With Lilith as queen. And some unknown entity that she considered to be herking.
I glanced at Darius, then at the room as everyone remained still and silent, watching, waiting, and willing me to make my next move.
But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Soon.
I phased back to Calina, the demonstration of power purposeful and one meant to keep the masses focused on me. Then I bent to kiss myErosita’shead once more. I still couldn’t feel her, which concerned me greatly. But I also knew barely any time had passed since Lajos had snapped her neck.
Maybe ten minutes at most.
It just felt like time was moving slowly because of how quickly I processed everything and our next steps.
However, I’d been planning for this moment for what felt like an eternity. It wasn’t how I wanted it to happen. Fuck, it wasn’t even close to how I’d anticipated moving the pieces along the board.
But Lajos had forced me into checkmate by taking down my queen.
There had been only one play left for me as king.
So I’d made my move, finally coming out of the shadows, to proclaim myself as the rightful ruler of this game.
There was just one more aspect to resolve, and the buzzing on my wrist told me it was finally time.
I selected a button that put Lilith’s voice on speakerphone.
“Yes?” she asked, the AI Damien had created a perfect replica of her bored tone.
“Lilith, darling. I need to report a murder.”
A slight pause followed. Then the AI said, “Oh?”
“Yes. I just killed Lajos.” The words came easily and without care. Even if I’d been speaking to the real Lilith, I still wouldn’t give a fuck. The bastard had touched my mate. He’d deserved his fate.
Silence fell, both over the phone and in the room, as everyone waited for their “Goddess” to speak.
“Perhaps it’s time we go on video chat?” I suggested.
“Hmm.” The voice on the other side came from a mind as old as my own. He would easily translate what I intended here. And he proved that by saying, “All right,” in Lilith’s voice. “Ready when you are,King.”
My lips twitched, and I glanced at Darius with an arched brow. “There has to be a screen somewhere around here.”
“I can help with that, My Prince,” a voice called from the corner of the club. A vampire with spiky brown hair stepped into the dull lighting, his head slightly bowed in reverence. “There’s an auditorium system that Lajos uses to, uh, broadcast.”
I could only imagine whatbroadcastmeant. It was likely related to Lajos’s renowned proclivities for tormenting his harem in front of an audience—something he’d obviously wanted to do with Calina.
Then he’d killed her instead.
Just to prove a point.
Well, that worked out well for you, didn’t it?I thought as I stepped over his body on the floor to head down the stairs toward the unnamed vampire.
His identity came to me as I moved closer, his boyish features memorable because of the slight scar above his right green eye.
He’d won the Immortal Cup a decade or so ago.
Given his ratty clothes and unkempt hair, I suspected he was one of the vampires who worked and lived in this establishment.
