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“Turney!” Octavius cried, his voice sounding distant. Turney could tell the vampire was crying.
“We’re fine, Octavius! We’ll be fine! Calm down. It’s okay, right?! This changes nothing! We are all going to be fine!”
“Will it?” He barely heard the words through the metal.
“It will! I told you the fates are definitely on our side!” Turney took a calming breath, holding back the tears trying to break free. “We are going to survive! Now, tell me you can defeat him! This had to be his plan. He wants to face you alone… So, can you do it?! Can you take him down?!”
There was silence for a few moments, driving his stress and fear sky high, before finally the vampire answered, “I can do it! He was locked away for over two millennia… Even if he saw how the world changed, it’s not as if he could keep training. And, I am not the same as when he first found me. I am no longer a mere fledgling.”
“Then do it! Don’t think about what is going on with us. We will be fine. Your job is to protect yourself, worry about yourself, and kill the bastard. We will find you, okay?!” There was silence again. Then he heard it—a sob. “Octavius, don’t cry! It’ll be fine, I promise! I know I broke my promise to you once, but I’m not going to do it again! Never again!”
“I love you!” Octavius cried. “All of you… Please, don’t die.”
“Aww, he said he loved me!” Cormac said sarcastically before gagging loudly.
He heard Octavius sigh on the other side. The others laughed, except Theo, who shoved his brother, giving him a disapproving look. Cormac shrugged.
“Octavius,” Scarlett yelled out. “Kill the fucker. Stay safe… I love you, my friend.” As she said the words, her face turned several interesting shades of red.
“Octavius,” Henry started. “You have been there for me in times of great sadness. I wish I could be by your side for this fight to come, but it seems it was not meant to be. Please, be careful. I am nowhere near ready to let you go.”
There was a soft watery chuckle. “Now is the time you choose to drop the title?”
Henry just smiled in response.
Turney licked his lips, a nervous energy settling inside him as he realized they’d truly be parting after this. “Octavius. I love you more than life itself. You are the reason I still live! Changing would have been meaningless if you weren’t here. So, you better come back to me!”
“I’ll…” Octavius sobbed. “I’ll come back! I will!”
“You’d better! We’ll see you soon, I promise!”
He didn’t get a response…and he no longer heard Octavius close to the door. Feeling shaky, he turned away. “Now what?” He met Scarlett’s gaze. She moved to him. His eyes widened as she pulled him into a tight hug.
“It’s okay. He’ll be fine,” she said, kissing him on the forehead before pulling away, her cheeks bright red again. “All we can do now is try to find a way to Octavius.”
“What if we find Dayan first?” Theo asked.
The female zombie shook her head. “We won’t. He wants to meet Octavius. I’m sure Dayan knows Octavius will be coming for him. And it’s exactly what he wants. The fight would mean something to him. Us finding him first would ruin everything. In the end, the only one he wants is Octavius.”
“Then why the fuck did he invite all of us?” Cormac growled.
Henry frowned before speaking, “Master Octavius has not necessarily told me everything he knows about this Knight. But, from what I do know, he is rather arrogant. My guess is it is likely Dayan believes he will win.”
The younger wolf huffed. “That still doesn’t tell me why we are all here.”
The vampire’s brow rose. “Does it not?”
“No?!” Cormac cried.
“It…does though,” Turney said softly. “Dayan thinks Octavius is his… He no doubt killed me to try to punish Octavius for daring to love someone else. For daring to give me something that Dayan wanted. Him believing he will win…well, what better way to keep control of Octavius, to break his will, than to sever whatever ties he has to others. Because Dayan doesn’t just want Octavius, he wants all of him. He doesn’t want to share. He probably wants Octavius to have nothing left to go back to. I imagine he’d go after Octavius’ other fledglings after this too.”
Cormac and Theo both let out a growl.
“You are likely correct,” Scarlett said with a sigh.
Min-ji wrapped an arm around Scarlett’s shoulders. “If all you say is true, then it’s possible everything has gone according to his plan so far. I’m not sure how much Cléas told him about us. But if he knew about my runes, and is old enough to understand how they work…even this separation may have gone just as he planned.”
“So, Father is still screwing us from beyond the grave,” Theo growled bitterly. “How like him.”
