Moonlight Lovers

Forty

MAGNUS ROGLIESVANIA prodded on the wound at the neck of the twenty five year old woman that was found dead in an alleyway near the Northern district of Clairhill. His jaw tightened looking at the grotesque figure of the victim. He had never seen a person killed by a vampire like that in a couple of hundred years.

Being one of the eldest vampires in Courthall, he had witnessed how things have changed in their society over the years. As their kind started to plan out how to detach their kind from the humans, the elder blood beings set out rules that will keep every vampire from committing crimes. Since they can feed on a human without killing them, agreements between a few people that know about their kind were made. Asmodeus Muller’s brothel for instance was being paid for allowing to offer s****l and vampire-related services to them. Aside from Muller’s establishments, there are a few other businesses that deal with them. People who are easily manipulated with money, people who have no values and have very little care about humans, and are not bothered that dangerous creatures like them are secretly interacting with vulnerable mortals.

He was one of the original members of the legislature that passed the regulations. His job before was to help cover up for some vampires that could not do their job well. When he was elected as the head of the council about 500 years ago, he passed that task to another council member. But recently, some vampire-related deaths are getting too many to be taken care of even by the money-hungry Edrus Crest. Not wanting local authorities to find the victims in the state they were left in and to help destroy evidence that may link the killings to a blood being no matter how far fetched it may seem to humans, he had employed a few more people for the job. Still, a few cases get out without being handled properly, so he decided to put himself in the same task.

This was obviously done by a fresh blood, he thought.

He started feeling infuriated thinking who had possibly been changing humans to vampires lately and letting these untrained, wild monsters loose? The number of victims keeps growing and growing. Lately, more and more news about wild animal attacks is being released by the media. Some of the supernatural believers are even theorizing that vampires are involved. And it’s not like the humans are going to believe the word of one man, but it was his job to keep things from getting out of hand.

Magnus removed his black leather gloves and scanned the entire dark alley. A slightly smaller figure was standing not too far from him. It was his assistant Zeke Iverson. Among all vampires in their society, he’s the only one who keeps another vampire as an assistant. No one had ever dared ask why Zeke was allowing a vampire, even though it was the head of the legislature, to employ him to a task that usually belongs to humans, but everyone just got used to seeing him following orders of the powerful head of the Rogliesvania coven.

Zeke was slightly less tall than Magnus, and looked very young, almost like a teenager. But he dresses like Magnus, wearing fancy suits at work and even when working outside. He also wears thick dark-framed eyeglasses.

He took the gloves from Magnus. “What do you think of this one?” Zeke asked.

“I’m quite certain a fresh blood is involved here,” he spitefully said. “This is becoming a headache, seriously.”

“Do you need me to look into this?” His assistant offered. “Crest must know something.”

Magnus looked at his assistant and thought for a second. “No, I can take care of this. Besides, Edrus never give information for free to any vampire except me. I have a more important thing for you to look into.”

Zeke furrowed his brows. “What is it?”

“I need you to visit Godric Octavius’s estate. Find out what the members of the council have been talking about lately regarding him.”

Zeke nodded. He, too, looked completely clueless and curious. “I understand. I will get on with it right away. Will this be an official council visit?”

“No,” Magnus replied. “Make sure no one else knows.”

Magnus stepped away from the dead body and into a shiny black car waiting by the side of the road. Zeke nodded in respect as the car pulled away. Behind him, a group of human slaves started to clean up the crime scene.

A MAN strutted inside an empty bar very early in the morning. A proud smile was painted across his lips. He wiped the blood that the side of his mouth was stained with.

“Mia, help me out with a drink here!” He called. “I need to wash out the god-awful stench in my mouth.”

A woman in her late twenties peeked from what seemed to be the kitchen area. She looked shocked and worried and angry at the newcomer, realizing where he had been and what he had done.

“What the hell, Henson?!” She yelled, sprinting towards the man. She punched his chest, but it didn’t even make him nudge. “Were you out all night causing trouble again?”

Henson scoffed at his elder sister’s reaction. “I only did what I had to do to satisfy the hunger that no food can relieve.” He looked at her with judging stares. “You talk as if you don’t do what I’m doing.”

“I’m not careless like you!” She snapped. “We can feed on animals, why do you have to kill people?”

“You have never tasted human blood. You will never understand.”

Mia stared at her brother in disbelief when he walked out of her sight behind the bar counter to look for a drink.

“I swear, I’m going to f*****g throw you out if you continue this,” she warned.

He glanced at her and shrugged. “Throwing me out will not stop me from being hungry. If any, I’d have more freedom to do what I want to do without you nitpicking on things. Do you want more people killed every day?”

“Damn it, Henson! You are putting all of us in danger! Once those vampires find out about us, we’ll be all done.”

Henson just chuckled as if what she said was so ridiculous. “I told you, you don’t have to worry about them. I can fight those p*****s by myself.”

“You will eat your words.”

“I’m not scared of those pale-faced bloodsuckers! If there’s any emotion that I am feeling towards them, it’s anger. We have to hide all these years because of them and we also have hunters coming after us, what kind of bullshit is that?” Henson found a bottle of Jack and poured himself some whiskey on the rocks.

Mia stomped towards his brother and pushed the drink out of his hand. “If you’re trying to get yourself killed, spare me from your death wish! And like I said if you continue killing people, I am going to throw you out. I don’t care what you do. If those vampires from Courthall found you because of that, I will never come to your aid.”

“I know,” Henson lazily picked up the bottle on the floor, sighing at the wasted whiskey. “You never did anyway.”

Mia pressed her lips and anger and turned her back. “Clean up that mess!”

SILAS SAW Selene standing under the doorway to the lanai where he was resting and reading a book. He lifted the book and waved it a little, turning the side of his lips upward. “Hey, half of the lovebirds.”

Selene smiled meekly, walked towards his direction, and sat on the free chair next to him. “Are you feeling okay?” She asked and gestured towards his arm.

He nodded. “Yeah, I am. The doctor said I can go back to work soon. Godric gave me the whole month to rest on doctor’s orders.”

“That’s good.” She paused. “Hey, I just want to tell you that you don’t have to worry about work. I’m taking care of it,” she explained.

“I’m not worried. I know you’re doing great. Godric will not stop talking about how great you are every chance he gets.”

He saw Selene blush a little.

“Did he take you out on a date?” He asked. “Where did you two go?”

Selene looked surprised. “Huh?”

“It’s alright, I know there’s something going on between you two.” Silas scrunched his nose. “Unless I’m wrong. You’re not still scared of him, are you?”

“Well…” Selene bit her lips. “Instead of talking about that, can I ask you something?”

“Sure. What is it?”

“Has Godric ever been in a relationship before? I mean, not when he was still a human. But as a vampire, has he ever been in a relationship?”

Silas parted his mouth and nodded. He immediately understood what she’s asking about. “Ah. You’re finding out information about him as you would when you are dating someone.”

She looked defensive. “I’m not! I’m just curious because…” Her voice trailed off. She sighed in submission. “Yeah, you’re right. I am. It’s not been easy. It’s not like I can go on social media to stalk him and find out what he had been up to all these years. The only link I have to his past are the people who have been with him and right now that’s just you.”

Silas chuckled. “What are you worried about?”

“Well, we’re different. And I don’t even know if it’s okay, you know. Because people who are dating do some…things, which are normal. But I don’t think if I should let him, or if it’s safe for me since he’s a vampire, and…”

He waited for her to say more but she started growing smaller in her seat.

She covered her face with her hands in embarrassment. “Forget it. Just forget what I said.”

“Whatever it is that you are worried about, you should not. I bet he thinks about it a lot more than you do.”

Selene’s face turned red. “I…don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Selene, Godric promised to take care of you. And I’m sure he will see to it that you are always safe. You don’t need to worry about anything. At all.”

“Well, it’s really comforting to know that, to be honest,” she smiled a little.

“Is there anything else you want to know?”

“The women he’s dated, do you know any of them?”

Silas chuckled again. “All of the women he’s had a relationship with are no longer alive, Selene. You don’t need to worry about any of the exes getting back to him.”

“That’s not why I asked!” She pouted. “To be honest, I still don’t know why Godric is showing interest in me. I just want to know if maybe I share something similar with the women he had a romantic relationship with.”

“I see. You’re looking for a pattern.” Silas thought for a second. “Well, I remember he dated a celebrity back in the day.”

“A celebrity?”

“Yeah, that was around the ‘30s, I guess. I just heard him and Roald talking about it one time.”

Selene looked at her feet. A celebrity? She has no match for that. The woman was probably very beautiful to catch Godric Octavius’s attention.

Maybe Godric was only paying attention to her now because she’s someone he wanted to protect. And even if he keeps saying that her being a spellblood has nothing to do with it, she knew that it’s what probably draws him to her. Because what else could it be? It’s very unlikely for him to truly like someone like her. She is not the type that looks attractive to insanely charming guys like Godric.

“What happened to her?”

“She died young,” Silas said softly.

Her eyes grew wide. “Was it— Did she—” She couldn’t finish her sentence.

“She was murdered.”

Selene swallowed. She started to contemplate whether it’s the same fate that every woman who ever got associated with him ended up with.

“That was very unfortunate,” she said just as quietly. “What happened to the other women that he dated?”

Silas shook his head. “I never heard about him dating anyone again after that. Even when I started working for him, he only meets women for…” Silas hesitated a bit and looked at her awkwardly. “That thing, you know. And also to feed off of.”

Selene was starting to put the pieces together. So, that’s her only role all along. She understands now why it’s so difficult for him to say it. It’s probably why he keeps playing guessing games with her.

“You are really special to him, Selene. I hope you believe that,” Silas said.

She does. She knew she’s special to him. But only because she’s someone whom he needs. She’s special because she couldn’t refuse him if he needs to feed off of her. But other than that, she’s like the rest of the women that come and goes in his life.

Selene bit her lips. She didn’t want to cry in front of Silas. Why does she have to fall in love with a vampire?