((Hello everybody! Sorry this took so long, but I hope you like it! Intrigue, suspense, and people talking on phones. Isn't that exciting? As always, please let me know what you think in the comments! They feed my dark decrepit soul muahahahaha! Also follow me at unchainmesister on ! See y'all soon!))

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"MURDERER!"

Paul's scream of rage drowned out the music, startling even the most stoic of Dwayne's guard. He pushed against Mae's arms, trying to get at the man who had nearly killed his entire family forever. Mae was lucky that The Widow's blood made her stronger than her brother, but his anger gave him a strength that rivaled Dwayne's at his most powerful, and Mae was losing the battle. She desperately threw a mental shout at David, who, without looking away from the traitor in their midst, gave Paul a quiet command.

"Stand down, Paul."

Mae barely held back her sigh of relief when Paul went limp, his eyes still burning with fury as he continued to snarl at Michael. Satisfied that he would stay still for now, Mae carefully signaled to Sparrow, Paul's top agent, to keep an eye on her captain. The girl nodded, edging closer, ready to intervene if need be, but letting her boss have his space. With that taken care of, Mae straightened her jacket and stepped forward, forcing herself to remain diplomatic. Now that she knew that the man who had nearly destroyed her brothers was mere inches away, she wanted nothing more than to end his dismal existence, but her hands were tied; the laws were absolute, even for the king of the city.

"What is the meaning of this, draga mea?" Cosmina asked quietly, her delicate face twisted by a confused frown. Teodor nodded in agreement, letting his mate's question stand.

"Three of your companions are guilty of conspiring to, and nearly succeeding at, killing my brothers over 30 years ago." Mae replied, her voice even, despite the hatred burning in her eyes as she glared at Michael. "They fled the city before justice could be done upon them; however, at the time, they believed that they had, in fact, killed them."

"You were not a Way Station at the time, were you?" Teodor asked, his voice quiet.

"No, we were not." Mae forced herself to remain calm. She glanced at Teodor, disappointed to see the almost smug glint to his eyes. Shit. She knew the Europeans wouldn't be trustworthy, but this was just pushing it.

"Then I'm afraid we are at an impasse. You see, Emilian is my personal bodyguard, and while change is necessary for progress, I've become rather used to him, and I do so hate shopping for a new guardian." Teodor's face remained impassive, but the triumph was there all the same. Mae didn't dare to look at her brothers' reactions, for fear of losing her own composure.

"Emilian?" David's voice rang out for the first time since this whole fiasco began. There was a mocking edge in his words as he finally stood, making his way down the stairs to stop in front of Michael. "Going by a new name, I see. Or did you just never tell them?"

His disdainful eyes fell to the woman next to Michael, who Mae assumed was Star. "And what name do you hide under now, Star? I thought you wanted to escape this life, and yet here you are, neck deep in it." He then turned to the youngest of the group, a man barely into his twenties, his eyes growing even colder. "Sam, Sam, Sam…you personally had a hand in killing two of my brothers. If anything, I expected you to be a hunter with your little friends. Whatever happened to them, I wonder?"

"Ileana is my companion, and Andrei accompanies his brother and his mate whenever they travel with us." Cosmina interjected, turning an almost apologetic frown to Mae. "When they came to us, they never gave us their names, so we gave them ones that suited them best. Not once did I think that they were hiding such a grim past, but I'm afraid I must agree with my mate: this is a haven city, and they are not yours to punish. The past is in the past, is it not?"

Mae felt Paul's rage grow, but thankfully, David's command kept him still. Dwayne remained as still as a statue by David's chair, while Marko's eyes darted restlessly around the room. She knew from experience that her boyfriend was thinking of every possible way to get around this, but Mae wasn't the expert diplomat of their coven for nothing; she knew his search would be fruitless. Unless Michael and his friends broke the laws of the city during their stay, they were left with no options that wouldn't bring the wrath of the Councils down on them, and it seemed like Teodor and Cosmina were unwilling to give up their favored pets to David's justice. David knew this as well as she did. Mae could only hope that Michael was still as stupid now as he was back then.

She hated the smell of it, but for once, Mae wanted to taste the acrid stench of vampiric ash on her tongue as he died in flames.

"The past, if forgotten, is doomed to be repeated, Cosmina." David answered with a short nod at the petite woman. "You and your guests are already under our protection, and we haven't survived this long by thinking with our teeth instead of our brains. However…" He turned back to Michael, Star, and Sam.

"No matter what names you're hiding behind now, no matter who your patrons are, step one foot out of line, and nothing will save you. The moment the wedding is over, I expect all of you to be out of my city before the sky finishes turning black, do you understand?"

Cosmina interrupted before things could get worse. "Of course, David. This is your city, after all, and while we have no quarrel with you, I can assure you that we wouldn't want to impose our subjects upon you for longer than necessary." She smiled and took her husband's hand. "I feel quite tired after our journey, Teodor. Shall we retire?"

For all that Cosmina was as conniving and devious as her mate, Mae was grateful for her tact. Teodor had seemed ready to test David's limits, and the women knew that if they were allowed to continue, they would tear each other apart, to the detriment of all. David's reply was a sharp nod before he returned to his seat, watching as the Romanians and their retinue slowly filed out of the bar, several of the representatives of the other covens following them now that the drama was over.

Michael was one of the first to leave, still shaken, with Star following close behind. Sam, however, was one of the last, and he turned back to look at the four vampires he'd once thought to be gone forever. His gaze lingered on Mae, the one he'd never seen before. He could see her fierce loyalty towards her brothers, her hatred of him and his family, and the icy intelligence lingering behind her façade of diplomacy. David was still the one he feared the most, but this one…this one was worth watching out for, more so than all the others. He hadn't seen her in action before. He had no idea what she would do, and that was a frightening idea. Sam wanted nothing more than to fly back to Romania that very night, but sadly, that wasn't impossible. He had a feeling that things were bound to get worse for him and his brother before they got better.

Just before the door closed, he saw Marko's arm slip around her waist as she leaned her head against his shoulder. Interesting. Very interesting. Sam hadn't lived this long without learning a few things, and this…well, this could be very useful indeed.

The door closed, and Sam smiled as he followed his brother back into the car.


"Nash, I want this place empty in five minutes."

David's order was met with a grim nod as Nash went to work, following his king's orders. Not many of the visitors had lingered after the Romanian's left, eager to report their findings to their higher-ups, but a few had remained, perhaps wanting to see what David would do once they'd gone. They were left disappointed as Nash, Aminah, and Murtagh firmly but politely ushered the remaining guests out. When the only people left in the bar were members of the Santa Carla coven, David signaled for the door to be locked. Sato stationed himself near the doors, still well within hearing range, but close enough to the exit that he could hear someone coming before they attempted to force their way in.

Vic had slipped in before Sato had latched to doors, and those who were present gathered around their master. Lukas, Calpurnia, and Caleb gathered near Marko, while Nash, Aminah, Murtagh, and Jamie kept themselves spread around the bar, half an ear open for threats, as always. Vic, Kai, and Sparrow kept a close eye on Paul; their captain was the most visibly distressed of them all, and they worried that he would do something rash once David let go of his command. Mae unlocked her phone, initiating a group call with Quinn, Red, Lee, and Trip, who were still ranging around the city. Once they were on the line, she nodded at David, who crossed one leg over the other, his features grim in the low lighting.

"You've all proven yourselves loyal beyond a doubt, even when it would serve you better to turn on us all. I may not have sired you, but I would lay down my life for you, just like I would for my own flesh and blood." He began, meeting their gazes with something like pride buried behind the rage. "I've never asked you about your pasts, and you've never asked about ours, even though I'm sure you've heard the rumors by now. We've never told you the story because we thought that the past was buried and gone. It looks like we were wrong. What I'm about to tell you stays within this family, am I clear?"

A chorus of affirmatives broke the tense air, then faded away.

"Good. If you want all the gory details, Marko can tell you them later, but the short version goes like this: my sire, Max, always wanted a perfect little family. When he finally found a woman that suited his desires, he ordered us to ensnare her sons. The youngest, Sam, wouldn't go easily, so we started with Michael, the oldest. He seemed like the perfect candidate, except for one fatal flaw: he was too weak. Weak to desire, weak to flirtation, weak to power. We had picked up Star, the woman you saw with them, at Max's request some time earlier, and she had the same weaknesses. With the help of some local kids who fancied themselves vampire hunters, they decided that in order for them to be free, we needed to die. Sam and the hunter kids found our lair and staked Marko, escaping before we could capture them. The sun was out, and trying to save Marko was more important. The stake missed his heart, so instead of disintegrating, he lost all the blood in his system. That was their first mistake."

Mae slipped her hand into Marko's, the movement subtle and nearly unnoticeable. She felt her boyfriend lean ever-so-slightly closer, the only comfort he would dare to take in front of his men. He had to be strong, but the memories of his death still frightened him to the core all these years later. Caleb, the closest, shifted a bit closer to his captain, while Calpurnia and Lukas didn't bother to hold back the snarls distorting their faces. Despite the pain the retelling was causing him, it pleased David to see such open loyalty and care from his soldiers.

"The minute the sun set, we rode out to get our revenge. Max was out with Michael's mother, so he couldn't stop us, not that anything short of death would have stopped us. Killing them should have been easy, but our anger made us careless. As far as we knew, Marko was gone, and even if it killed us, we'd destroy them. That recklessness cost us. Paul was the next to die; they drowned him in a bathtub filled with holy water."

All eyes went to Paul next, who was shivering with fear at just the thought of it all. His death had been long and painful compared to the others'. Sparrow and Kai each took one of his hands, accepting Paul's grateful smile with one of their own. Unlike the others, he didn't care if his men saw him as anything less than perfect. He'd take the comfort any day. Vic took a moment to school his face into something other than pure fury at the thought of his captain's demise before placing a hand on Paul's shoulder in quiet solidarity.

"Dwayne nearly got Sam, but they got the drop on him, pinning him to a stereo system. The surge of electricity caused an explosion." David let them fill in the blanks. He spared a glance at Dwayne's men, who didn't move closer to their captain, unlike the others. Dwayne's soldiers were just like him: stoic in the face of fear and pain, silent and calm. The only outward sign that they were affected was their eyes, which were acid yellow as they fought back a transformation. A murderous shadow loomed over them, each wanting nothing more than to lay siege to the Romanian's lair until the ones who had dared to come for their captain lay dead in a grave of ash and blood.

"I fought Michael myself, but with the deaths of my brothers, I wasn't at my best. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was the devil himself. I don't know what it was, but he threw me into a pile of antlers. Even though they got me in the heart, they didn't kill me. I lay there, in pain, pretending to be dead, hoping that I'd get a chance to pull myself free. Instead, Max returned, seemingly unconcerned that his entire coven was gone. Michael's fucking grandfather killed him, and the entire family left the house to recover. I'm not sure how long it took, but I rescued pieces of my brothers and made it back to the cave before sunrise. It took months and gallons of blood to resurrect them, but here we are now. Alive. By the time we were able to leave the cave, Michael and his family were long gone. We never thought we'd hear from them again, and we had no way to find them. Our revenge would be left unfulfilled, but we were alive."

His tale done, David leaned back, watching the reactions of his coven. He heard soft cursing from Mae's phone, Quinn's deep baritone nearly drowned out by Lee's colorful insults. Aminah's fists were clenched so tightly that her nails had pierced her skin, blood leaking from the wounds. Sparrow and Kai exchanged worried looks, but said nothing. Jamie swore in a language none of them spoke. He let them digest the information, knowing that it was a lot to take in. Calpurnia and Lukas were whispering so quietly that even vampiric hearing had a hard time understanding them, but he heard a few words here and there, comparing the rumors to the truth. Mae's hand was clenched around her phone so hard that she was in danger of breaking it, and Marko took it from her to keep her from crushing the plastic and metal. The movement caught Vic's eye, who finally broke the uneasy silence.

"Then what do we do now, David?" He asked quietly.

"For now? Nothing. Our hands are tied if we want to keep things peaceful." David met the incredulous stares of his soldiers with an even gaze.

"That's it? We do nothing!?" Murtagh growled. He was the most volatile of Dwayne's men, and it showed.

"My job is to keep the city, and everyone in it, safe. If we start a war with the Romanians, we'll bring down the wrath of the other cities and probably half of Europe. I learned a long time ago that family is more important than revenge. I won't risk your lives on the mere chance that we can kill Michael and the others. It isn't worth it. They aren't worth it." David answered.

The room fell quiet as his words sank in: for all that he wanted revenge, David's family was more important, and his coven was his family. This level of loyalty from a leader was something most of them had never really had. The pressure eased, just a little bit, as grim faces were graced with smiles.

"The fact that you are all willing to fight for me and my brothers is an honor I don't take lightly, but we can't make any rash moves. Their trespass can never be forgiven, but we've prospered for thirty years, while they remain the pets of masters who only see them as pawns in a game. I want them dead just as much as you do, believe me, but seeing them cower behind their masters' coattails is satisfying enough for now." David paused, then, after a moment, a dark, malicious grin spread across David's face.

"And besides, maybe Michael will make a mistake. He's spent years living in luxury, free from the consequences of his actions here. We might just get our chance after all."

He looked around the room once more, pride swelling in his blackened heart as he saw smiles turn wicked, sharp fangs and flashing yellow eyes displaying the monster deep inside his men. Yes, they could wait. Wait and watch.

After all, vampires had nothing but time on their hands.


"Is this wise?"

"Nothing is wise, my dear."

"Cut the shit, guys. Are we still doing this or not?"

"Of course we are. This isn't even a setback. It's an advantage."

"Good. I've worked too hard on this to watch you guys back out now.

"Relax, my friend. All will be well. All good things to those who wait."

"Don't make me wait much longer, friend."

"I won't, my dear. I won't."


"I don't know what to do, Viejo. We can't move against them, but we can't let this go unpunished."

"We can't, or you can't, Chiquita?"

"…What's the difference?"

"Everything, hermanita. From what you've told me, David is willing to let things go, so to speak." Túlio's voice was soft and quiet, partially because of the phone, but mostly because he didn't want to wake Casper. He leaned against the doorway of their hotel room in San Diego, watching his fiancé sleep. "There are more important things than revenge. He's a wise man under all that brooding and leather."

Mae's laugh made him smile, but its brevity brought him back down to earth again.

"Túlio…you should have seen them. They were shaken, Viejo. Even David, not that he'd ever admit it out loud. Paul was the worst. I forget how young he is compared to the others. He shouldn't be afraid of anything. You know, he still refuses to use the second floor bathroom. There are days I want to just remodel the whole thing, but I don't know if he'd forgive me for it." Mae's words were rapid as she began to fall further down her tangent.

"Mae, breathe. It will take time, but they'll recover from this. They're strong. It's why you love them, no?" Túlio sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'll see if I can find any loopholes, but I don't think there are any. Just try to remain calm, Chiquita, and in two days, they'll be out of your lives again, for good, I hope."

"It's your wedding, Viejo! Don't worry about it. Shit, I shouldn't have even bothered you with this, but who else can I trust to tell me when I'm being an idiot?"

Túlio laughed. "Your boyfriend, maybe?"

"Oh, don't even get me started on him, Viejo. He's just as moody as the rest of them."

"Are you sure you're not just mad at him because he won't propose?"

"…I will spike your drink with holy water if you say one word about it to him!"

"But it's been thirty years, hermanita. You should be able to talk to him about it."

"You know why I can't, Viejo! Just drop it, please?"

"All right, all right." Túlio sighed, grumbling as he switched his phone to his other ear. "But don't expect me to just sit here quietly and wait while he makes my sister miserable!"

"Túlio…"

"Fine, fine, fine! Go get some sleep, Mae. This will all be over soon enough. David is right: family is more important than revenge. If I know anything about Romania, just living there is punishment enough." Mae's laugh was genuine this time, and it warmed Túlio's heart to hear her finally start to relax. "Goodnight, Chiquita."

"Goodnight, Viejo. I love you."

"I love you too. More than anything."

Túlio waited until she'd hung up before looking back at the bed, unsurprised to see Casper awake and watching him.

"Everything all right?"

"No, not really, mi amor."

Silently, Casper lifted the covers, inviting his fiancé in. Túlio slid into the bed, curling up in Casper's arms, letting himself be comforted.

"There's a shadow hanging over your head, my love." Casper whispered, burying his face in Túlio's hair.

"It's nothing."

"It's everything."

"…I'm afraid. Afraid for my sister."

"Then we'll protect her, my love, like we always do." Casper replied, as if that was the answer to all their problems.

"Something tells me it won't be that easy, mi amor."

"Nothing is ever ease, Túlio, but we survive. We always will."

"And the rumors? The premonitions? What if they're true?"

"Then we will survive those too."

"Ah, if only I had your confidence, Calaca."

"If nothing else, you have my love, Túlio." Casper smiled, pulling Túlio as close as possible.

"…As you have mine, Casper."


If only things were that simple.