Farther out to the right side of the cliff's edge, Orlando and his clan concealed themselves within the shadows of the isolated, scorched forest. From this vantage point, he witnessed every event, including Victoria's tumble from the cliff.
"She should've stayed with me!" Orlando grumbled, scraping his long claws into the bark of the tree after Glenn carried Victoria out of there, departing with everybody who was with them.
"She'll be yours before too long, and Zoey will be mine," his older cousin CJ affirmed, emerging from the hazy shadows with his advisors and some of his guardians.
Had it not been for Kai saving her in the nick of time, Orlando was fully prepared to rescue her himself, and then he would've taken out the last three remaining Royals of the Silverdawn Coven.
Way before any of them were born, a group of young Alphas attacked CJ's mother, Emily Mill. At the time, the enemies believed she was the love of Mr. Collin, but it turned out to be untrue. Not only did Mr. Collin cheat on Emily in his younger days, but Kai's parents, Mr. And Mrs. Collin, conceived Chester out of wedlock the very night Emily was attacked by numerous Alphas and their clans, who harbored animosity towards the Collin Coven before the first war started. On the same evening, Mr. Collin discovered that his future wife was Morticia O'Donnell because she was his destined mate. Since then, their grandfather Morbius severed his long-time brotherly friendship with Vlad Collin because he allowed his son to marry Morticia, the daughter of Vincent O'Donnell, over his own daughter Emily, who suffered brutally due to Kai's dad.
"I did a better job at keeping her safe than Kai!" Orlando growled, resenting the fact that Victoria had come perilously close to death one too many times for his liking.
He harbored a sinister plan, and if she were to perish before transforming into a vampiress, all his schemes would fray apart. The presence of Kai only heightened tensions with the other Covens, who thirst for vengeance.
"You already know Kai has more enemies than allies. Of course, everyone wants his mate dead, especially since our enemies know we want her and Zoey for power," CJ reminded him since Orlando seemed to be losing his patience recently.
"I remember. Before Kai woke up, nobody dared to mess with Victoria when she was by my side," Orlando meant as he clarified, making his cousin understand.
Most Covens didn't know when Victoria's arrival had come, and the ones who did stayed away because Orlando and his family watched over her as she developed in her young mother's womb. After her birth, Orlando observed her growing up in the orphanage before the Collin Coven knew about her birth. Long ago, Morbius's first gift foresaw the seventh prophecy, so they knew where to find Victoria from the moment her parents conceived her before anyone else.
Before another word could be spoken, his identical twin brother Alejandro flew in with his clan as he callously tossed Athena's beaten body to the snowy ground. A dull thud echoed through the frosty air before Orlando's gaze veered from the crumpled female at his boots as he peered at Alejandro's smirking expression.
"I got a present for you," he declared, his words cutting through the cold silence like a cruel jest.
Before Athena could muster her strength to flee, Orlando seized her neck and picked her up, and then he harshly spun her body, pinning her against the trunk of a tree as Seth and his clan swooshed in to save her. But he was blocked by Alejandro and his clan.
Without turning to look behind his shoulder, Orlando threatened. "If you attempt anything, you know I'll detain her and toss her into the sea!"
Water served as an effective shield, concealing the scent of detained vampires and vampiresses and making it challenging for their families to locate them so they could reawaken their loved ones. Vampires and vampiresses who willingly entered a state of detainment sleep often used water as a protective measure, ensuring that their enemies would struggle to find them.
The sea is vast, so Seth knew it would take time to locate his mate if Orlando hurled her detained body into the water. Seth and his clan had spent their energy trying to prevent Kai and his clan from rescuing Victoria from Bella's siren, which failed. Moreover, he was relatively galled because Bella took too long to kill Victoria, but she insisted on breaking Kai's connection with his wife to weaken him. Currently, they didn't have much stamina left to confront Orlando and his outnumbering reinforcements.
"Tell me what you want," Seth negotiated, his gaze fixed on his mate.
She gasped, attempting to worm her body free, but Orlando didn't loosen his grip around her fragile neck. He could snap her neck in half if he wished. An idea that crossed his mind as he cocked his head briefly, observing her futile struggle. Snapping her neck would render her unconscious for an hour or two at most.
"Back away from Victoria, and we won't have an issue," Orlando proclaimed, not staring back at him.
"If we do, then the Collin Coven will get stronger." Seth countered, expressing his family's desire to overthrow the Collin Coven as he emphasized the pivotal role of Victoria's survival.
Holding back Seth and his clan, Alejandro warned, "If you ignore our warning, the Collin Coven won't be your only concern."
Athena bared her fangs, stating, "You should be pleased! Bella successfully broke her connection with Kai! He's vulnerable now! It only proves she still loves you. Aah!"
Orlando tightened his grip on her neck, eliciting a growl from Seth. "You attempted to kill her! I understand you desire the Collin Coven's territories. If you step back, I'll ensure you receive a share. However, if you resort to foul play, the Mill Coven will retaliate against all of you."
"Is that clear?" CJ asked, fixing a direct glare on Seth.
Defeated, Seth motioned his head in agreement. "Just release my mate."
"I'll let her go, but if you don't comply, Athena will pay the price for your mistake," Orlando warned.
"Aaah!" He tossed her to the side, and she groaned upon hitting the cold ground. Athena quickly got up and ran over to Seth before they bolted away.
"Now we must deal with Tyler's Coven," Alejandro declared since his Coven aimed to eliminate Victoria due to their allies' desire for her demise.
"Include Andrew in the list. I've seen that he has awakened from his slumber," CJ informed his younger cousins.
"I despise him," Orlando mumbled, shaking his head. "Who would wake that lunatic!"
"One of his sisters," CJ chuckled at his cousin's disgusted expression, being well aware of how much Orlando hated Andrew.
"Forget about him for now. Let's head home. We at least gave Seth his final warning," Alejandro declared, and his family agreed, considering they had been out for a while.
They took off between the trees with their clans. As they zoomed around to reach a busier street toward the city, a scent they had been searching for came into close contact with them.
"Troy Collin!" Orlando hissed as they zipped to his location before he could pick up their scent.