Ezra tensed as he stood in a single smooth motion, ready for another confrontation. The memory of X's attack was still fresh in his mind, and seeing them wear the same blank masks only fueled his instinct to defend himself and Gen.
Valaren growled inside him, seeking blood and his blood began humming a gentle tune. He tensed his feet and-
"STOP!" Gen appeared, standing between him and the three women, her hands raised. "Those are the Custodians."
"What?" Ezra growled, already mid transformation. "They're with X." He stepped to the side, evading Gen.
But before he could make a move, Gen held his bicep. "Stop. They're not with X. There are no men among the Custodians of First City. All X did, was steal a mask." She explained. "Think before you move, Ezra. There are laws and you're not exempt to them."
"Huh?" The words filtered into his brain and he stood there staring at the ladies who stood frozen with their hands up in the universal gesture of peace. "Oh."
Relief washed over Ezra as the tension in the room dissipated. He relaxed his stance, though he remained cautious as the Custodians approached. His transformation melted away and he took a step back, feeling the drain on his vitality.
His apprehension melted away when the women presented bottles of blood wine. "Your order." The lead woman said. "All necessary fees shall be charged to your bank account."
Gen accepted them smiling. "Hell yeah!" There was no trace of the woman he had seen grieving her family. "Here you go." She handed Ezra a bottle and sat.
Ezra followed suit, taking the offered bottle.
Gen popped the cork off the bottle and began drinking her own blood wine. As she drank, Ezra observed with fascination. He had never seen anyone drink that fast and he had seen a lot of drunks. "How are you doing that?" He asked in wonder.
"Practice." Gen took a final gulp of her wine and wiped her lips with the back of her hand in contentment. With a grunt, she ignited the blood within her and vitality rushed through her body. She sighed in relief as her iris stopped it's rapid spinning and slowed down to begin spinning slowly once more.
"Our eyes are connected to our lack of vitality?"
"Haven't you heard? The eyes are windows to the soul." Gen stood up and stretched. "That's how you identify a starving vampire. Without vitality, a vampire has two options. First, to go into hibernation. Second, to go mad and be put down. Whatever happens, it's your choice."
With practiced ease, Gen knelt beside Olivia's headless body and placed her hand upon it, channeling vitality into the wounded vampire. Ezra watched as Olivia's head started to regrow at an astonishing pace, the healing process accelerated by Gen's infusion of vitality.
Once Olivia had fully regenerated, she rose on her elbows, blinking in confusion. "What happened? What did I miss?"
"We did it. Ezra smiled down at her. "Malachi and X are gone."
"What?" Olivia's eyes widened in disbelief. She sat up quickly. "What about the page? Who has it? Malachi? X?" she bombarded Ezra with questions, forcing gen to intervene.
"Relax." Gen took her by the shoulders. "Ezra claimed the monster."
"What?" Olivia exclaimed before being shushed by Gen. She glanced at the Custodians who were planning their work of fixing the room and turned back to Ezra. "How did you do it?" She whispered.
"You already decoded the page. All it needed was blood." Ezra shrugged nonchalantly. "There was blood on the floor and when I dropped it, the page absorbed the blood and revealed Valaren."
"Let me see." Olivia urged.
"See what?" Ezra frowned in confusion.
"The tattoo."
The moment Olivia mentioned it, Ezra became aware of the familiar sensation on his back. It was as if it had always been there. He shrugged off X's ridiculous neon purple jacket and pulled off his tracksuit. The two ladies crowded around his back, staring at what he knew for certain was there.
A tattoo of Valaren.
"It's beautiful." Olivia whispered, her hands ghosting across his back.
"And scary." Gen spoke. "You definitely don't want it mad at you."
"Either way, it's beautiful."
"You're lucky, Ezra." Gen abandoned the tattoo to smile at him. "Imagine getting a progenitor relic as your first ring."
"Better Ezra than anyone else." Olivia said with finality.
"First ring?" Ezra asked. More vampire terminology he didn't know.
"Later." Olivia left the tattoo to sit down. "Right now, I need blood."
"I've got you covered." Gen laughed, handing Olivia a bottle of blood wine. Olivia popped off the cork and took a swig from the bottle. "That hit the spot." She sighed in contentment.
"Thanks Ezra."
Ezra paused his opening of his wine to raise an eyebrow at Gen.
Gen looked away. "If you hadn't gotten Valaren, we would be dead. So, thank you."
"Thanks." Ezra smiled. He hadn't known them for long but he had a feeling that both women rarely had anyone to thank.
He joined his companions in drinking the blood wine, savoring the rich taste as they watched the Custodians work their magic.
The vampire custodians unleashed their monsters, peculiar creatures resembling colorful balls of slime.
Each slime rolled methodically around the room. Wherever they passed, they absorbed the debris and broken parts, spitting them out and repairing the damage done by the battle.
Ezra marveled at their efficiency, realizing the invaluable role they played in maintaining order and balance within the vampire society. Without them, many vampires would be in violation of the Law of Secrecy."
As he took his final swig of blood wine, Ezra couldn't help but express his admiration for the Custodians. "You lot are the best thing since sliced bread," he remarked with a grin.
The Custodians, their shy demeanor evident even beneath their masks, murmured their thanks in response, their presence now a comforting reassurance in the aftermath of chaos.
"How does it feel to be married?" Gen asked out of the blue.
"I'm not married yet." Ezra said and the two women turned sharply to stare at him. "Haven't consummated the marriage." He smirked.
"That, I can help you with." Gen matched his smirk.