Old Vampires Die Hard

by J A Campbell

  I suspected he still trained, but perhaps not with the vigor I did.

  Both were dressed in business suits in a British style. Rhiannon wore black and Octavius a dark blue.

  For the first time, I noticed that Hawk had dressed up slightly. He wore pressed jeans, polished shoes and a navy blazer.

  I, of course, was underdressed in my jeans, hiking boots, and white t-shirt. My leather jacket stood out.

  Also good.

  Rhiannon sniffed. Octavius let his eyes fall on me. His expression said he wasn’t impressed.

  Whatever.

  I kept my eyes on him while Hawk bowed slightly to Rhiannon. She returned the gesture with the barest nod, a concession on her part since she stood in our territory. It also meant she acknowledged this as ours. That was pretty major.

  Hawk broke the silence before it could cross the line into true insult. He was much better at this game than I was.

  “Can I offer you refreshment?”

  “Later,” Rhiannon said. “We have fed. Though I suspect this won’t take long, occasionally these tests take quite a bit of time, and I would like to get it over with.” Her disdain was clear. I ignored it.

  “As you wish,” Hawk replied.

  “You have a space prepared?” she asked.

  Hawk nodded.

  We would fight in the training area, unless the other vampire objected or pulled something.

  Octavius stepped forward then.

  “Ekatarine, you presume to take the position of American Enforcer? You, who are little better than an Outsider yourself?”

  I crossed my arms over my chest and smiled at his arrogance, but didn’t reply.

  Hawk answered for me when the silence stretched. “She does.” He could do that as Head of our House, though I wasn’t actually sure they knew of his standing. They probably thought Judas was.

  “Very well. Clearly you need to learn some manners if I am to be your master. You will kneel to me.”

  I could sense Hawk’s surprise through the bond our blood created. This wasn’t normal and he knew I would refuse.

  “No.” I sauntered past Octavius toward the door. “How about we get this over with?” I baited him.

  It worked.

  “Insolent…” Octavius growled and grabbed the back of my jacket.

  ‘Pick your ground’ was a good rule for a fight. I would have some advantages in this smaller space.

  Rhiannon said something sharp as he jerked me backward. I used his grip to quickly slide out of the jacket, leaving him holding it. His action was an aggressive act and would count as starting the fight. Even if it was unusual by the test’s standards, it would pass by vampire standards, and so the fight was on.

  I spun around and slammed my foot into his hip, feeling bones fracture as he went flying into the wall, barely missing Rhiannon.

  Hawk had already moved out of the way, and I didn’t have to look to know he was pleased.

  Octavius was quick, and the hip injury and damaged shoulder from denting the concrete wall wouldn’t slow him down much, but I had the advantage and he knew it.

  ‘Make it look easy,’ Judas had said…

  This didn’t have to be a fair fight, so I pressed my advantage, lunging forward and grabbing the ancient end table as I came at Octavius.

  Something glass shattered on the ground as I brought the table down on Octavius’s head. It splintered into kindling and I followed through with fingers sprouted into vicious claws, ripping at his chest. Blood splattered as he bellowed in pain. He was mad now. There was no way he would yield, which had been my only worry. If he yielded, it would be harder to kill him without repercussions.

  Octavius must have realized I was after his life, because I saw his eyes widen and then narrow.

  I didn’t give him a chance to recover from his error in judgement.

  I shoved him backward over the armchair, landing on his chest as he crashed to the ground. I didn’t have enough momentum to do any damage with my slight weight, but I had him and I could see it in his eyes that he knew it.

  He opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to actually yield despite my thoughts.

  I ripped out his throat so he couldn’t speak, hot blood splattering my arms, my face, and my white t-shirt. The color choice had been deliberate.

  He gurgled and I punched my hand into his chest, through his ribcage and grasped his heart in my clawed hand. I could just kill him now, but Judas had said to terrify them.

  I ripped the slowly beating organ out of his chest, held it up so Rhiannon could see, and squeezed. It, and the rest of Octavius, crumpled to dust.

  I would celebrate his death later. Right now, I simply stared at Rhiannon dispassionately, covered in sticky blood as I let my hand drop to my side.

  She blanched and took a step backward. I had succeeded in everything necessary.

  I didn’t look at Hawk, didn’t want to give away the plan.

  “Well, Ekatarine,” he said. “I guess you get the job.” He deliberately left out that he knew I also got Octavius’s job.

  Rhiannon cleared her throat and regained some of her composure. “Yes, uh, well done. You, uh, didn’t have to kill him.”

  “He insulted me.” I let my voice drip with every ounce of arrogance I could muster.

  “I…see.” She relaxed. This was a known reason: a reasonable one, a vampire one. I cringed internally, but maintained the facade. They also didn’t need to know we knew the things we did.

  “Well, you didn’t know this, I’m sure, but killing Octavius automatically promotes you to his position.”

  “Good.” I let the word drip from derision. “Clearly, he wasn’t worthy.”

  “Clearly,” Rhiannon agreed. “You will return to the Council of Lords with me to be introduced to your new role.”

  Hawk touched my back lightly. The reminder wasn’t necessary. I knew I couldn’t refuse. I wouldn’t stay, of course, but it would be interesting to go home for a time.

  “Of course. When do we leave?”

  Rhiannon grimaced. “Traveling home is more complicated than coming here, but we have arrangements for tomorrow evening. We chartered a private jet for the return home.”

  “I’m surprised you didn’t both ways.” The next evening, huh? They hadn’t expected this to take long at all. Inwardly, I smiled.

  She waved her hand as if it were not consequential. “First class was sufficient.”

  “Lady Rhiannon, may I show you to your rooms?” Hawk offered.

  She nodded graciously, and they left the sitting room I had just trashed.

  I went out the other door and into the washroom attached to the sitting room.

  “That table was priceless.”

  “Shouldn’t have left it out where I could break it, then,” I replied, still scrubbing at my hands.

  “They’re clean.” Hawk pulled me away from the sink and shut off the water. He handed me a towel.

  “The rest of you isn’t, but your hands are fine.”

  I sighed. “What exactly have I gotten myself into?”

  “An opportunity for our House. You are now officially the scariest vampire out there. Well done. That…” he trailed off, as if at a loss for words. “That was art. It was exactly what we needed.”

  I let myself smile finally. “Let’s not tell the kids the details, please.”

  Hawk laughed. “Fair enough. I texted Jin to let her know how it went and that you would be gone for a bit. I will make sure everything is okay here.”

  “I know you will, Hawk. Thank you. So, who does the Council think is Head of Veronis?”

  “Judas. You didn’t know that?”

  “Didn’t care, but I don’t want to blow that can of worms open on accident.”

  Hawk nodded. “You are his lieutenant and I lurk in the background not doing much.”

  “Right.”

  He grinned. “Go home. Pack. I will see you here tomorrow evening. Nice choice of shirts, by the way.”

  I ac
knowledged his praise and grabbed my jacket from the floor.

  “Got a spare? I would hate to get blood on Kevin’s car.”

  “Of course.”

  It wasn’t until I got home that I started to get a little nervous about the whole ordeal. I was almost certain I would face more fights once I got to England. I doubted anyone would let my ‘easy’ win over Octavius stand without challenge. Physical fights didn’t worry me too much, but political maneuvering wasn’t my forte. I supposed that was what Judas was for. Though I looked forward to seeing my brother, I hadn’t seen him in years and that made me a little nervous, too—which was stupid.

  I gave Jin and Kevin a call and told them I would be home as quickly as I could. They were both old enough to be on their own, so I wasn’t worried about that. It was just…well, I was responsible for them and I’d be half a world away. Or so it felt. Still, Hawk would protect them, if necessary.

  This would also be my first time on an airplane. I drove everywhere in the States, and I hadn’t been overseas since airplanes were invented. At least this would be a private jet. The trip home would probably be a bit more complicated.

  Speaking of complications: Do I need a passport or anything? I texted Hawk.

  He replied after a few minutes. Taken care of.

  Of course he had it under control.

  What to bring?

  Weapons?

  You are a weapon, Ekatarine. Relax. Judas will take care of you when you arrive. He’s meeting you. Don’t take anything you’ll miss if you have to leave it; take your phone, you now have an international plan; take your driver’s license; I’ll have a passport for you for your return trip. Just wear normal clothing. Dressing up would be so out of character for you.

  I laughed. Thanks. I sent back.

  Okay. Jin said to be myself. Be scary. I could do that.

  I found a duffle bag and threw a few things in it. I wasn’t sure how long I would be gone, but surely I could do laundry. Hell, I could go shopping if I didn’t want to do laundry, and I had the entire Veronis household account at my disposal. And my first trip on an airplane was a private chartered jet. Talk about being spoiled from the get-go.

  Everything would be okay.

  After a while, I did manage to calm down, though I still couldn’t believe I was actually taking a position with the Council of Lords. I’d always felt quite sorry for Judas’ having to handle that duty for us. I didn’t think he minded too much, but it did keep him from simply coming over here and leaving the old country behind. He wasn’t the only member of our House over there, simply the most powerful and most likely to have taken over, besides Hawk. I got the impression that most people outside of our House didn’t really know that much about the Mongolian vampire, and I was quite certain he liked it that way. I wondered what the vampires he dealt with on this side of the Atlantic thought of him. He dealt with a lot of Outsiders and small House enclaves here, but he had once assured me there was no threat to our control of the East Coast. If this went as we hoped, our House would be one of the more powerful vampire Houses overnight. I hated that we had to play the game, but if they were going to force us to do so, we would play our best.

  There was nothing else to do and the sun would be coming up soon, so I lay down to try to get some rest and get used to a night cycle again.

  The sun had barely set when I showed up at the club. I had timed it so that it might add some mystique to my reputation, being able to tolerate some sunlight, without it being obvious I had been wandering around for the last couple of hours on the Battery, people-watching.

  Rhiannon wasn’t up yet, or at last hadn’t made an appearance. Hawk was, however, and he handed me a small blue book.

  “Don’t lose this. If you can get away with it, do things the normal way. You’ll go through Customs on the way out, but it will be expedited, of course. What did you pack?”

  “Um, a brush. Some shirts, jeans?”

  He smiled and held out his hand for my duffel. I handed it over and Hawk headed downstairs with it. Since I wasn’t instructed to follow, I found a seat so that I wouldn’t be left standing there awkwardly holding my passport and wondering what to do. I shoved it into a pocket and settled in to wait.

  Not long after, Hawk returned, setting my bag next to us as he sat beside me.

  “There’s a car on the way to pick the two of you up. I’m sure Rhiannon is avoiding small talk.” He said the last very quietly. “Good luck. Give everyone my best when you get back to the house.”

  “Thanks.”

  He gave me a quick hug and when Rhiannon finally appeared, we were sitting quietly, both lost in our own thoughts.

  “Is the car here?”

  “Yes. I will have your bags transferred.” Hawk stood and took my bag before I could grab it. Apparently, he was playing the role of helpful servant, now. He led the way to the door and opened it for us.

  Rhiannon brushed past him and I gave him a quick smile.

  A car was right. It was a shiny black town car with tinted windows and a female driver wearing a suit and tie and white gloves.

  She bowed when she opened the door, and I climbed in when Rhiannon made it clear she wasn’t getting in first. Was I some sort of security for her now? Maybe. I smiled and settled into my seat.

  Rhiannon sat across from me, and the driver shut the door. No one spoke.

  The trip to the airport went quickly and we went through security and customs for the private jets without issue.

  Still nothing from Rhiannon. I wondered if she was going to remain silent the entire trip. I wouldn’t mind if she did, but it might be nice to get some information, too. Still, I wasn’t going to break the silence between us unless I thought of something really important to ask or say.

  I listened intently as the flight attendant gave us a quick rundown of the aircraft and watched with interest as he worked the seatbelt. Though dark out, I could see well enough out the window, and I watched as the plane taxied down the runway and took off.

  Once we reached cruising altitude, I lost interest in the windows. It was very dark and we were over water, so there wasn’t much to see. I would have to do this trip in the daylight sometime.

  The cabin attendant came through and offered refreshment. I accepted a tumbler of whiskey and Rhiannon took red wine.

  Once we were alone, she broke the long silence.

  “Do you understand your new role?” She smirked, as if to say ‘how could you?’

  I shrugged. “I believe I understand my role as North American Enforcer. But, as Octavius forced me to kill him and take his job, I suppose I will need some instructions.”

  Rhiannon actually laughed. It was musical and disarmingly cheerful. “Oh, you are going to be a nice change of pace.”

  I didn’t answer, not sure what the right answer was in this case.

  “Your role,” she continued, “will be to enforce the Council’s will upon those who deserve it. Much as you would have done as the North American Enforcer, but now your territory is broader, and includes the House vampires. You are the most powerful vampire now, but even you have to answer to the Council.”

  I laughed. “If you think they will be able to control me…” I shrugged.

  “I suspect you will find it easier than you think.” Rhiannon smiled with one corner of her mouth.

  “Maybe.” I would endeavor to make it as difficult as possible. What had I gotten myself into?

  “No posturing?”

  “Why? It’s not a habit I am in anyway, and what’s the point? You are one vampire. You saw me defeat Octavius, you will report the facts as it suits you. I don’t need to put on another show for just you.”

  She arched her eyebrows, but said nothing more.

  I settled back and sipped my whiskey, though I had no intention of napping to pass the time. I didn’t want her to have a chance to kill me in my sleep, if that were her thoughts.

  The hours passed and we didn’t speak. I worried a little about what was to
come, but there was only so much I could do. If it came down to it, I’d just fight everyone on the council until House Veronis was the only House left. That would be messy, though, so I hoped it didn’t come to that.

  Landing was basically a repeat of takeoff, only in reverse, and I had officially survived my first trip on an airplane.

  We landed with very little time to get anywhere before sunrise and Rhiannon hurried us through the customs area, using blatant mind control to skip the small line and get us through.

  On the other side, a very welcome sight indeed awaited me.

  “Judas!” I couldn’t help the enthusiasm, and his smile was broad as well.

  Rhiannon gave us an appraising look as I hugged my brother, but I ignored her.

  “Lady Rhiannon,” Judas made a practiced bow, just deep enough to not be insulting, but not so deep as to suggest subservience. “I took the liberty of making arrangements for you as well as myself and Ekatarine. The car will get us there before sunrise, but we don’t have much time.”

  She nodded acceptance and we hurried through the airport. Our bags would meet us at our hotel.

  I saw just enough on the way to the hotel to let it sink in that London had changed significantly since last I was here, before we were in the lobby of a very fancy hotel. I had stayed in my share of dives and nice hotels in America, but I had never bothered to stay in one as nice as this.

  “I will see you both shortly after sunset,” Rhiannon said, accepted her room key from Judas, and left.

  He gestured for me to follow him, and I finally took a moment to study my brother. His hair was a touch shorter, still platinum blond, but shoulder blade length now. Powerful shoulders from a human lifetime of swinging a sword filled out his suit jacket very nicely. He wasn’t that much taller than I was, but people either stared at him or got out of his way when he moved. That hadn’t changed at all.

  We had the elevator to ourselves, but taking my cue from him, I remained silent. He didn’t speak until he showed us into our suite.

  “I assumed you wouldn’t mind sharing with me, but I can get you your own if you prefer.” He still sounded fairly formal, and I could catch a hint of nervousness from him through the bond our shared blood created.