My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

Chapter 213: Decision Made

Helena froze.

Golden eyes.

Prince Ezra.

This just confirmed her suspicions. Ezra was a prince, explaining the eyes only seen with the progenitor. Something that a relic could induce. But was that also the reason for his ability to share power within his coven?

She didn't think so.

She had heard of the other princes. No one with a hint of ambition didn't know Prince Caspian and Prince Arthur. They were among the strongest princes but even they could not share their powers among their wives.

She knew that each relic granted its own unique ability but this didn't seem like one. She'd been at the well. That was the first time Ezra had activated that ability.

Which meant it was something else.

"You may leave." Helena sat back in her chair, waving the officer away.

He saluted and left her to her thoughts. She ruminated, before going back to the reports on her desk. Time waits for no man.

An indeterminable amount of time later, her work was interrupted when the door swung open abruptly.

Lilith, one of her most capable officers, entered with an urgency that immediately set her on alert.

"What's it?" Helena barked.

"Captain." Lilith began by saluting, her voice a curious mix of excitement and disbelief. "I've found something! It's about the phenomenon of sharing powers among coven mates that you asked me to research on."

Helena straightened, her eyes narrowing. "Report."

Lilith approached the desk, laying out a series of old, yellowed papers and digital scans of older texts. "I received these from my contacts outside the city and I was able to get something out of the records before the T-Max was shut down."

"And?" Helena asked, her impatience on display.

"Power sharing is more rooted in our history than we realized. There are records, sparse but clear, that document vampires wielding the abilities of their coven mates."

"Let me guess." Helena leaned back. "The progenitor was one of them?"

"Yes, captain."

Helena nodded. That was par for the course. Most obscure abilities could be traced back to the progenitor. She doubted there was or would ever be a vampire as powerful ever again.

"But captain, the power sharing is not actually an ability of its own." Lilith selected a few documents and placed them in front of Helena. "Power sharing is an evidence of soul bonds."

"Soul bonds?" Helena frowned, going through the documents. "Explain."

"The records suggest that these bonds are the strongest bonds that could exist between vampires. It means that the covens are now effectively, one soul divided among different bodies."

"Just like with the eight ring ability Avatar, killing one member of the soul bond doesn't kill the rest somehow." Lilith continued, her hands gesturing towards the documents.

"The soul bond allows a vampire to share in the strengths and even the burdens of their bonded mates, making them both extraordinarily powerful but also deeply interconnected."

Helena could see it all in the documents. Her eyes narrowed as she read the text that said that ordinary vampires could also join a soul bond. If this was true, it opened a world of possibilities.

Lilith could practically see the greed shining in her eyes.

Helena leaned forward, her voice low. "Does it say how these bonds are formed? Is there a ritual, a condition or anything that triggers their creation?"

"Unfortunately, there are no records of that. But based on what I found, the soul bonds were once common, and were even the foundational aspects of the earliest covens." Lilith explained. "The only clue I ever got was this."

She handed Helena a document.

Helena held it close, her eyes tracing the lines of ink. It mentioned an instance in which the progenitor gifted one of his descendants a soul bond.

She dropped the documents, her mind racing. After drinking from the well, another relic of the progenitor, Ezra had awakened the soul bond.

She leaned back in her chair. Ezra's situation was common during the progenitor's time but now, he was the only one with the ability. That meant if she wanted a chance at his power, she had to join his coven.

Helena stood, her decision made. "This is excellent work, Lilith. But I want you to stop. Destroy everything you've found about soul bonds. In fact, erase it from your memory. I want no traces of soul bonds in First City.

Understood?"

Lilith saluted sharply. "Understood, Captain."

"Good. Dismissed." She waved Lilith away. It was time for work of a different kind.

**********

Ezra enjoyed the feeling of the sun on his face as he walked through the rows of stalls, each one filled with fresh produce and local wares.

The air of the farmer's market was alive with the murmur of haggling voices and the scent of fresh herbs and ripe fruits.

To any passerby, Ezra appeared to be just another customer appreciating the simple joys of the local market. But his eyes were working, scanning for any signs of the black market that existed in plain sight.

"If I buy here does that guarantee a hundred percent farm to table?" Ezra chuckled as he heard a blonde woman questioning a vendor. That had to be code for something.

"Of course, ma'am. We sell here with integrity." The vendor answered.

Snorting, Ezra strolled to a seemingly ordinary tent that stood at the far end of the market. He slipped inside, away from the prying eyes of the bustling crowd.

He nodded, looking around. Low shelves filled with documents were arranged in the middle of the tent.

On the opposite side of the door, was a table and a chair. Seated upon the chair was a man, rugged and sharp-eyed.

His gaze took on a cautious and calculating sheen when he saw Ezra. He was one of those who could smell the scent of money from a mile away.

"Elliot, I presume?" Ezra's tone was neutral, his expression unreadable.

"That's me." The man replied, standing. "How may I help you, Mr..."

"M." Ezra introduced himself simply, reaching into his coat. "Mr. M."

He pulled out a thick, sealed envelope and slid it across the table. "I believe this will be of interest to you."