MARKED BY MY STEPBROTHER

Chapter Thirty Five

Sophie’s POV

The meeting with The Veil was set for the following night in the neutral clearing near the eastern border. Damon wanted to cancel it, but after long discussions with Marcus and the elders, we agreed it was better to face them on our terms than wait for them to come uninvited.

I dressed carefully, a fitted black top and tactical pants, with a silver dagger strapped to my thigh. We had to keep Lucas behind at the mansion, under heavy guard with Lena. Leaving him was one of the hardest things I’d ever done.

Damon waited for me at the bottom of the stairs, looking every bit the powerful Alpha in dark clothing, his silver eyes sharp and protective.

“You don’t have to come,” he said.

“I do. He’s our son. So I guess it is better that his parents face so something about this.”

He kissed my forehead and said, “Stay close to me.”

Damon’s POV

Twenty of our best warriors came with us to the meeting. The Veil arrived exactly on time. There were twelve figures who emerged from the trees like ghosts. They moved with eerie grace, and when you looked into their eyes, you could see it glowing in various colors of violet, silver, and gold.

Their leader, an ancient-looking man named Thorne with long silver hair and a presence that made the air feel different, stepped forward. No doubt these people were powerful and they had been around much longer than us. But that didn't give them the right to point fingers at something and demand their need for it. There had to be processes for something like that, right? Or maybe even disagreements. Nobody should have everything he or she wanted.

“Alpha Blackthorn. Luna.” He bowed his head slightly. “We have waited centuries for one such as your son. The True Vessel of the Old Blood.”

“He is not a vessel,” Sophie said, in a form tone. “He is our child.”

Thorne gave us a sad smile. “Well, he is both. The power inside him is not meant for one lifetime. If left untrained, it will consume him before his fifth year. We offer knowledge, guidance, and protection.”

I studied him carefully. “And what do you want in return?”

“Nothing but the chance to preserve the bloodline,” Thorne replied. “The old lines are dying. Your son could be the bridge to a new era.”

The conversation continued for nearly an hour. They demonstrated control techniques that seemed to interest Sophie. But for me, I felt there was something about them still felt off. Too ancient and too hungry.

That was the problem with such people. You could never tell what they wanted because no one really knew how to explain their antics or gimmicks. One only saw them when they felt they should be seem.

As we prepared to leave, Thorne looked directly at Sophie. “The child is already calling to others. Darker forces than us. You have perhaps six months before they arrive.”

Sophie’s POV

We returned to the mansion in silence. No one really said much. Lucas was safe and sleeping when we checked on him, but I couldn’t shake the discomfort that I felt in my chest.

That night, after putting Lucas down, Damon and I retreated to our bedroom. The moment the door closed, he pulled me against him, and kissed me with so much intensity.

“I hate bringing them near our family,” he said between kisses, backing me toward the bed.

“I know,” I whispered, tugging his shirt off. “But if they can help Lucas..”

We didn’t talk much after that.

Damon made love to me with so much passion, as if trying to chase away the doubts that I had. He took me hard and deep, his knot locking us together as we came.

After we were done with s*x, he made a vow to me.

“I won’t let anyone take him. Or you for that matter.”

I believed him.

But sleep didn’t come easily.

Damon’s POV

I woke to the sound of Lucas crying. It wasn't the way he cried when he was hungry. This one was different. This one was sharper.

I sat up instantly. Sophie was already out of bed, rushing to the nursery.

The baby was glowing, his little body shaking as he reached toward the window. Outside, the forest was too quiet.

“Damon..” Sophie whispered, fear in her voice.

I felt it too, a heavy, oppressive presence pressing against the edges of our territory. Not The Veil, something darker.

Marcus burst into the hallway. “Alpha! Multiple unknown signatures crossing the northern border. They’re not wolves. They’re.. something else.”

I dressed quickly and put on my weapons. Sophie did the same in no time.

“Stay with Lucas,” I told her. “I’ll handle this.”

She shook her head. "We already talked about this, Damon. I fight beside you."

I wanted to argue, but the look in her eyes told me it was pointless. We were a team now.

We stepped outside into the night. The air felt wrong, thick and charged with dastard malevolence.

Then we saw them.

Figures emerging from the trees. It takes one wild to know another and I was pretty sure that these were not wolves. Neither were they hybrids.

These were pale, tall beings with black eyes and darkness swirling around them as if they were made of the night.

I counted as fast as I could. There were at least thirty.

Their leader stepped forward, and spoke, his voice like two stones grounding together.

“We have come for the Awakened One. The child who carries the Primordial Spark.”

I shifted partially, showing my claws.

“You’ll have to go through us first,” I said.

The being smiled, and showed me that it had a lot of teeth. “Then we shall.”

The night became a custodian of violence as the dark beings attacked.