Page 130 of Let Sleeping Vampires Lie

Her lip curled. “Rene builds kingdoms. You break them.”

He dismissed that with a slight roll of his shoulders. “Details again. You always did get bogged down in ethics when you were tired.”

She took a step toward him before catching herself. “Stop this.”

“No,” he said.

Raven’s expression tightened. “Then at least stop watching us. Watching me. Let me live what remains of my life without you in my mind.”

He studied her quietly.

“You really believe you can keep me out?” he asked. “Even now?”

“We will find a way to sever you,” she said. “From the Pentacoris. From my magic. From this world if we have to.”

He smiled, slow and delighted, as if she had told him something charming.

“The Pentacoris does not belong to you,” she said.

“It belongs to whoever can claim it,” he replied. “You are doing the hard work for me. When you finish, I will simply take it from you.”

“You will not get that chance,” she said.

“You cannot stop what you do not understand,” he said.

Raven’s grip on the shard tightened so much her knuckles blanched. The fragment pulsed, reacting to the strain. The air around it rippled.

Con’s hand clenched around mine. He spoke without lifting his gaze from Valerian. “Careful.”

“You are a coward,” she said.

His eyes flashed. “I am the only one willing to do what is necessary.”

“By enslaving anyone who does not fit your design,” she said.

He smiled again. “I was always good at patterns.”

My grip on Con’s hand had grown so tight my fingers ached. I forced myself to breathe.

Valerian’s projection felt thicker than his last intrusion. More focused. More defined around the edges. Maybe the fragment’s presence amplified it.

Either way, he had too much access.

“We ended your last projection,” I said. “We can end this one.”

He glanced at me, amused. “You can certainly try.”

“Why are you here?” I asked. “Really. You already know we have the shard. You do not need to taunt us in person. Unless you are worried.”

His gaze cooled. “Do you truly believe that?”

“Yes,” I said. “You are afraid of Raven’s power. Even if I hold it temporarily.”

“Do not lie to yourself. The rush. The power. The knowledge that you could end anyone in that room with one thought. It sings to you.”

My jaw tightened. “What sings to me is the knowledge that you did not walk out of that warehouse with what you wanted.”

He chuckled again. “Do you think you hurt me by taking the piece and destroying the serum? You have delayed me. That is all. You have not stopped me. You are not capable of that yet.”