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73.33% World Of Monsters / Chapter 33: The Dark Prince

Capítulo 33: The Dark Prince

Alyssa didn't want to leave the town, not wanting to be away when the witches arrived to see Diane but Max was becoming impatient. It had been over a week since she had spoken to Mrs. Goldman and there was no sign of any new witches. Gabriel said that the old woman was right, that the guardians would protect her and that she had nothing to worry about. She was still reluctant but finally relented and they decided to take a quick trip to New Lycan to get enough supplies to get Max off their backs. Alyssa was packing a light change of clothes since they were going to stay in the city overnight when she decided to check up on Diane and say goodbye before taking off. She walked over and softly knocked on her sister's door.

"Come in," Diane called from inside.

Alyssa opened the door to see her little half sister, sitting on the bed. There were half a doze cats on the best with her, and one of them was playing with a piece of string that Diane was using to dangle above it. If Alyssa didn't know what those little things really were, she would have thought it was very cute.

"Hey," Alyssa said, looking around. "They actually like playing?"

"Some of them are playful," she answered, "Some just like to hide in the shadows and do nothing."

"How many of them are in here?" Alyssa asked, as that wasn't the first time that she had heard the term hiding in the shadows.

"More than a few." Diane said, smiling innocently. "You're not mad?"

"I guess not since they're your bodyguards." Alyssa replied, "The next time a herd of undead attacks, this will be the safest room in the town."

"Mrs. Goldman says if we get the cauldron running again, we can keep them all away from us." Diane said, "That would make things a lot easier around here, right?"

"I actually like that part," Alyssa said, as that last herd had really scared her.

"Is it going to be weird now?" Diane asked, "Now that I'm a witch?"

"Honestly," Alyssa said, "I think we passed weird a long time ago when vampires and werewolves came into the picture to join the undead. Now I'm ready to believe just about anything. What I find interesting about all these monsters is that they're just like us. There are a lot of good people who just want to live their lives in peace and it's just a small handful of jerks that are making things difficult for everyone else."

"We all have a Max to deal with I guess," Diane added.

"Yes, we do." Alyssa said with a smile, as she agreed. "That reminds me, Gabriel and I are taking off for New Lycan, are you going to be alright here with Pablo and Mrs. Goldman?"

"Yeah, I'll be fine." Diane said, "These guys won't let anything happen either."

"Can we grab anything for you in the city?" Alyssa asked.

"Some snacks would be nice," Diane said.

The grey cat lying on her bed picked up his head and meowed loudly.

"What does Smokey want?" Alyssa asked.

"He wants to know if you could find some tuna or fish," Diane answered, "The guys here like that kind of stuff."

"Tuna, huh?" Alyssa said, looking at the cat. "Alright, I'll grab a few. Just take good care of her while I'm gone."

The cat made a small sound before lying down.

Alyssa didn't need a translation as sh left the room and went to the roof where Gabriel was waiting for her.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

"I'll be alright," Alyssa said, "You were right, she's well guarded."

"If Mrs. Goldman assessment is accurate," Gabriel said, "Then those guardians will be loyal only to Diane, and she's got too many for any witch to overcome. In other words, she's not going anywhere. We can focus on just heading to the city and hanging out in New Lycan for a while. Maybe get something nice to eat at the pub?"

"Trying to make me feel better with food?" Alyssa asked, smiling as she walked closer, "That's a good idea, because it would make me feel better."

"It's a nice pub," Gabriel said, "I'm a very old creature and that place is hard for even me to forget."

"Speaking of the guardians," Alyssa added, "Apparently they like tuna and want us to grab some for them."

"Really?" Gabriel said, looking rather surprised. "Well... since they're doing something for us while we're gone that seems like a small price to pay, right?"

It took them less time to fly out to New Lycan as Alyssa was getting used to flying with Gabriel and they didn't have to make as many stops to adjust or break. After they registered with the wolves in the Vampire tower, Gabriel thought it would be best to get the shopping for the town done first so they could have more time to relax when they had dinner at the pub. Alyssa was enjoying the trips to the city and even the wolves in the town were starting to get used to seeing them there so there were no more incidents like there had been the first time. Gabriel returned to the cart with several decent sized cans and dropped them in.

"For the cats," he reminded her.

"You sure that's enough?" Alyssa joked, as she knew there were a lot of guardians in their town to protect Diane.

"Probably not," Gabriel agreed, "I'll be right back."

It didn't take them long to get most of what the town needed and Alyssa even picked up a few goodies for Diane and Pablo. Once the supplies were stored at their room in the Vampire tower, Gabriel then escorted Alyssa to the pub so they could sit down and relax to a good meal without feeling rushed.

"Thank goodness," Alyssa said, looking at her menu. "I am starving!"

Alyssa had ordered a glass of wine to go with her meal while Gabriel only needed the house blood to get by. The pub was lively as it always was, and even Gabriel's presence wasn't bothering the wolves as much as it used to. Seeing him interact with the human girl was interesting to the locals, and the staff loved it because Gabriel was a very good tipper and their blood supply wasn't selling very fast anyway. Gabriel also benefited from the fact that none of the locals had any idea of Gabriel's place or status within the Vampire circles, and he had preferred to keep it that way. That option was tossed out the window the moment the big man strolled in through the doors. The pub went silent as every wolf in there stopped what they were doing and all turned to face the man who had just walked in. The man was the size of a mountain, was finely dressed and had a grin on his face that his presence had brought everything to a grinding halt. He was used to getting a response from other creatures, especially his fellow vampires, but this wasn't infatuation. The room was filled with fear. The rooms was still eerily quiet as he walked into the room and over to the table where Gabriel and Alyssa were sitting. He turned to face Alyssa and greeted her with a very polite bow and a warm smile.

"Excuse me, my dear." He said to her, with a voice that was as smooth a silk. He even had a tinge of a British accent in there. "But is this seat taken?"

"Oh," Alyssa said as she looked at Gabriel and then back at the man who was still looking at her. "It's not, I suppose. Do we know you?"

"We've never had the pleasure," the man said, still towering over everyone in the room. "My brother doesn't like to talk about me very much."

"Your brother?" Alyssa repeated, and then she figured it out. "Cornelius?"

"A pleasure to meet you Alyssa," Cornelius said, bowing again.

"Please, sit down." Alyssa said, gesturing to the chair. She could tell that everyone in the room was quite nervous, and she hoped it might ease the tension if she was friendly with the big man. It was a move that seemed to work, because as Cornelius sat down, everyone else in the pub seemed to exhale all at once and resume what they were all doing.

"The house blend I assume?" Cornelius inquired, gesturing to what Gabriel had in his mug. "It is any good?"

"Not really, but it's better than nothing." Gabriel answered.

"Fair enough," Cornelius said, giving out a light chuckle.

One of the waitresses walked over. "Can I get you anything, your grace?"

"I'll have what he's having." The big vampire replied, "And bring my brother a refill too. As a matter of fact, I'll be covering the bill for this entire table."

"Yes, your grace." The waitress said before cowering away.

"Your grace?" Alyssa said, "What's that all about?"

"Just political hogwash," Cornelius answered, "I don't care for it myself but the wolves are all about traditions and go out of their way to observe it all. Despite the council running things right now, I am still the dark prince."

"What does it that mean?" Alyssa asked.

"A dark prince outranks regular princes," Gabriel said, "It means he's the eldest brother and the first in line for the throne. I think he likes that one a bit more than the others because he gets to hold it over my head."

"Quite right, brother." Cornelius said, "Take your pleasures wherever you can find them. Speaking of pleasures, is the food here any good?"

"It is," Alyssa said, kind of surprised. "You eat food?"

"Of course we can," Cornelius replied, "We don't have to, but I enjoy it. Some of us can't stand it, but others have a cast iron stomach for it."

As the waitress arrived with Alyssa's food, Cornelius pointed to it and gestured to the waitress.

"Bring out two more plates of that, love." He said to her.

"Yes, your grace."

"Thank you," Cornelius said, "You see... I can be civil."

"I can see that," Gabriel said.

"It feels like it's been a few hundred years since we broke bread like this." The big vampire said.

"That's because it has been a few hundred years," Gabriel confirmed.

"I know, I just like to say that." Cornelius said, as he laughed before taking a sip of his mug of blood. His face twisted a bit and then he forced down his gulp. "I've had worse, but it's pretty close. Almost tastes like rodent blood."

"You get used to it," Gabriel noted.

"I hope not," Cornelius said, taking down another slug. "This makes the work we're doing very important."

"The council must be desperate," Gabriel said. He was aware that his brother's overly polite behavior had more to do with his job for the council to learn more about the undead rather than being polite to his brother and the human he hung out with. "What caused this air of desperation. Did one of the elders wake up?"

"No," Cornelius said, "And I wouldn't care if they did. There's only one elder that I fear and he's not waking up any time soon."

"Fair enough," Gabriel said, "I've been doing interviews in the eastern cities, and have gathered some very good information for the council."

"Very good," Cornelius said, finishing off his mug. "I had a feeling you would excel at this task. You have a gift of communicating. You would have made a good diplomat for the council if we ever needed one."

"I don't work for the council, and I never will." Gabriel reminded him. "I only answer to one person, and you know who that is."

"That I do, and admire your loyalty." Cornelius said, "More blood!"

His bellow caused half of the patrons to jump in their seats. Cornelius laughed at that and seemed to be enjoying himself.

"What about that small town where you found this lovely flower?" Cornelius said, gesturing to Alyssa. "Talked to anyone over there?"

"I have," Gabriel said, "A few people but I have one more to interview."

"Alright," Cornelius said, taking his new mug from the waitress as she arrived rather quickly. "Thank you, my dear."

Alyssa sat there and listened to the two brothers talk about their business but finally after a while the dark prince turned back to look at her.

"And what about you, dear." He asked her, "How did you and my brother come to know one another?"

"He saved me from the undead," she answered, "I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him."

"That's Gabriel for you," Cornelius said, "Vamp with a heart of gold."

"At least I have a heart," Gabriel chided back.

"I have a heart," Cornelius contested with a laugh, "It's black as night, but it still works. Not bad for a ticker that's over ten thousand years old."

"That's amazing," Alyssa said, after hearing his age. "You're actually older than the pyramids!"

"I never liked those things," Cornelius admitted, "I thought triangles was the wrong shape to go with, as putting them together was a damn pain in the ass. Dad can be very stubborn when he sets his mind to something, isn't that right brother?"

"That's an understatement." Gabriel concurred.

The conversation was interrupted when the waitress arrived with more food, and Cornelius was no longer interested in talking shop. Despite being a vampire, the big man dug into his food and ate it as if he really needed it to live even though he didn't. Despite wanting to ask him questions, Alyssa kept quiet and ate her food and watched Gabriel as he seemed rather quiet as well.

"This has been fun," Cornelius said as he stood up. He looked over to the waitress as she walked over. "Charge this to my room at the Vampire tower and give yourself a very good tip for services well rendered."

"Yes, your grace." The waitress replied.

"I must be off," Cornelius said, as he took Alyssa's hand and kissed the top as if he was from France. "A pleasure to meet you, my dear. I hope that we can break bread again in the near future."

"Maybe we shall," Alyssa said, "It was nice to meet you too."

"Brother," Cornelius said, "I'll speak to you again later when you have more to report."

"I look forward to it," Gabriel said, with an air of sarcasm.

The room became silent again as the big vampire walked out of the pub and out the door without any hesitation. Once he had left the building, the patrons were even louder than before, and talked about what had just happened. Alyssa looked back at Gabriel and could sense that he was still uneasy about their uninvited guest.

"Are you alright?" she asked him.

"I'll be fine," Gabriel said, "Are you doing okay?"

"I'm great," Alyssa said, "He seemed rather nice to me, but I get the feeling he was going above and beyond here."

"Just a tad," Gabriel said, "I'm unsure what that was all about. Usually he's very unfriendly to those he feels are beneath him. Yet he was nice to everyone here, even the staff of the pub."

"Bad tipper?" Alyssa asked.

"Usually," Gabriel said, "I'm as surprised as you are."

"Is it just me," Alyssa started, "Or does this mission seem a lot more important than he's making it out to be?"

"Seems that way," Gabriel said, "It has to be huge to get a big man like that going out of his way to be nice to get what he wants."

"Excuse me," Alyssa said to the waitress, "Can I get another two orders to go and the desert menu?"

The waitress smiled, "Of course you can."

"What are you doing?" Gabriel asked.

"What do you care," Alyssa replied, smiling back at him. "This is being billed to the dark prince, remember?"

Gabriel laughed, "I guess I'll have another mug then."


Capítulo 34: Tradition & Etiquette

After collecting their extra items, Alyssa was too full to take another bite as was Gabriel in a metaphorical sense. Alyssa liked the idea of getting something extra to bring back to town with her. Something for Diane and Pablo to try, cause she'd been taking about the food in New Lycan so much. It wold be nice to bring something for them to try, even if they had to reheat it later. Since it was all on the Dark Prince, she knew Pablo would get a kick out of it, since it appears Pablo wasn't a big fan of Gabriel's much older brother. She had no idea why, or if Pablo had ever met the man and was just basing his opinion on what Gabe had told him. She would have to ask him when they met, cause if he hadn't then he would be very interesting in hearing how her first meeting with the big man went. Once back in the Vampire building, Alyssa just crashed on the couch and layed down to rest.

"That was pretty intense," she called out, "And you weren't kidding about your brother. Everyone in the room was terrified of him. It felt like everyone was holding their breath until he left the pub.

"Yeah, he's pretty imposing." Gabriel admitted, "Even I get a little flustered sometimes when he's making the extra effort. Even after thousands of years, he still manages to get under my skin."

"Brothers are supposed to do that," Alyssa said, "Or siblings for that matter. The more time they spend together the more you know how to push each other's buttons. I'm sure you know how to push his if you really wanted to."

"I suppose so," Gabriel said, thinking about it. "I guess I do my own thing that probably gets on his last nerve, but he's very good at hiding it. He doesn't give anything anyway, no matter what happens. That's what makes him so intimidating."

"He seemed nice at dinner," Alyssa noted, "What was that about?"

Gabriel walked out into the living room only to shrug. "I have no idea. Usually he's not very tolerant of people I associated with, especially humans. I was just as surprised about it as everyone else."

"That is odd," Alyssa said, thinking about it. "Pablo painted him as such a villain. Have they ever met before?"

"No," Gabriel answered, "He's just working off of information from others. He was acting different today, but I'm unsure why. I realize he needs me to do this work for the council, but to the point where he's polite. We're missing something."

"That's another thing," Alyssa said as she sat up, "Why is Cornelius working for the council if he's royalty?"

"Technically he's not working for the council," Gabriel replied, "He's a member of the council, so he's working for himself. I think he likes the idea of the council cause it lets him roam about and not get bogged down with politics and feudalism. He prefers to delegate the boring stuff and do whatever he wants but still give off the impression that he's helping them."

"That's pretty smart," Alyssa concluded, "Help them to help yourself."

"Try to get some sleep," Gabriel said as he put a coat on. "I'm going to meet a few people about procuring some meds your mayor asked for. I'll probably be asleep myself when you get up. Just hang out around here, and we'll take off to return home when I wake up tomorrow night."

"Sounds good," Alyssa said, yawning at the vampire. "How many of you are in the building right now?"

Gabriel closed his eyes and concentrated for a few seconds. "There are currently seven vampires staying here, and twenty wolves guarding the tower. That's a lot more than I'm used to but chances are some are here because of the Prince."

"If he's your brother," Alyssa continued, "Doesn't that make you a prince too?"

Gabriel stood there with his arms crossed and sighed. "Yes."

"So that's why Cornelius holds that Dark Prince power over you," Alyssa said, "How far down the line are you?"

"Three after him," Gabriel answered, "But that only recently changed. I used to be first behind Cornelius but since then women are allowed to be in line for the throne, so that bumped me down a few pegs."

"Hold on," Alyssa said as something clicked, "You have sisters?"

"A few," Gabriel said, "And I'm glad they're recognized, because I want nothing to do with the monarch. So the more bodies that lie between me and the damn throne, the better as far as I'm concerned."

"I get it," Alyssa said, "You're the black sheep and everyone else falls over each other for the throne."

"To be honest, I don't think Cornelius cares that much either." Gabriel added, "He respects the throne, but doesn't act like he needs it. I think he was amused when I left Europe to come over here all those centuries ago."

"Jealous even?" Alyssa suggested, "You did the thing he was tempted to do but couldn't since he's first in line."

"Never considered it like that," Gabriel admitted, "But I doubt it. He's always been a traditionalist about the throne. He's never been shy about his duty either, which is why he's so well known and out there."

"Alright, well have a good night." Alyssa said, laying back down on the couch.

"You too." Gabriel said as he left the suite.

Alyssa had a very long day, so it took very little time for her to fall asleep and she cuddled up on the big couch with a blanket and was off the la la land. It must have been a very deep sleep because not only had Gabriel returned while she was out and he didn't bother her and went to sleep himself before the sun came up. It wasn't until between ten and eleven the next day when Alyssa woke up. It wasn't by her choice, but instead because of a soft sound the jolted her awake. There was a light rapping on the door, which caused her to jump up from where she was laying. She knew Gabriel was down, so she was scared of who might be knocking at their door. Alyssa slowly got off the couch and crept over to the door as quietly as she could. She took a quick peek through the door to see who was there and after a few seconds she sighed and took a deep breath. She opened the door to greet the man that was standing at the door, patiently waiting to be admitted.

"Good morning," Alyssa said, trying to seem friendly. "What brings the Dark Prince to my door so early? Shouldn't you be sleeping with the others?"

"I'm not tired," Cornelius admitted. "I can go three to six days without resting."

"Wow, I bet you sleep really well after a week awake." Alyssa said, as she thought about staying up so long.

"Usually when that happens, I rest for one or two days." Cornelius added, "But I rested recently so I won't be going down anytime soon. I thought you might want to join me for breakfast."

"Breakfast?" Alyssa repeated, as she forgotten that the big vampire loved to eat.

"There is a banquet hall downstairs," Cornelius explained, "We use it to host humans, wolves or anyone else who wishes to dine while going over policy. So the Chef can make anything you like."

"Oh, I see." Alyssa said, considering it.

"You will be safe," Cornelius assured her, "I would never let anything happen, as the last thing I would want to face is his wrath."

"Gabriel's wrath?" Alyssa asked.

"No, our father's." Cornelius replied, "He's far more of a traditionalist than I am. Since you are with Gabriel, so it would be against the rules for any vampire to bring harm to you. The old man would execute any of us without hesitation if that happened, and probably impale us for old time's sake. So I can assure you that you are quite safe in this building."

"Fair enough," Alyssa said, "Let me change for the hall."

"Don't overdress," Cornelius said, "It's very informal this morning."

"Okay, I'll be right back." Alyssa said as she closed the door.

She closed the door but didn't lock it, quite sure it wouldn't matter or stop the big vampire from barging in if he wanted. He waited very patiently outside while Alyssa changed into something decent but not too dressy. She left a note on the table beside the couch in case Gabriel woke up before she returned, but she doubted that would happen. Even Cornelius knew better than the worry his brother. The walked to the elevator and took the lift down to the second floor where the banquet hall was located. There were several people dining in there, but most of them were wolves as they were guests or patrons of the hall. When Cornelius walked into the room, the reception was far more formal, as everyone in the hall stood up and bowed to the Dark Prince.

"Whoa," Alyssa said, walking behind him, "You didn't get that kind of reception at the pub."

"I actually preferred it that way," Cornelius replied, "I suspect the pub wolves were too shocked to remember, but it didn't matter. I don't mind when someone makes the effort but am too lazy to demand it. It gets tiring after a few thousand years."

"How much older are you than Gabriel?" Alyssa asked.

"A lot more," Cornelius said, "But it's impolite to ask someone their age."

"I'm sorry," Alyssa said.

Cornelius laughed, "I don't care. Father and I are the two oldest vampires in the world. Sometimes I'm surprised we've both lasted this long. So many people have come and gone, and will continue to as the centuries pass."

"That has to be lonely," Alyssa observed, "Do vampires marry?"

"Of course we do," Cornelius said, they reached their table. He pulled out a chair for her. "You could say some of us are responsible for creating the formal union that was later picked up by other species and their religions."

"I see," Alyssa said as she watched Cornelius take his own seat across from her at their table.

"You can virtually order almost anything," The big vampire told her, "Or if you don't know I can order for you."

"I appreciate that," Alyssa said, looking at her menu but it was written in a language she couldn't recognize. "What is this?"

"That is French," Cornelius said, "I should have known. My apologies."

When a waiter in a very formal suit arrived, he and Cornelius began to speak what she assumed was that language. After several minutes, the man promptly left without even asking her a single thing.

"Trust me," Cornelius said with a smile, "You will enjoy trying something new."

"Alright," Alyssa said, trying to remain calm and civil. She was still a little scared of the big man, but like the night before he was still on his best behavior. The statement about the wrath of Gabriel's father put her at ease, but Alyssa couldn't wait to tell him about it when he woke up later that day.

"Is there anything you'd like to speak about?" Cornelius asked.

"I assume you've spent most of your time overseas?" Alyssa asked.

"Correct," Cornelius answered, "I rarely visited America during it's golden years, only doing it a few times. I spent most of my time in Europe and Africa."

"How are those parts of the world doing concerning the Undead?" she asked him, curious to how they're doing.

"Some parts are just as ravaged as the Americas," Cornelius admitted, "But many parts of Europe are faring far better than you guys are. There are some countries that are completely undead free and have been for decades. Since the outbreak originated In Africa and the Middle East, we had time to fortify before things got out of control in Asia and Europe."

"How did they manage to be dead free?" She asked.

"Walls, very tall walls." Cornelius answered, "Some of them are ugly as shit, but they are very effective in what they were built for. Asia has fallen into chaos, just from their numbers which soon became uncontrollable. The islands are faring a lot better, since the dead can't swim. They appear to not do well in the cold either, so the cities in the north are faring better as well."

"That's fascinating," Alyssa said as the waiter arrived with drinks and a platter which had some sliced meats on it as well as some poached eggs. She could tell that the glass the vampire had was a very bright red substance which was easy to guess. Here glass was a bright orange, which surprised her.

"Fresh orange juice," Cornelius said, smiling as he raised his glass. "Cheers."

His politeness was even more creepy this morning as it had been the night before, but she didn't want to act like a scared puppy so she went along with it. They started to eat the foods that were served, and things were quiet for a while as they usually were when the food first arrived. After a few minutes, Alyssa decided to ask something that had always been on her mind.

"Who came out first?" She asked him. "Which monsters revealed themselves to the world first after the undead started to ruin the world?"

Cornelius smiled and put his glass down. "Good question. The council believes it all started about seventy years ago..."


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