shone in the crimson light of the perpetually red moon. The creature was imposing—a monolith that seemed to seethe with pure darkness. On seeing him, Eddie could only think of one thing to say. “Fuck.”
Dracula.
“Fuck!”
The vampire smirked at his second outburst. Holding his arms out wide at his sides, he invited Eddie to take a shot.
He knew he didn’t stand a chance. He released the hammer and lowered the weapon. “If you wanted me dead, you’d have attacked already. You had the jump on me. You’re here to talk. Am I right?”
“Very good, boy.” The vampire tilted his head slightly, watching him studiously. “Do you not wish to kill me?”
“No, I do. I’m just not stupid enough to try.”
“You are smarter than you look.”
“Thanks. I think.” Eddie grunted and kept his gun in his hand, even if he didn’t aim it at the monster.
“What is it you wish for, then, boy? If not to try to kill me?”
“I want to free Bella. I want to take her and go.”
“Noble, but futile. I’m afraid to say that Bella does not wish to be freed.”
“What?”
Dracula sighed and tucked his hands behind his back. “She is mated to an incubus.”
“What have you done to her?” Eddie pulled his gun out again and pointed it at the vampire, his hand shaking. “You’re lying!”
“She is likely already beginning to change. She is a demon now. She will become a succubus before long. And she did it out of love for the creature who has taken her. If you find her now, she will choose to stay. But I do not think you have dignity enough to let her have such autonomy, do you?”
“You perverted freak!” He was trembling. Even if he thought he stood a chance against the vampire, his hands were shaking too hard now to try. “You’re lying…you have to be lying.”
“I fear I am not.” There was an odd look of sympathy on the vampire’s face. As if he…truly regretted what he had come to communicate. “The girl does not love you, Edward. Let her go. Spare yourself this pain.”
“I can’t…I can’t give up on her.”
“She has given up on you.”
“No. No. I don’t buy that. I don’t believe Bella wants to be with—with—” he stammered, broke off, coughed, and refused to say it. There’s no way she’d pick an incubus over me. “It’s bullshit. She’s not like that.” His eyes stung, and he bit back tears.
“Mmhm. And you know her so perfectly, do you?”
“We’ve traveled together for years. I’ve been in the trenches with her. We’ve fought side-by-side. Yeah. I’d say I do.”
“Not well enough, it seems. Zadok masqueraded as her for two days and two nights, and you did not notice the charade.”
“Shut up!”
The vampire sighed. “You are young. Your heart has been misplaced in the girl. She does not care for you. By her own admission to the incubus, she never held you in any more regard than a trusted friend. She is gone to you, and Alfonzo’s life is as good as over. Spare yourself the pain. Spare yourself the torment. Leave this city. This morning, the sun will rise. For the duration of its journey across the skies, the survivors here will be free to leave. And in a few days’ time, I will be gone from this place, and so will my creatures. There is no war left here for you to wage.”
“See, you make sense. But that’s the problem. The devil always makes sense.”
“Then perhaps you should listen.”
Eddie grunted and shoved his gun into its holster. If the vampire wanted to kill him, they both knew he could. It was stupid pretending he stood a chance. He’d only be wasting bullets. “I can’t give up. I can’t. Not on them.”
Dracula bowed his head. “I acknowledge your commitment. It is a difficult thing to stand against a fight you cannot win, yet to hold up your sword and face the oncoming horde with your fate ascertained. It is for that reason I will let you live. You may wander my city as you wish and destroy my creatures until one might succeed in ending you.”
“Why? Why let me live?”
Crimson eyes glinted in the light, flashing like those of a wolf in the shadows. “Every now and then, a doomed soldier can turn the tide of battle. I think I am curious to see if that is who you are. Imagine my world, Mr. Jenkin, if you can. I can never die. Knowing such, do you not