Alek grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. His fangs exposed; his eyes shining. “Keep that arrogance for your rats, I am not them. I will be respected, and you will learn to heed my words.”
“Are you two fighting again?” Someone complained from behind Alek.
Alek let his eldest go. Sorin rubbed the places Alek’s nails had pierced his throat, the healing causing his skin to itch.
“We don’t fight, only equals fight. Andrei you should know this,” Alek drawled.
Andrei, his third child, was crouched down looking at the now dead body. “Well, it’s not like we don’t know how you feel about this.” He motioned to his own hand that was blank. “But I think Sorin knows what he’s doing in this case.”
“Arrogance, but you will learn as I did,” Alek said, eyeing his son. Andrei was much more humor-filled than his brothers. His hair was longer and pulled into a sloppy man bun. He usually wore a long stretchy cardigan over brown slacks and a T-shirt with some inane saying. “Your clothes leave much to be desired.”
“I can’t wear expensive suits like my brother over there,” he said as he reached out and drew a single finger along the chest of the man whose eyes popped open.
Crawling his fingers up along the line he suddenly stabbed his fingers inside the cut line, ignoring the man’s scream and pulling hard he exposed his insides and released a whistle. “Look at the color of that pink muscle. He must have a good heart and liver. I’ve got six guys who’d love to get their hands on just onegood lung alone.” He glanced at Sorin. “I’ll cut you a deal if you give me his heart and liver. Those rats don’t need the organs.”
Sorin who’d recovered glared at Andrei. “Take them, I don’t care what you do.”
“Hmm, don’t take that back later,” Andrei said, removing his hand from inside the man’s stomach and pulling his phone out he quickly dialed a number. “Hey, Charlie, guess what I have for you…”
“You’ve regained your common sense,” Alek said, speaking to his eldest son.
Sorin averted his gaze giving a short nod. “Sorry, I was a bit sensitive.”
Alek observed him for a moment before he turned away. “You are not alone in that.”
He made his way back toward the steps. “I will be meeting with Tiller and then I’ll be leaving to find Eris.”
He felt the air shift exposing his killing intent that lashed at the walls.
“Father, you’re going to hunt again.”
“You and your brothers haven’t forgotten why we left our home and came here?” He didn’t look back at them. “Our purpose remains the same.”
With that, he continued up the steps and out of sight.
Grief
ALEK
He sat at the bar, his fingers following the rim of his glass. The intricately carved ice rose had already melted and was now mixing with the scotch. The brown color lightening to a golden color.
Alek had chosen to come to this bar several times over the few months since Lanias’ funeral. It had the classic feel of the bars in Romania with brick laid walls. The smell of candle wax filled it as the bar owner didn’t use electric lights.
Stools with velvet padding were just as comfortable as the velvet lined booths along the wall. He’d been allowing himself to mire himself in a murky haze of depression. Alek wasaccustomed to mourning. Over the last few hundred years he’d lost his identity, his people and his Queen. The story of a falling kingdom rang all too true when it came to his life.
Removing his pointer finger from the rim of the glass he pushed the glass across the bar counter. “Another one.”
The bar keeper turned away from the only other customer, a wispy figure, who couldn’t even drink his drink. The poltergeist shot him a hateful look before it winked out of view appearing in a booth some feet away where it smoothly cuddled with a female wraith.
“Looks like I’ll be calling your son to pick you up once more.” The bar keeper’s juniper-colored eyes were like bright headlights in comparison to his shadowy body that was the color of midnight. He flashed his yellowed teeth, “You should try to go home early today.” He said, his three arms moving separately from the hands that were preparing Alek’s drink.
Alek snorted, running his fingers through his long silvery locks. “I am drinking to the old days. You wouldn’t ruin my fun would you Anansi?”
Anansi gave him a shrewd look, as his fourth hand sat his drink down. “A Monarch Vampire like you has too many old days to drink to.”
Grabbing his drink up, Alek offered him a sarcastic smile. “Indeed.”
“Which is why he should stop drinking.” A perturbed person said from behind him. A delicate hand with long nails removed the drink from his hands. Tiller took a seat next to him, his yellow eyes narrowed into slits on him. “He has spent more time here than what is appropriate.”
