I hold my breath when the tires touch the ground. The plane bounces on the hard asphalt runway but the pilot is experienced enough to keep it level and decrease the speed as we approach the terminal meant for smaller jets. I exhale shakily and feel the tension slip away from my shoulders.
"You can let go now," Sophie pipes up.
I look down and I realize that I haven't let go of Sophie's hand since the ascend. Heat rushes to my cheeks and I instantly release her.
Sophie chuckles as she stands up and stretches. "It's alright," she says amused. "I got plenty of heat from your hand. I almost felt like a human again, you know, with regular body warmth."
"Pfft," Kenji scoffs. "Touching a hand is nothing. Hugging is better."
Sophie raises an eyebrow. "You been doing a lot of hugging with your chef?" she asks sarcastically.
A very dull shade of pink forms on Kenji's cheeks and he states proudly: "Every chance I get." He then laughs at Sophie's reproachful expression and steps outside before she can let out a witty retort.
"Have you been doing it?" I ask curiously.
"No, of course not!" Sophie denies quickly. "Humans are food, they're not meant for stupid things like hugging."
"You know," Kenji chimes in loudly, after hearing what Sophie had just said. "You're starting to sound like Grigori,"
"Shut up!" she hisses angrily. "I'm nothing like him," she adds in a spiteful mutter.
"What about me?" I ask suddenly.
Sophie stops on the small ladder and looks up at me, frowning. "What about you?"
"What am I to you? Food or someone you could hug?"
This question has been burning in the back of my mind since we started our journey. I've always had to push it away due to unforeseen circumstances or because my naivety believed in Sophie's constant promises that she would tell me. Well, we're almost at her guardian's place, which feels to me that it could be our last stop and I want to know.
Sophie's eyes widen slightly. Kenji even stops and glances in our direction, straining his ears. My heart is pounding wildly and I brace myself for the answer.
She looks away. "I've already told you, didn't I? You're the exception to the rule."
"Meaning?" I press on, gripping the side of my cardigan.
Sophie fidgets with the tears on her jeans, obviously feeling uncomfortable by my question. She groans irritably and says loudly: "I'd probably consider you someone I could hug. Happy now?"
My lips curve into a satisfied smile, relieved to feel the knot in my stomach is coming loose. "Yes," I sigh contently. "Very much so,"
Sophie scowls, turns away in a huff and follows Kenji to the car that's by the terminal. My steps are quite lighter than they used to be and it's not until I reach the car and notice the person that's handing Kenji the keys. On the side of his neck, I see the familiar tattoo that had been on her. I gasp and grab Sophie's arm, pulling her to me.
"What are you-"
"Sangue!" I hiss, pushing her behind me.
"We know it's a Sangue," Kenji says. When he sees my bewildered look, he continues: "I've already notified Grigori of my sudden visit. I called him before we left home and he has allowed us to go see him tonight. He arranged the pick up." He surveys the Sangue. "But apparently he's become so paranoid that he needs to know everything, therefore sending a little bug to spy on us."
The Sangue's neck twitches a little, like he's clenching his jaw. Unexpectedly his pale eyes show nothing but contempt for Kenji. "Mr. Ricci is surprised yet delighted to have you in his place tonight, Mr. Yamasaki," his voice, though, is sleazy, dripping with sycophantic admiration. "It would be my honor to drive you and your guests to his quarters."
"Thank you, but that's not necessary," Kenji says firmly but politely, beckoning us to hop inside. "Your sloppy services are not required. You can just stand there and call your beloved master and inform him that we're on our way."
We hurry inside and I see through the tinted window the sour look the Sangue is throwing at us as we drive past him. Both Kenji and Sophie smirk at each other. The airport at Seattle is almost at the heart of the Emerald city and despite it being almost 11 o'clock in the evening, it's thumping with life. People walking on the crowded sidewalks, on their way to clubs or any other late-night events. I crane my neck to get a better view of the bright streets and towering sky scrapers.
"You oughta be careful here," Kenji says. "This is vampire territory here. Many of us own these night clubs the people are going to. As you can see, business is thriving, on both accounts," he adds with a smirk.
"And people don't know about it?" I ask, peeling my face away from the dazzling neon lights. "There haven't been, you know, any accidents?"
"You can't prevent all accidents from happening," Kenji sighs. "But since most vampires here belong to Grigori's faction, they're forced to be extra careful. Because if you fuck up, you're putting the entire faction into jeopardy and that's not something the faction leader wants."
"But what do you do if something happens?" I trudge on. "Like, if someone goes feral and kills a human?" My eyes inadvertently glance sideways at Sophie.
"We handle it the discreet way; bribe the police officers and convince them it was just a brutal animal attack. If bribe is not enough, we use our charm."
"And what do you do with the feral vampire?"
"Put him into isolation until he or she regains his or her senses."
"So, there's no punishment for risking your existence?"
"Of course there is," Kenji replies darkly. "I just want to refrain from telling you the details."
Sophie scoffs. "You weren't so gentle with me with all that stuff,"
"Well, you're one of us and you needed to know the consequenses when you joined the faction," Kenji points out, grimacing.
"Well, after everything we've been through, I'm sure that Leia can stomach the gritty details."
My stomach gives me a weird swooping sensation, like I had just missed a step. Truthfully, I've had enough of gore as it is but I'm too flabbergasted that Sophie has confidence in me to mention it.
Kenji shrugs. "Alright," he concedes as he makes a left turn. I notice a tall sign that points to Lower Queen Anne, meaning that we're on our way uptown instead of downtown. "What happens is, the feral vampire is generally bound at the wrists and ankles with silver chains. And then it's exposed to UV-light for quite some time. UV-light is stronger than sunlight due to the radiation, so it's very painful."
Sophie shudders. "I'd rather be impaled and beheaded than be exposed to UV-light or the sun. It's a much quicker death," she mutters.
Kenji nods grimly. "That burning sensation will haunt you for years if you ever get caught in those lights and survive it," he continues. "It takes a vampire weeks to recover from those burns and after the punishment, you'll think twice about going off the handle."
The tiny hairs at the back of my neck stand on end and I can feel the goosebumps forming on my arms. That's a horrible form of punishment. I wish I hadn't asked. "Thank goodness we don't deal with torture as a form of punishment anymore," I mutter in relief under my breath.
Sophie and Kenji exchange looks but say nothing. We drive in silence and I run the new information through in my head. I've come to the realization that vampires might actually have it worse than us humans. There is the bonus of never aging but there are so many rules they have to abide in order to stay alive. I glance over at Sophie and I now understand why they don't just turn anyone, especially someone so young as her. Adults generally have more maturity and they can probably restrain their impulses more easily than teens. It makes me wonder about those rules. How long have they been established? Since the Dark Ages? Sooner than that? How long have vampires been around? I shake my head tiredly, my mind buzzing. I thought I had most of my questions answered but it turns out that after each answer, millions of questions spring up afterwards. I don't even know if I will know absolutely everything about them after this. Would that make me the only human of this knowledge? I frown at my own silent question. Probably not. There must be some humans, most definitely Sangues, that know more than I do.
"We're here," Kenji announces, pulling me from my ruminations.
I sidle closer to the front and look out the window. Amidst the tall retail buildings and dozens of restaurants stands a dark skyscraper at the far end of the street of Lower Queen Anne. I'm immediately reminded of a dark castle that the daring prince has to enter to defeat the sorcerer and rescue the princess. It has that shady, villain feel to it as we get closer to the building. There are no shops in the skyscraper, only offices I would assume. I wonder how many of those offices work for Grigori.
"That's his place?" I ask, unable to hide both my awe and disdain.
Sophie nods. "Fitting for an asshole like him, don't you think?"
Kenji drives us towards the parking garage at the side of the scraper where we're greeted by a burly man in a security uniform who taps on the driver's window.
"State your business," he grunts in a bored tone.
"We have a private meeting with Mr. Ricci," Kenji replies, flashing him his fanged smile.
Completely unperturbed by this revelation, the security guard nods and hands Kenji a parking pass. I notice the Sangue tattoo on the back of his hand as he pulls back.
"Does he have a lot of Sangues on his side?" I ask as Kenji goes to the designated spot in the dim garage.
"Yes," Kenji replies. "The more powerful of a vampire, the bigger the following."
He parks the car in the corner, next to the nearest entrance that has one of the few fluorescent lights. To my surprise, I see another person standing by the entrance, this time dressed in a black suit and wearing an ear piece.
"You also get more paranoid the more powerful you become," Kenji sneers, glancing at the second guard with relaxed indifference and steps out of the car. "Evening!" he calls out.
"State your business!" this guard demands, his hand slipping his back and his narrowed eyes locked on Kenji.
"Take it easy," Kenji chuckles, raising his open palms up. He flashes him the same fanged smile, showing his incisors. "We're here to meet with Mr. Ricci. We have an appointment."
The guard talks into his walkie-talkie that he has clutched in his other hand, waiting for confirmation on the other side of the line. I clamber out of the car, an uncomfortable uneasiness wrapping itself around me like a python. Sophie seems to be feeling the same way. Her eyes dart back and forth the garage, like she's looking for another way in. Or perhaps another way out? The guard lowers the walkie-talkie, steps to the side and opens the door for us. "Please go up to the highest floor," he instructs us.
We walk through the empty hallway, completely absent of any paintings or murals on the walls. Just a cold, white color that seems to suck you in. Through another door and we're at the atrium. It's slightly warmer, with sleek, wooden furniture and beige colors on the wall but the atmosphere still feels cold and unwelcome. The few people that are still up and working at this time, the receptionist behind the desk and a couple of suits, all stop what they're doing and stare intently at us as we pass by. I see more guards by every entrance and exit. I change my mind. This is not a castle, it's more like a fortress. Meant to keep enemies at bay and occupants inside. The uneasiness wraps tigther around me, especially when I glance at the suits and they're still gawking at us, a cold expression on their faces. I don't like this kind of spotlight, like I'm under examination. I had plenty of that when I was growing up.
"What are you looking at?" Sophie snarls menacingly, baring her fangs.
The receptionist jumps and hastily pretends to be doing computer work behind the desk and the suits glare back and start speaking to one another in low tones.
"Fuck you!" Sophie hurls at them, turning around and begins stomping in their direction. Kenji grabs her by the arm and pulls her back.
"Ignore them," he mutters, ushering her into the elevator. "Those scum aren't worth it."
Just before the elevator door closes, I glimpse an obvious look of relief and fear from the three of them. "Did you hear what they were saying?"
"They said "here comes the dead girl"," Sophie huffs, a dull shade of red appearing on her cheeks. "Like they knew everything, those fuckers."
I look up at Kenji frightfully, the dread tightening so fast in my stomach, I've started to ache. "Is that true?" I demand.
Kenji shrugs. "We don't know for sure," he says darkly. "They might have only heard the rumors and assumed things." When he sees my wide eyes, he adds: "Everything is sure to clear up when we speak with Grigori." He pats me reassuringly on my shoulder.
The highest floor is on the 25th, which is probably the highest I've ever been. I'm not afraid of heights but the thought of being so high up makes me dizzy and my feet all tingly. I almost don't want to walk towards the end of the floor where yet another reception desk is, flanked by another set of guards. These guards look paler than the other ones and instead of looking at Kenji or Sophie, their eyes are locked on me, an unpleasant, greedy look. I see incisors slide slowly down from their upper lips.
Sophie throws a protective arm in front of me. "You touch her and you die!" she threatens in a raspy voice, bending her knees slightly as if ready to attack.
The vampire guards growl, baring their fangs but Kenji stands between us and them. "There will be no bloodshed here tonight," he states in a low voice but it's firm and his whole being seems to eminate authority. "That goes for both sides," he adds, shooting a glare down at Sophie.
Sophie scowls but thankfully does nothing. She still stands in front of me, though, as if shielding me from them. She folds her arms over her chest and shoots daggers at the guards.
"Mr. Ricci will be with you shortly, so please have a seat while you wait," says the receptionist coolly and points at the maroon, velvet sofa by the opposite wall.
Sophie throws them a scathing look before taking a seat beside me. She begins tapping her foot almost instantly and fidgets with the tears on her jeans again. Her agitation does not help with the anxiety that's stirring irritably within me and I start chewing my bottom lip.
"I wouldn't do that in the close vicinity of five vampires," Kenji points out softly, nodding his head towards me. "If they smell fresh blood on you . . ." his voice trails off ominously.
The blood freezes in my veins and I cease immediately, glancing frightfully towards the three vampires opposite us. The receptionist has gone back to work, clicking away on the computer. The guards, however, haven't taken their eyes off us. My heartbeat quickens by tenfold and my traitorous mind starts envisioning possible outcomes that only involve me being torn to shreds. I hitch in my breath sharply and screw my eyes shut.
Just as my brain dwells deeper into my anxious thoughts, the big oak doors open in front of us and a man walks through them. He's wearing a black, pinstriped suit that is so immaculate that it's almost as if he had just bought them. His dark hair is sleeked back and shiny. Contrary to the pale vampires around me, his skin is olive. It's hard for me to believe that this man is over 600 years old when he looks like he could be in his late thirties.
I feel Sophie tense up, her hands curling into fists. She glares fiercely at her former guardian as he stops a few feet in front of us, one hand in his pocket and his grey eyes full of insidious contempt.
"Well, well," he drawls, his voice heavy with Italian inflection. "Look what came crawling through the door."
Sophie twitches slightly, like she's fighting the urge to lunge at him.
"Good evening, Grigori," Kenji says placidly as though trying to ease the electric tension in the room. He stands up and shakes Grigori's hand. Grigori, however, barely acknowledges his presence, his eyes still on his former ward. "Let's try to keep this civil," Kenji adds in a light warning.
"I'm nothing but civil, Mr. Yamasaki," Grigori claims dismissively. "I'm more worried about the mutt," he adds in a malicious sneer.
Sophie snarls but I grab her and hold her back. "Don't," I mutter.
It's then he strays from Sophie and focuces on me. I found it uncomfortable when the Sangues stared at me. Having a 600-year-old stare at me is unbearable. There's no place for me to hide and I keep my eyes directed at my already clammy hands.
"Could someone please explain to me," Grigori says softly and I dare to glance up for a second, seeing the obvious distaste in his narrowed eyes. "why there is a human here at my quarters?"
"She's with me," Sophie snaps. "And no one touches her."
"That's not for you to decide while you're here in my faction," Grigori shoots back, eyes flashing.
I gulp and try to ignore the beads of sweat that's running down my spine. Now it's my turn to resist the urge to run out the door.
"Now, before I decide whether to let this human become food for my staff or food for the ghouls," his lips curve into a vicious grin. "I would like to know why you took the ludicrous decision of coming here? Surely not to seek my advice or," he scoffs at Sophie. "were you perhaps thinking that I could do something to your predicament?"
Kenji glances over at the receptionist and the guards. They don't even pretend not to be eavesdropping as they stare intently at the scene before them.
"We should discuss this in private," he says.
"As you wish," Grigori says, turns around and makes his way towards the doors of his office. Kenji motions for us to follow but as we get up, Grigori pipes up: "The human stays behind."
"No fucking way!" Sophie growls angrily. "She goes where I go!"
I don't know which would be worse: staying behind with vampires who have shown clear interest of ripping my throat apart or stay inside an office with an ancient vampire who wants to feed me to his staff or his ghouls? I want to laugh it off but it comes out a pathetic whimper.
"You heard me, Greg," Sophie threatens, grabs me by the arm and hoisting me up. "She comes with us."
Grigori's nostrils flare and for a second I'm petrified that he's going to attack. But he seems to have better control over his emotions and he just nods curtly. I let out a sigh of relief. I hadn't even been aware that I had been holding in my breath. I turn to Sophie to give her a shaky grin but it fades when I see her concerned look.
"Sophie?"
She looks up and tries to hide her worry by returning the grin. "Let's go and deal with this shit."