Sure, the strange energy inside me wasn't normal, but I'd chalked it up to some kind of superpower... like in the movies. But now, he was telling me I wasn't even human?
"So then... what am I?"
Ronald sighed. "I have no clue," he admitted, offering nothing more.
I stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean you have no clue?"
He shrugged. "I mean exactly that. I don't know what race you belong to. For all I know, you could just be a mage with a unique energy signature... but I doubt that."
"Am I even supposed to know what a mage is?" I asked impatiently.
He regarded me for a moment before answering. "A mage is what you might call a witch, a magician, a shaman... basically, anyone skilled in magic."
I nodded slowly, taking that in. "Okay, so how do I know if I am one?"
Ronald's expression darkened slightly. "You're not. Believe me. The energy inside you is different from that of mages. And shockingly... it doesn't match any known supernatural race."
I was stunned. Not only was I not human, but I was unknown.
I sank into the chair opposite him, exhaling sharply. My entire life had gotten complicated in under 24 hours. I wasn't sure whether I should be terrified... or exhilarated.
"I know this sounds bad," Ronald said, his voice gentler now, "But it isn't."
I scoffed. Not bad? How was being an unknown supernatural entity not bad? And not to mention being hunted by vampires and... Elves. Fucking elves! Weren't they supposed to be shorter and maybe a bit nicer.
"We haven't seen anything quite like you before, Miss Everlane," he continued. "I don't know exactly what those guys want from you, but I do think it's all connected somehow."
But how?" I said in frustration. "I mean, up until two days ago I was just a normal waitress working at a normal coffee shop. How did it all go wrong so fast," I lamented, pouring out all my sorrows.
Ronald took a deep breath. "Well, you're an unknown entity, with a terrifying amount of energy. I think, the Dark Elves might want to exploit that energy."
"And if that's the case, then this could all be part of some larger scheme," he added. "Which means you're crucial to them."
I let out a bitter chuckle. "So I'm an asset to some creepy elves? Great. Just fucking great."
Then another thought hit me.
"And what about that vampire?" I pressed. "I don't think he needed me for some grand scheme, it was pretty damn clear he just wanted me dead."
Ronald nodded in agreement. "You're right. And the Dark Elf killed him, which means they're not on the same side."
I sighed, my entire body weighed down with exhaustion. I just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep for a year, preferably somewhere far, far away from vampires and elves who either wanted to use me or kill me.
And then, another realization hit me like a punch to the gut.
I had been sitting here, talking to one ever since I woke up. A vampire
A vampire who had kept me here.
A vampire who had been toying with me like I was some amusing little plaything.
What if he was simply taking his time, enjoying the pleasure of seeing me suffer. Before finally ending my life.
My lips went dry. My pulse hammered in my ears. I needed to get out of here. Fast.
But how? The barrier around this place was impossible for me to break. Maybe if I...
"I'm not with that vampire, Miss Everlane," Ronald's voice cut through my spiraling thoughts.
I blinked. "Huh?"
He leaned forward slightly, his crimson eyes unreadable. "I'm not working with him. You should know that by now."
I was stunned. "How did he know I was thinking about that? Oh my God, is he psychic?"
"Can you read thoughts?" I asked with a suspicious gaze
He shook his head. "I can't read thoughts. But it's obvious you're worried about me being an associate of his. It's written all over your face."
I swallowed hard. "Can you really blame me? He was a vampire. You are a vampire. Doesn't take a genius to connect the dots."
Ronald sighed. "Vampires don't go around looking for who to kill, they only listen to their ruler. That vampire was a rogue, and it seemed like he was precisely after you. Which means, he was a mercenary. He was hired to kill you,"
"And besides, If I wanted you dead, you wouldn't be sitting here with me right now. Trust me."
I scoffed. "Oh, sure. That's exactly what a killer would say before actually killing their victim,"
He chuckled, shaking his head. "If you really believed that, then you wouldn't still be sitting here comfortably, would you?"
I clenched my jaw. "No I wouldn't. But I'm not scared of you. I've got a powerful energy inside my chest... or whatever. And I'm not afraid to use it,"
Ronald tilted his head, eyes glinting with amusement. And then of course, he laughed.
God, I hated his laughter.
"Haha! Honestly, you look so adorable when you try to make threats," he teased.
I almost blushed. But I had learned my lesson. I would not be flustered by his nonesense.
"And if I remember correctly," he continued, "I was the one who swooped in to save you from being decapitated by that vampire."
That's true, he did save me. But I wasn't about to let my guard down just because of that.
"That could've been an act to earn my trust," I pointed out.
Ronald scoffed. "I don't need to earn your trust, Miss Everlane. You have two options: trust me, or get captured... or killed. Your call."
I rolled my eyes. "Oh, so you're my white knight now? Here to protect me from all the dangers of the supernatural world? And I'm just supposed to believe you?"
He shrugged. "Yes. Or... I could just compel you to trust me." A smirk played on his lips.
My body stiffened. Of course I knew what he meant by 'Compel. And I had seen enough vampire movies to know that being compelled was not a good thing.. You get told what to do and somehow you do it, even if you don't want to.
"But," he continued casually, "if I did that, Evelyn would kill me."
"Who the hell is Evelyn?" I thought. Was it his girlfriend? Nah, I doubt that. What girl in her right senses could stand such a bastard?"
"I guess I'll just have to hand you over to a human agent instead. Maybe you'd trust them."
I tensed. "Agent? Hand me over? What are you talking about?"
Ronald exhaled. "The Dark Elves are definitely up to something big. And somehow, you're in the middle of it."
I felt my stomach twist. I didn't like where this was going.
"It's safer if we keep you under protection... and keep a very close eye on you," he added. "We can't take any chances."
I sighed deeply, he had mentioned the one thing I had hoped not to hear... 'Keep me'
I had feared this from the very start. I was an unknown entity, a walking bomb, and I was being hunted. Of course, they'd want to keep me.
Not that I minded though.. if they could keep me safe, why not? But there was just one slight problem.
Who the hell was 'They?
"What do you mean, 'We'?" I asked, narrowing my eyes. "You said something like that earlier,"
Ronald raised an eyebrow, feigning confusion like as if he had no idea what I was talking about.. "Did I?"
I frowned. "Don't play dumb. Who do you work for? Who's 'They'?"
He sighed, then straightened. "Oh. Forgive me. I haven't properly introduced myself."
He placed a hand over his chest, his eyes gleaming. "I'm Ronald De Ambroise, and I work for a shadow agency dedicated to monitoring supernatural elements of this world, such as yourself. And we take action when necessary."
I chuckled. "Is this some kind of joke? Are you messing with me again?"
"You don't believe me." He shook his head, exasperated.
I burst into laughter, it wasn't like I didn't believe him... Actually yeah, I didn't. But it was also the way he said it, like some kid who'd watched too much Men in Black.
"No, no, I believe you, Ronald. I 'really' do," I said, smirking. He pretended not to care, but I caught the slight twitch of his lips. Cute.
I put on a serious expression. "So, you're like James Bond? A secret agent who does... secret agent stuffs, but more on the supernatural level?"
He nodded. "Yeah, something like that,"
I stroked my chin, pretending to think. "Well, I guess that explains the outfit. And the whole espionage back at the café."
"But where are your fancy gadgets, huh?" I added. "I thought every agent possessed some sort of cool techs, no?"
He chuckled. "I don't need gadgets. I'm a vampire. That gives me all the advantage I need... "
"But you still don't believe me, do you?" he sighed
I shook my head. "Nope, not even a little bit,"
He shrugged and stood up. "Well, it doesn't matter. You're my mission and that's all you need to know,"
I smirked. He was basically pouting but trying so hard to act cool. How adorable.
"All right, let's say you're actually an agent..."
"Not just any agent," he interrupted. "I'm the Night Agent,"
I chuckled. "Ookay... So, let's say you're the uh... Night agent. What exactly is your mission with me?"
Ronald walked over to the open kitchen, retrieving two bottles from the refrigerator. One was a simple beer. The other? A sleek black bottle filled with... God knows what.
He handed me the beer, but I shook my head. There was no way I was getting drunk with a vampire, in the middle of nowhere. Hell. No.
Shrugging, he popped open the black bottle, which contained the mysterious liquid. But I could already guess what it was.
He took a sip, then finally answered me.
"My mission was to observe you and report back," he said, his tone level. "To ensure that nothing out of the ordinary happened while you were around people."
I frowned. "So, you were indeed watching me?"
"Yes," he replied casually. "But from what I could tell, you seemed to enjoy it,"
I folded my arms. "Shut up,"
He smirked. "I wasn't supposed to make contact with you today, but... you were attacked. So I had to step in."
I studied his face. He wasn't lying. Or, at the very least, he believed what he was saying. Maybe I'd been wrong about him. Maybe I could actually trust the bastard... just a little.
Ronald continued, "After you nearly killed me with that little explosive display of yours, you passed out. I brought you here, to this cabin, where you'll be safe for a while."
I exhaled, feeling a twinge of guilt. He had saved me. And I'd assumed he was just a smug asshole... Well I still think he is, but I couldn't help but feel a bit grateful.
"Well, what happens next?" I muttered, having understood the dangers of going anywhere on my own. I was probably safer with him.
He leaned back, taking another sip. "We wait,"
I blinked. "Huh? Why wait?"
He exhaled. "When I brought you here, I immediately activated the energy barrier. It formed a dome around the cabin to keep anyone from entering or leaving the premise,"
I frowned. "Wait... leaving? So this means I can't get out?" I exclaimed inwardly, I didn't like the sound of that at all.
"It also prevents physical or magical detection from the outside," he continued. "Which means, for now, no one knows where we are."
I narrowed my eyes. "For now?"
"The barrier has a time limit," Ronald admitted.
I crossed my arms. "But you cast it, right? Doesn't that mean you can remove it whenever you want?"
He shook his head. "Nah, I can't do any other form of magic besides blood aura and.. Some other basic stuff. The barrier is a kind of lockdown mechanism so no one gets in or out,"
I inhaled sharply. "So when does it... deactivate?"
"In the morning," he replied casually
My eyes widened, I couldn't believe it. I was stuck, in a cabin with a vampire for the night.
Fuck!