Aldaric quickly held up his hand as Ehren reached out and grabbed another vampire with his sheer speed and strength, signalling to the congregation of ferals not to intervene. The look on Aldaric's face was a frown as Ehren drank from his unfortunate victim like prey. Aldaric's disapproving cold stare remained as Ehren pushed the feral vampire away, allowing him to survive, yet was softened only by the feel of Katarina's soft arm slipped into his. 

He took her arm as Katarina spoke her peace. Aldaric glanced down at her for the moment a gentle and loving look that one might give a little sister, or an adored sweetheart. Yet the sight of her, the faint capitulation in her bend, the slightly hanging head and despondent purse of her lips called to him, and he realized that he needed to lead the way for her, right now. It was time to make his stand, to make his peace and let it be known for once and for all. His eyes flared in a beautiful green that no pureblood vampire could ever begin to emulate. He looked back at Ehren with such inner fire. Aldaric was not ready to back down in the least. 

"You're free to do as you wish, lord vampire, but keep in mind... more than half this room would kill to find out what you taste like. Respecting another vampire's freedom is the only way to justify your own. Savvy?" The turned vampire's tongue hissed like a snake. 

Aldaric jerked his head toward the vampire's corpse in the backround. "You've got it all wrong, 'friend.' I could let them go, the Society, but they certainly wouldn't let any of us go. They are cowards..." He said with a sneer. "...living under the boots of humankind, skulking and begging for their feed. Oh how far from grace they have fallen." Aldaric gestured inclusively, "We are gods. We cannot coexist alongside humans and expect to survive, so sayeth my predecessor. For what do you think humans will do once they grow numerous and feel they have had enough of tolerating our existence? Hm? Genocide, my near-sighted friend. And although you feel confident in your power now, what you don't realize is there are already enough human bodies walking this earth to bury every single one of us. They have the weaponry and the numbers. All they need is to realize it. All they need is for vampires to fight amongst themselves. Don't you see? There is no such thing as hiding for eternity! If the society prevails, then we are doomed. For one day, when there are only a handful of our most supplicant and pathetically broken brethren left, grovelling before mankind, they will decide to finish us off entirely, for they have no use for us bloodsuckers. No. We cannot allow that to come to pass. We must rise as champions and take back this world as is our birthright. Surely you must see it by now, as I do." Aldaric straightened, giving the aire of a great leader. "We are already fighting for our lives, pureblood, and so are you." His belief in his cause, his fervor, was evident in his aura of sincerity and strength. "Even if you have yet to suffer personal loss, as I have, we cannot let this 'Society' dwindle us into extinction. That is why they must be eliminated." With his ruby red hair and almost boyish face, Aldaric looked in that instant like a younger brother, a best friend from childhood to whom one would innocently confide their soul, and he was desperately explaining something of utter importance. 

"And there you have it." Aldaric once more ended the speech he must've given a thousand times. There was no elation or prideful satisfaction. After a moment, he spoke more quietly to Katarina in a mildly British voice, "Come now milady. We must adieu. I've more hunting to do, and I absolutely hate rave music."