"No way." Tobi's grin widened. "This is prime blackmail material. Besides, Antonio will want to see how his star pupil handles interrogations these days."
Tyr groaned. Their sire would absolutely critique his technique, probably with a lengthy discourse on the proper etiquette of threatening humans. He could hear Antonio's voice now: 'Really, Tyr? Such melodrama? A simple glamour would have sufficed.'
Tyr ran a hand through his hair, glancing back toward the clinic's dimly lit windows. "Let's wrap this up. I need to get back inside and let Beth know everything's okay."
Tobi nudged the unconscious man with his boot. "I'll take this loser and dump him at his vehicle. It'll be parked out on the road nearby." He bent down and hoisted the limp form over his shoulder with casual vampire strength, not even grunting at the weight.
Tyr's gaze fell on the fallen rifle. He scooped it up, testing its weight before gripping it firmly in both hands. The expensive hunting weapon snapped like kindling across his knee, the crack echoing through the quiet woods. He handed the mangled pieces to his brother.
"Good thinking," Tobi said, tucking the broken rifle under his free arm. "He won't even know how that happened. Nice touch."
Tyr entered through the clinic's lobby doors, and Beth came running up to him, her eyes wide with worry and relief.
"Did you find anything?" Her arms wrapped around herself protectively as she held her breath, waiting for his answer?
"Yeah, we did." Tyr kept his voice calm and reassuring. "There was a solo intruder in the woods - definitely an anti-shifter hostile. But Tobi and I took care of him."
"Took care of him?" Beth's eyes widened, and Tyr's lips twitched at her horrified expression.. "You mean..." She couldn't bring herself to finish.
"We sent him on his way," Tyr clarified quickly. "No damage done. Well, physical damage, anyway."
Beth swallowed hard, her fingers still worrying at her scrubs. "What if... what if he comes back? What if he tells others?"
A predatory grin spread across Tyr's face as he let his fangs extend. "Trust me, he's not going to remember coming here tonight, or anything that happened in these woods." His eyes gleamed indigo with satisfaction. "And I can personally guarantee he won't be back. Ever."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Let's just say I gave him a very compelling reason to stay far away from this place." Tyr's fangs caught the fluorescent lighting. "Very, very far away."
Beth stared at him a moment, and her mouth fell open in amazement. "Wait, you can do that? Make people forget things?"
"Yeah." Tyr shrugged, trying to downplay the ability. "It's a kind of hypnosis, or power of suggestion. Something like that. Most vampires develop the skill pretty early - it's how we've stayed hidden for so long. Remember? People don't remember encountering a vampire."
Beth pursed her lips, processing this information. Her expression shifted from worried to fascinated, reminding Tyr of how she'd looked earlier when asking about feeding.
The back door clicked open, and Tobi sauntered in, phone already in hand. "Oh man, you have got to see this." He held the screen out to Beth. "Check out my brother going all dark and mysterious in the woods."
Beth leaned closer, her eyes widening as she watched. A giggle escaped her, quickly growing into full-blown laughter as Tyr's recorded voice intoned about creatures hunting in the darkness.
"'It will never stop hunting you,'" she quoted between laughs, her earlier fear completely forgotten. "That was... that was like something out of a horror movie!"
Tyr fixed his twin with a murderous look. "Way to ruin the moment, brother." But he couldn't entirely suppress his own smile as Beth's laughter filled the quiet clinic.
Tobi tucked his phone away, a mischievous glint in his eye. "You know, I noticed you didn't actually bite the guy. Just did your whole scary vampire routine."
"You didn't bite him?" Beth's eyebrows shot up in surprise.
Tyr's nose wrinkled in disgust. "God no. He reeked of cheap beer and whiskey, not to mention the body odor. I wasn't about to put my mouth anywhere near that."
"Plus the alcohol in his blood would have ruined the taste completely," Tobi added.
Beth's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Really? Alcohol affects the taste?"
"Makes it bitter," Tyr explained. "Like drinking watered-down coffee that's been left on the burner too long."
"Drugs are even worse," Tobi chimed in. "Cocaine makes the blood taste metallic and sharp - like licking a battery. And don't even get me started on meth."
"Generally, vampires prefer our donors clean and sober," Tobi summarized. "Makes for a much more pleasant experience all around."
