"I told you before! The world above is no place for people like us, and yet you never listen," Luce Vasery's voice boomed through the shadowed halls of the silent manor.
He was a beastly man of seven feet. His expression was grave as he sat restlessly on a chair, the shadows of the eerie room resting well on the aged lines across his face. The room was covered in thick drapes that deliberately shielded the barest light from entering into the house. Across the room, Vince snickered carelessly at his older brother. The golden haired boy rested back comfortably in his own chair. Although all the corners of the room were dark, somehow Liza made that specific corner she stood in even darker. She watched in horror as disaster unfolded before her. She had promised not to say a word to her father- and she had not- but Luce Vasery always had a way of uncovering things. Especially when his children sought to hide them from him.
Anec had gone up the night before in disguise, but Anec wasn't a kid anymore. He could control himself. Couldn't he?
He'd snuck past the insistent ghoul that served as a chauffeur and walked all the way in the rain. When he got to the human world, his senses started to betray him. He could smell everyone at once, he could even almost taste them. On the streets of somewhere they call York, he bumped into someone with a strong, appealing scent. Yet, he turned away.
"Watch where you're going," the person said from the distance that Anec had purposely created between them.
He would've gladly ripped her to shreds right there if he wasn't on a job, and the longer he stood, the more he was tempted to rip them apart.
"Not here," Anec breathed, calmly the hunger that sizzled underneath.
The night was cold, and as people busily rushed by, him, none of them truly saw the monster they walked by. Anec's quartz colored eyes shone brightly in the dark like a feline creature, concealing every other part of his face under a hat and a black overcoat. Soon, he came to an alleyway that led to a factory at the other end of it. His hand subconsciously brushed over the object in his pocket.
"Over here mister" A middle aged man spoke in a thick foreign accent, gesturing with his hand for Anec to follow.
Anec was led through the back door of the factory in the dark, yet his vision was ten times sharper than any living thing. When they got inside, the lights were brighter and he was surrounded by a group of thugs. They called themselves the Outcast. Anec recognized the leader of the mafia leaning against the wall with legs crossed. A short and robust man of about fifty years who went by the name "the boss". He had a cigar at the corner of his mouth and stared at Anec in disgust. Anec, oblivious to the insulting demeanor of the gang leader, inhaled deeply. He was trying to find her scent.
Where was she?
"It seems that everyday, more of your kind keep showing up around these parts," Alessandro interrupted his thoughts with a laugh. "I hope you've kept your word… vampire." He stretched out his hand to collect the item.
Anec looked around. Their faces were bitter, and he knew some of them had a resentment for him. He did not care.
"I will give it to her."
Alessandro laughed again. "You really have no shame obsessing over my daughter, do you?"
Someone whispered something into the boss' ear. "Boss, you want us to handle this?" What they didn't know was that even if the tiniest drop of water fell ten miles away from here, Anec would hear it. Anec smiled at the naive thought of them "handling him". Alessandro made a disapproving gesture to the thug.
A wise thing to do.
" Mija," Alessandro's voice echoed through the building like a rumble in the earth.
Within seconds, his dark haired daughter moved out of the corner and into the light where she could be seen. It seemed that they had deliberately hidden her from the monster they knew Anec to be- and she looked very fine for someone they claimed was dying. In fact, her lovely bright eyes stared daggers at Anec. She walked slowly towards him, but Anec was mindful of the watchful stares that surrounded him. She smelled familiar. Somewhere around her nape, he glimpsed the bite he had given her. It would take her a couple more days to turn- if he hadn't come. She stretched out her hand in anticipation. The longer Anec made her wait, the more annoyed she became.
"The antidote!" Alessandro blurted, sick of whatever game Anec was trying to play.
The truth was that Anec hadn't brought a cure for Alessandro's daughter. Hell, he wasn't even sure if there was a cure for vampirism. What he was certain of, nonetheless, was something he knew the fat man would never consent to.Anec reached into his left pocket, the object he'd been so edgy about lay undisturbed. He brought it out for all of them to see. It was a shiny silver bullet, made specifically to kill vampires- or one of potential in this case. Of course, they didn't know that, so he would have to show them.
"Now, if you had told me we'd be playing Russian Roulette, I would've brought more guns!" Alessandro barked furiously as he raised his Glock to Anec's temple.
"I actually wouldn't mind that if we have the time" Anec knew his sarcasm didn't help the matter at hand, but where was the fun in all the gravity?
Three thugs started moving towards the vampire in an attempt to bludgeon him.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Anec warned with a smirk, still holding up the bullet as he brought out a handgun with his other hand. "Come any closer, and I'll be quicker than any of you to put a bullet in the girl's head." He threatened as he aimed at the girl.
"Is this why you came all the way here?" Alessandro asked bitterly. His men already had their guns up, but he knew that making any noise would be futile. His only concern right now was to keep his daughter safe away from the dreaded vampire.
"You know what this is? " Anec asked, gesturing to the silver bullet he held up. "One of the finest tools specifically made by hunters to kill vampires like me... and your daughter."
"She is not a vampire, she will never be a-"
"Then dare me to put this bullet in her leg and see if the infection doesn't spread into her veins"
"What do you want?" Alessandro asked in surrender. He should have given up long ago.
"I want, just as you do, to reverse what I have done to her. But in order to get the real cure, I need more time to find it."
"You have a week."
"A week is barely enough and the girl must remain with me meanwhile," Anec had said simply. He watched as Alessandro's forehead creased with anger. "It's the only way I can guarantee that she won't turn, and that hunters won't find her. She has to be with me in the underworld