Vampire Emeritus (Part #3) ✔

Chapter 23: Wasted

Our lounge bar turned into a war room in less than half an hour. The billiard table now served as a table, littered with papers and pens, chairs around it. The lacquered oak coffee table in front of the leather couch served as the blood platter, with dozens of bottles resting on it.

Thomas and William dragged three beds from the upstairs bedrooms and placed them against the walls. If shit hit the fan, this is where we would be sleeping. Caiden's computers were transferred to the basement, as well.

Ian went through the printed cultist conversations with Caiden, trying to find anything useful, when Sheila, Tina and I entered the lounge bar.

Caiden's girlfriend, Angie, sat on the couch and offered a small, nervous smile once she saw me. She looked the same as two years ago, more like a cartoon character than a person, with dark brown pixie-cut hair, grey eyes and wearing clothes way too big for her petite figure.

If they got together right after Caiden and I broke up, it meant they were in a relationship for a little over two years. In a way, I envied her. Not because of Caiden, but because her life was probably way less complicated than mine.

She found the right guy to love. Someone who wouldn't keep secrets from her, even if those secrets meant the existence of vampires.

I waved, "Hey."

A strained, nervous chuckle fell off her lips, "Sorry to barge in. Caiden said this was the place to be if there was ever a war and, well, I guess there might be."

I hugged myself, feeling strangely self-aware. The last time I saw her, she was terrified of me. Now, her presence reminded me of how I acted back then, pissed off at the entire world, ready to become an actual monster.

"This might not be the safest place for a human." I admitted.

"No, but being associated with Caiden might be more dangerous right now." Ian cut in, not looking at me. "If Vilmus finds out Caiden hacked them, no one he knows is safe."

"That didn't cross my mind." I whispered.

"I guess it's a good thing I don't have any family." Caiden chuckled, causing a very awkward silence. "Uh, I see no one is in the mood for dark humour."

"Are we going to be living here now?" I asked.

"Only if something goes terribly wrong." Ian said. "We should still spend most of our time upstairs, just in case someone's really watching us. We don't want to raise any alarms."

"This is where we'll he plotting." Caiden added.

My lips tightened, "Great."

"What is going on?" Tina asked, throwing herself on one of the beds. Sheila was on the other one.

"Vilmus wants to reveal himself to the humans." Ian answered.

Tina shrugged, "Isn't that going to anger humans a little bit? I mean, humans aren't exactly known for accepting other species."

"Sure, some are going to be angry." Ian said. "But he's not doing it out of the blue. Powerful men are most likely backing him up, men he's promised immortality. And some of them have too much money to spend in a single lifetime."

"What would that mean for us?" I asked, realising that if we failed to stop him, we would too be outed.

"A witch hunt, probably." Ian looked at the papers again. "Sorry, vampire hunt."

M thoughts escaped to what would realistically happen. People would be angry. Oh, how angry they would be. Not the rich and powerful ones, though. No, they'd see as an opportunity. But common people would be ready to fight us themselves.