The living room flickered in dim candlelight. Biggs lifted a candle to Adam's face.
"It's him! Finally in my hands!" he spat, venom thick, and dropped the candle back. Without a second glance, he pulled a handful of coins from his pocket and flung them onto the floor.
"Thank you! Thank you, sir!" Chenno scrambled forward, snatching the coins. Out of habit, he bit one, savoring it as he inspected it by the flickering candlelight.
"Take him away. The drug should last a few hours—plenty of time to bring them all back. Hmph. In my hands, you'll suffer worse than death, filthy Corsican!" Biggs chuckled, waving behind him. Three lackeys stepped forward, ropes in hand.
Chenno whimpered on the floor, eyes wide, coins slipping from his fingers. He had no clue what happened between collapsing and waking up at the precinct, and he certainly didn't know who took his coins. But Adam didn't care—Chenno had walked straight into the trap.
The lackeys lunged to grab Adam. His eyes snapped open.
The sight froze all five of them. Biggs stumbled back, fingers trembling on his dagger, sweat stinging his forehead. The other two raised weapons, knuckles white, teeth clenched. Panic clawed through every nerve.
"Clang!" The door slammed shut. Silver Bell had slipped to the door unnoticed, locking it in a single swift motion.
"Trying to run?" she cooed, her smile soft, eyes playful. But the sight of her claws scratching the wood twisted charm into terror.
"Open the door!" someone shouted outside. Too late. Thin red mist drifted from Adam's teeth and vanished into the air—a soundproof spell he had just mastered. Their screams would never leave this room.
Biggs' grin faltered. His hand shook on the dagger. Every instinct screamed at him to run, yet the ropes and the red mist pinned him in place. His breathing came in sharp, uneven gasps, eyes darting everywhere, trying to find a way out.
"You… you're vampires!" he hissed, voice quivering.
"Vampires… so what?" Adam's lips curled in a faint, cold smile.
"We have an agreement with the Vampire King of Greece! You cannot harm me! I am nobility! Otherwise, your Vampire King will hand you over!" Biggs stammered, panic rising like a tide.
Adam's eyebrow arched. "An agreement? Huh. Interesting."
Biggs tried to recover, taking small steps back. "The pact… it only covers nobles. I… I am the only noble here. The rest… consider my apology sufficient. If not, I can send some slaves tomorrow."
His teammates' faces twisted with fury. They raised their weapons, shrieking, rushing him. Even in the face of death, they wanted Biggs to pay for betrayal.
Adam's eyes flicked to them, calm as ever. He set down his wine glass with a soft clink. The motion was deliberate, controlled, like a predator playing with prey.
His hand shot out, fingers wrapping around Biggs' throat. Biggs' eyes bulged, arms flailing, choking, limbs kicking at nothing. Red mist curled faintly around his head, every breath rasping.
"Did I agree to your terms?" Adam's voice cut cold through the room. "Unluckily for you, none of your so-called Vampire Kings answer to me."
A shove. Biggs flew across the floor, crashing into his companions. Two others staggered back, weapons clattering. One crashed into a wall with a thud, groaning.
Silver Bell leaned against the door, arms crossed, watching with amusement, eyes glinting. Adam's lips curved into a faint smile as he released Biggs. The room was silent except for ragged breaths and the faint, lingering red mist curling in the candlelight.