Chapter 343: One Of Two Things
He savored the fear that came from his enemies whenever they realized that they were cornered by a being they could not possibly defeat.
Here in Faewall, he was that being.
Not even Ezra Matten, his fellow prince, could stand before him in this city.
The only person who could threaten him was Anya but she was on his side.
"Hello, little rat." He called out, listening intently.
Nothing.
No sound came from behind the door.
Perfect. That\'s the sound of a vampire in battle mode.
"Playing hard to get, I see." He laughed at the closed door. "How about this?"
He hummed like he was considering what to have for dinner.
"Come out here of your own accord and I\'ll make your death swift." He said. "Stay in there and when I come in, I\'ll make sure you meet the same fate as your... role model, Nicodemus."
He grinned. She probably thought he was talking about killing her but she didn\'t know Nicodemus was alive and not well in his basement.
He\'d have the pleasure of showing her.
He chuckled to himself.
With Genesis gone, he\'d find a way to take care of Ezra Matten. Even if someone from the Ark comes here in person, there would be no one to give them leads or point them in the right direction.
He waited for a minute and when nothing happened, he laughed.
"Very well, Genesis. I\'m coming in."
He placed a hand on the door and pushed, the wood giving way easily.
He stepped confidently into the room to see... nothing.
He blinked. Had the place been empty the whole time?
The first thing he felt was embarrassment. He\'d been monologuing to an empty room the whole time.
Then, the moment passed and he felt anger.
Genesis wasn\'t here. She was still out there.
He clenched his fists with a force that had his hands trembling softly.
He looked around the room, noting the signs of recent use.
Genesis had been here but she\'s gone and judging by the fact that things have been removed, she wasn\'t coming back.
He took one final look around the room and the urge to destroy the whole place surged inside him but he forced it down.
He was a City Lord. He was above things like that.
He raised a hand, using his Aura to pull down the energies making the basement a black spot.
He\'d wasted a lot of vitality on an empty room.
He teleported away, appearing back in his study. Anya was at her usual spot leaning against the shelves as she waited for him.
"Judging by the expression on your face, I can already tell you didn\'t find her." She said.
James raised a brow.
"I didn\'t find her either." Anya said, pushing off the shelf and walking towards him. "This means one of two things. Either she\'s better at hiding than you are at finding..."
"Or she\'s not in the city anymore." James said.
**********
Gen parked her truck in front of the diner. Well, it wasn\'t her truck but the owner won\'t be looking for it anytime soon.
She stepped out, grabbing her bag. The glowing neon sign above the building bathed the space around it with a red tint.
Gen grinned at that and walked in, sitting at the booth at the far end of the diner.
It had been a good idea to leave Faewall in the meantime. She\'d felt James\'s Aura beside her just as she had crossed the city limits.
She could\'ve hidden in the city, creating hundreds of decoy black spots but it wasn\'t worth it.
Instead, she\'d chosen a random direction and driven out. James won\'t leave his city unguarded and come after her.
That was what it meant to be a City Lord. Protecting the vampire community under your protection from rival City Lords and more importantly, the Monarchy.
Most new vampires always think the Council is a very stable government but it isn\'t.
Each Elder has City Lords under them and each Elder has their own agenda. They are all looking to make themselves stronger.
Instead of attacking each other, the Elders played games by proxy using their City Lords.
Unlike the Monarchy, the Elders make sure to never fight among themselves. There\'s no point to it.
Gen scoffed, reaching into her bag and pulling out her maps and plans.
She glanced at the menu, tapping the nearby screen and ordering herself coffee and a pie.
She spread the papers in front of her, studying it.
The most important one was the map of James\'s estate. She\'d spent the last 19 years building it.
It hadn\'t been easy. The time she\'d personally been there could be counted on one hand. Instead, she\'d been forced to get a tattoo that allowed her to simulate reality using the natural vitality in the air.
She\'d been able to create a mirror dimension limited to the length of her Aura around her. She\'d used it to sneak into the estate and slowly map it out.
She\'d done this on days when James himself wasn\'t at home. On days he\'d visited his company or attended a gala or something.
Now, her hard work was about to pay off.
All these won\'t be possible if not for whatever had messed with the soul bond the Matten coven had.
This meant nobody could see what tattoos she was using and couldn\'t question her about it.
It was perfect.
The door to the diner opened and a man walked in. He glanced around the diner and spotted Gen hunched over her papers.
He adjusted his clothes and sauntered over to her.
He grinned, sliding into the seat in front of her. "Hell-"
"Fuck off." Gen said without looking up and the man promptly found somewhere else to be.
Gen went back to her work, plotting the perfect way to get into James\' ball and get to her target without arousing attention.
A murder in the home of the richest man in the city in the middle of a party involving the elites.
She\'d make sure that James would not be able to hide this.
The whole world would know of it and eventually, it will get to the Council.