Vivienne shut the door behind her quietly and moved to Luca's side.
She leaned forward, her hands clasped in her lap, eyes narrowing at Luca. "You trust him too much."
Luca looked up from the old volume he had been pretending to read. "Cyrus has been loyal since Calista's exile. He stood beside me when it mattered. That should be enough."
Vivienne gave a short laugh, though there was no humor in it. "You think standing beside you once means he'll never falter? That bond he had with her wasn't casual, Luca. It was obsession dressed as love."
"He ended it."
"Did he? Or did we end it for him when we forced her out?" Her voice was sharp now. "You saw what she did to the bats, didn't you? That wasn't just a message for you. That was her clawing her way back into this place through fear. Cyrus knows how she thinks. He should be helping us track her, not walking the halls like a ghost."
Luca closed the book with a snap and leaned back, looking tired for once. "He is helping. In his way."
Vivienne stood and paced toward the window, parting the heavy curtain to look out into the quiet night. Her tone softened, just barely. "She won't stop until she gets what she wants. You know that. She doesn't believe in limits. Never did. And now? She's older. Smarter. Dangerous in ways even we don't understand."
"Then we adapt," Luca said. "We fight. We protect what's ours."
Vivienne turned back to face him, her expression grim. "Then call Seraphine."
Luca frowned. "No."
"Luca, be reasonable. Your mother has rested for years. Surely, she must be willing to help us. I know that she might be wild, but she's also very powerful. Listen, Calista can't be stopped by guesswork and hope. We need your mother's strength."
"No," Luca said again, firmer this time. "You weren't there when Mother went after Calista the night of the ritual. You didn't see the kind of wrath she unleashed. She would've destroyed Calista—and maybe the rest of us too. Her power is too unstable."
"She's a weapon," Vivienne said, stepping closer. "One that belongs to this family. And right now, we need every weapon we can get."
Luca's jaw clenched. "I won't risk Emilia around my mother."
Vivienne's eyes narrowed at the mention of Emilia's name. "So it's her you're protecting now?"
He nodded without shame. "Yes. And the rest of the manor. I will not involve Mother unless I absolutely have no other choice."
Outside the door, footsteps paused. Emilia had been walking through the hall, headed toward the drawing room, when she'd heard their voices. She had never heard Luca sound so tense, not even during their recent arguments. Curiosity pulled her closer, and she leaned near the door, careful not to make a sound.
Inside, Vivienne sighed and sat again. "Then tell me your plan. Because if Calista keeps escalating this, the next message she sends won't be dead bats. It might be bodies."
Luca rubbed his hands together slowly, then looked her in the eye. "She won't hurt Emilia. Not while I'm breathing."
Emilia's breath caught at the sound of her name.
"Don't underestimate her," Vivienne warned. "You think she won't come for Emilia because she's new to her power? That's exactly why she will."
Luca was silent for a long moment. Then: "We'll handle it when she comes."
Vivienne looked unconvinced. "Luca..."
"I said no. End of discussion."
Emilia backed away from the door and slipped down the hall quickly, her heart pounding. The conversation unsettled her more than she wanted to admit. Calista—the woman they spoke of with such fear—sounded more dangerous than anyone had let on.
And Luca's mother?
Seraphine.
Just the name sent her imagination into overdrive. What kind of vampire was she, this legendary mother Luca refused to awaken? If Vivienne feared Calista enough to beg for Seraphine's help, then Seraphine must be powerful beyond reason.
But Luca was right, too. She could feel it. Sometimes power wasn't just dangerous to enemies. Sometimes it burned everything it touched.
Emilia decided she wouldn't sit and wait to be protected. Not anymore. She needed to know more—about Calista, about Seraphine, about everything. If no one would tell her the full truth, she would find it herself.
She changed direction and made her way down the corridor, toward the library.
Emilia moved slowly, her eyes scanning every corner. There had to be something here—a clue, a book, a forgotten relic.
She lit a small lamp and moved toward the shelves at the back. The tomes were ancient, bound in cracked leather and stitched with fading thread. Her fingers brushed over titles in languages she couldn't read.
Then one caught her eye.
"Bloodlines of the East."
She pulled it down and flipped through it. A page toward the middle had an illustration of a woman with long dark hair and sharp eyes, commanding a flock of vultures with outstretched arms.
Calista.
The passage beneath spoke of exiled blood witches who learned to tame the wild things of the skies. Emilia read faster, her mind racing. There were details here about rituals, symbols, even a mention of the Red Bond.
She felt something shift in her chest. Not fear. Determination.
***
Luca and Cyrus walked closely between the old tombstones, their footsteps were in sync.
"She's growing bolder," Cyrus said.
"She always does before she breaks," Luca replied.
"You think she's planning something bigger?"
Luca nodded. "The dead bats? That was her warning. The next time she moves, she'll aim for someone."
Cyrus looked up at the moon. "You think she'll try to take Emilia?"
"Or turn her," Luca said, his voice low.
They walked in silence for a few steps.
"Vivienne wants me to call my mother."
Cyrus stopped walking. "Would you?"
Luca looked at him. "Would you?"
Cyrus didn't answer.
"Luca stopped beside a marble old grave. "I know you remember the Calista from before."
Cyrus exhaled. "I also remember what she became and I despise her for it. We have to put an end to her devious acts before she hurts anyone else. I just hope we're not too late."
Luca's voice was flat. "We won't be."
Cyrus looked into the dark trees beyond the graveyard. "You ever wonder what she wants most, Luca?"
"What?"
"To belong again. Or to burn everything that didn't let her."
They stood in silence, two shadows under the moonlight, waiting for a storm they both knew was coming.
And elsewhere in the manor, Emilia turned the page of the book and found the name she hadn't expected:
Seraphine Valois.
And beneath it, in ink that seemed fresh despite the age of the book:
She wakes only when the blood calls.