I wiped my mouth, satisfied from the recent kill as I strode through the empty hallways. Inna came to a standstill as I crossed her path and started shaking like a leaf. Damn vamp loving whore! Psah!

"Donovan, Derek, Garry!" I whistled and my three minions came running. "Room" I gestured. "And bring that Marlen guy too!"

I deftly slipped into my room, wranking open my closet and took out wads of cash. Putting them in my pocket, I quietly floated down the hallway keeping my eyes open for Nathan. He had a bad habit of sniffing around in my business.

Marlen opened the door for me as I strutted in and locked it behind me. "Keep doing that and you'll get a chance at redemption. I'll make you head of my army!" I flashed a smile at him. A smile crept up his face.

And don't give threats to my girl!" I hissed, looking into his eyes. He stiffened and withdrew onto a corner.

" We've got news boss!" Derek piped up. He seemed excited as he paced the room.

"It better be good!" I tossed the wad of cash at them. They fell on it like packs of hungry dogs. "

" News first! " I glared at all of them. They slowly withdrew into their chairs.

" Our foothold on Novosibirsk has strengthened and so has our dump in Moscow. The Moscovites though are at a tight corner without places to hide." Derek informed."

"And the packs?"

"The beasts fight each other all the while but you can't blame them. Each one of them is a hatchling. Will take time to adjust." Donovan sighed.

"We need more hatchlings in here too. Our stronghold in the entire of Russia needs to be established before we aim for the subcontinent." I mused, marking the areas on my map with red. We have stationed Strigoi pockets everywhere near to Moroi residences and Academies.

"How about yours, Sire?" Marlen mumbled.

"Hold your tongue!" I snapped. "She's your new mistress."

"Yes sir! Sorry sir!" he winced.

"Leave." I ordered and he scampered out before I could utter another word.

"Now tell me real news!" I faced my minions.

"The boss sleeps unguarded in her room. We just have to collect the password and wham!" Garry remarked with glee!

"Get overexcited and slip up! I'll make sure you don't wake up from your sleep anymore!" I warned. "Who's the current lucky guy though?"

"You know she has  a harem. Finding out who's doing her dirty job now isn't a part of my job description... Just a distraction!" Derek said.

"Bravo!" I beamed. "I like how focused and proactive you are!" He gave me a small salute. They all shuffled out and soon melted into the darkness. All my plans to overthrow Galina are going foolproof!

Except one... With a sigh I took out the card and made  my way to Rose's room.

————

She reached out and touched my face as I engulfed her in a hug.

“You’re back. I missed you.”

I  caught her hand and kissed her palm. “I had things to do.”

Grimacing, she rubbed blood off from the corner of my mouth with her finger. “So I see.” Shit! Forgot to wipe that off but she better get used to it.

“It’s the natural order, Rose. How are you feeling?”

“Better. Except . . .”

“What?”

Not again! Damn!

She looked away, conflicted again.

Silence!

“I was in Lissa’s head,” she said at last.  “And . . . I got pushed out.”

“Pushed out?”

“Yeah . . . I was seeing through her eyes like I usually do, and then some force . . . I don’t know, an invisible hand shoved me out. I’ve never felt anything like it.”

“Maybe it’s a new spirit ability.” but it was weird. I had threatened information out of Victor Dashkov and had poured over all the books written by Vladimir and Anna... But once you're inside someone's head you can be blocked out... But thrown out?

Hmm...

“Maybe. Except, I’ve been watching her regularly, and I’ve never seen her practice or even consider anything like that.”

I shrugged slightly and put an arm around her. “Being awakened gives you better senses and accessibility to the world. But it doesn’t make you omniscient. I don’t know why that happened to you.”

“Clearly not omniscient, or else Nathan wouldn’t want information about her so badly. Why is that? Why are the Strigoi fixated on killing the royal lines? We know they’ve—you’ve—been doing it, but why? What does it matter? Isn’t a victim a victim—especially when plenty of Strigoi used to be royal Moroi?”

She asks clever questions. I sat up straighter. I could answer that, now that I knew better.

“That requires a complicated answer. A large part of hunting Moroi royalty is fear. In your old world, royalty are held above all others. They get the best guardians, the best protection.” Damn! And the dhampirs risk their lives for those asshole. “If we can still get to them through that, then what does it say? It means no one is safe. It creates fear, and fear makes people do foolish things. It makes them easier prey.”

Fear. We purely rule by fear. The Moroi and dhampirs far outnumber us, but we have the element of fear and surprise on our side.

“That’s horrible.”

“Prey or—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. Prey or predator.” she snapped

I didn't like the interruption but continued anyway. “There’s also a benefit to unraveling Moroi leadership. That creates instability, too.”

“Or maybe they’d be better off with a change of leadership,” she said. What was she thinking about overthrowing Tatiana? It'd be foolish of any Strigoi to try that. Someday someone from tgeir own will kill the queen. That's what we hope.

“What’s the rest?” she broke my reverie.

“The rest . . .” A smile curved up on my lips. “The rest is prestige. We do it for the glory of it. For the reputation it gives us and the satisfaction of knowing we’re responsible for destroying that which others haven’t been able to destroy for centuries.”

Power and fame, which I'll soon have once I overthrow Galina.