Page 31 of Fangs and Family
She was regal in her anger, and despite everything, I was proud of her strength. She turned away to sit in front of the now-cold pancakes and began eating.There you are, my Obsidian. I will make it up to you, I promise,I thought, feeling the pain of hunger twisting my insides.
I quickly shifted to my bedroom and changed clothes. A glance in the mirror reminded me of the saying,‘dressed to kill’, and my smile turned predatory. Nina’s blood was sacred, everyone else was fair game.
I headed for The Anchor, the notorious nightclub and headquarters of the Syndicate’s human partner in crime, Zbigniew Nadolny. I would not be using a blood brothel this evening. No, tonight I would hunt. I needed the thrill, even if the method I employed was more sex appeal than devouring violence. Nadolny’s club was always full of young women who would shed their inhibitions to take a perilous walk on the wild side.
My form coalesced in the alley next to the club’s main entrance, preventing passers-by from realising I had appeared from nowhere. The bouncer recognised me immediately, opening the symbolic rope to let me in, much to the displeasure of the waiting patrons.
Loud music assaulted my ears as soon as I entered, my eyesight obscured by the chemical smoke popular in these places, highlighting the occasional flashes of strobe lighting, distorting the gyrating bodies on the dancefloor below. Of course, I knew the real reason for the smokescreen was more to hide nefarious deeds than to add an atmosphere of mystery, but tonight, that was precisely why I was there. As I stalked toward the bar, my eyes scanned the area, constantly aware, always searching, both for threats and potential victims, my anger clearing the way without the need to touch any disgustingly sweaty bodies.
‘Welcome, sir,’ the bartender was as quick as the bouncer to acknowledge my presence. ‘The usual Bloody Mary, or would you prefer one of our specials?’ He asked with a smile, and I nodded toward the alcohol.
‘The usual, please,’ I answered. It never ceased to amaze me how easily the personnel of this club adapted to change, accepting the presence of the Elder Races without a single misstep. That open-minded approach turned the Anchor into a safe space for those with unusual needs and dietary requirements. This barman was no exception, his laconic gaze unblinking as he casually offered me a willing donor to drink from.
The cocktail appeared almost immediately, and looking around, I noticed the inviting glances from a couple of young women as they drifted to the dance floor, their stares growing bolder as they performed in front of me. I smiled at them but shook my head. They were looking for entertainment, and I was not in the mood to indulge them.
A lazy stroll through the club didn’t reveal anyone who caught my interest. Those who managed to pique it all seemed to repulse me whenever I came close enough to catch their scent. After I dismissed the fourth, it hit me. They weren’t Nina. That was the only thing that was wrong with them. A slender, boyish figure and pixie-cropped hair were not enough. I needed Nina, the woman whose essence made me salivate at the mere thought of her. She was so strong, resisting me, yet so vulnerable. My Obsidian. So sharp yet so brittle, the mere thought of her and I felt the uncomfortable pressure of my hard cock pushing against the inadequate restraint of my clothing.
‘Fuck!’ I snapped out, my exclamation loud enough to catch the attention of a boisterous group of young men.
‘What’s your problem, pretty boy?’ asked a belligerent, stocky male, and I smiled.The Gods reward those who take what they want,I thought, stepping forward.
‘Oh, my problem? I’m looking for a new plaything to beg me to take his arse, so if you play your cards right, I might reward you with more pleasure than you thought possible.’ The tone of my voice made the provocative words sound more like a threat than an offer, but I began to enjoy myself as the group bristled.
‘Who the fuck do you think you are, arsehole?’ he snapped, and I sauntered toward him, standing closer than my antagonist liked before speaking.
‘I’m the man whose cock you’ll be begging to suck in a second. So, why don’t you get down to business? I can see you are the type who would like it.’
As if listening to my plea, fate granted me a guilt-free hunt when the rest of his friends stood up, their intentions written all over their drunken faces. I had no qualms about using those bullies for my snack. They deserved it all. My anger, my pain. I would thoroughly enjoy unleashing myself on them. I barely noticed my fists clenched as my hunger for violence grew, my goading having the desired effect as the three bigots in front of me pushed forward.
Unfortunately, just as the fun was about to start, the music escalated to roaring cacophony, and the Chief-Spoilsport arrived.
‘Adam, get the fuck out of my club if you’re going to be like this.’ Nadolny stood at a respectful distance, his demeanour one of unyielding command, but I wasn’t in the mood to play good little soldier. I turned toward him with a look of pure innocence pasted onto my face.
‘Whatever could you mean, old friend?’ I asked, and he rolled his eyes in response.
‘You will kill no one in front of hundreds of people with smartphones ready to record everything. You know the rules: you can persuade a donor or pay for your drink, but no one dies in my club. Take your anger elsewhere, or I’m calling Leszek.’
‘I’m not angry,’ I said, feeling my muscles tensing as my bloodlust tested the limits of my control, but Nadolny simply laughed.
‘Of course you aren’t. Still, it is time you left. If you do still feel murderously not angry when you’re outside, I hear a group of foolish men are causing trouble down in the docklands.’ Nadolny’s smirk told me this wasn’t just an idle comment. He wanted me to despatch those men so that he didn’t get his own hands dirty.
Normally, I would have laughed in his face, but the timing for this request couldn’t have been more perfect.
‘I’ll see what I can do, but you’d better be prepared to dispose of the bodies.’
Nadolny’s nod was all I needed to remove the self-imposed leash I held on my instincts. Leszek would crush my balls in a vice for this, but for tonight, I couldn’t find the energy to care.
‘Happy hunting,’ the club boss offered, but I was already pushing through the crowd toward the exit.
I released my hold on the shadows as I neared the dockland area owned by Nadolny, listening to the eerie silence for any sign of my soon-to-be victims. With heavy fog rolling in from the sea, the environment was perfect for the misdeeds of the wicked, splendidly fitting my mood. I’d never taken the lead in the enforcer side of the Syndicate business, leaving that to Tomasz and his werewolves. Any killing done in the past had been in a purely kill-or-be-killed situation, but tonight, I needed the freedom of unfettered violence. Maybe then I could process the storm of emotion that were my feelings for Nina.
My feet barely made a sound on the cool tarmac as I began my hunt. The last time I’d hunted humans was two years ago when Sara was taken by Chernobog, and Leszek gave my Seethe free rein to pursue those that hurt his soulmate. Today, I had no such permission, and that just added to the thrill.
A pained moan caught my attention, and within moments, I was kneeling next to a human, the man lying in a pool of his own blood. His face was a mangled mess of broken bone and flesh, but he was alive. The victim was wearing a security guard’s uniform, the poor idiot too brave to have backed down from a more numerous enemy. Still, in order to help him, I turned him onto his side, rearranging his limbs into the recovery position, which seemed to help with his breathing. Unfortunately, I recognised the signs of impending death. I doubted he was innocent, working for Nadolny didn’t go well for ordinary people, but in death, he felt like one. I was forced to watch as he breathed his last, cursing the bastards that did this.
Sounds of a struggle started further along the street, dragging my attention from the dying man, and I noticed a truck next to the open doors of an unlit warehouse. It looked like whoever was stupid enough to rob Nadolny came well-prepared, but they weren’t prepared for me. A scream of pain followed the sharp snap of breaking bone. Someone was still fighting inside, praying for a hero. Instead, they would get me. A vengeful vampire.
‘Just shut him up already. We have the passcode. We don’t need him making noise and bringing more fucking witnesses.’
