Page 33 of Vampire so Virtuous

It was tempting to avoid him, but Antoine was curious what he had to say. Maybe he could learn something.

Resigned, he waited, and not long after, Minh pulled himself up over the edge of the building. Still dressed the same way: a sharp, expensive suit, this time with patent leather shoes. But then Antoine was wearing his usual, too: black jeans, black T-shirt, long leather coat. He made a wry face at his own predictability. Vampires were definitively creatures of habit. Maybe he should buck the trend and start wearing a more rainbow-themed wardrobe.

“Why don’t you walk the streets like a normal vampire?” Minh asked, brushing off his suit with an exaggerated, irritated motion. “You make me feel like Spider-Man, climbing up the side of a building. And Marvel is so trite.”

“That explains a lot.”

“Meaning?” Minh stepped onto the ledge beside Antoine.

“DC has no sense of humor. You’re so staid all the time. Marvel takes itself a lot less seriously.”

“It is obvious you’re a Marvel fan. No one could ever take you seriously.”

“You came all this way to trade insults based on comic books?”

Minh rested a hand on his knee and peered over the lip of the building at the streets below. “Have you found the girl yet?”

Antoine blinked, his humor fading. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Of course you don’t.” Minh said. “There must be some other reason you’ve been back here, every night for the last five. You’ve obviously lost something. If it’s not the girl you stared after with such longing, perhaps it’s your car keys?”

Antoine narrowed his eyes, looking away. He hadn’t realized his intent had been so…palpable. But then, he hadn’t known Minh had been watchinghim, either. He should’ve paid more attention.

“Haven’t you got better things to do than watch my hunting patterns?”

Minh gave him an amused look. “Outcast, you think I’d bother to watch you myself? I’ve gotfarmore important ways to spend my time. Besides, is it a hunting pattern if you don’t hunt?”

Antoine accepted the confirmation that Minh had brought thralls uninvited into his territory with impassive stoicism. It wasn’t quite a declaration of war, but it was a clear provocation. The Code was clear regarding the rules of territories, but it was vague when it came to thralls.

That Minh had told him so blatantly was presumably meant as some kind of statement, but Antoine hardly cared.

There still wasn’t a real threat here—either from Minh or his thralls—and that, more than anything, seemed suspicious.

What was he planning?

The upstart pulled something from inside his suit jacket and threw it to the floor at Antoine’s feet. A pack of dead blood, stamped with ‘Massachusetts General Hospital’. From Gabriel’s territory. Minh got around. “Brought you some, as you can’t seem to find your own.”

“How thoughtful,” Antoine replied, his tone gracious. “I’d heard you were a foolish upstart, ambitious far beyond your ability. But you’re not, are you? You’re very kind, if a little stupid. A tip: drink less of this stuff, and you might get a bit smarter.”

Minh’s face went cold, his fangs showing. It was a telling lapse. Poor form to let one’s fangs extend without purpose. Antoine politely declined to comment, letting only amusement show on his face. But inside, he was aggravated. He’d let himself be pulled down to Minh’s level, engaging in such a petty sally on impulse. He had more control than that.

Minh snarled. “I’m going to take your territory, then lock you in a steel box and bury you in concrete. And so you don’t get hungry, I’ll leave you with packs like this.”

He stamped on the packet of blood and the plastic exploded, spraying its contents towards Antoine. The act was petty, the blood harmless unless consumed, merely a mess. Antoine sidestepped, the crimson splatter arcing through the space he’d just occupied.

“We’ll see,” Antoine kept his words light. Had Minh caught the tightening in his eyes? It wouldn’t do to show Minh had struck a nerve. No, that wouldn’t do at all. Again, Antoine wondered if Minh could read his mind, or if he’d simply picked the one punishment all vampires feared, not just Antoine.

“Perhaps I’ll start by littering your territory with some chattel corpses,” Minh mused, peering once more over the edge of the roof. “It would be entertaining to see your territory swarming with police for a while.”

Antoine glanced briefly at him before looking away again. If Minh followed through, he wouldn’t be breaking the Code, but he’d be going against its spirit. Such a move would attract significant attention; hardly in keeping with the mandate to ‘stay in the shadows.’ Yet unless Minh drained their blood first, leaving them as empty husks, the Curia would likely turn a blind eye. Just another provocation.

But Minh wasn’t done. “I think I’ll start with the girl you seem to care so little about.” He flashed his fangs at Antoine—this time deliberately. “Don’t worry, when I’m done with her, I’ll be sure to leave what’s left of her somewhere even you won’t miss it.”

Antoine’s jaw tightened, but he didn’t respond. Minh smiled, clearly delighted by some flicker in his expression, then stepped off the roof. “See you soon, Outcast.”

Antoine watched in silence as Minh drifted down to the street below, his thoughts elsewhere.

*