by Sophia North
Time for the big monk’s exit. Things were about to get messy and he didn't wish to offend Godfrey's delicate sensibilities.
Vlad picked up the book of gestures from his bed to hand back. "My apologies, it won't happen again. And I appreciate your discretion in how you have dealt with my oversight. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Godfrey shook his head and turned to go.
"You've taken up reading books? Fuck, I must have missed the pigs flying," Darius remarked sarcastically. "Please, let me see the title of this miraculous volume."
Shit. Now they were in trouble. Surprisingly Godfrey didn't appear at all frazzled, as he held out the book for Darius. In fact, he opened it up like he wanted Darius to read a particular passage.
Darius hesitated slightly. This was the most interaction he'd had with the vampyre no one ever talked to and it was freaking him out a little bit. Godfrey was often mocked behind his back but few ever dared to be openly disrespectful. He was, by all accounts, over two hundred years older than most other vampyres.
Vlad, on the other hand, was pissed. What the fuck was Godfrey playing at? He was totally blowing the cover story and threatened to reveal their secret way of communicating.
What are you doing? he gestured discreetly to Godfrey.
Godfrey replied with: "Trust me." He again offered the book to Darius.
"Looks like Elder Locksley has something to teach you," Vlad drawled, while secretly hoping the vamp hadn't lost his mind. "Perhaps, you should read it aloud." Fuck it, he was curious to know what Godfrey was up to.
"The Rules of Courtship. Section three, subjection three point three. No vampyre shall propose to Court a human woman for the period of one year should she have been involved with another vampyre longer. The year will begin the night said human declares herself free from any prior claims of ownership."
He could have fucking kissed Godfrey, that is, if he was into that sort of thing. Vlad had no fucking clue how the monk had transformed the book into the Rules of Courtship, nor how he had the skinny about his predicament regarding Penny and Darius. But he'd get into that at a later date with Godfrey. Right now, he was extremely grateful for Baby-Face's assistance. There was hope for him yet.
“You stole a book about the laws of courtship? Fuck mate, you've really lost the plot. I give up, Penny is yours. Once she declares it herself, mind you," Darius quipped provocatively. "And a year is really not long to wait and press my suitability properly. Doesn't say we cannot be friends with benefits. How I love the quirks of modern language."
Vlad's anger started to build again. Why was Darius being such a cunt about this?
"Stealing? No mate, I borrowed it. Get the facts straight. I know I will when the time comes," Vlad growled meaningfully.
"Quite the researcher now, are we?"
Godfrey made his lip fluttering noise to interrupt them. Both vamps turned in his direction, it was hard to ignore him with such theatrics going on.
The monkish vamp was not having any more of their bullshit. Standing at full height with his chest puffed out, his strange pale violet eyes glowed in discontent. In his hands he held the small slate he used to write messages on. There was only one word scrawled across it: Cease.
The big fucker looked pretty terrifying so both of them complied.
Godfrey grunted his displeasure at Vlad. He then grabbed the book from Darius's hand and marched him towards the door. Giving Darius a hard shove into the hall, he paused to look back at Vlad.
Come to me tomorrow by midnight, or don't come again, he signed secretly before leaving.
Roger that 007, Vlad silently replied, before giving Godfrey the traditional thumbs up. The Bond reference had been completely lost on him.
Flopping down in his chair, Vlad sighed. He was back to square one. Pissed and needing an outlet. The corner of the iron box peeked from underneath his bed. Well, what else was he going to do? It was all he had to work with.
Placing it on the bed, Vlad ran his fingertips over the intricate sigils decorating the box. He had never seen such designs in his life and had no idea what they represented. But if it had anything to do with Haan, it was most likely some pretty unpleasant shit.
Lifting the padlock to inspect it, he found there wasn't a scuff mark to be seen after his tender ministrations to open it earlier. Strange, it was like the lock had simply opened by its own accord.
Flipping open the lid, Vlad half expected bats or some other winged-thing to miraculously fly out. Fuck, Godfrey was starting wear off on him, he mused, after nothing magical happened.
The box was stuffed full with leather-bound journals, each neatly labelled in chronological order. Vlad wasn't sure if reading the contents of the box was part of Wilhalf's plan. But seeing as the cunning old fucker hadn't left further instructions on what to do with the papers once they'd been found, Vlad reckoned it was fair play.
Grabbing the bottle of whisky, he settled on his bed, took a long swig and started reading the first journal without using his vamp speed. He'd have finished the lot within minutes that way and he needed to kill some time so that he didn't do something foolish and go out looking for some heads to knock together.
Might not look good for an Elder to reign holy terror down on the new recruits. However satisfying it may be.
Volume one was a pretty tame affair. Haan had meticulously noted down various roots and flowers he believed to contain magical properties. Nothing too psychotic. But by volume thirteen, the wheels had completely come off.
These later volumes were barely legible, and at times, completely incoherent. He'd come to fancy himself something of a God and he seemed to be recording supposed conversations he was having with beings he called the Ancients.
Vlad thought back to Haan's earlier writings about the properties of plants etc and wondered if Haan’s experiments had resulted in the creation of some seriously strong psychedelics. But there was one volume in particular that had given Vlad chills. Those fucking instincts of his were kicking in again. The strange thing was the journal had been devoted to his search for Dragons. Ergo, Vlad's supposition that Haan must have been puffing on some good shit back then.
Who the fuck believed Dragons were real? Not Vlad. So, why it bothered him so much was beyond Vlad’s ken. Maybe it had to do with Haan's rantings about how the Vikings were responsible for driving the dragons away?
He didn't like to dwell on the Norseman, considering one of them was responsible for making him the bastard child of the village whore. Vlad's upbringing was a sore spot. Being known as Vlad the Bastard for the first thirty years of one's life had a tendency to leave scars. For the most part, his life had been pretty miserable until one day a strange traveller came to his small Northern village.
His name was Simpson, and he was there as an emissary from Lowerton. Sent to educate Vlad about who he really was and how, if he chose to, he could ascend and become a vampyre.
The end of the story is self-evident, but it should be noted Vlad had not been the ideal student for Simpson. He’d driven that poor vamp mad with all his questions and bouts of denial. After numerous visits, Vlad finally agreed to go with Simpson to London to begin his ascension training and had never looked back.
The scars, however, remained and were responsible for his vow to father no children of his own. As a vampyre, he would have had to abandon them and the pain he'd experienced as a bastard was something he would have never inflicted on another.
Closing Haan's final journal, Vlad leaned his head back to rest on the oak headboard of his bed. Exhausted by reading the entire contents of the box, and feeling the effects of the two bottles of whisky he'd consumed along the way, Vlad let the ramifications of what he'd read swim around in his head.
Wilhalf was correct to stress the importance of securing Haan's papers. They were a veritable cornucopia of fucked up shit. From black magic to blood magic, the demented vamp had experimented with the lot. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what Haan wanted with them in o
rder to return to physical form, but if there was a way, it would be in there...of that he was certain.
The problem now was he didn't know what to do with the fucking journals. He considered taking them to Alessio, but after a bit of strategic plotting, ruled the plan out.
If only there was a way to get in touch with Wilhalf. Sadly Lowerton lacked their own version of the bat-signal.
Dragging his ass off the bed, Vlad needed to spend an hour with his head under a hot shower. There was so much shit in there it hurt.
The edge of a bright silk scarf peeked out from under the bed. Picking it up, he held it to his nose. Penny.
Crushing it in his hand, he tossed the scarf onto the bed and stalked off. The memory of the pain in her eyes when he lied about being with someone else was the last thing he could face right now.
Tomorrow, he pledged. He would deal with her tomorrow.
Funny thing was...he knew tomorrow never comes.
Chapter Sixteen
"HE SAID WHAT?" SIMONE barked aggressively, as the two friends sat in front of a roaring fire in her library. The flames in the hearth flared up, mirroring the mistress of the house's anger.
"By the goddess, calm down. I'm usually the one with the exploding temper," Penny said, stunned by her friend's reaction. Simone's vamp-fae powers were still in their infancy and exploding fires was new. "I'm sure Darius didn't mean it. The situation sort of spiralled out of control," she explained, trying to lower the temperature.
Simone was having none of it. "So, his solution was to more or less propose to you in front of Vlad?" she returned, surprised by Penny's defence of Darius's behaviour. "And just moments after you and Vlad...well, you know. And he said the last time was 1881? Honestly, the vamp truly is a most fascinating specimen. But what was I saying...oh yes. What on earth was Darius thinking?"
Penny's head swam with the barrage of questions Simone had just thrown at her, but she'd managed to pick up on a rather crucial one. "Fascinating specimen? Is that what you thought when he had his tongue down your throat?"
So much for her attempt to take the heat out of the situation.
But the sharp edge of jealousy in her voice did the trick. Simone starting laughing. "Don't be ridiculous, the only reason he kissed me was to help Dante. End of."
With her temper back under control, Simone studied her friend carefully. "Why the faux outrage about Vlad kissing me? You know very well Vlad has only ever had eyes for you. Dear lord, you didn't do something foolish to encourage Darius, did you?"
Penny swallowed hard. She couldn't quite bring herself to tell Simone the humiliating truth about everything Vlad had revealed about his sex life. It may have been 1881 since he last found 'true release with a woman' but apparently he'd been happily fucking other female vamps the entire time they'd 'been together'. Looked like Penny was nothing more than another notch in his bedpost.
"Of course, I didn't. You know very well Darius doesn't need encouragement. He does exactly as he pleases, when he pleases. If it's any consolation, I don't believe he really means to 'Court' me. I think he did it just to piss Vlad off."
Simone sighed. "Yes, he does like to shit disturb. I usually find the trait amusing, but I think he went a bit too far this time."
Penny stiffened. It wasn't that she condoned Darius's behaviour, but without his intervention, she would have fallen to pieces in front of Vlad. He'd made sure she got out of Lowerton unseen and safely home without once pressing her for information or behaving like an ass. And for that, she would always be grateful to him.
"Let's drop it, shall we? There is a much more important reason for my being here. Simone, you must cease your genetic testing."
"Why would I do that?" she replied indignantly. "My father and I are making incredible inroads. We've tested a range of women against my DNA and may have found a marker worth further exploration."
Penny sat forward. "It's too dangerous," she said in a hushed voice. "When I told Vlad about my test results, I swear his face went whiter. Even Darius blanched a bit. You mustn't defy the council on this Simone, I fear the consequences."
"Why are you whispering, the walls don't have ears, do they?" she whispered back, trying to lighten the mood. "Granted Alfred does have an annoying habit of appearing out of thin air at times, but he and I have come to an understanding about such behaviour."
"You mustn't joke about this," Penny pleaded.
Waving her hand dismissively, Simone replied, "My body, my choice. If I want to test my DNA, I will do exactly that. And as for the other test subjects, the Council of Elders have no jurisdiction over human donors. Ergo, I have done nothing wrong."
Penny chewed her lip. She wanted to believe Simone was in the clear, but her gut told her differently. "I thought the same, but I am telling you Simone, Vlad and Darius did not fill me with confidence that I was right. They looked genuinely uneasy when they heard what you are doing. Please speak to them. Given their positions, they will be able to advise you properly on the matter."
Simone snorted derisively. "I’m not currently planning on speaking to either one of them, thank you very much. If they are delusional enough to believe I am even the slightest bit pleased with their behaviour towards you...then, they're in for a very rude awakening."
Penny was touched but wasn't about to let her friend act foolishly on her behalf. If last night had taught her anything it was that she'd had her fill of alpha vampyres for the time being. Maybe even forever.
"Easy, tiger. Someday my mortal ass will be gone from this plane and they will be the only family you have left. I'm not worth what could potentially be a centuries long rift."
Simone didn't like what she was hearing. Penny sounded defeated. And her friend never sounded defeated. "You're bothered by what Vlad said, aren't you?"
Where the hell had that come from? Was Simone now capable of reading her mind?
"Wh-what do you mean?" she asked, tripping over her words.
Simone arched one of her perfectly sculpted brows questioningly. Her ice grey-blue gaze probed Penny's for answers over her continual skittish behaviour.
Thankfully, she was saved from further interrogation by an almighty ruckus in the hall outside of the library. The cacophony of squawking and 'Fuck offs' ended with Alfred running into the room, naked but for a well-placed top hat.
"Apologies, my lady. I tried to explain to them you were not receiving...but they insist on speaking with you. Most urgently...most emphatically..." he stammered, trying to look dignified by standing soldier straight.
Simone stood up. "Send them in, Alfred," she regally replied, knowing exactly who 'them' and 'they' were. "And for heaven's sake, put some clothes on!" She winked conspiratorially at her friend. "This is going to be interesting."
Vlad was the first one through the door. "Simone! We need to talk."
Seeing Penny on the couch, froze him in his tracks a few feet inside the door. Darius, pissed at being upstaged, was hot on Vlad's heels and whacked into Vlad's back while saying, "You must stop...fuck vamp, move it along." He had yet to notice Penny's presence until Vlad reverently whispered, "Penny."
Darius took that as his cue. Effortlessly by-passing the stunned vamp, he took centre stage. "Penny! How lovely to find you here, I was going to ring you later."
"Stay where you are, Darius," Simone coldly commanded.
Unused to her frosty tone, he immediately complied. Under normal circumstances he would have looked to Vlad for guidance on how to handle an unhappy Simone. But as he and his brother were no longer on speaking terms, Darius was at a loss on how best to proceed. Wisely, he chose to remain silent and listen.
"How wonderful to have you both here...together," she began, crossing her arms. "It saves me the trouble of having to repeat myself." Turning to Penny, she asked, "Pen, how do I feel about repeating myself?"
Penny seamlessly took up the role of helpful side-kick. Shaking her head, she gravely replied, "Gets her quite riled. Trust me, I know."
"I
ndeed," Simone returned before turning her attention back to the two frozen mutes in her library. "So, with Dante still goddess knows where, doing goddess knows what, it would appear the task of dealing with the two of you has fallen to me."
"Now, see here Simone..." Darius attempted.
Fool, Vlad thought, keeping his lips sealed. But on the bright side, Darius's stupidity might end up doing him a favour. With any luck, the vamp would really test her patience and get his ass thrown out all on his own.
Simone turned back to Penny. "Did he just speak?"
Penny bit back her laughter. Hell hath no fury. "Yes, I'm afraid he did."
The confusion on Darius's face was priceless.
"Minus ten points for him. And to Vlad goes the spoils. Darius, what was that you were saying?"
Darius went back to his original stance of keeping his mouth shut. He didn't know what the fuck minus ten points meant, but it didn't sound good.
After a few moments of silence, Simone continued. "Excellent, I see we all understand one another. Let's move on, shall we? It has come to my attention that the pair of you have decided to play games with my friend here."
Penny shifted uneasily in her seat. She worried how far Simone might take the conversation. Vlad would not take kindly to her friend's interference in their personal lives. It was one thing to vent with one another about their problems with the opposite sex, but a completely different kettle of fish to directly interfere in said relationship.
Praying she wouldn't say anything too scandalous, Penny held her breath.
"And I don't like games involving my best friend," Simone continued. "So, in the spirit of full transparency, I want to make it clear that I will not tolerate Penny being treated as some prize to be won. I can't say I understand what is motivating this behaviour, but if I hear one more complaint about either one of you, the offending party will be removed from the house list...indefinitely. Do we understand one another?"
"For fuck's sake, Dante better get his ass back here, she's finally lost it." Vlad muttered under his breath. As expected, he didn't appreciate being taken to task over his relationship with Penny. It was nobody's business but theirs, fuck the female code.