Bound By Blood - 4. Chapter Four

I opened my eyes when I heard my phone buzzing, which I reluctantly grabbed from my nightstand. I wasn’t able to get a lot of sleep, and when I could finally sleep, I ended up waking up repeatedly throughout the night. Me being tied up by a vampire and fearing for my life wasn’t the best method to get a good night of sleep was all I could say. And I unfortunately missed work today, which my boss was definitely going to give me hell about later. Checking the screen, I saw Will’s name, and I tapped my thumb on the answer button before placing the noisy device near my ear.

“Hello?”

“Damien. It’s good to hear from you again,” Will spoke.

With a raised eyebrow, I asked, “And why’s that?”

“Nothing. I’m just happy that you answered your phone rather than ignore my call,” Will said simply.

“I didn’t know you vampires can have emotions, other than being bloodthirsty.”

“Now, now, Damien. I didn’t call you just to be insulted. I can always find someone else who’s willing to accept a massive payment for a simple errand I want him to accomplish.”

I sighed and looked at the unpaid stack of bills on my nightstand and knew what I had to say next. “I…I apologize. I just didn’t get enough sleep last night, and it’s affecting my temperament.”

“Understandable. You’re forgiven then,” Will said before making a light chuckle.

Scoffing, I then said, “Anyways, why are you calling me? Did your plan finally come to fruition?”

“Yes, it has. I’m on my way now to pick you up right now. Please prepare yourself and bring whatever you think is necessary.”

“And what exactly should I bring?”

“I think you know… I’ll be there within twenty minutes. Be ready.”

Before I could ask Will any more questions, he ended the call, and I was left wondering what he meant by “bring whatever you think is necessary.” I could only imagine one way of interpreting what Will just said as I walked to my closet and entered inside. After I turned on the hanging light bulb, I separated my hanged clothes and revealed my safe. I then typed in the passcode on the keypad and opened the safe. Inserting my hand, I pulled out a handle, which I examined in my hands.

With its white color and sleek design, an average person would’ve mistaken this object as some modernized television remote. However, this device was much more than just some piece of technology; it was an ancient relic of almost unsurmountable power, which I was currently holding. Walking out of the closet, I gripped the handle tightly in my left hand before making moves akin to a swordsman. I swung the handle fluidly as I pretended to dodge enemies before slashing them.

I looked at the mirror as I performed these moves, slashing the handle a few more times until I knew I still possessed the training I was given when I still lived with my family. Endless amounts of blood, sweat, and tears I gave to improve my skills have diminished over time and was still very present within the blood in my veins. However, I hoped I wouldn’t have to resort to using my ability since they were meant to kill. That part of my life was over, but I knew that I needed it just in case. I didn’t know what Will had in store for me, so I should take this powerful object. Better safe than sorry.

After I placed the handle in the side pocket of my jeans, I took my house keys and phone before walking down the stairs. Entering the living room, I only saw my eldest son who was typing rapidly on his laptop. The area was also cleared of all toys and other debris that the girls left behind last night.

“Looks clean here,” I stated as the television displayed the news.

“Yeah, I got the girls to clean up the living room, and in return I took them to their friend’s house for a sleepover,” Austin responded.

“Oh, right. I forgot that was happening… Well, it looks like you’ll be alone in this house for tonight. Lucky you.”

“Yeah…wait. Are you going somewhere?” Austin asked, turning his head to face me.

“Just hanging out with a friend.”

“Oh, where are you and Anthony going? Can I come?”

“Actually, it’s not Anthony. Another friend of mine is who I’m spending time with,” I lied.

Austin frowned and raised an eyebrow. “Really?”

“Yes… What’s that face for?”

Turning back to his laptop, Austin said, “Nothing. I just didn’t know you had another friend other than Anthony.”

“Well, having a full-time job and being a father doesn’t leave a lot of time to socialize and other friends, I guess,” I admitted.

“Then why are you going out then if you have so much work and responsibility, Dad?”

Narrowing my eyes, I leaned my hands on the back of the couch right behind Austin and said, “What are you trying to imply here, son?”

“I’m not implying anything. Your boss left a message on the answering machine today wondering why you weren’t at work. And you forgotten that Isabel and Joanne had their sleepover tonight as well. I hate to admit it Dad, but you haven’t been much of a father lately.”

“Hey, what’s with the attitude all of a sudden?” I said, gripping the faux leather fabric of the couch tightly.

“Of course I’m having an attitude. You’re the one who’s not going to work or checking on the girls to see where they are!” Slamming his laptop on the coffee table, Austin stood up and turned to me before saying, “Over the past year, I had to be the man of the house, making sure the girls are eating and doing their homework, while I had so much else to do like the football team and my classes. And all you do is go to your job where you sit around and watch surveillance footage. You barely make any time just to see how we are, and that fucking annoys the hell out of me.”

I took a step back, not believing my son was acting this way. “Austin, may I remind you that you’re still in deep trouble for going out on a school night to that vampire place—”

“That was the first and only time I ever went out, considering I’ve been buried in schoolwork and my devotion to the team. The girls were watching a marathon of their favorite show, and you know how they don’t leave the couch when it’s on… However, I doubt you even know that much about your kids.”

Sighing, I approached my son and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Look, I know you’ve been forced to carry a lot on your shoulders over the past—”

“No! No, you don’t know, Dad! Ever since Mom died, you’ve been distancing yourself more and more from us, and I finally had enough of it.” Swearing, Austin sat back down on the couch, taking a piece of paper next to him and swiping it away.

The paper landed on my feet, and I grabbed what looked like a letter, then my heart dropped after reading the first line.

“Austin… I’m so sorry that the university didn’t accept you,” I sincerely said.

Sighing, my son said, “That was my dream school, Dad.”

“It’s not the end of the world, son. There’s other universities out there that are more than willing to take—”

“I don’t want to go to those other universities. I wanted this one! And if you stepped up being a real father, then I would’ve had time to focus more on my studies and gotten a high enough GPA to get into that university. Now it’s too late, and it’s all your fucking fault!” Austin shut his laptop and carried it with him as he passed me, bumping our shoulders in the process.

“Austin!”

“I’m going to my room and finishing my essay that’s a week overdue. Thanks for nothing, Dad! And enjoy hanging out with your friend!”

I heard the heavy stomps of Austin’s feet on the stairs before a loud noise came from his bedroom door slamming closed. I was left completely flabbergasted by what my son just told me, and I hated to admit it…but he was somewhat right. I haven’t been the best father, a parent who made all of his remaining time not at work for his kids. I swore to myself that I wouldn’t be like my father, a man who distanced himself from me whenever I made a mistake or disobeyed an order. I wanted to be a father who was there for his kids regardless of what they done and be there especially when they done right. Instead, I was apparently repeating the cycle of being a bad father, and I really didn’t have anyone else to blame but myself.

Rubbing my face with my hands, I sat down on the couch and just remained in that position for who knew how long. Everything seemed like a daze with only the news on the television providing me any company.

I then felt my buzzing phone on my pocket and when I pressed the answer button, Will’s voice said, “I’m here. Are you ready?”

Rubbing my eyes that were ripe with tears, I cleared my throat and said, “Yes, I am.”

“Good. I’m at the end of your driveway when you come out.”

The call ended once again, and I forced myself to stand back up before turning off the television and the lights of the living room. Exiting through the front door that I made sure was locked tight, I saw Will’s car parked where he said he was. Approaching the vehicle, I was about to open the door to the front passenger seat when a window rolled down and Will’s face appeared.

“Not there, Mr. St. Paul. Unless you want to have a pleasant conversation with my chauffeur, please come to the back instead.”

I grumbled as I entered the backside of the car instead. At the other end was Will who was sporting another suit that was form-fitted perfectly to his body. He smiled at me with those perfect teeth of his and with that flawlessly sculpted hair and smooth, angular face of his, he looked ready to walk the runway of a fashion show.

As the car started driving out of my neighborhood, Will turned his body towards me and said, “Mr. St. Paul. I’m glad you were able to come.”

“Yeah, well, I wasn’t given much choice since my family’s safety is in the line here. And just call me Damien. There’s no need to be formal with me.”

“Yes, you’ll be paid very handsomely for your contribution to this mission, so you won’t have to worry about any financial struggles inflicting your family any time soon…Damien.”

“That’s not what I… You know what? Never mind.” Buckling my seatbelt, I then said, “So, what kind of mission do you have planned for me?”

“Do you remember Clarence, right?”

“Yes, I do. I would’ve also been paid very handsomely if you hadn’t taken him away from me,” I stated.

“Well, do you know why he had such a high bounty on his head?”

I didn’t have an answer to that question.

Will smiled and said, “The man known as Clarence was a recently transformed vampire who went by a different name from his past life, a past life that was riddled with crime and even multiple murders. I’m assuming you already knew this before you accepted the bounty.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I said, “Some of those details…weren’t told to me until now.”

“I see… Well, after interrogating Clarence for only a few minutes, I was told where the rest of his family lives, otherwise known as his kindred in vampire terms. You see, Damien, Clarence is only one of dozens of vampires who have been recently transformed over the past two years. This violates multiple rules of the kingdom, especially one that forbids the transformation of a human without the kingdom’s approval first. The vampire responsible must be detained immediately…and with your help, it’ll be a piece of cake.”

“And what did you do to Clarence after he revealed this information to you?”

“He was eliminated, of course.”

“You killed him,” I said, shocked.

“You can’t kill someone who’s already dead, now can you.” Looking through the side window, Will continued by saying, “Anyways, killing Clarence is part of the plan. Eliminating most if not all of a king’s or queen’s kindred will severely weaken his or her powers. If you don’t know already, vampires don’t only gain their powers by drinking the blood of humans, but also extending their powers to others, creating kindred whose own powers will then transfer onto the king or queen. That was how the ancient gods created their bloodline or family tree like the Greek and Norse gods.”

“So…what? You want me to go to where they live and kill them all?”

“No, of course not. I’ll detained them… Next I’ll interrogate them… Then I’ll kill them.” Will smirked at me. “Oh, by the way. I got you a gift.”

Will pulled out a small box from under his seat and handed it to me.

I looked at the red box skeptically before opening it. “What the…?”

“Try it on. See how it fits.”

“Are you kidding me? Why did you give me a dog collar?”

Chuckling, Will said, “It’s not a dog collar. It’s a symbol of your subservience to me. You’ll need to wear it when we enter their mansion which is hosting a party.”

“So, your plan is to do to this stealthily, instead of guns blazing, right?”

“You’re very correct. They’ll be humans there as well, and I’d rather do this slow and steadily, so no innocents get hurt in the process… Why are you looking at me like that?”

I scoffed and said, “I didn’t think a vampire would want to protect humans, considering what you use us for.”

“There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Damien. Also, my king has orders to not bring harm onto anybody who won’t be detained... So, are you going to wear the collar or not?”

I huffed and felt the black leather and the silver studs that lined the collar between my fingers. Never have I been the subservient type, being the leader of a band of bounty hunters being a sign of my dominant-type personality. However, putting on the collar was just part of the plan, and this Will character was just going along with his king’s orders.

“Looks good on you. I don’t know what it is, but a man like yourself wearing a collar is very attractive.”

I just grunted, not wanting to think that a vampire was having the hots for me. However, I couldn’t deny that this vampire had looks that could kill, but the same thing could be said about most vampires if not all. Despite that fact, I couldn’t help but drift my eyes towards the young-looking vampire who was awakening some deep-seeded desires that were first roused up by Clarence. I didn’t want to think that I was lusting after vampires, creatures who were responsible for the death of the person I loved the most in this world. Now she was gone, and I doubt she would approve of my feelings towards this vampire.

So, crossing my arms, l leaned my head against the side window and closed my eyes. I needed as much rest as I could get before I had to deal with more vampires other than just Will.