approval, Antoine’s respect.
“I think I’m ready,” she said, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. “I’m ready to face him.”
Devon crossed the room in two strides, gathering her into his arms. “Are you sure? That was—”
“That was him testing his power over me,” Kate interrupted. “And I passed the test. The bond is still there, but it doesn’t control me. At least, I hope so.”
Sophia nodded in agreement. “The fact that you could break free from such an intense urge shows your mental shields are much stronger than we thought.”
Kate felt a rush of pride at that, but also a sense of urgency. “He knows now that I can resist him. He’ll be expecting us.”
“Then we don’t give him time to prepare further,” Devon said, his voice carrying the weight of absolute decision. “We leave tomorrow night.”
“Tomorrow night?” Antoine looked surprised. “We haven’t finished the tactical planning.”
“The tactical planning is done,” Devon replied, keeping his eyes on Kate. “We have our target, our team, and our motivation. Aleksander wanted to play mind games with Kate; he wanted to use the maker bond to torment her. Instead, he’s shown that she’s more capable than he ever imagined.”
Kate nodded, feeling a certainty settle in her bones. “He made a mistake when he called to me just now. He showed me exactly where he is, exactly how to find him.”
“What do you mean?” Luc asked.
Kate closed her eyes, accessing the memory of the vision Aleksander had sent her.
“I saw his fortress. Not just from the outside, but from within. The layout, the corridors, the room where he’s waiting.” She opened her eyes, and they blazed with fire. “I know how to get to him.”
Sophia smiled, and it was not a pleasant expression. “Then we have everything we need.”
Devon walked over to the weapons table and picked up a silver blade that shone under the artificial light. “Gather the team. We leave for Romania tomorrow night.”
The room filled with activity as everyone checked their weapons, looked over maps, and made final preparations. Kate stood in the middle of it all, feeling more like herself than she had since her transformation.
Aleksander had tried to use the maker bond to control her, to drag her back to him like a dog on a leash. Instead, he had given her the greatest gift possible: proof that she could overthrow his power over her.
When they faced each other in that ancient castle, it would not be maker and progeny, master and slave.
It would be predator and predator.
And only one of them would walk away.
Kate touched the silver blade Devon handed her, testing its weight, its balance. It felt right in her hands, not just a weapon, but an instrument of justice.
“Ready?” Devon asked.
Kate looked around the room one last time, at the maps and weapons, at the vampires who had become her allies, at the man who had become her everything.
“Ready,” she said.
The hunt was about to begin. And this time, Kate would not be the prey.