Page 74 of A Velvet Kiss After Dark

The room was dark. It was nighttime. The pale glow from her stove read: 8:38PM.

Oh my. Was this place even real or was she losing her mind?

What if this was another spell or another illusion?

She cried as her heart seized into a heavy knot inside her chest cavity. What would happen to Kane…and the others? What about Graham whom they'd yet to give a proper burial to? Would Kane even be able make to it out alive?

What if she'd lost him forever? And for what?

Wet, salted tears ran in rivulets down Tabitha's parched cheeks.

In her hands was a hefty weight. A serene object that exuded otherworldly power. It glowed brilliant and white. Its shape was that of a crystalline geode with quartz-like points sticking out in many directions. It was cool to the touch, which tricked the mind which wanted to call it warm.

She still held the relic of souls.

Whatever it was.

A prophecy for truth?

"King Illius?" Tabitha cried aloud as her voice cracked with emotion.

Her breaths grew choppy. She was hyperventilating. She succumbed to her knees and dropped the relic on the floor.

"Am I really here?" she whispered.

She sobbed and still her heart felt like it was bursting and bleeding inside of her.

"Please, someone help me."

32

8 months later

"Okay, Lou, how about this one?"

Tabitha straightened her freshly printed copy for tomorrow's news cycle. She was on the phone with her boss who'd been pickier and pickier about Tabitha's work ever since she'd made international headlines from her deeper piece about the subterranean realms and how they naturally existed.

She read aloud:

"The hierophant of the state of Missouri, a deeply fantastical vampire who has amassed a near cult-like following after members of his coven participated in communal blood-drinking ritual which has not taken place in nearly four-thousand years. This ancient blood-bath ritual is considered so detestable by werewolf-kind that lead president of werewolf Affairs, President Ezekial Hunter, Alpha to the United States Werewolf Corp., and thus the governing head for all werewolf affairs has stated in a public announcement on Wednesday that such a ritual is going to prove deadly to werewolf-kind and thus the Missouri hierophant needs to be stopped.

However, legally, under vampire statutes in The People vs Hamilton Dubious, Missouri law states that any vampire over the age of four-thousand years and meeting the quota of having resisted all non-compliances against law, is waived from adhering to the Missouri statute.

What does that mean for the people of Missouri?

That means war is coming, at least according to a spokesperson for the Office of Werewolf Affairs, Arabella Donahue. On Friday she sent out a brief to the public stating that the future of young werewolf lives could be in jeopardy as the blood being used in these sick rituals is alleged to be illegally obtained from pre-pubescent werewolves.

The President has yet to make any further comments upon this recently discovered news.

Tabitha finished reciting her pitch and heard dead air in response.

She blew out a long breath and waited to hear what Lou had to say.

Already she knew where this was going.

"How do I put this?" Lou said at length. "It's rather…dry, isn't it?"

"Listen, Lou, this is big news. These age-as-old-as-time vampires are rumored to be slaughtering young werewolf cubs for a grossly outdated ancient blood ritual. How are they getting the young ones? Are they the reason there's been an uptick in recent werewolf homicides in the north of the city? Eighteen reported either missing or found dead since this fantastical leader renewed the old celebration. What do you think of that?"

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