Seamus didn't have time to keep lamenting how weak and ignorant he was about what happened inside this very house. He needed answers, and that meant finding Madeline.
According to Isolde, she was always in the library on the third floor—the one with the glass dome roof where you could see the night sky and stars.
Normally, he might have appreciated the view, but that wasn't important right now.
His breath was ragged by the time he reached the door and pushed it open. The library was vast, with two floors and a circular staircase on the left leading to the upper level.
"Madeline! Where are you!" he shouted, scanning the aisles. "I know you're here! Show yourself!"
Silence.
The library was empty.
"Fuck!" He stomped on the circular tile in the center of the room, the one marked with the image of a giant black snake.
The tile shifted beneath his feet. Startled, he stumbled back. Around him, the bookcases began to transform, their brown teak wood darkening to black.
The sky turned into a star-filled night. The tile itself changed, as though he were standing in the middle of space.
The snake engraved on the tile came to life, rising up and hissing at him. "Have manners changed so much in a thousand years? Where is the 'hi,' the 'hello,' the 'how are you'?"
Seamus rolled his eyes. "I don't have time for that."
"I know you're plotting something with Viviane. Tell me what it is."
The snake slithered in a slow circle around him. Its face was expressionless, but he could still feel her mockery.
"Ah… so you're the rat," she hissed, her head lowering until it hovered just in front of his face. "Did you know that, in the past, rats in the walls were burned alive?"
"I don't have time for your theatrics. Your plan involves me, and it will probably get me killed."
His eyes narrowed. "Tell me why you and Viviane leaked the fact that I have Crimson Nectar."
The snake's body rippled and reshaped, becoming Madeline's human form. Her eyes widened in surprise, which only deepened Seamus's confusion.
"Leaked? Your information?" she said slowly.
"Why would I, or someone who loves you more than her own life, do something that would get you killed?"
"You want Isolde dead, and with me here, vampires will attack this mansion to get to me. You want chaos."
His voice echoed through the dark library. His fists clenched. Betrayal gnawed at him, and his trust in Viviane wavered.
Madeline shook her head, a laugh spilling out. "Ah… I shouldn't have expected more from a human being."
She snapped open her fan and smacked it against her palm. "I am a higher being who has lived for thousands of years. I value honor more than any vampire in this house. I would never put you—my ally—in danger."
There was something in her tone, a rare seriousness laced with a faint disdain, that told him she meant it.
He had only met her twice before, but this was the first time she looked truly resolute. And yet, that only made him more uncertain about who had actually leaked the information.
Madeline's lips curled slightly. "Seamus, you should broaden your perspective."
"Perhaps the one responsible is the last person you'd suspect. Perhaps it's the one who saved you, the one who plays the role of your savior."
A heavy silence settled between them. He could see the possibility in her words, but he also knew she could be lying. He had only known her for a week or so. He didn't know her true self.
But one thing was clear—he couldn't trust anyone in this viper's den.
"I can't tell you our plan," she said at last, "because I won't break my agreement with Viviane. But you can find her at this address."
A small slip of paper appeared in her palm, and she held it out to him.
She turned away, half her face hidden behind her fan. "Be careful. They don't take kindly to humans trespassing in their territory."
And then she was gone.
The library shifted back to its normal form, leaving Seamus alone with the note in his hand.
***
"How did you know about Seamus, Eve? And who gave you that information?"
Viviane's voice was sharp with impatience as she grabbed the orange-haired woman by her shirt. Her fangs bared, making it clear how serious this was.
"Wow, calm down, princess," Eve smirked.
"You know whispers spread like wildfire. I don't know how Velstrath runs things, but here? Everyone knows everything."
Viviane's eyes narrowed, veins rising on her temple. She knew no matter what she did, the bitch wouldn't talk. She let go.
"If any of you dare touch him, I'll raise hell on you." Her growl was low and dangerous.
None of them took her seriously. Eve just shrugged and flopped back into her seat at the long table.
"For someone newly evolved, you demand too much," a voice said behind her.
Viviane turned. A short girl stood there, looking no older than twelve, with curly black hair and red eyes like a porcelain doll.
Stella didn't even look at her—her fingers were tangled in red string, shaping some strange pattern.
"I'm serious," Viviane said. "I'm a hybrid. You're just lucky you evolved at all." She smirked, looking down at them.
Eve cracked her knuckles. "Oh? You want to test your power here? Spoiler—you're not walking out alive, bitch."
Viviane laughed. "Sure. Why not." She dragged her claws along her arm until fire sparked across her skin. Eve rose from her seat, her body already starting to change.
"Wait! Stop, guys!" a pink-haired woman shouted from the corner, but no one listened. Both women were ready to tear into each other.
The door slammed open. A man strode in, his long white coat flowing behind him, golden hair catching the light. His presence shifted the room.
"Stop." He approached Viviane and lifted her hand. "A beautiful lady shouldn't hurt herself just to attack an ally." He kissed her knuckles.
Viviane pulled her hand away, rubbing it with a look of disgust.
"It's such a shame," he said softly. "We appreciate your help with our little vendetta against your mother."
Her brow furrowed. She knew that sweetness masked something ugly.
"But at this point," he continued, "aren't you the one benefiting most? So we propose… a new agreement."
His flawless face twisted into something parasitic and vile.
"We want that Crimson Nectar too."
Viviane didn't answer, but in her mind, the list of enemies grew longer.
She could already feel the invisible hands reaching for Seamus — allies, enemies, predators — all of them waiting for the right moment to sink their teeth in or kill him and now these vampires thought they would get Seamus just like that?
How laughable.