Okonkwo's eyes sharpen with interest. "And you know this how?"
"Because I was one of them. Abandoned. Alone. Surviving on contaminated blood because I didn't know any better." I glance at Maximus. "Lord Maximus offered me something different. But if he hadn't found me first, Konstantin might have."
The room is silent.
"What's your point?" Vivienne asks. Her voice has lost some of its laziness.
"My point is that you can't just defeat Konstantin militarily. Cut off the head, and another will grow back, because the problem isn't him, it's the void he fills. If you want lasting peace, you need to offer an alternative." I look around the room. "You need to give abandoned vampires a reason to choose you instead of him."
More silence. Longer this time.
Then Okonkwo nods slowly. "The girl speaks truth. I've seen it in my own territory, young ones turning to Konstantin because no one else will have them."
"That's a long-term problem," Dmitri says. "We're here to discuss the immediate threat."
"The immediate threat is a symptom," I reply. "Treating symptoms keeps you sick."
Dmitri studies me for a long moment. Something shifts in his expression, not warmth, exactly, but something closer to respect.
"You've chosen an interesting advisor," he says to Maximus.
"I've chosen a capable one."
Across the room, I catch Maximus watching me. His expression is controlled, neutral, but his eyes aren't. There's pride there.
The discussion continues. Alliances are weighed, terms proposed, conditions negotiated. Dmitri commits first, formally, precisely, with caveats and stipulations that will take lawyers to parse. Chen follows his lead, as Maximus predicted. Okonkwo takes longer, asking pointed questions about what support will look like in practice, but eventually nods his agreement.
Vivienne remains uncommitted.
"This is all very interesting," she says as the conversation winds down, "but I'm not convinced this is my fight. Konstantin has never moved against my territory."
"Yet," Maximus says.
"Yet," she agrees. "But 'yet' isn't 'now,' and I prefer to make decisions based on present realities."
"Suit yourself." Maximus's voice is carefully neutral. "When he does move against you, I hope you'll remember this conversation."
Vivienne smiles. "I always remember conversations, Lord Maximus. It's one of my many talents."
She turns her attention to me, and something in her expression shifts. Becomes sharper. More calculating.
"Tell me, Celeste Moreau. Do you know who made you?"
The question catches me off guard. "Valentina Russo."
"Yes. Konstantin's little pet." Vivienne's smile widens. "Do you know why she turned you?"
I feel Maximus tense beside me. "What does this have to do with…"
"I'm asking Miss Moreau, not you." Vivienne doesn't look away from me. "Do you know why?"
I force myself to hold her gaze. "No. I beat her in a fight. I assumed it was revenge."
"Revenge." Vivienne laughs softly. "Oh, my dear. Valentina Russo doesn't do anything out of emotion. She's far too calculating for that."
The room has gone very still. Even Dmitri is watching now, pale eyes sharp with interest.
"What are you implying?" I ask.
