The church doors didn't just open. They exploded inward. Wood and stained glass rained across the pews as Viktor's vampires poured in like smoke.
Adara was already moving, flinging handfuls of salt and iron across the threshold. The first two vampires that crossed it screamed as their skin blistered. "It won't hold them long!" she yelled.
Arian pulled the ritual dagger from the altar. It was heavier than it looked, black metal with a bone handle. It felt cold, then warm, like it recognized him.
Viktor stepped through the ruin of the doors last, untouched by salt or iron. "Arian," he said, almost gently. "You're tired of running. I can see it. Give me the dagger. Help me build something better than this world."
Lena stood at Arian's back, the artifact glowing faintly in her hands. "And if he says no?"
"Then the city burns tonight," Viktor said. "Starting with this church."
Arian looked at Lena, then Adara, then the terrified faces of humans hiding in the city outside. He stepped forward. "I choose the city."