Michael
I knew it was a trap.
From the moment we stepped into the streets of Limehouse, I could feel it. The way people looked at us—not with curiosity, but like predators watching their next meal.
"That damn rat-catcher dragged us into something," Raphael muttered.
Gabriel said nothing. I knew he had the same feeling as we did. But we had no choice.
If we wanted to find Isaac Crowe, we had to finish this job.
Gabriel
The man we were looking for was named Edgar Locke.
A businessman. A moneylender. But above all: A man who dealt with the wrong people in London's shadows.
"He works with vampires," the informant had said. "But he's not one of them. Not directly."
"What exactly do you want us to do?" Raphael asked.
The man smiled. "Remind him who he owes."
I knew what that meant.
It wasn't an assassination. But it was a message. One that had to be written in blood.
Raphael
The tavern where Locke was hiding was run-down.
But that didn't mean anything. Many of London's rich preferred the filth—as long as they were the ones controlling it.
We stepped inside. The smell of gin and cheap smoke filled the air. People with dark intentions sat at tables, playing cards, exchanging money.
And in the corner?
A man with iron-gray hair, a cigar between his fingers, a woman by his side.
Edgar Locke.
I grinned.
"Time to deliver our message."
Michael
We moved like hunters.
Gabriel was the first to approach the table. Raphael stayed by the door, making sure no one could escape. I held the center.
Locke noticed us immediately.
"You're not from here." His voice was calm, his eyes sharp. "And you don't belong in this world."
Gabriel sank into the chair across from him.
"We're just messengers."
Locke's smile froze.
I could see that he knew exactly what that meant.
Gabriel
"You owe a friend of ours something."
Locke took a deep drag of his cigar. "Friends? No one has friends in this city."
I felt Raphael tense beside me. Michael remained still.
Locke leaned back. "So, messengers… what's the message?"
I held his gaze.
Then, slowly, I drew my sword and placed it gently on the table.
"Pay your debt. Or we'll take it another way."
The entire bar fell silent.
And then, things got dangerous.
Raphael
I saw them before they moved.
Men who worked for Locke's protection. Fast. Too quiet. Not ordinary thugs.
Michael cursed under his breath. "We're not alone."
Locke smirked. "You idiots really thought you could just walk in here and threaten me?"
Then he gave the signal.
And all hell broke loose.