[https://img.wattpad.com/1a5d092724bae47bcb4876df918325a179d40aeb/68747470733a2f2f73332e616d617a6f6e6177732e636f6d2f776174747061642d6d656469612d736572766963652f53746f7279496d6167652f562d3330693748544155495937673d3d2d313432343533313836312e313762353930323139343939396461323139313838333437323136382e6a7067?s=fit&w=1280&h=1280]
It didn’t take long for Gabriel and Alyssa to fly back to the roof where Cornelius was waiting for them. He didn’t look even a shred remorseful for what he had done earlier but Alyssa didn’t have any ill will towards her master but was unsure if it was her kind nature or her new deep seeded loyalty to him that was holding her temper back. The Dark Prince watched as they both landed on the roof and even gave a soft clap to his newest subordinate for doing so well with her flying lesson. Gabriel was the first to walk up and talk to the big man after making his landing.
“Was that really necessary?” Gabriel asked, “You didn’t have to push her off.”
“I was confident she’d be alright,” Cornelius said.
“How could you know that?” Gabriel asked.
“I just do,” his brother said, not even flinching. “I cannot explain it, nor do I have to, but I knew she would be alright.”
“Alright,” Gabriel said, choosing to just let it all go. “What the hell is going on in New Lycan?”
“We need to speak to the pack chiefs about the Californians,” Cornelius replied.
“Are they heading for New Lycan?” Gabriel asked.
“No,” Cornelius said, “But they’re getting a little too close for comfort, and we need to step in before things get out of control.”
“So, shall we keep training here while you take care of it?” Gabriel asked.
“That’s not necessary,” Cornelius answered, “She can train in New Lycan. Do you think she’s strong enough to fly to the city on her own?”
“She’s capable,” Gabriel said, “And if she needs help I can carry her if needed.”
“I don’t think that will be necessary,” his brother said, turning to face his sub. “Alyssa, are you up for flying with us to New Lycan?”
“Sure, why not?” Alyssa said, genuinely eager to get out and do some more flying. “Shouldn’t we fuel up before we go?”
“She’s right,” Gabriel said, “We should drink up before we go.”
“You go ahead,” Cornelius said, smiling back at them. “I’ve been drinking since you left so I’m alright.”
“I told you,” Gabriel said, playfully slapping his brother on the shoulder.
Cornelius waited on the roof, standing here silently thinking about something while they went back downstairs to drink some blood and get some extra energy to make the flight to New Lycan. Once Alyssa and Gabriel returned to the roof, they all launched into the sky and followed the Dark Prince as he led the way to New Lycan. Alyssa was worried that she wouldn’t be able to keep up but realized that Gabriel was the only one having trouble keeping up with them both. He was still able to keep up with the faster vampires as he wasn’t carrying Alyssa like he used to when they visited while she was still human. As the city came into view, the mountains were turning red as the dawn was slowly approaching. Alyssa followed Cornelius to the roof of the vampire tower in the middle of the city and had no trouble landing as she was getting used to being in the air. Once the three of them had landed on the Vampire tower, the guards all bowed when they realized the Prince had arrived.
“Identification!” one of the guards then shouted at Alyssa.
“That will not be necessary,” Cornelius said as he stepped in. “She’s with me.”
“Apologies, your grace,” The guard said, backing down.
“Your rooms have been prepared,” the other guard said, handing over room keys for them all. “The pack chiefs have also said they will host you tomorrow after the sun goes down.”
“That isn’t soon enough,” Cornelius replied, “Tell the chiefs that I need to speak to them this morning, and I will host them here.”
“The chiefs might not like that,” the guard said, sharing what he knew.
“I don’t need to see them all,” Cornelius said, “Just one or two so they can relay my message back to the others. The matter is too urgent to delay.”
“I’ll have someone pass the message along,” the guard said, and then bowed as the prince and the two people with him vacated the roof and went into the elevator to go to their floor. Once in the hallways, Cornelius turned to face Alyssa.
“Get some rest,” he informed her, “Gabriel and I can handle the chiefs. I’d like you to be well rested for the events coming tomorrow.”
“Alright,” Alyssa said, “I wasn’t feeling that tired, but if you insist…”
“I do insist,” Cornelius confirmed, “Have a good night.”
After Alyssa went into her room, Gabriel turned to face his brother.
“What the hell was that all about?” he asked.
“It was necessary,” Cornelius insisted, “Right now the less people who know about Alyssa’s currently status the better. The wolves would smell it on here and no doubt tip off the council to score some brownie points.”
“The council will eventually find out,” Gabriel told his brother, “There’s no point trying to hide her. They always find out if they haven’t already.”
“I’m sure they will,” Cornelius said, “But being on this side of the ocean has its perks and this is one of them. It will take time for any delegation to get out here to look into it and by then we’ll be alright.”
“If you say so,” Gabriel said, “Do I have time to rest too?”
“No,” Cornelius said, “A few chiefs will be here soon.”
“I thought they didn’t leave the temple,” Gabriel said, “Especially this close to the full moon.”
“They will make an exception for me,” Cornelius said, “But I will keep things brief and to the point. We have little time.”
“Well, there isn’t much we can do right now,” Gabriel said, as the sun was already up. He could feel the rise in temperature, and it was starting to bother him.
“Are you alright?” Cornelius asked.
“I’ll be fine,” Gabriel insisted, but his awkwardness said otherwise. “Personally, I’d rather be sleeping. Do you really need me here for this?”
“I do not,” Cornelius said, “Get some rest and I’ll wake you if you’re needed.”
Since the big vampire didn’t appear to be offended by the request and looked a hell of a lot more invigorated than he did, Gabriel decided to retreat to his room and get some much-needed rest. The Dark Prince was well rested and could go one for many days, even weeks when feeling this well. Cornelius stood there, thinking about many things as he patiently waited for his requested company to arrive. It only took a few hours for two of the pack chiefs to arrive at his suite.
Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.
“Gentlemen,” Cornelius said, “I thank you for coming. I somehow knew you’d be the one who came, Greggor.”
“This better be good,” Greggor said, eager to hear what he was summoned for.
“This is an urgent matter,” Cornelius said, “Your city is about to be infringed upon within the next twenty-four hours.”
“By whom?” the other pack chief asked.
“By the very same army that flattened my friend’s village,” Cornelius answered, “The mighty army from California.”
“What the hell are they doing so far out here?” Greggor asked, shocked to hear that the west coat army was so deep inland.
“They’re looking for someone, but who is not important.” Cornelius said, which was an obvious lie. “And they’re going to spot your city and assume you’re friendly or might be able to help them resupply. Something I doubt you’re going to take kindly too, especially since it’s that time of the month.”
“You assume correctly,” Greggor confirmed, “This is very troubling. We need to raise the alarm and fortify immediately.”
“Actually, that’s why I have you here,” Cornelius said, “I need you to stand down and not engage the humans.”
“Excuse me?” Greggor said, shocked to hear the request.
“You heard me,” Cornelius said, “I need you to back down and not engage. If you fortify, you’ll sent out scouts, who will bump into their scouts. Then exchanges will start and lead to a great amount of life being lost. I wish to avoid that, so barricade if you must, but keep your scouts here.”
“How do you intend to avoid that?” Greggor asked.
“I am going to speak to the leader of the army,” Cornelius said, “With the authority of the council, I will order them to not come near your city and avoid all bloodshed altogether.”
“I can’t authorize this plan,” Greggor said, “I need to speak to the other pack chiefs and vote on it.”
“You have twelve hours,” Cornelius told him, “At night fall I will fly out and speak with the humans before they get anywhere near here. Do not engage them until I’ve had a chance to change their mind, and their direction.”
“Do you really think you can talk them out of it?” Greggor asked.
“I believe so,” Cornelius said, smiling at the pack chief, “I can be very persuasive when I have to be.”
“I don’t know what your angle is,” Greggor said, sounding rather paranoid, “But I am not going to refuse your help if it means our own people not dying, and preventing the interrupting of our moon rituals. I will send word of the vote when it happens, but I must leave not to speak with my peers.”
“Do what you must,” Cornelius said, shaking the pack chief’s hand. “I will do what I must as well to protect the city, as well as our alliance.”
“I will get word to you as soon as I can,” Greggor said, “Thank you, my friend.”
Cornelius watched as the two pack chiefs took their exit and departed. The Dark Prince walked back to the center of his suite and continued to think about what had to be done that night and going over his plan while waiting to hear back from the packs after they take their vote. Cornelius grinned to himself as he already knew what the result of the vote was going to be, but it mattered not. He was going to speak with the army approaching no matter what the chiefs decided to do. As the sun started to go down many hours later, Cornelius was determined to get started and out of the building long before Alyssa and Gabriel woke up from their day sleep. He went to the top floor of the vampire tower and emerged onto the roof, much to the surprise of the guards.
“Sir!” one of the guards shouted out. “No one is allowed to be out here during the full moon!”
“I have permission from the chiefs,” Cornelius countered, “Make sure no one else leaves the building to follow me.”
“Of course, your highness,” The guard replied.
Before the guard could say anything else, Cornelius launched into the sky and flew out of the city as quickly as he could. He zipped south of the city and raced towards a specific point where two humans were scouting for their army. Without any warning, Cornelius landed right behind the two soldiers, and before the could react, the big vampire quickly disarmed them and slapped them both to the ground.
“Shit, you’re the vampire!” one of the scouts called out.
“What are you doing here?” The out scout added.
“Saving your life,” Cornelius said, picking both men up off the ground. “Let’s go have a chat with your commander.”
Before either man could say a thing, Cornelius once again launched into the sky and took both men with him. He flew further south, and quickly spotted the convoy that was responsible for destroying Alyssa’s village. He landed before the vehicles and dropped both men to the ground. Moments after he arrived, the acting commander of the human army ran to front of the convoy to confront the large vampire.
“Sergeant,” Cornelius said, as he recognized the man.
“You again,” the Sergeant said, as he too recognized the vampire before him. “Have you come to rip all our heads off like you promised?”
“No, I have not.” Cornelius said, as he remembered his past threats. He wasn’t in the mood to rip off anyone’s head at the moment.
“Then why are you here?” the Sergeant asked.
“To save you and your troops from certain death,” Cornelius said, even though he couldn’t care less about the welfare of these soldiers.
“From what exactly?” The Sergeant requested, unwilling to believe a word that came out the bloodsucker’s mouth.
“There is a city just north of here that you appear to be heading towards,” Cornelius started, “And I would prefer if you stopped getting any closer to it and actually follow your President’s orders and return to Denver.”
“We haven’t completed our mission!” The Sergeant cried out, “We will not stop until that Vampire that killed our men are in custody!”
“That’s not going to happen,” Cornelius informed him, “For the same reason I asked you to not get any closer to the city.”
The Sergeant walked closer to the Dark Prince. “He’s there isn’t he? The Vampire we’re looking for is in St. Louis, isn’t he?”
“He is,” Cornelius confirmed, “But that is not the reason I’m asking you to stay away from the city. First of all, the city has changed a great deal since any of you last paid a visit.”
“In what way?” The Sergeant asked.
“First of all, it’s no longer called St. Louis.” Cornelius informed him, “The city has been known as New Lycan for quite some time now.”
“New Lycan?” The Sergeant repeated, “Why is it called that?”
“Because of it’s population,” The big vampire said, “The city was destroyed by the undead, but it was cleared out and restored by the Lycanthropes. New Lycan is their city now, and you’re not welcome.”
“What the hell is a Lycanthrope?” The Sergeant asked.
“You know them better as werewolves,” The Dark Prince answered, “That city is home to over four hundred thousand of them, and in case you didn’t notice I suggest looking up for a moment.”
The Sergeant looked up into the sky and immediately noticed, “There’s a full moon out tonight.”
“Yes, there is.” Cornelius continued, “And when there’s a full moon no one is allowed to enter the city. Their creed forbids it. No one is allowed to enter or visit New Lycan when the silver moon ceremonies are ongoing.”
“Are you serious?” The Sergeant asked, unsure what to believe at this point.
“They are not your allies, Sergeant.” Cornelius informed him, “And the closer you get to their city during this sacred time, the more agitated those wolves are going to get. So, unless you want over fifty thousand angry werewolves attacking your position and easily slaughtering you all, I would strongly recommend standing down and heading back to Denver.”
“How are you allowed in there during this sacred time?” The Sergeant asked, which was a pretty fair question.
“I have a diplomatic exemption.” Cornelius said, “The perks of royalty.”
“Royalty?” The Sergeant repeated.
“Yes, royalty.” Cornelius confirmed, “I am the Dark Prince of Transylvania. That means I am next in line for the throne, and this vampire that you are looking for happens to be my younger brother. Not only does that also make him a Prince, he has the distinct honor, or dishonor depending on who you ask, of being my father’s favorite. I don’t need to tell you what kind of shit your country would be in if you assassinated a prince of Transylvania, would I?”
“Shit,” The Sergeant cussed, “This is why our President ordered us to stand down, isn’t it?”
“Yes, it is.” Cornelius confirmed, “An act of aggression upon any member of the royal family would be considered an act of war against the Vampire nation. You’re also about to piss off a lot of werewolves, so unless you all want to die or be turned into wolves yourselves… I would strongly recommend following your President’s orders.”
The sergeant didn’t reply, and simply stood there as he knew there was no other choice, as he didn’t relish the idea of walking his men into a slaughter.
“Stand down,” he called out.
“Good call, Sergeant.” Cornelius said, “You just saved all of your men’s lives. Head back for Denver, and I will not tell your President what you did to that poor town of humans that you slaughtered a few days ago. I’m sure he wouldn’t be impressed to hear that you killed innocent humans, especially considering how few of you are left to begin with.”
“No, he wouldn’t be.” The Sergeant confirmed.
“What happened to the people that lived there?” Cornelius asked, “Were there any survivors?”
“No,” The Sergeant informed him, “The undead took care of whoever wasn’t killed by our artillery.”
“That is unfortunate,” Cornelius said, “They were decent people.”
“They were harboring a terrorist!” The sergeant insisted.
“They didn’t know that,” Cornelius informed him, “And you just blasted at them assuming that they did. You slaughtered thousands of innocent people for something that they all had nothing to do with.”
“Are you trying to upset me?” The Sergeant asked.
“No, merely informing you of the consequences of your actions.” Cornelius said, “I want you to think about them while you’re traveling back to California.”
Before the Sergeant could respond to what the big vampire had said, Cornelius launched back into the sky, and was gone. While the Sergeant himself was tempted to disobey the bloodsucker again, this time he was unwilling to push his luck. He ordered the men to turn around and start the trip back to Denver as ordered.