Chapter 10

Arthur.



My magic was buzzing in my ears and when he finally released my hand; I could breathe in more calmly. He was silent; and I was happy with that arrangement. The tension between us was apparent. I kept glancing out the window, not recognising the part of London we were driving through.
People were out everywhere—it was the weekend. Nathaniel slowed down and I noticed the club across the road when he parked the car. The bouncers were letting people in, probably checking IDs. There was a long queue and I really didn’t know what to expect. Arthur was another vampire, so I was a little wary.
“I know a lot of people in this club, but I want you to promise me that you will be careful. Vampires can be unpredictable.” He was staring at me with the same passion as before; his eyes were twinkling in the corners.
I was just about to open my mouth to tell him that he didn’t need to tell me what to do, but I thought better of it.
He was helping me, and I needed to be grateful, so I nodded. Nathaniel seemed satisfied and even gave me a light smile. He got out of the car first, then went around to the passenger side and opened the door for me like a gentleman. Warmth filled my stomach when he grabbed my hand again; his skin was warm and soft.
There were a lot of humans around when we started walking toward the club. I was looking out for more vampires. A few girls were smiling at Nathaniel, but he ignored them. Magic stirred deep in the pit of my stomach and I kept reminding myself that I wasn’t at all jealous that he was getting attention from other women.
Nathaniel had a very confident stride; he looked good wearing his long black coat. We didn’t wait in the queue like I’d expected. We approached the bouncers and Nathaniel unexpectedly patted one of them on the back.
“All right, Ramirez, it seems like a busy night. Is your boss in?” The bouncer was a giant with sharp southern American features. He looked surprised, but his hard expression instantly softened when he glanced at me.
“La Caz, what a treat. You’re the last person I expected to see tonight,” he said, grinning. “And you have a lady friend. An elf. Well, that’s unexpected.”
Nathaniel laughed, and I smiled at him. The two of them obviously knew each other. I suspected that he must have been in that club before. Either way, this was none of my business. He’d told me earlier on that he wasn’t interested in a serious relationship.
“Yes, this is Julia Taylor, my date for tonight,” he added more sharply.
“All right, come on in. Arthur is in his office,” the bouncer replied, and let us through the gate. Some humans expressed their discontent, but Nathaniel seemed oblivious to their protests. I was still a little taken aback by the fact that he would come here.
Inside, the club was busy, and the music was loud. The smell of sweat and blood hit me instantly. None of this was good, but I knew I had to keep an open mind. Nathaniel’s eyes sharpened; I had a feeling that he was enticed by the atmosphere. There were a lot of vampires inside, and many of them were with humans.
The bar and the dance floor were packed. Nathaniel was navigating me through the crowd of people; he seemed to know where he was going. We reached the stairs and walked up to the second floor, then over to the narrow corridor.
“Let me talk, Julia.” I nodded, showing him that I understood what he was saying.
He knocked a few times and a deep voice sounded from behind. The door opened, and we found ourselves in a large office. Another bouncer was guarding the door. I noticed a pale vampire sitting in front of a computer screen. He had curly dark hair and a wide jaw. He stood from his chair as soon as he saw us.
“Nathaniel La Caz,” he said, sounding surprised. The bouncer moved out of the way while Nathaniel and presumably, Arthur shook hands. “I thought you were stuck in your office coming up with another innovative idea.”
“I didn’t come here for chit chat, Arthur. There is something serious going on in the city. This is my friend, Julia Taylor. She’s half elf and a few days ago, her cousin was abducted on the street. Apparently, more elves and fairies are going missing every day. One of my syringes with blood was found on the scene where her cousin was taken.” Nathaniel leaned on the desk, getting straight to the point. Arthur tightened his jaw, then glanced at the bouncer.
“Dimitri leave, and make sure no one interrupts us.”
The other vampire nodded, then left us alone, making the office seemed less crowded. Arthur dragged his hand through his hair.
“Yes, I heard some rumours on the streets, but I didn’t expect that whoever was behind this would start kidnapping paranormals,” Arthur said. “The boys heard that the wolves are dealing with blood too. Maybe there’s someone new who’s slowly taking over their territory. I have no idea what to tell you, Nathaniel.”
That was a disappointing. I thought that this guy was supposed to know what was going on. I wanted to ask him about the blood, but then remembered that Nathaniel insisted that he do all the talking.
“I believe that one individual is after the purity of the blood. He must be looking to raise its market value. And you know what that means for all of us?” Nathaniel asked, sounding concerned.
“Yes, I do,” Arthur answered, and I wondered why they were talking in code.
None of this sounded good, and we were running out of time.
“I bet it’s Gordon. I might be wrong, but he’s the only person interested in this sort of thing,” Arthur continued, and when he smiled I could see his fangs. Then he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. I wondered if my cover charm was fading. Maybe that’s why Nathaniel wanted me to keep quiet.
“Julia, could you wait for me at the bar?” Nathaniel asked. “Me and Arthur have something that we need to discuss.”
I shrugged my shoulder and nodded. I didn’t think this whole thing was about me. Nathaniel obviously had some other business that he wanted to talk about and he didn’t want any witnesses. Fine, whatever. I was happy to look around.
I opened the door and was just about to walk through when Nathaniel said,
“And Julia, remember what I said earlier: stay put.”
“Yes, sir,” I responded sarcastically, then shut the door. I didn’t like his tone of voice. I knew that this territory was dangerous, and I wasn’t planning to do anything stupid. The bouncer winked at me and I walked downstairs.
I had to squeeze through the throng of people to get to the bar. Five minutes later, I was noticing a lot more vampires than I expected to see. And they were all drinking blood in front of humans. I suspected that Arthur sold blood behind the bar, but I wondered where it came from.
I shuddered with disgust pushing that thought away quickly. I thought about Roger, knowing that I should have went to see him much sooner. He most likely knew more than Arthur did. In a short amount of time, Nathaniel had managed to establish that maybe there was someone new who was most likely dealing with fairies and elves blood.
Our blood was precious to vampires, but I didn’t understand why werewolves needed it too. When the barman finally noticed me, I ordered a dry martini. My magic was rising inside me again, and my skin felt hypersensitive.
I tried to relax, but I kept glancing upstairs waiting for Nathaniel to appear.
“Here you go, love,” a very handsome human barman said, smiling at me. I took a sip, still watching all the vampires dancing around, wondering how Arthur was getting away with such exposure. The smell of blood was getting stronger. There were more and more vampires showing up by the minute, and a few of them were glancing at me. I was becoming uncomfortable. I didn’t want to be the only elf around, especially when my cover charm was fading.
A dark-haired individual was staring at me from the other side of the bar. For a split second I thought it was Jasper. He had very similar features, but I told myself that it was someone else. After the last time, my message must have finally gotten through to him.
The stranger smiled at me, and I looked away when another couple caught my eye. A man and a woman were kissing, standing only a few steps away from me. The girl was stunning, and I knew right away that she was a pure-blooded elf. I would recognise her energy anywhere. She had blond hair and a body to die for. Her hair was shimmering in the light and when the man turned his head I realised that he was a vampire. That was unexpected and wrong on so many levels.
She smiled at him, but there was something off about her magic. She was an elf, but she seemed broken from the inside out. I couldn’t explain this, but it felt as if the threads of her magic failed to communicate with each other. The vampire grabbed her hand when she tried to walk away. He whispered something in her ear, then dragged her around the corner. She didn’t want to go with him, but he was pushing her.
I finished my drink and had this strange urge to follow them.
Elves were supposed to stay away from vampires and I hated to think that this vampire was trying to take advantage of her. Nathaniel asked me to stay by the bar, but I couldn’t just let that scumbag drain her, and I was certain that he was planning to do just that. This was unacceptable; she wasn’t even able to defend herself. Someone must have interfered with her magic. I started squeezing through the throng of people again, looking around the crowded dance floor, but they had vanished. The couple was nowhere to be seen.
My heart rate picked up and I started to panic. For some reason, the energy inside my system was going berserk. I reached the corridor that led to the toilets when I overhead moaning coming from the locked door.
The corridor was full of giggling girls, so I waited until they disappeared.
“Do you like that, beauty? I just need a little more blood. You taste unbelievable,” the deep, harsh voice was saying.
I glanced at my now-sparkling fingertips. The wind ruffled my hair and I suspected that it was my magic that kept bouncing around, increasing my blood pressure. The lights in the corridor started flashing. I needed to calm down, otherwise I could cause a lot of damage. This elf girl should have known better, but there was no way that I was going to just leave her there.
I couldn’t risk heading back to the dance floor and there wasn’t enough time to get a security. I needed to do something now.
“No, I want to leave now, please. I shouldn’t have come and the blood—”
“Shhh, no, it’s time. Just one more bite and then we can leave. The master is waiting for a pure elf like you. He will reward me greatly,” the vampire said, then the elf girl screamed. My heart skipped a beat and I knew that I couldn’t wait any longer.
I kicked the door open, and for the first time, I knew that I could produce enough magic to defend her.
“Get off her, you coward. She’s not your property,” I snarled, standing in the doorway just as the pale vampire was about to drink from the blond elf. She screamed even louder when she saw me.
My hands were filled with fire magic, and yeah, maybe I was shaking a little, but it didn’t matter. The vampire had light blond hair and her blood was dripping down his disgusting fangs. I needed to remember this, because this is what vampires did to fairies and elves, and eventually Nathaniel might do the same to me.
“Well, well, well. What do we have here? I’m sure you will taste just as delicious, darling.” The vampire stood up, eyeing my body up and down. I threw my magic straight toward his torso. Everything happened so fast after that. I didn’t even expect my magic to work that effectively, but the impact threw him over the half wall. The ripple of electric current surged down my limbs. For the first time, I didn’t screw up the spell.
The vampire didn’t move again.
“Come on, let’s get out of here.” I went to the blonde elf; she wasn’t in the best of shape, but I managed to get her back to her feet. Blood was running down her neck and that could cause even more trouble.
“No, we can’t leave. He’s coming for me,” she told me when we were in the corridor.
I looked around for help, but no one was there. Seconds later, someone grabbed me from behind. The girl was pushed to the side, and I slammed to the ground. The vampire that I knocked out earlier on must have come around. I was shocked because he looked unconscious just a second ago. He yanked my hair and I screamed.
I managed to hit him with my elbow, and he let go of a loud howling sound. My magic rushed over me, electrifying my body, and more lights kept flashing all around us. He didn’t release me, instead, he squashed me with his body, wrapping his hand around my throat. Dark, almost black blood, ran from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were filled with fury.
This was the end of me—even my magic couldn’t save me now.
“I’m going to fuck your magic out of you. This was none of your business and now, you will just become another donor.” He curled his lips back, revealing his sharp fangs, leaning closer to my face. I didn’t know what was going on around me, but there were other people, maybe humans, in the corridor. Surely, someone was going to call the bouncers.
He was just about to sink his fangs into my neck, when someone spoke up.
“Leave her, she belongs to me.”
It was Nathaniel; I recognised his voice instantly, and my heart kicked inside my chest.
The vampire sitting on top of up me jumped back to his feet and hissed like a wild animal. Nathaniel’s eyes moved over me, and his jaw tightened. The lights were still flashing away. It was my magic and I felt like I was ready to explode.
“Fuck you, vampire. This bird interfered in my business, so she’s mine!” The other vampire reached out to grab me again; I was ready to scream, but nothing happened. When I looked again, Nathaniel had him pinned against the wall; he must have moved using some kind of super-speed.
I gasped when I saw his fangs. Deadly energy radiated from him. I thought that he wouldn’t scare me, but right then I didn’t want to be anywhere near him. His eyes were unrecognisable.
“Julia, get out of here. Now. Wait for me in the car and don’t do anything stupid.” His voice was very controlled, and it sent a shiver down my spine. I was fine; I wasn’t injured, but the pressure in my chest was mounting. I knew this had everything to do with the magical energy that I hadn’t released yet.
“What about the girl? She was bitten, she’s too—”
“Take her quickly before I lose control in front of all these people.” I could see by the look in Nathaniel’s now-dark eyes, he was about to snap, and I didn’t want to be anywhere in the vicinity when that happened. I moved my arm around the girl’s waist and left as fast as I could. People were staring when we were moving through the crowd. I had no idea what Nathaniel was going to do, but there were too many humans around.
If he wanted to hurt that guy, he needed to disappear. Luckily for me, the bouncer who Nathaniel had spoken to earlier on noticed me struggling. He lifted the girl in his arms and helped me get her back to Nathaniel’s car.
“Thank you, Ramirez. I owe you one. Tell Arthur that he has to watch out for vampires and fairies in the club.” Nathaniel’s voice startled me when we crossed the road. I jumped, holding my chest. My heart was beating extremely fast.
“Nathaniel, how did you get out here so fast?” I asked, while the elf girl was still moaning.
“That’s not important right now.” He motioned toward the bouncer. “Ramirez, help me get the girls inside the car.”
The bouncer nodded and a moment later, I was sitting in the back, holding the girl’s head in my lap. She was coming around, but she needed magic to build her strength. There was something seriously wrong with her magic. Someone must have used dark magic to tangle her energy. She needed urgent medical care.
“She must have used a glamour,” Ramirez said. “We have a policy: If vampires are in the club we don’t let elves or fairies inside.”
“All right, I will speak with Arthur about it later.” Nathaniel shut the door. He was furious, and I was too scared to ask him what happened to that vampire who attacked me. He slammed his foot on the gas and then drove off. The tires spun over the asphalt and my heart was in my throat.
There was a long uncomfortable silence in the car and I kept rubbing my fingers. The elf girl had fallen asleep. At least she wasn’t bleeding anymore.
“Julia, I can’t believe that you were unable to follow simple instructions. That vampire could have killed you.” Nathaniel was staring at me from his rearview mirror. His eyes were narrowed, shimmering from the dim lights of the street. My magic was still rippling throughout my body, and my fingertips were sparkling.
“Well, it was a good thing that I was there, because he was ready to drain that poor girl, thank you very much.” I looked down, brushing the elf’s hair. After that, Nathaniel didn’t say another word to me until we got to the hospital. Once there, he called me a taxi and told me to get home after he assured me that the girl would receive the best care possible.
I was exhausted, and my magic was still out of control, so I agreed. It had been a long day after all.