Chapter 29:
– Valerie –
I dropped out of my swarm of bats form, and landed lightly on the pavement in the middle of the city. A second later, Seras transformed back and landed on the street right next to me.
"You've gotten pretty good at that," I said, genuinely impressed. I remembered how much she'd struggled with transforming and flying when she first became a true vampire.
Seras flashed me a toothy grin. "Thanks! I've been practicing," she said before her grin faltered a little. She hesitated, then added, "Listen, Valerie, I wanted to apologize for how I acted earlier. I've just been... jealous."
"Jealous?" I asked. "Jealous of what?"
She hesitated for a second, her gaze dropping to the ground.
"Oh," I blurted out as it hit me. My face heated up, and I knew my cheeks were turning red. "You mean… Narcissa?" Seras gave me a small nod, clearly a little embarrassed herself. That made two of us. I quickly realized that with her enhanced senses, she could probably hear—and smell—everything that had gone down between Narcissa and me. The thought made me want to crawl into a hole. "I... I'm sorry about that," I squeaked out, feeling completely mortified.
Seras waved off my apology with a shake of her head. "It's fine, really," she said, her tone softer now. "I just... I didn't know what Alucard meant when he explained all the changes that come with being a vampire. But now, I get it. I've been feeling a lot more possessive lately... and a lot more lustful too." Her cheeks flushed as she admitted it, and she glanced away, clearly embarrassed.
Seras paused for a moment before saying, "I should probably apologize to Ms. Munroe as well. She was kind enough to offer us a place to stay after we burned down the motel."
I couldn't help but chuckle. "I hope Integra hasn't heard about that yet!"
Seras waved her hand dismissively. "It's fine. We paid in cash, so there's no paper trail that we even stayed there. And that place was way too cheap to have real security cameras—just those fake ones people buy online and stick above their front porches."
I nodded, letting out a small laugh. I had to admit, as much as Seras's jealousy threw me off earlier, I should've been more considerate about blatantly flirting with Ororo in front of her.
On the other hand…
"...You have to admit, though," I said with a smirk, testing the waters. "Ororo is so fucking sexy!"
Seras's red eyes dilated slightly, and she nodded almost unconsciously. "...Yeah, she is ridiculously hot... Do hot women just naturally attract themselves to you, Valerie?" Seras asked with a cute pout.
I smirked even wider and leaned in to plant a small kiss on her cheek. "You tell me..."
Seras blushed, giggled softly, and shook her head. "We should probably get on with our mission. We've got some vampires to hunt down, after all."
I nodded in agreement as we turned toward the task at hand. We'd landed near the alley where Rachel had described her attack. Thankfully, New York streets were numbered, so it wasn't hard to find the spot. The area was dimly lit and eerily quiet. Which definitely wasn't natural in a city with millions of people and supposedly one of the largest homeless populations.
Which is when I noticed something was wrong. There were no homeless people! Everywhere I looked, the streets were empty! This was the same thing that had happened in London.
I pointed this out to Seras and a growl left her throat. "Preying on innocent people who are down on their luck. These vampires are scum!"
"You can say that again," a voice said right behind us. Neither of us noticed we weren't alone.
We both yelped—yes, yelped—and jumped a foot into the air before crashing back down and spinning!
My hand was halfway to my revolver before I realized who it was and I calmed down...
"Oh… hey there, Blade," I said, giving him a small wave. "Was wondering when you were going to show up."
He nodded in return, his gaze briefly flickering to Seras. "We didn't get to speak much when I was in London. I heard you're pretty new to being undead," he said to her.
Seras rubbed the back of her head, looking a little sheepish. "Yep! I'm Seras Victoria, formerly a police officer and now a vampire hunter. We're here to help."
I gave Blade a quick rundown of what we knew so far, including the lead Rachel had given us. His face darkened as I talked about the vampires getting bold enough to clear out the homeless and even start attacking kids just walking home from school.
"That's bad," he said, his voice low and grim. "Real bad. I got your text and will make sure not to hurt the new vampire, Rachel, if I ever run into her. Though I doubt I will, if she's going to be spending her time at that mutant school."
"Even you know about that place?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Blade gave a small shrug. "There's not much in this city that slips my attention."
I couldn't help but respect the hustle. This guy was dedicated to protecting people, and I admired that.
We led him into the alley, all of us putting our noses to work. It was pretty obvious Seras and I had the edge in the scent department, considering we were both directly descended from Alucard. Our senses were on another level entirely. Seras also had her police training to fall back on, and the vampires who'd been here weren't as thorough as they should have been in cleaning up.
"I think I've got something," Seras said, crouching down near a faint smear of blood on the pavement. The trail led us to a nearby store that looked closed and abandoned, though the back door's glass had been smashed in.
Blade had his hand on his sword as he stepped into the dark building first. Not that any of us needed a flashlight—vampire night vision made sure of that. The place reeked of mildew and old wood, mixed with a faint coppery tang that set my teeth on edge.
"I think I found Rachel's friend," Blade said with a heavy sigh.
I stepped up beside him and winced at the sight. A teenage boy, probably around sixteen or seventeen, lay crumpled on the floor. He'd been dead for at least a week, and it showed. The smell was awful and the sight was even worse.
"What should we do in this situation?" I asked Seras, turning to her for advice. "I'm sure his parents would want closure and their son's body… but the wounds obviously scream vampire attack. Or a deranged psycho…" I added with a grimace.
Seras frowned, her gaze fixed on the boy's body. "We should probably call the police anonymously and let them handle it. We can't risk bringing attention to ourselves by getting involved directly." While a surprisingly large number of the upper police force back in Britain now knew about the supernatural, we had no idea how similar that was here in America. My guess was not similar at all.
Blade nodded in agreement with Seras. "I've got a guy in the local precinct who can make sure this gets handled quietly and stays out of the papers. I'll let him know."
We spent the next couple minutes looking around the store, sniffing the air and scanning every corner for more scents or clues. The place was a mess—broken shelves, scattered trash, and a lingering smell of mildew that made the whole place feel even creepier. Blade was casually filling us in on what he'd been up to during his search for Dracula. The fake Dracula of course.
"Wait a minute," I said, stopping mid-step as Blade finished his explanation. I had to process what he'd just told us. It was almost too dumb to be real! "Let me get this straight. You came face to face with the vampire claiming to be Dracula—the most fearsome and powerful vampire in the entire world, the Prince of Darkness, the King of the Night—and instead of fighting you and, I don't know, trying to kill you because you're literally hunting him, he just… glared at you, gave an angry hiss, jumped out a window, and ran away? Does that about sum it up?"
Blade nodded dryly. "Yeah, that's about what happened. I was honestly surprised too..."
I stared at him, completely dumbfounded.
Seras's face mirrored my disbelief. "And did you say he was wearing ripped jeans, and a chain necklace without a shirt?" she added with a small cringe.
"He was indeed wearing a chain necklace and no shirt," Blade said, shaking his head like he couldn't believe it either.
"Okay then…" I said, not even holding back my laugh. "...What a total douchebag." And on that note, I ended up picking up a strong scent. A vampire had been through here very recently, and I could even tell the direction he was travelling in! "I think I got something!"
– Alucard –
"What a lovely night to get a bite to drink!" Alucard murmured to himself as he strolled through the crowds of humans on the street. The grin tugging at his lips was almost impossible to suppress. So many tantalizing scents wafted through the air, it was like walking through an all-you-can-eat buffet. But he had made a promise to Integra—no biting anyone "innocent" anymore.
Remarkably, he hadn't broken that promise in two full decades of service.
Not that he didn't occasionally go out and drain someone without her knowing. After all, the two of them had very different definitions of "innocent."
Alucard figured his master knew about his little night time escapades but probably didn't care, as long as he always cleaned up his messes. Which is exactly what he planned to do now…
"Please let me go!" a woman's frantic voice echoed down a nearby alley. She was thrashing against two men pinning her against a dirty brick wall. Her cries for help rang out, but everyone on the street just walked faster, their heads down, pretending they hadn't seen or heard a thing.
"Cowards," Alucard muttered, his crimson coat swishing as he turned into the alley. His grin widened as he strolled toward them. "Hello there, miss. My name is Alucard. Are you in need of saving?"
Her shirt was ripped, leaving her in just her bra. One of the thugs had a knife pressed to her throat, and the other was waving a gun around like it made him king of the world. She glared at Alucard, her expression practically screaming: "Obviously, I need saving!!"
Alucard chuckled softly.
"Who the fuck are you?" the thug with the gun snapped, spinning around. His bravado faltered as his eyes landed on Alucard. He froze, his Adam's apple bobbing as he gulped.
Alucard tended to have that effect on people. He was quite tall, and Integra had mentioned more than once that his entire outfit—wide-brimmed hat, red coat, sharp grin—came off as… extremely creepy.
Perfect! A monster wasn't supposed to look normal, after all. That defeated the entire purpose of being a MONSTER!
"Did I not introduce myself earlier?" Alucard tilted his head, his grin growing wider. "My name is Alucard, and I guess I'm here to save this woman. My daughter and master would both be proud of me if I did, I suppose."
"You ain't savin shit, retard!" the thug snapped, lifting his gun.
"Bang!"
The bullet slammed into Alucard's chest, punching through his coat and striking where his heart would be… if he had one.
"That was some pretty good aim," Alucard said with a chuckle, taking a few casual steps forward. Pretending like he didn't just get shot.
"What the fuck?!" the thug shouted, his voice breaking as he fired again.
"Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang!"
The revolver clicked empty. Four more bullets tore through Alucard's chest, and the final shot was aimed at his face.
Alucard opened his mouth and caught the last bullet neatly between his teeth. He held it there for a moment, letting the tension build, before casually spitting it out onto the ground.
"Kill this fucker, Tony!" the thug with the knife shouted, his voice shrill with panic.
"What the hell do you think I just tried to do, jackass?!" Tony snapped back, his hand trembling as he waved the now-empty revolver. "He's some kind of freak! Like those muties on the internet!"
"I am indeed a freak, but I'm not a mutant," Alucard pointed out, his grin growing impossibly wider.
"What the hell are you then?!"
"A predator!" Alucard's voice dripped with delight as he relished their fear. Faster than either thug could react, his hand disappeared into his coat, emerging with the massive black shape of his signature pistol. Two thunderous shots echoed through the alley. Both hit their marks with perfect precision.
The thugs' heads snapped back, cleanly blown off their necks. Their bodies collapsed to the ground, blood pooling rapidly on the dirty pavement.
Alucard sighed as he surveyed the mess. "Wasteful," he muttered, holding out his hand. The blood began to defy gravity, lifting from the corpses and floating toward him. It swirled in midair before pouring into his open mouth. He drank deeply, savoring every drop.
Delicious...
While virgin blood was always a favorite, there was something exquisite about the blood of sinners. Maybe it was the way their souls screamed when they realized they'd be trapped inside him forever, making him just a little stronger with every gulp.
The woman he'd saved stood frozen, her eyes wide with shock as she stared at the headless bodies.
Alucard shrugged. He hadn't saved her expecting gratitude, but a simple "thank you" wouldn't have killed her.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Alucard felt more bullets slam into him from behind. He turned slowly, mildly irritated as he heard rapid footsteps approaching.
Whoever it was, they launched themselves into the air, flipping gracefully before landing between him and the woman.
"Don't worry! I'll save you and avenge your friends!" the new arrival declared. It was a woman. A female vampire to be precise.
Alucard's crimson eyes widened slightly as he took her in.
She was stunning!
Piercing eyes, shoulder length black hair, a strikingly beautiful face, and a tight black leather bodysuit that clung to every curve. And the guns—two semi-automatics, both pointed directly at him!
Holy shit! Was this love at first sight!?
The feeling was almost identical to what he felt for his beloved Annabella, Bellatrix… or Integra.
Whoever this woman was, she was perfect! He was going to make her his own!
Now then... How exactly should he go about charming her...?
"Hehehe… you'll have to try harder than that if you want to kill me, woman," Alucard declared, spreading his arms wide. "Penetrate me with your bullets more!!!"
Perfect!
Judging by her reaction, she was stunned by his charm!
The gorgeous woman gaped at him for a moment before narrowing her eyes and unloading both weapons. Alucard stood still, letting every bullet strike him as he grinned like a madman.
The beautiful vampire woman looked shocked as every bullet she fired plopped out of Alucard's body, the wounds closing up almost instantly. But she didn't run. She stood her ground and immediately started reloading!
Alucard found himself liking her more and more!
"WAIT!" the human woman in the alley suddenly shouted, drawing both their attention.
Ah, right...
Alucard had momentarily forgotten about the human he just saved. Her interruption was spoiling his fun. He didn't mind getting shot a few more times—that was practically foreplay to him. Hell, when he wanted to spice things up with Bellatrix, the Cruciatus curse always added a nice edge in the bedroom.
"Those guys weren't my friends," the woman stammered, gesturing at the headless corpses. "They were assaulting me. He, um… saved me." She glanced at Alucard nervously. "And then he started drinking their blood." She shivered...
"Oh," the vampire woman said, lowering her guns slightly. Her gaze flicked between Alucard and the bodies awkwardly. "Um… I'm sorry for shooting you...?"
Alucard chuckled and stepped closer to her. "You don't have to apologize. Feel free to shoot me whenever you like…" As he said that, he gave her a big toothy grin.
He was pretty sure the beautiful vampire would be blushing if she were capable of it. She started fidgeting in place slightly and was struggling to look him in the eyes.
Hah! He still had it!
"That's the weirdest pickup line I've ever heard..." the human muttered under her breath.
Alucard shot her an irritated look. "You can go now," he said flatly.
"Right," she said quickly. "Thanks for saving me, I guess." She hurried out of the alley, not even caring that she was still in just her bra.
Alucard immediately put her out of his mind. All his attention was on the exquisite creature in front of him. Coming to America to deal with some idiot stealing his name had already proven worthwhile for this moment alone.
"Hello there. My name is Alucard," he said, bowing slightly.
The woman hesitated before replying, "Hello, Alucard. My name is Selene."
– Valerie –
"I think we're closing in on the fake Dracula's hideout." Seras said. They could now smell dozens…maybe hundreds of other vampires nearby as they walked through an abandoned city block.
This world certainly had a lot of those… Way more than Valerie remembered in her past life. Obviously that was because the human population was lower because of all the supernatural creatures that preyed on them across the world. Instead of 8 billion people, there were only around 6 billion.
"I wonder if dad has already beaten us there?" I asked out loud. "It's just our luck that we'll get there and he's already killed all the vampires." I chuckled.
"I wouldn't mind if he did…" Blade added.
"Yeah, Master was really mad! I don't think there's anything in the world that's going to save these poor bastards from his wrath," Seras said.
I didn't either…
"Bzzzz"
My phone in my jacket pocket was vibrating. "Hold on, I got a message." I told the other two with me. I pulled out my phone and saw that it was from Alucard. Huh, I don't think he's ever even texted me before. I read the message out loud:
"Hello daughter! I hope this message finds you well. Guess what? You might have another new stepmother soon! Her name is Selene and she is perfect! I'm going to be busy helping her for the next few days so please kill the fake Dracula for me. I don't care about him anymore. Thanks!"
I stared at the text message in disbelief. Reading it over and over again.
"Ok… What. The. F–"
XXX
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Here is the list of Current Advanced Chapters:
The Fallen Gamer ch 313-317
The Blood Queen ch 31
The fox hole ch 47
Thunder and Black Wings 7
The Titan ch 23
The Fox Hole 46
Thunder and Black Wings ch 6
The Fox Hole ch 45
The Blood Queen ch 30
The Titan ch 22
The Fox Hole ch 44
Thunder and Black Wings ch 1-5 (New Story)