Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince

It didn’t take me long to find the section of town I knew all too well after having lived in the area the first two months I arrived in the city. I hated this place. I hated remembering what my life was like before I left that crappy apartment and found the cottage I now stayed in. I lived like a rat, with barely any money.

There was enough light on the street at this time of day, and though I struggled finding a small nest where Ms. Ingram could hunt vampires, I wouldn’t be catching them outside right now. It was a futile approach already - this was what happened when I acted rashly. I knew I would have to return later and survey the area, waiting for one to approach this neighborhood. I could always target the warehouse, but there would be too many for her to take on. I needed the smaller nest, where I could lure at least one out.

I spotted my usual hunting perch from the sidewalk and started circling the area until it got dark enough I could jump up to the roof without entering the building. Plus, I didn’t need to be seen in broad daylight. There weren’t very many people outside, but that didn’t mean anything. This part of the city was another world - it thrived at night, and as dusk approached, people awoke. Already others stirred from the windows of the rundown motels and shabby apartments, though it was barely midday.

I passed a few of the lunch hour street walkers. They weren’t as scantily clad as the nighttime ones, but I recognized their clothing, easily spotting them for what they were. They didn’t greet me while I passed. They knew what they were looking for, and I was not it.

Eventually as I crossed to the next street, I stopped hearing their cat calls and hollers. I traveled around all over this part of town wondering if I would come across anything that might lead me to what I was looking for. By now the feeders from the warehouse would’ve moved, after I took out one of their wealthier patrons, that was if they were smart. Sometimes the patrons didn’t move their nests, but I figured they would have left by now seeing I hadn’t hunted in the area in over a month. Enough time had passed to change the neighborhood.

I circled back around, giving the area one last sweep. If I didn’t find what I was looking for right now, I would return later. Besides, eventually I would need to feed again, and this was the exact spot I would hunt from.

The girls were headed in my direction again, this time on a completely different street. Sometimes they moved around, decreasing the chances the police would catch them. I hardly paid them any attention, but as they passed their lively chatter reached my ears, and their conversation didn’t involve the usual complaints about a certain anonymous client. This discussion involved a feeder nest that I didn’t recognize. The three talked about a new depot two streets over. I had already passed that area and searched for signs of life from within the walls, but after hearing no sounds of anything bigger than a rat I had moved on. The building they discussed didn’t exactly look like a base for smuggling. But their vigorous chatter had me second guessing myself.

I paused on the street and tuned my ears onto their conversation. I remembered to keep out of their line of sight so that they wouldn’t be suspicious by my sudden attentions focused on them. If I had to pay for information, I would, but first I’d glean it for free. Sometimes people talked about something they knew nothing about and dropped hints that they didn’t know were hints to begin with.

All these girls talked about were the depot and how much money they could make by standing on the corner of the block it was located on, which was an immediate give away that the building was more than it seemed. One of the girls knew that it was funded by someone important and with money, which immediately drew the other two into the conversation. But the shenanigans that went on inside the depot itself weren’t discussed, which meant that none of them had been in its depths, signaling that their minds couldn’t have been corrupted by vampires. If anyone knew what happened in the neighborhood it were them, and the fact that they didn’t know what actually transpired in that building worried me.

I crossed the street once more and headed straight for their location. I approached the pack head on, signaling them out on the bare street. As soon as they saw me coming they stopped chattering and turned on their appeal and charisma. Only I didn’t see it as charisma and appeal, but a crude display of sexuality.

I straightened my shoulders and shook my head. I was not here for that purpose. “I need information.”

The girl who spoke about the depot earlier stepped forward. Up close her hair was extra shiny, which I knew immediately to be a wig of some sort. They all packed on makeup and wigs, fake nails and fake eyelashes, anything that massively stood out. The blond wig-wearer even went so far putting in different colored contacts - these were lavender. But with all of the pretense and the pretending, it wouldn’t completely shield and protect their true identities with the men they serviced.

“We don’t provide anything without a fee,” she sneered.

They must’ve known that I wasn’t exactly one of the ones that resided in the area. I had been too far removed from this society for them to recognize me, plus I wore my school uniform, not the faded t-shirt and jeans I put on when I stayed at the moldy apartment. Rather than explain to them that I used to live here and was wondering about the security situation, I paid the fee. These gals needed cash more than friendship, plus I wasn’t their pal. I handed her all the cash I had on me.

The girl barely glanced at the twenty dollar bill I handed her, but she hastily stuffed it into the cup of her pink bra, which showed through her scantily clad top. “That won’t buy much.”

I shrugged. “It’s all the cash I carry on me.” I had learned long ago that one shouldn’t carry more than the bare minimum or as absolutely necessary. Anything higher than a twenty in this age was excessive and setting yourself up for disappointment when it got stolen.

She didn’t say anything more, so I knew she would feed me some information just not much. This was a situation where I needed to choose my words carefully and only ask one or two questions. I was looking for something in particular to see if the depot was used for feeders or nesters, and the two were very different as to how their operations ran.

I stepped closer and gazed into her blue eyes, making myself look charming and friendly without resorting to compulsion. “I know about the depot, the new one two streets over.” I had lowered my voice. I didn’t want anyone else overhearing this conversation. By keeping this a secret from the others on the street, she would indulge more information rather than if I stood away, kept my distance, and talked in a normal voice. Everyone liked mystery after all, even a prostitute.

She raised her chin slightly, letting me know that she understood where I was going with my questions.

I continued. “I would like to know what they deal in.”

She frowned. “I don’t know anything about that.”

I stared into those eyes of hers and lowered my voice even more so that it was barely above a whisper. “I’m just wondering that’s all. I heard that there were some young girls being moved into the area, you know, for slave trafficking?”

The question hit the switch inside her mind. Her curiously but wary eyes went wide with surprise. No matter how much I despised their work, all prostitutes hated men who used girls in that way, especially young girls. They abhorred human trafficking, even when their work allowed men to use them the way they used the girls in slave trades.

The woman swallowed and blushed profusely, angered over the supposed gossip. “Look, that’s not what I heard, but that better not be true.”

I nodded, though I didn’t drop my serious gaze. “Will you please put my fears to rest?”

She relaxed and leaned forward. “I was walking by the other night from finishing up a job when they were moving some furniture in. It was the usual kind you see normally in houses - couches, chairs, a table or two. They all told me while I passed that it was for charity, but one brief glance inside the open door told me that was a lie. There were several more couches and chairs set up, in addition to beds and mattresses all composited in a gigantic space. The room itself was dimly lit, but I swear I saw a couple in there, nibbling on each other’s necks. The whole place gave me a creepy vibe so I got away as quick as I could. But I overheard them talking, about the owner, and that’s how I found out he was made of money. It didn’t look like a depot for slave traders, and believe me I’ve seen them.”

I smiled back at her, grateful for her abundant description. “Thank you. I’ll remember to stay away.”

She shook her head at me. “If it is a slave trade you better stay away from there. Pretty girl like you? You’d be sold at once. And they have ways of getting you.”

The other two looked extremely worried about my safety at once.

I shared a smile with them both, reassuring them that I would be fine regardless. “Thanks, but I can take care of myself.”

I retreated back to the other side of the street. She may not have known it, but she just described a nest, which was much better than a feeding ground. Tonight, Ms. Ingram would have her choice of vampire to kill. All I had to do was point one of them out.