Both Are Mine for the Taking

I brought Adrian to an abandoned manor outside the city and tossed him onto a long chaise. His breathing steadied, and his amber eyes snapped open.

"Where is this?" He scanned the room, ready for a fight.

"Somewhere safe." I sat across from him, crossing my legs. "Adrian de Rake. A half-breed. Part wolf, part human."

His body went rigid. "How did you know—"

"In moonlight, your pupils narrow to slits. Like a beast's. Your heart beats twice as fast as a man's. And most importantly..." I gestured to his hand. "When you're tense, your nails sharpen without you realizing it."

Adrian looked down at his hand and cursed. "Damn vampire senses."

"Relax, Your Highness," I said with a small laugh. "I only feed on the wicked. You may be a half-breed, but your soul is clean enough."

"Feed on the wicked?" He scoffed. "First I've heard of a picky vampire."

"That's because your world is too small."

Adrian tried to stand, but his legs were still weak. The effects of our Sire's "Sleep's Embrace" spell took time to wear off.

"What do you want?" He stared right at me. "If you're going to drink my blood, get it over with."

"Drink your blood?" I chuckled. "Your Highness, you're underestimating your own value."

I stood and walked to a bookshelf, brushing the dust from a heavy tome.

"Look at these." I pulled out a copy of The Prince, its pages filled with notes in an ancient script. "Do you recognize this language?"

Adrian frowned and shook his head.

"It's Old Elvish. It took me two hundred years to master." I flipped through the pages. "This section is about how to divide your enemies. This part, how to buy your allies. And here..."

My finger traced a line of elegant script. "This teaches you how to make your brothers tear each other apart while you emerge as the 'peacemaker' and claim all their power."

Adrian's expression shifted from disdain to intense focus.

"You want the throne. But you have a wolf's strength, not a man's cunning. You are the bastard son. Forever pushed to the edge of power."

"...What are you getting at?"

I sat back down. "I will be your mentor. Alliances. Conspiracies. Court intrigue. I have lived for a thousand years. This game is in my blood."

Adrian was silent for a long moment. "Why would you help me?"

"Because you have potential," I said bluntly. "A wolf king who understands the art of power is a far more useful tool than a mindless beast who only knows how to howl. You could be the sharpest blade in my collection."

"And what do you want in return?"

"Simple." My eyes glittered with a dangerous light. "You are my student now. You will obey my every command. And you will sit on that throne."

Adrian considered this. "And if I refuse?"

I didn't answer. I just lifted a finger.

An invisible wave of Mental Domination slammed into his mind.

"Ah!" Adrian grunted, the pain so sharp it nearly made him black out.

I spoke calmly. "A warning. From a superior. You will suffer this pain every time you fail me."

"You crazy bitch!" Adrian tried to lunge at me, but his body wouldn't obey.

"Now, Your Highness," I looked down on him. "Tell me. If you wanted to eliminate a powerful duke with three sons and a large army, how would you do it?"

"Kill him!"

The mental assault hit him again.

"Wrong. Killing is the tool of a fool," I said, shaking my head. "The right answer is to turn his three sons against each other for the inheritance. Let them destroy themselves. Then, you step in as the 'peacemaker,' resolve the conflict, and take control of the entire duchy without shedding a single drop of your own soldiers' blood."

Adrian's eyes went wide. He had never imagined such a vicious, insidious strategy.

"Is that... how all vampires think?"

"No," I corrected him. "It's how winners think. Now, for your second lesson..."

For the rest of the night, I poured the poison of politics into the heart of the beast.

Just before dawn, I prepared to leave.

"We'll continue tonight," I said from the doorway. "Remember, Your Highness. The throne has its price."

When I returned to the Sire's castle, I heard the interesting new rumors.

"That 'Saint in White' in the city saved a dozen more sick people today."

"Her and the priest, Cassian. A divine pairing."

"I hear the clinic she opened in the slums treats the poor for free."

The Saint in White. Lilith's new identity.

She and Cassian were doing good deeds across the city, earning a stellar reputation. It was a clever move, using good deeds to harvest faith, all to make the priest offer up his soul willingly.

She was following my past life's path to the letter.

When I entered the great hall, I saw a surprising scene.

Before Lilith sat a small, silver mortar and pestle. She was grinding rare white herbs into a powder, then carefully mixing it into a vial of holy water, making a healing salve for the priest. She handled the ingredients with a delicate touch, as if they were the most precious treasures in the world.

Seeing me, my sister smiled, unable to hide the smugness in her voice.

"I hear my little sister is spending her nights with that half-breed. Have you forgotten our Sire's command?"

Our Sire's cold gaze immediately locked onto me.

"Elena. The first law of our kind is to never develop feelings for our food. You haven't forgotten that, have you?"