The Vampire's Rival

When she discovers your secrets

Outside, the Barn humans had broken every outdoor lamp that lit up the gory mansion lawn, leaving only the one lamp that they stood beneath. In the spotlight, Hadley looked every part as regal as a queen, fielding questions from Teroi. I smiled when I realised that the smug Progeny didn't impress her. If anything, she seemed irritated by him. As good looking and confident as he was, he could be a little much.

"Is Ruqwik coming?" Hadley asked Teroi, blatantly sidestepping his attempts at flirting.

"I'm right here," I said, walking into their little circle of light.

The young Progeny boys jumped, looking at me with eyes wide with horror. I had underestimated just how terrified they were. Without thinking about it, I slipped into Drew's mind. All I could find was fear. It permeated every section of his mind. As part of their upbringing, Lujeo would occasionally have me telepathically interact with his Progenies, teaching them how to safeguard their minds from being frivolously accessed by other vampires. Drew was my latest student and knew that I would randomly test his mental walls. Noticing me in his mind, putting up no resistance, he just looked up at me forlornly, as if apologising for his paper-thin mind shield. I gave him a little smile, reached deeper into his mind, and muted his fear. He smiled back.

"What happens now, Ruq?" Teroi asked, a little too brusquely, breaking my moment with little Drew.

"Have you even introduced yourself?" I asked him, ruffling Drew's hair.

Teroi dropped his macho act. I'd seen him in diapers, even changed them a few times, and he knew that I wasn't one to act brash with just to impress a girl. He cleared his throat and faced Hadley.

"I'm Teroi," he said, his voice formal and polite, then he turned to the other women. "It's good to meet you all."

The other men and boys followed suit. Drew was the last to say hello. As always, the seven-year-old was a sweetheart, and the younger girls from the Compound immediately took a liking to him and his three, equally adorable, young friends. The girls introduced themselves as well.

"Okay, we all know each other," said Hadley to Ruqwik. "But like Teroi asked, what happens now?"

"We can't stay here." I said.

"What?" the girl called Billy exclaimed, the word sounding more like a cuss. "You said we would be safe here! If we can't stay here, what are we supposed to do now?"

I turned to Hadley. "You said you had a map?"

Hadley raised a brow and cocked her head. "The Wildlings?"

I nodded.

"All of us?" was Hadley's incredulous response. "That wasn't the deal."

"We can't stay here." I insisted.

"Because of the vampire dogs?" Hadley asked.

"Much worse." I replied, gravely.

Describing the danger that they were all in would take way too long to explain. Where would I even begin? The vampire dogs were one thing, but the vampire Masters who were on their way...? They were a whole different realm of awful. I couldn't let them find these humans here.

"Our Master, Lujeo, is dead," said Teroi, attempting to explain the situation, but stating the fact with obvious condescension. As if Hadley should have known the significance of it. I resisted the urge to smack his head. He was Lujeo's Progeny, through and through, always finding a reason to flex his misogyny. "Other Masters will come to stake a claim for this Enclave. Only Masters can survive that. Not New Agers or Progenies. And definitely not Barn humans."

He said 'humans' like he wasn't one. I would have laughed, but I was too aware of just how bad the situation was.

And just how true his words were.