Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
YORICK
I decide that I will enjoy the fact that I can avoid Casimir’s cameras by leaving the house with Gustov… unless he has a camera hidden on the dog.
I spend far too long examining his collar and even the puff on top of his head, like I actually think he’s stuck a tiny camera under Gustov’s topknot. I do notice he has a tracker on his collar, but it doesn’t seem to be recording anything… that I can tell.
“Gustov, it’s only been one day since they left, but the paranoia is driving me crazy. He’s barely said anything today, and somehow, that concerns me even more than when he wouldn’t shut up,” I tell the dog.
Gustov has no idea what I’m talking about, but is thrilled when I grab a leash and lead him out to my car. He hops on in and off we go. It’s too late to stroll the park, but there are a few pet stores open, so I drive to one and hurry inside.
We get immediate attention from employees and customers the second we enter, confirming that now more than ever, I must talk Atticus into getting me a dog.
Me: I’ve decided that I will only leave you alone if you get me a dog. A super cute one, please. One that stands out and makes people flock over and enjoy both of our good looks.
Atticus: Having a cute dog will do absolutely nothing to help you. There’s no dog with traits strong enough to accomplish that.
Me: Are you saying I’m ugly?
Atticus: I’m saying you can’t stop talking long enough to allow anyone to appreciate your beauty.
Me: You think I’m beautiful?
Atticus: There is nothing I regret more than allowing you to learn my phone number.
Me: Make sure it’s fluffy. People love fluffy dogs.
Atticus: Will you groom it as much as you groom yourself?
Me: Stop bullying me!
Atticus: Bullying? You seem to think I’m just a pit of money who will fork over whatever bullshit you want. I am not. You need to learn how to exist without me.
I frown at the phone.
That’s not how I foresaw that going. Usually, if I pester the man enough, he’ll just buy me whatever I want to shut me up. He bought me a house, and now he’s going to throw a fit over a dog? What does he expect me to do? Go make money to buy it myself?
I sigh and decide I’ll just sell something I stole from him.
“I don’t need him. I don’t need anyone at all,” I tell Gustov as I parade him around the pet store, sucking up any attention we receive on the way over to the toys, but does he even need another toy? He has so many.
Gustov is positive he needs another toy since he grabs one in his mouth before I can stop him. I shrug and allow him to carry it around as I head back to the treats but hesitate when I feel something.
There’s definitely the presence of another vampire in the store, but why exactly would that make me feel uncertain like this? I’m used to sensing other vampires, since the ability to sense them is tied to both how old and how skilled a vampire is.
I pause before continuing on, trying to convince myself that I merely misinterpreted the aura. I snatch up the treats as the hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Looking behind me, I try to catch who it is, but I seem to be alone in this aisle.
Who exactly has a presence that could be this suppressing? Casimir does quite a thorough job of keeping track of whoever is in his territory, and I surely would have heard through Ezio or Julian if someone new had entered… legally, that is.
Deciding that I’ve had enough of this, I hurry the two items up to the register and pay for them using money I stole from Atticus’s home the last time I was there. It’s gotten me quite far.
We head out to my car, but I don’t love the idea of being boxed inside a vehicle if we’re attacked…
If we’re attacked?
Why did I immediately assume we’d be attacked?
The vampire has shown no sign they’re going to attack me. Just because I sensed them doesn’t mean they’re evil. This is how the werewolves end up in messes when they try to condemn without spending the time to confirm which vampire is good or evil.
I send Gustov into the back seat and put his safety harness on as I’d been instructed to do if I took him anywhere. Then I get in the car and head for Casimir and Julian’s home.
“What do we want to watch when we get there?” I ask. “Are you partial to anything, my fluffy friend?”
Gustov is too busy squeaking his new toy that is deafening inside the car. I should have waited to give it to him until we got home. Vampiric hearing really isn’t beneficial in this situation.
“My, how loud you are,” I say. “Perhaps we play with that at a later point in time. That could be thrilling, yeah?” I reach back to pull the toy from his mouth when something slams down on the roof of the car.
My foot hits the brakes as I realize that I can sense the vampire from the store a second before a blade is driven right through the roof of the car.
I jerk back to avoid it, but since I’m inside the car and can’t just ditch it with Gustov in the back, I have few options for removing myself from the situation.
The blade had plunged into my chest—I’d narrowly kept it from piercing my heart—pinning me between the roof of the car and the seat.
Pain tears through me as I see the vampire leap onto the hood, crushing it and causing the engine to sputter before winding down while the car begins to drift.
“Fuck,” I mutter, deciding I have no choice but to stop the car. The vampire seems to be pleased with his work since he jumps off the hood and just stands to the side to watch.
I genuinely don’t know what to do with Gustov. Do I leave him tied in the back of the car? Do I give him the freedom to run… but what if he gets lost or hit by a car?
I hiss in pain when I smash my hand against the blade, breaking it but causing it to dig deeper into my chest. In one swift movement, I pull the broken blade out of my body and reach back to press the button to free Gustov from his safety harness.
“Stay,” I tell him, hoping that he’ll stay for the time being but will know to run if things become too dicey.
I step out, leaving the car door open, and look over at the vampire who I don’t recognize. His physical appearance is young, maybe early twenties, but he seems older. He’s well dressed and has blond curls that look like they’ve been perfectly arranged.
“Were you just so enamored by my looks that you wanted a piece of me for yourself?” I ask the man whose presence I’ve felt since the pet store.
I pull out my phone and discreetly try to pull up Julian’s name, then send a simple “Help.” I feel like Casimir will lose his mind, track the GPS on his dog, and find out where we are without breaking a sweat.
I might not even need their help, but I’d rather be safe than sorry when it comes to dealing with someone I don’t know.
“I was told that I cannot rip you apart. How unfair. That is… unless you refuse to come with me and then… really, I would just do what I have to do to make you come,” the vampire says.
“Absolutely none of that sounds very pleasant,” I retort as I reach back and draw what’s left of the once long sword out of the roof of the car. My chest is already healing, and the pain is mostly gone. All he really accomplished with it was irritating me.
He rushes me and I notice that he seems to want the sword now that it’s in my hands. I slip out of his path, sliding behind him, and when he knocks the sword back, I drive a stick I’d scooped up right through his skin. He grunts as he goes staggering back from me, having underestimated my speed.
He steadies himself then moves toward me with precision, obviously a man who has spent a good part of his life fighting, but he either lacks the age or speed that I have.
Quickly, he pulls a long knife out, planning to use it to block my sword.
As the sound of metal on metal rings out, I use my nails to tear into his side, drawing blood with ease before he can do anything to stop me.
Without hesitation, I pull the sword up, preparing for another strike, but just as he moves to block it, I rapidly change direction, slipping to the left while my ears pick up quiet footsteps behind me.
My attack would have finished this fight in one swift movement, but I can’t risk my vulnerable back to do it.
I pull myself a good ten feet back to get a look at who has joined the fight, only to find that it’s a werewolf.
I assess my surroundings and discover that they’re not alone when even more flank it.
“What is your purpose for this fight?” I ask while I weigh my options.
I could fight; I could run. It’s clear that I’m faster and my skills are better than the vampire, but there are now five werewolves joining the fray. And of course I have Gustov to think about too.
While I might not be the best at identifying the weres from Terrance’s pack, I’m confident that I don’t recognize any of the ones here tonight. It’s possible that if I immobilize or kill the vampire, they might retreat and give up the fight.
The vampire laughs, and I’m not quite sure what he has to be happy about. Yes, it’s now six against one, but that doesn’t mean he’s won this fight. I’ve already proven to him that I’m stronger than him. I just need to keep the weres back while I stop him.
My body freezes as I watch the vampire slowly begin to split into two. It’s like his body is pulling apart to make two of him. But he’s not the only one; when I look over, I see that there are now ten werewolves instead of five… what the hell is this?
My eyes switch back to the vampire, and I realize that whatever has happened has gone well past blurry vision since it looks like there are now three vampires standing in front of me.
The vampire’s laughter crashes around me. It’s as if his voice is coming from every direction.
“I was worried I wouldn’t be able to keep you occupied long enough to give the poison time to take effect, but here we are. Yorick, you might as well submit now, and I promise I won’t kill you.”