Consciousness descended upon Ezra like a fever dream.
At the edge of his hearing, he could hear indistinct voices speaking. Different colors stretched and compressed behind his closed eyelids.
In an instant, he was awake. There was no lethargy associated with waking up.
He was fully ready and wide awake, yet he didn't move a muscle. Whatever bed he was sleeping on had to be the best quality possible. He didn't feel any cricks.
The fact that he was still alive meant that he was a vampire now. He took a moment to let that sink in.
The first thing he noticed was the thirst assaulting his throat. He couldn't help but wonder if he'll lose control at the smell of blood.
Somehow, he didn't think so. He knew he was thirsty but it wasn't the all-consuming thirst he thought it would be.
Besides, the voices were much more distracting than the thirst.
Ezra's senses sharpened as he focused on the voices, recognizing the distinct tones of Olivia and Genesis.
He cracked open an eyelid, the world swimming into view, blurred yet slowly sharpening. He lay still, his newly heightened senses honing in on the conversation.
"What about the new Count?" Genesis said, her voice low like she didn't want anyone listening in. "Isn't that an option?"
"That's just a rumor." Olivia countered.
"Come on. It can't be a rumor. The news was leaked directly from the City Lord's office."
"I don't deny that there's a new Count coming but have you heard the rumors?" Olivia asked.
"They say he's powerful, far more so than anyone we've encountered since the Death Wave. Some say he's even older than the Council."
Counts? City Lords? Death Wave? Ezra remained perfectly still, straining to catch every word of the conversation. What he was hearing was very… interesting.
Genesis's reply this time was loud. "I've heard. They say he's different, more powerful than the others."
"First, that can't even be true. If he really is as powerful as they say, why will he want to be a Count? Why not aim higher. A seat on the Council. Or even just a place in the Ark."
Olivia sighed. "Whoever this new Count is, we don't know anything about him. Aligning ourselves with an unknown like that could be dangerous."
"Or it could be our salvation." Genesis countered, a hint of eagerness creeping into her tone.
"This is the kind of opportunity that shouldn't be missed. We just need to get under the protection of this Count and all our problems are gone. Just like that."
Even from where he was, Ezra could hear the skepticism in Olivia's voice."And at what cost? Do you really believe we can switch sides without consequences? Griffin is too greedy to let anyone go without a fight."
"And? We've survived Counts before."
"Not in direct combat."
"Doesn't matter. This time, we'll have a Count to do the fighting for us. Think about it." Genesis pressed.
"If we align ourselves with him now, we could secure protection, power. The City Lord would step in and the other Counts would have no choice but to back down. We could finally be free from them."
"Free?" Olivia's laugh was surprisingly bitter. "Or enslaved under a new master? We don't know anything about this Count. He could be even worse than Griffin. The devil you know, Genesis."
Genesis sighed, the sound a mixture of frustration and contemplation. "But what if he's our chance? Our chance to break free, to carve out our own place in this city? You know Griffin will find ways to keep us down."
Ezra frowned. Who was this Griffin they kept mentioning? A Count?
"And what if this new Count decides we're a threat? If he sees us as enemies instead of allies?" Olivia said. "We'd be risking everything. There's no guarantee he'd accept us, let alone protect us."
Genesis said nothing to that.
Olivia was silent for a moment before speaking again. "It's too dangerous, Genesis. We don't have enough information to make an informed decision. We'd be stepping into the unknown, and once we make that choice, there's no going back."
Genesis sighed in resignation. "You're right. As much as I hate to admit it, you're right. We can't afford to take that risk. Not now, at least."
"We need to gather more information, learn more about this Count before we make any decisions," Olivia concluded.
"For now, we stay the course. We continue with our previous plan, bide our time. Besides, the new Count isn't here yet."
Ezra didn't know what to think. This wasn't how he imagined married life to be.
His new companions had scary enemies? He hoped he was just misunderstanding the conversation.
How many Counts were even around? Was Dracula a thing?
Vampire politics was far more dangerous than he had imagined it would be but he probably shouldn't be surprised.
They were, after all, vampires.
"Alright." Genesis finally said. "We wait."
Silence filled the house once more.
Ezra laid down there, his mind going through the conversation he'd just heard.
Council, Counts and City Lords. It sounded like they were discussing matters that could result in their deaths.
He didn't know the whole story yet but that didn't matter. This was what he had signed up for.
He laid there, staring at the ceiling. The room was quiet. Too quiet. That was when he realized he wasn't breathing!
Stunned, Ezra sat up.
His hands roamed around his chest and stomach as he checked for his knife wounds. There wasn't even a scratch.
His skin was pale and so smooth, he was having trouble believing it was real.
He looked down to see six pack abs. He touched it in amazement. He'd never had the time to try and get one.
"Like what you see?" A familiar sensual voice asked.
Ezra looked up to see Genesis leaning on the door.
She was looking incredibly self-assured and not like someone with few options.
"Welcome back to the land of the living." She smiled at him.
Ezra opened his mouth to ask a question and choked immediately.
"You might want to try breathing." She laughed. "We're vampires but we can't break all the laws of physics and biology at the same time."
Ezra sucked in a deep breath and asked point-blank. "What's going on?"
"Welcome Ezra. You are now a vampire."