- Enough to know that you would never hurt your sister. - she smiled. - No one can find out that Thea has absorbed the magic of wizards.

Terrence smiled sardonically. How is it even possible to keep it a secret when any seer can just dig into his brain like that? But as if anticipating his question, Eugene answered:

- There are only two seers besides me. Witches with such a gift are born extremely rarely, so you have nothing to worry about. I will not betray your secret, another seer does not interfere in dangerous games, and the one that should be feared will not get to you, because you are the son of the supreme witch.

Terrence sat down on the bed with an absent-minded grin and bowed his head in amazement, wrapping his arms around her, as if protecting himself from all the discoveries that covered him. And Eugene could understand him, because it’s not every day you meet such a complicated family drama that you should sort out somehow.

She patted him on the shoulder and sat down next to him.

- I understand that your head is ready to explode right now, but you have to understand one thing: Thea is here under the direct gaze of your mother and if she is discovered, it will cost her life, so you should not be in Eastheve anymore.

- She has a mark on her arm, which I left out of stupidity and ignorance.

- The mark? What is the label?

- Vendetta. - Eugene’s body hardened.

Vendetta was one of the rare spells that witches used to bind an opponent with a blood feud. This sign allowed you to accurately track your target, causing her pain and suffering, as a result, the victim had no chance except to be found in time or to die long and painfully while running away.

She couldn’t help but wonder why Thea had never said anything to her, because the mark had probably already caused her discomfort.

It was rarely used, since it was a double-edged knife, and knowing this, it was just as easy to track down the witch who put the mark to kill her. But even more so, there were other ways that witches liked to use.

- Then you must remove this mark as soon as possible. Why did you do it at all? - she finally raised her voice, succumbing to emotion.

How many times had she been with Thea and never noticed that she complained about the pain from the mark. After all, she clearly underestimated this fragile but strong girl.

Without asking any more questions, she forced Terrence to get dressed and under the cover of night, she helped him get into the sleeping sister’s room so that he could remove the mark he had put on.

It was strange to see her after such a long break. Now she looked completely different, there was not a single recognizable feature of his sister’s appearance left in her, and yet subconsciously and mentally he felt her.

Was it the magic he used on her, or was it the same feeling that is called family ties? He had never thought about it before, because she was always in his reach until that unfortunate day.

Terrence was fascinated by the sight of Thea sleeping, she was like an angel in the flesh, tender, soft, defenseless. The same as always, until their father broke it, until he announced the wedding with this terrible man. Somewhere deep in his soul, he was glad that the vampire had killed him at the ball, because otherwise he would not have left her alone, teeming with his power and money. Even a vampire king would be the best option for her, judging by the way he treated her at the ball.

By the way, why isn’t she with him? Why is she here with the witches? This question flashed through his mind, but Eugene did not let him develop this topic and hurried to expel him through the portal with instructions.

- You have to leave now. Very soon you will have to make a choice on which side to take, be ready for this.

The man just opened his mouth to ask something, but Eugene pushed him into the portal and only after that she was able to exhale with relief, because if she hadn’t had time, he could easily have caught the eye of his mother. It was funny to find out that even his own son did not know the whole background of Lillian.

/The end of Eugene’s memories/

The next few days in the coven passed in turmoil. Rumors about the madness of the vampire king spread at lightning speed, adults were puzzled by the strengthening of borders, the installation of barriers and traps, while young people were in some fear.

The Supreme Witch has urgently called a sabbath, inviting all powerful witches to it. And this meant nothing more than a decrease in the very security that they were so excited about. Lourdes was suddenly deprived of combat-ready witches and witchers. The only exception was Simon, who, being a prefect, could not afford to leave the younger generation without protection.

- Is everything going to the fact that the war will soon affect us as well? – Adeline tried to think logically, putting together all the recent events and the adults’ misunderstandings that she was trying to analyze.

- I do not know, but it scares me a little. I get the impression that we are like a human shield in someone’s war.

- That’s partly true, but it’s our duty to protect the coven. - Adeline sighed, resigned to her fate. - What’s that noise?

The girls turned their attention to the crowded crowd ahead. The central square should not have been filled with people now, since the new security rules forbade pandemonium, but it was as if everyone spat on these rules at once.

As she got closer, Thea couldn’t help but tense up, feeling a vague sense of unease. The crowd in the square was incredibly huge and at the same time everyone was so silent that it was even frightening. There were no exclamations, no shouts, but only light whispering.

- There’s something strange going on there ... - Adeline finally drawled, who also sensed something was wrong.

Taking timid steps into the crowd, she noticed that some looked at her with fright, which was reflected in their eyes as if in a mirror, some even covered their mouths, trying to hide their voice in their palms. Her heart was pounding nervously, skipping beats every other time, but her legs didn’t seem to obey and pulled her inside this human funnel.

Having stopped literally a couple of human heads from the center of the square, which blocked her with the height of her height, but through which she could still clearly see what was happening there, she froze, completely speechless.

She felt as if her lungs were ready to burst apart, in which she was so carefully trying to hold back the air, afraid to exhale and utter even a small sound. Adeline squeezed her hand tightly, ready to cry at that very moment.

Rivers of blood, bright, scarlet and as fresh as if someone had just skinned a carcass, now flowed along the paved cobblestones, once gray in color. The smell of blood in the air made she wince from the inability to tolerate this metallic smell.

Thea’s sharp gaze caught the silhouette of Prefect Olish’s body sprawled on the cobblestones. Once a strong witcher, he now lay in an almost lifeless pile of muscles, barely breathing and grunting from pain and spasms, spitting copiously with blood.

Thea covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to squeak, as a veil of tears covered her eyes, and her body shuddered from trembling, as if her body was being hit by electric shocks. It was impossible to contain it. Nausea rose in her throat, but Adeline’s firm grip on her wrist forced her to come to her senses.

- It’s him! – she whispered convulsively, stammering and not ceasing to tremble like an aspen leaf.

Adeline didn’t need to give any further explanations, because the last conversations and the man with bright scarlet eyes standing almost in front of her gave her a clear answer to the unspoken question.

The only question that bothered her now was why the supreme witch decided to convene the coven right now, when it became known that he had overcome all the barriers set by powerful witches? Didn’t she care that so many young witches were left in danger at once?

Adeline shuddered at the moment when the sonorous sound of the bones of Samyon Olish’s hands, on which Raphael arranged walking, was heard. He was so exhausted that he couldn’t even scream in pain.

- What, is this your strongest witcher? -The vampire clicked his tongue. – How boring.

His scarlet eyes swept through the crowd, slowly scanning everyone present in his field of vision.

Adeline cream eyes looked at Thea, who did not stop shaking, as if she was overcome by convulsions. She tried to hold her hands to her chest, but even this could not calm this unbearable trembling in her body.

She simply refused to believe what was happening before her eyes, she wanted to close her eyes and be back in that peaceful time that was some time ago, when Simon was still in full health and Raphael did not pull one girl after another out of the crowd.

It was as if he was looking for someone. Pulling out one, he unsatisfactorily threw it aside, as if not a person, but some kind of rag, and immediately set to work on another.

- Come on, cheer me up, don’t you think of attacking me in a crowd? Where is this vaunted witch power? - his voice taunted the witches to attack him.

But no one dared to take a step, because the example of an attack on this vampire was now lying and bleeding on the last remnants of his breath. No one wanted to be his next victim. Everyone felt the deepest fear, left without the protection of more skilled witches.

- Well, then I will test everyone until someone dares to challenge me again. - he laughed angrily, pleased, in anticipation of a new victim who, like a frightened lamb, would beg for mercy from him.

Thea tried to take a step back, but realized that her legs seemed to be blocked and it finally dawned on her why there were so many people in the square, despite such a terrifyingly dangerous situation. Magic, did not allow people to part and run away in horror. It was a clever trap that curious witches fell into.

He thrust his hand into the terrified crowd and forcefully pulled out a terrified Nikki. His reaction was so quick and unexpected that the once brave witch now fell to her knees, caught off guard and shuddering with fear of dying so absurdly. Thea looked at her and did not recognize that girl, who always boasted of her successes in combat.

- You’ll be the first. – he grinned, flashing his eyes at the frightened girl, who immediately screamed from the pain he was sending her through a strong grip on her wrist.

Thea saw his claws lengthen, scratching the thin skin of her friend’s wrist. His tongue ran over his lips and he immediately sucked his lips to the leaking drop of blood.

- Absolutely disgusting. – he hissed, pulling away from her hand and then he turned her around, causing the joint in her shoulder to crack, coming out of its normal position.

Nicole’s loud, heart-rending scream sobered Thea so much that without thinking, she rushed forward and with all her strength, fueled by the spell, pushed him away from the poor girl writhing in pain.

Unrest swept through the crowd, no one expected that there would be some daredevil besides Olish, able to resist the vampire. Not that Thea was burning with this thought, but she couldn’t let her friend die in front of her. She had to do something, somehow delay the time until someone came to help.

Her clear green eyes met his bright red ones, which were lifelessly impenetrable and only a crooked mocking grin distorted his face.

He slowly tilted his head, appraisingly running over the silhouette of the little girl in front of him who had so audaciously pushed him away. This caused him genuine delight, mixed with madness, he was already anticipating how he would play with her, bringing her to her last breath.

- Temi, no, don’t, he’ll kill you! - Nikki screamed through her tears.

- Te-mi? - as if savoring and rolling her name on his tongue, he repeated it twice and at that moment his gaze hardened even more.

She saw how his mouth opened and how he ran his tongue over the protruding fangs, pronouncing her invented name. The way he looked at her made her cringe even more. It was a sweep of disgust with an incredible thirst for blood.

- What black sheep gave you that name? – he hissed with disgust in his voice. - Tell me who your parent is and I’ll rip his head off quickly.

Thea swallowed nervously, retreating an inch further from him. But his sharp gaze was faster and her every move did not escape him.

- Did you know that this name is on the forbidden list among witches? Who was so stupid as to call you by that name? - the corners of his lips curled viciously, saying that another crazy plan had already matured in his head.

Of course, she had no idea that witches were forbidden to have such a name, and no one had ever said a word to her about it during her entire stay in Lourdes. It sounded so absurd that it was completely incomprehensible why she couldn’t use that name.

- Did such a powerful vampire really stoop so low, taking out his anger on defenseless weak witches? She hissed, trying to hide her trembling behind an ostentatious boldness.

- Defenseless weak witches? Are you talking about those who are now discussing how best to dissect me? - he laughed, throwing back his head. – I’ll tell you a little secret: I love torturing witches, I love hearing them scream in agony of pain, it calms me down.

- You’re crazy. – she said with disgust.

- Even bigger than you can imagine, you insolent little witch. - His words were drowned out by the sound of the paving stones cracking and Thea’s painful cry as she felt her spine splitting into pieces.

She had never expected him to attack her so suddenly. Somewhere deep in her soul, she even hoped that he would feel the desire not to hurt her. But how naive she was. She chuckled soundlessly and got to her feet, overcoming the pain.

Of course, how could he not attack her if her appearance was different from her native appearance. He didn’t have the slightest reason to stop in front of her. He just didn’t recognize her.

And if I found out, what would he do?