36. Sane?

W ith scriptured chains around his ankles, and binding his hands behind his back, Foxx was pretty proud of himself for not freaking out. Then again, the men who had grabbed him weren't priests, so…he supposed that lack of trigger being present was helpful.

Foxx was actually kind of baffled at how easily he had been kidnapped. But then…they were older…and definitely not a bunch of Alastairs.

That being said, he was judging them all the same. Like the fact that they hadn't even attempted to fight Harlow… Not to mention their choice of a white van. Just a bit too cliché for him. At least there were belted bench seats on both sides, instead of a big fat nothing in the back…

Not that they had been nice enough to buckle Foxx in. Though, they didn't seem that well buckled in themselves, the belts around their waists looking pretty loose and pointless. On another note, the bench seat he was sitting on must have the ability to fold up, as anytime he bumped backwards, due to the van rocking over bumps on the road, he felt what he thought was a door handle.

He glared at the man on the bench seat sitting directly across from him. Tall, muscular—though that could be used to describe all the vampires in back—the black-haired man across from him had sharp features, olive skin, and was kind of asshole-ish looking. Like those preppy annoying jocks you always see in teen movies.

Mr. Preppy happened to have on a sunsuit that was boring as all hell. They all did. Mostly as what they were wearing wasn't even technically considered a sunsuit.

They were all wearing full head-covering sun shields with cowl necks. Which, in his opinion, was a half ass way of protecting oneself from the sun. The collar of it was tucked into their seemingly matching V-neck jumpers, and while each was wearing a different color, they were all plain. On top, they wore black suit jackets. As for the rest of their protection…they had brown leather gloves, black trousers, and black boots.

Boring…all boring and non-committal.

There were four vampires in total in the back. A redhead to his right, a brunette to his left, and besides the snotty looking black-haired man across from him—who he assumed was in command…based on the fact he'd been the one giving all the orders—there was also a blonde female vampire to the right of the black-haired man, seated next to the door. Said blonde was staring at him in what could only be disgust.

Foxx couldn't see up front as there was a divide with only a small window one could look through from the back, and he was at the wrong angle, but he could tell there were two more vampires on the other side, due to their heartbeats. He wasn't sure if there were more than what was in the van, as the ones in the back were all that had been needed to grab him. But every single vampire in the vehicle, at least in the back, was older and more powerful than him…

Foxx sat there just staring for a moment before clenching his jaw and biting through the leather gag in his mouth.

Spitting out the leather, he snorted in disgust. "Bunch of cowards, are you? Or was there another reason you didn't want my partner to notice you?"

The black-haired man stiffened. "You, still your words before you make matters worse! You know as well as I do that nothing you say will change the matters at hand. Foxx Honeywell, you have broken council law. Hidden what you shouldn't, helped who you shouldn't, and for that, you will face conseq?—"

"Blah blah blah blah," he mocked. "Like, do you think before you speak? At all? If you are planning to kill me, what incentive do I have to shut up? Seriously, do you really think I give a single fuck about what you have to say? Contrary to what you might believe, no one, and I mean no one, will make me shut up when I don't want to. Certainly not some goody-two shoes who probably can't even take a piss without the council's approval."

"I guess the rumors about him being mouthy were true," the blonde-haired vampire sneered. "Though, they failed to mention his lack of style."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh gee, whatever will I do with myself now that I know you, someone with a style duller than a bloody butter knife, hates my clothes?"

The blonde's eyes were angry, and her mouth opened no doubt to retort, but at that moment, something slammed into the side of the van. The vampires jerked against the seat belts as the vehicle swerved, a huge dent appearing in the side of the van, right next to the leader.

"What the fuck was that?!" Mr. Preppy snapped as the driver tried to regain control. The other's eyeing the dent.

Foxx, honestly, couldn't help but smile at their confusion. "Did you really think he wouldn't notice I was gone? That he wouldn't come for me?"

"Shut up!" the black-haired vampire growled.

The van swerved again, the sound of metal crunching louder this time, as the door to the boot caved in.

"He's running after the car!" one of the men from up front yelled.

"Drive faster!"

"I am!"

"Did you really think he'd just let me slip away?" Foxx asked, his smile widening. While his eyes never left them, he carefully felt around behind him. Moving slowly so they wouldn't notice, Foxx latched onto the door handle.

The next hit came as expected, and as the vehicle lifted precariously up onto two wheels, Foxx viciously said, "Sorry, my boyfriend doesn't like people touching his things," right before the van flipped.

Uncontrolled laughter burst from him while the men around him screamed. The loose belts they had on did little to prevent them from slamming into the walls as the van rolled, over and over again. Broken glass flying all around them, the sound of metal screeching as it bent and crunched mixed so nicely, in his opinion, with the shouts of the vampires and his twisted laughter.

When the vehicle finally came to a stop on the side that Foxx was clinging to, he slowly released his hold on the door handle. The windows were completely smashed, with broken glass everywhere. The van was doing a great imitation of a partly crushed can.

"That wasn't that bad," he said with a breathless chuckle. "Nothing compared to tornado-ing around, that's for sure! Thanks for not buckling me in, by the way. Glad I didn't have to deal with yo-yoing against the van walls as it flipped."

The men next to him groaned in pain. The black-haired and blonde-haired vampires, on the other hand, were dangling above him, barely held up by their belts. The black-haired man looked dazed, and his face was cut up. Based on the marks on the vampire's cracked face shield, it was probably due to him slamming into it. The man's right arm was also dangling in a way that Foxx assumed meant it was broken.

Glaring at the blood dripping from the man as it continued to fall down onto his pretty yellow sunsuit, he huffed, "You just had to kidnap me when I was wearing my new sunsuit, didn't you? Couldn't have taken me after a hunt or something, when I'd already be filthy?!"

The dangling blonde-haired vampire groaned, her eyes fluttering open. Blood coated the left side of her face, falling freely through the woman's shattered face shield. Her gaze narrowing down on him, the vampire stared at Foxx like he was insane. "Are you stupid or something?"

"No…" he said with a smile, at the sound of something landing on top of the toppled van. That smile widened when claws punctured through the door, right next to the blonde vampire. "But you are."

Metal screeched painfully as the door was ripped away. Crouched at the opening was Harlow, his eyes glowing bright blue.

"Harlow!" Foxx said with a giggle, only to wince at a painful burning sensation near his temple followed by blood starting to trickle down the right side of his face.

The dhampir's pupils seemed to dilate at the sight of it. Frozen in the man's stare, Foxx didn't say a word. Suddenly snarling, Harlow's gaze broke away from him as the dhampir reached in and dragged the now screaming blonde woman out. The seat belt snapped with one hard yank, as both of them disappeared outside.

The screaming was cut off moments later. He glanced over at one vampire, and then the other, as those beside him freed themselves and leapt out of the van. What followed was a few loud screams, and then once again, silence.

"Ohh, I hope you brought more people than that, because…" He started to tsk, but stopped on a laugh when more screams started. "Oh, you did! Good. He can have some more fun then."

The black-haired man shook his head, grabbing at his temple with his non-broken arm, before the man released his seatbelt. Dropping down with a pain-filled grunt inches from him, the vampire sat back with a grimace. His right arm was looking very limp still, which just sort of confirmed his first assessment of it being broken.

Angry eyes turned Foxx's way, and Mr. Banged Up and Preppy demanded stiffly, "Call him off."

Foxx tilted his head, ignoring how blood started to trickle in the other direction. "Why should I? You are planning to kill me, and likely want to kill us both. Why should I care what he does to you all?"

"Are you even sane?!" the man snarled. "Do you realize the trouble you're in, the trouble you'll be in if you let this?—"

"YOU WERE THE ONES WHO TOOK ME!" Foxx roared. "You came for me! Don't tell me what TROUBLE I'm in!" he hissed, before taking a deep breath and smiling. "The audacity of vampires demanding the right to live, to not be slaughtered by humans just for existing, while, at the same time, wanting the right to SLAUGHTER a species for the same reasons the humans were."

"They aren't the same!"

"Oh, they aren't?" Foxx laughed, his smile widening at the sound of more screams, gunfire, and death…

"CALL HIM OFF!"

"Mmm…" Foxx pretended to think about it, before saying with a laugh, "No, I don't think I will. Have fun dying."

"You…" the man rasped, sounding baffled.

"You asked me a question earlier… You asked if I was sane. Honestly, it's interesting that you'd ask that. Because the council decided all dhampirs aren't, or at least, they decided that the risk that they won't be sane was too great… Thus, they must be put down. Yet, I've seen proof that vampires are no saner than dhampirs are. Every bloody day, hunters see proof of that. Am I sane, you asked?!" Foxx giggled. "No, I'm not. And neither is he, but that's how I like him."

He let out a shuddered gasp, his cock perking up at the sounds of the unleashed violence going on outside of the van. Licking his lips, he tilted his head the other way, staring up at the black-haired man.

"You know…I'm thinking, you'd look much better without your head." His last words came out as a growl.

The vampire swallowed hard. "Call him off…and I'll get the council to reconsider."

He scoffed. "What authority do you even have to do that?"

"I am Kallias Athanasiou, son of Councilman Athanasios."

A connection to a councilman…could be…useful. Yet…the offer… "Not good enough."

"Call him off and we will pull back and leave."

Foxx wrinkled his nose. "What? Just so you can come back and try again? No, I don't think so."

Kallias grimaced as he reached into his jacket with his unbroken arm, pulled out a cell phone, and dialed someone. Foxx listened to it ring. On the fifth ring, someone picked up.

"Councilman Athanasios… Father—" The vampire cut off suddenly on a cough, Kallias letting out a wet sounding gasp of air.

Ahhh, it sounds like something's punctured…maybe a rib had broken off and pierced his lung? Foxx could only hope, right?

"Kallias?!" the man asked harshly. "What is going on?"

"The dhampir is out of control. Our people are dead and dying. Our only chance of survival is if we negotiate with the one person who would likely be able to stop him—the vampire we were sent to capture."

The councilman was silent for a moment. "Is he with you?"

Foxx smirked. "I'm here." His smirk widened at the sound of teeth grinding.

"Foxx Honeywell, I'd suggest calling off your dhampir, before this becomes worse for you."

"Worse than a death sentence?" He snorted. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

"Worse for all those you care about," the man restated stiffly. "One Mr. Alastair de Grey lives in your building, does he not?"

Foxx let out a bark of laughter. "OH, I would not go there, if I were you. If you think touching me will get you slaughtered… Did you really do no research on me? About those I'm associated with? I mean, my connection to him is more hidden, so I suppose I can understand why you wouldn't know. But Alastair is different. Did you not look at who openly stands beside him before daring to make such a threat?"

"What nonsense! Call off your monster, or he too, will suffer the consequences of your actions."

"Do it. I dare you. And when the oldest of us, the master of death, comes for you, don't say I didn't warn you."

Kallias' eyes widened, his hand clenched around the phone, while the councilman went silent.

At the sound of a quick inhale, Foxx tutted. "Ah, ah, ahh, you just realized something, didn't you?! Or is it that you remembered something?"

"You're one of…Daydric's…turtle doves…"

Foxx giggled at hearing the full nickname. Daydric was the only one who ever called him that, and rarely did the man use it in full. "That's right! I'm the crazy one! And Alastair is…the other one. I assure you, as much as killing me would anger him, laying a hand on Alastair… Well…"

It had happened before. He and Alastair had pissed someone off. Foxx had always been one to defend himself, to fight back, and in most cases, he'd win…but Alastair… To say Daydric's response to them being harmed…to Alastair being harmed specifically, had been catastrophic to all those involved, would be an understatement.

Athanasios took a deep breath in and out, before stiffly declaring, "The council hereby rescinds the capture and execution order on Foxx Honeywell, and Harlow Blackmore. Now, call him off."

"I want your word that there will be no problems surrounding this issue in the future."

"You have it."

Which was great, but…greedy or not, he wanted more.

"I also want you to rescind your laws on dhampirs."

"Absolutely not!" Councilman Athanasios gasped.

"Well, I guess they all die then," he said, right as the screams in the background ramped up.

"Honeywell, you can't be serious. Don't you understand how dangerous these creatures can be?! You are witnessing that fact at this very moment!"

"No, technically, I'm just hearing it. Which, just so you know, is less fun than watching. As for how dangerous they are as a whole? No, I don't understand. What I do understand is that my boyfriend grew up without his parents because a group of fools refused to move past their archaic fears and bigotry.

"What I UNDERSTAND is that my species is governed by cowards, who are worse than the humans who hunted us, demanding to live while seeing no wrong with them continuing to slaughter others just for existing.

"And Councilman, what YOU should understand is that my moral compass is perfectly happy and content to let Harlow tear apart each and every person here, the consequences be damned. Though…now that you know who I'm connected to, we both know there won't be any."

Athanasios remained silent, the screams continuing…before he sighed and finally said, "It will be done."

"Just know, if you lie, it won't be me or my dhampir at your door," Foxx threatened.

"Understood," the councilman ground out, and then the call went dead.

Great… Here's hoping he could actually stop Harlow. They hadn't exactly gotten around to practicing this shit yet…so… He was sure it would be fine.

Kallias looked grim as he slipped his phone back into his pocket and pushed up with his one good arm. "Get up and turn around," he ordered.

Foxx rolled his eyes. "Don't make me go back on my word by being an ass." He scooted back into a seated position and used the wall to push to his feet. Still bound, he hopped around. The vampire didn't respond to his comment as he unlocked Foxx's chains.

As soon as he was free, he spun back around with a happy hum and leapt out of the convenient hole Harlow had created in the van. Landing lightly on the pavement, he eyed the chaos. Bodies littered the ground, and the blood staining the road was growing by the second as Harlow moved almost too fast for Foxx to follow.

Bodies of men and women fell in his wake as he passed, not a single one of them ever having stood a chance. It was like part two of the house, except this time he was getting to watch it happen instead of walking in on the aftermath.

Looking around, his gaze flicked up. Based on the marks on the grassy hill…the van had apparently rolled over the metal barrier, off the side of the road above, onto another seemingly smaller and more obscure road.

While there were trees to the other side of the van, the fighting and violence was happening in the middle of the fucking road, just out in the open for all to see… Well, that was if anyone happened to drive down this back road.

Squinting up at the hill they fell down, by his judgment, it's likely…they wouldn't be visible to the drivers above. Which was good, as by his guess, it was a much busier road.

Kallias cursed as he landed somewhat haphazardly beside him. "DRAW BACK! Do NOT engage," the vampire screamed.

The councilman's dogs tried, but Harlow wouldn't let them go far.

Foxx looked over to the black-haired man. "Get away from me."

"What?!" Kallias snapped harshly.

"He attacked when he saw me hurt, he sees you all as threats. So, get away from me, and stay away. It will be better if I am the only one he sees."

The man hesitated, before nodding and moving a distance away, while not getting any closer to Harlow.

Eyeing Harlow, who was still attacking, he took a deep breath.

Here goes nothing , Foxx thought.

"Harlow!" The dhampir stopped in his tracks, his blood-coated claws freezing mid swing. "Harlow, enough!" Foxx hissed.

The man spun, growling. But the moment he spotted Foxx, it was like the dhampir was trying to devour him with his gaze. "Mine," Harlow said in a deep, guttural growl.

Foxx smiled. "That's right, I'm yours. And I'm safe. See." He held out his arms, showing he was free. "Safe and sound."

The dhampir tilted his head, his eyes still on him as he took a step towards Foxx, growling softly this time. "Mine."

Foxx's smile widened, only for it to dim when he caught movement behind Harlow. "DON'T!" he yelled…but it was too late. The unknown vampire had jumped Harlow, and whatever control Foxx had been gaining over him vanished.

"HARLOW, STOP!" Foxx screamed. "HARLOW!" But no matter how much he said the man's name…the dhampir didn't react.

He let out an irritated growl. "Bloody fucking hell!" He glared at Kallias, who had started yelling orders again.

Foxx supposed…he was out of options now… Shaking his head, he sighed. "Daydric…I need you."

A burst of fierce wind flew over him, coming from his right, coming from the man who had just appeared out of thin air. While it had brushed gently past him, as the wind swept outward, it knocked all those still standing to their knees—all except Harlow. Though the dhampir stumbled a few steps towards them, he stopped to grab at his head.

Plastering a smile on his face, Foxx slowly turned, looking up into the familiar warm golden-brown eyes. "Been awhile, Day."