Dante had been itching for a challenge, something to make his blood pump and his claws itch. When he caught wind that Bree was sitting on a stash of soul shards—a haul any True Vampyre would want—he decided he’d swing by her way. “A lil’ contest,” he mused, a toothy grin spreading. “Let’s see if she’s got what it takes to keep ‘em.”
But Kess wasn’t about to sit back and watch Dante swagger in to smooth-talk his way through this. She had her own plan—more direct, more brutal. And when it came to soul shards? There wasn’t any room for playing nice. Kess decided she’d roll into the Drakonis Pact herself and take what Dante wanted by force.
The Drakonis Pact’s hangout was slick, like an upscale den with an edge—layers of smoke hanging in the air, and a mix of glowing neon signs casting sharp, vivid colors over hardened faces. It was packed, loud, everyone posted up as if waiting for a reason to show their teeth. But all it took was Kess strutting in the front, every inch of her radiant with that golden Seraphim fire, and the whole room turned silent.
People shifted, muttering under their breaths. Glares hit her from all corners, eyes narrowing like she’d just signed herself up for a one-way ticket to hell. But Kess? She didn’t even blink. She glared right back, her feathers catching the light in an unholy way, her wings stretching wide to remind everyone who they were dealing with. Her target was clear, though—the whole room could feel the heat of her gaze settling on Bree.
Kess pointed a long, sharp talon right at her. “Hand over the goods, girl,” she demanded, her voice cutting through the silence with that deadass, don’t-mess-with-me tone.
Bree only raised an eyebrow, looking more amused than threatened. But her girl, Xyra, had already clocked what was coming and wasn’t about to let her boss get pressed. She stepped up, aura flaring with a wicked, dark-blue hue, an eerie chill settling over the room as she moved.
In the blink of an eye, Xyra darted forward, sinking her fangs deep into Kess’s arm. Kess flinched but didn’t fall back—her Seraphim nature made her immune to whatever bite Xyra had, but the venom was another story. It hit her like a freight train. Her body lit up with an intense, blinding high, the world swimming around her in dizzying colors. Kess tried to steady herself, wings dipping as she swayed, fighting to stay upright. But the venom was a beast, and she hit the floor, every nerve sparking and her head spinning. She wasn’t down and out, but she was on the edge, struggling not to completely lose control.
Just then, a shadow flickered in the background. Dante had ghosted his way into the room, barely a ripple in the air as he made his way to Bree. Nobody even saw him move until it was too late. His hands wrapped around Bree’s shoulders, solid as stone, before she could even scream. His whisper was low, sinister, “Time’s up, princess.”
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Bree barely had a moment to react as Dante pulled her back, his powers cloaking them both in a shadowed haze, slipping them out before the rest of the Drakonis Pact even knew what went down. By the time anyone realized what happened, Bree and Dante were gone, leaving only the echoes of his cold laugh and the faintest drift of his scent in the air.
Back in the Drakonis hangout, Xyra looked down at Kess, smirking as the Seraphim gritted her teeth, still trying to shake the venom’s hold. The Drakonis Pact’s mean mugs didn’t soften; they only got harder, as everyone clocked that they’d just been played.
Dante thought he’d scored big time when he snatched Bree’s homunculus body, but he didn’t see the twist coming. Right as he was setting up his next move, he felt the hairs on his neck prick up. Bree was onto him. Abandoning that fake shell in a blur, she shifted into her true form—larger, more twisted, every inch of her rippling with energy.
With a snarl, Bree lunged, jaws snapping down on Dante’s shoulder before he could blink. The impact hit him like a truck, knocking him right off his feet and slinging him into the wall. He barely had time to shake off the daze when he saw Bree lock eyes with her discarded body. Then she just went at it, devouring it like it was her next meal, each bite ripping chunks as she fueled herself for whatever was next. Before Dante could even make sense of it, Bree shot him one last look before vanishing into the shadows.
Meanwhile, Xyra had her own agenda for the night. With Kess still swimming in the aftermath of that venom high, she had her tied up and waiting for a quick handoff. Xyra called in Voira, her girl with ties that ran deep, even through the roughest parts of town, and gave her a signal to deliver the goods straight to Voira’s fiancé, Adrian.
They rolled up on Adrian’s place, Voira in the front, and Xyra shoving Kess along behind her. As soon as they stepped in, Voira looked from Xyra to the half-dazed Kess and gave her cousin a hard, unfiltered look.
“Yo, slide with that shit, Xyxy,” Voira snapped, her eyes narrowing. She wasn’t about to have her evening ruined by some bound-up package Xyra just dropped in on her.
But Adrian, chill and unphased, leaned back with a smirk. “What’s good, cuzzo?” he said, flashing a nod at Voira, then turned to Xyra. “Sup, lil’ sis?”
Xyra gave a quick smirk, but her eyes stayed sharp. Adrian looked Kess up and down, sizing up this little setup his sister was dragging him into. “Do what you want with her,” he finally shrugged, his voice low and icy, giving Xyra full clearance to make her call.
Xyra tilted her head with a sly smile, that edge of revenge gleaming in her eye. “Nah, you already did that plenty,” she shot back, a jab filled with venom. “Keep her.”
With that, she threw Voira a look, a signal to handle the loose ends. Voira barely hesitated; the message was clear. She grabbed Kess by the collar, practically dragging her as she headed toward the back. One way or another, Kess wasn’t coming out of this the same.