Page 85 of Vampire's Breath

“It was always meant to!” he shouted. “If it wasn’t, why would I be the way I am? Why would I survive a stake to the heart? I cannot die.”

Cormac stepped forward, away from Declan, his voice calm but firm. “Aiden, we don’t know why. But what we know is you need to stop. You’re going to turn the entire supernatural community against us, and when that happens, there will be nothing left for any of us.”

Aiden narrowed his eyes. “There will be everything. And everything will be mine. I will be the one in charge. I will be the one who rules it all.”

I laughed, the sound bitter and cruel. There was no reasoning with him. That flicker of the person I’d once known was long gone. “The king of everything? And what happens to the humans in your silly little game?”

His gaze flicked to Isla, Rory, and Briar.

“They mean nothing,” he said, his voice dismissive. “They were put here only to feed us, to sustain us. That’s all they’ve ever been. They must learn their place—to understand that a new order is coming. And there’s nothing they can do to stop it.”

Declan took Isla’s hand. “Aiden, you can’t mean that.”

“Oh, I most certainly can.” He looked at Isla and sneered. “Every last word of it.” His gaze locked on Declan, and something shifted in his expression. “And look at you. Standing there with them when you should be with me. I’m your sire. I’m the one who fought to have you turned.”

Declan’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t move from beside Isla and Conall.

“This is enough,” Cormac said sharply. “Aiden, you need to give up this ridiculous plan. Come back with us. Let us be the family we were always meant to be.”

Aiden looked pointedly at each of us before glaring squarely at Cormac. “That will never happen, dear brother. You can have the traitor in my place.”

And then he vanished between Cormac and Declan—out the door.

The air had barely settled before I was at Briar’s side, the silence as thick as the dust Aiden left behind.

Rory stepped back, leaving me alone next to Briar. “Are you okay?” My fingers trailed down her cheek, feeling the warmth of her skin beneath my touch. “He didn’t hurt you, did he?”

She shook her head, though her skin trembled under my hand. Her voice was tight as she tried to keep it steady. “No. No, you got here just in time.”

Relief crashed through me. My fingers slid around to the back of her neck, cradling her. “I would never have forgiven myself if anything had happened to you.”

Her eyes narrowed. Her voice rose, sharp with disbelief. “If anything had happened to me? What do you think that was?” She stepped back from me, folding her arms over her chest as a protective shield. “My whole life, vampires were a myth. Lady Isobel was crazy—but she wasn’t crazy, was she?” Her eyes locked with mine. “You’re the same Lorcan from the journal, aren’t you?”

My gaze dropped along with my voice. “I am.”

I looked back at her. Tears glistened in her eyes, and her breath hitched, but she swallowed hard, forcing her shoulders back. Her eyes darted around the room, widening at the faces surrounding us. “Are all of you vampires?”

Cormac stepped forward. “No, not all of us. The mates are human.”

Rory raised her hand with a small smile. “Well, witch,” she said lightly.

Briar shook her head, stepping backward. “I can’t—I can’t be here. I have to go.” She started for the door.

“Briar, please—” The words fell unintentionally from my lips. “Briar, everything that happened was my fault. It’s my fault your family ended up in Australia. It’s my fault Lady Isobel was convicted.”

She stopped in her tracks and turned to me. Her brow furrowed, her expression tight with disbelief. “How could that be possible?”

I looked down, unable to meet her eyes. “Ashdowne was a vampire. And I was the one who turned him,” I admitted.“He convinced me at the time that he wanted to help people—to spend eternity doing good. But once he turned, everything changed. Once he got a taste for blood, I couldn’t stop him.”

“What does that have to do with Lady Isobel?” she asked.

“Ashdowne became obsessed with Isobel. He wanted only to be with her, to control her. She only wanted Harrowmont. She loved her husband deeply.” I paused, taking a long breath before adding, “Not only was she married… she was pregnant.”

Briar shook her head. “But… she had no children before she left.”

I nodded, the weight of it pressing against my chest. “She lost the baby shortly after Ashdowne killed Harrowmont. Between the combined loss and Ashdowne pursuing her, I don’t think she saw another way out but to kill him. I should have known.”

Briar clenched her jaw. “But how did she know he was a vampire?”

---