Damon's POV
They don't understand. They can't. No one but me—no one but us—can see the bigger picture. This world is chaos, but chaos is a tool. Power isn't something that can be earned through kindness or diplomacy. It's earned through blood—through strength. Through fear. Fear is the most honest thing there is.
Power is never handed to you. It must be taken—every drop, every inch, until you've stripped it from the world and made it your own.
The vampires—those creatures of the night—are not like wolves, who understand the concept of strength and honor by lineage. No, vampires have been bred in luxury, their bloodlines of nobility and royalty. They worship power in ways that are far more civilized but no less dangerous. They've been coddled by their old traditions, believing that their royalty means something, that it elevates them above others.
