Greg stabbed the vampire in the side four times but the rage mixed with fury in those glowing blue eyes did not subside.
The vampire kept punching Greg’s face until the hunter’s nose cartilage shattered and he fell unconscious. With that, the vampire rose to his feet, swaying unsteadily.
Alexander let out a whistle.
The vampire’s head snapped in his direction. His straight raven hair was neatly trimmed. High cheekbones and handsome features portrayed him to be a man of nobility rather than that of the common folk. Even the way he carried himself—head held high and rod-straight posture—displayed his status.
The blue glow in the vampire’s eyes subsided when he seemed to recognise that Alexander was one of his own. For some reason, he did not rush to untie him. The vampire closed the door behind him, bolting it shut. He grabbed Greg by the shirt and dragged his body to a nearby chair where he tied him up with rope and pushed a filthy cloth into his slackened mouth.
“Could you untie me?” Alexander requested.
The vampire ignored him and disappeared from his view into what Alexander guessed was the kitchen. He reappeared with a brass basin full of water. He poured the contents onto the hunter’s head and tapped his foot impatiently as Greg coughed and spat out water.
“I will take that as a no,” Alexander grumbled.
CHAPTER 25
Greg’s eyes widened. “More vampire scum…”
“Do not test my patience. You will die much quicker if you answer my questions correctly,” the vampire said in a threatening tone that sent chills down Alexander’s spine.
Alexander closed his eyes, trying to measure the energy levels of that vampire. They were weak like that of a youngling. Yet, here he was, breaking into a hunter’s lair and snapping their necks like bread loafs. That was unthinkable. While Alexander attempted to free himself, he watched the stranger grasping the back of Greg’s chair and dragging him to the middle of the room with a screech of wood against wood.
“What are you planning to do?” Alexander asked.
“Do not bother me unless you wish to join him,” he replied and returned his attention to the hunter.
The vampire circled Greg like a shark, watching his every quiver, every shaking breath in silence. He stopped behind the hunter, rendering him unable to see what was going on, but Alexander could since the hunter was directly facing him. Both of them were in the same predicament of being tied to a chair and desperate to shake their restraints off, especially since neither of them knew what this man was capable of.
The vampire selected one of the daggers off the rack and grabbed Greg’s shaking hand. He pressed the hunter’s hand against the flat surface of the table and smiled. Cold blue eyes reflected his lack of emotion. It was as if no one was home.
“Was it your group who slayed Anna Ordayne?” the vampire demanded.
Greg spat at the vampire.
“Wrong answer.” He rammed the blade under Greg’s fingernail and lifted it off.
The hunter screamed and thrashed in his seat.
Alexander’s stomach jolted in disgust. He should not feel pity for the man who spent the night torturing him, but he did.
“Let us try the same question again,” the vampire said.
“Go to hell!” The hunter clenched his jaw in an attempt to hold in his pain as his second nail came off and more blood spilled onto the table.
The vampire’s cool demeanour faltered. “I shall ask you nicely one more time. If the answer is wrong, I will move on to your testicles.”
Greg’s face turned completely red. “You wouldn’t dare!”
“I have explained my terms. It is up to you whether you wish to acknowledge them. Speak the truth and die quickly. If you do not, you will part with your manhood as I feed you pieces of your friends.”
The hunter paled and glanced over his shoulder at his dead friends with anger and remorse. He faced the vampire with a look of solid determination. “Do. Your. Worst.”
At that moment, the vampire looked to the ceiling as if asking for divine help. When he lowered his head, he stabbed the blade between Greg’s legs, tearing through cloth and flesh.
A high pitched screech came from Greg whose body shook. Fat tears rolled down his stubbly cheeks. Blood drenched the dagger and dripped between the gaps in the chair.
The smell of blood drifted towards Alexander, and his stomach twisted into knots. His throat burned. He needed to feed and, even though the scene before him was enough to make a man faint, he did not care. All he saw was red. His eyes focused on the crimson drops as they wastefully fell onto the dirty floorboards. He licked his lips, eager to have a taste.
“Now that I am upholding my end of the bargain, I believe it is your turn.” The vampire lifted the blade and wiped the blood on the hunter’s trouser leg.
Greg glared at the vampire through tear-filled eyes. “Monster…”
“We have covered that. Moving on, shall we? Was your flock the one to slay Anna Ordayne?”
The hunter’s hands balled into fists. “I don’t know who that is. We were only eliminating vampires who came and went to and fro the Council.”
The vampire nodded, accepting his answer. “Would you happen to know of any hunters who were stationed here twelve years ago?”
Greg muttered something unintelligible.
“I cannot understand your ramblings. Speak up,” the vampire hissed.
Greg’s head shot up in a final stance of defiance. He stuck out his tongue and bit down hard on it.
The vampire tried to tear open the hunter’s mouth but was not fast enough. The limp pink muscle dropped to the floor. Blood coated the hunter’s teeth as he laughed and cried hysterically.
With one swift movement of the hand, the vampire slit the hunter’s throat, and he started choking on his own blood.
Alexander finally managed to free his right hand which was burned to the muscle tissue from the silver. He grabbed the material of his torn shirt and used it as a medium to lift the chains from his other hand and the rest of his body. Once the chains fell away, he used the table to support himself.
A moment later, the vampire fell, face first, and didn’t move an inch.
Alexander studied the destruction caused by such a young vampire, questioning what could have happened to him that drove him to such deeds. He hobbled to the choking hunter and bit into his neck, ignoring the subtle taste of sweat that entered his mouth along with the first few drops of blood.
Alexander let out a moan of pleasure as blood filled his stomach and sent electricity coursing through his aching body, urging it to mend itself. He drank his fill and towered over the motionless vampire. To test for life, he kicked the man’s foot and heard a faint groan.
Alexander chuckled. The crazy vampire was alive. He pulled the vampire’s arm over his shoulders, lifting the stranger off the floor with him. “What is your name?”
The vampire didn’t open his eyes when he said, “Lucious.”
“Well, Lucious, it would seem that I owe you one for the spectacular interruption,” Alexander replied and trudged to the door.
It took over an hour to get to The Round Pound. On the way, Alexander had to stop and feed on a woman who was rushing to her shift at the factory. After that, he was able to fleet through the city with a two-hundred pound vampire on his back before the sun managed to peek over the top of the buildings and more people noticed them.
He burst in through the back door and his men rushed forward.
“Sir, what happened to you?” one of the men asked.
“Get Tanya,” Alexander ordered.
Immobile, the man stared at Alexander with a gaping mouth.
“Now!” Alexander growled.
The man slammed his jaw shut. He sent the others to prepare some towels and anaesthetic before he ran out of the room in search of Tanya.
Alexander carried Lucious to the expensive sofa he had imported from France. He debated if his saviour’s life was more import
ant than his furniture. In the end, he laid Lucious on the sofa and peeled back his bloodstained coat.
Lucious’ left shoulder was shredded from the silver bullet fragments that lodged themselves into his flesh. Alexander noted something sharp sticking out of the man’s side and realised that it was the blade of the dagger.
Alexander looked at the man’s face in astonishment. Lucious was able to move around as if nothing happened for a good twenty minutes before his body gave up the fight.
Does he have nothing to live for?
Tanya burst into the room. “I’m here, Alexander. What is it?” She took note of the situation, dismissed everyone, and locked the doors to the room. “Is he the competition across the city you had a death match with?”
“This is no time for jokes. Find me something I can use to extract that blade and bullet fragments, and bring me some fresh blood. One of the girls from upstairs should do.”
In her absence, Alexander took Lucious’ coat and shirt off. He pulled up a chair and waited for her return.
She rushed back and handed him a pair of large tweezers. “That is all I could find, and one of the girls should be down in a few minutes after she gets dressed.”
Alexander nodded and motioned for her to come closer. “Hold him down while I do this. He has monstrous strength for a youngling.”
“Where did you find him? And why is it you were running through the morning streets of London looking like that?” She eyed him with concern.
Alexander extracted the first bullet fragment. “It is a long story, but you mustn’t worry about me. This man saved my life today, and it is a debt I will repay.”
She did not press for more information and watched the rest of the proceedings in silence.
One of the girls arrived, and Alexander gave her a quick apology for waking her. He walked her to the vampire on the sofa. “Please bear with it, Mila. Just some of your blood will do, and I shall repay you handsomely with new dresses of the current season. Are we in agreement?”
The young girl beamed at him and offered her wrist. “I want three dresses.”
“And three you will have,” Alexander assured her and kissed the soft skin on her wrist.
The girl giggled and sat on his lap. Alexander took this chance to use his energy to wrap around her as he bit into her wrist. She moaned her pleasure, submitting to his ardour.
“Open his mouth, Tanya,” Alexander instructed once the blood broke through the girl’s skin.
Tanya did as she was told, and Alexander lowered Mila’s wrist enough so that her blood dripped into the vampire’s mouth. Luckily, he did not stir or move a muscle.
Tanya let Lucious go once the feeding was done and led Mila back to her room.
Alexander rubbed his tired eyes. What a night he had had! He could not believe his misfortune and luck. Tiredness fell over him, and he reclined in his chair. Although he had fed, he spent a lot of his energy on healing and his body was at its limit. Without sleep, he would collapse. So, Alexander closed his eyes and let sleep consume him.
CHAPTER 26
Alexander woke up to find his guest already gone. He eyed the bloodied sofa and sighed. The least that man could do was leave some money for the cleaning, which he did not.
Irate, Alexander headed to his office where he picked up the phone and dialled the Council’s number. He explained to them the situation about the hunters’ attack and was told to wait until someone arrived at his place.
He sat behind his mahogany desk. More paperwork had piled up during the time of his absence. He started off by reading the letters neatly stacked next to his favourite golden fountain pen.
Evening arrived, and Alexander finished with the last of his paperwork. He stretched in his seat and studied the door. No one had come from the Council.
Is this matter so trivial to Eliza that she does not wish to pursue it with an investigation?
The door opened, and Tanya ushered Master Vincent in with her head bowed. “Please take a seat.” She motioned to the overstuffed maroon armchair across from Alexander.
Vincent inclined his head and took the offered seat. He folded his hands over his stomach, entwining his fingers, and smiled at Alexander. “It is good to see you have escaped the hunters unscathed.”
Alexander snorted. “If you are referring to a day full of torture, then yes, I have been very fortunate.”
“I was told they captured you on the street. Could you elaborate?”
Alexander glanced at Tanya, and she excused herself, closing the door behind her.
“It was as I have reported to the hound on the phone. They sent me a letter, stating that Eliza wished to see me. I guess they found out her name through some poor sod’s confession. A hunter dressed like a beggar distracted me and stabbed me with a syringe full of liquid silver. I asked Tanya to look into the manufacturer since it was not standard to this continent. After that, you know the rest. I was tortured and saved by a vampire named Lucious.”
“Ah.” Vincent nodded. “His name has been appearing quite often in recent reports.”
“Who is he and why is he after the hunters?”
“His sire died a decade or so ago. Ever since, he has been cleaning the streets for us,” Vincent replied casually.
Alexander leaned forward and rested his elbows on the table. “Does he work for the Council? Is he a hound?”
Vincent chuckled. “Not at all. He is a man driven by rage. As long as he takes care of the hunters, Eliza has no complaints. I heard she even slips some tips his way in secret just to see her how he copes with the challenge.”
“Do you find this amusing, torturing a man who is in so much pain?”
“I do not take pleasure in such deeds, but my sire does. If she is content, I must be as well. Eliza is not like most sires. She does not care or love any one vampire. It is her ultimate wish to keep all of our kind protected, which is why she has been gathering the strongest of our kind under her rule.”
“And do you agree with this?” Alexander asked.
Vincent observed him with emotionless eyes. “I am not here to question my sire, Alexander. Let us move on to other matters. Did you see the mark on the hunters? What clan did they belong to?”
Alexander shook his head. “I did not bother to check their bodies once I got out of my restraints. Why? Is there a particular group disturbing the peace?”
“It is not something you should worry about. Please be more mindful of the mail you receive in the future.” Vincent stood. “I will inform you of how the investigation goes.”
“I would be grateful.”
“You speak good English now, I’m pleased. Adjusting can be hard for some of us.”
“Indeed,” Alexander said.
“Until next time.” Vincent fleeted out of the office with a loud bang of the door, leaving Alexander to ponder the new information.
He was curious to find out who Lucious was and what happened to him. So, he picked up his pen, dipped it in an inkwell, and started writing a letter to Phil who was the only informant with a good enough reputation that Alexander could respect.
London. January 13, 1895.
Three years had passed, and Alexander could not find Lucious. He grew tired of using Phil’s services because the price was too high.
Alexander became his own information broker, forging alliances with his old business partners and building bridges with the new ones. He had little time to do the legwork. To fill that gap, he hired some vampires in the city. This forced him to stay in his office most of the time.
London bustled with life and oblivious humans. Under the dark clouds that warned of the coming storm, the silent war between the supernatural and the hunters continued. Vampires were picked off the streets, one at a time, and the hunters were found dead in different places with signs of torture left behind. Even the local packs of werewolves were on the edge.
Alexander picked up his glass of scotch and moved to stand by the window. He studied the grey city beyo
nd. Colour was something London lacked. Humans did their best to dress flamboyantly to distil the lack of joy in their daily lives.
Lightning danced across the sky, illuminating Alexander’s blank expression as he turned towards his unannounced visitor.
“It has been a long time,” Alexander said.
Lucious sat in the seat opposite Alexander’s desk. “It has.”
“Will you stay for a drink or am I to expect you’ll be vanishing again?” Alexander walked to a tall cupboard that was propped up against the wall. He opened the two doors and retrieved a bottle of his finest whiskey.
Lucious didn’t say anything. Not a single emotion slipped past his perfected blank mask.
Alexander selected a glass from the cupboard for his guest to use and closed the doors. He poured a drink for his guest and brought it to Lucious.
“It’s not poisoned,” Alexander joked.
Lucious took the drink and swirled the amber liquid. “I’ve heard you are a good informant from an acquaintance of mine.”
“Your acquaintance must be under the smallest rock in London because no one knew of your whereabouts.” Alexander sat on his desk and sipped his drink.
“I do not flaunt my wealth around or waste time at pointless gatherings.” Lucious downed his drink in one mouthful. He put the glass on the table and wiped his lips with the back of his hand. “What I wish to know is if you are capable enough to do the jobs your predecessors failed at?”
Alexander set his drink aside and assessed Lucious. His clothes were newer than the last time he had seen him yet worn. The full ensemble was black except for the grey shirt he wore beneath his opened coat. His shoes were muddy, most likely from walking through unpaved parts of London. This man was different to Alexander. He was not confined to his office or paperwork. He was free from society and bound by his own torment.
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