Truce and Lies

Grant: being the new guy

I wandered the foggy streets of Chicago, quietly moving through the shadows. Most others smelled human, and I could feel my hunger drawing me towards them. So far, I was resisting.

"You're new," said a quiet voice behind me.

I whirled around, blinking at the pale man dressed in a hoodie and jeans. He smirked at me.

"And fresh," he noted. "Chicago's off limits, Stefa's orders. How'd you get here? How turned you?"

"I just flew in," I managed. "And Stefa, actually. I'm looking for her."

"You flew in?" he questioned. "Bullshit."

"A private plane," I explained. "With my boyfriend. I'd probably drain a normal plane in my current state. Who are you?"

"Eh, we just met; I don't think we're at names yet, newbie," the other man said. "And even if you aren't lying, you can't just 'meet' Stefa. We have rules. First and foremost, we don't hunt in town. Secondly, we don't let unaffiliated vampires wander our territory. There's a process to join, if we want you at all."

"I don't...really want to join," I said slowly, though knowing that this man wasn't really giving me an option. I might be getting in deeper than I wanted to.

"Then why are you looking for Stefa?"

"Her boyfriend is my boyfriend's brother," I said, not sure how to explain myself. I didn't think aligning myself with hunters would keep me alive. I would definitely be a bargaining chip if they knew I was Grant Danube. I was a little surprised that he didn't recognize me, I had met a quite a few of Stefa's clan when she had kidnapped me.

"Your boyfriend is a werewolf?" the man questioned skeptically.

"Yes, from Montana," I supplied, hoping he believed me.

He tilted his head at me.

"Maybe you are who you say. But you shouldn't be on the street; you'll slip up and we'll have to cover for you. Follow me."

My feet moved without me and I walked with the hoodie man off the street and into an alley. A couple turns led us to a small black door. He rapped once and spoke softly to the door, which opened for us.

"Who is this? What the hell?" demanded another vampire. She was also surprisingly normal in jeans and a ripped t-shirt.

"Newbie, found him wandering around, says he knows Conor," the hoodie man said. "Says Stefa turned him."

"Yeah, okay. Pull the other one, it's got bells on," the woman said. "He's not worth calling Lin. Just kill him."

"But if he does know Conor we should track that rumor," the hoodie man argued. "Stefa doesn't want him advertised. I'm going to call Hannah."

"Ugh, fine. Gives us a reason to go home," the woman shrugged. "I hate being out here on babysitting duty."

The hoodie man pulled a phone from his pocket and dialed. The woman looked up and down.

"How do you know Conor?" she asked.

"My boyfriend is his packmate," I replied. "Speaking of, he'll be worried about me. I don't suppose you'll let me go home?"

"We'll see," she allowed. "Depends on what Hannah says."

I didn't believe her. I heard Hannah answer the phone.

"Mike? What's up?"

Mike slid his gaze towards me. "We got a new one here. Says he knows Conor. Says Stefa turned him? Can we kill him?"

"Oh, Grant? No, you can't kill him" Hannah inquired. "Why is he in Chicago? He should know better."

"Are you Grant?" Mike inquired.

I nodded, though wondering what kind of idiot would say no.

"Here, give him the phone," Hannah instructed.

Mike frowned at the device but did as asked. I took it, carefully, knowing that anyone in the room would hear what I said.

"Hello," I said.

"Why aren't you in Montana?" Hannah asked. "I didn't get the impression you wanted to be in a clan."

"Stefa told my father about the murders, and my father wanted me to investigate," I explained. "I'm looking for Conor as well. His pack is worried about him."

"Lord, what a mess," Hannah sighed. "I suppose you didn't come alone; did your werewolf shadow tag along?"

"Aidan? Yeah, he's here. The hunters are using him as collateral in case I misbehave."

"He's with the hunters?" the woman hissed. "Hannah!"

"Pat, calm down," Hannah ordered from over the phone. "Grant is a special case. Especially since he can be of use to us. Help him find Juan's vampires who mutilated those humans. Then the hunters can deal with them. Stefa's not here anyway, and I am more than certain she'll want to talk with him when she gets back. Grant, I'm surprised the hunters left you alone; are you sure you aren't being followed?"

"They have Aidan," I reminded her. "They'll kill him if I touch anyone."

"You make bad choices," she observed. "Do what you need to. Conor would be upset if Aidan got killed because of you."

"Thanks," I said dryly. "I would also be upset."

"Mike, I'd like updates while Stefa is gone. Any questions?"

"What if we can't find the vampires?" Pat inquired. "We have some leads but they could have skipped out by now."

"I doubt it highly. Talk to you soon."

Hannah hung up the phone. Mike took his phone back and frowned at me. I stuck my hands in my pockets, feeling more than a little awkward. Hannah seemed to know more about me than I would have given her credit for.

"I'll need to get back," I mentioned. "The hunters are expecting me. Do you want to meet up tomorrow?"

Pat rolled her eyes. "Sure, I guess. I don't think you're going to find them. We've been looking since yesterday. I expected to find a body right now. I kinda hoped you were the one killing. Then we would be done."

"Why do you want to find them?" I asked curiously.

"Because Stefa asked us to," Mike replied. "Anyway, you have maybe thirty minutes before sunrise, will you make it?"

"I'll be fine," I promised. "Where do you want me tonight?"

"We'll find you, newbie," Pat laughed. "Of that I'm sure. Night."

I headed out the door, trying to get my bearings before heading toward the agency's headquarters. I wasn't sure what to make of my new allies, but was more than certain that they would make this hunt more complicated. I couldn't tell the hunters about them, couldn't even tell my father; he was not so trusting as to believe vampires, even ones from Stefa's clan.