a stop to this once and for all. I will make sure she tears his soul from his chest like she should have when she had the chance. I vow to God above I will see it done!”
“You will not make one more step of progress in this city unless my Master allows it, Alfonzo Van Helsing. This city is his domain. He is the only god in this place. Take the bargain, you foolish mortal. Take Bella and leave this place with your lives.”
“Al, we should listen to him—”
“Shut up, Eddie!” This time it was the young hunter who met Alfonzo’s fist.
Eddie fell to the ground, clutching his head with a groan. Maxine knelt to help him stand back up, holding him steady.
Zadok tsked and shook his head. “Very well. Then know this—the only chance you will have to move forward is if you leave Miss Parker behind. The Master has his own plans with her, and they do not involve you. If you wish to seek out your revenge, you will only do so if you release her.”
Alfonzo shook his head. “You’re baiting another trap. I won’t fall for it.”
“How many weeks do you want to uselessly crusade around in circles? Hm? How many until you run out of scavenged food and die? We have not even bothered to send beasts to slow you down. We have not needed to. Your rage is impotent, and you know it.” Zadok shrugged. “He is willing to let you test your mettle against him…if you abandon the empath.”
“She is the means I have of destroying him once and for all. No.”
Zadok laughed. “If you want to give her the opportunity to judge him, then leave her! Do you not realize what will happen once you do? She will return to his side, where he wishes her to be. If she deems him worthy of destruction, she may do so.”
“She cannot be trusted to do the right thing. She claims to love him.”
Zadok tsked and shook his head. “You would make her destroy the man she loves in your need for revenge?”
“It isn’t revenge.”
“Mmhm.” Zadok shook his head. “The fact remains as it was, hunter—leave her, or go not a single step closer to your goal. That is all.”
Alfonzo growled and clenched his fists at his sides. He rounded on Maxine. She staggered back, trying to keep distance between them. But it was no use. He was faster and moved with purpose. He grabbed the front of her coat in his fist and dragged her up to him.
“Careful, hunter,” Zadok warned. “I am allowed to kill you under one condition—if you threaten her wellbeing.”
“You can try,” Alfonzo replied even as he glowered down at her. “You listen to me, Maxine. That man is a demon. He might as well be Satan himself. Look at all the horror he has created—all the death and suffering.” He fished a key out of his pocket and undid the locks at her wrists, letting the shackles and the chain drop to the ground with a loud clatter. “I need you to do the right thing. I need you to.”
She nodded weakly. “I will strive to do what is right.” She was no more free than she had been a second prior. She had only traded her chains for another more ephemeral set.
There was no use telling him that she was not quite certain what was right or wrong anymore. The line between justice and injustice had become blurred of late. But it seemed to satisfy him enough that he shoved her back from him with the flat of a palm to her chest. She had to scramble to keep her footing.
“Go. Be his harlot. When I find him and whatever has become of you, I will make sure you watch him die.”
“Now who is the monster here?” Zadok sighed drearily. “Go, Maxine.”
She looked to Eddie and tried her best to smile. “Be safe, Eddie. I’m sorry.”
He nodded. “You too. Good luck.”
She turned her back to the two hunters and began to walk. It wasn’t even ten feet away when something rumbled in the ground. When she turned, she discovered a wall had appeared behind her. She took a step back and looked up at it in astonishment. This place truly was alive.
And it served Dracula.
She shivered at the cold mist that clung to the air around her. The city was deathly silent. She did not realize how comforting it was to have someone with her—even Zadok