Page 98 of A Silent Prodigy for the Lycan Princess

The vampire in front of us seems ageless to me. He looks like he could be anything from twenty to late thirties. His skin is pale, his dark hair shiny; he wears it shoulder-length. Judging by the way the waitress ogles him, he must be handsome, though I’m certainly not the one to be able to judge that. I’m more fascinated by what he is and how he is a full-blooded vampire.

I’ve never met one before. Everything I know about vampires I know from my books, but this is my first time meeting one.

I have so many questions!

Cato pops up in my mind and projects an image of Meg and how she is chained to the wall. It’s the picture Leila drew after her first vision. He is right; we have more urgent matters at hand than me being curious about vampires.

Aurelia introduces the both of us to Alexander before asking, “What do you know already?”

“Only what Silas told me,” he explains. “Something about omega wolves going missing.”

“Not just omega wolves,” I correct him. “We have found out that while it’s their preferred prey, they also abduct betas.”

“How come?” Alexander wants to know.

“Some packs find them disposable,” Aurelia says with anger in her voice. “Which means it takes a long time for them to be noticed missing. Especially, considering they choose those who are orphaned or have very little contact with their families.”

“Seeing how they have been doing this for a couple of years, and you have only begun to research now, they were right in their assumptions,” Alexander says, raising his eyebrows as if he is judging us.

I hate how he looks down on us, but he isn’t wrong with what he said. “Unfortunately, that’s the truth.”

“Well.” Aurelia smiles, but there is a hint of iciness in her smile when she looks at Alexander. “You are right. As a vampire you certainly know about elitism behavior, firsthand,” she says.

Alexander smirks. “I have nothing to say in my defense.”

“Alright, now that we’ve played around a bit, can we finally come to the reason we’ve met?” Aurelia asks bluntly.

Alexander seems to be interested in her, eyeing her curiously. “You certainly are intriguing,” he muses, before looking at me. “You are her mate?”

“Yes,” I huff.

“Pity,” he mutters.

Cato pushes forward and growls. “What do you mean by that?” he asks. For a moment I am stunned. Cato has never taken over so forcefully, and he has never used my body to talk!

Alexander brushes through his hair, ignoring me completely. “And I can’t change your mind?” he asks Aurelia sweetly. “Not even my beauty can?”

I swear, I’m so close to attacking him here and now, when Aurelia just laughs at him. “No way,” she says. “Arden is the most intelligent person I’ve ever met, and he is fun and strong, and does everything to help those in need. No man’s looks will ever be able to compete with what he brings to the table.”

I glare at Alexander. “I have the ability to never forget a single face or word I’ve heard or read. So better be careful who you challenge.”

“You think you can outsmart me?” he asks.

“Yes, absolutely,” I say.

“Then tell me what you know about vampires,”

“Which book do you want me to recite?” I dare him.

“Anything written by the Vampire Convention from the 18thcentury,” he says.

“I’ve read all of the work that’s available for werewolves.”

“How about the original vampire families?” he prompts.

“That’s an easy one,” I say while I start searching my memory palace for said book. “It’s the third book of the anthology. Chapter III to IV,” I say before paraphrasing the text passages that contain information about the original vampire families. They don’t mention any names in it, but from what I know, all full-blooded vampires are descendants of them. “The only one mentioned by name is a man named Aloysius, and the second brother, Silas, as two of the most prominent leaders of their times.” I pause. “Seeing how you are brothers, I’d say—”

“Yes,” Alexander interrupts me. “I’ve heard enough.” He leans back, sipping at his coffee. “Alright.” He nods contently. “I think you are both worth my time.”