Never wake a Dragon (on hold)

1. part I - late night blood

The street shimmered with refracted light from countless crystals. If Adeem hadn't known better, he'd have thought it was one of the fae who wanted to brighten the dreary night. Make it prettier and all that. It would have been preferable to the bone-chilling cold that rushed along the long rows of six-story buildings and covered the ground with a thin layer of ice.

Every breath from his dry lips twisted and swirled through the air. A smoke screen would have been better, but he wasn't picky. Not tonight. The news he'd received when he'd downed the last beer for the evening at the Vampire Lounge had him on edge. Or, well, if the bartender had told the truth, he might go for another drink with Nev to deal with the revelation.

Fucking dragon.

Turning a corner, he began the ascent from the endless constructions around Slussen to the top of Götgatsbacken. The bars were still open along the steep climb, but the chill kept even the keen smokers inside, leaving the street quite somber for a Saturday. He paused close to the metro station, leaned back against the stone wall, tucked his hands into the coat pockets, and waited.

A group of drunk men lumbered past, unsteady on their feet as their voices rose far and above everything else. Adeem snorted. He'd never liked boisterous people, especially not when they were drunk. A slight movement behind the group managed to lighten his mood and a soft chuckle tickled his chest when Nev came into full view. The vampire walked cautiously a few steps behind the young men, probably sniffing out a possible meal. A strained frown marred the vampire's features when Nev forced himself to stop the hunt. Placing a hand beneath his nose, Nev zoomed in on Adeem.

"This better be important," Nev said, looking disdainfully from Adeem to the men and then back again. "I could almost taste the bearded guy."

Adeem shook his head at Nev's feigned displeasure. "You done?" he asked.

"No, I'm hungry." Huddling in the chill, Nev adjusted his leather jacket. "You could at least pretend you're happy to see me."

"I saw you yesterday."

"Whatever." Nev leaned back against the wall and appeared to regret it immediately, shying away from the cold stone.

"I heard something at the bar. Thought you might know more."

"Heard what?"

"I heard a rumor they've replaced Kellerman."

"No shit, they got us a dragon instead," Nev replied, his gaze trailing the ground.

"So it's true." It was bad news. Kellerman had been a pretty lousy Guardian of Stockholm, but at least he'd been flexible enough when it mattered.

"Yeah, the guy is some hot shot from London. At least that's what Denker told me. He didn't sound too happy by the way." Nev jutted out his pierced bottom lip. "I mean, seriously, why did they assign a dragon, and why did he accept? Stockholm isn't London."

Adeem wondered the exact same thing. "Maybe he was climbing the ranks too fast. Or maybe they thought Kellerman was losing control here and wanted someone terrifying to take over." It was a disconcerting thought.

Nev let out a choked sound. "Maybe if you hadn't been quite so strong, they'd have chosen someone else."

He ignored the comment. "I bet the dragon won't be as lenient with the Nighters as Kellerman. Too bad they have you in their claws, Nevvyboy. You can't escape them now."

"Don't call me that."

"Come on, as if the dragon would care about your little rebellion. He'll just think you're cute," Adeem said. An agitated Nev was hilarious, but he couldn't afford to let his friend become nervous. Not for real. Teasing was one thing, but perhaps he'd crossed the line this time.