Three weeks passed in deceptive peace.
Adrian had almost convinced himself that Asmodeus would let the broken bargain slide—that a demon lord had bigger concerns than one vampire who'd failed to deliver an artifact.
He should have known better.
The attack came at dawn, when vampires were weakest. Adrian woke to the smell of sulfur and the sound of glass shattering. Kieran was already moving, pulling him from bed as the penthouse's windows exploded inward.
Demons poured through—not the beautiful, seductive kind like Asmodeus, but true demons. Creatures from the lower circles, all teeth and claws and malevolent hunger.
"The wards should have held!" Kieran snarled, his fangs extending as he grabbed his sword.
"Demon magic trumps vampire wards," a familiar voice purred. Asmodeus materialized in the center of the chaos, looking immaculate despite the destruction around him. "Did you really think I wouldn't notice when my bargain was broken? When my property was stolen?"
"We didn't steal it. We prevented you from starting a war," Adrian shot back, grabbing a weapon of his own.
"How noble. How foolish." Asmodeus's beautiful face twisted into something ugly. "You cost me something irreplaceable. Now I'll take something irreplaceable from you."
He gestured, and the demons shifted their focus—all of them converging on Adrian.
Kieran moved like lightning, putting himself between Adrian and the horde. His sword sang through the air, cutting down demons with precision born from a millennium of combat. But there were too many, and dawn's light was strengthening, weakening him.
"Adrian, run!" Kieran commanded.
"Not without you—"
A demon's claw raked across Adrian's shoulder, drawing black blood. The pain was immense, burning like acid. Adrian struck back, decapitating the creature, but more took its place.
They fought back-to-back, vampire mates against a demon army, and for the first time since Adrian's transformation, he felt genuine fear that they might lose.
Then Wei crashed through what remained of the window, her massive wolf form taking down three demons at once. Her pack followed—dozens of werewolves flooding into the penthouse, turning the tide.
"You didn't think we'd let you fight alone, did you?" Wei growled, her jaws closing around a demon's throat.
The battle was brutal. Furniture destroyed, walls cracked, the entire floor becoming a warzone. But slowly, with the werewolves' help, they pushed the demons back.
Asmodeus watched it all with cold fury. When the last of his soldiers fell, he fixed Adrian with a stare that promised suffering.
"This isn't over. I'll make you regret betraying me. I'll take everything you love and burn it to ash." His form began to shimmer. "You have something of mine, and I will have it back—one way or another."
He vanished, leaving behind sulfur and destruction and the promise of future violence.
"Everyone okay?" Kieran asked, checking Adrian's wounds first. The demon claw marks were healing slowly—demon injuries took longer to regenerate.
"We're fine. Bruised but fine." Wei shifted back to human form, seemingly unconcerned about her nudity. "Though your penthouse is trashed. Again."
"It's becoming a pattern," Adrian agreed weakly.
Marcus arrived minutes later, his expression grim. "I've been monitoring supernatural communications. Asmodeus is calling in favors, making alliances. He's building a coalition against you."
"A coalition?" Kieran's jaw tightened. "How many?"
"At least three other demon lords, maybe more. He's claiming you stole his property and broke sacred bargain laws. He's positioning this as a matter of honor, of maintaining supernatural order."
"In other words, he's making us the villains," Adrian said.
"Exactly. And it's working. Other supernatural beings are taking notice. Some are choosing sides."
Kieran helped Adrian to a chair, his hands gentle despite the tension radiating from him. "We need to get ahead of this. Call a meeting of the supernatural council. Present our side before Asmodeus can turn everyone against us."
"The council hasn't met in fifty years," Marcus pointed out. "Getting them together will take time."
"Then we start now."
Over the following days, they worked to arrange an emergency meeting of the Supernatural Council—a loose organization of leaders from every supernatural community. Vampire lords, werewolf alphas, witch covens, demon representatives, even a few fae nobles who rarely involved themselves in mortal realm politics.
Getting them all to agree to meet was like herding cats. Immortal, powerful, deeply paranoid cats.
Meanwhile, Asmodeus's campaign continued. Rumors spread through supernatural networks—that Kieran and Adrian had stolen a dangerous artifact, that they were planning to use it for their own gain, that they couldn't be trusted.
"He's good," Adrian admitted, reading another intercepted communication. "He's turning our heroic act into villainy."
"Demons are masters of manipulation," Kieran said. "It's what they do."
"So how do we fight it?"
"With truth. With allies. With the bonds we've built over the years." Kieran pulled Adrian close, his blood bond radiating protective fury. "And if that doesn't work, with violence. I won't let him take you from me."
"You won't have to. I can fight."
"I know you can. But that doesn't stop me from wanting to protect you from everything."
Adrian kissed him, soft and reassuring. "We protect each other. That's how this works."
The council meeting was set for two weeks out, in neutral territory—an ancient castle in Switzerland that had served as a meeting ground for centuries. In the meantime, they had to survive Asmodeus's continued attacks.
The demon lord was nothing if not persistent. Attacks came randomly—demons appearing in broad daylight, forcing Kieran to fight while weakened by the sun. Curses placed on their properties, making them uninhabitable. Even attempts to turn their human donors against them, spreading fear and mistrust.
"He's trying to isolate us," Wei observed during a strategy meeting. "Cut off our resources, our allies, make us vulnerable."
"It's working," Marcus admitted. "Half our donor network has backed out. Several vampire allies have gone silent—either siding with Asmodeus or staying neutral to avoid being targeted."
"Then we rely on the allies who remain," Kieran said firmly. "Quality over quantity."
"And we go on the offensive," Adrian added. "We're being reactive, letting Asmodeus set the pace. We need to hit back."
"Hit back how?" Wei asked. "He's a demon lord. He's nearly impossible to kill, and attacking him directly would just prove his claims that we're dangerous."
Adrian's mind raced, considering possibilities. Then an idea struck—risky, probably insane, but possible.
"We don't attack him. We attack his credibility. We find proof of what he was really planning with the mirror and expose it to the council."
"How? We gave the mirror to Sariel. We don't have proof."
"But Bael does. He knew about Asmodeus's plan to find Cain. He has evidence—communications, plans, something. If we can convince him to testify at the council meeting..."
Kieran's eyes widened. "You want to ally with the demon who tried to keep the mirror from us?"
"Enemy of my enemy," Adrian said. "Bael doesn't want Asmodeus to gain more power. This serves his interests as much as ours."
"It's risky. Bael could betray us, use this to his own advantage."
"Everything's risky at this point. We're fighting a demon lord who wants us dead. Might as well take big swings."
Wei laughed. "I like how you think, baby vampire. Insane, but I like it."
They returned to Seoul under cover of darkness, seeking another meeting with Bael. This time, they came openly—no theft, no subterfuge, just a request for alliance.
Bael received them in his office—a minimalist space at the top of his entertainment empire, all glass and steel with views of Seoul's glittering skyline.
"Back so soon?" Bael asked, amusement in his voice. "I assume Asmodeus wasn't pleased when you broke your bargain."
"That's an understatement," Adrian said. "He's building a coalition against us. We need proof of what he was really planning with the mirror."
"And you think I'll just hand over evidence against another demon lord? What's in it for me?"
"Asmodeus gaining control over all vampires through Cain threatens the power balance. You said so yourself." Kieran leaned forward. "If he succeeds, he becomes the most powerful demon in existence. How long before he comes for your territory, your resources, your power?"
Bael was quiet for a long moment, his inhuman eyes calculating. "You make a fair point. Asmodeus with Cain's power would be... problematic for everyone."
"So help us. Testify at the council meeting. Provide evidence of his plans. We stop him together."
"And in return?"
"The mirror stays hidden. Asmodeus never finds Cain. The power balance remains stable. You keep your empire, and we all avoid catastrophic war."
Bael smiled slowly. "You drive a hard bargain, young vampire. Very well. I'll testify. But I want something else too—a favor from Lord Ashford."
Kieran stiffened. "Another favor? We just escaped one demon bargain—"
"Not a bargain. A simple favor, freely given. I want access to the vampire information networks. I have business interests that would benefit from knowing vampire movements, politics, alliances."
"You want me to spy for you."
"I want us to be mutually beneficial allies. Information flows both ways." Bael stood, extending his hand. "Do we have a deal?"
Kieran looked at Adrian, their bond communicating wordlessly. It was risky, but they needed allies. And Bael, despite being a demon, had been honest with them so far.
"Deal," Kieran said, shaking Bael's hand.
"Excellent. I'll see you at the council meeting. And Kieran? Don't die before then. You're far more interesting alive."