The sterile scent a hospital holds has always turned my stomach. Mostly because it masks the putrid odor of death. The way it curls into your nostrils and burns the hairs. It sits and wafts. My fangs ached at the thought of slaughtering every bag of blood I crossed in St. Donovan hospital. This is where Alcide was remanded to. He's currently drugged up in the emergency room. His injuries are cracked and bruised ribs and a fractured wrist. But he's alive. That means he's still under contract.

If only I can get to him.

The easiest way to do that was by finding the appropriate attire. After glamorizing a handsome doctor into handing over their blood. I stole their clothes and just walked right in. As I neared him. I knew he'd be no use to me in the state he's in. He's so high he can barely fit coherent sentences together. I cooled my mood and attempted to speak to the bumbling idiot anyhow.

"There's the lover boy... sorry about your girl. "

"Where is Bill?"

"Bill? Bill?...Bill? Bill Nye the science guy? "

"William. The vampire. Where is he?"

More drivel poured from his lips. My patience was lost. Looks like I'll be tasting shifter. After ensuring he was fast asleep. I took a little love sip. Not bad. Sort of? Greasy on the aftertaste but. Eh. There it is. A nice afterglow of whatever narcotics they've got him on burst in my aching old bones. A blurry vision unfolded. In it. I was able to glean the moment after I hopped out and escaped to that trap house. Our dear sweet William was saved. He was saved by the 'police'.

Yet they left Alcide there to die? If it wasn't for some kind soul stopping to pull him out of the inflamed contraption. He'd be a roasted hound. I took another sip and left. My bad. I mean. He's not dead. At least not yet. I hope he can explain why that officer knew him by his first name. If he can't. He might not make it home with all his limbs. I had to make a decision.

I either go after him. Or go after you. I doubt Russel will kill you. So, Bill, it was. I retraced my steps back to the highway and attempted to pick his scent up but strangely nothing was found. Not even so much as a burst tire. No police presence. No cameras. No people lurking about. There's something going on here.

We have our ways with glamorizing but there was media presence. That video would have been seen live by the entire state by now. That doesn't even account if a stray phone caught a clip and posted it. Vampires, werewolves, car chases? Hell. A truck dropped out of the sky. It's too big of a mess to just. Wipe away.

The best course of action would be to check the drug camps. Their ridden with derelict trailers or abandoned train cars. Inside them, the homeless V-addicted members of society. Along with all sorts of creatures that lurk around for easy pickings. Im sure somebody knows something. I found a small one hidden in the sewers. I'd have to be careful... around places like these. Vampires have been known to vanish. Their parts usually come up drained and dismembered.

As I stumbled around I kept watch for any dealers or buyers that may need a hit. I'm not above selling my fluids for information. The dank scent of dirty water permeated all around. Along with the funk of caked dirt & feces clinging to humans. A few fires were roaring in garbage cans. Someone must have had a radio? A dull humming of something playing bounced.

"Psst."

A pebble was tossed at my back. I turned to see the culprit. A kid. Couldn't be any older than 12 or 13. Matted white blonde tresses stuck out in odd angles. His shoes were worn and his clothes a bit too tight. He waved at me to follow him. I'd be an idiot if I did that. Young children are used as lures. Especially young teen girls.

A significant portion of young women that are trafficked. Will end up either being sold as a live-in blood bag. And or pimped out to feed vampires regularly. However. The kicker is. They make more money by in turn using the girl to trap. You stop by to feed and end up drugged. Next thing you know, you're hooked up to a vacuum sucking out all your blood.

As I turned to walk off. Another pebble was tossed at my head. So I taught the twerp a lesson. I held him up against the wall and just as I was about to glamour him. I felt a stake poking my chest.

"You must be deaf, blind, and stupid. What's your kind doing round here?"

"What's it matter to you?"

"All it takes is one scream and you're dead."

"How much?"

"A bag full."

"Nah, you are too small, kid. That much will stop your heart."

"I'll do whatever you want. Even touch your Willy if that's what you're into."

Hearing this kid talk like that made my stomach turn. I put him down and dropped my wallet at his feet.

"I don't want that type of shit. I just need to know if you've heard about that mess?"

"Talking bout them strange black copters? Yeah mister it's gonna take more than cash for me to talk about that."

"I can give you enough."

I disappeared for a second. Only to find an empty smushed plastic bottle. After a bit of blowing into it. I bit myself and bled. A kid his size? He shouldn't even have a drop. I'd say a few teaspoons would knock him on his ass. I held it out of his reach and asked the question again.

That feral glint came into his eyes and he bout ripped me in two to get to the blood. He skittered off to some corner to drink. The effects of long-term use can molt the skin. It will flake off in pieces, not unlike a nasty sunburn. So they stay in the dark. Soon they turn a pale sickly color and gain light sensitivity so bad they can combust. Eventually, they become. A mutated version of us. All shriveled up and damn near dead from starvation.

As the euphoria kicked in. The boy relaxed. Globs of my blood still dripping from his lips. He spoke of an abandoned hospital. Seems mad Russel has been up to his old nonsense. He's been snatching creatures off the streets to experiment on. Creating his own cracked-out hybrids. In order to stay off the admissions list. You're to pay a monthly fine. And you're safe. Until you can't pay. Or he decides he no longer wants to keep his word. Then. He has his wolves come snatch you up.

I have no doubt in my mind that's where he has you. Sorry, my love. Screw William. Your safe return home takes precedence... it shouldn't. If the authority were to find out I placed you over him and he ends up dead? I'd be burned. Pamela would attempt smacking me as I struggled with myself on the matter. I immediately left the infested tunnels and moved out towards the countryside.

As I dashed through a thicket of trees. The sun finally began setting. As soon as I was able to toss the rags. I did. The shadow of a full moon hung high. It quickly became dark and a dense fog covered for miles. A sense of foreboding crashed into me. An unnatural amount.

I forced myself to calm. I scanned the trees for predators. While searching, my eyes spied a strange-looking symbol carved into the bark of an imposing oak.

Witches. The entire town must be under some spell right now. It could explain why there was no uproar about today. Sissi what have you gotten yourself into? Witches are. Nasty. Especially necromancers. Our precarious position places them as one of the things we fear. There's stories of them taking control of our bodies and forcing us to sunbathe. Or just simply enslaving us to do their bidding. Poisoning us with their blood.

I need to get away from here and fast. I blindly flew at a dangerous speed until I was out of that forest. I had come face to face with not a hospital but a castle. Its haunting figure loomed in the center. Sentries were stalking the grounds. I'd have no choice but to sneak in... as I tiptoed around the property to scale the darkly colored stone replica of Château d'Amboise. My thoughts began to wander to stories I have heard. Tales really.

No one truly knows if all the things said about mad Russel. Are true. He is our eldest. A good portion of those tales happened long before any of us were a tadpole in our fathers' nuts. One of them. Now this one is a bit more tame. But one of them is that he was a lover of Leonardo da Vinci. Turns out Russel was besotted by him. I mean truly downright possessed. Until he wasn't. Then he died. Lots of his lovers. Usually, turn up. Dead.

I noticed the latest wasn't on his arm. He had been particularly intrigued by a redhead. I've noticed that's the color you've been dying your hair as of late. I like it. Although Pam said it's a warning sign. It probably is but the color is still so elegant against your skin. It especially compliments those copper-colored eyes.

They've been a bit more red. Not just from tears either. It's that blazing fire that lives inside of you. You are my weakness. It seems. I am not the only one that finds you to be the most divine. That notion terrified me as I found a stray window open. One of the only ones I've come across that didn't have steel bars pinned to it. Sissi. I'm beginning to become frightened I may find you not well.

I pushed that forbidden thought away as I climbed through. I found myself in an attic. At least I'm to believe it is. There were strange wooden boxes all around. Most of them were particularly ancient. The words that detailed the item names or shipping information has long since worn away. I'd be lying if I hadn't had a curiosity about the contents.

They were stacked floor to ceiling. Items were tumbling out onto the creaky wooden floor. I think I even saw a pile of stray gold coins. Heh. I may need to come back to this room. You know. After I find you. Despite my searching, I kept getting lost in the maze. My thoughts on the secrets. Of all the treasures Russel must have found over the years. Kept popping up. No matter. I finally found a door.

A cathedral arched top masterpiece. Intricate designs of a garden were carved. The hardware was made out of pure gold. The petals on the flowers of a large tree were covered in jewels and stones. Yeah. I'm coming back to this room. As I exited. I found myself in a long hall filled with nothing but doors. They appeared much larger than they actually were and some of them were even bugged with traps. One I had tried to open and almost had my face blown off by a shotgun.

The further down I went. The worse things became. His werewolves were moving about forcing me to scale the walls and climb into a vent. That's when things got a bit funky. As I searched for you. I found many other things.

Experiments. The creatures in the world for the most part have gone extinct. It's the age of the humans. However. I see mad Russel has managed to orchestrate a zoo of some sort. I even came across a jinn. It was muttering to itself as it sat in some vegetative state. Occasionally this strange blue light would glow in its eyes. Yet no matter. It's completely destroyed.

This is your fate. I'm sure of it. He wouldn't kill you but lock you away until you rot and fester. The vent I was in was nearing its end. I was struggling to stuff myself through the hot narrow metal. The sides were beginning to burn at my skin. It's sweltering in here... I'm coming baby. Rather than force myself, I burst through and landed in a museum of artifacts.

My eyes took in all the precious items enclosed in glass casings. A few were recognizable. The Luftwaffe uniform of one Adolf Hitler was hung up and immaculately preserved. I will never forgive my father for what went down that day. I didn't meet Old Adolf himself. But Russel did. He lent his abilities to the Reich. An entire werewolf unit of Schutzstaffel officers was under his command. They were ruthless.

On the battlefield and off. The ruckus they were making wasn't good. Humans had begun asking questions. This occurred just before I left his side. At the time. Father and I were investigating in Augsburg, Germany. We were holed up in some house. A hovel really.

The family had been slaughtered. A mother and father and three beautiful children. Their remains were tossed around and blood smeared all over like some finger painting. There was a survivor. A young woman. The plan was to interrogate her. Before we revealed ourselves. An American soldier burst in.

We were forced to watch as she ripped into him like a succulent waygu steak. 'It wouldn't do to risk our lives.' He tried to tell me. But I couldn't. I just couldn't let it get away. So I showed myself. We fought it out and I damn near died. Godric put the girl out of her misery.

But not before he obtained the truth.

She had been told to return to her newfound family after she destroyed her old one. It's an old practice of theirs. It's to show strength and loyalty to the pack. My father. Godric. He desired to tuck tail. A pack of werewolves being run by a vampire. Most of all. The eldest one known. He didn't think it our business to go messing around in Russel's nonsense.

While I? I had other ideas. I loathe them. Not just because they are our natural and one of our eldest enemies. But because of my history with them. My kingdom. My home. Before I was this. It was rampaged on by a pack of em. I was the only survivor and that was just barely. I fought to my last breath and then was saved.

Godric came down from a tree. Landed right in front of me. With only one question on his lips. Did I want to die? I didn't. But I knew that I was. My intestines had been ripped out. They were just sitting in my hands. I was cold. So cold. So of course I told him no. I was lifted from my feet, I couldn't feel them to stand on my own so I leaned. His bite barely registered. As I died. The only thought in my mind was of her. Aude.

My wife. If I'm honest. I haven't loved since. There's been plenty of lovers but none of them held my heart. Until you. When I woke. Well. That's a longer tale.

Back to the first one. Despite Godric's reluctance, I managed to persuade him. We took out a few roaming ss and stole their uniforms and infiltrated a camp. I was particularly ruthless then. I'm quite mellow these days...Godric sabotaged the mission by picking a fight over saving the humans or destroying that maniac. He almost died plucking them to safety. It was I that saved him that day and left.

Why do these two tales matter? As I sat there. Unable to move from my spot. There was another glass encasing that held something more than familiar. A crown. I loathed that thing too. The weight of it. It was a mighty cross to bear and it wasn't even mine yet. It was my father's. Ulfrik. We didn't get along well.

I wasn't. I wasn't a king. If I'm honest... I didn't even mourn his death. I should have. As I gazed at that ugly gold bejeweled circlet I finally did. Tears fell as it dawned on me why Godric chose to fight me on killing that vile creature. He would have had to tell me the truth. He would have had to tell me. The same creature we were hunting. Killed my wife and decimated my entire kingdom. He saved my life again. I would have fought him to the death and he knew it. Damn.

The sound of alarm bells went off. Red lights flashing all around. The longer I sat the more chaos ripped around me. Shouting and screaming could be heard as werewolves barreled after some escapee. All while I couldn't remove my eyes from that crown. I forced myself up and inched toward it. A deep burn built in my throat as my blood threatened to spill from shame. While my family was slaughtered. I was out fucking some whore. I wasn't a good husband. Aude was my brother's wife. I loved her but I never let myself.

I felt wrong about it. I had always coveted her. She was the most beautiful woman in our tribe. Smart too. A healer. She loved my brother and so I pretended I didn't. She knew of my straying and didn't care. I was going to be king and I treated her well. Gave her children. We were friends. If only I hadn't been such a coward. I could have had so much more with her.

As I finally reached it. I couldn't help but press myself against the glass. Sticking my face to it and breathing raggedly as I lusted to hold it. To caress my fingers against the rubies and gems. Ulfrik's last words to me. Were of me needing to grow up. To be a king. As my hands burst through the glass to finally take my crown. I decided that I would be. My first duty is to avenge the last Northman king.

I shall rip poor old mad Russel's spine from his body as he did to my mother and father. Then. I will put Bill out his misery. I won't make that mistake again. Of letting love slip through my hands because I'm too weak and afraid to let myself be loved. To let myself love you.