The Trouble with Evie

Chapter 40

I'd walked into an office that belonged to a demon. It was a bold move but not overly unexpected. Technically I was still a student at this school.

"Please, take a seat." Principal Harlwood said, gesturing to the chairs.

He looked at Anzide, offering a slightly raised eyebrow.

"I assume that your companion is here for guidance and to ensure that I won't harm you."

I said nothing, just giving him a dumbfounded look.

"It's alright, Miss Newton. I am not offended. After all, I am a demon, and you are,"

He smiled, offering that devilishly charming smile.

"Well, you know what you are."

Harlwood sat down, stretching in his seat as it tilted back.

"I can assure you that my interests for the future require you to be alive, so I am very inclined to keep you in the best shape possible."

"Is that why you put the protection over my property last night?"

"Those horrid creatures," Harlwood snarled, leaning forward onto the desk. "They would have slaughtered you and your uncle while you slept. The protection that I have placed over the two of you is because I cannot stand that vile thing leading that coven. He is a slimy little pest, and he preys on the students of this school. They should not be fed on nor dragged into that world at such a tender age."

Harlwood paused, calming himself down. When he smiled again, I knew he'd returned to mister charming rather than the monster that had just lashed out.

"Vampires are supposedly well-behaved. They are refined, they are dutiful. Your great-grandfather was an incredibly good man, Miss Newton. I had the pleasure of knowing him for many years, and if I'd known where he was, I would have flattened that house to remove him from it. That was a crime in itself, one that you must be aware of if you are going to approach this situation in the most legal way possible."

"Legal?" I whispered.

The principal nodded firmly, his gaze pinned on me.

"You are the leader. You should do things correctly. Do not base your leadership on anything that you have seen from that monster Drakkus, he is not someone that you should learn from. If you want, you should keep in your mind, what would Niko do? That is the best guide for you because Niko Corbin was, in all respects, the kind of vampire that the old world would have approved of. If they come here and see this mess, they will wipe out all vampires and that includes any who are only partially vampires. You, my dear Eternal, won't be affected, but your uncle will be. For his sake, you must clean up this town before the vampires in Europe get wind of what is happening here."

I glanced at Anzide. He gave me a grim nod.

"It's true. They're a bunch of moralistic jerks."

"Great," I sighed. "So, I clean up the town of vampires who don't respect me because I'm not a full vampire."

"They are scared of him. They have seen what he has done to those who question his authority. It is not just Niko that suffered his wrath. There are many who have disappeared over the years. I know where they are because I can detect that. Ashes, if you're wondering. Drakkus has a furnace in a warehouse at the edge of town. He bought the cop off, ensuring that he's too busy handing out fines to the knitting brigade for overstaying the parking limits. Drakkus just coasts on by, and that moron pretends that he sees nothing. The bodies are transported out to this place, and then they're never found."

I frowned at the principal.

"Knitting brigade?"

He rolled his eyes, leaning back into the seat.