Listening to Chloe, Lauren couldn't conceal a smile at her friend's unwitting trust in the internet's knowledge about vampires. She pondered how she could possibly relay the fact that the internet scarcely scratched the surface in understanding these mystical beings. Pulling Chloe into an embrace, Lauren could feel her friend shudder with anxiety, prompting her to hold her even tighter.
"I'm truly sorry I involved you in all of this," Lauren expressed, embracing her friend with heartfelt warmth.
"I'm grateful you did. After all, I had the chance to meet one of the most captivating men imaginable," Chloe chimed in, a smile gracing her lips.
Gently drawing Chloe back to peer into her eyes, Lauren inquired, "Who, Damon or Derek?" She couldn't help but notice Chloe's blush. "Damon," came the sincere response.
"You like him?" Lauren prodded, offering a warm smile.
"I was, or perhaps still am... I truly don't know anymore. He probably assumes I dislike or fear him," Chloe confided, exhaling with a hint of resignation.
Placing a comforting hand on Chloe's shoulder, Lauren assured her that everything would ultimately fall into place.
Ten minutes later, having departed the hospital, Lauren made her way directly to the National Division of Intelligence, seeking an update regarding the ongoing search for Director Shaw. Subsequently, after devoting four hours to her work and following leads, she drove straight to the Benneth estate.
Entering the expansive living room, Lauren's attention was captured by the solemn assembly of the Benneth witches' coven, the ones she hasnt seen before. From their collective countenance, she could discern an air of disquiet.
Greeting them respectfully, she proceeded to her aunt, who stood at the center, bearing a black envelope. "Aunt, what's the matter?" Lauren inquired, accepting the envelope from her aunt's outstretched hand.
"Read its contents first," directed Madame Veronica.
Upon perusing the contents, Lauren gasped audibly, quickly shutting the envelope as she felt the weight of numerous eyes trained upon her.
"Deliver the blood rage vampire to the supernatural council within the span of forty-eight hours, or Director Shaw shall meet an untimely demise,P.S. the newly Benneth witch dines with the devil." The note said.
The air in the room stiffened, the elders exchanging knowing glances. "Upon receiving this note today, I embarked on a thorough investigation. My inquiries led me to a name well-known throughout our nation—Damien Voltorie, a vampire known to have ties with you, is that correct? Is he indeed the blood rage vampire we seek?" inquired one of the seasoned elders, his voice carrying a weight of somber anticipation.
Lauren, gathering her courage, drew in a measured breath before gracing them with her reply. There was little sense in misleading the venerable witches, for it appeared that they had already pieced together the puzzle before them. "Yes, he is," she confessed, her voice poised and resolute as she met the penetrating gazes of the council. The witches, ever the masters of restraint, offered no outward sign of surprise, thereby confirming Lauren's hunch.
"Why, then, did you not see fit to alert the council of his existence?" interjected another elder, his tone resonating with a tinge of reproach.
"I failed to see the necessity," she replied earnestly, her words carrying the weight of sincerity. In that moment, the atmosphere felt similar to a disciplinary hearing within the security department, but with an unmistakable undercurrent of hostility emanating from the assembled witches.
Gasps resounded as Lauren's confession hung in the air. "There are numerous reasons to bring him before the council, especially the supernatural council. He is a menace, a monster whose crimes against both humans and supernaturals demand retribution," one of the witches proclaimed, her impassioned words leaving no room for doubt.
the elder's hushed voice carried an unmistakable gravity as he broached the sensitive subject, "And what of your mother? He was the one responsible for her demise. Surely, that single atrocity alone didn't provide ample reason for you to exact vengeance personally, or rather, to deliver him into the custody of the council," he inquired, his anger palpable.
"You were aware of the blood rage vampire and the atrocities he committed against this coven and your mother, yet you chose to remain silent?" lashed out one of the oldest Benneth witches, a revered member of the witch council, her ire firmly ignited.
Within the tensed atmosphere within Madame Veronica's estate, an uneasy silence hung in the air as Madame Sophia Rodriguez, an esteemed matriarch within the witches council, voiced a grave concern. "Had this note not found itself upon my doorstep, the dark secret of the blood rage vampire's continued existence would have remained shrouded in obscurity, known only to this family and also the silent whispers that encircle our realm," she expressed, her manner conveying deep apprehension.
Following her statement, another member of the council leveled a pointed accusation at Lauren, her words laced with disapproval.
"And surely, with the rumors swirling around your association, Lauren Turner, particularly with that fabled blood rage vampire, Damien Voltorie, the notion of bringing him to the council may never have crossed your mind," she asserted, casting a shadow of reproach upon Lauren.
Before Lauren could even form a response, a third voice added to the dissonance, delivering a brutal censure that cut through the room like a sharpened blade.
"It brings shame that you consort with the very creature responsible for the callous murder of your own mother. You are a disgrace and a profound disappointment to the witches council," the elder declared, her words leaving a stinging impact that seemed to silence the room.
Stifled by a surge of emotions, Lauren stood paralyzed, her voice lost amidst the reverberations of the harsh judgments.
The tension was abruptly shattered by the potency of Madame Veronica's commanding voice, resonating through the venerable halls of the ancestral Benneth household. "Enough!" she thundered, her words carrying the weight of a queen's decree, the force of it seeming to awaken dormant echoes within the centuries-old estate.