(Several hours later, Vampire Hunters Association HQ.)
The atmosphere in the room was beyond tense as ten masked beings sat at a round table. They were the most powerful humans to ever live, also known as Sovereigns.
Each one was capable of taking on at least 5 Vampire Nobles at once, and in a group, they'd even be able to take down a Vampire Elder.
But now, the expressions of every single one of these beings was dark.
Just then, a man in a white suit stood up, his shoulders wide.
"Teresa and Cornelius have been confirmed dead. 124 Vampire Hunters, as well as 33 Vampire Hunter Trainees have also been confirmed dead."
He glanced around.
"The Vermillions have long since been a problem, and unless we send a full squad of Vans to deal with the current issue, I'm afraid we'll just constantly be seen as fools."
Raising a single hand, he added:
"All in favor of sending a team of Vans to eliminate Rachel Vermillion, and Gabriel Lament?"
In the room with ten people, only nine raised their hands. Everyone turned toward the lone person who hadn't raised their hand, and once they saw the faint glint of the man's crimson eyes, they paused.
"Aurelius?" The man in the white suit crossed his arms. "Is there something you wish to add?"
"Gladly."
Aurelius rose from his seat and glanced around.
"I propose we send one of our Paladins to observe Rachel Vermillion and Gabriel Lament. Say... A month. The Paladin will observe, and they'll feed me information about the two. Once we have enough information, we kill them."
And like the man before, Aurelius raised his hand.
"All in favor... No, rather. You're all in favor, because I'm not wasting a whole squad of Vans just for them to be killed by the time Gabriel matures."
Then, he pointed at himself.
"As the strongest, I will oversee this operation and personally send a paladin from my ranks. Now as much as I'd like to waste my time listening to you old coots, I have better places to be. The meeting is now adjourned."
As his figure faded into the shadows, murmurs spread throughout the room, already deciding their next move after Aurelius's bold declaration, which none of them had a problem with.
Everyone except for the man in the white suit, who continued staring at the seat where Aurelius had just sat. Regret, anger, and even disgust flashed in his eyes.
But in the end, he was forced to accept it, as in this whole group... He was the only one who knew Aurelius's true identity.
***
(Several days later... Back at the mansion.)
[Gabriel's POV]
"Try this... Oh, actually, try this instead!" Rachel leaned over and began stuffing his mouth full of pies and meat dishes. He almost choked a couple of times, but since a few days had passed now, he had gotten used to it.
Gabriel and Rachel began eating their breakfast, lunch, and even dinner together. Every night, they'd drink a little bit of each other's blood and go to sleep.
It was very peaceful, except when it came to trying new food...
'She's way too eager for me to try these things. It's not like I haven't eaten them before.'
As he stuffed the last bit of cheesecake into his mouth, Gabriel grabbed Rachel by her shoulders, stopping her in place.
"I'm full."
"Really? Well, if you're full, then I'm full. Ready to leave?" Rachel said nonchalantly, and hopped back to her seat on the right of him.
Gabriel raised a brow. "We're leaving?"
She nodded. "Mhm. We're going to one of my salons in the Privier county. I kind of wanted to go to one here in Houlton, but the odds of us being ambushed are really high~"
"No, I get that, but why are we going to a salon? if you want some beauty stuff, can't we just order?" Gabriel deadpanned.
"O-Order? No! I don't need some beauty charades, as my natural beauty is plenty. The reason we're going there, is because nearly half of the vampires working here are dead. The important staff are still there, but we need newbies." She crossed her arms with a slight pout.
"And I got a few reports that we have over 50 applicants, so we need to check them out now."
His eyes widened in realization. "Then I'll help you pick them out."
Rachel chuckled. "They're not Christmas ornaments, but yeah, let's go right away. Want me to pack you a gun?"
"I learned how to make some ice weapons, so no thanks. Though, how are we going to get to Privier county?"
Deep down, Gabriel wanted for her to say that she would just fly them there. After all, her body was very soft, warm and nice to touch. That way, he'd be able to tease her and get back at her.
But sadly for him...
"I called for a private jet, and it should've gotten to the airport by now. So grab my hand, and I'll take us there."
Ugh...
What a bummer.
He gently grabbed her hand, and after she firmly interlocked their fingers, she quickly moved through the hallways and left the mansion through one of the holes in the wall. Then, with a sudden speed boost, she headed straight for the airport.
Just a minute later, she arrived in front of a pale white jet, set Gabriel down, and began talking to the captain, who was coincidentally also a vampire.
On the other hand, Gabriel held his vomit down, feeling the whiplash hard. Eventually though, the doors of the private jet descended, and after Rachel entered, Gabriel followed her inside.
The jet wasn't as large as he was expecting. He had to lean slightly to not hit his head.
But that didn't mean he wasn't excited to actually be on a private jet, especially with a beautiful woman such as Rachel.
And speaking of Rachel, she went to the back of the private jet and sat down. He sat down in front of her.
"The captain said the flight will take around an hour, so you can nap if you want to," Rachel said.
Then, she tapped one of the five alcohol bottles that were on the table separating them.
"Unless you want to see which one of us gets drunk first?"