Chapter 6
THE CREATURE
Present Day
New York City, New York
No matter the riches, the gold, the luxury, it was as fulfilling as purchasing premade taxidermy—no hunt, no meat, devoid of a soul, a cast with no substance, purely for display.
No matter what story you made up for the conquest, it would never make it true.
It was as empty a gesture as spitting out food before swallowing, all the taste but none of the calories.
For once in my long, formidable life, I had become insatiable. Not one second of ease was bestowed upon me in two years, the most unsatisfying season of my life. I wanted to take my skin off like a suit and wash it, scrub the bones until I was clean once more. It was all so useless.
The most ironic part about this whole ordeal was that I had accomplished more in the past two years than I had in the past millennia.
I was never this motivated to create something that extended past my own comfort.
I told myself this undertaking of founding my own Nest would be rewarding, but I did not feel rewarded. Something was always missing.
New York City, New York. A place of dreams, they said.
It was impressive, I will say that about it.
Every handful of steps could land you on the corner of opportunity.
My opportunity was nestled comfortably in oil and steel, which allowed me to purchase the place I now call my Nest, but it was not home. It could not be home, yet.
It would be a bit ridiculous to call this a townhome, considering the estate occupied half an entire block on Fifth Avenue.
The limewashed brick and white stone made for an impressive display for those passing by, and I had just as impressive a view of the park.
It was rather fun to have such a large green space in the middle of such an industrial hellscape.
As I stared at it now, I could see bodies of water glistening in the distance from my window. The sun was hot as it was magnified through the glass, though it still struggled to brighten the dark office.
The entire room was detailed with a rich, dark maple. It extended to designs along the ceiling and the walls, even lining the doorframes and windows. There were hints of crimson scattered around the room, from the rugs to some details on the upholstery.
Along the walls were a few paintings. I chose autumn hunting scenes to complement the rest of the room.
On the only other wall without windows was my bookshelf, though it was much smaller than the collection I had in London.
I had brought nothing to this new and mysterious land; I could always buy more things.
I ashed my cigarette above the crystal glass before proceeding to suck the last bit of life from the paper.
“I knew you would be sulking in here,” a Russian accent chimed at my door.
“What did I say about entering my study uninvited?”
“Whatever it was, I wasn’t listening,” he laughed. The other side of the desk creaked—presumably, from him sitting on it. It was wise to keep the desk between us. “Be thankful I come bearing good news.”
Luka was not quite second hand, but for safety reasons, he was close enough to be one. The cost of keeping an eye on him was his proximity to me. A barely tolerable nightmare. I kept him busy with a recruitment position, which was more of a glorified secretary at best.
We have spent the last two years pitching to individuals in his network who were skilled enough in their trades, but with no bloodline to reap the benefits of an old Nest. The response so far has been positive, as unattached Vipera have no loyalty to anything but their own survival.
We curated our Nest to only the best, brightest, and deadliest. We had nearly five hundred recruits, twenty of whom lived on the estate on the lower floors.
We had only one issue: none of them were Hosts.
The competition unionized them, boycotting just our Nest. Not everyone was ready for something new, I suppose.
Normal people were fine for some dining occasions; it was something to chew on.
But in this day and age, Hosts are expected at any respected establishment.
They were just convenient, refined. A Nest can get much done if they only have to feed on a Host once a month rather than normal bodies weekly.
We were in the age of convenience, so modern Vipera expected nothing less.
It was already a hard bargain recruiting to a brand-new Nest, never mind food insecurity added to the list of concerns.
Class pride is a finicky thing. Not everyone was partial to the wealthy or swells, despite my money being older than any of them five times over.
“The world must be ending if you are the one to blow the trumpet.”
“So theatrical.” Luka leaned forward, slapping a piece of paper on the desk and plucking a fountain pen from the holder, circling and underlining a line of text. Before he spoke, he looked up, as if to take in my reaction. “I found Alina.”
His voice in my ear became a mere buzz. My heart rose in my throat with every beat before I swallowed it back down. “What?”
“I found—”
I hurled the glass ashtray at him.
He ducked forward, and it shattered against the floor behind him. “This is good news—”
I reached across the desk, grabbing him by the jaw.
His nostrils flared, but he knew better than to do anything else to display his displeasure.
My fingers dug into his scarred skin.
He had never healed from that night, the skin remaining darker where he had been burned.
The scar and discoloration went from his brow to his chin, cutting through his eye and lip.
A gift from her and I. A reminder. A warning.
The parts of it that cut through his lip exposed his canines slightly due to the taut scarring.
While I would have called this permanent maiming punishment, it would never be enough.
“I told you that you are forbidden from looking. I wish to not hear her name on your filthy tongue. Ever.” I looked in each of his eyes, searching for a reason to crush his head on the ornate mahogany between us.
He grabbed my wrist, squeezing it to remind me he could break it if he had to. “She’s not going to come back—”
“She needs time.”
“It’s been two years, Silas.”
“She will come back; she knows where to find me. I left her letters—”
“She’s not coming back,” he repeated slowly, sternly.
I let him go with a sneer, sitting down behind the desk, the leather of my chair warm from the glow of the window.
“I didn’t have to seek her out.” Luka rubbed his jaw and slid the paper forward. “This came from your father’s account.”
I snatched the paper from him and held it close. “How did you get this?”
“Anonymous source.”
There was a date, an invoice from Fethermans she fled across the globe with your sister to escape you.”
“It wasn’t me she was escaping.”
“What is it you said to me those years ago?” He tapped his chin. “Where your name goes, mine will follow?”
“This is a coincidence.”
“No, it is your sister’s inability to live without the luxuries she was raised with, and thus use of your father’s account to comfort herself. I had a detective sent not too long ago, just to make sure it was truly them. I received confirmation a day ago.”
“You must have a death wish getting anywhere near this.”
“No, I am pulling the wool from your eyes and ending this arrangement.”
“Oh really?” I scoffed. “How so?”
“Let us make a wager.”
“I don’t gamble.”
“If you want to see her again, alive, you absolutely will. Because it won’t be long until Levi—”
“Don’t,” I warned, squeezing my eyes shut, grounding myself in the pain of a clenched fist.
“I am willing to put my neck in the guillotine to show you how delusional your plan is,” he continued. “Hear my bet and place yours.”
“Fine,” I let out a slow breath before opening my eyes. “What are your terms?”
“We go to her, in Buffalo”—I opened my mouth to speak, but he held a hand up—“we will bet on the outcome, and I guarantee both options end in her living.”
I closed my mouth and leaned back, crossing my arms and nodding for him to continue.
“If we seek her out, and she accepts you with open arms, I will be killed, and you both will be on your merry way. Just as you planned in the event of her return.”
“Or?”
“Or,” Luka continued, “this elaborate revenge plan blows back in your face, and I get a stake in your company.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me.” Luka leaned forward. “I think she will hate you more than you know, especially keeping me alive. You’ve passed the point of no return. Whether you kill me or let her do it, she will still hate you for what you are to your core, aside from being a man.”
“Aside from that insinuation being ridiculous,” I laughed, “why would you want to tie yourself to my company? Are you afraid you’ll miss me if I cut you loose?”
“No matter how we resolve this, no one is willing to accept me as part of their Nest or hire me for the next century because of that sick stunt you pulled. I’m tired of hunting in the streets, and you don’t even have Hosts in this place.”
“This is really the thing you’re asking for?”
“If I’ll bet my life, I want something good on the other end of the scale.”
“Fine,” I mumbled, “but only because I know you’ll lose.”
“Deal.” His mouth curled into a grin, and he extended his hand across the desk.
“Deal.” I grasped it and shook.