The next morning, I woke to find a text from Sarah waiting.
Sarah: We're professionals.
I stared at the message for a long moment, then replied.
Me: Agreed.
I pushed the thought aside and headed downstairs. The team was already gathered, Elena hunched over her workbench surrounded by what looked like modified flashbang grenades.
"Those ready?" I asked.
She looked up, dark circles under her eyes suggesting she'd been working all night. "Just finished. UV flashbangs – modified to emit concentrated ultraviolet light at an intensity that will temporarily blind vampires. Even old ones like Mercier."
She held one up. It looked like a standard flashbang, but with a faint purple tint to the casing.
"How long will the blindness last?" Sarah asked, entering behind me. Her tone was completely professional, no hint of what had happened between us the night before.
