Blood on Roses [COMPLETED]

Twenty-Five: Blood on Roses

"Your species do not belong on Earth. As such, you must die."
~ Kaydence Samuels

TWENTY-FIVE

I expected only Arthur on Friday evening, but he showed up with Alecx at 7 o'clock sharp.

I grabbed another teacup from the cupboard and set it down in front of Alecx, who still looked like he hadn't slept for days.

I tried to understand that it was his comrade and close friend who died, and he required more time than two weeks to recover.

Seeing Alecx like that pained me. After all, he'd always hold a significant place in my heart.

Once again, I made myself comfortable on the bean bag while Alecx and Arthur sat on opposing ends of the sofa across from me.

I forced myself to take a sip of the Earl Grey tea that I used to love. I could still smell the bergamot aroma, but it was no longer appetizing to my mind nor my tongue. My hand flew to my lips as soon as I tasted the tea.

Man, it was like urine and shredded sponge mixed into an appalling smoothie.

I quickly repositioned my hand to fan my tongue, acting as if the beverage was hotter than I expected.

Both Arthur and Alecx were too distraught to notice my series of actions. Arthur appeared even more stressed than the day he confessed to me that practically all of my close ones were vampire hunters or in-training.

He didn't take long to begin. He provided me with a detailed explanation as to how he found out that Zach was a vampire and why I should cut all ties with him at all costs.

"Are you sure?" I asked while my hand froze with the teacup in the air.

"I'm sorry to say so, but yes." Arthur's unwavering gaze stared straight at me. "He admitted to being the 'Dracul' vampire that we have been hunting down for so long. He didn't do any harm to you, did he?"

I shook my head slowly.

"I'm sorry, I know you like him, but this is how it is."

Alecx's eyes flew wide, and I could feel the heat rise in my cold cheeks. I frantically waved my hand left and right and insisted that he was mistaken for making such an assumption.

"No, no! How many times do I have to tell you? We were friends!" I flusteredly explained, but I couldn't bring myself to tell Arthur that I didn't like him. I questioned Arthur's information to distract him. "Are you sure he's Dracul, though? What if he just claimed to be Dracul?"

"A vampire has tried to impersonate him before. It didn't end well for the imposter. The day after he announced in public to be 'Dracul,' he was murdered. It appeared that he suffered a lot before taking his own life. A bloodied note beside him read 'Don't impersonate me.' After that incident was broadcasted, I honestly doubt anyone would dare make the same mistake."

Sounds like Zach, I remarked. Zach tended to leave notes, and his approach to solving problems had always been extreme. I guessed that Zach controlled the imposter's daydreams and made him hallucinate enough to the point that he'd rather die. If Zach felt like it, he might've also altered the imposter's memories to the brink of insanity.

I was astounded that I didn't find those thoughts disturbing in the least.

"Besides, Dracul is the only vampire I know of that's as fast as he was," Arthur added.

I fixed my gaze back in front and made eye contact with Alecx. He lowered his gaze.

"So, Alecx, what are you doing here? How's your specialized training?"