"My brothers," Luthur shouted, standing from his throne. Curling his fingers around the staff, he tapped the end on the ground like a mallet. The excited voices quieted at once. A surge of power vibrated through him as he began the speech he'd practiced for a century.
"At last, a new era is upon us. An era we vampires once embraced and accepted, yet let slip away. An age where men hold the seat of power. Where a King, not a Queen, rules the horde."
"Not if I have anything to say about it."
Luthur whipped his head about to see who was speaking, though he already knew. Anastasia stepped out from behind an outcropping.
"My dearest Anastasia." Casually, he stepped down the short flight of stairs to greet her, a wide smile on his face. "What a wonderful surprise. I thought you'd passed duri
