The Ultimatum

Viktor stepped forward, placing himself firmly between Kian and Isolde, his voice a fierce warning. "He's far more than you understand, Isolde. And I won't let you lay a single finger on him."

Isolde's laughter echoed through the court, sharp and taunting, the sound cutting through Kian like a blade. "Oh, Viktor," she purred, circling them slowly with a gaze as predatory as it was amused. "Still the defiant one, even after all these centuries. Have you forgotten the lesson that fate dealt you when you last dared to care for a mortal?"

The air around them thickened, Viktor's expression hardening as he kept his gaze locked on her. "Don't," he said, his voice a dark, barely contained fury.

But Isolde ignored his warning, her smile gleaming as she leaned closer, eyes never leaving Viktor's face. "Oh, Viktor… I can still see it in your eyes, the remnants of that pain. Do you remember, truly remember, how it felt? The way you mourn your mortal, helpless as he was killed before you could even whisper goodbye?" Her tone softened, almost caressing the words as if savoring the agony they summoned. "To love a human is to embrace their doom, Viktor. Mortals are as fleeting as morning dew, vanishing with the dawn. All you're doing is reliving a tragedy you can't change."

A flicker of anguish crossed Viktor's face, and Kian's heart clenched as he caught the tortured memory in his eyes. This wasn't just a warning; it was a calculated, deliberate cruelty, digging into Viktor's oldest wounds and using them as weapons. Kian couldn't stand by and let Isolde manipulate Viktor like this, not while he was standing right beside him.

"Stop," Kian said, his voice cutting through the tension as he stepped forward. His pulse hammered, but he refused to retreat. "You don't control what we are to each other. Whatever Viktor and I have, it's ours. You have no power over that."

Isolde's gaze whipped to him, her amusement gone, replaced by something much colder. "Excuse me?" The sharpness of her tone sliced the air, and Kian felt the full force of her wrath, a predatory intensity that threatened to consume him.

But he held his ground, standing tall even as fear clawed at him. "This bond, our bond, isn't something you can just command away. It's beyond you, beyond any of your rules or control. No matter what you think, no matter how powerful you claim to be, you don't get to decide what we mean to each other."

The silence that followed was deafening, broken only by the faintest murmurs rippling through the assembled vampires, their eyes fixed on the scene with undisguised shock. Viktor's hand, still wrapped around Kian's arm, loosened as he stared at him in a mixture of surprise, pride, and something almost fierce. For a moment, he looked at Kian as though seeing him anew, a small glint of admiration in his gaze.

Isolde's smile tightened, her expression darkening as her gaze sharpened with contempt. "You are bold, mortal," she sneered, her voice laced with venom. "Bold, but utterly ignorant. I hold far more power over you than you understand." She turned her gaze back to Viktor, her tone shifting to one of cruel command. "But tell me, Viktor, are you truly willing to throw away centuries of loyalty, of everything you've built, all for this… attachment?" Her eyes gleamed with malice as she let the word linger, tainted with derision. "Or will you do what you should have done from the beginning and sever this bond now, before it's too late?"

The air was thick with tension, every gaze in the room locked onto Viktor as he stood caught between forces far older and darker than Kian could comprehend. Kian could feel Viktor's turmoil, a tempest of old loyalties, fear, and the undeniable pull of what they had together. But he wasn't about to let Viktor make this choice out of fear, not when they both knew what they'd risked to get here.

"Viktor," Kian said softly, stepping closer, his voice a steady anchor. "Don't do this because you think you're protecting me. We can face whatever comes together. I'm here for you, as much as you're here for me."

Viktor's face softened, the agony flickering in his eyes as he looked down at Kian. "Kian, you don't understand," he murmured, his voice heavy with regret. "If I don't sever the bond, you'll become a target for everyone who wishes to hurt me, a pawn in their games. This world, it's not something you can just survive."

Kian's gaze didn't falter, his voice filled with a quiet, unwavering strength. "Then I'll fight, Viktor. Whatever it takes, I'll face it. I'm not afraid."

Isolde's laughter cut through the silence once more, harsh and mocking. "You think love will save you, human? You believe this bond of yours is some shield against the darkness? How quaint. How utterly naive." Her eyes glinted with cruel delight as she stepped closer to Kian, her presence suffocating, a dark shadow that seemed to swallow the very air. "Tell me, human… when death comes for you, will you beg Viktor to turn you? To make you one of us, so you can cling to this pathetic thing you call love?"

A chill gripped Kian's heart, the thought clawing at him with a ferocity he hadn't fully considered. The idea of an eternity bound to darkness, dependent on blood and shadow, it was terrifying, even as he stood in the heart of it. But even with fear gnawing at him, he knew his own resolve.

"I won't let you force that choice on me," Kian said, his voice clear and resolute. "Whatever happens between us, it will be on our terms, not yours. This is my life. You don't get to decide it."

For the first time, a flash of irritation broke through Isolde's poised facade, her gaze sharpening to something cold and dangerous as she turned her attention fully to Viktor. Her voice dropped, each word enunciated with a deadly precision. "I'll give you one chance, Viktor. Sever the bond now, walk away, and I'll spare his life. But if you refuse…" Her tone grew even icier, promising pain. "Then know you are condemning him to a fate worse than death."