My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

Prince Arthur paced furiously atop a platform of radiant light suspended in the endless sky.

Winds howled around him, ruffling the long silver-white coat he wore, but he barely noticed.

His mind churned with dark thoughts, rage simmering behind his slowly rotating crimson eyes. The Daydream Court—his court—was meant to represent order, unity, and strength. At least on the surface.

And now?

Now the Nightmare Court had become one, under a single prince whose power Arthur could no longer predict, contain, or ignore.

Ezra Matten.

The name burned in his mind like a brand.

His relic, Aether, hummed faintly inside him, sensing his agitation, whispering in waves of light.

Arthur clenched his fists.

He'd spent a century, engaged in a battle of wits with the elders of the Vampire Society. He'd done what most would not dare to. He'd split the vampires and with other royalty, created the Monarchy.

But there was an even greater threat to all that he had built right within his Monarchy.

He looked up as a jagged rent tore open in the sky, and from the rift stepped Prince Romanus.

The vampire's long dark hair whipped in the wind as he stepped forward. He carried himself with the easy confidence of a man who could see everything there was to see, and yet today, Romanus wore an expression of troubled weariness.

Arthur stormed forward before Romanus could even stabilize his footing on the platform.

"You!" Arthur snapped, voice cutting through the wind. "How could you let this happen? One prince. One! And we heard nothing. No warning, no rumor, no nothing!"

Romanus didn't flinch. "I was not aware."

Arthur shoved him roughly in the chest, sending the prince staggering back a step. "You? Not aware? You, the seer? With that relic you have inside of you?"

Romanus straightened, brushing his chest with icy calm. "Akiko kickstarted this whole thing. You know that her Nihil is the counter to my Omnia. She hid it from me, Arthur. I am not omniscient."

Arthur snarled, his fangs flashing. "Then what use are you?"

The winds shifted, swirling unnaturally.

A new voice chimed in, smooth as silk and filled with mockery. "Boys, boys." The voice crooned. "Is now really the time for squabbling?"

A shimmer of golden light, and a female vampire appeared atop the platform, her beauty almost painful to look at. Her hair flowed like molten bronze, and she wore a smile that didn't reach her predatory eyes.

Arthur turned on her with a snarl. "Stay out of this, Priya."

Priya only laughed softly, lounging midair as if gravity didn't dare touch her.

"But really, Arthur," she said, twirling a strand of hair around her finger, "why all this panic? Shouldn't you be pleased? The Nightmare Court consolidating under a single ruler could make things easier for us in the long run."

Arthur's face twisted with disgust. "You think this is about politics? Ezra Matten is no ordinary prince."

Priya arched an eyebrow. "So I've heard."

Arthur's voice grew dark. "He has conceived a vampire child. He destroyed Caspian and Vance—both Eighth Ring vampires—without support. Without alliances. Alone."

Priya's smirk flickered on her face as she considered Arthur's words. "Wait a minute. Wasn't he Sixth Ring? How did he manage to kill two Eight Ring vampires?" She and Arthur turned to Romanus who shrugged.

"I don't know." The prince sighed wearily. "He has something of his own that also hides things from Omnia. But there's something I do know."

He looked up. "Ezra Matten is no longer a Sixth Ring vampire. He's Ninth Ring."

"What?!" Their gaze snapped upward to see the final member of the Daydream Court descend, her long black hair and silver eyes glowing faintly.

She wore an elegant white battle robe, and her presence carried the serene menace of a storm held barely in check.

She landed softly beside them and tilted her head. "He's Ninth Ring?" She asked, her voice carrying the same shock everyone on the platform was feeling.

"Yeah, Ola." Romanus exhaled and nodded grimly. "I don't know how, but Omnia was able to see it. He now holds the Ninth Ring ability, Authority."

The platform trembled slightly as the wind howled louder around them.

Arthur turned back to the gathering, his expression thunderous.

"We must kill him." He said simply.

Silence.

Even Priya's usual teasing vanished.

Arthur walked to the edge of the platform, staring into the distant horizon as if he could already see Blue Moor shimmering in the distance. His voice was low as he spoke.

"If we allow Ezra to stand," Arthur continued, "it means our death. Our annihilation. You think if any of you were Ninth Rank, you would allow everyone else to rule? You would tear them down and claim the whole Monarchy for yourselves. Am I wrong?"

No one said anything. They knew how right he was.

"Ezra Matten will not be content to rule just the Nightmare Court. He will claim the Monarchy itself."

"And what of the Society?" Priya asked. "If we weaken ourselves, the Society will march against us."

Arthur turned, his eyes burning. "If we don't act now, there won't be a Monarchy to defend."

Ola looked around at the members of the Court before speaking. "We only have two Eighth Ring vampires among us. You and me, Arthur. Romanus and Priya are Seventh Ring. How would we defeat a Ninth Ring vampire?"

Arthur's lip curled. "It doesn't matter. Ezra only recently reached the Ninth Ring. His power is new, raw. Together, we can tear him down before he masters it."

Romanus frowned. "And if we fail?"

Arthur's answer was immediate. "Then we were already doomed."

A long, heavy pause.

Then, Priya smiled coldly. "I suppose if we die, I'd rather die with a sword in hand than on my knees."

Romanus gave a soft, reluctant chuckle. "The odds are slim… but fortune favors the bold."

Ola nodded. "Fine. I'll stand with you."

Arthur's face split into a predatory grin.

"There's no time to waste." He said, lifting a hand.

The platform of light that they'd been standing on shuddered.

Then it moved.

With a roar, the structure of light streaked upward into the sky, tearing through the air as it curved towards the direction of Blue Moor.

Arthur stared forward, his hand clenching at his side.

This was their only chance.

Ezra Matten would fall.

Or they would die trying.