Dominic

I threw myself flat on the couch next to Conor and hid my face with my hands. Fuck, I needed to think. But my thoughts were swirling like they were caught in a violent tornado, and I couldn't grasp a single one.

"I guess it didn't go as planned," he mumbled, putting his phone away.

"You should take Bel and go home, Conor," I whispered. "Before we all die."

"I've already thought about it," he admitted, "but you're an idiot if you think we're going to leave you in this mess. You know us better than that." His tone was bitter, but at the same time, I knew he meant what he said. 

 The cushion sank down above my head, and a pair of slender fingers began to slowly find their way into my hair. I immediately relaxed. "I know I should feel sad for you, Nic," Belmont mumbled softly, "but I'm selfish," he continued, "and I know we can make you happier." Surprised, I dropped my hands and stared up at him. "What?" He chuckled and bit his lower lip. "You heard me." 

 Overwhelmed and confused, I shifted so my head could rest in his lap. I met his eyes but found no words. My relationship with Belmont had always reminded me of a roller coaster; maybe we would work out in the end, but the timing was terrible. 

 "Okay," I replied after a while, albeit a bit hesitantly, pinching the bridge of my nose with my thumb and forefinger, "but one thing at a time, Bel. I need time." 

 Bel nodded. "I know, but I'm not letting you go again," he said, continuing to massage my scalp until every bit of tension was gone. 

 I was on the verge of dozing off when I felt Clocksworth's presence; I sensed it the moment he stepped into the room. With a nervous heart, I watched him pause in the doorway, hesitating slightly as his eyes fell on us. But I also saw how he pushed away the feeling that wanted to surface as he sat down on the couch across from us and propped his feet up on the table. 

 "What did he say?" 

 With a deep sigh, I sat up and moved away from Bel, leaning tiredly against Conor's shoulder, for both Clocks and my own sake. My heart couldn't take more setbacks right now. "He'll leave us alone if we don't interfere." 

 "What does he really want to achieve?" Bel asked anxiously. 

 Clocksworth pulled out a cigar from his inner pocket and lit it before answering, "My guess is that he plans to kill every last one in the Magistrate and then create a new leadership that accepts him as Prince." 

 "If we overlook him becoming a prince, the plan doesn't sound so stupid," I admitted. 

 "So we let him be? We let him do what he wants, but then what? Can we accept Anthony as the leader of all vampires in France?" Clock muttered bitterly. 

 I glanced at him and leaned closer with a furrowed brow. "When everyone was driven out of Paris, you became their leader, right? It happened naturally? And so far, none of them know that Anthony is alive." 

 He shrugged. "And?"

 "Maybe it's not up to us?" 

 "What do you mean?" Bel asked, intrigued. I looked from one to the other with a smile on my lips. "As far as I know, you guys have created a functioning democracy here." I leaned forward excitedly and patted him on the thigh. "Damn, Clock, you have the majority of France's vampire population under your wings, and I don't think anyone is eager to live under a dictator again."

 Clocksworth's dark brown eyes studied me intently through the cloud of thick cigar smoke. "Where are you going with this?" 

 "We do nothing," I grinned, throwing my arms out, "all we need to do is wait." 

 "And you think that will work?" he asked doubtfully. 

 "Clocksworth, my friend," I said with a soft smile, "even when I hated you the most, I willingly admitted to everyone that you are the leader we need," I reached out and snatched the cigar from his fingers, taking a puff before continuing, "you are loved, we stand behind you, and I'm sure the majority will feel the same." 

 I lowered my gaze, dragging my thumb over the name tattooed on my hand. A pang of sorrow struck my heart, and I felt a moment of hesitation before I continued, "and Anthony will stand alone, abandoned, and even hated." 

 Clock took back the cigar and leaned back on the couch with a deep furrow between his brows. "You make a valid point," he mumbled, looking up at me, his eyes resting on me full of compassion but also something I couldn't quite place. Respect? 

 "Anthony keeps his word; if we don't show that we're against him, he'll leave us be," I continued.

 "So we wait," Clock nodded. "We wait and let the people decide." 

 "A rvote?" Conor asked in surprise. 

 I smiled contentedly and settled in the wolf's lap. "We're modern beings, not barbarians anymore," I grinned, "isn't it about time we got into politics?" 

 Clocksworth laughed and shook his head. "You sound just like Anthony." 

 I joined his laughter and winked at him with one eye. "I know, he's trained me well."

Anthony

The apartment felt so incredibly empty and silent. He was right, my Dominic, we should never have gone back, I thought tiredly, fiddling with the gold ring that adorned my ring finger. With a sigh, my hand slipped down into my pants pocket and pulled out the other one; it was smaller with my name engraved inside. He had been right about many things. My darling husband with the most beautiful eyes that always looked so sad. How many times had I turned myself inside out to make him smile? 

I stared at the ring, how happy he'd been when I got down on one knee that day. The corners of my mouth lifted slightly in my otherwise grim face as I recalled that day. Had I been happy too? Or was it something I had imagined to get through the years of lies? My gaze shifted from the ring as I slipped it onto my pinky; maybe one day he would want it back, and then he would have it, without hesitation. 

My hand wandered toward the fourth blood bag, which I immediately emptied into a glass. After a few days of rest and plenty of blood, I would be ready to start my crusade. The blood dulled the feelings of guilt better than alcohol; they had been festering inside me from the start because the plan had always been to take back Paris. My Paris!

From the day I first saw him on the other side of the mirror, when he stood there making demands, when I accepted his offer and even when I gave Magnus my blood. Throughout every moment we had together, my goal had been this. Foolishly, I had hoped that Dominic would stay by my side, ruling alongside me. It would have been beautiful, I sighed to myself. We were beautiful together.

The early rays of the sun crept in through the sheer curtains; the apartment reminded me of him. I expected to see him step out of the kitchen with breakfast in hand, but he never came. He wasn't there. I had been furious, but not surprised when he walked in, Belmont's scent wafting all over him. We had all longed for that boy; what it was about that lost creature that drew us to him was hard to say. But he was desired, and I knew that Dominic had never stopped loving him 

What surprised me was Theodor; he had the chance to come back to me. Still, he stood there, at his side. They probably needed all the allies they could get to have a chance against me. I took a deep breath. I had anticipated Dominic's anger; in a way, I was prepared for this outcome. But at the moment when his wedding ring struck my chest, that small piece of humanity and compassion I had found during my time with him vanished. The beast in me was back, and I welcomed him.

I poured the precious drops of blood from the glass into myself and adjusted my shirt. It's time, Anthony, I told myself. It's time to take back what is mine.