Page 98 of Nearly Dead

His attempt at humor earns a smile from Anthony and a disapproving look from my father.I appreciate the effort, even if I can’t quite feel the amusement.

“We need a plan,” Costin says, bringing us back to the matter at hand.“Elizabeth will expect us to come to her.She’ll have defenses in place, allies at the ready.”

“Then we don’t give her what she expects,” I suggest.“We draw her out instead.”

Sully leans forward, interested.“How?”

“With bait she can’t resist.”I look at Costin.“Her own greed.”

His eyes narrow.“Explain.”

“Elizabeth wants power, yes, but she also wants to prove herself superior to you.To finally break free of the bond that’s connected you for centuries.”I stand, moving to the center of the room where everyone can see me.“What if we convince her that you’ve found a way to sever the sire bond?That you’ve discovered some ancient ritual that could free not just you from her, but me from you?”

“She’d never believe it,” my father dismisses.

“She might,” Astrid counters.“If presented correctly.Elizabeth’s greatest weakness has always been her ego.The idea that Constantine found something she couldn’t, discovered a power that eluded her...”

“It would drive her mad,” Costin finishes, understanding dawning on his face.“She’d have to stop it, to prove it impossible.Or to claim it for herself.”

“And we’d be waiting,” Sully adds, a predatory smile spreading across his face.“My pack, your vampires, the magics who remain loyal to the Devine family.”

“It could work,” Anthony agrees.“But we’d need to make it convincing.And we’d need a location that gives us the advantage, not her.”

The discussion turns tactical.I listen as they debate the perfect spot for the trap, determining who can be trusted, and planning for all possibilities.I contribute where needed, my cold logic proving useful for strategic planning but little else.Part of me remains distant, observing rather than participating, as if I’m watching the scene unfold from outside my body.

As the others debate the finer points of magical barriers and attack formations, I find my attention drawn to the window.The city sprawls below, millions of lives intersecting, each with their own dramas and desires.From this height, they seem so insignificant, so fragile.

So tasty and fresh.

I try to hear their heartbeats.

Is this how Elizabeth feels?This detachment, this sense of being above it all?Is this why she sees nothing wrong with using others as pawns in her games of power?

The thought disturbs me enough to pull me back to the present.I don’t want to be like Elizabeth.I don’t want to lose what makes me human, even as I embrace what I have become.

“Tamara?”Costin’s voice breaks through my thoughts.“What do you think?”

Their voices blur together like static.They’re shadows of a world I’m slipping away from.But I can’t afford to drift.Not now.

I realize everyone is looking at me expectantly.They’ve been discussing something, waiting for my input, but I haven’t been listening.

“I’m sorry,” I say, making an effort to reconnect.“What was the question?”

Concern flashes across multiple faces.Costin moves closer, lowering his voice though everyone in the room can still hear him.“Where did you go just now?”

“Nowhere,” I lie.“I was just thinking.”

He doesn’t believe me.I can see it in his eyes, feel it through our bond.But he doesn’t press the issue in front of the others.

“We were discussing your role in tomorrow’s battle,” Astrid explains, her tone carefully neutral.“Given your evolving abilities and the full moon’s approach.”

“I’ll do whatever needs to be done,” I say simply.

Costin crosses to a bar and pours blood from a decanter.He brings the glass to me.It doesn’t smell the freshest, but it’s drinkable.

“We need more than that, Tam,” Anthony says, frustration evident in his voice.“We need to know what you can do, what limitations you have, what we can count on.”

“I don’t know how to answer that,” I admit, drinking the entire glass before handing it back to Costin.“The power keeps changing.Growing.I don’t know where its limits are yet.”

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