Humanity at Stake (Completed)

Chapter 36

"We made our mistakes
It's not too late
We had to learn the hard way
Bridges will burn
Now it's our turn"- "Gold" by Sleeping With Sirens

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A meeting had been gathered amongst the vampires with the pending war hanging over them. They had been gathering more frequently to discuss information and strategies for the up coming battle. The room was eerily silent as they waited for Quintavius to arrive. The Queen sighed lightly, her nails flicking against the table with impatience. Even Yvonne sat on the edge of her seat, her eyes focused solely on the door.

"Something must be keeping him up, I'll go check it out," Yvonne volunteered, scooting her chair out to rush to go find the male.

"Yvonne!" the Queen bit out sharply, causing her to freeze. "I know you've had some... personal relations with Quintavius, but you will sit here and wait." Yvonne locked eyes, staring at the Queen for a while before deflating and sliding her chair back into place.

They continued their silent wait, periodically checking the time. Half an hour passed by with no sign of Quintavius showing.

"He must know how important these meetings are!" Zalia hissed by the Queen, her hands gripped the table angrily, her nails digging into the grain. Everyone agreed silently. Another 45 minutes passed, and still he did not show.

"I guess we will have to start the meeting without him," the Queen concluded, straightening in her seat. Her hands folded fluidly in front of her on the table. When she went to open her mouth to speak, there was a hesitant knock on the door. The Queen's hands clenched tightly as her right eye twitched slightly.

"Come in." The door opened, and a vampire stepped in, her hands shaking as she held a cardboard box. The bottom of it seeped with a dark color. The smell made it clear to the vampires what it was.

"I-I didn't mean to interrupt anything, Your Highness. I was given and th-threatened by some Resistance members to give this box to you." She trembled with fear as the Queen beckoned her forward.

"Place it in front of me. You will stand to the side and wait for my instructions," the Queen ordered, raising an eyebrow. She had a haunch as to what lurked within the container.

Once the box was placed in front of her, the Queen wasted no time opening the top to reveal the contents. She sat back in her seats tipping her head back and closing her eyes at the sight of Quintavius' decapitated head.

Yvonne was up quickly, investigating the inside. A scream ripped from her throat as she looked down at the ashen face, his eyes open, but unseeing. His mouth sealed shut forever. She gave one glance over at the messenger who's eyes were wide with terror.

"You!" she seethed, wasting no time to dart over to the girl that was quivering. Without hesitation she wrapped her hands around the girl's head, twisting it with a sickening crack. Her fingernails dug into the neck, piercing skin and soaking Yvonne's hands in blood. With a wet pop, the head was separated and thrown across the room. The body crumpled below her, and Yvonne breathed heavily as she tried to calm herself down.

"Yvonne," the Queen warned. From her seat, Harlow grinned like the Cheshire, her eyes darting between the rampaging monster and the head on the opposite side of the room. On shaky legs, Yvonne stumbled her way back to the table, peering down into the box. Tears pooled in her eyes, spilling over as her hand reached into the box, gently cupping his cheeks. They smeared with blood as her thumbs caressed his skin.

"I'm going to kill that bitch," she seethed, knowing exactly who had caused this. She had told him all those years ago to not pick favorites. That they never went well in the end. She knew he loved Nova more than her.

"Yvonne," the Queen started, resting a firm hand on Yvonne's shoulder as she stood. Yvonne yanked her shoulder out, stepping away with fire in her eyes. The Queen's eyes darted over to the other people in the room.

"Everyone, this meeting has been cancelled, please leave. Dominic, can you please discard the remains." Everyone in the room slowly stood, Harlow along with Xerxes and Jasper left the room. Dominic slid close by, sending Yvonne a wary look as he scooped the box up before leaving as well.

"Zalia, you haven't left yet," the Queen pointed out, giving the woman a pointed look.

"With all due respect, Your Highness, I feel with Yvonne's current mental state, it would be better i-"

"It would be better, Zalia, if you left the two of us alone like I asked you," the Queen bit out to her right hand, sending her a glare. Zalia nodded, bowing stiff and quickly before walking briskly out of the room.

"This is what they want, and you know it. They want another person to get riled up. They want you to storm out there so they can pick us off one by one," the Queen continued her speech, causing Yvonne to glare at her.

"They... murdered him, and you just... want me to let it go?" Yvonne asked in horror, her lip curling up into a nasty snarl. "He was one of us. How dare you tell me to let it go! Those filths are going to get what the deserve!"

The Queen was quick to raise her hand, slapping Yvonne's cheek. Yvonne yelped, bringing a hand up to cup her throbbing cheek.

"You do not go against my order. I am you're ruler. You will not seek out Quintavius' murderers. You will let this go. You will stay here, and you will help us strategize our plans. And you will listen to me. Do I make myself clear, Yvonne?" the Queen emphasized, looking down her nose at Yvonne as she spoke. The blonde nodded her head, gritting her teeth in anger.

"Crystal."