Chapter 35 The Strange Calm Before the Storm

Chapter 35 The Strange Calm Before the Storm
The "Mocha Joe's" was thick with the smell of burnt espresso and sweet pastries. Lucien arrived exactly on time, adjusting his branded sunglasses as he walked in. The place was, in his opinion, painfully mundane. Nara was already there, sitting in a corner booth, stirring a paper cup with an expression of deep boredom.

— You're late — she said without looking up, tapping her fingers on the table.

— Technically, I’m three minutes early — replied Lucien, sliding into the chair across from her. — It’s your hyperactive wolf sense that makes time feel slower. Must be exhausting.

Nara gave him a forced smile. — Ha-ha. I thought you were going to give me the scoop. Typical vampire, promising chaos and then going back to your coffin for a nap.

— I’m a man of my word, darling. Especially when the word is "chaos". — Lucien signaled the waiter, ordering a double espresso with a grimace. — Now, where were we? Ah yes. The part where the Ice Prince’s jaw made that delightful cracking sound...

As Lucien narrated the events at the foundry with the flair of a master of ceremonies, Nara listened. Her mask of boredom slipped away, replaced by genuine fascination. She laughed when Lucien described the look of shock on Victor’s face.

— So your new Rael isn’t just a pretty, brooding guy — she said, clearly impressed. — He actually broke the prince’s arm?

— Like a dry twig — confirmed Lucien, delighted. — And my uncle… oh, his face. Priceless. Now, your alpha, Cedric… what did he say about his new soldier stirring up two entire clans?

— Cedric only knows that Rael won. And Cedric likes winners — said Nara, shrugging. — But this... a royal fiancé? That changes things.

— Exactly — said Lucien, leaning forward, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. — And that’s why this is going to be so much fun...

At that exact moment, the little bell above the café door rang.

Selene, Annalise, and Lysandra walked in. Annalise looked like a mouse in a nest of snakes, gripping her purse strap tightly. Lysandra looked deeply offended to even be there. Selene just looked exhausted.

— See, Selene? Normal — said Annalise, trying to smile. — Coffee. People. Zero angry vampires.

— Don’t speak too soon — muttered Lysandra. She stopped walking. Her vampire nose wrinkled. — Oh. Great.

Selene followed her gaze. In the corner, she saw Lucien. And then she saw who he was sitting with.

— He’s with Nara? — whispered Selene, recognizing her immediately. — From our History class?

— Yes — said Lysandra, flatly, guiding the group to a table on the opposite side of the room. — With Nara. From Cedric’s pack.

Selene froze. She knew Nara was a wolf; she’d seen her at the university talking to other pack members Rael had greeted.

— Anna, darling, get ready for a supernatural lesson — said Lysandra, in a low voice. — See that? Vampire and wolf. Talking.

— Aren’t they supposed to be trying to kill each other? — asked Annalise, eyes wide.

— Don’t be so dramatic, human — said Lysandra. — The rules in Ravenshade aren’t about existing. They’re about claiming. Packs stay in the forest, clans stay in the city. We can attend the same university, buy the same overpriced coffee. The problem only starts when we try to... — she made a vague gesture — get involved. Like our dear Selene here, who decided she wanted the alpha dog.

Selene watched Lucien and Nara. They weren’t arguing. They looked... like partners in crime. Lucien was talking, and Nara was laughing. Seeing him so comfortable with a wolf while his own family was trying to destroy Rael was deeply unsettling.

— Lucien is playing his own game — said Selene, mostly to herself.

— Lucien always plays Lucien’s game — agreed Lysandra. — And right now, it seems he and that wolf find the same things funny.

Far from the university, in a dark, foul-smelling alley near the docks, the only sound was a rhythmic dripping.

Tobias stood motionless in the shadows of a fire escape, watching. Below, a lesser vampire, a gutter leech, was hunched over a fallen figure, feeding with a wet, greedy sound. The vampire was careless, drunk on blood.

He didn’t even see Tobias approach.

The vampire lifted his head, eyes red and wild, blood dripping down his chin. He hissed, baring his fangs.

Tobias didn’t give him the chance to attack.

In a movement too fast for a normal human, Tobias dropped down. The vampire lunged, but Tobias moved through the attack. He didn’t use a weapon.

He grabbed the vampire’s head with both hands. With one, he forced the jaw open. With the other, he shoved something deep into the creature’s mouth.

It was a white phosphorus and silver grenade, the size of a shotgun shell.

The vampire froze, eyes widening in terror, hands clawing at his throat.

Tobias stepped back, calm and professional, as if he’d just taken out the trash.

— Choke on that.

A second later, the vampire’s insides exploded in a blinding white flash. The phosphorus and silver burned the creature from the inside out, a silent eruption of chemical fire. In three seconds, all that remained was a smoldering pile of ash.

Tobias brushed the dust from his jacket. He knelt beside the human victim, checked for a pulse. Too late.

He stood, his face a mask of cold hatred.

— Parasites. — He looked down at the ashes. — Deep down, I’ve always preferred the wolves. At least they’re honest in their savagery.

He packed his gear, his mission for the night complete.

— The only good vampire is a dead one.