Chapter 61 Flared

• The air in the grand hall of Sandro's castle was thick with tension, a palpable energy that seemed to electrify the dimly lit space. Angela, the leader of the faceless vampires, paced the cold stone floor, her fury barely contained. The normally composed and calculating vampire was seething with rage, her every movement sharp and agitated. The losses her clan had suffered in the forest ambush were unacceptable, and she was determined to make Sandro understand that.
• At the far end of the hall, Sandro sat on his throne, his posture relaxed and almost languid, a stark contrast to the tempest brewing in Angela. His dark eyes, however, were anything but indifferent. They tracked Angela's every move, gleaming with a mix of curiosity and growing irritation. He had expected Angela to be displeased, but this display of open defiance was something new—and something he would not tolerate for long.
• Finally, Angela stopped her pacing and turned to face him, her eyes blazing with anger. "Sandro," she spat his name with a venom that could have felled a lesser creature, "we need to talk. Now."