“An organization we’ve discovered was begun by Hunter.” Quinn turned his ire upon Adrian as he raised a caustic russet eyebrow, his dark aura cool as it licked over Layla’s skin. “An experiment to unite the world, but why did Hunter abandon it? Because he knew love is weak without dominance behind it.”
“You can believe that if you want to.” Adrian spoke back, matching Quinn’s dark iciness with a power of his own. “But Reginald and I and everyone else who work here at the Paris Hotel don’t see it that way. Love becomes stronger when we all work together – and power does, too. Domination only leads to fracturing in the ranks.”
“As we’re already seeing with your Vampires intimidating everyone else here in just a scant twelve hours.” Rikyava snorted again, though Reginald held a hand out to her now.
“Domination gets things done.” Quinn spoke with the deep chill of the grave as he looked back to Reginald. “It is efficient.”
“Domination is the tactic Hunter uses, Quinn.” Reginald spoke quietly now, fiercely intense. “And if you want to work that way… then we don’t need you.”
Layla held her breath at Reginald’s sudden ultimatum against their longtime ally, watching her Royal Golden Siren and the Florentine Master Vampire stare each other down. Suddenly, she understood why Adrian had summoned her, as Reginald’s powers contested with Quinn’s in the bright afternoon. A drowning swirl of Reginald’s golden Siren-energy crashed against Quinn’s dark nimbus; for a moment, Layla actually saw the two powers fight in the room with a shining swirl of water and a dark flare of energy.
As if Quinn’s dark power was trying to wrestle Reginald’s bright seas into submission, both magics heaved up in a wrathful contest, and Layla felt an old feud in it. For a moment, she felt how intensely strong Quinn was. But drawing upon the steady energies of Layla, Adrian, and Dusk, Reginald suddenly overcame their feud. And with a hammering sweep of the Bind, Reginald’s vast etheric waters rushed out.
Surrounding Quinn and confining the Vampire’s darkness.
“You master me at last, thanks to your Bind.” Quinn’s smile was cold as he stared Reginald down, and only then did Layla realize she’d been watching a battle of wills and mind-magics as the Master Vampire and Royal Siren engaged. Something Adrian had anticipated and wanted her here to help with when he’d summoned her just five minutes ago. “Fine. I will command my Vampires to be less overbearing with your people. But we are not the monsters you think us. I hope someday to impress that upon you.”
“Indeed.” Reginald spoke, easing his etheric magic around Quindici like a tsunami rolling back now. “We will have a conversation about all this once Hunter’s threat is over. In the meantime, I thank you for your efforts on behalf of the Red Letter Hotel Paris.”
“I do this foryou, Aldo. Never think otherwise.” Quinn spoke bluntly then, staring Reginald down as his dark nimbus gave one last impressive swirl. And then he turned, nodding stiffly to Adrian and everyone else as he flowed to the door and moved out, closing the door so firmly behind him it was nearly a slam. A dark aura permeated the space for a long moment, as if Quinn had left some of his black mood behind to drain all joy from the day. But with a wash of sea-gold energy, Reginald banished the last of the Vampire’s power. Taking a deep breath, Reginald looked over as Adrian curled Layla to his side.
“Thank you. All of you.” Reginald spoke softly as he watched Layla, Adrian, and Dusk. “It’s not easy for me to face Quindici sometimes, and be strong with him.”
“No problem.” Adrian spoke back, as he and Reginald shared an accord that was new between them since Reginald had pushed Adrian at Wahdi Atlamenta to show his true power.
“Well, I suppose that was a win.” Rikyava spoke with a snort now, one hand resting on her rapier as if she’d wanted to use it. “Who knows what Quinn getting his Vampires tobe less overbearingmeans, but at least maybe it won’t drive our allies off before the fight in two days.”
“So what’s up Quinn’s butt?” Layla asked, having never seen him so irate.
“The fact that he wants me but can’t have me.” Reginald spoke succinctly, though his voice was decidedly warmer now as he came out from his power-position behind the desk. Moving over, Reginald stroked Layla’s cheek with his knuckles, then kissed her lips far more tenderly than when she’d first arrived. “Quinn has desired me a long while, Layla. But he does not see himself as a person who can have true love, only dominate others, and so it frustrates him that I am no longer submissive to him. I have discovered true love with you in the Bind, whereas Quinn doesn’t understand that equal sharing of hearts.”
“But he’s helping the Paris Hotel because he wants you back,” Layla understood suddenly.
“Yes, Quinn does nothing without personal motivation.” Reginald spoke as he brushed one of Layla’s sable curls back from her face. “And while I appreciate his help, there is no room in the Bind for someone like him, who believes only in dominance and not true love.”
“Just like Hunter.” Layla spoke back with a sigh, knowing what Reginald was getting at, yet hating that every conversation turned back to their enemy these days.
“Indeed.” Reginald replied as he smiled.
Just then, a knock came at the doors; breaking the moment as Layla felt a deep wave of silver-dark oceanic energy flow through the room. As her Royal Silver Siren Fury Durant entered, Layla was mesmerized for a moment by Reginald’s twin, just as elegantly beautiful as his brother though more sensually moon-dark. With his long silver hair braided loosely over one shoulder, he was intensely poetic, dressed in a dove grey three-piece suit with a midnight blue tie and pocket square that matched his dark blue eyes. As he entered, the massive power of Fury’s oceanic Siren-drake washed him to Layla for a deep kiss before he turned to the others.
“Layla, everyone. I’ve received an update from our sister Leni just now over the phone.” Fury spoke in his musical voice, lovely as the deepest currents of the ocean.
“What did Leni say?” Layla asked, blinking to break her trance at Fury’s ridiculous beauty. Reginald and Fury’s half-sister Leniana Morregain was Queen at their clan-home of Deep Harbor in the North Sea, helping to hide non-fighters through the battle with Hunter.
“She’s found space for all our non-combatants in the Siren’s underwater grottoes.” Fury continued with a soft smile now, knowing the effect he had on Layla. “They’re being protected by her best warriors, though she says it leaves few people to send us for the fight on solstice. But as of now, innocents from Château de Chambord, Deep Harbor, the Scandinavian Blood Dragons, Manadora, and the Paris Hotel are safe undersea. As for our allies, Storm Dragon fighters from France and the British Isles have already departed from Deep Harbor. They’re en route here – though Rhennic’s making one last stop at Chambord to leave instructions for his Lightning-Strikers defending the palace.”
“My Crystal Dragon non-combatants are in our caverns also,” Dusk spoke up briskly now, adding to Fury’s report. “Our cities are emptied except those left to protect them; my mother Sky Arlohaina is coordinating the underground. And as of this morning, Adrian’s and King Lethou Mathii’s Desert Dragon non-combatants are also in our care, in caverns near Wahdi Atlamenta.”
“Good.” Adrian nodded. “Riad Rhakvir and Wahdi Atlamenta are emptied now, except for a few protectors. King Mathii and his Black Spear Dragons arrived this morning, along with Rachida, Emir, and my best Wind-Warders from Morocco.”
“My uncle King Huttr Erdhelm and our Scandinavian Blood Dragons got in last night.” Rikyava added now. “And Jenna Ostlheim and Lars Kurs in Concierge Services have rooms ready for the Storm Dragons when they arrive.”
“Good.” Fury nodded to Rikyava with a flash of silver in his dark blue eyes, the look of his Siren-drake. “I’ll contact Rhennic and let him know when we’re finished here.”
“Sure ’nuff hot stuff.” Rikyava winked back, and Layla watched them share an accord. The closer they got to battle, the more Rikyava and Fury had both become almost viciously cavalier, as if both were looking forward to the fight ahead. Dusk shared their battle-ready eagerness, and as Rikyava slapped Dusk’s shoulder, she glanced to him and Fury. “Hey. We’ve got a breather this afternoon. You two wanna practice fighting down in the Guardhall? We could work with blades again, make it some really fun trouble.”
“Wouldn’t miss it.” Dusk grinned back, though Fury only gave a nod, his eyes shining silver.
