Back at the forest lair, the atmosphere was thick with a different kind of tension. Nicole stood in the center of her grand living room, her eyes locked on her mother. Alex was the picture of immortal elegance, but there was a sharpness to her features tonight that spoke of a brewing storm.
"You are not listening, Nicole," Alex said, her voice like silk over a blade. "Your uncle is not just talking. He is gathering the elders. If you do not find a mate and trigger the full ascension of your Mixed Blood power, you will be nothing more than a footnote in history. You will lose the company, the city, and your life."
Nicole paced the length of the hardwood floor, her movements restless. "I do not want a mate for the sake of a crown, Mother. I have lived hundreds of years without needing anyone to complete me. Why now? Why does everyone insist on this?"
"Because you are fading," Alex said, walking toward her daughter. She reached out, her cold fingers tilting Nicole's chin upward. "Look at you. You are pale. Your skin lacks the luster of a predator. You are starving yourself because you refuse to embrace what you truly are."
Nicole pulled away, her jaw set. She hated being reminded of her thirst. "I am fine. I have the supplies Freddi brings."
Alex turned her sharp gaze toward Freddi, who was standing by the door. "Freddi, explain why my daughter looks like a ghost. Are you failing in your duties?"
Freddi bowed his head, his voice steady despite the presence of the Vampire Queen. "I do my best, my Queen. I bring the finest medical grade supplies. But Nicole refuses to feed directly from a human source. She says it is beneath her. And lately, Blood Group O has been nearly impossible to track down in the city. The hospitals are guarded, and my black market sources are running scared of the Blair name."
"You need fresh blood, Nicole," Alex commanded, her eyes glowing with a faint crimson light. "And you need a mate. Someone strong. Someone who can ground your wolf and feed your hunger."
Nicole didn't answer. Instead, the image of Lina Peters flashed through her mind, the warmth of her skin, the frantic pulse in her neck, the way she had looked in that silver dress. Lina was human. She was Group O. Nicole could smell the purity of it from across a room.
The thought made Nicole's fangs ache with a sudden, sharp hunger. She wasn't just hungry for blood; she was hungry for the girl. But she couldn't tell her mother that. She couldn't admit that the only person who made her wolf howl was the daughter of their greatest enemy.
"I will handle it," Nicole said, her voice low and dangerous. "Leave me, Mother. I need to hunt."