Hi,

So, no matter if this is a battle of minds or wills, Anna is stuck in the middle of it. Will she fight her way out of Vladislav's hold on her? Find out in this chapter! I hope you like it :-)

Lara

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Chapter 62

Vladislav's expression didn't change. There was no flicker of motion in the vastness of his eyes, not even a small change in the atmosphere or a flare in the auratic setup around him. As if the presence of a magical artifact unknown to him could by no means be a considerable threat – even if Alexander himself was the one who might be carrying it.

"Let him keep it," Vladislav said, his eyes still on Alexander. "Whatever magical weapon he carries – it will do him no good. As a vampire Adorján does not have the ability to use it."

Helèna Bathoryn turned to Vladislav slowly, her frosty blue eyes void of emotion. Her mouth thinned and for a moment I thought she was going to argue, contest what he was saying.

"You are in my territory and in my city, without permission," Alexander said softly. "I want you to state your business, then go and take it elsewhere."

Vladislav cocked his head. "Is it your city?"

Time did another flip-switch-trick, as if I got stuck in one second while everybody else moved forward. Something changed. Another component had entered the dangerous mix-up in the street. The shadows parted like multiple folds of a big veil that had been drawn all over the place.

My senses sparked up in the endless maze of smoke-filled visions Vladislav had trapped me in. Vampires stepped out of shadows like silent, skillful hunters. At first I didn't recognize anyone. Then I saw Shinji, stepping forward, slowly closing the distance between him and Vladislav.

I caught another glimpse of motion. Fabrice stepped into the street with a small army of vamps behind him. His long black hair was tousled and looked dirty. His gaze was hollow, eyes like two endless holes of obsidian black. Not like him. No, not like him at all.

About thirty vamps were behind him, approaching silently and swiftly. Three faces in their crowd were familiar – vamps I'd seen on my two visits to Fabrice's lairs. They were probably all rogues, vampires that Alexander had pronounced anathema in the city. And I was pretty sure that, somehow, Vladislav had messed with them.

"Turning vampires that I pronounced anathema against me. I thought you were more resourceful than that, Vladislav," Alexander said.

The blue in his eyes was icy and seemingly hollow. The unreadable, blank face itself was proof enough. I had no idea what Alexander was planning, but whatever it was, he was doing his best to hide it from the outside world – most of all his maker.

"I have resources in more places than you think, Adorján," Vladislav said softly.

Five figures stepped forward and into the light. My eyes widened. I knew those vampires too.

Lloyd Thyler, Brian Grisston, Arnold Chester, Stig Muller and Juan Jervez. They undoubtedly were all coven leaders in Alexander's territory and presumably five of the most powerful vamps in New York.

Crap.

Five out of formerly seven coven leaders had run over to Vladislav. Leonhard Goshanger had been killed. That meant only one coven leader remained: Victor Crawford.

I stared at the vampires incredulously, then narrowed my eyes. Maybe the five coven leaders had been arm-twisted and manipulated into supporting Vladislav. Their eyes were vamped out, pupils dilated, yet surprisingly hollow – just like Fabrice's.

"I always told you, Adorján. Loyalty can be obtained easily. It is but a matter of persuasion," Vladislav said. "When this city has fallen out of your hands, and it will, you will come with me and serve."

My eyes widened. I thought Vladislav was here because he simply wanted revenge, but ... it was more complicated than that, wasn't it? Vladislav wanted Alexander back as his servant. Probably to torture him. Again.

I stared at Alexander, watched the relaxed set of his shoulders, the casual way his arms dangled by his sides – a seemingly effortless and artless display of total ease. He was sending a simple message. It said that he was unfazed, perhaps even emotionless. It said that he was in control.

"Are you sure?" Alexander said, lifting his head.

Victor Crawford stepped out of the shadows behind Alexander and came to a halt right beside the head vampire. He was dressed in white from head to toe, his short blond hair slicked back. There was no hollowness in his blue eyes. Behind him I could see more vampires approaching.

"Your means of persuasion most obviously did not work with Victor," Alexander said. "It is apparent that they did not work on Leonhard Goshanger either, which is probably why you murdered him."

I narrowed my eyes. Victor Crawford and Leonhard Goshanger were the most powerful coven leaders. Or had been until Goshanger was murdered. If what Alexander said was true, Vladislav had the power to influence other vampires, but not Victor and Goshanger.

Did that mean vamps had to have a certain level of power to withstand Vladislav or was there more to it? Victor's vamps looked lucid enough to me. As usual they were dressed in an impeccable manner, all in suits, as if they had geared up for a business lunch.

The change in the atmosphere was flash-like and tore into the street like a sharp arrow. Shinji was right before Alexander, appearing like an image caught by flash-photography. I blinked and George crashed into Shinji from the side – instants before the chaos erupted. The vampires in the street moved as if they were small cyclones set into motion by an invisible force. The fight had begun.

Vladislav was still beside me and for the first time I could detect the ghost of a smile on his lips. I followed his gaze. He was watching Alexander with interest. And I understood something I saw when I was in Vladislav's mind.

Vladislav liked war and inflicting pain in others, particularly if they proved to be unbreakable – like Alexander. He would not only see blood, he would bury himself in it, drink it in like he needed it to survive. Violence and blood – a deadly blend of drug he craved.

I watched Alexander's face – hard and unreadable. And yet I knew part of what he was hiding behind that mask – I'd seen a glimpse of his past with Vladislav.

Alexander could not die, no matter what. I wouldn't let Vladislav or anyone touch him. I closed my eyes. I was going to break Vladislav's hold over me, or die trying.

* * *

Smoke filled my nostrils, scraped against my throat whenever I tried to breathe. I was running in a field full of crosses, making my way towards what I believed to be Vladislav's very own castle and mind. Perhaps its gates would lead me further into his head. I didn't understand the nature of the bond he'd forced on me, but my instincts told me I could break it here in his mind.

My foot caught on something and I fell to the ground, taking the brunt of the fall on my hands and knees.

Shit. I had to get-

The earth moved and the hand shot out of the ground, latching onto my neck. It pulled me forward and down, squeezing. Pain. Not enough air.

Fear gnawed at me, working its way up from my heart into my head. I might as well have been paralyzed. I couldn't move, or think.

Breathe. I can't breathe.

I pushed against the earth with one hand, clawing at the fingers wrapped around my neck with the other. Vladislav had been toying with me the moment he entered my mind at Red Night's Eve. I knew that it was him now. He'd slipped into my mind and picked me apart like a study object. At some point he had seen my deepest fear: literally losing my mind to a vampire. Being taken over by someone like Vladislav was the equivalent of a mindfuck in a higher dimension. That was my biggest fear.

You think you are strong, while avoiding your greatest fear.

I remembered Alexander's words; something he said after we'd returned to the city. After he thought I betrayed him and had switched sides to join forces with the Raven.

You are wrong. You must face your fears – all of them. If you do not, they will make you weak. You will be vulnerable when facing the enemy, and, if you are not careful, it will be your death.

He was right, so damned right about everything. Why had I never seen it before?

In a way Alexander forced me to face one of my greatest fears: vampires. Only by facing that fear, did I overcome it. I was closer to him than to anyone before, even though he was a vampire. Hell, I was in his inner sanctum and looked him in the eye.

I blinked, let the words sink in. His inner sanctum. Facing the fear.

That was it. I had to face what I feared most to overcome it. Even in here.

I closed my eyes and let go of the hand wrapped around my neck, letting myself be pulled down down down.

* * *

ANDY

The moment I stepped into the street, I felt it. No need to access second sight. The place was a fucking undead Disneyland filled with vampiric auras of a very special blend: the bad one. Someone in this part of the city was even more powerful than Alexander. The power of the grave walked up and down the street like an icy current going back and forth in a deadly circuit.

The spell I used was damned difficult – the intricate ones were never my forte – and strictly speaking it wasn't entirely legal, but it worked. No questions asked. It hid and changed my aura and made me look like a human.

I didn't bother muffling my footsteps – getting there without anyone knowing wasn't on the table this night. On the contrary. I wanted those vamps to think I was just some loser that was too fucked up to notice what kind of cataclysm he was walking into. And why would they think anything else? They had nothing to fear from a "puny" human.

Well, boys, you're in for a surprise this night.