61__A war on the way

A moment of silence passed in tension as Rogan's glare bore down on Viktor who looked back at him with sharply narrowed eyes and a tight mouth.
Kamilla noticed how Damon was carefully hovering over Viktor as though to grab him the moment he stood.
Vernon stepped forward, reaching for Rogan's arm.
"Rogan-"
Snatching his arm away, Rogan began stalking across the room, face tight with dark rage.
Viktor pushed out of his chair, fists clenching at his sides as Damon carefully attempted to restrain him.

"Don't touch me," was all Viktor had to mutter for Damon to immediately retreat.

Rogan bared his teeth as he reached Viktor.
"You think I'm a joke? Huh?! Do you think I’m *playing* with you, you sonofabitch?!"

Viktor's mouth curved in distaste. "You make yourself into fucking joke, Rogan!"

Rogan was trembling with rage as he looked into Viktor's eyes. "I... am going to destroy you. I swear."

The Elders looked shocked at how the Rogan they knew to be gentle and reserved was speaking to their King.
Vernon put his hands together in a plea. "Rogan, you must stop-"

"I'm going to *end* you, Viktor. I'm going to make you wish Darrius never had you," Rogan growled, his handsome face contorted by the hatred and darkness that consumed him.

Viktor's mouth curved. "I'd love to see you try. How about it? I'll give you the chance, Rogan. I never wanted this throne anyway, so I have nothing to lose. So let's see if you, an Elder older than me by a century... let's see if you can end me. Or if I'm just going to end up kicking your ass and putting you in your fucking place."

Viktor's words only added fuel to the fire and in the next second, Rogan grabbed him by the collar.

"You bastard!" Rogan growled much to the shock of the Elders.

"Rogan!" Vernon yelled as they rushed forward to separate the two as they very quickly started a slight brawl.
The Elders leaped out of the way however, when Viktor and Rogan fell onto the table and the thick wood split in two and crumbled to the floor.

"Oh, my God!" Kamilla gasped as Viktor and Rogan grappled on the sharp broken wood, unfazed by the cuts they were inflicting on themselves. She blinked in shock at the broken table. The thing was nearly a mile long and weighed nearly ten times the weight of the entire Legion and they'd managed to break it?!

Damon stepped over them and, wrapping both arms around Viktor's middle, pulled him up and off of Rogan.
Kamilla's jaw dropped when Viktor's hands remained clenched around Rogan's neck even as Damon pulled him away.

Viktor grinned evilly as he strangled the life out of Rogan who glared at him with dark eyes as the Elder's struggled to pull them apart.
Kamilla was shocked. How strong was Viktor that eleven Vampires couldn't pull Rogan out of his grip?

When Viktor finally let go, the Elder's fell back as a result of their tug-of-war, Rogan on top of them.

Pushing himself up, Rogan stared at Viktor with more hatred than Kamilla had ever seen in anyone's eyes! Even more than Malfoy had in his eyes whenever he lost to Harry Potter! His large chest rose and fell with harsh breaths as he pushed back his blonde hair.
"I'll be back, Viktor," he murmured darkly. “You better stay safe in your daddy’s little castle because I’m coming after you.”
Viktor jerked Damon's hand off his shoulder and grinned at Rogan. "I'm counting on it."

The Elders stood to block Rogan's exit as they'd witnessed how he’d openly threatened the King's life, but Rogan easily evaded them by walking to the tall windows and throwing them open.

Kamilla watched open-mouthed as Rogan stepped up onto the ledge and, spreading his arms, dove out.
She gasped and jerked Demetrius's arm in alarm.

"Don't worry,” murmured Demetrius. “He won't die. Unfortunately.”

The Elders gathered near Viktor, looking at him with apologetic eyes.

Viktor glared at them as he righted his clothes.
"Get out of my castle. All of you!"

Pushing past them, Viktor stalked out of the meeting hall, feeling far too charged and angered to look at those Elders’ faces. Kamilla watched him go, his shirt sleeves torn through from the broken wood and the cuts on his arms visible through the openings.
She gasped. He was bleeding an awful lot from those cuts.
Leaving Damon to talk to his fellow Elders, Kamilla ran after Viktor.

When she reached an empty parlor, she rolled her eyes realizing he'd teleported. Great. It was at moments like these that she wished she had all the perks of a full Vamp.
Glaring at her very human legs, Kamilla ran up the staircase that winded up into the castle until she came to Viktor's wing.
Reaching his chambers, Kamilla pushed the doors open and walked in, looking around the empty room.
She pursed her lips when she heard water running.
Oh. He was taking a bath.
Kamilla looked at the double doors leading to his fancy bathroom, her cheeks going red as she envisioned him in there. All naked.
She pursed her lips in thought and then quickly cut off the thought when it took a very wrong turn.
Well... she should probably leave.
With a nod, she turned for the door.

"Are you just going to stand out there or are you going to come in?" Viktor's voice suddenly reached her and Kamilla froze.

Slowly turning, she looked at his bathroom doors and sighed. Having a Vampire for a soul mate was hard. There was no doing anything in secret.
Squaring her shoulders, she walked to the doors and stood before them.

Kamilla bit her lip. Wasn't this possibly her endangering her own life?
Viktor had just finished a brawl with his nemesis and the extra rage could very likely end up spent on her.
Rogan *really* had pissed Viktor off. Well... it wasn’t healthy for him to just keep all of that anger inside him. Surely such a sour emotion would turn sweet little Viktor into a raging madman.
Kamilla sighed. Who was she kidding? She’d be lucky to ever have her current raging madman turn into a sweet Viktor. Charming was Charming. He wasn’t Viktor, so it didn’t count.
Kamilla stared at the doors as she decided her fate. Well, very likely that he’d go off at her.
She pursed her lips. If that happened, she'd just scream back at him until they both lost their voices. At least it would help him cool off.
Happy with her logic, Kamilla pushed the doors open.
And immediately froze.

In the deep tub at the center of the room, with eyes closed Viktor sat, his body soaked in the filled tub. He had his arms extended across both sides of the giant tub, his head leaned back so his throat was exposed to her.
Kamilla bit the inside of her cheek. She knew she'd asked herself this countless times, but Kamilla couldn't help wondering just once more. How? Just how was it possible for him to be this bloody gorgeous?!
"It's rude to stare," murmured Viktor.
Kamilla blinked and immediately turned her gaze to the ground, putting a hand over her eyes for good measure.
"Ah. Ha-ha! I'll come back later!"

"Get in here. This is nothing you haven’t seen before so don’t act shy."

Kamilla bit her lip, glaring at the palm of her hand. As annoying as he was gorgeous.
With a sigh, she stepped in and turned around to close the doors, before putting a hand back over her eyes to face Viktor.
"So... uhm," she began awkwardly. "I noticed you bleeding quite a bit back there." She frowned and sighed in confusion. "But, I mean, don't you Vamps feel pain at all? Rogan’s back was totally torn up and he just went leaping out of that window like a paraglider! And you...” she lowered her hand with a sigh, before quickly putting it back up. “Uh... yes, you! Those cuts on your arms should be treated!”

Viktor pushed his wet hair back as he calmly watched her behaving as strangely as she usually did.

Kamilla muttered in disapproval. “Look at these bloody clothes on the floor. Look at all the blood.” Lowering her hand, she crouched to lift his shirt by her fingertips and looked at him as she raised it. “Look at this!”

Viktor raised a brow. “What? Not covering your eyes anymore?”

Kamilla’s hand flew over her eyes. “Uh, yes! L-look at all this blood!”

With a dark eye roll, Viktor snatched the shirt away and threw it over his shoulder. “Are you yelling at me for bleeding, or something?” he demanded. “It’s not like I control how much I bleed.”

Kamilla lowered her hand and set both on her hips so she could properly narrow her eyes at him. “You could’ve controlled how rowdy you two got.” Viktor looked up at her calmly and Kamilla frowned. “Hold on. Why aren’t you raving mad? I came in here ready to battle.”
Viktor pulled up one knee and Kamilla’s eyes immediately went to his exposed thigh, muscular and glistening from the bath. “Sweet love of—” She put up a hand next to her eyes so she’d only see his face. “Kindly restrain yourself from revealing parts of your body that threaten my wellbeing,” she requested politely.

“So what you’re saying,” said Viktor, ignoring her request. “Is that you came in here thinking I’d be pissed?” Kamilla nodded. “And you still came in?” She nodded again. Viktor tilted his head at her. “I should have realized this sooner, but... you’re no longer afraid of me, are you? You were trembling in fear when you first came here. I could smell it.”

Kamilla scoffed loudly and flipped back her hair. “Of course not! I’m not scared of you. Hah! When you’re not angry... or irritated... or busy... or resting... or strangling Rogan... or breathing... yeah, when you’re not doing any of that, you’re so not scary.” She tilted her head and gave him a bright smile.

Viktor had to tighten his mouth to stop it from twitching at her bizarre nature. Kamilla suddenly crouched at his side, resting her chin on her hands and blinking her big eyes at him.
Viktor scowled and, putting two fingers on her forehead, pushed her head back. “Space,” he muttered.

The moment he withdrew his hand, Kamilla shuffled even closer and blinked again. “So... what happens now?” She sobered and looked at him seriously. “Rogan...”

Viktor’s mouth curved. “What else? We go to war and we don’t stop until one of us dies. Simple.”

The words stirred up more fear in Kamilla than she wanted to show, so she turned her eyes away from his, gently tracing her finger around the cut flesh of his arm as she analyzed the damage. “Simple,” Kamilla agreed with a heavy heart. Simple? They were insane. How could one of them dying be simple? One of them was fifty-fifty! Too great a chance for her to take with Viktor.

“Kamilla,” Viktor called. She looked up at him. “I smell your fear again. You’re realizing it now, aren’t you? The difference between us, Vampires, and humans?”

Kamilla pursed her lips. “Well, I mean... it’s kind of scary. When you’re facing Rogan... it’s the scariest I’ve seen you. Also, I’m not a big fan of you getting more wounds like this.”

He looked deeply at her. “I can get scarier. That’s what Rogan doesn’t realize. He’s underestimated me because I lived amongst humans and I’m younger than him. But... I am more powerful than him, I was born with it. It came with being the Vampire King’s son. So don’t worry, little one,” he told her. “I won’t die.”