A Different Kind of Vampire

Chapter 4

After Vlad had returned to the living room the silence was practically tangible. Alfred kept glaring at the vampire, while the others, except for Lovino, kept glancing nervously towards Vlad.

The vampire had decided to lie down on the couch, his eyes closed. Lovino was sitting on the other end of the couch, trying to send the message that Vlad was not a danger to them, though it didn"t seem as though it was working.

The only sound in the room was the TV acting as background noise.

Alfred had been creeping towards the nearest window. Vlad was aware of that, but he didn"t react. He knew how the scene would play out, and he tried hard to make sure that there wasn"t a small smile on his face.

Alfred finally managed to grab the corner of the curtains, and the other humans looked nervous, though they didn"t want to alert the vampire. They were afraid of how the vampire would react.

Alfred started to pull at the curtain, but it was as though an invisible force kept it closed. As he continued to tug, Vlad couldn"t help the small smile that started to appear on his face, steadily growing the more the American struggled.

"Alright, what gives?" Alfred said at last, glaring at the vampire.

"If there"s one thing I can say about Americans," Vlad said, "they"re pretty predictable."

"What did you do?" Alfred demanded, letting go of the curtain.

"It"s telekinesis. You know, moving objects with the mind? Making sure the curtains stay closed is pretty easy."

Alfred huffed, before he stalked over towards the vampire. Vlad"s eyes opened a crack, though he was obviously not intimidated by the human.

Alfred grabbed hold of the front of Vlad"s trench coat, pulling him up. Vlad"s eyes had widened for a brief moment, but then he stared directly at the angry American.

"I don"t know what you"re playing," Alfred said. "But I"m not going to let you hurt any of us."

"Let him go, you bastard," Lovino said, trying to pry Alfred off of Vlad.

Vlad sighed.

"They"re called the Kirkland brothers," Vlad said.

The six humans stared at him in confusion.

"What are you talking about?" Alfred asked.

"The vampires that are hunting you. They"re known as the Kirkland brothers. They"re notorious for their magic, but the thing that everyone notices first is their huge eyebrows."

"How do you know about them?"

"Contact telepathy. I can read your mind through physical contact."

Almost instantly Alfred let go, backing away. Vlad sighed, shaking his head.

"What else did you see?" Alfred asked.

"I only saw that," Vlad said. "I wasn"t trying to pry, but that particular thought was pretty overwhelming."

"Is that why you"re so suspicious?" Lovino asked. "Because you"re being hunted too?"

Alfred avoided his gaze, and stalked out of the room.

"Maybe we should go," Matthew suggested.

"I wouldn"t do that," Vlad said. "If they"ve been hunting you, they"re bound to find a way in. If you go home, they could find their way inside. If you stay here, you might be able to throw them off, at least for a night."

"And if it doesn"t work?" Jason asked. "If they come here?"

"Will you protect us?" Marcello asked.

Vlad looked over towards the two youngest and sighed, nodding his head. Seeing the relief in the humans, he knew that he wouldn"t be able to say otherwise.

After a while Alfred returned to the living room, and the six humans made sleeping arrangements. Vlad sighed, keeping an eye on the clock, as well as the windows.

Daylight was running out.

"I still don"t think we should trust him," Alfred said, glancing over towards Vlad. "He"s a vampire."

"Vampire or not, you"re still safest with him."

The six humans jumped at the voice, glancing towards the door, where they saw a man wearing a white suit. There was a child hiding behind him, clinging onto his jacket. Vlad didn"t look towards the newcomer, though he did groan.

"You know, vampires are a lot politer than you because they need permission to enter someone"s house," Vlad said. "But you"ve never been bothered by it, have you, Roddy?" He turned to face the newcomer, a look of annoyance on his face. "Where"s Elizabitcha?"

"Please, not in front of children," Roderich sighed. "She"s not here."

"Who are you?" Lovino demanded, shrinking closer towards Vlad.

"An angel of music, Roderich Edelstein," Vlad said, a bit of contempt in his voice.

"An angel?" Matthew asked.

Suddenly, the humans had different looks on their faces. They seemed awed and relaxed. Except for Lovino, who merely moved closer to Vlad.

"Should we trust someone that doesn"t get along with angels?" Alfred asked, looking towards Vlad.

"He gets along with a few," Roderich said. "The only problem he has with me is that Elizabeta is my heartwing."

"What"s that?" Marcello asked.

"Simply put, it"s an angel"s term for soul mate," Vlad said. "Angels are supposed to be made in two"s. Roderich and Elizabeta, for example. But that"s not why you"re here, is it, Roddy?"

"No, it"s not," Roderich said, turning towards the child. "This is Hans, my son. He needs protection."

"Wait, that"s a boy?" Jason asked, looking incredulous.

Hans bristled slightly.

"Why are you bringing him here?" Alfred asked. "Can"t you protect him, or at least another angel?"

"Due to the vampire outbreak, angels can"t stay in this world for too long," Roderich said. "Except for angels of death, but they"re not allowed to mess with the natural order of life. They"re not allowed to protect anyone, unless they have the permission of an angel of life. And Vlad has proven that he is the safest person for Nephilim to be around."

"What?" Feliciano, Matthew and Alfred asked.

Roderich looked towards the teens, seeing looks of confusion on their faces. He then turned to Vlad.

"You didn"t tell them?" he asked.

"It hasn"t come up," Vlad said, shrugging.

"Fine. A Nephilim is the offspring of a human and an angel. The angel blood remains for about five generations. Romulus is an angel of love, and Ayiane is an angel of nature."

"You mean Mom"s an angel?" Matthew asked.

"What does it matter?" Jason asked. "She left us."

"That whole part of angels not being able to last long in this world?" Vlad said. "Keep that in mind."

"Indeed," Roderich said. "And unfortunately for you, vampires are attracted to the scent and taste of Nephilim blood. Except for Vlad."

"What makes him so special?" Alfred asked.

Roderich and Vlad looked at each other for a moment, and Vlad narrowed his eyes. Roderich shook his head.

"Perhaps you can learn that in time," Roderich said. "Now, you"ve already witnessed how humans are unable to defeat the vampires, and we angels are at the moment unable to do so. So we"re hoping to get you involved."

"What?" Jason asked. "So, you"re going to send a bunch of teenagers to do what you can"t do?"

"It seems someone understands how angels work," Vlad said, smirking. "Yes, they like to manipulate mortals to do what they need to do."

Roderich glared at Vlad.

"And Vlad is not allowed to kill anyone without the express permission of an angel of death, unless he wants a few demons on his tail," Roderich said. "Which means he"s just as useless as we are at the moment." 

Vlad glared back at him. "Wait," Alfred said. "Not allowed to kill?"

"I"d rather not talk about it," Vlad said.

"He can, however, protect you," Roderich interrupted. "And no one knows Nephilim better than Vlad. Not even we angels know as much as he does."

"And I"ve already proven that they"re safer with me than angels," Vlad said.

"I believe Fletcher already gave you your mission?"

"Da. Find and train at least twelve Nephilim. Don"t let any vampires get to them. Yada, yada, yada…"

"Good. And you"re already halfway."

"What?" Lovino asked. "You mean twelve? I don"t think twelve people can stay here."

Roderich sighed, looking towards Vlad.

"Do you have any friends with large houses and who would hopefully protect them?" Roderich asked.

Vlad nodded his head.

"I know someone," he said. "Anyone he takes under his wing, he"ll protect to the bitter end."

"Who is it?" 

Vlad smirked.

"Feliks."

Roderich nodded his head, knowing who Vlad was speaking about, and apparently approving.

"Very well," Roderich said. He placed his hand on Hans"s head. "Then I"ll leave you now. Take care of him. Of all of them."

And Roderich was gone.

Vlad sighed, standing from the couch.

"I"m going to go call Feliks," Vlad said.

"How do you know he"s still around?" Lovino asked. "I mean, you"ve been asleep for twenty years. He could be…"

"Feliks is immortal," Vlad explained. "And he"s got a big house. He"s a bit materialistic, and can come off as shallow, but when it comes down to it, he"s one of the most loyal people you could ever meet. Also, he"s not a vampire."

And Vlad left, leaving the teens to ponder about the entire situation.

Hans fidgeted nervously, before looking towards Marcello.

"Do you have any art supplies?" he asked.

Marcello looked towards Feliciano, who had a huge smile on his face.

"Ve, I can show you to our art room," Feliciano said.

Hans smiled as the older boy showed him the way.

Lovino looked over towards where Vlad had disappeared and stood, going to find the vampire. It took him a while, but eventually he found Vlad in the bathroom, standing in front of the mirror. He was speaking to the mirror, and Lovino was questioning his sanity for a moment, until he heard the mirror talk back.

"What the hell?" Lovino asked.

Vlad turned to look at him and smiled. He turned back to the mirror.

"How soon do you think you can be here?" he asked.

"Like, I"ll be there before dawn," the mirror said. "How many are there again?"

"Seven. Thank you."

Lovino frowned, walking closer. He wanted to know what exactly this was.

When he looked into the mirror, he saw someone with blond hair and green eyes. The other person blinked, looking between Vlad and Lovino. Finally, he smirked towards Vlad.

"Like, is this…?" the other started.

"Thank you Feliks," Vlad interrupted. "I"ll see you later."

"Fine," Feliks huffed. "Like, I"ll see you later babe."

And the image in the mirror disappeared, leaving only Lovino"s reflection, since vampires didn"t have one.

Lovino moved closer towards the mirror, before he looked back towards Vlad. 

"What did you do?" he asked. 

"Some immortals use this method to communicate with each other, if you don"t know how to find them, or you"re unable to go to them personally. And it doesn"t have to be mirrors. Though considering Feliks, he"d definitely have a few of them."

"How"d you know he"d be home?"

"Because asides from me, he only has three other friends, and one of them is an angelic bitch."

"That same one you mentioned earlier?"

"Da."

"What"s the deal between you two anyway?"

"If I have to explain, we"d be here all month."

Lovino winced at that, and the two of them left the bathroom.

"So, what exactly is your friend?" Lovino asked.

Vlad chuckled.

"That"s a surprise."

…

Feliciano had made pasta for them all. Vlad wasn"t eating anything, and Lovino had less than the others, much to his dismay.

"Why can"t I eat more again?" Lovino asked.

"Because you still need to get used to eating regular meals," Vlad said.

"I think that"s a load of…" Alfred started.

"Al," Matthew warned, looking towards Hans.

Alfred rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn"t you be lecturing them?" he asked, pointing towards Lovino and Jason, who merely glared at him.

Vlad sighed, before tensing. He turned his attention to the window, a glare on his face.

"What"s wrong?" Feliciano asked.

"It"s them," Vlad said, looking over towards Lovino. "They must have figured it out from your memories."

Lovino paled, and Feliciano instantly went to hug his brother.

"You can fight them off, right?" Feliciano asked.

"As long as we all stay in the house, there"s no need to fight," Vlad said.

"So, you"re a coward," Alfred said.

"No. I just know that three against one would be pointless unless absolutely necessary. And besides, starting a fight could attract other vampires, including your vampires."

Alfred pouted, not having anything to say about that.

"You"re supposed to be "training" us, right?" Jason said. "How is that supposed to work?"

"Nephilim tend to have an ability that lies dormant," Vlad said. "Most of the time. Sometimes it reveals itself and it"s impossible to control. Matthew has the ability called "non-existence"."

"How would you know that?" Alfred demanded.

"Because while we"ve been speaking he"s flickered in and out of existence five times. Have you ever felt as though you"re invisible?"

Matthew looked down, nodding his head.

The humans jumped when they heard a bang against the window, followed by scraping. Vlad sighed.

"They may not be able to enter without permission," Vlad said. "But they"re going to try to get you close enough so that they don"t have to."

Lovino was trembling, breathing heavily. Feliciano hugged him, and Lovino"s breathing only increased in speed. Vlad looked towards him, an unreadable expression on his face.

"I won"t let them get you," Vlad said. "Any of you. You have my word."

"Can we get that in writing?" Alfred asked.

"Dammit!" Lovino shouted. "An angel told us that he"s the best person to trust."

"He"s not a person! He"s a monster."

"Why? Because he"s a vampire? He didn"t choose this damn life."

"Stop it!" Hans shouted. "Just stop."

"Stay out of this kid," Alfred said.

"Al, you"re being impossible," Matthew said.

"No, Mattie. I don"t trust this guy!"

"I understand that," Vlad said. "But please, make sure you don"t do something stupid to endanger anyone in this room."

"You"re probably trying to turn us into your own private army as soon as we"re fully trained."

"Nephilim cannot be turned into vampires," Vlad said. "The angel blood in you prevents that from happening. Only a demon would be able to do that, and they won"t settle for vampire."

There was silence after that. Matthew cleared his throat.

"Did you have a lot of demons to deal with?" Matthew asked.

Vlad looked at him for a moment before sighing.

"One in particular," Vlad said. "They call him the Winter King. He"s strong, brutal, and has the mind of a child. He thinks of breaking people as some sort of sick game. I"m one of his games. He can"t find me, unless I kill something. And believe me when I say that I have no interest in playing his game. If I lose…"

Vlad shook his head. He turned his attention to Alfred.

"That"s why you should trust me. I"m not going to bring his attention to me again. Every time… I lose too much, and it only serves to destroy me."

Alfred looked towards him, eyes narrowed.

"And what if he finds you?" he asked.

"That"s why I asked Feliks to help," Vlad said. "He"s one of the few beings in heaven, hell and on earth that would openly challenge him and is unwilling to back down. Plus, Feliks has an elemental advantage. If he does get me, then you"re safe with Feliks."

"How do we know he hasn"t been able to find you yet?" Alfred asked.

"I"ve only woken up last night after sleeping for twenty years. If I don"t kill someone or something, then it usually takes him fifty years to find me."

"You told those bastards that you like to keep a low profile," Lovino said. "I"m guessing that he"s the reason why?"

"Da," Vlad said. "And picking a fight with three vampires is not worth it if it leads to the possibility of him coming. Do you understand? So as long as no one does something stupid," he looked pointedly at Alfred, "there would be no need to cause unnecessary trouble. Understood?"

"Fine," Alfred huffed.

"Isn"t it more dangerous, though?"” Marcello asked. "There are more of us here. If our blood is really that appealing to the vampires…"

"Your grandfather left you with a little gift," Vlad said, smirking. "The house is enchanted. The angelic blood cannot be smelled from the outside, unless you open a door or a window."

"So, we really are safe in here?" Hans asked.

"As much as you can be. The enchantment also includes a muffler. No matter how good their hearing is, they can"t hear what we"re saying."

"I guess that"s good," Matthew said. "Um, can you tell me more about that non-existent thing?"

…

As soon as the sun had safely set, the trio of vampires had gone to Lovino"s house. They still couldn"t smell his particular scent, but they could smell that other vampire. They could also sense that there were more people in the building than the previous night.

Gilbert had gone up to the window and tried to get the humans" attention, in the hopes that at least one of them was an i***t. They could hear people talking, though the conversation was muffled, which confused the vampires.

"What are we going to do now?" Francis asked.

"Arson comes to mind," Antonio said. "They can"t hide in the house if there"s no house to hide in."

"That might alert others," Francis said. "We need a better plan."

"How do you think they"ll react to a dog outside?" Gilbert asked.

"No good, amigo," Antonio said. "That vampire knows you"re a wolfwalker."

"Right. Damn."

…

A few blocks away, another group of vampires was outside of an empty house, hoping to get the prey that was no longer there.

"Do you think someone else got them?" Patrick asked.

"No," Alistair said. "I think they"re hiding out at friends"."

"One way to find out," Arthur said. "Try to see which house has more people than it did before."

"And what then?" William asked.

"We simply do what we would have done tonight anyway."