Clay
He shouldn’t be doing this. Every fiber of his being was screaming that this was a terrible idea. A horrible idea. The kind that would get him killed if he was caught. But Clay shook his head and added an extra swagger to his step as he approached the mongrel’s door. His father had forbidden anyone from harming Robert Pack unless the werewolf struck first or tried to escape.
Neither scenario had happened, which only emboldened the young vampire as he lightly knocked. There was no answer. Clay narrowed his eyes. He could hear Robert’s heartbeat through the wood as clearly as if there was nothing between them. Nothing indicated that the werewolf was asleep or taking a shower.
Which only left one other possibility. Clay was being ignored by a beast too stupid to save himself. It was an unforgivable insult, not just to him but to all vampire-kind. Clay looked down the hall, wishing he could simply walk away and focus on his training. But time wasn’t on his side.
He took a deep breath and knocked again, calling out as well. “Robert… I know you’re in there. Open up. We need to talk.”
The werewolf didn’t respond, but Clay heard a creak as the man shifted his body weight. He was listening. He just didn’t want to admit that he was. Clay resisted clicking his tongue in annoyance before whispering. “It’s about Antione. He’s your son, yes? Antoine Harker?”
A soft thump betrayed the werewolf’s movement, but Clay didn’t panic as the door finally opened, and a pair of tired, blood-shot brown eyes glared at him. It would have made him laugh if not for the obvious state of distress the man gave off.
Robert Pack wasn’t being mistreated. Dracula allowed him to have the basics: clean clothes, hot water, good food, and a few books for entertainment. But the man appeared to have aged twenty years since the last time Clay saw him. His build was still robust. Robert couldn’t have looked weaker if he had tried; his hair and beard looked almost like a fake shade of white, and the lines on his face were etched so deep that it was almost like looking at wood.
The two stared at each other, each daring the other to make the first move. But it was Clay who pointed past Robert and into the room. “May I come in? This isn’t the kind of conversation you want the others to overhear.”
“Why are you here?” Robert demanded, his voice being the only thing that hadn’t changed since their last encounter. The werewolf still sounded ready to tear Clay’s throat out, which was fine. It meant he could still be useful in the next two days.
Clay put on his most charming smile and whispered. “It’s about Antione. I… wish to see him again.”
Robert snorted. “That makes two of us. But if you think I’m going to just hand him over–”
Clay rolled his eyes, pushed the older man into the room, followed him, and shut the door in less than a second. Unfortunately, the wolf was in his face a moment later.
“Answer me, you little–”
“Are you always like this, or did breakfast not agree with you?” Clay didn’t move. Robert’s face kept switching from aggression to confusion, but the man didn’t attack. It was the best Clay could hope for. He tucked his hands into the pockets of his favorite pair of balloon pants and began.
“Antione is in danger–”
Robert’s fist closed around his neck as he lifted Clay off the floor. “What do you mean? Dracula said it was Antione’s choice. I’ve done everything that bastard said. Is he really–”
“You know I don’t need to breathe, right?” He tapped his heels together as Robert stared at him. And here I thought this was going to be the easy part. Oh well… Clay tapped the hand holding him and smirked. “Vampires don’t need to breathe. You can try breaking my neck. But you already know what’ll happen if you do. So, kindly put me down, and I’ll explain as best as I can.”
For a moment, Clay thought he’d pushed Robert too far. The fist around his neck tightened enough that bruises would have formed on a human and be unable to speak comfortably for a time. But he barely felt the added pressure. And Robert’s face morphed into fury as he realized Clay was telling the truth.
If he wanted to dominate a vampire, he would have to try something else, with someone else, because Clay had places to be, and Robert was running out of time. It was still at least a minute before the werewolf released his grip, clearly hoping to see the boy stagger as he hit the ground.
But the vampire landed as nimbly as a cat. Clay even made sure to smile sweetly as he asked. “Are you done? I wasn’t kidding about Antione’s predicament, you know. He’s going to need all the help he can get, and you’re just being stubborn at this point.”
“Antione should be under Dracula’s protection.”
Clay felt his jaw drop, uncertain if he wanted to laugh or scream. He coughed a few times and slowly asked. “Did my father say that? That he would protect Antione specifically?”
“No, but–”
“Then he isn’t protecting him,” Clay stated, hoping he looked calmer than he was and only feeling slightly relieved to see Robert was listening. “My father is fond of word games. Unless he said he would protect Antione, then you shouldn’t assume that he is just because you’re here.”
Robert shook his head and went to the bed, almost collapsing as he buried his head in his hands. “He said Antione would be left alone if I took responsibility and didn’t try to escape. I’ve done so. What more do you people want?”
Clay winced, guilt beginning to eat away at him as he muttered. “It’s not about what we, vampires in general, want. You already know that… or you should. Considering how much Father hates you. You must know quite a bit about us to earn his wrath… And possibly others?”
“Was that a question? I thought you had something to say. Are you going to help me get out of here?” Robert stared at him with hope, but he only stared back in confusion.
“What are you talking about? Who said anything about helping you? Antione is the one who needs help. I’m just trying to repay my debt before things get out of hand.”
Robert blinked. “Debt? My son did something for you?”
“He… alright. He sort of… maybe… impressed me with his stupidity… I lost the perfect opportunity to prove myself to the elders and Father. But he risked his life to save me… That’s not something I can ignore, even though I had the situation well in hand and could have finished the giant alligators off by myself!”
Clay glared at Robert, daring him to question him, but the werewolf only chuckled and leaned back to stare at the ceiling. “A life debt… My boy saved your life, and now you want to save his… But that still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here, especially if you’re not going to help me escape.”
“There’s no point in that,” Clay grumbled. “I can’t beat my father, and you’re the one who said you’d take responsibility for Klaus’s death.”
“In exchange for keeping Antione safe.”
“But that would only work on anyone scared of my father. And I think we both know that there’s at least one person who might be crazy enough to ignore his presence here.”
That made Robert sit up. “You’re talking about the killer.”
“I am… I think.”
“You think?”
Clay flinched at the rage in Robert’s tone and nodded. “I’ve been hearing things lately from some of the locals. They said there’s been an uproar within the swamp lately. Maybe Klaus’s death is connected, but Father left the house a few hours ago. He looked really angry, so this could be my only chance to repay my debt to Antione.”
He met Robert’s gaze squarely and pulled out his phone. “I need his address. You’re his father. You should know where your son lives.”
“Of course I do. He lives with his mother, Theresa.”
Clay rolled his eyes. “I’m aware of that. But I need an address. Are you going to help me help Antione or not?”
“Do you know who she is?”
Clay snorted. “Forget it. You clearly don’t care about this situation–”
This time, Robert caught him by surprise. He leaped, tackling the boy and pinning his arms, sending the phone flying. But neither of them turned to see it land. They were too busy waiting to see if anyone had heard them.
Robert risked looking at the door while Clay stared at the only window. It was closed, but Clay knew many vampires learned how to scale walls almost right away. It was a far cry from flying, but it allowed them to practice using their claws. And any vampire within fifty feet of the window would have heard the phone smack against the floor.
But nothing came to disturb them, and Robert finally sighed. “You’re wrong.”
“About what?”
“Me.” Clay almost snorted again, but something about Robert’s demeanor changed his mind. The werewolf wasn’t angry. Not really, but Clay didn’t think it was aimed at him. Robert looked tired as he continued. “You’re wrong about me. I screwed up. I know that. I hurt the people I care about. But I do love them, and I’ll do anything to protect my family. Are you sure that Antione is in danger?”
“Absolutely. Anything dangerous enough to kill a vampire won’t hesitate to kill a werewolf.”
Robert smirked at that. “True. And yet, your father doesn’t appear to be trying very hard to find out who would.”
That stung, but he refused to let it show. “My father is… complicated. He helped make our laws and takes care of those who serve him. But he’s been different since I arrived here. It’s almost like he’s… distracted.”
“Not enough to stop him from ruining our lives, though.”
Clay wanted to argue, but neither of them had time to focus on his father. He had to act now. “I think…we both know that isn’t the case. If Father wanted to ruin you. You’d be dead by now. I need his address. Are you going to give it to me?”
Robert stared at him for several moments before slowly nodding. “Only for my son’s sake. I don’t care who killed Klaus. Theresa never liked him to begin with.”
“I don’t care about that.” And he didn’t. Clay barely knew who Theresa was, but her reputation was almost as vast as Dracula’s. It would be a miracle if his plan worked.
Robert slowly rose and helped Clay to his feet. “Be careful, kid. I wish I could say Theresa won’t hurt you, but…”
“But her concern will be to protect Antione. I know. My mom is the same way. She usually lets my aunts take care of things when Father isn’t around. But she’s the first one to defend me when things go wrong.”
“Moms are scary,” Robert joked as he picked up Clay’s phone. The screen looked intact, but Clay had to restart it before finally getting the information he’d come for.
“Moms are very scary,” he agreed as he turned to go. Robert reached the door first and opened it, revealing an empty hallway.
“I really could escape, you know? I could just transform right now, and none of you would be able to stop me.”
“Do you really believe that?” Robert wisely shook his head as Clay left the room. “Just stay put for now. I doubt I’ll be able to do much, but Father has always enjoyed making death into a spectacle. I’m sure he’s planning something big just for you.”
“Was that supposed to make me feel better?”
“No. But you only have two days left. So, you may as well enjoy it, right?”