Chapter 5

Chapter

Five

TALULLA

O ur drive to the morgue is silent. Asmodeus is behind the wheel, Cassandra is beside him, and they glance at each other every couple of seconds before turning to look at me.

"What is it, guys?"

"Oh, nothing," Cassandra says before smiling at me.

"Three people died, and you guys are keeping things from me now? Rude."

"Tal, did you notice anything that happened today?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know we notice things, right?" Asmodeus says, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Yes, and?"

Cassandra sighs. "Are you attracted to the vampire?"

My eyes widen. "What? No, I am not. Are you insane?"

"It's okay if you are, Tal," Asmodeus adds, chuckling.

"Guys, Flynn is just a pain in my ass that I probably will have to deal with."

"You seemed to enjoy the back-and-forth," he says.

"What are you two trying to insinuate?"

"I'm just saying that Flynn can clearly keep up with you, and he certainly likes to do so," Asmodeus states.

"He's a vampire."

"We are all supernatural creatures. What's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that I am supposed to kill his kind!"

"Yeah, but you aren't really on duty much anymore," Cassandra adds.

"Are you on his side now? Really? You don't even like the guy," I reply to her. "We don't know anything about him."

"I haven't made my opinion on him yet, actually." She laughs. "And Set seems to kinda like him, so he can't be that bad."

"Can we just try to sneak into the morgue, see what's up, and never talk about this again?"

"As you wish." Asmodeus laughs.

I rest my back on the seat and try to breathe as I look out of the window. What would my father do if I ever ended up with a vampire? I can literally picture his face. Completely emotionless. Hard. Cold. And probably calling me a disappointment. A failure.

I wonder if my mother would find a way to accept me. They know I wouldn't be able to be compelled and that it would be my decision. All of it would be my decision. Something I want and not something that was forced upon me.

Is that what I need?

I feel like I've had to accept whatever was given to me without second-guessing, and yet here I am, still not wanting any of it. Taking a life, even if it's from a creature that should not exist, always takes a toll on me. Who am I to decide who lives and dies?

The car comes to a stop, and before we get out of the vehicle, Cassandra hands me a potion.

"What's this?"

"Transfiguration potion. We'll look like three employees, so no one will question us. It won't last long, especially with your crazy immune system, so we gotta be quick."

"Gotcha." I drink the liquid like a shot, and they do the same. "Let's go."

My phone rings as we approach the door. "Shut the damn thing down, Tal," Asmodeus whispers.

"Sorry." I turn it off, seeing it's Mr. Wagner probably requesting something stupid in the middle of the night. "It was—"

"Wagner. We know. He tends to call at the worst possible time."

"Facts."

We get inside and go straight to the fridges. We open them one by one until we find the three bodies. We are used to corpses, but these are empty shells. They look like porcelain dolls. Frail and ready to end up in a thousand pieces if they fall to the ground.

"They're so pale," I say, examining the skin.

"I mean, they are dead," Asmo says before Cassandra smacks him on the arm. "What? It's true."

"You literally have no tact."

"Why would a vampire drain three werewolves? It makes no sense."

"Let's take pictures of the medical records and go. The potion is almost over."

We make sure not to touch anything without gloves, take photos, and leave the premises just in time as the potion wears off.

As we get to my dorm, I listen to the voice message that my professor left on my phone.

"Talulla, I left some paperwork in my office. I need it to finish the acquisition of the pieces Mr. Lancaster is donating to the university, and you're closer than I am. Please bring it to me. It's in a red folder on my desk. I'll be up all night. You know how I am."

"That has to be against school rules," Cassandra says as she keeps her ear close to my phone so she can hear as well.

"He does this all the time. It's fine," I sigh. "You guys go in. I'll be back in ten minutes."

"Just bang the poor man and get it over with," Asmodeus laughs.

"Again, not trying to get expelled here." I shake my head and make my way to the history department. I use my keys to get into Eric's office, and I find the folder right there on his desk. Good, easy. I don't want to stay here for long. I lock the office and start walking toward the professors' wing. Apartment 317. I've been there way too many times to bring stupid things the man forgets. I can tell he's fond of me, but he is also always very careful to never cross boundaries by doing things that could make him lose his job.

I knock on his door, and he opens up a moment later. He's wearing sweatpants and a tight white T-shirt. He's in shape for someone who spends his life with his head in a book.

"Talulla, thank you so much for the folder. Come in, please."

I quickly do as he says before I reply, "I need to get some sleep. Is there anything you need me to do before tomorrow?"

"No, no, all is set," he stutters. "Everything is perfect. I just—"

"What's wrong, professor?" Weird. He's weird, there's no doubt about that. But tonight, he seems quite distracted, and it's odd hearing him hesitate.

"You know you don't need to call me that here. I'm Eric for you."

"I know," I reply, feeling uneasy at the thought of calling a superior by their first name. "Is everything okay?"

"You tell me, Talulla. Mr. Jefferson told me about your situation."

"I see."

"Is there anything I can do to help?" he asks as his hand squeezes my arm.

"It's all good. My father just didn't move enough funds to the right account. It's all taken care of."

"You know you can ask me anything, right? I might be your boss, but I care for you, Talulla. You're remarkable." His hand now brushes my hair.

"I know, and I truly appreciate it, but as I said, it's all fixed. I will bring the new check to the office tomorrow, and everything will be as it was before."

"Okay, good. I'm glad," he says, opening the folder. "Oh, and you're still attending the fundraiser with me, correct?"

Fuck, I forgot about the gala. I should probably prepare my speech with Cassandra soon. "Yes, of course. I haven't forgotten about it."

"Wonderful."

"Can I ask what Mr. Lancaster is donating?"

Eric's eyes sparkle at the mention. "You won't believe it. I can't wait to analyze it personally."

"And what is it?"

"It's a collection of Leonardo Da Vinci's sketches and thoughts."

"There's no fucking way."

"Talulla, language!"

"I'm sorry, professor. It's just—Why would he donate it?"

"Because he knows our department is working on Leonardo Da Vinci's life, and he is a very generous man."

I laugh at the thought of Flynn as generous and then realize Eric has no idea why I'm laughing. "Sorry, I—He seems so young. It's weird to be in possession of something so valuable and to just give it up."

"Mr. Lancaster might look young, but he definitely understands the importance of what he's donating. He's been very clear about how we treat his possession."

"Will I be able to see it as well?"

"Of course. It will be exhibited at our school museum."

"I guess I won't be able to work on it."

"Ms. Sinopoli's lab will be working on it. I'll make sure to try to get you a pass to see it up close, but you won't be able to touch it."

"Thought so." I nod. "I gotta go now, professor."

"Eric."

"Right, Eric. I gotta go. I'll see you tomorrow after classes."

"Good night, Talulla, and thank you."

I leave the professors' wing and make my way to my dorm. A sense of uneasiness fills my every pore. I quicken my pace as I examine my surroundings. Someone is following me. And I know exactly what it is.

A vampire.

A new one too. Too cocky to be an old one.

Thank fuck I always have a stake with me. Force of habit, I guess.

I quickly grab the wooden weapon from the back of my boot and get to a stop. "Come out and play, bloodsucker."

A guy around my age comes out of the bushes, his fangs nice and visible. "You look like a pretty treat."

"I am more like a full meal, and because of that, I think I might have to kill you."

"We could have so much fun, love." The vampire advances, truly thinking he has the upper hand in this situation. Too bad they never do—not with me. Not when it's one-on-one, and I've been doing the staking for much longer than he's been sucking.

"Are you the guy going around draining werewolves?"

His head tilts to the side. "How do you know about those?"

"I know a lot of things, bloodsucker."

"They were easy meals," he replies, sniffling and then coughing. Odd.

"Did you just cough?"

"Allergies," he replies, advancing on me.

"You're a fucking vampire. You don't have allergies," I reply as I quickly swerve his moves and stake him.

I take a potion Cassandra made for emergencies and let a few drops fall on the dead body, seeing it bubbling and then disappearing quickly.

I get back to my dorm and find Cassandra and Asmodeus on my bed, looking at the medical records.

"Guys, I think I might have just killed the vampire who was behind those deaths."

They look up with wide eyes. "Did you just kill Flynn?" they ask in unison.

"No, I didn't kill Flynn, but after I left Eric's apartment, a vampire came out of nowhere and said he drank from them."

"Well, that was easier than I thought," Cassandra mumbles.

"He did do something weird before I staked him though."

They wait for me to continue. "He was sniffling and coughing as if he was sick."

"Vampires don't get sick."

"I know that. That's why it was odd."

"I'll tell my mother what happened, but hey, at least we can go back to studying now."

"Well, you ladies have fun with that. Hanging out at the campus of a school I don't actually attend is starting to make me want to go back to school."

"Drop me off before you go?" Cassandra asks him.

"Of course."

As they approach the door, I get a message.

PAOLO:

Fight the day after tomorrow at 11pm

"I've got a fight in two days."

"Cool, we'll be there." Asmo nods as they leave. Before they step out of the room, my best friend pops her head back in. "We should go to the game tomorrow. Might be a good chance to speak with some werewolves and let them know we took care of it."

"Great. Can't wait to drown in all that testosterone."

"Wear some school spirit-wear."