Dianna and Alistair portal back to Novas, Kaden’s volcanic island stronghold, carrying bodies to feed the lower Ig’Morruthen beasts kept in the tunnels below. The island’s unusual silence signals Kaden’s anger because they are late. Tobias greets them coldly, confirms that the gathering has already begun, and orders lackeys to take the food downstairs while Dianna prepares for the meeting.

Dianna enters Kaden’s grand obsidian meeting hall as the feared “Bloodthirsty Queen,” hiding her unease behind a ruthless persona. Kaden presides over leaders and representatives from many Otherworld factions: witches, Baku, banshees, shades, werewolves, the mortal council, and a diminished vampire delegation. Kaden notices that the vampire king Ethan Vanderkai and his brother are absent, and the replacement’s explanation only provokes Kaden’s fury.

To punish the vampires’ perceived disloyalty, Kaden opens a lava pit in the center of the room and orders Dianna to throw the vampire representatives into it. Dianna kills the first three, but when the last vampire begs for mercy because he has a family, Dianna remembers Gabby and the mortal life she lost. Kaden silently warns Dianna not to show weakness, so Dianna drops the vampire into the lava while maintaining her mask of obedience.

After the execution, Kaden announces that he has word of the Book of Azrael. The room erupts because the book is tied to legends of the World Ender, the Son of Unir, the Blade of Oblivion, and the sealed realms beyond reach since the Gods War. Kaden dismisses the World Ender as weakened or cowardly, frames the book as a way to reclaim what was stolen from the Otherworld factions, and reveals that Elijah has provided intel on celestials and that Kaden has infiltrated their ranks. Under the implied threat of the lava pit, the factions agree to unite behind him, with the werewolves notably agreeing last.

Later, Dianna washes blood from her face and hands while reflecting on what Kaden made her: a powerful Ig’Morruthen who can read blood memories, wield fire, shift into beasts, and survive almost anything except the removal of her still-mortal heart. Kaden confronts Dianna over her hesitation and refuses her request to see Gabby. When Kaden threatens Dianna by pressing claws near her heart, Dianna lies that she hesitated only because killing family members creates future enemies. Kaden accepts the explanation enough to let Dianna live, reminds Dianna that she belongs to him, and answers Dianna’s plea to let her go with a final, absolute refusal.