2 | Fabian
As soon as the last monster drops, there’s a mass scramble to get out of the reception hall in the city hall. I hang back, watching in bewilderment as the city’s elites trample over each other in their desperate bid to get out.
I can’t get my head around what happened tonight. The entire night got so derailed, I can’t even see the tracks from here.
One minute, I was meeting our Archarcan contact, handing over information on the powerful vamps in the city. The next moment, I headed back to find Silver. I had plans of apologizing and making a start on the grovel-fest I’m pretty certain she’s owed from me.
But she was nowhere to be found.
My feet carried me to the reception room, like I wasn’t even in control of my body. And the next thing I knew, I was watching Silver stand off against a zombie.
And I couldn’t do a single thing to help her. My feet froze to the floor and my magic lay dormant inside me.
It was the single most terrifying thing I’ve ever witnessed. To see the person you’ve grown increasingly obsessed with going up against a nightmare creature, all alone. And being unable to do a single thing but watch.
The sheer level of power radiating off her was astounding, and I wanted nothing more than to steal her away to somewhere safe, away from prying eyes.
Because what she did was very public.
And very illegal.
As soon as my feet unstuck, the ruckus of people distracted my attention away from her.
And then, for the second time tonight, she was stolen away from me.
By the time I reached the point I’d last seen her, she was nowhere to be found.
The wall of media flocked closer to the room, like crows to carrion, trying to get soundbites and exclusive interviews. But the star of tonight’s shitshow had disappeared with no trace.
I’m one of the few people left, traipsing from room to room with my gut cramping with anxiety.
I need to find her.
The feelings I have for Silver are so much stronger than they should be, considering I’ve not known her all that long. Although, I learned tonight that I’m a shitbag and my body knows her and recognises her, even when my mind doesn’t.
I search every damn room on the lower floor and come up empty. By this point, my hands are shaking and I’m sweating. I need to...
Fuck. I don’t know what my next steps should be. I feel completely out of my depth, out of control, and that’s not something I’m all that familiar with.
I take control of situations. I plan. I strategize.
Right now, though, I’m slumped against a wall, motionless with indecision.
“—the hell happened to the judiciary guards? They should have been posted at every entrance. How the fuck did that thing get in here?”
“It came through the window.”
There are two voices in the next room to where I’m standing, a man and a woman, just audible through the cracked door.
“I know it came through the window. I saw it just as well as you did. What I’m asking is how that could have happened.” The first voice becomes shriller until they’re practically shrieking at the second.
“You need to calm down. We all need to keep our heads or we’re going to lose control of this situation.”
“Keep our heads? Lose control?” the woman hisses. “What are you talking about? We have completely lost control of this situation already. Just how do you suggest we do that? Were you even here tonight? Did you witness the same thing I did?”
“A creature from hell threatening a roomful of people and a small girl somehow stopping it single-handed? Can’t say I missed that.”
“How about the part where we all stood there with our thumbs up our asses? We did nothing while that thing was about to attack. We looked like fools. Like weak, cowering fools. This can’t get out.”
“We’ll get a hold of any recordings. Destroy them. Arrest the girl. Seems simple enough to me.”
There’s a derisive scoff from the woman. “Perhaps if it were twenty years ago, that would be enough. We could send the word around our people not to speak of it. But the whole damn city’s media was out in force, witnessing the debacle. It was supposed to be the event of the year.”
“Well then, we pay them off.”
Another scoff. “Camera phones. If you don’t think the story has already circulated, you’re more of an idiot than I realized.”
I raise an eyebrow, wanting to hear how this is resolved. That’s Silver they’re talking about arresting. If that’s what the Archarcans plan to do, I need to find her and warn her.
... somehow.
“Fine then. We let out a statement that anyone with the footage is going against city laws. Inciting panic or something similar. We arrest them instead.”
“So we look like we’re both useless and like we’re tyrants?” Really, Melvin, can you take a moment to engage your brain before speaking?”
The man sounds like he’s gaining momentum with his plan, though, speaking faster and with more passion. “We spread the story that the girl created those things and let them loose. She’s a danger to society.”
That earns him a thoughtful hum. “It’s an option.”
“But... the voice?” a third voice says.
“Voice?”
“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear it. The voice that told me my most closely kept secret and then said that it would be common knowledge if the girl was arrested. I thought at the time it was just me, but I overheard others talking about it since, so it can’t have been.”
There’s a hesitation and I itch to peer inside the room, to see who’s speaking.
I’d also like to know exactly what their secrets are. Information is power, after all. Especially with these high-ranking elitist pricks.
I heard the voice, too. It knew that Seb’s magic was illegal and threatened to reveal that fact to the city judiciary. He’d be tried and likely his life terminated.
They’d kill him.
And I’d kill to keep that secret.
“Fine. We all heard it. Now, let’s discuss this further in my office. The media frenzy should have calmed somewhat by now. We at least have the judiciary guards sending the media away and confiscating cameras, so it should be safe to make a move.”
I slink away as the voices grow closer, moving swiftly down the hallway. Once I’m far enough away, I sink into an alcove and take a deep breath.
I still need to find Silver. Warn her they’re likely to blame her for tonight.
It’s not exactly surprising, but she needs to be forewarned. Perhaps we can work out a way of getting her out of the city, although it didn’t work so well last time.
I need to see her. Ensure she’s safe right now.
Perhaps Dante got her out. He was here, after all. And he seems to care about her.
That hope is dashed as I head out of my alcove and bump straight into the vamp in question.
“Silver?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I don’t know where she went.”
Lowering my voice to barely more than a whisper, I relay the conversation I just overheard.
“Fuck.” Dante runs a hand through his hair. It can’t be the first time he’s made the gesture tonight, since he looks disheveled already. His tie is crooked and there are worry lines at his brow I haven’t seen before.
“I scouted the entire building, and she’s not inside. Have you...er... seen Felix?” he asks.
I shake my head. “I assumed he made his escape from the reception hall, like everyone else.”
“Ah.” Dante rubs the back of his neck, looking supremely uncomfortable.
“What?”
“He’s dead. Had his throat torn out and has a major stab wound.”
Oh. Oh fuck. That’s all we need.
It might sound callous as a first reaction to hearing of his death. But the only reason I hadn’t killed him myself after what he tried to do to my brother was to keep some stability while the Nexus District is a crumbling mess.
We’ve had people trying to blow us up. Others fucking with shipments and altering orders. There are plenty of underhanded dealings going on, and while part of that was thanks to Felix himself, there are others that aren’t happy.
His death is a major headache. One that’s worthy of at least a phone call with my father. Maybe he can pull himself away from his PA for long enough to worry about the district and his legacy.
It’s all he’s cared about for so long. And right now, when it needs his focus, he’s been distracted. Disinterested. Too busy sticking his dick in his secretary. Which has meant the management of the crumbling district has fallen entirely on my shoulders.
I pull my cell out to call him and hiss as I spot over two dozen missed notifications.
Dammit, I must have left it on silent after my meeting with the Archarcan.
Right as I’m trying to read the latest messages, the screen lights up with a call from a private number.
“Hello?” I answer, trying not to drown under the anxiety of so many missed calls and notifications. This kind of thing doesn’t happen to me. I don’t struggle to keep up, but right now I feel like I’m flailing. And failing.
It’s not a good feeling.
“Fabian, you need to get down here now.” My father’s voice is hard.
“You heard about Felix?” My brain can’t be working right. If it were, I’d realize there’s no way he could know. I’ve only just heard about it and I’m probably less than a hundred feet from the body.
“What about Felix?”
Shit. This is probably not the way I should be telling him about the death of his business partner, but it’s too late now.
“He’s... uh... dead.”
“Fuck.” There’s a muffled sigh and I’m conscious of Dante standing beside me. He must be wondering what exactly I’m doing right now. We were in the middle of a conversation and I stopped to take a phone call, like a total douche.
“I doubt he’s the only one,” my father continues with a sigh. “It’s a mess down here. That’s what I was calling to tell you. People are looting. The old fight club and Alchemy are on fire.”
“I’ll get down there as soon as I can.”
Although I’m not entirely sure what I can do against fire. It’s not like that’s my speciality.
I glance at Dante and see him shifting impatiently from foot to foot, waiting for me to get off my fucking phone call.
Right. We need to find Silver.
That’s my priority.
Then I see the previews of messages on my phone as I hang up my call without another word. It turns out Silver being missing and the entire district being on fire aren’t the biggest crises right now.
“I have to go,” I tell Dante.
Zeph’s message is brief and to the point, and I relay it to the vampire in front of me.
“Ro got hurt. He’s bleeding out. I need to stop the bleeding.”
I’m aware I’m barely making sense, but Dante nods.
“I’ll find Silver.”
A dozen emotions swarm through my gut. I’ve never felt so guilty about having so many responsibilities to juggle.
Ro is hurt.
Silver is missing.
Felix is dead, and the district is in shambles.
And I’m so over my head, I feel like I might drown.