looked for Gabriel's
arrival; they had planned to collect their payment and go. Perhaps they would
have killed him; perhaps not. Regardless, Catherina was the last being they
expected to see walking through the door.
“She struck before they knew what
hit them—I once saw the memory in her mind. None escaped death except Jacques. She
slew his friends and his mate, Delphine. And now we are dealing with that unfortunate fact,” Alexander explained. He sat back into the couch and waited
for Sophie to process what she’d heard. His watched her carefully.
“So what’s the big deal with this
guy, and why is everybody talking about not much time left? What’s happening? Does
it have to do something with this Jacques guy?” Sophie asked, the stream of
confused questions coming out before she could stop herself.
“The Council is the self-appointed
governing body of vampires. From a dark cavern overlooking a little-known village
in Romania, they keep careful watch over everything, and I do mean everything .
They maintain and ensure vampire sovereignty in the world. They are everywhere
and nowhere, investing in large corporations, influencing governments across
the globe, and staunchly retaining their ruling status in the world. While they
move about with the upmost discretion, they are freer now than ever before: the
modern world does not believe in monsters any longer, but has chosen to give
those they still would like to believe in, a beautiful face.”
“Yes, but I don’t underst…”
Alexander cleared his throat. “Every
society eventually evolves to the point that it needs a government to keep order.
That is what the Council is for their kind. Humans haven’t the least inkling of
their existence, and vampires have become something appealing in pop culture,”
he scowled at the last sentence.
“The Council has facilitated our
extermination, in a way. Jacques has convinced them that Catherina, Dante, and
the rest of our family must die for Catherina’s crimes and unjustified vengeance
against his coven. The Council has sanctioned the action and will support
Jacques in his endeavors, though they will remain detached from it as long as
events proceed Jacques’s way.”
Sophie looked at him, horrified. “What’s
their motivation for just going along with him?”
Jim cleared his throat. “Well, y’
see Sophie, there are some of us out there who hunt and kill vampires,” he
explained, “and that makes the Council kinda mad.”
“To say the least,” Laney chimed
in, suddenly appearing from nowhere.
“When did she…?” Sophie asked,
pointing towards the doorway.
Alexander swept a dismissive wave
at her question.
Jim kept talking: “And then there’s
Jacques, who’s got a burr under his saddle for Catherina, so the situation fits
pretty nicely into the Council’s grand design. They figure if they let him take
us out, then fewer of their friends get killed on a regular basis.”
“Jacques has been spotted by
friends of ours,” Alexander added. “He is looking for Catherina, which means he
is looking for all of us. She killed his family, so he will kill hers.”
“Great,” was all Sophie replied
before concluding, “So…the Council’s blessing gives him a legitimate excuse,”
she sighed. “But when did all this first happen?”
“A little over a hundred years
ago.”
“And he’s just now causing a
problem?”
“Not exactly,” Alexander explained.
“He has been pursuing her for decades.” He glanced at Jim and then back to her.
“Sophie, what you must understand is that time means something entirely
different to us than to humans. In your world—or rather the one you have been
living in—a century is an unimaginable length of time to hold a grudge. In
ours, it is a mere pittance of time.”
“’Cause, when you live forever…”
interrupted
arrival; they had planned to collect their payment and go. Perhaps they would
have killed him; perhaps not. Regardless, Catherina was the last being they
expected to see walking through the door.
“She struck before they knew what
hit them—I once saw the memory in her mind. None escaped death except Jacques. She
slew his friends and his mate, Delphine. And now we are dealing with that unfortunate fact,” Alexander explained. He sat back into the couch and waited
for Sophie to process what she’d heard. His watched her carefully.
“So what’s the big deal with this
guy, and why is everybody talking about not much time left? What’s happening? Does
it have to do something with this Jacques guy?” Sophie asked, the stream of
confused questions coming out before she could stop herself.
“The Council is the self-appointed
governing body of vampires. From a dark cavern overlooking a little-known village
in Romania, they keep careful watch over everything, and I do mean everything .
They maintain and ensure vampire sovereignty in the world. They are everywhere
and nowhere, investing in large corporations, influencing governments across
the globe, and staunchly retaining their ruling status in the world. While they
move about with the upmost discretion, they are freer now than ever before: the
modern world does not believe in monsters any longer, but has chosen to give
those they still would like to believe in, a beautiful face.”
“Yes, but I don’t underst…”
Alexander cleared his throat. “Every
society eventually evolves to the point that it needs a government to keep order.
That is what the Council is for their kind. Humans haven’t the least inkling of
their existence, and vampires have become something appealing in pop culture,”
he scowled at the last sentence.
“The Council has facilitated our
extermination, in a way. Jacques has convinced them that Catherina, Dante, and
the rest of our family must die for Catherina’s crimes and unjustified vengeance
against his coven. The Council has sanctioned the action and will support
Jacques in his endeavors, though they will remain detached from it as long as
events proceed Jacques’s way.”
Sophie looked at him, horrified. “What’s
their motivation for just going along with him?”
Jim cleared his throat. “Well, y’
see Sophie, there are some of us out there who hunt and kill vampires,” he
explained, “and that makes the Council kinda mad.”
“To say the least,” Laney chimed
in, suddenly appearing from nowhere.
“When did she…?” Sophie asked,
pointing towards the doorway.
Alexander swept a dismissive wave
at her question.
Jim kept talking: “And then there’s
Jacques, who’s got a burr under his saddle for Catherina, so the situation fits
pretty nicely into the Council’s grand design. They figure if they let him take
us out, then fewer of their friends get killed on a regular basis.”
“Jacques has been spotted by
friends of ours,” Alexander added. “He is looking for Catherina, which means he
is looking for all of us. She killed his family, so he will kill hers.”
“Great,” was all Sophie replied
before concluding, “So…the Council’s blessing gives him a legitimate excuse,”
she sighed. “But when did all this first happen?”
“A little over a hundred years
ago.”
“And he’s just now causing a
problem?”
“Not exactly,” Alexander explained.
“He has been pursuing her for decades.” He glanced at Jim and then back to her.
“Sophie, what you must understand is that time means something entirely
different to us than to humans. In your world—or rather the one you have been
living in—a century is an unimaginable length of time to hold a grudge. In
ours, it is a mere pittance of time.”
“’Cause, when you live forever…”
interrupted
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