Chapter Six: Power Plays

"Are you done?" Selene sniped.

"No!" Erika tried to regain control of the situation. She thought she was in charge of this discussion, and Selene was making her look like a fool.

"You are now. We can discuss this after I return."

Selene turned her back on the blonde, ignoring her evident anger.

"Where do you think you're going?" Erika snapped.

"If you must know – to get Michael back." She only glanced over her shoulder at Erika.

The insult sent Erika over the edge. Screeching she leapt off of the divan where she had been seated, lunging for Selene's back. She was intent on killing the Death Dealer and be done with her "better than thou" attitude. Before she had cleared the space there were hands on her, restraining her and drawing her back from Selene's retreating form.

She hissed and snarled struggling to get past Kahn. Other hands added to Kahn's attempt to stop her assault, until no forward movement was attainable.

"Calm yourself, Erika. The traitor isn't worth it." She peered over to see Monique on her left arm, her face emotionless.

She relaxed in the combined grip of four vampires standing about her. She glared at Kahn - the last to let her free. His expression was grim as he backed away from her. He was free of her reach before he too turned and left the residence.

Monique smoothed Erika's hair with one cool hand, drawing the blonde's attention back to her. The dark haired woman's smile was supposed to be comforting, but only incensed Erika more.

"Monique, Carl, come with me."

She twirled on her high heels, her anger reflecting in the stiffness of her stance. She made her way into the once opulent bedroom she had claimed for her own since retreating here from the mansion.

"What is it Erika?" Carl asked once the doors were firmly shut behind them.

"She is going to pose a problem for us," Erika tried to tell herself that there wasn't a pouty tone to her voice as she announced this.

"Even if her claim is true, the coven will never accept her as our leader - she isn't anywhere close to being elder material," Monique spouted.

"Don't patronize me, Monique," Erika snarled, realizing somewhere deep down she sounded exactly like Kraven in that moment. "She already has Kahn on her side, and that means the remaining Death Dealers will fall in line soon enough."

"What is it you plan to do about her then?" Carl quested once more.

"She will be a while in reclaiming her 'beau.' I want to firm our position as much as possible before her return." She really meant her own position, but these two were key to any ascension within the coven right now. She could be just as patronizing, without being so open at it. She knew that was her mistake with Kraven, fawning at his feet like some lowly dog. No wonder he rejected her so readily. No man wanted something so easy to attain.

She shook her head to loosen the grip of that thought before going on.

"Solicit the others; I want to know precisely where each one stands on Selene's presence among us."

"What of the rumors of her 'purification?'"

"What of them?"

"Aren't you worried that she will be more dangerous with Corvinus' powers?"

She shook her blond hair free of the high collar of her shirt. "I think that will be one more lever to oust her, honestly."

"How so?"

"Well if she is no longer a vampire, how can she expect to lead us?"

"But…"

"She can no longer relate to our plight. She has already forsaken the coven and the covenant. This is just one more step she has taken to distance herself from our kind. I think the others will agree if it is approached in such a manner."

"Clever, Erika."

She let Monique stroke her ego this once. "I know."

"We'll start immediately."

"Good." She stepped up, leaning into Carl, her proximity suggestive of the rewards for his loyalty. She kissed him deeply, her tongue slipping between his retracted canines. He was receptive to her advance, and she used his lust for her against him.

She caught Monique squeezing into her view, her simpering features longing to be included in the planned orgy later. Erika broke off the kiss with Carl, staring meaningfully into his eyes. She then twisted her upper body toward the other woman, pulling her closer to their intertwined bodies. "Later my lovelies, we shall celebrate later."

Monique's face brightened considerably.

Erika watched her compatriots in this coup as they oozed out the door to do her bidding. Her surety collapsed as the click announced she was again alone.

"That bitch!"

She wanted to tear the bedroom apart, refraining only because she knew there was no replacing the items any time in the near future.

Hadn't Selene gotten enough of the things that Erika always wanted?

Selene had always been Viktor's favorite…his dark child. Erika had been envious since being instated into the coven that such a lowly creature was given such high status among their group. Viktor doted over Selene, gave her everything she ever wanted, even if it was only for petty revenge. Erika was possessed of a streak of jealousy, wanting such attention for herself.

That was the thing that had drawn her to Kraven, he was in a position of power, in such a status that she could get a pale reflection of the spoiling that Selene had always taken for granted.

Yet even Kraven objectified Selene.

All of Erika's fawning, and simpering, and flinging herself at the regent's feet had drawn her no attention except that of a servant girl in the castle. Only now did she resent that kind of treatment, now when it was too late to change all the things that happened. She had been willing to do anything to share a place of power at his side. He had kicked her to the curb for all of her effort, wanting Selene even when she had proved time and again that she wanted nothing to do with the man.

All the things that Erika ever wanted in this immortal life had been stolen from her by that bitch Selene.

And what kind of gratitude did Selene show any of them? Her dark father died at Selene's hands. Kraven was exposed in his plot to take over power, by Selene's obsession, and Marcus killed him for it.

Now Erika wanted the power that came with leadership of the coven. She knew she could do it, she had the contacts and the network, she had people in key places to assist her and who supported her.

And just like everything else Erika ever wanted in life, Selene threatened to take it from her.

"Not this time," she vowed. This time she would keep what she wanted, no matter what it cost her to do so.