The wind was cold that evening, biting at Devin's coat as he stood silently outside the ruins of Elijah's mansion. The fire had long been put out, but the smell of burnt wood and charred history still lingered in the air. Devin was pained, to say in the least. His grandfather was gone without a trace. His fingers brushed against the edge of the broken gatepost. He could still hear Elijah's voice in his head, that deep, stubborn old voice telling him about empires that had come and gone, talking about great men, and how he was also going to become one of them. His chest felt heavy, but he didn't cry. He'd done enough of that when his mother died. Now? Now it was time to think. To hunt for whoever was responsible for this mess. The sound of gravel crunching behind him didn't make him turn, but he already knew who it was. "Viktor." He muttered. "I was wondering when you'd get here. Viktor stepped up beside him, gloved hands shoved into the pockets of his long coat. "Nice to

Amanda lay stiffly in the hospital bed, her face swollen, lips cracked, and one eye sealed shut with bruises. The nurses had done their best to clean her up, but the damage Klaus had left was deep, not to mention painful. Her ribs ached when she breathed, and every time she blinked, the pain reminded her of the nights before. He kicked her out like she was trash, half-naked, bleeding, and screaming in the middle of the night. At least she was alive. She clutched the phone in her hand and hit dial. She called the one person who was literally meant to care for her. Her mother. Sera picked up on the third ring. "Amanda?" Her mother's voice came through. “What’s up?” "Mum..." Amanda's voice was raspy and low. "I need you..." There was silence for a moment, then the sudden sharp sound of keys jingling on the other end. “Okay baby. Where are you?" "I’m at some general hospital, I’ll have them send you the address. Please come." "I'm on my way.” Sera said quickly and hun

134. The night air was cold and sharp outside the hospital, the streetlights casting harsh, yellow pools of light on the sidewalk. Klaus stood under one of them, his breath visible in the cold air, and he wished he had brought a thicker coat. He was standing there because Sera had texted, saying she wanted to meet outside. Well, he was outside already, and she was nowhere to be found. He scoffed, wrestling with he thoughts. Should he really stress himself so much because of her? Sera was beautiful, and Amanda was a replica of her. The woman still had her curves, flair and vigour. He was fascinated by all that, and the fact that she wanted him too made it easier for them to deal with each other. Sera suddenly emerged from the automatic doors. She wore a coat that was pulled down the the middle of her chest to reveal her cleavage and a different pair of pants and boots. He wanted to ask her if she wasn’t cold, but then again, she was enjoying the view. Her hair was loose, fr

Amanda sat in the backseat of the car, her eyes hidden behind the oversized sunglasses she had on, and her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her body still ached, but at least she wasn’t stuck in that hospital bed anymore. She’d been discharged just twenty minutes ago, and Luther was the only person she could stomach being near long enough to call for a ride. Yeah, Luther. The same asshole who left her for dead the other day, the same one she called a worthless bastard two dozen times. Funny how he was the best of the lot while being an ass. But even assholes had their uses, and this was Luther’s. Luther looked at her through the rearview mirror, chewing gum like he was bored to death. He wasn’t exactly pleased to see her but she had told him he had to come, and that it was important, and he didn’t want to miss out on something good because he was not on good terms with Amanda. “Do you plan to say something any time soon, or are we just going to keep acting like we’re in

Klaus had received the message yesterday. It wasn’t really much of a message, just a single ominous text. -I looked into you and we have the same motive. Devin must go down. Meet me at the abandoned warehouse in Oakley Road.- That was it. At first, Klaus thought that it was a silly little trap. But then he thought again. What if it was real? And if it wasn’t, he had single-handedly murdered Elijah and all his people, bringing the mansion down, he was sure he could easily hold himself. The warehouse was dark and quiet, the kind of place where back-alley deals turned into bloodbaths. Klaus entered through the creaky door, his coat brushing against the rusted metal frame as his boots made squelching across the cracked concrete floor. He didn’t like this, not one bit. Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back… that was the saying, right? “Alright!” He called out fearlessly, his voice, slicing through the silence like a blade. “If this is a fucking trap, I swe