The car ride was quiet. Too quiet.
Which, of course, meant Raizel was plotting something.
Frankenstein had been around long enough to recognize the warning signs—Raizel, lost in thought, eyes faintly narrowed, fingers lazily drumming against his thigh.
And that was concerning.
Because Raizel's plans?
Never. Made. Sense.
At least, not to anyone who wasn't Raizel.
Frankenstein glanced at him, suppressing a sigh. He'd known his master for a century, and something was definitely off.
The old Raizel had been different. Mysterious, aloof, content with sipping tea and watching the world from a distance.
This Raizel?
Oh, this Raizel had opinions.
And questions.
And impulsive tendencies.
And an alarming fondness for sarcasm.
Honestly? Frankenstein wasn't sure whether to be impressed or deeply concerned.
Then, without warning—
Raizel spoke.
"Do you know about the biotech pharmaceutical company Antigen?"
Frankenstein blinked.
…Well, that was random.
His mind immediately went on high alert. If Raizel was asking, then that meant—oh no.
He sighed, already bracing himself. "Yes, I am aware," he answered cautiously.
Raizel hummed. "Who's behind it? Humans?"
Frankenstein frowned slightly. "Not exactly."
Raizel turned his gaze toward him, expectant.
Frankenstein exhaled. "They're… something else."
"…Aliens?"
"What? No."
"Government experiments?"
"No."
"…Were rats?"
Frankenstein gave him a look. "Master, where do you even come up with—never mind. They're lycans."
Raizel leaned back, arms crossed, lips pursed. "Lycans, huh?"
He wasn't sure what he expected, but somehow, third-grade werewolf Big Pharma wasn't it.
His fingers tapped against the armrest. "So, a bunch of overgrown ugly puppies are running a pharmaceutical company?"
Frankenstein pinched the bridge of his nose. "It's more complicated than that."
"Is it, though?" Raizel mused, gaze turning toward the window.
Because now his brain was going rogue.
....
Raizel exhaled, staring blankly ahead.
"Master…" Frankenstein began warily.
"I need to know more about Antigen," Raizel declared.
Frankenstein rubbed his temples. Of course, you do.
He didn't ask why. He knew better.
Instead, he just nodded. "I'll look into it."
Raizel hummed in satisfaction before falling silent again, lost in thought.
Frankenstein sighed internally.
He wasn't sure why his master had taken an interest in werewolf Big Pharma, but one thing was certain—
This was going to be a headache.
The rest of the drive was spent in quiet contemplation.
And Frankenstein?
Frankenstein was already mentally preparing for whatever coming ahead.
-----------
The car ride back home had started out fun.
Alice was teasing Jasper, Rosalie was rolling her eyes, and Emmett was being Emmett—loud, unnecessarily competitive, and somehow managing to make everything sound like a wrestling promo.
But then—
Alice froze.
And that was never a good sign.
The playful atmosphere gone faster than Emmett's patience in a traffic jam.
Jasper, ever the responsible gentleman (and the only one actually concerned about safety), immediately pulled the car to the side. His face was etched with concern, but honestly, at this point, everyone was concerned.
Alice's eyes were distant, unfocused.
Which meant one thing.
Vision time.
Rosalie and Emmett shared a glance. Here we go again.
Jasper, meanwhile, had gone into full protective husband mode, ready to catch Alice if she so much as swayed an inch too far to the left.
"Alice?" he asked gently.
No response.
Rosalie frowned. "Should we get the paper and pencil?"
It was their standard 'Alice Is Seeing Some Ominous Doom Again' protocol.
But before they could even hand her anything—
Alice gasped and blinked rapidly, snapping out of it.
Jasper instantly steadied her. "Hey, hey—it's okay. Breathe."
Alice did breathe, but no use.
Her visions were never this scattered. Never this unclear.
And definitely never this terrifying.
"I'm okay," she muttered, which was a bold-faced lie because she absolutely was not okay.
Rosalie, who had zero patience for vague, cryptic nonsense, crossed her arms. "What did you see? Is there danger?"
Alice hesitated.
And that hesitation?
Yeah, that made it so much worse.
Jasper could feel the fear rolling off her. It made his own nerves spike, even though he didn't even know what she saw yet.
Finally, Alice whispered, "A tall figure with red eyes… and a cross-shaped earring."
Silence.
A very, very loud silence.
Rosalie's eyes narrowed. "Who is he?"
Alice swallowed. "I don't know."
Which, frankly, was horrifying.
------------
Raizel was bored.
And that was dangerous.
A bored Raizel led to impulsive decisions, questionable logic, and, on occasion, minor war crimes. Yeah just kidding...
Wandering aimlessly through the mansion, he had already exhausted his usual distractions. Books? Boring. Tea? Overrated. Randomly floating objects around with telekinesis just to watch them crash? Momentarily amusing, but ultimately unfulfilling.
And really, how the hell had real Raizel spent millennia like this?
Raizel sighed, staring dramatically out the window as if waiting for inspiration to strike.
It didn't.
Instead, his mind circled back to an earlier thought—The Cullens.
Yes.
It was time.
Time to mess with the sparkly vampires.
Did he have a reason? No. Did he need one? Also no.
Was it incredibly rude to just show up at their home, uninvited, without a valid reason for visiting?
Probably.
Did he care?
Absolutely not.
Personal space? Pfft. What even is that?
Once upon a time, Jay had been human. He had understood concepts like boundaries and respect for privacy.
That time had long passed.
And besides, he wasn't even visiting a human. Technically, this was all fine.
There was just one problem—he had no idea where they lived.
Unless…
Right on cue, the familiar hum of Frankenstein's car echoed.
Perfect.
Raizel straightened his coat, pausing briefly in front of a mirror.
Black attire, elegant presence, a healthy dose of ominous mystery? Check.
Satisfied, he turned on his heel and descended the stairs, prepared to ask Frankenstein another favor of the day.
It was time for Operation: Mess with the Sparkly Vampires.