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“It’s crazy that the biggest allies we have are hours away,” Vanya said.
“What’s even more insane is that the evil pack has the reach it does and can literally fucking pop across the country in seconds,” Nyx countered, pointing the whisk at her and flinging salad dressing across the room. She didn’t even flinch as she wiped it up and nodded in agreement.
“They have to have powerful witches,” I added. “If that was a skill they all had, well we’d have heard of it.”
“I’m not the best for that. Until our conversation on the plane, I thought it was just us,” she admitted sheepishly. “It makes sense we aren’t alone but odd I’ve never run into a single other supernatural being.”
“I have,” I admitted. “When I was growing up, we settled next to a hive of vampires for a few weeks.”
Her eyes went comically wide. “What are they like? Pretty? Do they sparkle? Are they like zombies, all pale and creepy?”
“Did you just ask if they sparkle?” Callum asked. He raised one eyebrow but it at least got a smile out of him.
“Okay, but really,” she prompted me again. “Details or I’ll list more vampire-movie-inspired guesses.”
“Gods no,” I said, but I walked out to flip the steaks just to drive her crazy. She was almost pouting when I came back in. Grandpa had joined them now and the tightness in my chest eased as Vanya handed him a cup of tea. He seemed to be gaining his strength back again. It was crazy how much he’d deteriorated in such a short time. The fact I had missed it when it was right in front of me was killing me. I’d failed the one man who had never failed me.
“Oh don’t keep her waiting,” Grandpa said with a stern look. The amusement in his moss-green eyes gave him away and I chuckled. It was his way of telling me not to dwell on it, that he was okay, and for once, I listened.
“All right, all right. They were normal, though I hate to ruin the fun,” I admitted. “They just can’t go out in the sun, it burns them.”
“Undead? Like no breathing, eating food, heart stopped, the works?” She wasn’t giving up easily.
“I didn’t ask about all that,” I said but Grandpa cut me off.
“Oh I did. How do we learn if we don’t ask? I sat down with a few of their elders and we asked each other all of the fun details. They asked if we could turn people like they can,” he explained. She was leaning forward, mouth agape and eyes wide as she soaked in every single detail he gave her. I couldn’t wait to see her in the archives. Once Nyx had reminded us about them I was on board. Garren had mentioned them a few times here and there but if they held all the information he’d said, then it was a necessary stop on our journey. “They stop aging a year after they’re turned, but they aren’t eternal. Even a supernaturals’ body will give out eventually, even if it takes centuries to get to that. A blessing really, who would want to live for so long?”
“That’s wild,” she gasped. “No wonder they were chosen to run the oldest archives. Who else would understand history but those who lived through it all? Though, being there for history and accurately recording it are two very different things.” She had a point.
“They’re impeccable record keepers, apparently,” Grandpa said. He didn’t seem the least bit doubtful of the archives and that was reassuring. “They’re a classy bunch, preferring large dwellings and spending the copious amounts of money they gathered over the years.”
“So why a year?” Callum asked. Even he was hanging onto the story like Vanya was. Grandpa was thriving on their attention, settling onto a stool as he thought it over.
“Something about that was how long it took for their humanity to drain and the venom to fully take hold. They live and breathe but they can’t eat food or reproduce,” he continued. “Hence the turning.”
“Do they have laws on that?” Nyx asked. Okay, I was wrong, Nyx would be the one to watch once we got to the library, he thrived on his nerdiness even if he hid it well. “They have to, right?”
“That I’m not sure on. I’d assume so with a species that old, and I imagine the venom stage is not at all pleasant,” Grandpa mused as he took a long sip of tea. I had a strong urge to knock it out of his hand. Now I was skeptical of anything and everything he’d put in his mouth. “Now, why are we discussing these vampires?”
We glanced at each other, then our alpha, letting him take this one. He may share information freely with us but we couldn’t assume he was going to let Grandpa in on it all as well.
“It’s a lot to discuss, but to summarize, we aren’t the only pack who has lost people and the alpha who helped Vanya get home told me about a new network for alphas. The old one was dead and this one, more secret, untainted by the traditions we’re fighting against. Then on the way back, Nyx suggested we check the libraries to get more information and possibly track down the witches. Which brings us to you.”
Grandpa hummed into his teacup like Callum had just noted the forecast or something mundane.
“Philadelphia of course,” he said with a shrug. “The building they occupy above ground has shifted many times, but it’s the underground archives you need to access.”
“And which building do they occupy now?” I asked. This was classic Grandpa behavior, make us work for the real answers.
“Last I heard it was the old Inquirer building. I read something a few months ago that it had converted into the police headquarters so look for that,” he explained. “However, it’s not that easy.”
“It never is,” Vanya said with a sigh. “Do we need like a VIP access card, secret handshake, a million dollars?”
“There’s always a way to get down but it’s not open knowledge anymore. Someone tried to attack it once so it’s guarded heavily. I’ll ask around to some of my old contacts and see what I can find for you. Have patience, it will work out,” he said. “Now. Get those steaks off, they’re burning.”
“Shit,” I cursed as I ran back outside, turning off the grill and pulling them off. Definitely past rare now but they were thick enough steaks that they weren’t charcoal at least.
We ate in near silence. Our heads were too full of worries and our energy waning. After we cleaned up the kitchen, Callum and Vanya zombie walked to his room to pass out. Nyx took the first shift so after we chose a time to switch, I followed their lead. I stripped out of my jeans and climbed under the covers, asleep within moments.
