章 16: chapter 16
Chapter 16:
– Valerie –
I was having a really good dream. It was a replay of what happened between Narcissa and me in the shower. She had her arms wrapped around me from behind, pressing close while her lips trailed soft kisses along the back of my neck. Her hands moved slowly, exploring my body as the water rained down over us. I let out a small moan, not wanting the dream to end. I turned my head, ready to capture her lips in a kiss, when suddenly I was staring into a pair of bright red eyes.
"My daughter is a pervert, having dreams like these," Alucard said with a chuckle.
I let out a startled yelp, my eyes snapping open as I jolted upright. I looked around and quickly realized I wasn't in my bed anymore. Instead, I was on the cold, hard floor of the basement. Alucard was standing above me, clearly amused.
"Really, Father?" I said, glaring at him and huffing. "You had to kidnap me from my bed and invade my dreams?" He chuckled again, not the least bit apologetic. I yawned, stretching out my stiff limbs. "What time is it even?" I asked.
"It's just past 3:00 in the morning," he replied with a grin. "The witching hour. The best time for creatures of the night like us to go on the prowl."
I rolled my eyes at his theatrics, noticing a pile of clothes on the floor nearby. Alucard gestured toward it. "Since your last coat was completely destroyed, I had Walter commission you a new one. This one has even more pockets, so you can carry extra ammo and even a second revolver when you get one."
I sighed, still not entirely awake, and stood up to inspect the pile. Sure enough, there was a sleek new red coat, along with some other clothes. I got dressed quickly, slipping my revolver into one of the new coat's pockets. It felt heavier than my old one but practical. Once I was fully dressed, I turned to Alucard.
"Alright," I said, suppressing another yawn. "I'm ready for whatever this is you've got planned."
Alucard reached out and grabbed my arm before I could even react. I let out another startled yelp as he suddenly yanked me downward into the inky black shadows beneath us. The sensation was jarring, like falling into freezing water, except there was no splash—just suffocating darkness all around.
When I opened my eyes, everything looked strange. The world was distorted, like a twisted funhouse mirror, and the colors seemed wrong, muted and dark. We were traveling through the Shadow Realms, a place I'd heard about but never experienced. Mortals couldn't survive here; it was a space where things like air and light didn't follow the normal rules. Alucard moved through the shadows like it was his personal playground. He dragged me along at a speed that felt impossible, like we were flying through a tunnel that had no end. I had no idea where we were going, but he clearly did. Even with everything twisting and turning around us, he seemed completely unfazed.
After what felt like forever but was probably only a couple of minutes, we emerged from the shadows and onto solid ground. I stumbled, nearly falling to my knees, and realized we were standing on top of a very tall building. I looked around, and it hit me. Were we on top of Big Ben?
I doubled over, coughing and trying to catch my breath. My lungs burned, and I didn't even want to think about what I'd been inhaling while we were in the Shadow Realms. "What the hell was that?" I gasped, glaring at Alucard, who was, of course, laughing at me.
"You'll get used to traveling through the shadows eventually," he said "But tonight, I want you to learn something else."
I straightened up, still breathing heavily, and hesitantly glanced over the edge of the building. We were so high up that the streets below looked like lines on a map. My stomach twisted just looking down. "What skill are you trying to teach me?" I asked, stepping back from the edge.
Alucard's red eyes glowed beneath his yellow sunglasses, and he flashed me a grin that showed all of his sharp teeth. "It's time you learn how to turn into bats like a proper vampire."
I stared at him, confused. "Bats?"
"As a dhampir, you have far more potential than regular vampires or humans could ever hope to have," he explained. "But your instincts aren't as sharp as a full vampire. That's why you need a push to unlock them. I always found the fear of death is a great motivator!"
Before I could ask what he meant, Alucard reached out and placed his hand firmly on the back of my jacket.
"Wait—what are you—" My words turned into a scream as he shoved me hard, sending me flying off the edge of Big Ben. My arms and legs flailed uselessly as I plummeted toward the ground, the wind roaring in my ears. "You fucker!" I screamed at the top of my lungs.
The wind whipped against my face so hard I could barely think. I was going to die. I was going to die, and my father was an asshole. "How the fuck do I even turn into bats?!" I screamed, the words ripped away by the wind as I hurtled downward. Big Ben blurred past me, and the ground was rushing up way too fast.
I was halfway down the building, maybe a few seconds from hitting the ground, and Alucard hadn't even given me a hint. The city streets below were getting closer and closer. My heart was pounding like it was going to burst out of my chest. Sure, I was more durable than a human, and I could regenerate—but could I regenerate from being splattered all over the pavement? I really didn't want to find out.
I clenched my teeth, panic gripping me as the ground zoomed up. Thirty feet. I was only thirty feet away when something snapped inside of me. It was like a door had been thrown open in my head. Suddenly, I wasn't falling anymore, and I felt… different.
I was more. My consciousness wasn't just in one place. It was spread out—everywhere, in dozens of tiny points. I realized I could see the world from so many different angles at once, and I wasn't falling anymore. "Holy fucking shit!" I yelled—or thought? It wasn't clear. I wasn't me anymore. I was a swarm of black bats, all with tiny red eyes. I could see through all of them, hear through all of them, and they were all me. It was the most surreal, trippy experience I'd ever had.
I willed my swarm to flap their tiny wings and started flying back up toward the top of the building. It wasn't exactly graceful at first—I bumped into the side of the tower a few times—but I got the hang of it quickly. Flying was weird, but I couldn't deny that it felt right, like I'd been made for it. Alucard had said it would all be instinctual, and I hated that he was right.
When I made it back to the top of Big Ben, Alucard was standing there with a grin, looking like the proudest asshole in the world. I didn't bother holding back my irritation. I willed myself back into my regular form, feeling all the bats merge into one as I became whole again. My body felt normal again, but my head was spinning from the experience.
"You're a dick," I said, glaring at him and crossing my arms.
He just chuckled like I'd told him a joke. "And yet you survived. Well done, Valerie."
"That was one of the scariest things I've ever done," I snapped, still trying to catch my breath.
"You'll thank me later," he said, turning away as if the entire thing was no big deal. "Now, let's move on to the next part of your training."
"Next part?"
Alucard grabbed me again, and before I could even get out a protest, we were plunging into the shadows. This time, it wasn't as bad. My body still felt weird, like it was being pulled apart and smashed back together, but at least I wasn't coughing up whatever the hell I'd been breathing in there the first time.
We weren't inside the shadow realm for long before we emerged back into the real world. When I opened my eyes, we were standing in front of a nightclub. There was a long-ass line of people waiting to get in, all dressed to impress. The music from inside was already thumping hard enough to feel in my chest.
I frowned, glancing at Alucard. "Why are we at a club?" I asked.
He ignored the question and started walking toward the bouncer. "Your survival instincts are still high from earlier," he said. "Now you're going to learn how to utilize your hypnotic abilities. Convince the bouncer to let us skip the line."
I raised an eyebrow at him. Hypnotic abilities? I wasn't sure I even had those, but if he said I could do it, I wasn't about to back down. I shrugged and strolled up to the bouncer. Before I even tried to make eye contact with him, he just stepped aside and opened the door. "Go ahead," he said without hesitation.
I blinked, surprised for a second, before I remembered—hot girls didn't wait in line. Especially ones who looked like me. I was a solid 10, and I knew it.
I turned back to Alucard, smirking as I gave him a cheeky wink. "Guess I didn't need any hypnosis," I said, swaying my hips as I walked into the club without him. The pounding music swallowed me up the moment I stepped inside, and I made a beeline for the bar.
After everything he'd put me through tonight, I needed a goddamn drink.
"Tequila!" I called out as soon as I sat down at the bar.
The bartender, a woman with short, choppy black hair, raised an eyebrow but poured me a glass anyway. I knocked it back in one go, savoring the burn as it went down. It wasn't as satisfying as drinking blood, but it was close. I slammed the empty glass on the counter and gestured for another.
"That was hot. I love a woman who can drink," a man's voice said from my left. I rolled my eyes before turning to see who had interrupted my moment.
He was exactly what I expected—young, cocky, and dressed like a frat boy who thought he was God's gift to women. "Hey there, beautiful. I'm Brad," he said, like I should've been impressed just because he existed.
Before I could say something to shut him down, someone sat down on my other side.
"That was cruel," Alucard said as he leaned on the bar, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Leaving me outside like that."
I raised an eyebrow at him. "You'll live."
"I admit, that one's on me," Alucard said, completely ignoring Brad. "I should've given you a better target to practice on."
"Hey, beautiful, is this guy bothering you?" Brad interrupted, clearly irritated that Alucard was talking to me. He glanced at my father and scoffed. "Back off, creep!"
I looked at Alucard, who seemed far more amused than offended. He chuckled, but before he could say anything, an idea popped into my head.
A sly idea….
I turned toward Brad and stared him directly in the eyes. I felt something click, like an invisible thread pulling us together. Hypnosis. I decided to see if I could make it work.
"As a matter of fact," I said, keeping my voice steady and calm, "this guy has been bothering me. Could you do me a favor and kick his ass?"
Brad blinked, his posture stiffening for a second before his expression went blank. "Okay," he said, his voice flatter, more monotone than before.
It worked. Holy shit, it worked. I grinned as Brad grabbed Alucard by his trench coat and yanked him out of his seat. He shoved him onto the floor, and before I knew it, the two were brawling right there in the middle of the club. The commotion drew attention from everyone around us, and I couldn't help but snicker as Brad threw a punch that landed square on Alucard's face.
"I've never been more proud," Alucard said dryly as he allowed the hit to connect. He was clearly enjoying himself.
I leaned back, watching the chaos unfold with my second tequila in hand. Brad wasn't strong enough to hurt Alucard—he was just a regular human—but my father was having fun, throwing slow, almost lazy punches to keep up the act.
Honestly, it was satisfying to watch. Alucard had thrown me off a damn building earlier, so seeing him get tossed around by some frat boy felt like karma in action.
"That wasn't very nice," someone said as Alucard and Brad wrestled on the club floor, drawing an even bigger crowd of onlookers. Another man slid into Brad's empty stool, and I glanced at him from the corner of my eye.
He was huge, easily over six feet, with dark sunglasses, a thick black coat, gloves, and combat boots. The way he was dressed screamed that he was ready for a fight. I noticed a couple of bulges under his coat—he was definitely armed. His scent hit me next. It wasn't human. It reminded me a little of my own, which immediately put me on edge.
"Do I know you?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm surprised you don't," he said. "But I guess I'm not as famous to vampires across the pond as I am back in America." He leaned back slightly, his presence calm but commanding. "Name's Blade."
I had to admit, the guy had style. "Nice to meet you, Blade. I'm Valerie Tepes," I said, smirking as I jerked my thumb toward the chaos. "And that's Alucard over there, currently getting his ass handed to him by a hypnotized frat boy."
Blade turned to watch Alucard, who was stuck in a headlock while Brad grunted and tried to choke him out. "That one smells like a full vampire," Blade said.
"Yeah, that's my dad," I said, waving a hand like it was no big deal. "He's been teaching me how to use my vampiric abilities tonight. I just learned how to turn into a swarm of bats. It was super fun." I said sarcastically. "He threw me off a building..."
Blade gave a short pause, like he was processing what I'd just said. "Huh. I've never been able to do that myself."
I figured that made sense. "Probably because you're not directly descended from one of the progenitors," I said casually.
Blade nodded slightly, like he was tucking that information away for later. "I'm here in London because the organization I work for has been getting reports of a surge in vampire activity here. We wanted to check it out."
"No way," I said, leaning forward a little. "You're half-vampire like me, and you also hunt vampires…?"
Blade seemed genuinely surprised. "You too?"
I nodded. "I work for the Hellsing Organization. We're in charge of handling all supernatural threats in Great Britain and its territories."
Blade let out a low whistle. "Hellsing. Now that's a name to live up to…"
"I'm surprised you haven't heard of it if you also work for an organization that hunts vampires," I said, leaning against the bar on one elbow.
Blade shook his head. "My group's just getting off the ground back in New York," he said. "But we wouldn't mind staying in touch with fellow vampire hunters if we're really on the same side." He glanced over at Alucard, who was finally standing up and dusting off his coat.
Brad, meanwhile, was sprawled out unconscious in the middle of the club floor. A small crowd of disappointed club goers were exchanging money. Apparently, people had been taking bets on the fight, and judging by their faces, not many people had bet on the old man. That made me snicker.
Alucard strode back to the bar, as smug as ever, and dropped into the stool on my other side. "Give me something strong," he said to the bartender before turning his attention to Blade. "Well now, aren't you a curiosity!?"
"I'd say the same..." Blade's shoulders tensed slightly, and I could tell he was sizing Alucard up. "I've never heard of an actual vampire working for an organization that hunts their own kind."
Alucard chuckled, reaching for the drink the bartender slid his way. He took a sip before answering. "What else am I supposed to do to stave off eternal boredom?" He said it like he couldn't have cared less about Blade's judgment.
I rolled my eyes at my father's dramatics and decided to jump in. "Alucard isn't the only full vampire employed by the Hellsing Organization," I told Blade. "We've also got a former police officer who was recently turned. Just letting you know, in case you run into her while you're in London."
Blade nodded. "I'll keep that in mind," he said. He reached into his pocket, pulled out some cash, and left it on the counter for the bartender.Then he turned and walked out of the club without another word.
I watched him go. I was definitely curious about the guy. He seemed like someone worth keeping an eye on.
"What do you think about him–" I turned before frowning. "Oh, come on!" I groaned.
My father was not there anymore…
Alucard had ditched me. I wasn't sure when, but he'd slipped away while I wasn't looking, probably thinking it was hilarious.
Honestly, I was over it. The place had lost its appeal pretty fast, and without a gorgeous girl to keep me entertained, I didn't have much reason to stick around. I'd already nailed vampiric hypnotism, which was apparently the whole point of being here in the first place. I was just about to pull out my phone and call for a Hellsing limo when the energy in the room shifted.
Whistles and catcalls erupted from the men around me. For a split second, I thought they'd finally noticed me, but I realized quickly that wasn't the case.
All eyes were on a woman who was making her way through the crowd. She was stunning—long silver hair, sharp gray eyes, and wearing a French maid outfit that somehow looked dignified instead of trashy. The men around her were practically tripping over themselves, but she didn't pay them any attention as she walked straight toward me.
She stopped in front of me, and I couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. Without hesitation, she gave me a graceful curtsy.
"Hello, Valerie Tepes. I am Grayfia Lucifuge," she said politely. "May I have a few minutes of your time? My king, Lady Sylvana, wishes to speak with you."
I blinked, caught off guard. "Your king?" I asked, more curious than wary.
Grayfia nodded slightly and gestured toward a private booth off to the side. I followed her gesture, and my jaw almost hit the floor.
Sitting alone in the booth was one of the most breathtaking women I'd ever seen. Long crimson hair, a flawless face, and an elegant red dress that seemed to shimmer under the club lights. She was looking right at me, her lips curved into a small, confident smile. She radiated power. Everything about her screamed devil—her beauty, her commanding presence, the faint magical scent hanging in the air. Grayfia, too. But there wasn't any threat in their demeanor. If anything, it seemed like they just wanted to talk.
I glanced back at Grayfia, who was standing patiently, waiting for my response. "Alright," I said, sliding off my stool.
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