Perfect Pet

Ch. 31: Venom Burns

Malik's POV

Caleb stood by the door, whispering to some of his men on the other side, and with a final nod, closed it in their faces.

"We're good to start whenever you are."

Nodding her thanks, Madam Moreau swiveled to face the rest of us in the room. A few of the other Council members, including Mila and Landon, as well as a few other notable names made up the bulk of the group. It was a pathetic gathering if I was being brutally honest, highlighting just how disadvantaged we were when it came to support. Brielle was a piece of shit but she was good with words. People usually only heard what they wanted to hear and she knew how to speak their language. They thought she would bring change, lift vampires into a new world of power.

All she would do is ruin everything we had spent years building.

"Before we get to why I called you all here, I want each of you to swear that nothing leaves this room." Madam Moreau bounced her gaze from one face to another, her face a frozen mask of seriousness.

No one batted an eye at her demand. It wasn't unreasonable. It was survival. If word got out about what we discussed here, Brielle had enough support to put an end to it. She'd somehow twisted it to her advantage. No one had any illusions of standing up to her directly with where we were at. We would have to catch her off guard.

I only raised an eyebrow when she got to me, daring her to question my loyalty. In the times we had privately talked, I thought I had made my position abundantly clear. Out of everyone in this room, I wanted the psycho bitch dead more than anything. She'd hurt what mine. Issued a challenge I couldn't- wouldn't- ignore. My demon, the darkest part of my nature, spread its claws, more than ready to tear into flesh and draw blood.

If I had things my way, I wouldn't even be bothering with this little conference. I would be out doing something a little more proactive.

Eli shifted in place beside me, uncomfortable under the scrutiny but ultimately held his ground. He didn't have to say anything, Madam Moreau was well aware of our relationship, but it would make him feel better. "Malik's my best friend," He softly informed her. "Whatever affects him affects me and I would never do anything to hurt him. This is important to him and probably the only thing keeping him from making a stupid decision he'll regret later."

Throwing a look at him behind his back, irritated that he'd say such a thing in front of so many powerful vampires, from the corner of my eye I saw the headmistress' lips tilt up in the faintest hint of a smile before her attention was drawn away.

"Helene," Mila's soft voice spoke up as she moved to take the headmistress' hands in hers, curls bobbing as she walked. I didn't know much about her other than she kept to herself outside of Council business and was one of the very few vampires to call Florida home. The sun wouldn't fry us on the spot but lots of us had a sensitivity to heat and light. Her eyes were earnest as she said, "We have been friends for a long time. You should know I would never betray you in such a manner."

"I want to believe it," Madam Moreau told her, staring down at their conjoined hands with a troubled expression. "But these past few months have shown me that I cannot take such liberties."

No one could blame the famed headmistress of Rigryce Academy for being wary. Betrayal came in a variety of forms and it felt like it came for Madam Moreau left, right, and center. She couldn't catch a break. People you thought you could trust showed their true colors or could be bought for the right price. Signs of weakness were taken advantage of. Any lesser being would have broken down by now but I could see in the depths of her eyes how tired she was becoming after having to stay on guard all the time.