Elias paced impatiently by the door. The sooner he came, the sooner all of this would be over, and he would have his child back. It pained him to think of what that witch was doing to her, what she was telling her.
Elias had planned to eventually tell Claire the truth, but not until he was certain that she could handle it. And if she never developed any connections, he simply would never tell her. He had long stopped caring about her magic. Enough of his lie was true that it would not be found out, and he could have his family.
The sound of a car turning up in his gravel driveway did not put Elias at ease. The butler opened the front door with a deep bow as the master of the house sat in the drawing-room, drinking a cup of black tea mixed with enough laudanum to knock out an elephant. "Elias, my old friend!" a booming voice called from the doorway.
Leaning against a marble column was a god in the flesh. At least, he considered himself to be akin to one. Ife Adeyemi, the Vampire King, stood proudly at nearly six and a half feet tall, and yet his height managed to be one of his lesser intimidating features. Though as a human, he had been rather lanky, he had spent the past few thousand or so years building enough muscle to take down a mountain. But size alone was not what allowed him to be crowned king. It could've also been attributed to his eyes, which sucked in everyone around, holding them captive before they even realized what was happening. Or perhaps the way his deep voice was a tar pit dark as his skin, attracting his victims in unknown ways. But likely, it was his unique skill to mesmerize not only humans, but also vampires, for as long as he desired.
Ife entered the room as if he owned it. In his own way, he did. If he desired to, he could simply tell Elias to happily sign the land over, and he would do so with a grin over a glass of gin. Although Ife would never dare to offend Elias in such a manner; they both knew of the power the other held and had a mutual agreement to let one another be in peace. Ife held his arms open as he approached, the wide, colorful sleeves of his ornate burnous swinging behind him. "It has been too long," he declared in his heavy Algerian accent.
Elias stood up and offered a respectful nod, but he did not have the patience for his gregarious king's antics. "We need to talk," Elias said in Old Arabic, ensuring that no one else was listening.
Ife paused at the solemn tone and nodded, sitting down on the chair. Two human women had followed him into the room. Both were scantily clad in bastardized versions of harem wear. One draped herself across his lap while the other massaged his shoulders. "This is about your girl, no?" Ife asked as he rested his hand between the thighs of the woman in his lap.
Elias nodded, rolling his eyes at Ife's display. "No one here is doubting your power here, my friend. Send your blood whores out of here. This is serious."
Ife only laughed, waving them to the corner of the room, beside his men. "I knew this one was special. It had been too long since you sired."
Elias stared at the group in the corner, his eyes hardening as the guards touched the girls, who giggled happily in response. "Out, all of you," he growled, frightening the humans.
The guards looked to the King for permission, which he silently granted with a nod. They ushered the women out, leaving the two ancient vampires alone together. Ife leaned back in his seat, resting his arms on the lavish cushions. "So," he began with a twinkle in his eyes. "She was finally found out for what she is?"
Elias nodded, not bothering to ask how he knew what she was. He had never met Claire, that was something that Elias made sure of. But he likely had caught her scent on Elias before.
Right after Claire was turned, Ife heard the news that Elias had finally sired another vampire, the first one in over five hundred years. He showed up on the mansion's doorstep without warning within the month. "I suppose asking for this one would go beyond fulfilling the favor you owe me," he had said with a smile when he noticed her sweet scent wafting down the steps.
Elias had only glared; the cold stare he gave was more of an answer than any words could ever be.
"What is it you want from me? If I remember correctly, I did not want the inclusion of the hybrid law in The Council's creation; that was you."
"You cannot let them take her away from me," Elias replied plainly.
He skipped over Ife's jeer. It was true that all those centuries ago, he had proposed the hybrid law. It was after the devastation of the wars, when witches and wolves had joined together to eradicate the vampires. When Elias had looked onto the battlefield and saw the combination of powers, he knew that such a creature should not exist again. He hadn't even known she would be a hybrid – all he asked for was someone interesting.
"You act as if I have control over such a decision," Ife said calmly, any trace of lightness gone from his low voice. "I am but one member, and our relationship is not unknown."
Ife watched as Elias's anger dripped off him into frustration; he cracked the furniture under his grip. After taking a deep breath, he said as calmly as he could manage, "She cannot die."
Ife nodded and leaned forward. It had been a long time since he had seen Elias so resolute on something, or specifically, someone. "Even if that means you cannot have her?"
Once again, Elias narrowed his eyes at the King's implication; he would happily take her. "She is not a prize, Ife," he growled.
The King only smiled and leaned back in his seat. He enjoyed seeing Elias in such a position. It had been too long since he had a weakness, and his enemies had taken note of such. "Not even a decade, and you care so much for her? She must be a wonder in bed." He made no attempts to hide his sly grin.
Within an instant, Elias had Ife pressed against the wall as stone dust fell in the shape of their forms. Ife clicked his tongue in mock admonishment, "Elias, you should know better than to assault your king." He took ahold of Elias's arm and snapped his wrist violently before returning to his seat without a second glance. "If I were not so understanding, I would've killed you where you stood."
Elias hissed, holding his limp hand for a moment before it healed. Then, he took a composing breath, fixed his hair, and brushed the dust off his suit. He knew that his eyes were still dark, flushed with blood from rage, but he could do nothing about it. Elias sat back down, hunched over. In as defeated a tone as he would allow Ife to hear, he whispered, "She does not deserve to die. She cannot die."
"Even if you cannot have her?" Ife asked, his brow cocked as he reveled in Elias's moment of weakness.
Elias nodded, swallowing his pride. It was the least he owed to Claire, after what had happened to her because of him.
Ife paused for long enough to make Elias anxious about his answer before responding, "I will do what I can, brother. But know that this is now two favors owed to me; I may be forced to see the appeal behind this child of yours."
Elias growled but dropped his head in submission. Ife only grinned and stood up, excusing himself from the room. "Until later. I have some things I must tend to in the meantime."