Tell me," he says after a pause. "Why did you come here tonight?" he asks.
"It—"
"Was it simply to bare your little teeth? Tell me to stay out of your territory?"
So much for his facade of niceness.
"I wanted a better outcome than this," he tells you and stands. You stand too and watch as Blackwell dusts invisible particles off his jacket. He motions to the aproned vampire who is still smiling her eerie wide smile. She moves forward, gathers up the cake without a word, and drops it neatly into a nearby bin.
Which... really... that's just wasteful.
"I would say it's been a pleasure," Blackwell says smoothly. "But..." he turns and strides towards the back of the shop.
He vanishes through an unlit doorway. The aproned vampire motions you towards the front door.
You don't need to be told twice. You leave the cafe and walk briskly in a random direction. You don't bother howling. The pack set up a perimeter. As long as you keep walking, they'll find you.
Sure enough, less than a block away from the cafe you spot Elma. She's leaning against a bus stop, a pencil behind one ear and a crossword in her hand. She's already seen you.
"How'd it go?"
"I don't think he likes me very much."
She snorts. "So much for the grand vampire-werewolf coalition. Can't say I'm too disappointed."
"Gideon Mercer!" It's the Alpha. He's jogging towards you, half the pack at his heel. "What happened? What did it say?"
You tell him... in as few words as possible. You're standing in a random street. Not busy, but not so isolated that a prolonged gathering of people would go unnoticed for long.
The Alpha's face grows harder with each word he hears.
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