All the air from the room seemed to vanish at Connor's confession.

"What did you just say?" Liam growled, his grip on Katie's arm tightening as he stepped in between the two of them. "Did you just say you want her? In front of me?"

"Is there an issue with that?" Connor scoffed, confidently striding up to Liam, poking him in the chest. "That mark on her neck indicates to everyone that she's mine. doesn't it?"

"Hey, Hey. Boys." Grace suddenly interupted, pushing a forceful palm into Connor's chest, forcing him to stumble away from Liam with reluctant steps. "This is a gala. Not a fighting ring. People need this space to dance, not watch you two bare your fangs at each other."

Liam glanced down at Grace apologetically before turning and dragging Katie off the floor and through the ballroom's large door, which led to the garden beyond, with onlookers watching their retreat with eager curiosity, even dancers seeming to slow in their steps to watch.

Illuminated in the dull glow of the gala, Liam spun around, his expression a mix of anger and hurt.

"Katie, what is going on? Why would Connor say that?"

"I-I don't know. Honestly, Liam. I—"

"Have you been seeing him? Behind my back?"

"No, well, yes, but not like that! I swear I just met with him once after the accident to ask about the marking, and then ran into him again by accident—"

"And you didn't tell me?"

"Why would I?" Katie laughed. "I only met with him to get answers on my marking. It has nothing to do with you—"

"It has everything to do with me!" Liam shouted, running a hand through his hair. "You should have come and talked to me if you were going to go see him!"

"Why?!"

"Because!" Liam shouted, hesitating before he sighed. "Because Connor is my half-brother..."

He lowered his voice, taking a step closer as he gently laid a hand on her arm.

"...Katie, I was the one who marked you."

__________________________________________

~Flashback: The Day of the Darven's Werehouse Raid~

"Fuck." Liam shouted in his car, his third call to his brother going unanswered.

He swerved into the family's warehouse lot, pulling round to the back as fast as his car could take him.

He had warned his brother to get those crates out of there. He had told him that the police planned to search it that morning.

So why did Katie just radio in that those crates were still there?

The sound of gunshots sounded from across the compound, barely audible over the crackle of tires on the gravel road.

"Fuck, Fuck." Liam cursed, slamming on his car wheel as he floored the accelerator.

He shouldn't have trusted Connor to do anything right. His spoiled half-brother had always had everything handed to him, raised as the only son of the Darven family fortune all his life. The heir and next in line for the biggest Vampire King in the country.

Even before Liam had shown up, Connor never took his role as the Darven group's heir seriously, enjoying the perks of the lifestyle without wanting to put in any effort.

The dial tone finally clicked.

"Fucking hell. What do you want, Liam?" Connor's voice finally crackled through the radio, "Take a hint! I'm busy."

"I told you to clear the warehouse." Liam snapped. "So why—"

"Oh shit.. was that today?" Liam could hear a rustling on the other end of the phone as he swerved his car into the lot behind the furthest warehouse, dust settling around him as he threw the vehicle into park. "Sorry, L. I had a crazy afterparty for a—"

Liam didn't have time to listen to his brother's excuses as he leaped from his car and ran to the back door of the tall metal building, the sound of bullets deafening as they bounced off the walls inside.

Liam quickly cocked his gun, preparing to shoot his own men if needed be.

Especially if they had harmed even a hair on Katie's—

The back door swung open, and Liam's chest filled with relief before he realized it was just Sam, Katie's assistant, who tumbled out the door, falling back to look after her as the bullets suddenly stopped.

Shit.

That was an even worse sign.

Sam scrambled back from the door, her eyes locked on the events inside. Before she had time to turn around, Liam pistol-whipped her in the back of the head, taking the camera from her hands before dashing through the swinging back door.

All the men raised their guns as Liam entered, prepared to start shooting again. But at the sight of Liam, relief fluttered across their faces.

"You get the other one then, boss?"

Harley, the large red-headed Russian who led the warehouse staff, held out his cigar, sprinkling the ash on something before him.

Liam's eyes dropped to the floor where the ash fell, long hair fanned at the large man's feet, crimson liquid seeping into it, turning the familiar orange strands red.

"Don't worry, we got—"

The man didn't get to finish his sentence before a silver bullet was lodged into his head.

Quiet fell over the warehouse as the other men froze in a stunned silence. Watching in confusion as the vampire king's heir rushed over to the fallen detective, scooping her into his arms to assess her injury.

Katie lay limp and pale in Liam's arms, her chest soaked from her own blood and what had spilled from the broken bottles in the crate behind her, the bullet shot straight through her chest and into the wine containers behind her.

Which was good; that meant what he did next might work.

Without thinking twice, he bared his fangs, driving them into the underside of her neck, somewhere they might go unnoticed, but would no doubt leave a mark.

Would leave his mark.

"B-Boss... W-What—"

Liam raised his gun, his eyes dangerous while his teeth remained buried in Katie's neck, what little crimson blood she still had left in her body running across his canines and into his mouth.

Just as he had always thought.

She tasted divine.

He felt her body shudder underneath him, regaining new life from his bite, yet not enough to wake her up. Pulling his teeth from her neck, he licked at the remaining blood on his canines and at the base of her jaw, savoring her taste one last time before he reached back into the crate behind him, pulling out one of his families smuggled blood wine, the same one shot by the bullet that had peirced her, dripping the liquid into mouth, to help her regain enough energy to live.

Blood could save a vampire on the brink of death, but Katie would still need to go to the hospital for her injury.

The mafia men all watched silently, fear etched in their expressions as they began to understand the unfolding situation.

They had almost killed their boss's lover.

One he had marked.

They would all be very lucky to come out of this alive.

"Boss." One of them said softly. "We didn't know—"

Liam raised his gun again, licking at the spot he had marked Katie with a dangerous look in his eyes, as if reiterating just how fucked they all were.

"Hey, boys!" Connor called, flinging the front doors of the warehouse open, "We need to move these boxes. I got a call from the—"

Liam stood to his feet, his gun now trained on his brother, his anger reignited at the sight of him.

Connor raised his hands in the air, blinking at the rage in his brother's gaze, his expression turning curious as he spotted Katie on the ground, and the smeared blood across his brother's mouth.

Liam's finger clenched the trigger.

 After all Liam had done for the Darven family in the shadows, his brother living a life of luxury in his place, only for Connor's carelessness to almost kill the woman Liam loved most in the world.... 

Liam couldn't wait to take the whole family down.

Michael Darven, Liam's father,  was a known scoundrel throughout his life. His daughter, Grace, was rumored to be the child of one of his mistresses rather than the result of a well-hidden pregnancy by his wife, Connor's mother.  

Yet, no one in the family, not even Michael, knew that the Vampire King had secretly fathered another son in his youth.

Before Michael had ever married Connor's mother, he had been fresh out of university, traveling the world, when he visited an old family winery, where he had a short-lived fling with the owner's daughter, leaving her unknowingly pregnant by the time he returned home.

Liam's mother was young and didn't feel ready to take on the role of a mafia wife, so she kept Liam's birth a secret. She avoided Liam's questions about his father until five years ago, when she was on her deathbed.

It was then that Liam learned the truth, and riddled with grief, decided to seek out his father.

However, upon the revelation of Liam's birth, it became apparent that the Vampire King now had two heirs, both with an uncertain legitimacy to the title. 

Liam also didn't find Michael Darven to be a loving father, as the man was more excited that his son could serve the family undercover than by the fact that he had another son. 

So instead of accepting him outright, Michael offered Liam the chance to prove himself as his heir by lying low, going undercover, deleting records from the police database, giving them a tip-off about raids, and, when the time was right, Liam could take his rightful place as the heir.

Liam hadn't had much in his life, besides the small failing winery passed down to him from his mother, and so he had quickly jumped at the opportunity, pushing himself to prove his status as the Vampire King's heir, working both sides, and living a double life.

He was excited to leave behind the mundane and step into this new life of Vampire King... until he met Katie.

She was witty and fierce, matching his fiery determination, albeit in an effort to bring his family down while he was actively trying to keep them afloat.

He began having fun, feeding her breadcrumbs, giving her just as much headspace to catch his family on little things that weren't too important every once in a while, while also covering for the more important operations in his family's empire behind her back.

However, it became more than just fun, and Liam began to fall in love with her. The mundane life he had with her slowly made him enjoy being in the shadows, every day feeling worth more than all his family's fortune.

And seeing the pain his family brought into her life with the loss of her brother, Liam had formulated a new plan. 

He would take over his father's empire and burn it to the ground. 

For her.

"Do you know how badly you almost fucked us over?" Liam shouted, waving a hand at the bloody mess in the warehouse from the thugs' impulsive shooting. "This is almost a billion dollars' worth of blood!"

His brother only scowled, rolling his eyes at his older brother's anger. "It's fine—"

"No, it's not fine. Connor. When I tell you to move the operation because the police are coming, you'd better have it already moved."

"Oh, don't get cocky with me, Liam." Connor spat. "You aren't the heir just yet."

"Oh yeah," Liam huffed, taking long strides to his brother, his gun still raised, as he pressed it to the younger brother's temple. "What if I changed that all right now? I am sure Dad won't be too happy about your little fuck up."

"Yikes, L....What's gotten into you?" Connor growled, "Is that blood on your breath? Have you been drinking—"

"Your little mistake almost cost me everything." Liam hissed, pressing his gun further into his brother's head. "If she had died, I would have burned your family—"

"Our family," Connor warned, his eyes dangerous as he pushed Liam's gun from his temple, pressing his own pistol into his older brother's neck. "Or are you really admitting a traitorous weakness for some..."His gaze fluttered over to Katie's limp body on the ground. "...nosy detective? Father won't like hearing that..."

"Well, she's Marked now, by the Darven family's heir, no less. So try not listening to my orders again and see what happens." 

Liam turned from his brother, his gaze hard as he began to speak to the men standing awkwardly amongst the crates, watching the two brothers argue.

"You have ten minutes to get all these boxes on the trucks before the police arrive at the warehouse. Tell the other men to mislead the police until it's all cleared out," Liam commanded. "Get moving before another bullet finds its way through a brain."

"Look at you, barking orders," Connor sneered,  "acting like you're the heir to my men, right in front of me."

"The only one acting like the heir here is you,"  Liam grunted. "You're lucky I've let you hold onto this farce so long."

"Yeah? It seems like you've been enjoying your farce just fine." Connor scoffed, tossing his chin towards Katie. "Maybe got yourself a bit too invested in it, huh? So why don't you give up on trying to take my spot—"

"Nah." Liam chuckled, tucking his gun into his waistband as he grabbed his brother by the collar. "Because when her marking turns red, I think that will be all I need to prove that I am the heir to the Darven family name, and you will finally have no claim to that position." 

Connor's eyes suddenly narrowed before flicking over to Katie, as if the thought hadn't crossed his mind. 

Liam chuckled, throwing his brother back as he turned and made his way back to Katie, checking for a light, steady pulse that reassured him she would make it by the time the police arrived.

"Count your days as heir Connor, cause once I show up with her at my side, bearing the Mark of the next Vampire King, know your time as heir is over."