Secret Bloodline

Dracula's Castle

"Please tell me this is a joke," Camila says.

"Camila, when have I ever told a joke?" Lauren raises an eyebrow.

"I can vouch for that. I've been with her for days. The woman has no sense of humor. She's being one hundred percent for real," Dinah says.

"Dracula. Dracula is real," Camila says.

"Unfortunately for all of us," Zayn frowns as he exchanges a glance with Lauren.

"We can talk about this later. In a less... Public location," Lauren says.

"Yeah, Dracula can wait. How's New York? What's happened since we've been gone?" Shawn asks.

"Things escalated quickly but thankfully we're still holding our own for now. Most of the Clan vampires were safely evacuated. They are taking refuge in other cities across America," Lauren says.

"My clan?" Zayn asks.

"Most are evacuated but some stayed to fight. Loyal to you," Lauren informs.

Zayn nods as he takes in a deep breath. "Got it," He says.

"What about the Shadow Den? You got them out, right?" Shawn asks worriedly.

"Shawn, lots of people in the Shadow Den stayed behind to fight, too. They're safe, don't worry, or at least don't worry too much," Dinah says.

"I wanted them evacuated," Shawn says angrily.

"And they wanted to fight for their home. You of all people should respect that," Lauren's tone matches his, her accent coating it.

"I do," Shawn stands down.

"And what about Niklaus? Have there been any other videos? Has he shown himself?" Camila asks.

"There has been another video since you left. He was executing vampires who were suspected of helping us," Lauren frowns then her face hardens, "Cruelly. And in most cases baselessly," She adds.

"That's horrible..." Camila whispers.

"I could barely watch. It's like he enjoys the torture," Dinah frowns.

"He does," Zayn's face hardens.

"The next time I see that bastard I'm taking his head," Shawn says.

The four of them head towards the exit, and Camila finds herself glancing around nervously, looking for anyone who might work for the Order of Dawn.

"So have you secured us a safehouse here?" Zayn asks.

"Please, Zayn. There's a reason I have an office in every major city," Lauren smiles.

They get into a cab which whisks them away into the city.

Soon, Lauren leads them all into her Prague office, where everybody takes a seat as Zayn recounts everything that happened in Paris.

As he mentions what happened to Normani, his eyes flare with anger.

"Zayn... I'm sorry," Lauren frowns. She walks over to her best friend and wraps an arm around his shoulders. "I know you two were close," Lauren says.

"It's not just that. It's how they took her away from me. How I failed her," Zayn clenches his fist.

"It wasn't your fault. The Order of Dawn is incredibly effective at what they do," Lauren says.

"That doesn't change the fact that they have her," Zayn says.

Lauren's face hardens and says, "I know. We'll do whatever is in our power to get her back. I swear it."