Page 20 of How to Stake a Vampire (Diary of a Reluctant Werewolf #2)

FULL DISCLOSURE

The blood drained from Constantia’s face. “Ludvik? You mean that Ludvik?!”

Gregory had gone similarly ashen-faced beside his wife.

Cornelius’s face tightened. “Even I’ve heard of him.”

“Your great-nephew?” Lines marred Melody’s delicate brow.

“That’s who the perpetrator is?!” Titania asked, aghast.

It seemed Ludvik’s reputation preceded him.

“Yes,” Barney said flatly. “As a few of you know, my great-nephew is a four-hundred-year-old vampire with a history of attempting to overthrow vampire courts in Europe. He’s specially obsessed with purifying vampire bloodlines.”

“We received a blood purity manifesto,” Gregory confirmed.

Constantia removed the letter from her bag and passed it to Daria.

Portia and Titania leaned over to read it.

Wendall narrowed his eyes at Barney. “You want us to believe it’s a complete coincidence that this great-nephew of yours is here, causing havoc in Amberford?”

“If you’re implying he followed me here, you would be wrong,” Barney said coldly. “I had long presumed Ludvik dead. There is no love lost between us. That he ended up in the same town as me after all these centuries is a twist of fate even I didn’t see coming.”

“What does this Ludvik guy want?” Finnic grunted.

“To make this town his ultimate experiment.”

Confusion washed across the faces of the Alliance members.

Barney sighed. “He’s targeting vampire aristocracy so he can collect their blood and use an ancient ritual to absorb their powers.

This would theoretically make him the first of a new pureblood vampire race.

One powerful enough to do what he’s always wanted: eliminate vampires of common blood and rule over other supernatural communities. ”

Finnic scowled. “So a new Vampire Lord? Like the good old days?”

Barney nodded grimly. “Exactly.”

The room erupted.

“Impossible!” Oscar scoffed.

“That’s just a myth,” Wendall protested.

Cornelius frowned heavily. “Rituals with that kind of power were destroyed centuries ago.”

“I agree,” Melody said tightly. There was a hard glint in the fae witch’s eyes.

“They’re right,” Portia keened, her hair unraveling in her agitation.

Daria and Titania exchanged a troubled look.

“ Enough! ” Gregory’s voice cut through the noise like a blade. The vampire’s eyes were crimson with fury. “If Barnabas and Samuel believe the threat is real, then we must treat it as such!”

“Thank you, Gregory,” Barney said quietly as the echoes died down.

“Don’t thank me yet,” Gregory replied coldly. He shot a look at Virgil, his expression growing conflicted. “You said my son was targeted because of his blood. What did you mean by that?”

“Ludvik must have found out Virgil is from one of the purest vampire lineages in New England.” Barney hesitated. “But it wasn’t just for that reason. He could probably tell how powerful Virgil was from his scent.”

Constantia and Gregory stared at Barney like he’d lost his mind.

Virgil glowered accusingly at the older vampire. “I’m pretty sure I asked you not to reveal that.”

“This matter is too important not to have all our cards on the table,” Barney retorted.

“Barney is right, Virgil,” Samuel said.

“Powerful?” Constantia repeated. “My son?”

Gregory looked equally confused. “But—Virgil failed the vampire trials.”

I stared before leaning sideways toward Victoria.

“There are vampire trials?” I hissed out the corner of my mouth.

“Yes, to determine who can be the next head of a family, among other things,” she murmured.

This was news to me.

Ellie gulped. Bo’s eyes brightened with unhealthy interest.

Everyone else was looking at Virgil.

“He threw Ludvik through a steel door,” Barney explained. “Even I might struggle in a fight with your son,” he told the Tremaines.

Surprise flashed across Virgil’s face.

His parents sat shell-shocked across the way.

Gregory finally recovered and pinned his son with a hard stare. “What happened at the vampire trials?”

Virgil rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “I deliberately flunked them.”

“What?!” Constantia squealed. “But—why?!”

“Because I don’t want to step into Father’s shoes and be made to continue the old traditions!” Virgil snapped.

Constantia recoiled. Gregory swallowed hard and laid a hand on her arm.

I felt a little sorry for them.

“Virgil, you shouldn’t upset your parents like that,” Ellie admonished softly.

“She’s right,” Victoria said kindly.

Virgil clenched his jaw.

“Do you hate our family that much?” Gregory asked his son in a haunted voice.

Virgil blew out a frustrated sigh. “I don’t hate our family. I hate that the vampire community we’re supposed to lead doesn’t want to change. I hate that you won’t allow me to try and change it.”

“The bloodsuckers could do with being dragged kicking and screaming into the twenty-first century,” Finnic grunted before taking a swig of his drink.

“Must you call them that?” Daria asked sharply. “And how much have you had to drink?”

“I mean, Finnic’s not wrong, and neither is Virgil,” Titania said uneasily while Daria and the dwarf had a tense exchange about the legal alcohol limit for attending an Alliance meeting. “Some vampire families still use hearses for transportation.”

I made a face. The mystery of why Amberford had so many hearses was finally solved.

Gregory’s jaw set in a rigid line, but not before I glimpsed the hurt in his eyes.

“I wished you’d told me that instead of leaving our home,” he told Virgil half-accusingly.

“You never had time for me,” Virgil protested.

“Virgil,” Constantia said gently. “You’re our son. We’ll always have time for you.”

Virgil flushed, his chin trembling.

Titania sniffed and dabbed at her eyes with a hanky.

“So why did Miss Martin get bitten?” Daria asked. The witch looked uncomfortable at all the public displays of affection taking place in the Twilight Conference Room .

“When Ludvik couldn’t find Virgil at Bean Me Up, he took his frustration out on Ellie,” I said.

I decided not to mention my best friend’s appalling skills at coffee making had probably triggered the episode of violence.

Cornelius’s puzzled gaze swung between me and Ellie.

“Do you two know each other?”

“We live together,” I said. “Ellie is my best friend.”

Ellie beamed.

Daria’s face fell. “Ah.”

“What an unlucky coincidence,” Melody remarked thoughtfully. “That both of you got bitten within a month of each other.”

Portia frowned. “Almost like it was fate.”

I couldn’t deny that it was a freaky situation to be in.

“Still, it doesn’t explain why Miss Martin is not acting like a normal newborn,” Gregory said.

“That’s because Virgil gave me his blood,” Ellie said cheerfully. “It was delicious.”

The Alliance members stared at her like she’d just suggested a full-on orgy.

“I thought that was just an urban legend,” Oscar said warily.

“So did I,” Wendall muttered.

“You gave her your blood?!” Constantia asked, stunned.

Virgil’s face tightened. “It was the only thing I could think of to help Ellie through her transformation.”

“But—why go so far for a perfect stranger?” Cornelius asked.

Virgil and Ellie exchanged a hesitant look.

Gregory lowered his brows, understanding dawning on his face. “Wait. Don’t tell me?—”

“Ellie and I like each other,” Virgil declared. He jutted his chin and took Ellie’s hand.

Ellie smiled mistily.

Gregory looked like he was considering turning to religion.

Constantia swayed.

Titania supported her with her hands and murmured words of reassurance while giving Portia and Daria a glance that said they were gossiping about this over cocktails later.

“Virgil’s blood stabilized Ellie,” Barney said. “His emotions for her likely influenced her transformation.”

Wendall’s face twisted in disgust. “Like a love potion?”

Pearl wrinkled her face like she was ready to cough up a fur ball.

“Love potion, chemistry, whatever it was, it worked,” Samuel said curtly.

Melody fixed Ellie with an intense stare. “How fascinating. Maybe we should study this in more detail.”

“She’s not a circus attraction.” Virgil’s eyes flashed crimson.

A low growl left my throat, unbidden. “What he said.”

“Abby and Virgil are right.” Gregory had recovered from his shock and was studying his son and Ellie with a frown. “Miss Martin is now our family’s responsibility. We are duty bound to offer her our protection.”

Surprise flared on Virgil’s face. “You’re not disappointed?”

Gregory sighed. “You did what you thought was best under the circumstances, son. And I know you wouldn’t have taken that decision lightly.”

Everyone startled when Pearl jumped on the table.

“Maybe we should get on with the purpose of this meeting,” the cat said with an imperious swish of her tail. “Like the homicidal vampire trying to overthrow Amberford’s supernatural society.”

There was a general clearing of throats.

“Pearl’s right,” Samuel said. “I want to put a motion forward to focus Alliance resources on finding and stopping Ludvik.”

“Before he completes his ritual,” Barney murmured.

“Seconded,” Gregory said immediately.

“Hold on,” Wendall interjected. “Are we seriously considering deploying Alliance resources based on some wild speculation? We don’t even know where this Ludvik character is hiding.”

“What seems reckless is ignoring a credible threat,” Finnic said, scowling. “If this bloodsucker is half as dangerous as Barney says he is, we need to stop him.”

“I agree,” Titania added. “The risk is too great to ignore.”

Portia nodded.

“This sets a dangerous precedent,” Cornelius warned.

Daria’s mouth flattened to a thin line. “Motion on the floor. All in favor of allocating Alliance resources to tracking and stopping Ludvik Bludworth?”

Samuel, Victoria, Gregory, and Constantia’s hands shot up immediately, followed by Daria’s, Titania’s, and Portia’s. Finnic raised his tankard. Cornelius sighed and nodded.

Bo raised a paw.

Oscar scowled. “We told you that you weren’t a member of the Alliance.”

“Losers weepers,” my dog huffed.

“That means you’re getting him whether you like it or not,” Pearl translated nastily.

I sighed at the frosty looks and frowns from the Alliance.

“He’s a lovable doofus once you get to know him.”

“Moving on,” Daria said briskly. “This is a formality, but I need to ask for the records. Anyone opposed to the motion?”

Wendall and Oscar raised their hands.

“Duly noted,” Daria muttered under her breath as she took notes. “The lizard and the demon are chickens.”

“Hey!” Oscar protested.

Daria ignored him. “Abstaining?”

Ellie’s hand shot up.

“I think this is too much responsibility for a new vampire,” my best friend said bravely in the faces of everyone’s leaden stare.

Oscar’s territory of darkness expanded by a couple of feet. Wendall’s nostrils sparked like the Fourth of July.

I grabbed Ellie’s hand and put it down quickly.

Daria sighed. “Motion carries, eight to two.”

“This is a mistake,” Wendall muttered.

“The only mistake would be doing nothing,” Gregory said firmly.

The meeting ended after everyone was assigned their roles. Hawthorne & Associates was left in charge of coordinating the search for Ludvik with Barney and Gregory’s assistance, while the rest of the Alliance was tasked with getting their communities ready for a possible battle.

Gregory and Constantia pulled Virgil to the side when the Alliance members began to file out. Constantia hugged her son and spoke to him in a low voice. Virgil nodded, his expression softening. Gregory patted his back awkwardly.

“Come on, we should give them some space,” I told Ellie quietly.

Bo whined. I realized my best friend was still sitting in her chair.

Her eyes had taken on a distant, unfocused quality.

The hairs rose on the back of my neck. “Ellie?”

Samuel tensed at my tone. He and Barney approached from where they were talking with Daria, Victoria and Pearl trailing in their wake.

Ellie blinked, seeming to come back to herself. Confusion clouded her face as she looked at me.

“Abby?”

My pulse quickened. “What’s wrong?”

“I think I just had a…vision,” she mumbled.