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I haven’t been to the vigore district in over a decade. It was the moment a more realistic peace was found between strains. The relationship between the sang and vigore has been amicable, until now.
I’m alone in my Jag, and Dom and Sara follow in Dom’s Porsche. It’s a strategy in-case one car is followed or is taken out. It means there is more chance of at least one of us making it to Ben, unharmed.
I pull into the deserted grounds of Bennington Hall, while calling Dom through the Bluetooth.
Dom answers, “Well, least there are no new bloods this time.”
“Dom, you will come with me, Sara, you will search for Ben.”
“They’re going to know what we’re doing,” Sara says. “Thought we were going to negotiate.”
“I’m not going to go in there with my tale between my legs. Every bit of high ground we can get, the better. And I hope you both have your shields up,” I ask, knowing Dom has a weak point when it comes to the vigore’s mindreading abilities.
“Yes, have you?” Sara asks, dubiously.
“Yes, of course I fucking have.” I hang-up, taking a good look at the hall.
The hall and grounds have been owned by the vigore since 1733. It was taken from the Bennington family after Leanna and Gerrard’s creator, Izack McColl, killed Lord Bennington in retaliation for hunting down and murdering his lover. Since then, the hall is the place they meet for business, but it’s also used for gatherings of the vigore kind. Huge orgies where they feast off each other’s energy, or any human stupid enough to get involved with them. Each month I have supplied the vigore with over five thousand litres of blood, to this very building.
I exit the Jag and see a tall broad vigore step out from the oak doors. Dom comes to stand by my side, and Sara has disappeared without detection.
“Let’s go,” Dom says, like he knows how to deal with these assholes.
We approach the vigore guard. He’s around a foot taller than I, and nearly two foot taller than Dom. But it doesn’t stop Dom trying his luck. He sticks out his chest and it’s humiliating. Idiot.
“Where is Ben? I suggest you bring him out before I rip your big round head off your fat fuckin shoulders,” Dom sneers, scraping his shoes in the gravel like a baby bull.
I grab Dom’s collar and yank him back. “Just don’t speak.”
“Executive. Dickhead.” The guard looks down at Dom. “Arms up,” he orders.
I hold up my hands. This is just a simple pat down, but Dom is still not complying. I clip him around the head. He frowns, finally holding up his hands.
The guard completes his search. “You can go in.” He steps aside.
I enter the grand stone entrance hall and Dom follows. A waiter walks in front of the staircase and offers us whiskey. I refuse, I’m not here to drink. Dom however takes both, consumes them within a second, and hands the empty glasses back to the waiter.
“I would have been better bringing Elizabeth with me,” I growl at him.
“If you would follow me,” the waiter says, leaving the glasses on the fire surround.
We follow the waiter down a hallway full of artwork, statues, and tapestries. The place hasn’t changed at all, but then there’s not much you can do with stone. I hear laughing and music coming from several rooms. The doors are open and it’s obvious what’s going on. But instead of showing some modesty and intelligence, Dom has felt the need to stop and watch a group of vigore, enjoying the pleasures of blood and flesh.
Again I have to yank him into place. “I should have left you with Elizabeth.”
“You can go through.” The waiter points to the double doors at the end of the hallway.
With my patience at an all-time low, I push open the door and stride into the vast dining hall.
Leanna sits at the end of a banquet table with Gerrard. But I don’t see no vigore council here. The council is made up of nine members. All have built up their reputation in the human world, and have a good standing and authority with their own kind. Izack is at the top of the chain, but even he is not present. I’m not fucking happy. I can negotiate with Izack easily, but his sired will manipulate the situation to their benefit.
“Where is Ben?” I demand to know.
Dom does the one thing I told him not to. He has flit across the table and is now gripping Gerrard’s throat.
“Dom, drop him!” I step forward.
Dom growls loosening his grip, and Gerrard thrusts him away.
“Ben is fine. Walter, bring him in,” Leanna calls.
The waiter enters behind me, and with him walks a dishevelled Ben. He’s not marked, but he has been starved of blood. I take his forearms and shake his weak body. He’s despondent, unsteady, and now I’m furious. I release my hold as Dom helps Ben remain on his feet. I turn my anger onto Leanna and Gerrard.
“Where’s your father?” I ask.
“Leaving us to figure out why you have cut off our supplies?” Gerrard says, standing up from his chair. “Now Ben knows just how the vigore will feel, when our stocks have dried up.”
“I have not cut off your supplies,” I argue.
“Oh yes, you are retiring.” Leanna also stands up from the table, and strolls nearer to me. “You have left a mess behind. So who is going to fix it?”
“You should have spoken to me, before taking matters into your own hands.” I glance at Ben.
Leanna laughs. “The amount of times I’ve heard that. You’re far too busy for business now it seems. Why has the new executive disappeared, and why is Selene in the country? Are you making deals Adrien?”
“The only deals I make, are for the good of all. And the deals I do make, are none of your goddamn business.”
Leanna’s eyes look me up and down, then freeze on my hand. She flits right before me and grabs my wrist, pulling up my arm so my wedding band glints beneath the light.
“You lie. You married the girl?” She barks as I yank my arm free from her grip.
Fuck. My plan to leave all this behind me, is diminishing fast. My plan was simple enough: to marry Elizabeth, and find a replacement that wouldn’t screw me, or the vampire community over. Selene should have left the decision in my hands. Now I have to rectify this mess. If I just walk away, there will be a war. Did Selene do this to me on purpose, so I wouldn’t leave? She was overly agreeable, almost forceful in me and Elizabeth being together. She has never shown so much interest when an executive takes a red.
“Again, none of your goddamn business,” I snap back.
She laughs, sinisterly. “Nathan will not be pleased when he hears of this.”
“What I do in my private time, who I’m with, is fuck all to do with any of you!”
“But you’re wrong,” Gerrard pipes up. “Because your choices go against everything we believe. You have been making deals with Selene. Why else would you marry the little whore?”
A violent fury has me flying across the room. Gerrard tries to grab me but misses. I take him down. I have him on the stone flags before a fading fire. My hand grips his windpipe and I feel the crunch beneath my fingers. I slam his head down hard three times. He’s grappling with me, but I’m stronger, and have more purpose than he ever will.
Both Dom and Leanna are trying to pull me off him. But I will not let go.
“Adrien, stop,” Leanna shouts in my ear. “Gerrard, take back your insult.”
“Boss, come on. This is not going to help the situation,” Dom pleads.
I watch Gerrard’s eyes widen as his blood falls over my fingernails. He holds up his hands, no longer fighting against me. I thrust him down, release, and back away from him. He staggers up to his feet, clutching at his neck.
“I... I take back... the last sentence,” he growls. “But... the rest. The rest is the truth.” He spits blood into the fireplace.
I turn to Ben. He’s shaking his head at me. He’s telling me this is not the way to conduct this meeting, and he’s right. I’ve not felt such emotions since I was a man. I feel like a human man trying to contain a monster again. Blood thirsty. Full of rage. Overprotective of Elizabeth. And so damn irrational.
Sara walks through the doors. I nod my head at Dom and Sara, indicating that they take Ben back to the car. Both Sara and Dom take an arm apiece.
“Not so fast,” Leanna warns. “What’s really going on Adrien?”
“Look, I’ll have all the stocks in Manchester delivered here in the morning. I will deal with Vincent, and Selene.” I take a step closer to Leanna, and lean down to her ear. “But if you ever pull a stunt like this, or cross me again, then I will break the treaty and make sure you don’t see a drop of blood. Now...” I grab her arm in a tight vampire grip, feeling that raging hunger. She fears no vampire, but right now she fears me. “Do. You. Fuckin. Understand.”
Gerrard flits to me, but I simply thrust him across the room. He’s always been a stupid asshole, who won’t be put in his place.
I can hear Sara yelling for me to leave it. She’s right. The issue has been somewhat resolved, and we should be leaving.
“I understand,” Leanna hisses up in my face, goading me to rip her slender arm off.
“Adrien!” Ben’s voice echoes, angrily.
He’s the reason I’m here. I’m not here for revenge. Fuck.
I shove Leanna’s arm down and turn to my coven. I have never seen such a look of disappointment from any of them before this. Full of shame at my actions, I charge by them all.
***
DOM AND SARA HELP BEN through the doors of The Mill, where I have organised a live donor for Ben. They drop him down into one of the booths as I take out two grand in fifties. It’s more than I ever pay, but Ben needs it. Hell, I think I need it too.
I slam the money down into the male donor’s hand, and move away before I take him for myself.
“Dom, no more than a litre. Then take him home.” I wave the donor off toward Ben.
I hover on the spot as the donor shakes Ben’s hand. It’s not their greeting that’s interesting me, it’s the urge come back again to cross the damn line. It feels like needles scraping beneath my skin. It’s not just the hunger, but also an anger buried so deep inside, it’s changing me. I fantasise, as the donor’s heart beat becomes deafening.
“Adrien... Adrien,” Sara snaps.
I shudder, blinking a few times. “What?”
“Better see the damage Vincent has caused, don’t you think?”
“Yes... Yes.” I turn away, just about managing to control myself.
This is my fucking business. I ran affairs for the order from here. But this building and everything in it, including the blood, is mine.
I enter the elevator and Sara quickly jumps in before the doors close.
“What’s going on with you?” she asks.
“What do you think?” I avoid looking at her.
“No, this is something different. You would have killed Gerrard if we didn’t stop you.” I can feel her eyes, burning the side of my face with judgment. “And what happened with Liz; she was terrified of you earlier?”
The doors part and I charge outside. I will not answer Sara, because I have nothing to answer for. I know what’s going on with me; I’m surrounded by vampires who rely too much on me. I was fine after the wedding. Three days of bliss. Now I’m back under all this pressure to fix things, I don’t want to fix anymore. So of course I’m pissed-off and more agitated than usual.
All the doors, including where the blood is stored, are open.
“Adrien!” She will not fucking stop harassing me, like she’s my goddamn shrink.
“I don’t know.” I growl up to the ceiling. “All this!”
“Gwen is at my place. I think she knows more than she’s letting on. She thinks you should make contact with Demetrius.”
“Sara, I’m not seeking out help from a damn witch. The last time I saw her, I swore would be the last. She talks bullshit, and is probably here because she needs my blood for some fucking magical spell, that doesn’t do a thing. And as for Demetrius, he’s had Selene running the executives for decades. He doesn’t care as long as he’s getting his blood and taxes!” I’m so tired of it all. The kind of fatigue I had in another life when I was a commanding officer, leading men and fighting the war. “I just want to go home to my wife.”
“Okay.” She sighs, walking passed me to stop before the storage room. She stares inside, speechless. “What do we do now?”
I walk behind her and peer into the room. Every shelf is empty, just the odd polystyrene box lies on the floor. Even the cooling system has been taken. I take a second to think. The city is currently without leadership. I’ve been out of the picture, and Vincent has disappeared. I can organise new collections for blood. Then I need to find out why Selene’s new prodigy is a thieving piece of shit, and why would she even consider him to be the next executive.
I’ve had enough of looking. The blood has gone, and there’s nothing I can do about that now. I make my way back into the elevator, and annoyingly Sara trots in behind me.
Dom helps the blood donor to the doors, as Ben wipes the blood from the side of his mouth. He appears to be in a better state now; though he needs a shower because he stinks.
“How did they manage to get hold of you?” I ask because Ben isn’t a fool. If someone is following him, he knows well before they show themselves.
“Gerrard was waiting for me as soon as I stepped out of a cab, after your wedding. Wanted to know where you were. I didn’t say a word. Turned my back, and a van pulls up with around seven of the fuckers. They interrogated me for around a day, but got nothing. Left me chained and hooded in the basement to starve. So, what’s the plan?” he asks, willing to jump back into the flames.
“The shipment from Manchester, half it. Leanna can have her peace offering, but the quantity is up to me. Half to her, half here. Dom, call all our suppliers. Tell them we will pay double for every pint of blood, but it has to be this week. Get your devotees rounded up and working on this. As for Vincent, put the feelers out. When he’s found, inform me. And Selene.” I bite down for a few seconds. “I’ll deal with her when she decides to make another one of her grand entrances. She’s still here for me. Why else would she put Vincent in charge? She wants me to see that I’m the only executive who can run things right. This, it’s all a fucking game to her.”
“And what about Gwen?” Sara asks.
“Jesus, send her home!”