Damien
Lazarus has been wearing that shit-eating grin on his face for some good time now and I feel like blowing his teeth out of his mouth right now.
"Where did you put the girl?" I ask him for the third time since I entered this damned house. He is so infuriating! I don't think I will be able to hold my anger any longer.
"She is here. Don't get get yourself worked up. She is alright," he replies with a nonchalant smirk.
"What the hell did you kidnap her for? What did she ever do to you?" I ask him and he shrugs.
"Nothing. I don't have anything against her except that she is your girlfriend. Poor girl, she is going through all this right now just because of you," he says while rubbing his chin dramatically.
"What do you want from me? Are you hear for revenge? Do you have to stoop so low to the level of using an innocent girl? She doesn't have anything to do with this. You shouldn't involve her!" I tell him and he chuckles.
"You know very well that I can do anything to get what I want. I am not the one who dragged her into this. You did! If you had never met her, then I wouldn't have anything to capture her for. You wouldn't be here if you didn't care about her, would you?" he says.
"What do you want from me?" I ask him.
"It's simple. I just want you to give me the new members who entered your family a few days ago," he replies.
"What?" I ask. Did I hear that right?
"You heard me right," he responds.
"Why?" I ask him.
"You don't need to know. It is non of your business. Just give me the kids and the girl will be yours," he replies with a shrug.
"What do you want from them? Wait a minute.. " my mouth goes agape at the thought.
"Are you the one that has been turning the humans?"I inquire from him and a smirk forms on his lips.
Fuck! So it has been him all this time!
"That is easy to figure out. I know that you are trying to stop my plans. The Ventrue council is also involved in this, I know. I am not going to stop and anyone who gets in my way will not like what I will do to them," he says.
"Why would you go around turning the humans? You know that that is against the rules of the Ventrue clan," I tell him.
"I don't give a damn about the Ventrue shit rules. They don't control me. I went rogue a long time ago, Damien. You should know that by now. You are the one who banished me, remember?" he tells me.
"Ofcourse I do remember. You thought you were too powerful for the council. I warned you but you were too arrogant. You asked for it," I tell him.
"I don't need anyone controlling or limiting what I do. No damn council can tell me what to do and what not to do. I left that shit for you and the rest of the Ventrue clan," he says and then folds him hands behind his back. He cocks his head to one side and looks at the crew behind me. I must say they are more of a special force.
"You brought some soldiers with you. What? Did you expect a fight from me. I am a civilized Vampire. I can use my words," he says.
"Civilized Vampires don't go around turning humans for ridiculous I intentions," I tell him.
"My intentions are not ridiculous. I think you are the ridiculous one. The human beings are there for our disposal. We use them for what we want and how we want. We are the immortal rulers of the universe. The powerful supernatural beings meant to own the earth and everything in it. Why do you defend the humans? Are you one of them?" he asks and then raises an eyebrow at me expecting a response.
"The humans have an equal right to live their lives the way they want and you can't just claim to own the universe when you never made it. Supernatural or whatever, you don't have the right to ruin anyone's life for your own selfish motives," I tell him.
"Don't speak nonsense, Damien. You know what I said is the truth," he says.
"If something is the truth to you, then don't assume that it applies to everyone else," I tell him and he frowns at my insults.
"You have some guys showing up here and acting as if you care so much about the damn humans forgetting that I have something of yours that you need to beg for," he says while pacing about in front of me.
"Just let her go. She is not your target. I am your target. So just do what you want but just let her go," I say.
"Wow! So much affection. I bet that you would do a just to keep her alive. Would you risk your family for her? Why am I even asking that? You brought them with you even though you knew that they could get into a lot of danger," he says.
"He bring us her. We brought ourselves because we are willing to protect him," Katherine says.
"Whoa! Are you his bodyguards or something?" he asks with a mocking smirk.
"Take it however you want, Lazarus. You little mockery doesn't shake us," Katherine replies in a firm unflinching voice.
"I see. So are you taking my deal or not?" he inquires from me.
"I am not giving the newly turned to you," I tell him.
"Then you won't get the girl. Just turn on your heals and go back to wherever you came from and forget that you ever met her. I am sure Fabian will be very willing to take the deal that I am going to offer to him. He is a very eager deal breaker, wouldn't you agree?"
Fabian?
Why would he involve him in this? Ofcourse he knows that Fabian and I are not at the best of terms. He kidnapped Clara from her father's territory so he definitely knows that she is his daughter. He is using Fabian as a threat to corner me.
"What is the matter? Don't you want Fabian to know that his daughter has been kidnapped because of you? He already hates you so it won't make a major difference if he finds out. Only that he won't let her be with you. He is never going to allow the two of you to be together. You killed his father and his pack members. He will never give you his daughter," he says.
"What happens between me and Clara doesn't concern you. You just stay away our relationship. We can handle our problems on our own," I tell him.
"Oh, I can see how your handling the problem at hand right now. Your girlfriend has been locked up but you can't even rescue her for a simple deal. Don't tell me that those four kids mean a lot more to you than she does. You have only been with them for a very short period of time and you can't let them go. Are you trying to say that you are not willing to save her?"
I know Lazarus would do anything to get what he wants. He is trying to mess up my mind so that I can make a hasty decision. He is making me way my leadership responsibilities and my love life. I can't compare the two.
If I let him have the turned humans then I will have betrayed the Ventrue clan are it's rules. I would have betrayed my responsibility as a leader.
I can't let Fabian get involved in this. Things will get really ugly if he finds out the truth. I just want to be with Clara for some more time before her father interferes in our relationship.
Shit! I have to think of a wise resolution right now. I don't have to make any decisions under pressure or emotions. I don't have time to think about it. I need to ask first.
"Why is it so hard for you to decide. Don't you love her? You know she has been waiting for you since morning. All her hopes of being rescued are in you alone. She also didn't seem to like the idea of being rescued by her own father," he says, trying to coax me into making up my mind.
"Alright. I am going to give them to you. I mean the humans that you turned. Just give the girl," I say resignedly.
"Good thinking. I knew you wouldn't just sacrifice your precious girl for some individuals you know nothing about," he says, and then puts on an amused smile.
"Where is she?" I ask him.
"She is in here and she is safe. I need to first see them before I give her to you. I don't want to be fooled," he says.
"I don't want to be fooled too. How do I know that you have her?" I ask him even though her scent is clearly in this house.
"Should I bring you one of her limbs so that you can confirm your doubts?" he asks and then laughs at his own sick joke.
"She is here, Damien. You also know that. I will let you see her when you bring my goods," he says.
"So better go ahead and bring them before I lose my patience and don't even think of telling the council about me or asking for their help. I have a lot of eyes and ears, you know. I will kill her on the spot if I get to know that you are doing something stupid!" he says in a dead serious voice showing that the time for making sick jokes is over.