Chapter Six #2
“The vampires were not permitted on my territory. That alone gave me permission to do with them as I chose. And we came to an agreement just last year that vampires and weres would not touch each other,” Casimir says.
“Even so, I cannot stop accidents like this one from occurring, but I can deal with it and the criminals can deal with the consequences.”
Heads being ripped off consequences.
“You can say that all you want but they’re constantly wanting to egg us on,” a vampire yells.
“Yeah, because all of you think it’s fine to hunt and terrorize us!” a woman from our side shouts.
“Vampires have absolutely no morals. They don’t care who they slaughter or why! They tried to kill my child for some sick satisfaction,” Dad yells.
And just like that, everyone is at each other’s throats. I’m the only one still seated as I wonder what the absolute hell I got myself into. Someone from our side flings a chair and I watch a vampire punch through it.
Honestly… it’s kind of entertaining. I wonder what would happen if Mom walked in. I bet she’d mama bear the shit out of the situation. She’d make those vampires and weres run.
“GET. OUT,” Casimir growls and everyone freezes. Hell, his aura is enough to even make me feel a bit like the best course of action would be to scoot out of here.
The weaker of the lot leave without hesitation, but the more stubborn ones, like my father, hesitate. “I SAID GET OUT,” Casimir says, and with that, even my father leaves, though he’s the last one to do so… I mean, besides me.
Casimir’s staring at me as I realize the two of us are the only ones left.
“Does this mean I win the most stubborn award? I really thought that’d go to my father,” I muse.
He doesn’t say anything, just turns and heads for the back door, maybe planning on slipping out and going home so he doesn’t have to deal with this stupidity.
I get out of my seat and hurry over to him. “That seemed to go well.”
“Did you not hear me when I said to leave?” Casimir asks as he turns to me.
“I did! It was very impressive. I wish I could learn to do that so that maybe my father wouldn’t annoy me so often. But as I sat back there and watched the wolves and vampires contemplate tearing each other apart, I realized how tenuous the relationship between them really is.”
“Out,” he says as he waves at the door, just in case I didn’t know how to find it.
“How long did this meeting last? Two minutes? Has anyone ever called you Casimir the Patient?”
He stares at me before making another sweeping gesture toward the door. I take a step forward and he actually looks relieved, making me realize he assumed I’m leaving, which I very much am not planning on doing!
“So what happened in the hospital?” I ask.
“With?”
“You know.”
“I don’t recall… wait… you look vaguely familiar… were you the dried-up corpse I noticed on my way out?” he asks.
“I was! I have been revived just from seeing you.”
“I see.”
“So? What happened?”
“I don’t recall anything happening.”
“Your blood healed me.”
“No, if it had healed you, you wouldn’t have tried dying the second time, now would you?”
I consider that for a moment before realizing that he’s quite right. “So, then? Have you turned me into Frankenstein’s monster?”
“Has anyone chased you with a pitchfork?”
“Lately or ever?”
“You want my honest answer?”
“I’d love it.”
“I simply don’t care,” Casimir decides.
“But why? I’m amazing!”
He shrugs, weirdly not feeling the same thing.
“You have a bit of a mess on your hands and I’d like to help.” I give him my brightest smile to show him how helpful I’ll be.
“If I yell at them enough, they’ll go away… unlike you.”
“What you really need to do is draw the two sides together so that during times like this, they work together instead of fixating on playing the blame game.”
Casimir looks thoughtful. “I have considered locking them in a room together until they’re either all dead or they reach an agreement. Last time that went poorly, though.”
“Excuse me… last time ? That sounds like a horrible idea.”
He shrugs again. “Got rid of my prior problem, so I’m not quite sure it was all bad.”
“I’m thinking something fun to bring them together instead of like… murdering them all. What about a festival? Wolves love festivals.”
“Sounds traumatic,” he says.
“What, having fun?”
Casimir shudders. “I’d prefer to go with my idea of locking them in a room together battle royale style.”
“Wait, now you’re anticipating the slaughter?” I ask.
“I should probably have a cleanup crew on standby.”
“You know… call me old-fashioned, but I actually have an idea that wouldn’t result in bloodshed. Do you want to hear it?”
“No,” he says curtly and turns his attention to pretty much everything but me.
“What if we fake date?” I suggest.
His attention snaps onto me. “Excuse me?”
“While I’m not alpha, I am the alpha’s son, so everyone knows me and is pretty respectful of me, and you’re…
you. So if we fake dated, we could con people into thinking that vampires and werewolves can get along.
They’d be like ‘Wow, look at our lord and savior… I mean Casimir the Great getting along so well with that super-cool werewolf. I bet Casimir’s a kind guy and respects werewolves; I should too. ”
“I would rather lock them all in a room together… hell, I would rather lock myself in the room with them than do that,” he decides.
“It’s not like we’d be dating for real!” I try pretending like he hasn’t just admitted that he’d rather potentially get murdered than date me.
“And what exactly would you have to gain out of this? You really care about the relations between vampires and wolves that much?”
I avert my eyes as I lie with ease. “Of course I do!”
“Excuse me while I make the battle royale preparations. Those still living at the end can be permitted… something. I should reward them… dogs like rawhides, right? I’ll get some rawhides for the dogs and virgins for the vampires.”
“I feel like we should all be very worried having you as our leader.”
“Thank you. Now go on. Shoo. You’re too lively this time. I think I preferred the other you better. You talked a whole lot less,” Casimir says as he brushes me off.
“No! We’re supposed to become friends so that if something happens to me again, you’ll eagerly feed me your blood.”
“Ah, that’s what this is about.” He looks around and picks up a Dixie cup. Then he proceeds to cut his arm and drain some blood into it before handing it over. “Go on, now. Shoo.”
Not really knowing what else to do, I take my Dixie cup of blood and step outside to where my dad is waiting.
“What were you doing?” Dad asks as I hold the weirdest party favor I’ve ever gotten.
“Looking for those kittens you promised me were inside.”
Dad sighs. “Julian, I’m being serious. What were you doing?”
“Trying to get a date with the vampire,” I respond as I head toward my car.
“You’re hilarious,” he says as he follows me before noticing my cup. “What’s that?”
“Tea.”
“Julian!”
“I told you, it’s tea. Now did you actually need a ride home or were you lying to me?” I ask, but the look on his face tells me it was one hundred percent a lie.
“Terrance!” someone calls before my dad can say any more, and I take it as my cue to flee.
Once away, I get into the car and take a whiff of the blood, expecting to be repulsed. Instead, I’m fixated on it. It’s like an overwhelming desire to just… consume . I need it more than I’ve needed anything in my life.
My hand is shaking as I lift it to my lips and take the tiniest sip but as the sweet taste touches my tongue, I need all of it and I need it now .
I tip the cup back like a feral animal that’s been starving.
The blood nearly chokes me, I try to consume it so quickly, chugging it until there’s nothing left.
Yet there has to be more. There must be more.
I try to lick the inside of the cup, crushing it as I fight to get every last drop.
It’s so good… how can anything be so good ?
In my hazy stupor, I’d managed to rub the blood all over my face while mildly consuming the cup in an attempt to get it all before I come back to my senses.
What… the fuck was that?
I feel someone watching me and slowly look over at Casimir who is staring through the window. He looks rightfully disturbed, which makes me pull the crushed cup off my face. Not sure how else to make this more awkward, I roll the window partway down and go, “’Sup.” Head tilt and all.
I, Julian Nicolas Evans, just… ’supped the oldest vampire I’ve ever met with his blood all over my face.
“Battle royale… definitely a battle royale,” he mutters as he hurries away, as though any part of this display could make me undatable… hell, fake undatable.
I grab a napkin and do my best to try to wipe the blood off my face as I drive to my mom’s house. I want to assure her that I’m fine alone, but one look at myself in the rearview mirror makes me second-guess that fact. Fucking hell, I’m a mess.
Hurrying into the house, I freeze when I see Mom in the foyer. Since I was so preoccupied, I hadn’t realized she’d beaten me home, especially with her car in the garage. She takes one look at me and her eyes go wide.
“It’s okay, it’s not my blood!” I hurriedly assure her.
“Who did you kill?” she asks.
“No… one. I just…” If I stand here long enough, will she forget it all?
“Julian?” she asks.
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me, but I really… really like vampire blood,” I admit.
That clearly wasn’t what she was expecting. “Excuse me, what ? You bit a vampire ?”
“No! He gave me his blood willingly! He even put it in a little Dixie cup for me. It’s no big deal.”
“It’s… please, Julian, please explain which part of any of that isn’t a big deal?” Mom asks.
“You’re right, it really wasn’t eco-conscious to use a Dixie cup. I should have used a reusable cup,” I say before rushing toward the bathroom.
“Julian!”
Quickly, I close the door and sink down on the floor because I have absolutely no idea what I’ve just gotten myself into… and… fake dating ? Where the fuck did I pull that out from?
I feel achy from all of this movement and my brain is an absolute mess, so I just lie on the bathroom floor and consider where the fuck I went wrong.