[Kael’s POV]
The armory in the deepest sub-level of the Blood Moon castle was usually a place of quiet reflection for me. For over a century, the scent of oiled leather, sharpened steel, and old iron had calmed my racing mind before a battle. But tonight, there was no calm. There was only the deafening, frantic roar of the Black Dragon clawing at the inside of my skull, demanding blood.
I stood bare-chested before the massive weapons rack, strapping a pair of heavy, silver-plated bracers onto my forearms. I didn't need weapons to kill. My claws were sharper than any sword forged by man or wolf. But vampires were a different breed of filth. They were unnaturally fast, completely silent, and their bodies didn't break like a werewolf's. You couldn't just crush a vampire's throat to kill it;
