Bloodline

by roxy.svl

Sequel to Endgame. The game is over and everyone lost. So begins the aftermath of the biggest scandal in Vampire Mountain history. The War of the Scars has begun. Kurda's been dishonourably exiled for high treason, and Mika is left to pick up the pieces of his life. [Mika-centric. Basically his life, parallel to canon between books 7-9].

27. You Should Be Scared Of Me

Holy fucking shit you guys. I think I've consecutively broken my wait time streak for the last four chapters in a row now. So on day 51, I give you chapter 27. Bloodline turned one year old on September 13th and although I never planned on stretching it out over an entire year, I'm relieved and a little emotional to say the end is in sight. This is the absolute last chapter before the final action sequence begins, and I don't say this lightly but I am really truly proud of this one. But at the same time sorry if my Darius sucks, I have no idea how to handle him.

Chapter 27: God Damn Right, You Should Be Scared Of Me

Song:Control by Halsey

---

They send me away to find them a fortune

A chest filled with diamonds and gold

The house was awake

With shadows and monsters

The hallways they echoed and groaned

Once the vote was finalized, the rest of the night passed in a blur of more meetings as the Princes gathered the senior Generals to look over the treaty agreements in advance of the Vampaneze Elders arrival. Mika and Kurda enjoyed a reprieve after the trial when they slipped down to the sporting halls to tell Gracie in person, but all too soon they had to get back to work. The dawn of a new era came with a lot of extra bureaucratic bullshit to navigate.

As the night progressed, Mika didn't get much time to speak with Kurda one-on-one, but he didn't mind. Just watching him work felt like a privilege Mika wasn't even sure he deserved. Had Kurda always glowed like that? Had those bottomless blue eyes always shone with that much determination?

Of course they had, Mika realized as the night went on. That was why he fell in love with Kurda in the first place.

But Mika knew he couldn't afford to tune the rest of the world out at such a crucial time. So his eyes did a lot of wandering in the hours after the trial. From the guards, to the Generals, to the staff, even his fellow Princes. They'd just done something that had never been done before, and while a civil war wasn't unlikely, it wasn't impossible in the current political climate. So he watched, listened, remained alert. Nobody was out of the woods yet.

But everyone knows there's one other person who takes up as much room in Mika's heart as Kurda or Gracie - and Mika had truly been so proud of Arrow throughout all of this. It had been a long, rocky road marred with pain and anger, now Arrow wasn't the same man who'd lost himself in the fallout of his wife's murder. But people can only change so much, and the ultimate reality of the impending clan union was taking a toll on him. Mika could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes, and read it in his body language. And Mika sympathized - but they were so fucking busy. As Mika glanced into the Hall of Khledon Lurt en route from one meeting to another, he realized Arrow was exactly where he'd left him at lunch time. An hour ago.

"Carry on up to the Hall of Princes." Mika instructed the handful of Generals he'd been walking with. "Tell the guards I sent you, and tell Vancha I'll be there as soon as I can."

They nodded and departed - with the exception of one Kaden Hale. You may recall there's some history between Arrow and Hale. Mika definitely recalls.

"Fuck, he's still in there." Mika sighed to Hale, with just a hint of exasperation. "I'll go pull his head out of his ass."

"I don't mean to overstep, but I've got this, Sire." Hale replied with calm determination. "You may as well go get your next meeting started."

"You sure?" Mika asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Of course. If you don't mind, that is."

"Honestly, that works out really well for me." Said Mika conversationally. "I have at least a hundred other things I have to do before tomorrow. So I'm fine with taking Arrow Pep Talk off my to-do list."

Mika pulled out the small leather-bound notebook in which he tracked his daily schedule, and opened it up to today's page. Hale glanced over and laughed.

"Don't tell me you had Arrow Pep Talk written on there. Oh my gods, you really did."

"Well, yeah. It was inevitable. Anything that takes up valuable time goes on the schedule." Said Mika. "Otherwise I'd never get anything done."

Hale chuckled, and Mika turned to go. But he paused to glance over his shoulder.

"Just out of curiosity, what are you going to say to him?" He inquired.

Hale didn't even hesitate before answering. As though she anticipated the question.

"That Sarah wouldn't resent him for embracing peace… that she'd be as proud of him as we are."

"You're good at this. That's exactly what I would've said." Mika smiled, and for the first time in a long time he felt completely confident that Arrow would be just fine without him.

"Thank you, Sire. That's high praise coming from you."

"You can call me Mika."

I sat alone, in bed 'til the morning

I'm crying, "They're coming for me"

And I tried to hold these secrets inside me

My mind's like a deadly disease

ELSEWHERE IN VAMPIRE MOUNTAIN:

In hindsight, Gracie didn't think locating one old t-shirt ended up being worth the effort it took. But it was a great shirt and she really wanted it back. Nice athletic material. Breathable and sweat-wicking, exactly what one needs for training in the sporting halls for hours on end. Also, it was expensive. It went missing after she sorted through the large storage crate containing every article of clothing she'd ever owned from age two to eighteen - because her dads never got rid of anything. Several days ago she dug out a few options that looked gender-neutral and small enough to fit Darius. Poor kid arrived with literally nothing but the shirt on his back, after all.

Now Gracie was pretty sure that one awesome shirt accidentally ended up among the designated Darius bag. So she endeavoured to politely ask for it back. She went armed with a bag of old books in case a barter was required.

When she arrived at her old room which was now Darius's, she immediately forgot all about the shirt. There were two voices - Darren and Darius - coming from the other side of the closed door. They were arguing and it sounded heated. The cherry on top was Harkat standing with his ear pressed against the door and worry clouding his endearingly lopsided face.

Gracie silently mouthed "what's going on?" and Harkat motioned for her to come closer.

"Seba asked me… to fetch Darren." Harkat whispered. "But I don't think… I should interrupt. Listen…"

Gracie frowned, and leaned a little closer to the door. She didn't need her newly heightened vampiric senses to make out what her friend and his nephew were saying to each other.

"Darius, you have no idea what you're asking me to do! It's too much, too soon!" Darren was half-shouting. But it wasn't anger in his voice - it was frustration and fear.

"Then when?!" Came Darius's reply. Unlike Darren, he was angry. "You said you'd help me! You said you wanted me to feel like I belonged!"

"You do belong! You're my family, that means you belong!" Darren protested. "What part of that don't you understand?"

"But I don't want to be a vampaneze! I want to be a vampire!"

"I want you to be safe! You're my sister's only child, Darius! The peace treaty is almost finalized, you can still be safe in Vampire Mountain as a vampaneze! I promise you that!"

"And I thought my family was fucked up." Gracie muttered under her breath, earning a wheezy chuckle from Harkat. Darren might've heard them if he'd been paying attention but his focus was clearly on his nephew. But she could hear the mounting panic in his voice, and it was clear the conversation wasn't going anywhere productive. So she decided it was time to rescue him. Gracie nonchalantly opened the door and strolled in with Harkat beside her. Darius and Darren were facing off in the centre of the room, and it was difficult to decide which of them looked closer to tears.

"Sorry! Hope we're not interrupting anything." Said Gracie breezily. Harkat gave them an awkward little wave.

"Come on in." Darren sighed sarcastically, glancing from Harkat to Gracie in turn.

"Seba… is looking for you." Said Harkat a little sheepishly.

"And I was hoping to take a second look at that bag of clothes I gave you." Gracie added, arching an eyebrow at Darren pointedly. "But it looks like this might be a bad time."

"Thanks, Harkat. Tell Seba I'll be down in half an hour." Darren told Harkat ruefully. Harkat nodded, and slipped out the door. Then Darren glanced at Gracie. "Your timing could've been better. But you knew that before you walked in, right? Remember, I know you have vampire hearing now."

"Fine. Cards on the table. Harkat and I heard plenty. It didn't sound like you were making a whole lot of progress on your own." Said Gracie with a little shrug.

"Why doesn't he want me to be a vampire?" Darius shouted, turning around to face Gracie, fury blazing in his eyes. Far too much fury for a face so youthful.

"Is that what this is about? I have no idea but I'm sure he'd tell you if you stopped yelling at him." Said Gracie evenly.

"How'd you do it? How'd you get your dad to turn you into a vampire? That's what happened, isn't it?" Darius pressed.

Only because YOUR dad took a sledgehammer to my life Gracie thought.

"Darius, that's none of your business." Darren groaned.

"It's fine." Said Gracie, before glancing back at the fuming boy. "That's a bit of a false equivalence, Darius. First, I went from human to half-vampire. You're asking to go from half-vampaneze to vampire. Is that even possible? Second, I'm an adult. And third, your dad did blood you. Which was really ignorant of him because you're eight."

Darius's face fell for a second, but he didn't lower his guard.

"You'll grow into your vampaneze strength soon enough. And by the time you're ready to be fully blooded, the clans will be coexisting peacefully. No need to fix what isn't broken." Darren added cautiously. He sounded calmer, as though he'd regained a bit of composure in the brief moment Gracie diverted his nephew's attention.

"I don't want to be a full vampaneze!" Darius snapped, his voice taking on a tone of manic desperation that caught Gracie off-guard.

"That's quite a change of heart. Three days ago you didn't even want to be in Vampire Mountain, much less become a vampire." Gracie countered, studying Darius's body language without making it too obvious. His mannerisms were causing her mental gears to turn - specifically, the gears she hadn't used since her last day as a lawyer. If only she'd known it would be her last day.

"It's not that I don't want you to be a vampire!" Darren fired back at Darius. "It's not that simple! Nothing is that simple!"

"Yes it is! You hate me like you hate my dad!" Darius snarled in retaliation. And there was so much spite in the boy that Gracie took an automatic step back. But even as she did so, she glanced at Darren. He was standing there pale-faced and slack-jawed, as though Darius's harsh words had hit him like a literal punch to the gut.

"No!" Darren choked out at last. "Darius, I don't care who your father is. I don't care what he's done. Your mother is my little sister. She was my best friend. I loved her then, and I love her now. And that means I love you too. Whether you want me to or not." There was a solitary tear trickling down his face, but his voice held strong.

And it was extremely obvious that a confession of love was the absolute last thing Darius had expected, because his aura of defensive anger seemed to cool down. The boy didn't lower his guard, but he looked curious.

"You love me?" Darius whispered.

"I loved you before I even knew your name. You're my family."

"Then why don't you want me to have your blood?"

"Because if I try to turn your blood it could kill us both!" Darren's voice finally broke, and the tears he'd been holding back began to spill. "Vancha went through this. He barely survived his re-blooding, and he was an adult! And the man who blooded him was a full vampire! I'm only half, and you're a child!"

Silence.

Darius looked utterly stunned, as frozen as if his uncle had reached out and slapped him across the face. Clearly he hadn't been expecting that revelation either. And clearly Darren had been trying to shield him from the dark reality of how these things worked. And honestly, neither did Gracie. She'd developed a pretty extensive understanding of vampiric affairs throughout her life, and had doubled down on her learning efforts after Mika blooded her recently. But she didn't know it was an option to trade one clan for the other. Or that the attempt was a likely death sentence. Or that Vancha himself lived through it.

"You didn't hear the Vancha thing from me." Darren muttered out of the corner of his mouth, as though reading her mind. "That's classified information. Princes only."

Gracie nodded affirmatively, as if that was the first state secret someone had let slip in front of her. It was definitely the most mind-blowing, though.

"I'm not risking your life, Darius." Darren added wearily. "And I'd rather have you be alive to hate me, than dead because I tried to give you what you wanted."

"So… if you tried to turn me into a vampire… we'd both die?" Darius asked, his voice reduced to a soft whimper.

"Probably. There's no way to know unless we try. And by the time we found out, it'd be too late."

"I… I didn't know that." Darius's lower lip and chin began to quiver. "I don't want to die. And I don't want you to die either. I swear I didn't know, Uncle Darren."

"Of course you didn't know. How would you?" Darren exhaled. The tension seemed to leave his body as Darius's strange anger abated. "It's okay. Come here."

Darren knelt to the floor and opened his arms in the offer of an embrace. Darius hesitated, but only for a moment. Soon he was crying wetly into his uncle's shoulder.

"I'm glad to hear you don't want me to die." Darren chuckled shakily as he hugged his nephew. "And trust me when I tell you, I'm really hoping to have you around for a long, long time."

Gracie caught Darren's eye as she began to rifle through the bag of clothes she'd spied in the corner. He looked dazed, but happy. He looked like Darren again.

"You good?" Gracie mouthed the words silently. Darren grimaced, but gave her a shaky thumbs-up behind his nephew's back.

Then Gracie had a thought, and suddenly her old shirt was the last thing on her mind. Darius had come a long way in the past few days, and Darren's unconditional patience had played a key role in that. But Steve Leonard went out of the way to poison his son's mind against Darren and the vampire clan long before the boy met any of them. And yet Darius pulled a complete 180 after being in the mountain less than a week. Sure, Darren talked him off the ledge tonight. But the aggression in Darius was a lot for an eight year old. And the single-minded intent behind the demands he was making? The clumsy attempts at emotional manipulation, followed by the way he abandoned it as soon as he realized he was in over his head? Young children don't just come up with that on their own. And it was entirely possible Darren was too close to the situation to realize it.

Now Gracie was really glad she'd brought the bag of old books, because it kept Darius just distracted enough that she could pull Darren into the hallway and present the sobering theory that there might be more to this than met the eye.

I'm bigger than my body

I'm colder than this home

I'm meaner than my demons

I'm bigger than these bones

ELSEWHERE:

The final meeting ran long, and Mika was dizzyingly tired when he got back to his room for some well-deserved sleep. He hadn't even had time to undress when he heard a knock on his door. And he didn't have to guess who it was, because it was the same knock he heard on the same door a mere twenty-four hours ago.

But this time Kurda didn't amble in with hesitation, as though unsure whether he should be there or not. This time, Mika barely had a chance to pull the door open before Kurda practically ran headlong into his arms. Mika hadn't been expecting it, but it didn't matter. Instinct and muscle-memory took over, and he one-upped Kurda's reckless embrace by sweeping him off his feet.

Neither spoke at first, but they had centuries left to find the words. All there was to do now was hold on; Mika's arms around Kurda's body, holding him up off the floor. Kurda's legs wrapped securely around Mika's waist and face buried in Mika's shoulder. He could feel Kurda's slender body shaking with relief and adrenaline because it was finally over.

"We did it." Kurda croaked, muffled by the fabric of Mika's black t-shirt.

"You did it." Mika whispered into the familiar wisps of blond hair that tickled his face. But the same wisps were just long enough to obscure Kurda's cloudless ocean eyes, and that didn't work for Mika. His steady hand lightly brushed Kurda's hair away from his face, and there he was. Smiling, perfect, staring back at Mika like they'd never skipped a single fucking day. Like the last seven years never even happened. Mika didn't take his eyes off Kurda's but on the edge of his line of vision he could see Kurda's lips moving. No sound came out, they both knew they had no business speaking those three words out loud because that would make it real all over again and they couldn't go back down that road. Not now. This was enough.

Mika closed his eyes, trying to break the connection between them because he knew how stupid and reckless this closeness was. He felt Kurda's forehead, warm and familiar against his own. When Mika silently mouthed the same three words, Kurda's own lips were right there to take those words in. Suddenly Mika was on his back. On the floor, Kurda straddling his waist, tongue down his throat, fingers tangled in his hair. It was so good and so right and he felt like home. Mika kissed him back with reckless abandon. Every nerve ending in Mika's body was electric, and the way Kurda's hips slid smoothly back and forth against his own was undoing him so completely that even the rational voice in his head was throwing its hands up and sighing in exasperation, Fine. I'll look the other way. You can have this one as a treat.

Then Mika opened his eyes for a split second. Kurda's lips were trailing down his neck which meant Mika had a clear view of the ceiling and the flickering torch on the wall. This view from this specific angle was all it took. The flashback hit Mika like lightning because there was only one other time he lay here on his own floor staring up at this ceiling. Suddenly it was seven years ago and he was exactly where he was now, but wasted and shattered as the pieces of glass and furniture on the floor around him. No matter what the present looked like, or what the future held, betrayal was indelible. Kurda could end the war with his bare hands but he couldn't turn back time.

Mika flinched hard. Kurda instantly drew back, knowing exactly what this was. Mika swiftly twisted out from beneath Kurda's body, instinctively distancing himself from both the memory and from Kurda's touch. Kurda exhaled shakily and ran his palms over his forehead, looking troubled.

"Sorry." Kurda whispered, face flushed and breathing heavily as he sat next to Mika, maintaining the physical distance between them. "That was out of line."

"Not your fault. I wanted it. But we can't go there. Not now. We've come too far." Mika replied grimly.

"You're right. As always." Kurda sighed. "I know better. It's been an overwhelming few days, to say the least. I got caught up in the moment."

"It was a really good moment." Said Mika. He managed to crack a thin smile.

"Best one in a long time." Kurda affirmed. "You okay?"

"Of course. Just remembered something I'd rather not." Said Mika evenly. "I think it was for the best. Otherwise we'd probably be naked by now."

"At the rate we were going, we'd be done by now." Kurda snorted, grinning impishly. Mika met his look with a disparaging grimace.

"You have that little faith in me? When have I ever not taken my sweet time with you?"

Kurda rolled his eyes, but threw his head back and laughed.

"I swear to the gods, Mika. The worst thing I ever did for your ego was letting it slip that you're so much as half-decent in the coffin."

"If I recall correctly, your assessment of my performance yielded a much higher rating than half-decent."

Kurda's eyes landed on Mika's once more, the corners of Kurda's lips angled into a half-mischievous half-exasperated smile.

"You're incorrigible." Kurda murmured, the word tumbling out as a soft chuckle.

"So I've been told. Mostly by you."

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, and Mika watched as Kurda's smile slowly began to falter. He looked like he had something on his mind, but Mika didn't have to wait very long.

"Listen, I know neither of us want to revisit it, but I need you to know how sorry I am for that night you visited my cottage-" Kurda began.

"You're going to have to be more specific. That entire night was a disaster." Mika cut him off.

"I'm referring to the spontaneous hate-sex, specifically." Said Kurda, raising an eyebrow.

"Ah. Thank you for clarifying."

"I'm serious, Mika. With everything that's happened since then, we never circled back to that. It shouldn't have happened. But like tonight, I let my emotions get the better of me and I couldn't keep my hands to myself."

"Funny. I could've sworn I initiated the time in the cottage." Said Mika seriously.

"Nope. It was me. I said I wished you'd just executed me… and you said you wished my plan worked." Kurda recounted.

"I remember that part. Because if that isn't hot foreplay, I don't know what is."

Kurda chuckled darkly and swatted Mika's shoulder. Mika eased back in Kurda's direction, and slowly lay down on his back with his arms crossed comfortably behind his head. About a foot away, Kurda did the same.

"That wasn't hate-sex, Kurda. It shouldn't have happened, but I don't regret it." Mika added in an undertone, much more seriously. "I figured it would be our last time, so I didn't fight it. And maybe it really was the last time. Because no matter what I tell myself, or you… I don't know if I'll ever fully be able to let you in again. Or if I should even try."

Mika tilted his head to the side and Kurda did the same. Their eyes met, and Mika hoped Kurda could hear the words he couldn't bring himself to say out loud: I trust you with the clan, I trust you with Gracie, I trust you with my life. But I don't trust you with my heart because it's still broken from the last time you had it.

"Do you want me to leave?" Kurda whispered.

"No."

Kurda looked back up at the ceiling in silence for several moments. Mika could tell there was still more on his mind.

"Once the treaty is finalized, I'll be away from the mountain for a few years at least, travelling around with Vancha and the Elders, breaking new ground on inter-clan relations and promoting unity." Said Kurda pointedly after a few minutes of contemplative silence. "And I have no doubt in my mind you'll be right there on the frontlines with me. Maybe there was a part of me that thought if we got it out of our systems here and now, it wouldn't be a problem later, but-"

"Vancha already asked me privately about being the second Prince on that mission, and I said no." Mika cut him off. He watched as Kurda's eyes widened and his jaw went slack.

"Why?! You're the best diplomat in the clan! You've helped Vancha run point on treaty talks before. Arrow won't fit that role, and Darren has no experience. You're the most obvious choice!" Kurda protested, and Mika's heart lurched at his innocent sincerity.

"That's what Vancha said. I'm a great diplomat, but compared to you? I'd just be in your way. You're the one who belongs on the frontlines for this, not me." Mika replied evenly. This was one of those times where he didn't care if Kurda agreed, because Mika knew he was right.

"Don't say that. It doesn't have to be one or the other!"

"For us it does. Look what almost just happened. You've been back at the mountain for what, a week? You and I both know we're not ready to be in such close proximity to each other." Mika continued as patiently as ever. "That mission is too important for our personal baggage. I'll stay in the mountain and do what I do. And Darren will take the place Vancha offered me."

Kurda's face fell. Although it made Mika's heart ache, it also made him that much more certain he was doing the right thing.

"Mika, I just got you and Gracie back after losing you for seven years-"

"You're not going into exile again, and you're not losing us. It's finally your turn to go do what you always dreamed of - bringing the clans together. When you come back to the mountain, it'll be to a hero's welcome. And I'll be there waiting for you."

Kurda didn't speak for a long time. He simply stared straight up into the ceiling, blinking hard. He exhaled a weary sigh, and eased closer til his head was touching Mika's shoulder; a silent agreement that that margin of closeness was as good as it needed to get for now.

"I should go." Said Kurda softly after a few minutes. He sat up slowly, smiling as he did so. "See you tomorrow."

"I look forward to it. Welcome home."

And all the kids cried out

"Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy

THE NEXT DAY:

In advance of her premeditated meet up with Darren, Gracie neatly applied some eyeliner and mascara. She hadn't intentionally packed the makeup in her getaway bag the night she was attacked, it was already in there from a trip several months prior. But she was glad to have it tonight. If there was ever a time to put on a bit of glam in Vampire Mountain, this was surely it. Because if she learned anything in her brief but thrilling career in human law, it's that people underestimate you when you're pretty. And by 'people', she isn't referring to Darren.

Gracie was halfway to the meetup spot when she ran into not one, but both of her dads as they made their way in the direction of the Hall of Khledon Lurt. And seeing Mika and Kurda in the same place after seven years of mutual estrangement was still surreal, to say the least. And amazing.

"Where are you going? I thought you were training with Vanez today." Mika inquired offhandedly as they paused to chat in the corridor. He seemed distracted, but with good reason. The vampaneze delegation was set to arrive in several hours and all of the Princes and senior Generals were a little on edge about it.

"That's still the plan, but first I'm helping Darren with something." Gracie replied casually, fully aware she had to proceed with some degree of caution here.

"Helping Darren with what? Reaching the top shelf of the pantry?" Mika snorted.

"Mika." Kurda groaned, drawing out the second syllable in exasperation. But it was clear he was struggling to contain a chuckle at that. And gods damn, Gracie could've spent the rest of the night standing here in this spot, laughing at stupid jokes. That fleeting hit of normalcy was incredible.

But alas, she had places to be.

"Actually, Darren needs a lawyer. Family issues." Gracie joked with a wayward grin. Casual as ever.

She should've known Mika wouldn't shrug that off. His eyes darkened instantly as he exchanged a covert look with Kurda. And Gracie knew they knew exactly where she was going.

"Absolutely not. You're not setting foot anywhere near that dungeon. Leonard's still dangerous behind bars. I don't care what Darren thinks he's going to accomplish by going down there again, but he's not going to use you for it." Said Mika. His chilly bluntness threw Gracie off her game - he never spoke to her like that.

"Darren isn't using me. I offered to help." She answered reproachfully.

"With what, exactly?" Kurda pressed, looking as concerned as Mika.

"He's trying to make a plan for his nephew's future - after the treaty is finalized and the vampaneze take custody of their rabid leopard man again. Darren wanted my input, since I have real-world experience with custody negotiations." It wasn't a total lie, but she purposely omitted Darius's strange request about changing his blood status. Darren didn't want to alarm any of the more seasoned vampires until they knew more.

"That's a Darren problem. I can't stop him from engaging with the prisoner, but you are staying far away from that mess. That's a direct order, and it absolutely overrides anything Darren asks of you. If he has an issue with that, tell him he can take it up with me." Mika retorted, with the same fierce bite to his words. Mika had only given Gracie one other legitimate order in her life, and it was the night she was attacked - get out of here and don't look back. She didn't obey that one, but he didn't hold a grudge. This situation was a little trickier.

She took a moment to re-gather her thoughts and adjust her approach. There was no point in picking a fight here and now. Gracie didn't blame him for shifting into protective overdrive when it hadn't even been three weeks since Leonard orchestrated the attempted capture of both of them. It almost worked, and even though it failed it still cost her her entire human life. But that was just it - she was a vampire now. A good vampire protects their clan. And Gracie planned on being a great vampire.

"Darren would never order me to do anything, and you know it. He's my friend, and he's kind of going through something." Said Gracie, lightly arching an eyebrow at Mika. He held her gaze studiously, but didn't challenge her further. Gracie calmly looked to Kurda - perhaps the seven year estrangement might score enough pity points for him to help plead her case. It was a long shot, and it didn't pay off.

"I can't give you orders, Gracie." Said Kurda softly. He paused for a moment and exchanged a serious look with Mika. "All I can do is ask that you take this seriously. Leonard may not have Vampaneze Lord's clout to back him up when returns to his clan, but the blood feud between him and Darren runs deep. Neither of you were there to witness his attempt to manipulate Darren by threatening a young woman who was close to him-"

"I'm not close to Darren like that!"

"We know! But Leonard won't care about the fine print. Your life was already used as a bargaining chip against one Prince. Don't give him a reason to think you're important to Darren too." Kurda begged, his voice catching in his throat.

"Darren just wanted to have a conversation with him, not a fight to the death." Gracie shot back, keeping her voice low and steady. Even as her stomach clenched because Kurda had raised a very valid point.

"Gracie, I literally do not have the time or energy to worry about you putting yourself in unnecessary danger, on top of everything else that's happening right now. Both clans are one wrong move from all-our civil war." Mika added, sounding much less stern and much more stressed out. "Vampire Mountain is the safest place in the world for you - as long as he's locked up, and you stay the fuck away from him. You have centuries to go on adventures, or test yourself, or whatever you're trying to do here. But right now I need you to stand back and let us handle it. Please."

"I will." Said Gracie ruefully. "You're right, I didn't consider the risks - I'll tell Darren I changed my mind. I know he'll understand. But could you please not give him a hard time about it later? You know he's still intimidated by you."

"Fair enough." Mika sighed, appearing reassured. "You head down to the sporting halls, and I won't grill Darren next time I see him. See you later."

Gracie politely promised she'd go meet up with Vanez, and carried on her way.

Goddamn right, you should be scared of me

Who is in control?

"Back again? Did the grown-ups kick you out of the throne room for recess?" Steve greeted Darren with a chilly half-smile from behind the bars. Then his gaze shifted to Gracie, and the smile bloomed into a wide, insincere grin that reminded her of the gross senior frat boys who used to catcall every freshman girl who walked past their house in college.

And Gracie looked back at Steve exactly like she'd looked at those entitled, self-important frat boys. With a mixture of disgust, pity, and condescension - like he was an unattended dog turd in the middle of a walking trail.

"Wow. Hey, Princess." He purred at her, standing up from the floor of his cell as they approached. "Long time no see. You're as pretty as the first day I watched you walk to your car."

Princess.

Gracie felt her blood sizzle with silent fury because he had no right to undercut that word with such malice.

When Mika called her Princess, it made her heart swell because the word contained a universe of pure, unconditional love. There was a brief period in her earliest memories when she actually thought it was her name.

When Darren called her Princess the odd time, it was sarcastic but it made her laugh. Like when she'd roll her eyes and say whatever, Sire Shan. Because there was nothing but solidarity and validation between them. They got each other in a way no one else ever would.

But Steve Leonard could shove the nickname up his ass, then proceed all the way to hell.

Clearly he was expecting her to flinch or something. She arched an eyebrow and wrinkled her nose slightly as she looked him up and down, silently telling him she wasn't intimidated.

"I remember seeing you in my parking lot once, actually. You were wearing that stupid outfit. Should've driven over you while I had the chance." Gracie told him flatly. She was lying, she didn't recall laying eyes on him in the time he spent following her. But he didn't need to know that, so she was purposefully vague. The "stupid outfit" could've been anything.

"Ugh, smokin' hot and sassy. I'd let you drive over me any night." Steve replied with a lascivious wink. Then he glanced back at Darren, eyes sparkling with malice. "I'm surprised you brought her here, Darren. Remember what happened last time one of your girlfriends got dragged into your world?"

"Please. As if I'd get between him and Harkat." Gracie snorted before Darren could open his mouth. "And let's get one thing straight. This is my world. Darren's the one who got dragged into it, because for reasons nobody here can understand, he thought your life was worth saving."

"Damn. Darren really has spilled his sob story to everyone in this fucking place, hasn't he?" Steve sneered, taking a step closer to the bars. "Hotshot Shan sacrificed everything to save his no-good best friend and flitted off into the sunset with Creepy Crepsley. Such a noble tale! I suppose he didn't mention the part where he knowingly left in the hell that was my family's house, while he travelled the world with the newfound power he stole from me! Ah, childhood memories."

"Wow. You want to be the victim so badly." Gracie remarked. And Steve's face darkened so quickly it was a little disconcerting.

"We're not here to reminisce on unhappier times, Steve." Darren growled. "We have to talk about Darius."

Steve's face changed as soon as Darren spoke his son's name. His air of cold calculation thinned like smoke in the rain, and his pupils visibly dilated.

"Is he alright?" Steve asked in a low voice, almost urgently.

"You tell me." Darren countered, dropping the volume of his voice to match Steve's. "He's been to see you, hasn't he?"

"And what in the fuck gives you that idea?"

"Because after three days of him barely looking at me because you'd conditioned him to hate vampires so much, he came to me and begged me to turn his blood." Said Darren, eyes narrowing as he held Steve's gaze.

"And it just so happened that conversation occurred immediately after Kurda Smahlt's trial. The only time Darius was out of Darren's sight for more than five minutes… while the entire mountain was distracted for a solid two hours. But I'm sure that's just a coincidence." Gracie added with a blank, emotionless smile.

"He wouldn't come to that conclusion on his own. What did you tell him? And who brought him to the dungeon?" Darren demanded, taking a step closer to the cell.

Steve let out a loud, harsh bark of laughter.

"What are you two?! Nancy Fucking Drew and the lamest Hardy Boy?" He scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. "God, don't you have something better to do?"

"I know you're up to something, Steve. Because I know you. And I'm never going to let you catch me off-guard again." Said Darren viciously.

"Gods, how do you live with this? Is Sire Shan always this dramatic?" Steve drawled in a stage whisper to Gracie.

"Watch it. Only I'm allowed to call him that condescendingly." She deadpanned, glaring him down with great prejudice.

"Something's changed. For three days he couldn't go five minutes without demanding to see you." Darren continued. "Yet he hasn't mentioned you since the trial. Let's stop screwing around. I'm not asking IF you saw Darius. I'm asking what you said to him to make him change his mind completely."

"I didn't see him! The kid's obviously confused."

Gracie took a moment to assess Steve's microexpressions. His pupils were dilated, his breathing rapid, and she could practically see his gears spinning behind his eyes. The shade of barely disguised panic was a stark contrast from the self-sure douchebag aura he'd greeted them with. He still put up a hell of a front, but the mere mention of his son had been enough to unhinge him from the inside-out.

"Darren, we're not going to get anywhere with this." Said Gracie offhandedly. "There's at least a sixty percent chance every word out of his mouth is a lie. We're wasting time." She punctuated it with a very pointed glance at Darren who, thank the gods, caught on.

"You're right. Let's get out of here. He has nothing left to offer anyone. Especially not Darius." Said Darren. And once more, his gaze landed on Steve. There was a steely sort of determination in Darren's eyes that Gracie had never seen before. It was the exact same look she'd seen a million times over on her father's face. There was no doubt about it. The happy-go-lucky kid she'd befriended years ago was gone. And Gracie could tease Darren all she wanted (and she fully intended to, to keep him humble) but he lived up to the title of Sire as much as Mika or his colleagues.

"Darren, wait." Steve's voice drifted from his cell as they began to walk away. Right on cue.

Darren slowly turned, and Gracie followed.

"You want the truth? You really want the fucking truth?" Steve sighed, his voice cracking.

"I'll bite one more time." Said Darren through gritted teeth, "What now, Steve? What version of truth are you spinning today?"

"Darius came to me." Steve croaked. "Nobody brought him here. He found me on his own. Can you blame him? He's terrified! That green-haired bastard ripped him away from his mother and brought him to this awful place! And I'm still the asshole in this story?"

"He wasn't safe with Annie! He hurt her! And he hurt kids at his school, all because you pumped your blood into his veins and then you left him behind with power he doesn't understand! He's eight!"

"Please, Darren. You should know as well as anyone that what we have is worth a few bumps in the road." Steve countered shrewdly. "Have you forgotten that time you broke that kid's legs at recess? You had a few bad days. You learned from them - and look at you now. I blooded Darius so he never has to feel as helpless as I did when I was a kid."

Darren glanced at Gracie. There was a distant, unsettled look in his eyes. And she could tell by Darren's face that this part of Steve's story was rooted in truth.

"Anyway, I told him to get out of the dungeon before anyone noticed he was gone. I didn't want him to get in trouble. All he wanted was a minute with his dad." Steve finished.

"So why vampire blood?" Darren murmured. "Steve, he was on the verge of a panic attack when he begged me to turn him. He had no idea what he was asking for! And worse than that, he had no idea why he was asking for it."

"He won't be safe with the vampaneze. Not after the treaty - and I told him as much. The same men who turned against the Vampaneze Lord will kill me when they get the chance. Gannen might be able to protect me from your lot, but he can't protect me from ours. Makes me sick to think about it, but turning his blood is his only chance. So I told him his best hope was to become a vampire. And it broke my fucking heart."

Darren's eyes narrowed again as he took all that in. Clearly he wasn't expecting that.

"It's because of the treaty Darius can live among us as a vampaneze." He replied guardedly after a moment. "Don't get me wrong, I hate the idea of him having to kill humans to feed. And I really hate you for forcing that onto him. But if I try to turn his blood, there's a good chance we'll both die. I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt that you didn't know that until this second."

Steve's face remained completely, almost eerily impassive. There wasn't a shred of emotion there to evaluate. Only a blank slate.

"Of course I didn't fucking know that, Darren." Steve murmured at last. "Gannen told me years ago it was possible to change blood, but he wouldn't go into detail. You think I'd risk my kid's life?"

"Yeah, Steve. I do." Said Darren with a bitter, broken laugh. "But it doesn't matter what you would or wouldn't do to him. He's safe now. Until I can reunite him with Annie, I'm the only family he needs."

And with that, Steve's mannerisms turned cold again.

"Have it your way, Sire." he muttered as Darren turned to leave again. "Call me!" He added, winking at Gracie and giving her a coy little wave.

"I'm so sorry you had to listen to all that." Darren groaned as he slammed the door that separated Steve's high-security cell from the rest of the dungeon.

"I've heard worse." Said Gracie, waving her hand dismissively. "So approximately how much of that do you think was the truth?"

"You tell me, you're the lawyer."

"It's obvious Darius visited him in the dungeon, he wasn't lying about that part. But I don't believe for a second he found his way there on his own."

"Then how? You think someone gave him directions?" Darren speculated as they rounded the last corner out of the dungeon wing.

"Maybe. But if someone saw him roaming around unsupervised, surely they would've reported it back to you." Said Gracie. "Something doesn't add up."

"It's a little too convenient that these corridors were empty." Darren agreed, face darkening. "Almost all of the guards were reassigned to the Hall of Princes for your dad's trial in case things went off the rails-"

Holy shit.

"And someone knew that." Said Gracie, stopping dead in her tracks.

"Exactly." Said Darren grimly. "There would've had to be at least one guard in here though. I ordered that Steve never be left unattended…" He wandered over to the small table that sat to the right of the main dungeon door. His face fell further as he opened both of the two drawers built into the table. "Where's the log book? All the guards are supposed to sign in and out. As far as I know it's always been here."

"Ask Jakob Wiles. Dad said he got promoted to interim Head of Security. He's been looking after all the guarding assignments." Gracie suggested.

"I know who Jakob Wiles is, Gracie! I was at that meeting too! I voted on it and everything, because I am also a Prince!" Darren exclaimed. It wasn't quite a shout, but he was visibly agitated. "Do you just keep forgetting that?"

"You're a Prince?" Gracie deadpanned, not matching his energy in the slightest.

"You're a comedian?" Darren fired back. But he managed a brittle smile.

"Your words, not mine. And of course I know you're a Prince, Darren. Sorry." Gracie sighed. She gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "You know I respect you as much as any of the others, right?"

"I know. And in case I've never told you, I love that you don't tiptoe around me. You make me feel normal." Said Darren, smiling a little wider.

"Happy to help you delude yourself." Gracie replied, elbowing Darren in the ribs.

"Ow! That was hard. Don't forget, you're a vampire now!"

"Sorry, thought you were tougher than that. What's next, Sire?"

"I have to go meet up with Seba, I've put him off long enough." Said Darren. "And later I'm going to go ask Darius for his side of the story. I was hoping to avoid bringing it up at all. It's been so hard for him to trust me and I just know-"

"He'll feel like you're interrogating him and shut you out. And that'll risk pushing him back to Steve." Gracie finished Darren's sentence without even thinking about it. "But you're right. He's the only other one in this place who knows the truth."

"Exactly." Said Darren. "There's more going on here than we realize. I have to find out who's really in control. Can you try to find that log book to see which guard was on duty during the trial?"

"I'm on it. But first I have to make an appearance in the sporting halls, I'm already late. Are you going to anyone about this?"

"Not yet. Everyone's already on edge about Steve, and I don't blame them. But Darius is just a kid. No matter what happens, nothing is his fault. I don't want to give any other vampire a reason not to trust him."

"Good call." Said Gracie. She paused before ruefully adding, "Also you should probably know both my dads straight-up ordered me not to go anywhere near this dungeon. Well, Mika ordered. Kurda put in a really strong request."

Darren's face fell dramatically, and he winced with his entire body and soul.

"Since when do they boss you around? Especially Mika?" He groaned, rubbing his temples anxiously.

"Since they found out you asked me to help negotiate with the man who ruined my life trying to get to the Stone of Blood, and almost killed both of them plus that one General. They actually took a pretty strong stance on it."

"Perfect. So on top of everything else, I have to worry about Mika breaking my neck." Said Darren with a nervous chuckle. "We'll keep this to ourselves until we have a reason not to. Deal?"

"Deal."

"Thanks for your help, Nancy Fucking Drew."

"It's my honour to assist the lamest Hardy Boy. See you when I see you."

I paced around for hours on empty

I jumped at the slightest of sounds

And I couldn't stand the person inside me

I turned all the mirrors around

SEVERAL HOURS LATER:

The iconic night of the treaty signing drew ever closer. It wouldn't be much longer now. The Princes had already sent out a diplomatic envoy to Gannen Harst and Shane Astor, and they'd just received word the pair of vampaneze had finally arrived at the mountain. Kurda and Vancha had gone down to the entrance to escort them up to the Hall of Princes. The other two Elders were travelling from further away and would arrive the following night. They'd all gather with the Princes, review the terms and conditions as a group, then the treaty would be signed into effect once and for all.

Mika and Arrow were enjoying a brief moment of down time in the Hall of Princes as they waited for Vancha and Kurda to return with the guests, but it was cut short by the unmistakable sound of a fight breaking out in the corridor outside the Hall of Princes.

"Who the hell is starting a brawl, today of all days?" Arrow complained as he bolted to the door to investigate with Mika at his side.

"Are we really in a position to criticize?" Mika snorted. He exchanged a dark smirk with Arrow as they both recalled the eve of Paris's funeral when the pair of them plus Vancha attempted to mutually rock each other's jaws after an argument went too far. The minimal traces of amusement both died from their faces as they opened the hall doors to assess the situation.

Arrow let out a strangled gasp as though he'd been kicked in the stomach, and the reason was immediately apparent. The vampaneze had indeed arrived, but they were not at the centre of the violence. They stood with their backs to the wall and their hands raised non threateningly. Kurda was standing near them, as though bracing himself to step in and defend them. Vancha was the one fighting. He was battling three other vampires. A closer look revealed they weren't just civilians - they were guards.

"What the fuck?" Arrow growled in disbelief. "I thought this corridor was supposed to be empty tonight."

"It was. I told Wiles to make sure all the guards were stationed elsewhere to prevent this exact situation." Mika confirmed, eyes narrowing in suspicion as he assessed the scene.

"You'll be sorry you set foot in this mountain, purple filth!" One of the guards was howling as he kept trying to attack the vampaneze, rebuffed violently by Vancha each time.

"I'll die a thousand deaths before I let your kind defile our home!" Seconded one of the others.

"They're with me, you idiots!" Vancha panted as he knocked them backwards, eyes alight with fury. "Stand down before I have you executed! Or better yet, decapitate you with my bare hands!"

And both Mika and Arrow knew damn well that the only reason Vancha hadn't already snapped the attackers in half was because the Princes were currently in a tenuous position with about fifty percent of their own clan. Tensions were running high, and it was a slippery slope if they gave their own any more ammunition to criticize them. If a Prince killed a vampire to protect a vampaneze before the treaty was final… well, that was a bad look for everyone.

"What in the fuck is going on here?" Mika snapped, his voice laced with every bit of razor-sharp authority he could muster. Vancha was more than capable of taking on three average vampires at once, but Mika still rolled up his sleeves and prepared to step in. The guards weren't trying to actively harm Vancha himself; they seemed much more intent on getting past him. Vancha probably could've had all three of them on the floor in another minute or so, but Mika felt he should expedite the process. He slipped seamlessly into the fray, grabbing the largest of the rogue guards, wrenching him away from Vancha and slamming him against the wall with his arms behind his back.

"Thank you for your assistance, Sire Ver Leth." Vancha chuckled.

"You were taking too long, Sire March."

Vancha immobilized the other two while Arrow stomped away and returned a minute later with three Generals for backup.

"Explain yourselves! This is a disgrace to the mountain, the Princes, and your fellow guards!" Vancha bellowed, as the three guards stood side-by-side with the Generals holding their arms behind their backs. The guards would be taken to the dungeon, but first there was some intensive scolding to be done.

Vancha's outburst triggered another volley of impassioned shouting, which took an equally impassioned warning from Mika, Arrow, and Vancha to restore order.

Suddenly, another voice joined the fray. One that was more familiar to Mika than those of the audacious guards. Jakob Wiles came wheeling around the corner, red faced and breathless as though he'd been running.

"Soren! Vandar! Ammon! What the hell is this?! You're supposed to be in the South corridor! I was very clear!" Jakob bellowed as he approached. "Assaulting our vampaneze diplomats and ignoring direct orders of your Princes was NOT on your schedule today! And I know that because I made your fucking schedules!"

"You'd never guess Mika trained that one." Vancha snickered.

"Right? If that wasn't a direct quote straight from the Sire Ver Leth playbook, I don't know what is." Arrow replied with a low chuckle.

"Clearly he doesn't sound that much like me. Because when I give orders, they're followed." Mika growled. He raised an eyebrow at Jakob, who cringed under Mika's scathing gaze.

"I am so sorry about this, Sires." Jakob choked out, looking terrified. "I specifically stationed all of our on-duty guards away from this corridor tonight, as per your instructions. I don't understand-"

"Fuck your orders! Fuck the lot of you!" The largest of the guards - Soren - snapped. "Drop me on the stakes if you want! Better than serving a clan that accepts the vampaneze into our sanctuary!"

The three Princes exchanged a look, faces grim. Mika could tell Vancha and Arrow were just as uneasy as he was. This was more than a mere brawl. These guards had committed legitimate treason - how many more vampires would risk arrest or death just to take a swing at a vampaneze diplomat?

"Have it your way." Mika replied icily. "Thank you, Generals. Get these ex-guards out of our sight."

"And take them to the dungeon. We'll want to have a few more words with them - but this present moment isn't the time." Vancha added grimly. He wasn't smiling now.

"Well, fuck me sideways. Where are our manners? We have guests. Welcome to our lovely home, gentlemen." Mika deadpanned, raising his arms to gesture around the room with mock pride as he turned to the two vampaneze. Neither of the purple-skinned visitors had spoken throughout the squabble. The sight of vampaneze in Vampire Mountain still felt surreal, but Mika chalked that up to the centuries of internalized prejudice that was hardwired into him, and just about every other vampire. And if the rest of the clan was supposed to un-learn that, they'd need role models. But it still felt weird.

"Mika Ver Leth, I presume?" Said the closer of the two vampaneze. He was a tall man with broad shoulders and intelligent, studious eyes.

"Guilty as charged."

"Shane Astor. Pleased to meet you, and thank you for inviting us into your clan's sacred home." Said the vampaneze, shaking Mika's hand.

"I am incredibly sorry about the less-than-warm welcome, my friends." Vancha added ruefully, his brow furrowed in concern. "We made a point of keeping this corridor empty in the unlikely event that members of our staff would act out at the sight of vampaneze in the mountain. I suppose it was less unlikely than we suspected."

"You Princes must not be as revered as you think, brother. I thought your word was law." The taller of the two vampaneze commented wryly. Mika had already suspected it was Gannen based on the shape of his facial features, and the word brother confirmed it.

"Law only goes so far when their fear of change is greater than their fear of death." Arrow murmured. He looked down at his feet for a moment or two, shifting uncomfortably. Finally he took a deep breath and looked up at the vampaneze. And then he stepped forward, extended a hand to Gannen and said, "My name is Arrow. Welcome, Gannen Harst. To work alongside your brother has been one of the greatest honours of my life. If he trusts you, that's enough for me."

Gannen seemed to consider Arrow for a moment or two, but he didn't pause for long before reaching back to shake Arrow's hand firmly. Then Shane did the same.

"You're infamous in our clan, Arrow." Said Shane, raising an eyebrow.

"Astor…" Gannen muttered warningly. "Not the time."

"I was going to say his notoriety has garnered him a fair amount of begrudging respect from many of my brethren." Shane explained with a brittle smile. "There's nothing a true vampaneze appreciates more than a formidable, determined warrior. And we all know Arrow is certainly that. Some were disappointed when your notorious revenge quest was cut short. I knew many men who were eager to duel you back in the day."

Arrow's puzzled face was a clear indicator he had no idea what to say to that, so he went with something simple.

"Thank you?"

Mika had to stifle a dark chuckle because although Arrow certainly hadn't intended for it to sound like a question, it did. Mika clapped Arrow on the shoulder and smiled drily at Gannen and Shane.

"Shall we retreat to the Hall of Princes? That's where we keep the good shit." Said Mika seriously. He heard Vancha laugh raucously behind him.

"I would be honoured to see your legendary stronghold from the inside." Said Shane, just as seriously. "Your Hall of Princes and Stone of Blood may be controversial among my kind, but fascinating nonetheless."

"I meant the liquor cabinet in our private meeting room. I'm sure you could use a drink after your long journey. And I'm not just saying that because I need a drink." Said Mika. Vancha and Arrow chuckled, and after a moment Shane and Gannen did the same. "So, are you Elders going to build your own place like this?" Mika added conversationally as the four vampires led the pair of diplomats into the Hall of Princes.

"There are no places like this." Said Shane Astor almost breathlessly as he gazed around the Hall of Princes, taking it all in.

"There's a reason Desmond Tiny created this for your kind and not ours." Gannen Harst remarked emotionlessly. "The introduction of Elders will already be intensely controversial among the vampaneze. We are not built to fall in line for a hierarchy, much less have a designated chamber in which to worship those at the top. The elders will be guides, not authorities."

"Sounds dull, but you know your clan best." Said Mika. To his surprise, Harst shot him a dry smile.

"I like you, Mika Ver Leth. You amuse me. I think I'm going to enjoy working with you."

"That's Sire Ver - fuck it, never mind. Call me whatever you want. I don't care anymore."

"Really? We raised a child for almost three years before you considered us on a first name basis. And he walks in here and gets a free pass?" Kurda snorted as he fell into step beside Mika. Gannen smirked at that.

"I'm tired." Said Mika, shrugging. But he managed a thin smile and gently bumped his elbow against Kurda's as they walked. "Been a long decade."

Undoubtedly there'd be decades ahead of them of heated debates and scraps like tonight's. Peace was a journey, not a destination. But if this moment was step one, it felt like the right direction.

"I concur." Said Gannen. "I am more than ready to put this futile war behind us. But first, I would like to speak with my apprentice."

The Princes conversed among themselves for a moment before agreeing - on the condition that there were witnesses. So Mika, Vancha, and Kurda escorted the vampaneze down to the dungeon to meet with their war prisoner. As they walked, Gannen solemnly made one more request of the Princes, taking them all by surprise. And when they granted it, he followed up with a promise. That was the moment Mika felt maybe someday he'd trust Gannen as implicitly as he trusted Vancha. It was still early, and he wasn't lowering his guard quite yet. But maybe he'd gain a new brother in time.

The icing on the cake was Leonard's blatantly vicious triumph at the sight of his mentor walking into the room - and the way it didn't last.

Gannen knelt on the floor, at eye-level with his young charge who was sitting aimlessly in the corner. Gannen's complete lack of emotion contrasted dramatically (and a little hilariously) with the unrefined gloat on Leonard's face. What a pair they must've been.

"Took you long enough." Leonard sneered.

"I did not come here to break you out of your cage." Gannen murmured. "I have only one thing to say to you now. You know how highly I value honesty, so I trust you'll take my words to heart."

Leonard's grin faded. With every word Gannen spoke, the vicious anger in the prisoner's eyes only burned brighter.

"When I vowed to protect you with my life, it was not a promise I made lightly." Gannen began slowly, never once breaking eye contact with Leonard. "I will keep my word at any cost, because such is the way of the vampaneze. But I refuse to allow either clan to suffer at your hands ever again. Stephen Leonard, I say this to you here and now with a fellow Vampaneze Elder and two Vampire Princes as my witnesses I forsake you. I disown you. I renounce you. With my blessing, you will live out the rest of your days in this dungeon while I serve on the frontlines of our efforts to bring peace to the clans. Perhaps that will be sufficient for the gods to forgive me when my time comes. And if not, at least I tried. You dreamed of a dynasty of chaos, but it died in the Cavern of Retribution. Just like you will eventually die in this cell. But you will be safe here - meaning I have kept my word. Goodbye, Stephen."

And when they eventually retired to the Hall of Princes and sat down at the meeting table, Mika was the first to pour Gannen a strong drink.

I'm bigger than my body

I'm colder than this home

I'm meaner than my demons

I'm bigger than these bones

The atmosphere in the Hall of Princes was surreal that night. The Princes and senior Generals had been far too busy to even think about eating, so Seba had surprised them by arranging for hot meals to be delivered by the kitchen staff. Mika had left the hall briefly to deliver a few final instructions to Jakob, so he missed the arrival of the food. But he was just in time to catch one of the best views of his life.

He stopped in the doorway to take it all in, wishing he could transmit this image to his past self. The self that didn't think he'd make it off his bedroom floor that first night, much less ever set foot in this room again because the memories of Kurda's first trial were too much.

On a front pew sat Kurda, Larten, and Shane Astor. Larten still looked a little perturbed, but that was more or less how he always looked. And Mika supposed he himself was in no position to judge someone else for having a resting bitch face. Astor was conversing amicably with both Kurda and Larten, and Kurda was showing both of them something on a map in between bites. Because of course he was. There were a few senior Generals sitting nearby, listening and nodding along.

Gracie and Harkat were a row behind them, half-listening to what Kurda was saying. But they seemed more invested in chuckling at Darren and Darius, who were sitting a few feet away. Darren was clearly testing his limited negotiation skills on trying to persuade Darius to sample the unfamiliar-looking food that was sitting in front him. It didn't look overly appealing. If the kid's scowl was any indication, Darren would grow old and die right there before Darius would raise that spoon to his lips.

On the steps of the throne platform sat Vancha and Gannen. They were talking in low voices, appearing to be in the middle of a serious conversation. Then out of nowhere, Vancha laughed. Booming, raucous, and genuine. Then Gannen smiled ruefully, and let out a laugh of his own - just quieter.

Arrow looked much more at ease than when Mika observed him from a distance earlier. Hale was beside him, and Vanez on the other side. All three of them were chattering animatedly, and sharing a massive rack of ribs amongst themselves. Vanez's unseeing eyes would never know that Hale closed her eyes and rested her head against Arrow's shoulder for a moment, or that Arrow's entire being softened as she did so. But Mika saw it. And he was glad he did.

He heard someone approaching from behind him, and smiled as Seba paused to stand there for a moment before carrying on into the hall with the others.

"Enjoying the view, Sire?"

"You have no idea." Said Mika.

"Oh, but I do." Said Seba softly. Then the old Quartermaster's face fell, and he added with a sigh, "Paris should be here."

"He is." Said Mika. He didn't think before he replied. He didn't have to, because he knew it in every fibre of his being. Seba blinked several times and rubbed his eyes.

"It is rather dusty in here."

"This room usually is." Said Mika knowingly, even though they both knew it wasn't.

"I should arrange for the custodial team to pay it a little more attention." Seba muttered. But he chuckled, and so did Mika. Then Seba glanced over his shoulder as they heard someone else approach from behind. "Ah, General Azerion. Good to see you up and about."

"Likewise, Seba. I'm not cut out for bed rest." Said Renley with a respectful nod as he joined them in the doorway. Seba returned his nod with an affirmative smile, and carried on to sit with Larten in the Hall of Princes.

"Jai let you out of the infirmary already?" Mika remarked.

"He wasn't happy about it, but he's used to boneheaded vampires ignoring his medical advice."

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Mika snorted.

"Because you pioneered ignoring medical advice."

"Do as I say, not as I do. How are you feeling, Ren?"

"Alright. Still constantly looking over my shoulder. I hope my attack was a one-off, but I fear it won't be. Tensions are high. I've warned my fellow Generals to watch their backs. You should do the same."

"I was born on high alert, I'll be fine. How was your first day back?" Mika asked.

"Second day. I left the infirmary yesterday. Wasn't about to miss the trial of the century." Said Renley pointedly.

"Right. Of course."

"Clearly you were too preoccupied to scan the crowd, but just for the record I voted in favour of letting Smahlt back in."

"He stated his case pretty well." Mika managed to respond at last. He didn't even think Renley was at the trial, much less that he'd vote in support of Kurda.

"It was actually your closing statement that sealed the deal for me. If you still see hope for the future when you look at him, after everything he put you through…" Renley's voice seemed to catch in his throat for a moment, then he let out a soft, bitter laugh. "…then what the fuck do any of us know?"

"I don't know that much." Mika admitted quietly. "But I know I'll always want you on my side. Thank you for trusting me. Now go get something to eat."

"Are you coming, or do you need a few more minutes to take in the scenery?" Renley countered with a wry smile.

"Would you judge me if I said I actually do need to stand here a bit longer?"

"Not even a little bit. You deserve all of this and more."

"I don't need more." Said Mika. And for a moment he paused, surprised by his own candid honesty. He hadn't planned to say that, but the words felt right on his tongue and he didn't regret them. So he returned Renley's fond smile and added, "This is everything."

And all the kids cried out

"Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy

Goddamn right, you should be scared of me

Who is in control?

12 HOURS LATER:

Darren had purposely scheduled himself to arrive in the Hall of Princes a little later than usual. And because he was currently multitasking between his roles as Vampire Prince and Darius's interim guardian, nobody questioned it.

Darren wandered calmly into Darius's room to wake him up. Darius seemed less aggressive but considerably more withdrawn since their argument the previous night. Darren had one final theory, and it chilled him to the bone. But something told him Darius knew more truth than he was letting on. And Darren just didn't have time to build enough trust to break through that barrier. But he knew a shortcut.

Darren made unassuming small talk with Darius for several minutes, then he heard a knock on the door. He opened it to admit Gracie. She was holding a device that Darren had seen many times before, but never actually looked closely at it.

"Alright, here's the satellite phone. I know it still works, because I called it the night I was attacked." Said Gracie.

"Perfect. Where did they find this, anyway?"

"Paris found it in his travels and gave it to my dads just before my first year of boarding school. He never told them how he got it. Only that it was morally questionable."

"Typical Paris. Saving the day even now, from paradise. Even in death may he be triumphant." Said Darren. "Darius, you remember your mom's home phone number, right?"

"Yeah, I think so."

"Alright. Do you still want to talk to her?"

"Yes." The boy's voice was so longing, so plaintive it hurt.

"Want me here for this?" Gracie asked.

"We'll be alright. Go find that log book... NFD." Said Darren with a wry grin.

Gracie looked confused for a moment, then she laughed as she recalled how Steve callously addressed both of them the night before.

"NFD… Nancy Fucking Drew. Nice."

Darius chortled, because adults swearing is peak comedy for any eight-year-old, human or otherwise.

"I used shorthand for a reason." Darren sighed in exasperation. "Darius, forget you heard that."

"Mika swore in front of me at least once an hour growing up. I turned out great."

"Debatable." Said Darren.

"At least I'm not the lamest Hardy Boy." Gracie snorted as she headed for the door, but paused to glance over her shoulder and smile, adding "See you soon."

"Good luck."

The door closed, leaving Darren alone with his nephew.

"Where's she going, Uncle Darren?"

"Just checking on something before the big night. How about we see what your mom's up to?"

I'm well acquainted

With villains that live in my bed

They beg me to write them

So they'll never die when I'm dead

Gracie's suspicion slowly morphed into genuine fear as she searched the dungeon's unofficial office area from top to bottom. The corridor was empty today; there was some sort of briefing going on, for which attendance was mandatory for all guards. That meant there was no one around to question why she was rifling through drawers and digging through the dusty old shelves that lined the small cavern.

"Fuck." She muttered under her breath as she finished searching the last drawer to no avail. Maybe Darren had been able to get a straight answer from Darius by now. But there was no way to tell without trekking all the way back up to the top area of the mountain. It really was bullshit that halfbloods couldn't mind-link the way their elders could.

Gracie slammed the drawer shut and leaned on the desk for a moment, racking her brain to come up with plan B. But in her heart she already had a pretty solid idea of what had to come next. Something was off, and the Princes needed to know. Her heart sank at the prospect of telling her dads she'd done the exact opposite of what they asked. Kurda wouldn't be angry, just disappointed - which was so much worse. Mika would be livid for exactly three seconds, then give her a big hug and a "whatever, as long as you're okay".

She took a deep breath and headed for the door, only to run directly into Jakob Wiles.

"Good evening, Gracie." Said Wiles quizzically.

"Hey, Jakob!" She greeted him with a breezy, unassuming smile and a little wave. "How'd the briefing go?"

"Fine." Said Jakob. He was still standing in the middle of the doorway. "Just another day in paradise."

"So true." Gracie replied, nodding animatedly like she used to when her coworker Brenda used to corner her and show her pictures of her grandchildren for twenty minutes. Gracie got pretty good at feigning polite interest, if she did say so herself. "Anyway, I won't keep you. I'm sure you're busy!" She added, heading for the door. She figured Jakob would move out of her way, but he remained blocking the door.

"Can I help you with something?" He inquired, arching an eyebrow.

"Sire Shan just wanted me to double-check on something. He's got a lot going on." Said Gracie, carefully maintaining the same nonchalant casualness both in her tone and on her face. "But I didn't find what I was looking for, so no worries. He said it wasn't urgent."

"Perhaps I can be of assistance. What did he want to look into?"

Gracie considered Jakob's offer for a moment. She didn't know him very well, but she did know he'd travelled extensively with Mika during his five years on the frontlines. She knew he looked up to Mika a great deal, and that he suffered a terrible loss shortly before returning to the mountain. And of course, that he hated the vampaneze for it. If anyone would be on high alert for suspicious activity around Steve Leonard, it would be Wiles.

"I don't suppose you recall which guard was monitoring the maximum security prisoner during Kurda Smahlt's trial?"

And I've grown familiar

With villains that live in my head

They beg me to write them

So I'll never die when I'm dead

Hearing his sister's voice for the first time in over a decade was almost enough to bring Darren to his knees. They spoke for mere minutes before Darren passed the phone to Darius. That was all the time they could afford right now. Vancha had given her the lite version of Darren's life post-humanity during the visit in which he took Darius, but Annie still only knew the tip of the iceberg. And listening to the way Annie gently calmed her son's fears was absolutely gut-wrenching for Darren because this was all his fault. He could blame Steve, or even Larten, all he wanted. But he was the one who stole that spider.

"Everything will be okay, Darius. No matter what happens, I need you to trust your uncle. Can you promise me you'll do that?"

"But Dad said-"

"Angel, I need you to listen to me right now. Don't think about your father. You trust me, right? You know how much I love you?"

"To the moon and back."

"That's right. Don't you forget it."

"I love you to the moon and back too."

"That's my boy. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"Uncle Darren loves you just as much as I do. Isn't that amazing? He's only known you for a little while, but he already loves you to the moon and back."

"But why doesn't Dad love me?"

"I think your father cares about you in his own way, Darius. But he loves power and control more than he could ever love another person. That it isn't your fault, do you hear me? His heart and soul are broken in ways we can't fix. And no matter how much he thinks he loves you, he's dangerous. He will always choose himself over you. I need you to believe that."

"I want to go home, mom."

"And I want you home. We'll be together again. I know we will. But right now, I need you to promise me you'll listen to your uncle. Are you still there?"

"I'm here."

"Promise me, Darius. Trust Darren, and he'll make sure we can be together again."

"…I promise."

I'm bigger than my body

I'm colder than this home

I'm meaner than my demons

I'm bigger than these bones

Gracie had a pretty solid handle on basic self-defence. Before she went to college, Mika spent an entire summer training her to handle this kind of thing. He'd pretend to sneak up on her while posing a hypothetical like, "I'm a drunk frat boy trying to grab you at a house party. What's the easiest way to break my nose?" To which she would laugh, turn around and perform a slowed-down version whatever defensive maneuver she'd learned that week. Then Mika would give her a bit of constructive criticism and a reminder that if all else failed just to kick the guy in the balls.

If Wiles was a drunk human frat boy, Gracie surely would've broken his nose, or kicked him in the balls, or found some way to incapacitate him out of pure indignation. But Wiles was a sober fully-blooded vampire operating at peak physical fitness, so Gracie didn't stand a chance when he hauled her into one of the outer dungeon cells and shoved her unceremoniously through the door before slamming it.

"Are you fucking kidding me, Wiles?!" Gracie snarled with a level of fury that both surprised and impressed herself. She rose to her feet to stand at eye-level with the rogue guard.

"Gods, you really are your father's daughter through to the core. I realize you get that a lot, but let me be the first to inform you that isn't a compliment. The Ver Leth entitlement won't help you now." Wiles snapped. But his face looked rather sickly and it was quite possible he was realizing he was in over his head.

"He trusted you! They all trusted you!"

"They trusted Smahlt too. Remember, Princess, I'm not doing anything your other daddy hasn't already done."

"Kurda has more honour in his little finger than you have in your entire corrupt body. What did Leonard promise you? Why are you doing this?"

Her only response was the slam of the main door as Wiles left her alone in the dungeon.

And all the kids cried out

"Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy

Goddamn right, you should be scared of me

Who is in control?

"I promise." Darren heard Darius croak in response to his mother.

"I am so proud of you." Came Annie's voice through the phone. "I love you so much. Until we meet again, I just need you to be brave for a little longer. Can you do that?"

"Yes, mom."

"That's my angel."

There was a click to indicate the line was dead. Darren didn't speak. Couldn't speak. But some actions speak louder than words, so he pulled Darius into a hug he hoped would confirm everything Annie had just told him. And when Darius broke down and sobbed into his chest, he knew it had worked.

"Dad… he… he's the Vampaneze Lord, Uncle Darren. He made me promise I wouldn't tell you. I'm sorry! I was scared. He wanted you to give me your blood… so… so… I could be half-Prince, and half-Lord… or something. Please don't hate me!"

Part of Darren knew it was coming. A bigger part than he cared to admit. Even so, the revelation made his stomach churn with nausea and for a moment his body tensed in preparation to sprint for the water closet. But there was no time. He closed his eyes long enough to take three steadying breaths that didn't help him in the slightest. But when he opened his eyes, the sheer terror on his nephew's face was enough to steel his nerves in a way he could never have forced on his own.

"It's okay, Darius. Everything's going to be okay now. I understand why you kept his secret. He's your dad, and I was a stranger. I could never hate you. You saved us by telling the truth! I'm so proud of you, and your mom is too."

"…Really?"

"Of course. Never doubt that for a second." Darren told him quietly. The effort it took to keep his voice low and steady was astronomical, and he wasn't entirely able to keep the words from catching in his throat as his heart rate surged. "Now I have one more question. Did you find the dungeon by yourself, or did somebody lead you there?"

"Yeah. One of the guards brought me. He said if I told anyone, you'd kill my dad."

"Which guard was it?"

"Uhh… I think Dad said his name was Jason? Or Jakob?"

"Fuck. Okay. Come with me, Darius. We have to go find Gracie right now. Then we're going to the Hall of Princes. I promise you're not in trouble, but we don't have a second to spare."

And all the kids cried out

"Please stop, you're scaring me"

I can't help this awful energy

Goddamn right, you should be scared of me

Gracie considered herself a realist. And realistically, she was confident this was just a temporary setback. Darren knew where she was going, and he'd come searching for her if she took too long. Alternately if Darren didn't have his shit together, it wouldn't take a very lengthy absence for Mika and Kurda to piece together that their daughter had gone and done the exact opposite of what they'd asked. Then they'd come looking for her, and Wiles would be arrested if Mika let him live that long.

And between now and then, Wiles (and whoever else was in on this) wouldn't kill Gracie. Not here, anyway. That would be a waste of a perfectly good bargaining chip. That thought didn't give her a whole lot of reassurance. But she didn't have time to dwell on it for long.

The door crashed open and Wiles staggered back in. Gracie's heart sank like a stone all over again. With one arm, Wiles was half-carrying Darren who only appeared semi-conscious. And Wiles' other hand was clamped roughly around Darius's arm, dragging the terrified child along with him.

"Found your search party snooping around." Wiles huffed. "Don't worry about Sire Shan, he'll be fine in a few minutes. I was gentle when I knocked him out. We'll need him alive, after all."

"The Princes will figure it out. You're not smart or tough enough to see this through. Leonard only chose you because you were easy to manipulate. You played right into his hands." Gracie challenged him viciously, jabbing at the one psychological weakness she knew he had. "Let us out and tell the truth. And maybe they'll kill you quickly."

"You didn't have to get involved with this, Gracie. You were always a clever girl. You would've made a better human than vampire." Wiles growled. He opened the cell door across from Gracie's and threw Darren in, and Darius into the one beside his. Darren was still too stunned to react, while Darius was completely paralyzed by fear.

"My father's going to destroy you." Gracie choked out to Wiles' retreating back, as one bitter, angry tear rolled down her cheek.

"The man I loved took a bullet for your father." Wiles laughed harshly in a way that sounded more like a sob, and then his face went dark as he looked Gracie dead in the eye. "And how does the mighty Sire Ver Leth repay him? By wasting that precious gift of life on this. By welcoming a treacherous snake back with open arms. By forcing this disgraceful, unnatural clan union. It's an insult to everything we used to stand for."

"You're the snake here, Wiles. You're a coward." Gracie retorted, grateful for the anger that kept her voice steady even though she was terrified.

"I used to think that was the worst thing a vampire could be. But twenty-four hours from now, Vampire Mountain as you know it will be over. And I may be a coward, but I'll be there to ring in the dawn of a new era. You'll have a chance to choose your place, of course. But if you really are your father's daughter… you'll die with him. See you at the main event, Princess."

Who is in control?

---

Fact: developing Gracie and Darren's dynamic is one of the top five funnest things I've ever done as a writer, mostly because they are absolutely the only people on the planet who understand each other's niche trauma. I was banging my head against a wall for a really long time with this chapter, and my epiphany moment was where I realized I needed to temporarily shift the narrative away from the adults and onto them - THEN it became fun. (And by adults I mean the ones over a century old because Gracie and Darren are both like 25 here).

I'm not going to give yall a timeline for the next update because I have no idea. Could be 4 days, could be 2 months. I don't think it'll be 2 months but you never know.

I know this was another really long chapter. If you like that, you're welcome. If you felt it was too much, you're probably right and I'm sorry. There's just so much going on and I can't stop myself from digging deeper into certain moments and interactions even when it doesn't necessarily further the plot :):):)

Thanks for reading, I love you, stay safe, and if you live in Canada please go vote on Monday lol.