Abyss - Book Five (Man x Man)

Chapter 15

Their footsteps echo in the dark and damp as they make their way down the hall with Tonic sticking close to Verando's side. "Didn't we knock last time?"

The older man shrugs. "They shouldn't leave their doors unlocked." It doesn't do much to give him confidence and he sighs, "It's fine Tonic. Listen-" They slow their pace to listen to the gentle murmurs echoing all around, bouncing off the walls and coming from the great room at the end of the hall. 

"They know we're here. Strigoi are just as capable as lycans when it comes to their senses and frankly, if they wanted us dead we would be dead so-" He gives him a look. "Lighten up. You're a naked man walking into an alliance, might as well look confident doing it." 

They enter the room, Tonic struggles with not shrinking away under the prying eyes at the coven raking their gaze over his exposed body. 

Self-consciousness is not something that was allowed in lycan culture considering a good portion of their lives was lived naked or an animal and yet here he was, on display and dreading every moment of it. "I'm here to speak to Mother," Verando tells him simply. 

"Of course you are. I see you've come in a much more presentable state." The disembodied voice resonates around them yet she doesn't appear. "I must say, you are in better shape in this life than you were as your former self though I could do without the battle scars. What can I do for you, Alpha?" 

"Two things."

"Greedy." She purrs. "I believe I only promised you one thing and I know you're not here for that." He waits patiently as to not entertain her game, and finally, she walks around the corner of the large, decaying Grande piano. 

Her fingers casually skirt over the keys, "Good to see you are alive, Verando. I was getting concerned when I hadn't seen you but since Stefan had not come back to us, I assumed you had managed. You really weren't so sure when we last spoke. What is it, I'm rather busy as I'm about to enjoy my breakfast."

"I ended up not needing your services after all though they will be required for this upcoming war we're about to engage in." He begins, she crosses her arms lightly under her chest, bored with the trivial battles of humans. 

"Really, I do not know why you involve yourself with mortals. It's a waste." She practically hisses but motions for him to continue. Tonic squirms uncomfortably and Verando casually leans to bump him with his shoulder, a quiet reminder to stop moving. 

He does his best to straighten himself and look confident, gaining a grin from Natassa who sees through the facade. She adjusts her weight to her other hip, unshamed as she drinks them in. "Stefan does have good taste, I will say."

"I need to transfer our bargain over to Tonic once I complete my half of the debt. Tonic will be taking over my role as Alpha, I will be stepping down." 

This doesn't seem to surprise her. After a long pause, she makes her way down the stairs on her bare feet and strides over to them with a casual walk that makes her slender hips gently sway yet she still appears to glide across the ground. Standing before them seems to make her coven nervous but she raises her hand and in a swift motion, the entirety of the coven dismisses themselves from the room.

"Am I to believe you're retiring?" 

He shrugs. 

"That's hilarious. Do you lie to your children? You are a bad man." But she doesn't sound disappointed as her blood-red eyes flick to Tonic. "What makes you can keep my people safe?" Tonic's body grows rigid as she slowly circles him, dragging one of her fingernails over his shoulders. "You don't even contain the embodiment of a god." Her voice is dismissive. "This is an unworthy vessel for Whitewind, you know you can't hand over the spirit to him. Seems like I'm getting the lesser end of the deal."