Night Walker

Chapter 7

I remembered my first conversation with Shane at the hotel. He talked about all the power that comes with the blood drinking. Drinking blood has always seemed disgusting and I don't know how dhampirs can go from never drinking blood to it because their only meal of the day.

My time in the hotel, I would think about school. For most of us, it's been drilled into our head that strigoi have always been the beings we grew up fearing. I haven't been going to the academy as long as most of my friends, but it's the core of all of the curriculum in the academy. And in court, all of the training exercises have been to fight the strigoi, not to deal with the threats within us.

Over the course of the last couple months, I've learned a lot. Our biggest problem aren't the strigoi, it's the people within our society. Like Kenna and her family, they work for strigoi. Veronica Devin voluntarily works for strigoi. I don't think we would even be in this mess, if we neutralize the threat. Without inside information, things wouldn't have gotten this bad. Like, we knew about the radicals, but no one ever did anything to stop them.

It's not like we can go back in time and change it all. Right now, I have to face the threat right in front of me, the evil strigoi, the very creatures I've been told to fear my entire life. But it has never occurred to me, what if they fear us?

Robert's face quickly went from a confident expression to a worried one.

And from the looks of it Robert doesn't really fight. He just sits back watch, controlling his minions. And that's what he did. He sat back in his fake throne, next to Roman tied up in chains, prepared to watch everything go down. He acted like he was untouchable.

I thought he was just being stupid. Until all of the Strigoi circle around him.

This made things difficult. There was no way I could get in there. I couldn't neutralize the threat, not like this. I had to think of something quick. I need to think of a way to get into the middle and kill Robert, once and for all.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Steve storm in with Asher. Steve looked ready for battle. Asher on the hand, has never seen this many strigoi at one. His fear flooded into me.

How the hell are we supposed to do this? Asher thought.

I look around the room. I just need something. A way in. But I can't just stand around as strigoi keep coming. I run over to Steve. Maybe he can think of something I can't.

Asher's fear and thought are definitely not helping.

"Hey." I said pretty loud as I kick a strigoi away.

"What's up?" He stakes the strigoi, returning his attention back to me.

"I need a way to get into the middle."

He scoffs, "Still not over that."

I knew turning Roman back was something he will never agree with. From the first time I told him at In n Out, he was annoyed. I don't blame him, I'm literally bringing back my ex boyfriend from the dead... undead? I don't know, but he was gonna be normal again.

At first I was doing it for me. When he first turned, before meeting Steve, this was always the plan. My motives have slowly changed. This wasn't for me anymore, I was doing this for Mark, I promised him, I would save his cousin, the only person who didn't disown when he came out.

Roman wants to be here for Mark. He only calls him to keep up his "I ran away" ruse. Deep down he wants to be here for Mark. And Mark needs him. Mark wants him around. A part of him is missing, and if I can help him by being back a part of him, I need to do it. He just won't have Alexei, he'll have his best friend back.