Liam was trembling with anger.

At who? 

It seemed yet to be determined.

But he was enraged.

First, his brother gets in the way of his relationship the night he planned to propose. A relationship that Connor had already fucked up when he had put Katie's life in danger at the warehouse. And then, his brother had distracted him in the gardens...

And now, Katie is missing.

Stolen by some unnamed bastards who saw her mark and saw a ticket to the Darven fortune.

Liam ran a calloused hand down his face. Years of working at his family's vineyard, as well as the extensive weapons training he had gone through to try to become the next heir, had hardened his hands more than the rest of his data entry coworkers.

If only he were just a normal IT guy. What he wouldn't give to have everything be different.

And yet, here he was, in his Vampire King father's overindulgent velvet office while gala music hummed outside of its walls. The exuberant room filled with red velvet furniture and dark wood, lined with floor-to-ceiling bookcases, featured a large arched window behind his father's desk. The dark world that lay beyond the large windows appeared nothing more than a void.

The whole Darven family had retired to Michael Darven's office to convene as soon as a ransom note had been slipped into the Vampire King's pocket.

Michael sat reclined in his seat, tapping the note against the desk as he rubbed at the short stubble on his chin. A proud and entertained chuckle rumbled in his chest as he glanced between his two sons.

"So.. which one of you boys is it? Who Marked her?"

"It was me." Connor swiftly lied. "I marked her."

"He's lying," Liam snapped, "Katie and I have been seeing each other for over a year now, ask—"

He stopped. He was about to tell his father to ask anyone in their precinct... but technically, he and Katie had been keeping it a secret, so there were very few people that he could ask who would confirm their relationship.

"...Ask Grace, she helped me ring shop last weekend."

"Really?" Connor laughed, "Well, Ibris went ring shopping with me last weekend, too."

"Ibris!" Grace shouted with a loud laugh, pushing down the overstuffed cushions of the velvet sofa she reclined on to reach up and slap the arm of her boyfriend, who stood beside her with a poorly repressed grin, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.

Ibris tried to hide his laugh with a cough. "I wanted it to be a surprise when they both proposed. I knew you would get a kick out of that."

Their younger sister scoffed, but held a cheeky smile on her face as she nodded in agreement.

"Aw, looks like we will be of no help to either of you boys. Sorry," Grace chucked with a teasing wink.

Liam clenched his fists at his side. Usually, Grace was his favorite of the Darvens, but it seemed nobody in this family had a good bone in their body after all.

"So what are you telling me right now?" Liam's father chuckled. "That this girl has been two-timing both heirs of the Darven family?" 

Michael Darven laughed once more, leaning forward in his chair as he hit the random note in his palm playfully. "Maybe she is worth the East Ports after all..."

"They want the east-side ports..." Liam breathed, gritting his teeth as he ran a hand through his hair.

The East Ports were the best-maintained and most populous in the city. The overabundance of ships that went through the port's docks made it the easiest spot to smuggle their blood to and from.

Asking for the East Ports was essentially stealing their blood smuggling business out from under them.

He knew that he could shut the smuggling down in that port if he were to become Vampire King, but if those docks were taken over by those who had kidnapped Katie, then there would be very little reason for Liam to become Vampire King at all.

"What did the note say exactly?" Connor asked, leaning against a bookcase in the office as his thumb tapped against his forearm. "Give us the ports...or the girl gets it?"

Liam shot his little brother a glare, which Connor just ignored, his eyes fixed on the note in their father's hand. The way Connor's fingers were thrumming against his arm in quick patterns, and the twitch in his brow gave away his nervousness about Katie's safety, too.

Liam's chest tightened with even more rage. But he quickly pressed it down to listen to the kidnapper's terms.

"It said to meet by 3 am in the east-side docks with the East Port contracts," His father said, his eyes trailing over the paper. "And if we do, they will tell us the location of where they have tied her to a silver anchor and tossed her into the sea.

A stunned silence filled the room.

"So... boys." Michael finally said, the creak of his chair echoing across the room as he leaned forward, his face twisting into a tight scowl, his bright blue eyes shimmering with bloodlust. "Which one of you is going to tear these bastards apart? Eh?"

"Give me your best thirty men—" Liam began.

"Ten." Connor countered. "I'll make them regret it with only ten men."

Liam sent his brother a glare, to which Connor returned while turning to leave, shocking Liam with his lazy brother's sudden determination to get his hands dirty...for once. 

"No," Michael growled, stopping Connor in his tracks. "Only you four will go."

"What?!" Grace cried from the sofa, her amused expression from moments ago quickly replaced with one of horror, her eyes wide. "Me?! Why would I go?"

"Cause you and Ibris have been so helpful in your brothers' relationships, I want you to report back to me after it ends as an unbiased third and fourth party. " Michael chuckled before pointing a stern finger at his daughter. "And also because I said so, Gracie."

Grace rolled her eyes, flopping back onto the sofa with a huff.

"Well, I only have the babysitter till twelve, so we'd better get this over with fast."