Chapter 432: Chapter 432 In The Hive I

In response to Liam greeting them, the two men finally acknowledged him.

It was nothing dramatic.

Mikhail gave a short nod. Sergei followed a second later, slower, almost lazy. No words. No warmth. Just enough recognition to say they heard him.

Liam did not push it.

He had learned long ago that forcing respect never worked. People either gave it freely or learned to give it the hard way. For now, he simply looked past them and turned his attention back to Irina.

He waited.

Irina noticed immediately. She always did. Liam did not fidget, did not interrupt. He just stood there, relaxed, patient, like a man who knew the next piece of information would come whether he demanded it or not.

She nodded slightly and turned to the woman standing a little apart from the rest.

“Meet Mary,” Irina said. “She’s a witch.”

The word landed softly, but it still caught Liam’s attention.

A witch.

His brow lifted before he could stop it.

He took a step closer without thinking, his eyes scanning Mary from head to toe. Not in a rude way, more like curiosity taking over. He had seen vampires tear men apart. He had seen werewolves shift under moonlight. He had fought things that should not exist.

But a witch.

This was new.

Mary looked normal.

Too normal.

She was not old. She was not bent. No crooked posture. No glowing eyes. No staff, no strange symbols carved into her skin. She wore simple clothes, dark and practical. Her hair was pulled back loosely, her face plain but sharp, her eyes observant in a way that missed nothing.

She noticed his stare immediately.

Her lips curved slightly, not quite a smile.

“What?” she said dryly. “Why are you looking at me like that? You expect me to be ugly and carrying a stick?”

Liam blinked once, then let out a quiet chuckle.

He raised his hands gently, palms open, backing off half a step.

“No offense,” he said. “Just first time meeting a witch.”

Mary snorted softly. “Disappointing, I know.”

Irina ignored the exchange, already moving on.

“Leonid has woken up,” she said.

Liam’s attention snapped back to her instantly.

“And Mary will help us understand what the vampires are up to.”

That did it.

Liam frowned slightly, his thoughts catching up with her words. He glanced at Mary again, then back to Irina. There was confusion there, clear as day.

Mary saw it immediately.

She stepped forward a little, her voice calm, measured.

“All vampires are connected,” she said. “Every single one of them. They are tied to an ancient magic. A single entity.”

Liam turned fully toward her now.

“An old monster,” Mary added.

Liam looked at Irina, clearly expecting her to explain further, but Irina simply crossed her arms and waited.

Mary sighed softly.

“Let me put it in a way you can understand,” she said. “Imagine all vampires are water coming out of a rock. Endless water. Streams flowing in different directions. Some violent. Some quiet. But no matter where they flow, they all carry a faint essence of that rock.”

Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly as he processed it.

Then he nodded.

“So this old monster you are talking about,” he said slowly, “is the rock.”

Mary nodded once.

“Exactly. He is the first vampire. The most powerful being of his kind. The link between all of them.”

Liam felt a chill settle in his chest, though his face stayed calm.

“So Leonid,” he said, thinking out loud now, “because he just turned, he is still connected strongly.”

Mary’s lips curved again, this time with approval.

“Yes,” she said. “His defenses are weak. His mind is not fully his yet.”

Irina picked up where she left off.

“We can use him,” she said. “Through him, Mary can access their hive.”

Liam’s eyes widened slightly.

The idea clicked instantly.

“Then we will be able to see what they are doing,” he said. “Their movements. Their plans.”

Mary nodded.

“For a short time,” she said. “Yes.”

Liam let out a slow breath.

That was clever.

Insanely clever.

Using a newly turned vampire as a doorway into the entire network. Risky, but brilliant. He felt a spark of genuine respect.

But something bothered him.

It scratched at the back of his mind, refusing to stay quiet.

He looked at Mary again.

“This old monster,” he said. “The first vampire. He is not supposed to be alive.”

Irina’s eyes sharpened slightly.

Mary did not look surprised.

“A vampire that old,” Liam continued, “that powerful. If he were still awake, the vampires would have nothing to fear. They would not be hiding. They would not be cautious.”

Mary shook her head slowly.

“No,” she said. “He went into slumber over a thousand years ago.”

She looked past Liam, her gaze distant for a moment.

“He has not been seen since. No one knows where he sleeps. No one knows when he will wake.”

“Alright,” Irina said quietly. “Story time is over. Let’s go meet Leonid.”

She turned without waiting for agreement and started up the wide staircase that curved along the inner wall of the mansion.

Everyone followed.

Well, almost everyone.

Mikhail and Sergei stopped at the step entrance. They did not follow them upstairs. They remained where they were, arms crossed, watching silently as Irina led the others away. Neither of them said a word, but the message was clear. This part was not for them.

So only four went up.

Irina in front.

Mary just behind her.

Liam and Lana walking side by side.

The upper floor was quieter. The sounds of the mansion below faded into a distant hum. The hallway stretched long and dim, lit by soft wall lamps that cast warm light against dark wood panels.

Irina stopped at the first door on the left.

She did not hesitate.

She opened it.

The room inside was small and bare. Stone walls. No windows. The smell hit them immediately. Iron. Sweat. Old blood.

Leonid was bound to the wall.

Chains wrapped around his wrists, his ankles, his chest. Thick black metal etched with faint symbols. They were pulled so tight that his feet barely touched the ground. His head jerked violently the moment the door opened.

His mouth was covered.

A heavy restraint locked his jaw shut.

He struggled harder when he saw them, his body jerking against the chains with savage strength. The metal creaked, tightening further, digging into his skin.

Irina stepped inside calmly.

“The more you struggle,” she said evenly, “the tighter it gets. So I suggest you calm down.”

Leonid let out a muffled sound, a furious snarl trapped behind the cover. His eyes snapped toward Mary the moment he saw her.

Pure hatred burned in them.

It was not fear.

It was rage.

Mary felt it immediately. She stopped just inside the room, her expression shifting slightly, her body stiffening.

Then she turned to Liam.

“I need you,” she said.

Liam blinked, caught off guard.

“Me?”

Mary nodded, studying him closely now. Not his face. Not his body. Something deeper.

“I can feel it,” she said. “You have the most energy in this place.”

She stepped closer before he could reply and took his hand.

Her fingers wrapped around his palm. Then her other hand closed over it, trapping his hand between both of hers.

She inhaled sharply.

Her eyes widened just a little.

“So pure,” she murmured. “It’s divine.”

Liam frowned.

He gently pulled his attention back to the point.

“How is my energy going to help?” he asked, ignoring the comment completely.

Mary looked at him again, more serious now.

“I am about to use old magic,” she said. “A spell stronger than me. If I try to do it alone, it will tear me apart.”

Irina watched closely, silent.

“If I can channel your energy with mine,” Mary continued, “I might be able to access the hive. Through him.”

She glanced at Leonid.

Liam did not hesitate.

He nodded once and relaxed his body, letting his breathing slow.

“Do it,” he said.

Mary guided him forward until they stood directly in front of Leonid. She raised her hand and placed it against Leonid’s chest. With her other hand, she held Liam’s palm tightly.

“Close your eyes,” she said softly.

Liam did.

Mary closed hers as well.

Then she began to chant.

The words were not familiar. Not Latin. Not anything modern. The language rolled off her tongue like something ancient and forgotten, heavy with power.

“Vael thorin ashkara elum

Nereth kael morian sil

Ithra vae luneth

Sora naeth korae

Velis tharn umbra kai

Enoth varel, enoth varel

Ashael mor… ashael mor…”

The room grew colder.

A chill crept along the walls, across the floor, into their bones.

The air shifted.

Wind rose suddenly, violent and unseen, whipping through the room. Papers that were not there rustled. Chains rattled. Lana raised her arms instinctively, shielding her face.

Irina did the same, her eyes narrowed as she braced herself.

Then silence.

Complete and absolute.

The wind vanished like it had never existed.

Irina and Lana slowly lowered their hands.

They stepped closer.

And that was when they saw it.

Liam’s eyes were completely white.

So were Mary’s.

So were Leonid’s.

All three stood perfectly still, frozen like statues. Leonid no longer struggled. His body hung limp, unmoving. Mary continued chanting now, but quieter, her voice low and steady, like a whisper cutting through still water.

The air felt thic and charged.

Lana swallowed hard.

“Did it work?” she asked quietly.

Irina watched them closely, her senses stretched thin.

She nodded.

“It seems like it,” she said.

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