“I didn’t know,” she says quietly.
“Why would you know? It’s not something I’m going to advertise.” I put my hand under her chin and tilt her beautiful face up to mine. “I am Dominik Király, king of the Budapest vampires. I have a vast network under my control. I am dangerous, I am feral, I am invincible,” I growl. “No one crosses me. My past is the deeds I have done since I was turned, and it is what makes me great today.”
“But you are not a monster?”
“I am not a monster. I am a survivor, my dove. I survived for this moment we are having now. I survived for you.”
Lucy
Lydia
Are we doing drinks this Saturday?
Kezia
After all the palinka you drank in Budapest how are you not still drunk?
Lydia
I have an iron constitution to your paper one
Eliza
I’m up for drinks. I hate being back
Sophia
Did you find yourself a Hungarian hottie?
Eliza
No. I just liked Budapest. It was nice.
The group chat descends into a bunch of laughing emojis and eggplant emojis, all directed at poor Eliza who is having none of it. Grace opens up a new chat with me.
Grace
Did you get back to London okay? We missed you on the last day
I contemplate what to say to her. Grace has been my friend for over a decade, she’s more like a sister than a friend, and she’s been a better relative than my actual blood relations.
I’ve lied to her for so long…so long about what I actually do, and I’m not sure I’ve hated myself more in this moment for not telling her the truth.
But how do you tell your best friend you’re a vampire hunter when monsters are supposed to be benign creatures who came out of the darkness because they thought humans could cope with their presence?
And in the main, we did. Save for my family, who carried on regardless, only moving into the shadows instead.
I can’t say it in a text. I can’t. My confession to her has to be face to face.
I got back fine. But my bosses want to send me to Hungary soon to complete on some land conveyancing
Grace
That’s great! We can meet up
I look forward to it
In fact, meeting with Grace and explaining what’s happening, why I didn’t go back to London, why I lied to her all this time, is the last thing I’m looking forward to.
