ADRIAN
"So… why? Why all the politics?" Lucian's voice crossed my ears.
I knew he was a curious kid, and I knew this was going to be a very long drive.
I gave him a sidelong glance, one brow raised. "How else you gonna keep a bunch of solitary, territorial predators from fucking each other up over the same damn food?"
He nodded, slowly, like he was just starting to piece it together. "I guess, yeah."
"Good. You got the basics." I kept it casual, but inside, I was counting every move of his I saw. He's got some fast learning to do, or he's fucked.
"Basics?" His voice spiked. "How much more complicated is this gonna get?"
I couldn't stop myself. I laughed, deep and loud, almost bouncing off my seat. I quickly put my hand on my mouth to stop it, but it didn't work. I knew he'd be giving me the side-eye, that pouty frown curling up his face, and damn if it didn't make me laugh harder. I clapped a hand to his shoulder.
"I should run away from this fucking vampire business and start doing stand-up comedy shows," he snarled between gritted teeth and then looked at me. "Because you think I'm so damn funny."
And I damn near lost it all over again.
"Okay, okay…" I said, giving him a dismissive wave and grinning. "See, some of us are new to the grave… not even a year old and drop dead. But others? As old as me, or way older, they've got their claws in everything… people, power, lies so deep you can't tell what started what. Complicated doesn't even begin to cover it. So watch your ass, Lucian, and don't walk into any spiderwebs."
He didn't resist, just stared up at me with those big, cautious eyes. Smart move.
The Oculis building rushed at us now. It was a monster of sleek black windows. Huge glass doors shone in the distance, displaying the lobby like a goddamn trophy case. This was my domain, and the beast in me purred, smug and poised.
I fucking loved this place.
"I'm serious, Lucian," I said, lowering my voice, as I parked my car. "Stay beside me. Only speak when you're spoken to, and call 'em Your Excellency." I glanced at him. "Got it?"
He nodded, and we both got out of the car.
"Holy shit." Lucian's jaw dropped as his head tilted back to take in the tower.
"This is Oculis." I walked toward him. "Invictus runs it." I gestured at him to follow me and then walked toward the glass door.
I approached and pushed the door open. I'd usually hold it for him, old-school manners die hard, but not here. This place was unlike anything else. It was a battlefield dressed up as a corporate wet dream. Shoulders back, I led the way, claiming every inch of the room.
"You're late again," the voice at the desk was Naomi Cross, the Mekhet receptionist.
She looked like a librarian. Her glasses rested on her nose with her cropped black hair, and her eyes were always locked on her laptop like it was her only connection to the outside world.
She was adorable, I agree, but jumpy as hell.
I only gave her a grin.
"The circle's already in the conference room, Mr Adrian." She crossed her arms. Her eyes scanned Lucian, and then they landed back on me. "Please hurry."
"Thanks, Madam Cross." I nodded and tilted my head toward Lucian. "Oh, and enter Master Lucian Carter, my childe, into the system."
"Master Lucian?" She looked up, grinning with an evil twinkle in her eye. "Oh! Well, ain't he a tiny thing?"
I didn't need to look to know Lucian was shooting death glares into her skull.
Don't try that shit with Corvin, though, or we won't have a leg to stand on.
I continued walking toward the conference room.
The lobby stretched out, empty and echoey. Elevators were tucked into the far wall. "This way," I said, walking toward them. We went inside the elevator and I pressed the top floor button.
"So… we're going up?" He broke the ice.
I only nodded.
"To the top floor of Oculis HQ." He mocked his tone, and I shot him a stern glance. He raised his hands in defence, " So fucking cool, man."
His beast knew what was coming, even if he didn't. That primitive bastard inside him was already shouting danger, but all Lucian felt was nerves. I'd explain the whole inner-beast thing later.
"Keep your mouth shut," I hissed in a low tone. "And remember to only speak if they ask something. And keep it short, and respectful… to everyone."
He nodded, jerky, just as the elevator dinged. The doors slid open. We stepped into the long corridor, and at the end of it was the conference room.
I glanced at Lucian, and he nodded, letting me know he was ready for this. I pushed open the giant door of the conference.
LUCIAN
I thought I knew fear… but I was wrong.
The room screamed power. This wasn't a conference room for suits making deals, it was a fucking throne room, and I was not prepared to play at this level.
I could not look away from the giant table, placed in the center. It looked ancient, perhaps holy, and from what jacked-up religion, I had no idea.
Folders stacked high, photos of faces and places I'd never heard of, all laid out like a puzzle I was never meant to figure out.
The walls were a freaking light show. TVs flickered with data, numbers flying too fast for the human eye to track, with the crime reports piling on, and product stats climbing.
I realized Oculis's fingerprints were everywhere, smudged on the world, and I was standing in the pumping heart of it.
My stomach heaved, coiling tighter by the second. This was power. And not just power… this was control, control that would crush me without blinking, and I was no one, trapped in its gears.
But the real terror was the three bastards sitting on their thrones in front of us.
My gaze settled on the man who was tall and broad, built like someone who didn't need to raise his voice to be obeyed, was Corvin, I guessed, a ventrue. His dark hair was pulled into a half-up ponytail, the rest falling neatly behind his shoulders. A short, well-groomed beard framed his jaw.
Next to him was a man who looked like he stepped out of a mafia film. He was dressed in a tailored black blazer that clung to his massive frame. His head was shaved and tattooed. A tribal piercing chained his nose to his ear. He was built like a tank. He had to be Ronan. Just my taking in his frame, I could swear he was a Gangrel.
Then there was Lyra. She looked so tiny sitting next to those two powerful men. She seemed so fragile, as if she would break if anyone touched her. But I knew that was bullshit. She was draped in a white dress that clung like a funeral shroud. Her skin was ghost-pale, and long black hair covered most of her face. Ghastly didn't even begin to cover it.
My entire body froze as her eyes landed on me. My knees trembled, and my breath caught in my throat. She was a fucking Nosferatu. And she scared the shit out of me.
My throat felt dry. Hunger gnawed at me, but that was nothing compared to the fear settling into my bones.
I wanted to scream and run... every nerve in me screamed run... but my feet didn't move. My hands shook, and I clenched my fists in them. My nails dug into my palms as if to ground myself.
These weren't people…
… they were monsters,
… they were ancient,
… and they were goddamn merciless!
And I was nothing… a fresh-turned nobody.
I glanced over at Adrian, who stood next to me, looking as solid as a brick.
I he wasn't kidding when he warned me about them. One wrong step, and I knew I would be ash before the sun rose.
This was it. This was my new life: tiptoeing through a minefield of predators who could destroy me with a glance.
And here I was… all pinned down, with nowhere to run, nothing to do but let the shit fly and pray that I'd come out of it alive… or whatever the fuck I was now.