"I can't believe it!" Keon shouted at the top of his lungs as he clawed at a nearby painting like a wild animal even going so far as to rip it right off the wall.
He shredded it to ribbons while muttering, "Can't believe it. I just cannot believe it. I just can't believe it!"
"What?" Saul asked as he stepped into the lair, and marveled at the damage.
Everything that belonged to Keon that even had the fraction of a possibility of being broken lay smashed on the floor.
Saul took a deep breath and asked again, "What's the matter?"
Keon rose from the painting he was currently destroying to look at Saul with narrowed angry eyes. It was all Saul could do from leaping back in fright.
"What's wrong?" Keon finally growled as he rubbed his hand over his face. "What's wrong? I will tell you what is wrong! After all the trouble, I go to planning an effective way to capture the last witch those worthless McAlester brothers bungle it! Now not only does she walk free, but also she has achieved more political power in the hidden world than ever before! If that is not bad enough she is persisting in her promoting tolerance theories and 'gatherings' and people have started to follow her views!"
He howled as he slammed his fist against the wall, and made a huge chunk of the stone crack and fall! Keon's breathing became heavy with anger as he straightened up. Saul chose this time to ask what had happened. He was then told that the McAlester brothers were dead in addition to the head of all the vampire clans in Pennsylvania and his clan. Most surprising of all, hatred was common in the hidden world especially between the races, and yet a handful of hiddens had been able to put aside their differences just to save Aradia. Saul did not know whether to be shocked, intimidated, or impressed. Keon, however, was neither. He was tired, angry, and frustrated that not only had the McAlester brothers failed in a plan that he himself had brilliantly devised but that that this scrawny little child was turning out to be a bigger bother then he thought! He hated being wrong, but now he was beginning to hate Aradia even more!
When he had been told to observe her, Keon had felt nothing but resentment. The changes she had done such as the club, and promoting tolerance had only helped to build the resentment.
He and Saul, who was his second in command of the clan, personally led the Night Shadow Vampire clan and had been faithful servants of the Sovereign since the day they helped him take the throne. In return for their loyalty, they had been rewarded riches, and more power than Keon had thought imaginable. However, in spite of the support he had given the Sovereign in the coup he was still considered a subject so when he was given an order he had to follow it. So when he was told personally by the Sovereign to move his entire clan from Transylvania to the United States, Keon had obeyed without any hesitation.
In the beginning, he had had no complaints. In fact, Keon had grown quite comfortable in Salem, and had fallen in love with the fact that since he was one of the Sovereign's followers he was virtually untouchable. He could cause all the damage, and chaos he wanted with no fear of punishment. He could even blatantly walk right up to another vampire, or a werewolf, fae, or shape-shifter, and brutally murder them in front of their friends, family, and still walk away just as confident as before. Why? Because he firmly believed that with the Sovereign's protection, he was invincible.
Aradia, however, had changed all that. She was now more feared than anyone else was in the hidden world even more than the Sovereign was. This meant that no longer could Keon do any damn thing he wanted. Now he was forced to keep a low profile as he observed Aradia, and this in itself really pissed him off.
"Oh you are going to regret not letting them kill you when they had the chance you stupid little witch." Keon muttered and clenching his fist. "You are going to regret it enormously! I swear to freaking God!"