"We need to secure the breaches," one guards said while tending to his colleague's wounds. "They might come back."
Mrs. Hemsworth shook her head slowly, her attention fixed on the unconscious rogues lying scattered across the floor. "No," she said, her voice chillingly calm. "They won't be coming back. This wasn't a real assault."
Lilian turned toward her. "What do you mean?" she asked, wanting to confirm the older woman's opinion.
Mrs. Hemsworth knelt beside one of the unconscious vampires. "Feral vampires don't retreat. They fight until they are ash or victorious. These ones retreated after Lilian let go of her power. That means someone was watching and wanted to gather information about you."
The realization made Lilian's felt uneasy. "They came here just to see what I could do?" she whispered.
"Yes," Mrs. Hemsworth confirmed grimly. "Which means someone knows you're more than just a newborn. Worse, someone close enough the gather that knowledge may still be inside this estate. And now they know exactly how powerful you are too, not just a regular vampire."
Before Lilian could understand the whole terrifying thought, she heard the sound of vehicles' tires screeching to a halt outside, followed by the distinctive sound of vampires moving at full speed.
The front doors were thrown open with enough force to rattle the remaining hinges.
Dante, Adrian, and Lucien stormed in with their weapons drawn, but they stopped short at the scene before them.
The entrance hall was a wreck. Dead and unconscious rogues scattered across the entrance hall, and Lilian standing beside Mrs. Hemsworth, with blood on her hands.
For a long moment, no one spoke.
Then all three princes were surrounding Lilian in an instant.
Dante was the first to reach her. He took her face in his hands with worry visible on his face, his eyes searching her eyes frantically. "Are you hurt? Did they bite you? Where else are you injured?"
"I'm fine," Lilian said, though now that the adrenaline was fading, she could feel the claw marks on her shoulder burning. Few scratches along her arms and bruises forming on her ribs, that hadn't healed. "Just scratches."
"Just scratches," Dante repeated, his voice dropping to a dangerous growl as he pulled her shirt aside to inspect the wound, and his expression darkened further at the sight of the deep gouges at her shoulders. "These are not minor injuries. This should be treated immediately."
Adrian walked through the hall, his face showed the cold fury he had as he looked at the fallen. "The warehouse was empty. It was a decoy to lure us away so they could attack here."
"And these rogues weren't acting on instinct for her blood," Lucien added, crouching over one of the unconscious vampires. He grabbed the vampire's jaw roughly, forcing the eyes open. "These ones aren't as feral as they seemed. Someone's been feeding them and giving them orders."
Mrs. Hemsworth's earlier words echoed in Lilian's mind.
"Mrs. Hemsworth said it was a test," she said quietly. "To see what I could do."
All three princes turned toward her, then exchanged a look with Mrs. Hemsworth, who gave a confirming nod.
Dante turned back to Lilian. "Show me what you did to them."
Lilian hesitated, then reached inward for the power again, but suddenly her legs buckled.
Adrian caught her instantly and pulling her against his chest to keep her upright. "Whoa, easy. I think you're completely spent."
"I'm fine," Lilian protested weakly, though her head was spinning when she heard her own voice.
"You're not fine," Dante said sharply. He looked at the unconscious rogues and at the scorch marks on the marble where her power had manifested. "Whatever you did, Lilian, it surely drained you completely."
"She drew the shadows to slam those rogues at once," Mrs. Hemsworth reported.
Dante went perfectly still. "Isolde's manifestation," he whispered, his eyes showed a rare flash of alarm. "The records say it took her decades to use that power. Lilian's had it for two weeks."
"Is... that bad?" Lilian asked, leaning heavily on Adrian.
"It's very dangerous," Adrian said, exchanging a look with the others. "Your body isn't built to handle both vampire physiology and divine output at this level yet."
"Hey, but I swear I could control it," Lilian said, tried to meet their eyes.
"No, you don't," Lucien said, moving to her other side to help Adrian to support her. "You're shaking and you can barely stand now. That's not control, Lilian. That's a crash."
Now that he mentioned it, the deep exhaustion that went beyond normal tiredness finally won. Liliana slumped into them, her voice a mere whisper. "I need to sit down," she admitted.
Dante didn't hesitate. "We need to treat her injuries now."
They carried her up to the stairs, followed by Mrs. Hemsworth. The rest of the staff and security were already busy managing the aftermath. They hauled the dead rogues outside to be burned and moving the unconscious ones to the reinforced cells in the underground prison.
In the medical room, Lilian was placed on the table while Dante began a thorough examination, using his medical expertise to assess her injuries. Adrian monitored her vitals and Lucien paced the room like a caged animal, restless and silent.
"Three deep lacerations on her shoulder," Dante muttered. "Shallow cuts on her arms and torso. Her ribs are badly bruised, likely cracked. Abrasions on her hands and knees, and minor burns on her palms.
"Her heart rate is too high," Adrian added, his eyes fixed on the monitor. "Her body temperature is spiking too. She's running a low-grade fever."
"I think it's power burnout," Dante confirmed grimly. "Similar with the saints and paladins we saw centuries ago. She needs complete rest for at least three days."
"Three days?" Lilian protested weakly, but still trying to sit up. "But the rogues~"
"We will handle them," Dante said, holding both of her arms firmly. "You're benched until you recover."
He began cleaning the claw marks on her shoulder gently even though his face showing obvious frustration. "This was reckless, Lilian. You could have seriously hurt yourself."
"I didn't have a choice," Lilian insisted. "They were going to kill the staff. I couldn't just hide while that happened."
"I know," Dante said, his voice finally softening. "And I'm proud of you for protecting this place. But you have to understand that divine power drains you every time you use it. If you push too hard, you could damage your ability to channel that power forever."
"Is the damage that bad?" Lilian asked, swallowing. She didn't know the effect could be that bad.
"Not this time," Adrian assured her, reaching out to touch her hand. "But you're completely depleted. If you tried to use that power again right now, you would collapse."