Betrayed by her Blood. Claimed by the Night.

LAVINIA QUISPE POV: Consequences

The air was still vibrating with the raw, aggressive energy I had unleashed. Zack lay stunned on the earth, the powerful glamour of a pureblood momentarily fractured.

Silence pressed in, broken only by the sharp, stunned gasps of the assembled court.

Zilo was the first to move. He spun from his shock, rushing to my side. His hands lifted, checking my throat, my arms, his gaze frantic.

“Lavinia, are you hurt? What was that?” His warm, cool scent, usually a comfort, was now mingled with the sharp edge of fear.

Klaus, his obsidian aura now fully stabilized, strode forward, stepping over Zack’s prone form without a glance. He stopped inches from me, his dark eyes intense, assessing. “She is Ascended. And dangerous.”

Zack pushed himself up, his eyes blazing, a terrifying mix of lust and challenge. “You like to play rough, Lady. Fine. The Hunt is on.” The Sanguine Circle beneath the Blood Moon pulsed a blinding, wicked red.

I stood trembling, my core humming with the aggressive, untamed power. The shame of being a "failed" Dhampir had been incinerated by the fury; now, I was fueled by it. I had survived the worst part of the Rite—the Awakening—by sheer rage.

But the relief was fleeting. My father’s presence was a cold weight behind me.

“It worked,” he stated, his voice devoid of pride, laced instead with pure, furious calculation. “But her gift is untamed, volatile, and deeply improper.”

He grabbed the black velvet cloak Zilo had discarded earlier and threw it over my shoulders with unnecessary force. The heavy fabric was cold, a harsh reminder of my nakedness and my exposed status.

“The Hunt is postponed,” Father announced, his voice booming over the nobles, canceling the Rite mid-sentence. “Princes, you will stabilize your consort. Lavinia, you have endangered the ritual and proven your gifts are a threat to this Covenant.”

He didn't wait for a response. He seized my arm, his grip like iron. The raw electricity still coursing through me made him momentarily wince, but his resolve was absolute.

“We are going directly to the Byrne Medical Institute. Now. They will find out why your power manifested as an uncontrolled weapon, and they will contain it.”

Contain it. The word was a deeper terror than "forfeit."

“I am not some lab rat!” I protested, twisting my arm to escape.

“You are my daughter, and the failure of this House,” he hissed, yanking me forward. “You will submit to testing. If you cannot control your weapon, it will be controlled for you.”

Zack, now fully recovered, stalked up beside us. He met my eye, a chilling, triumphant smirk on his face.

“Better submit, Lady,” he grated. “Or the Hunt will be the least of your worries.”

Zilo stepped in front of my father, his stance protective. “Lord Quispe, she just awakened. She needs rest. We will take her home and-”

“You will follow my orders, Princes!” Father roared, his own ancient glamour flaring in cold warning. “She is unstable. She is a danger. The Covenant does not tolerate uncontrolled power, even in its Lady.”

He dragged me off the dais, forcing me down the hill and away from the stunned court. Zilo and Klaus followed, their expressions tight with anger and helplessness. Zack trailed behind, his smirk fixed, the silent promise of future punishment hanging in the air.

This was not freedom. This was a worse kind of prison, where my very power was seen as a disease to be cured.