Kieran made calls.
To Dmitri Volkov in Russia—the scarred vampire owed Kieran from a conflict in the 1800s. He brought twenty vampires.
To Rashid Al-Mansur in the Middle East—Kieran had saved his life in the Crusades. He brought fifteen.
To Celeste Morgana in Paris—they'd been friends for six centuries. She brought ten.
To smaller covens across the world—vampires who believed in coexistence, who opposed the Council of Shadows' extremism.
Within two weeks, they had nearly one hundred vampires ready to fight.
"This is unprecedented," Marcus marveled. "I've never seen the vampire community this unified."
"That's what love does," Aiden said. "It unifies. It creates connections. The Council of Shadows sees bonds as weakness, but really, bonds are our greatest strength."
The night before the attack, their allies gathered in a warehouse Kieran owned. Vampires from every corner of the world, different ages, different philosophies, united in one cause.
Kieran stood before them, Aiden at his side.
"Thank you," Kieran said simply. "All of you. For coming, for standing with us, for believing that love—in any form—is worth fighting for."
"We're not just fighting for you," Celeste said. "We're fighting for all of us. The Council of Shadows wants to return to the old ways, where vampires ruled through fear and isolation. But the world has changed. We must change with it."
"Some of you have bonded mates," Kieran continued. "Some of you have human lovers, or witch partners, or simply believe in freedom of choice. Whatever your reason for being here, know that tomorrow, we end the Council of Shadows. We show them that the future belongs to those willing to embrace change, not those clinging to ancient prejudices."
A roar of approval rose from the assembled vampires.
Aiden stepped forward. "I'm the youngest vampire here. Twenty years old as a human, one month old as a vampire. I barely know what I'm doing most days."
Scattered laughter.
"But I know this: love is worth fighting for. Across every lifetime I've lived, love has been the only thing that made existence meaningful. And I won't let anyone—Council of Shadows or anyone else—take that away from me or anyone else." He looked at Kieran. "Tomorrow, we fight. And we win."
Another roar, this one louder.
That night, alone in their room, Aiden and Kieran made love with desperate intensity. Both knowing that tomorrow, despite their allies, despite their power, one or both of them might not survive.
"If something happens to me—" Aiden started.
"Nothing will happen to you."
"But if it does, promise me you won't give up. Don't spend another thousand years in darkness. Find me again. Love me again. Keep fighting for us."
"I promise. But Aiden, nothing is taking you from me. Not this time. Not ever again."
They held each other until dawn, finding strength in their bond, courage in their love.
Tomorrow, they'd face their enemies.
Together.