The week before the winter solstice was spent gathering allies and preparing for war.
Wei brought her entire pack—thirty werewolves, all trained fighters. They set up camp outside Beijing, hidden in the mountains where they could shift without attracting attention.
"I don't like fighting in cities," Wei complained. "Too many human witnesses, too many casualties."
"If Viktor's followers succeed with the ritual, there will be casualties on a global scale," Kieran countered. "The old lords were tyrants. They'll turn humanity into cattle."
"Assuming they can be resurrected at all. This could all be based on legend and desperation."
"Are you willing to bet humanity's future on that assumption?"
Wei sighed. "No. Which is why I'm here. But I'm not happy about it."
The witches were harder to convince.
Kieran took Adrian to meet with a coven based in the Xiangshan mountains. The witches lived in a compound that looked like a traditional temple but hummed with power that made Adrian's new vampire senses ache.
Their leader was an ancient woman named Grandmother Chen—no relation to Adrian, though she found it amusing that they shared a surname.
"The Cursed Prince," she said, studying Kieran with eyes that seemed to see through time itself. "I wondered when you'd come calling."
"Grandmother Chen," Kieran bowed respectfully. "I need your coven's help."
"To stop a ritual that would resurrect vampires who've been dead for millennia. Yes, I'm aware." She turned her ageless gaze on Adrian. "And this is the reincarnation. The soul that's lived ten lives. How fascinating."
Adrian shifted uncomfortably under her scrutiny. "You can see my past lives?"
"I can see the echoes. Each life you've lived has left a mark on your soul—layers of experience, wisdom, pain. You're quite complex for someone so young." She smiled. "Both in this life and in immortality."
"Will you help us?" Kieran asked.
"Why should we? Vampires resurrecting vampires—it's not our problem."
"It is if those resurrected vampires decide witches are a threat to their power. The old lords didn't discriminate in their tyranny."
Grandmother Chen was quiet for a long moment, then nodded. "You make a fair point. Very well. My coven will help. But we want something in return."
"Name it."
"Protection. There are witch hunters still, even in this modern age. Religious zealots, fearful humans, even other supernaturals who view witches as dangerous. We want the Ashford name's protection. Your vow that any witch who seeks sanctuary will find it."
Kieran didn't hesitate. "You have my word."
"Then you have our magic." Grandmother Chen stood. "We'll be in Beijing on the solstice. Don't be late—timing is everything with rituals."
As they left, Adrian asked, "Are all witches that intimidating?"
"Only the powerful ones. And Grandmother Chen is possibly the most powerful witch in Asia." Kieran smiled. "She once turned an entire army to stone during the Ming Dynasty. The statues are still there, disguised as a tourist attraction."
"That's terrifying."
"That's power."
The demons were last, and Adrian really wasn't looking forward to meeting them.
They traveled to an underground nightclub in Beijing's entertainment district—a place where supernatural beings gathered, hidden from human eyes by glamour magic.
The demon lord who controlled the club was named Asmodeus—or at least, that's what he called himself in this century. He was beautiful in an unsettling way, with features too perfect to be human and eyes that shifted between gold and black.
"Kieran Ashford," Asmodeus purred from his throne-like chair. "It's been what, two hundred years?"
"One hundred and fifty," Kieran corrected coolly. "I see you're still running nightclubs."
"I like the energy—sin, desire, desperation. It's delicious." Asmodeus's gaze slid to Adrian. "And who's this pretty little vampire? So newly turned I can smell the human on him still."
"My partner," Kieran said, his tone brooking no argument. "And off-limits."
"Partner? How delightfully domestic." Asmodeus laughed, the sound like breaking glass. "I assume you're not here for pleasure. What do you want, Prince?"
"Viktor's followers are attempting to resurrect the old vampire lords. I need your help stopping them."
"Why would I care what vampires do to each other?"
"Because if they succeed, they'll upset the balance of power in the supernatural world. The old lords won't be content ruling just vampires—they'll want dominion over all supernatural beings. Including demons."
Asmodeus's expression darkened. "The old lords were insufferable tyrants. I don't want them back."
"Then help us stop the ritual."
"What's in it for me?"
Kieran's jaw tightened. "What do you want?"
"A favor. One favor, to be called in at my discretion. No questions, no refusal."
"Absolutely not. Your favors are notorious—"
"Then I guess you don't need my help." Asmodeus examined his nails with deliberate disinterest.
Adrian stepped forward before Kieran could respond. "What if I offer a favor instead?"
Both Kieran and Asmodeus turned to stare at him.
"Adrian, no—" Kieran started.
"I'm newly turned, which means I have centuries ahead of me. Centuries where a demon's favor might actually be useful for something other than chaos." Adrian met Asmodeus's unsettling gaze. "One favor, non-negotiable terms: it can't harm Kieran, can't harm our allies, and can't violate the Accord. Those are my conditions."
Asmodeus studied him for a long moment, then smiled slowly. "You're interesting. I like you. Very well—one favor, with your conditions. We have a deal."
He extended his hand, and Adrian took it. The moment their skin touched, Adrian felt something burn into his palm—a mark, glowing briefly with hellfire before fading.
"The deal is sealed," Asmodeus said. "I'll be at the Forbidden City on the solstice with twenty of my best fighters. Try not to die before I can collect my favor."
Outside the club, Kieran rounded on Adrian. "Do you have any idea what you just did?"
"I made a deal to save lives."
"You bound yourself to a demon! His favor could be anything—"
"Within the limits I specified. I'm not an idiot, Kieran." Adrian held up his hand, where a faint mark remained. "Besides, you were going to refuse, and we need his help. This was the logical solution."
Kieran looked like he wanted to argue further, but finally just pulled Adrian into a fierce embrace. "You're going to give me a heart attack, and I don't even have a working heart."
"Welcome to being in a relationship with me."
"I've been in a relationship with you for a thousand years. You'd think I'd be used to your self-sacrificing nonsense by now."
Adrian laughed against his chest. "You love my self-sacrificing nonsense."
"I really don't. But I love you, so I tolerate it."
They returned to their temporary base—a warehouse Wei had secured—to find their allies gathering. Werewolves, witches, and soon demons would all converge on Beijing. It was possibly the largest supernatural alliance in centuries, all united against a common threat.
"This is either going to be legendary or a complete disaster," Marcus observed.
"Why not both?" Wei suggested.
The night before the winter solstice, Adrian couldn't sleep—not that vampires needed sleep, but the meditation Kieran had taught him wasn't working. His mind was racing with possibilities, strategies, fears.
Kieran found him on the warehouse roof, staring at the Beijing skyline.
"Nervous?" Kieran asked, settling beside him.
"Terrified," Adrian admitted. "This is my first real battle. What if I freeze? What if I'm not strong enough? What if I get someone killed?"
"Then you'll learn from it and do better next time. That's all any of us can do." Kieran took his hand. "But I don't think you'll freeze. You've faced vampires before, even as a human. You killed one with a glass shard, remember?"
"That was survival instinct."
"So is this. You're fighting to protect people, to stop a catastrophe. That's the best motivation there is."
Adrian was quiet for a moment. "Are you scared?"
"I'm concerned. Worried about losing you, about this plan failing, about the consequences if we're too late." Kieran squeezed his hand. "But scared? No. Because I have something to fight for. You. Us. The future we're building together."
"No pressure or anything."
Kieran laughed softly. "You're my reason for surviving a thousand years of loneliness. A little pressure is inevitable."
They sat together in comfortable silence, watching the city lights, both preparing mentally for the battle ahead.
"Whatever happens tomorrow," Adrian said finally, "I want you to know I don't regret any of this. Choosing you, becoming a vampire, getting involved in supernatural politics. All of it led me here, to you. And that makes it worth it."
Kieran pulled him close, pressing a kiss to his temple. "I love you. In this life and every one after."
"I love you too," Adrian replied. "Forever."