I want to help her. Every instinct screams at me to protect her. But I force myself to trust her capabilities, to focus on my own opponents.
I hear the sounds of her fighting, the impact of strikes, the crash of bodies hitting walls. She's holding her own.
More than holding her own.
I incapacitate my opponents efficiently and turn to check on her. She's taken down two of the three, and she's grappling with the last one. He's bigger than her, stronger, but she gets behind him and does something complicated with his arm that makes him scream.
The joint breaks. He goes down.
She steps back, ready for more threats, scanning the corridor with sharp eyes.
"Clear," Marcellus announces.
The security team arrive moments later, responding to the breach alert. Marcellus gestures to the unconscious attackers. "Secure these eight. Detention wing. I want them conscious and able to answer questions."
I move to the donor coordination offices. The door has been breached but not fully opened. We got here in time. I check the secure servers. No access. The intruders never made it to the actual records.
But it was close.
While the security team handles the prisoners, I turn toCeleste. She has a split lip that's already healing, bruises forming and fading on her arms.
"You fought well," I say.
"Thanks. They were better trained than I expected."
"Konstantin's people. He doesn't send amateurs."
She processes that. "This is going to happen again, isn't it? More attacks."
"Yes. He's testing our defenses. Looking for weaknesses."
"Then you need more than just you and Marcellus."
She's right, though I don't want to admit it. I have an inner circle. Lieutenants, trusted operators who handle various operations. But my core leadership? That's just Marcellus and me. The inner circle follows our decisions and executes our strategies. What I need is another vampire at the highest level. Someone who can make critical decisions, see the full picture, and be trusted with everything.
Vampires like the one standing in front of me, blood on her clothes and determination in her eyes.
"Come with me," I say.
I lead her and Marcellus to my study, where I pour three glasses of whiskey.
"What you saw tonight is going to become routine," I say, handing Celeste and Marcellus a glass. "Konstantin wants my network. He'll keep attacking until he either succeeds or I convince him it's not worth the cost."
"So convince him," she says.
"I'm trying. But that requires strength. Numbers. People I can trust in positions of power."
She looks at me curiously.
"You want me to be more than just someone working off a debt," she says slowly. "You want me in your inner circle."
"Yes."
Marcellus's expression tightens. "Maximus…"
"She proved herself tonight," I cut him off. "She's capable, tactical, and, most importantly, she has no allegiances to anyone else in this city. No history. No baggage."
"She's a fledgling with eight months of experience," Marcellus argues. "You're talking about giving her access to our most sensitive operations."
