A Young Vampire's Cohabitation Arrangements [Youjo Senki/Dresden Files]

Hmm, so that's what happened to Inari. Or at least that's the lead up to Tania receiving that call... Now the question will become, just how she's going to handle this news and who all will she be able to convince to come with her?

And Karolina's feelings about her workplace? Yeah, I felt that in my customer service soul... While customers can oftentimes be rude and annoying, my experience is that the worst part of a job is usually your coworkers.

He gestured for her to hand him the stack of papers. Karolina dumped them unceremoniously on his desk.
Karolina strode over to her boss and dumped the stack of papers on his desk, narrowing her eyes at the woman.
Also, just thought that I'd point out these two lines are repeated.
 
18. Coming of Age
Coming of Age

Tania gripped her phone with a dangerous amount of force; Harry could see cracks forming in its casing. "She went with my sire's men?!" She gasped. "Where was Thomas?"

Oh. Harry froze. That was bad. Inari had to know that it was a trap…right?

"He wasn't there?!"

That was worse.

"What could he possibly want with her?" Tania asked frantically, mostly rhetorically. She glanced up at Harry, eyes wide with concern; they both had a pretty good guess on what the old monster wanted.

Murphy glanced at Harry, mouthing a question. Harry motioned for her to wait, focusing on the phone conversation. Eb glanced between them carefully.

"Fear for her safety?" Tania muttered softly, eyes unfocused. "That is a strange way of putting it."

"Sounds like a White Court issue," Ebenezer observed. "Come on Hoss, let's get the kids to safety."

"Can you take them?" Harry asked his mentor. "Inari will need our help."

"Goddammit Hoss! Don't get involved with another court of vampires!" Eb barked. "Remember what happened last time–"

"Don't bring Susan into this!" Harry shouted back.

"I damn well will if it gets you to understand how bad of an idea this is!" his mentor growled. "You're hurt, Hoss. You're in no shape to meet, let alone play politics with Lord Raith."

"Play politics?" Tania asked softly, slowly lowering her phone. "No. We must rescue my sister."

"Hoss, don't stick your neck out for a vampire," Ebenezer pleaded. "It isn't worth the risk."

"Vampire?" Tania laughed. "Inari is not a vampire yet. My sire is going to force it." Something clicked in her head and she furiously pressed buttons on her phone.

"Sir," Harry gritted out. "He's going to rape his own daughter."

There was a crunching sound as Tania crushed her phone in her fist, her eyes wide, her whole body quivering with fear and rage. Ebenezer blanched, and Murphy's face twisted in horror.

"I'm such a fool," Tania gasped, swaying on her feet. Harry caught her before she could fall, wincing as his burned hand protested painfully. He could deal with it; Tania got burned every time they touched.

"Hey, hey," Harry whispered, squeezing her arm encouragingly. "Come on, you gotta focus, Tania."

"It's not your fight, Hoss." Ebenezer sighed.

"What the hell?!" Murphy burst out, fury burning in her eyes. "He does what?!"

"He's the head sex vampire," Harry explained darkly, setting Tania back onto her feet. "They control people through sex, including each other."

"My God," Karrin breathed, eyeing Tania with horror in her eyes.

"You should go with them," Tania urged Harry softly. "Your elder is right. This is my business, and you are injured."

The old wizard blinked, glancing between the two of them, before narrowing his eyes at the young whamp. Something seemed to connect in Murphy's head as Harry gauged their reactions and she smiled sadly.

"I'm not going to let a little pain stop me from backing you up Tania," Harry declared. "You were there for me when I needed the help; I'm not going to abandon you when you need mine."

"I did not help you for altruistic reasons–"

"And me helping you deal with your father is selfish too. It keeps you safe; that's what I want."

"Count me in too," Murphy chimed in, glaring at Ebenezer. "They may be outside of the White Council's jurisdiction, but this is in mine."

The old wizard's face contorted in a mix of complicated emotions, before smoothing out into resignation.

"You can borrow my car." The four of them whipped around to see Cleph leaning against the shelter's wall, a calculating gleam in his eyes.

"Wouldn't that put you and your family at risk?" Tania pointed out.

He smiled grimly. "It will. Potentially. So there is a limit to what I can do to help." He gave Ebenezer a meaningful look. "Similarly, if the Blackstaff is openly involved, the war will open another front, which you cannot afford."

"Getting someone else to fight your battles, de Rossi?" Ebenezer growled. "Didn't take you for a coward."

"I would hardly call myself brave," Cleph waved off. "But surely you understand old Mario likes playing with his food?" Harry blinked, did he just call Lord Raith 'Mario'? "He's got a bit of an urge to lord it over his subjects, and his enemies," Cleph added, one end of his mustache twitching upwards. "A common trait of those with inflated egos, in truth."

"I am well aware," the old wizard snarled. "But what are you even getting at?"

"Do you think Mario would take his time if you or I came knocking?"

Eb frowned, but ducked his head in acknowledgement. "Even with that," he glanced at Harry, "what makes you think he wouldn't treat Hoss the same? The last time he strolled into a vampire's place, it burned down and they died."

"Please refrain from burning down our property before all of our employees have been evacuated," Tania cautioned Harry reflexively, eyes still vacant.

"Hey, I don't burn everything!"

"That is not the problem."

"Eherm," de Ross cleared his throat. "I'd bet a bottle of prohibition moonshine that Mario thinks little Tania has young Dresden enthralled." He looked over to where the wizard in question hovered protectively over the younger white court woman. "He may even be sort of correct."

"I would not do such a thing!" Tania objected. "Compelled service is less effective than mutual agreement." She tilted her chin up challengingly. "I do not have thralls," she spat.

Eb narrowed his eyes at her in disbelief. There was a glimmer of respect in Murphy's eyes, and Harry thought Michael would be proud.

Cleph kind of ruined the moment by laughing.

"Ha!" He shook his head in amusement. "That's the thing, you do, and all you've demanded of them is to better themselves." Tania stilled, and Harry felt a shiver of unease run from his burnt hand. "Quite ingenious, truly," the professor continued, "helping create impressive individuals instead of just seducing already existing ones." He shrugged. "Of course, Dresden here isn't one of them. He's protected, for now."

Everyone glared at the professor.

"We don't have time for you to give us the runaround," Murphy hissed.

"Why of course, officer," Cleph tipped his hat in response, flicking a set of keys to the small cop with his other hand. "Take my car, or ride your motorcycles, if you want. Just keep in mind I've left a few useful tools in my ride."

"Don't think I'm driving a bike with this hand," Harry commented, trying to make light of his injury, "or riding behind one of you."

"I'm sure you could manage with one hand," Tania reassured, "but this car would be more secure." She glanced at de Rossi. "It is armored, correct?"

"Naturally." The older White Court nodded. "I also have a trauma kit inside."

"Right then," Harry started. "We gonna go?"

"Let me retrieve some of my items from my motorcycle," Tania asked softly. "You are right, I need to focus."

"Hoss…" Harry's mentor began hesitantly. "I should tell you something before you go."

"Alright then, shoot."

"In private."

"I'll show you my car," Cleph said, waving Murphy towards the parking garage.

Eb opened the passenger side door of his truck waving for Harry to get inside. "Don't worry, I won't kidnap you," he sighed. "Even if it would be for your own good."

Harry clambered in, holding his burnt hand against his chest, before closing the door after him. His mentor did the same on the driver's side.

"So what do I need to know?"

Ebenezer sighed again. "A lot of things, Hoss. A lot of things." He shook his head. "But you're not going to sit and listen to another lecture before you go haring off after another pretty girl with a sob story, are you?"

"Tania's sister is going to be forced into killing her friend!" Harry barked. "That's not a sob story!"

"I understand," the old wizard conceded. "Just…" he glanced up and looked Harry in the eye, worry evident in his eyes, "I don't want to lose another student to that old monster. Be careful, please."

"He won't have me," Harry declared. Wait, another student?

Ebenezer exhaled slowly. "Also, be careful about Kincaid. He's in the trade, and has been there for a long damn time."

"The mercenary trade?"

"Almost every supernatural faction has…people for dealing with their enemies."

"You're assassins, then," Harry accused. His mentor didn't deny it.

"What did he do to piss you off so much?"

"There are…proprieties between us. A line of professional courtesy; he crossed it in Istanbul."

"He's not human, then?"

Eb shook his head. "He is a scion, a child of a human and some supernatural creature."

"I figured," Harry replied.

"He's been around for longer than I have," his mentor continued. "When I first met him, I still had hair, and he'd been serving the creature for centuries."

"Creature?"

"The creature, Vlad Drakul, another half-mortal."

"Vlad Tepesh's father?" Harry asked in surprise and some horror.

"Yes. That thing is Formidable. Dangerous. Cruel. And Kincaid was his right hand for a long time. That's where he got the Hellhound moniker."

"And the Hatman?"

"Cleph de Rossi," Ebenezer mused, "is an odd one. He didn't even have a Warden file until the Great War when he tore through a ghoul clan in Flanders. From what Joe told us, he's been in the New World for centuries"

"The White Court was in America that long ago?" Harry asked curiously. "I thought their main power base was in Europe? Heck, they speak Etruscan!"

"They weren't," his mentor replied.

"Oh." So he was kind of an outsider. "And Listen-to-winds knows him?"

"Joe respects him. Says he's cunning."

"And the Hellhound respects him too?"

"Showing up out of nowhere and wiping out a ghoul clan is a hell of an entrance."

Harry shrugged. "Sure, but a lot of things could do that."

Ebenezer chuckled. "You know the Red Court is scared of you, right Hoss?"
"Doesn't feel like it."

"Oh, they are," the old wizard continued. "You appeared out of nowhere and killed a rising noble while you were weakened and captured, then later dueled and almost won against a Duke."

"So, de Rossi's like me?" He wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"I wouldn't go that far," Eb frowned. "But he is dangerous, and we can't be certain about his motives."

"He seemed quick enough to help here," Harry pointed out.

"Do you know what the Raith offered him?" his mentor countered.

"I…don't," Harry admitted. "But I know he's a professor at her school."

"Influence," Ebenezer concluded. "That's probably his plan; ingratiate himself with a younger scion to make his leadership more official."

"What do you mean more official?"

The old wizard shrugged. "The White Court family that feed on Wrath, the Barbarossa, got heavily involved in the World Wars."

"No surprise there, really," Harry noted.

"Enough of their leadership died that most of them have splintered into small families," Eb explained. "It's hard to keep a bunch of angry vampires united during peacetime."

"Cleph…doesn't seem all that angry," Harry observed.

"That's what makes him dangerous."

"He really got under your skin too."

"Not the time for this, Hoss."

"Maybe not," Harry conceded quietly. "But I need some more answers from you later." He reached for the door handle.

"Wait. Hoss," Ebenezer sighed. "Something else you should know. About your mother's death."

"She died in childbirth having me," Harry grunted. "What's that got to do with anything?"

"Wasn't just that," the old wizard said. "One of her…less than savory former allies found her that night…and paid her back for her betrayal."

Harry froze. "Don't tell me…" he trailed off, voice cold.

"He used an entropy curse."

"Fuck."

Harry saw red. That slimy monster had killed his mother. Couldn't bear the insult of being cuckolded! In an instant, he felt a lifetime of directionless hurt, a child's pain, a youth's loneliness, and an adult's bitter feeling of aching absences, all coalescing upon a single target, the one responsible for all those ills.

Something snapped in his mind, and all the anger narrowed to a razor focus.

"Hoss," Ebenezer called distantly. "Easy boy."

That piece of shit also killed Tania's mom, was trying to break Inari, and wanted to take Tania away from him! Just when they had found something nice!

"He will die." Harry declared monotonously.

"No, you've got to breathe. Think, Harry!"

"He will die painfully. Excruciatingly. Until he begs for it." The air in the truck cabin began to hum with power.

"Harry!" Eb called. "Harry, calm down. You can't handle this kind of power. It will destroy you if you try!"

That did not matter. This was personal–more than personal. He would bring Lord Raith down, crush him and make him suffer until he begged for death. He had enough power to bring it about, even if it destroyed him as well. This was revenge for his mother, for Tania and Inari's freedom, and nothing would stop–

Pain shot up his injured arm like it had been thrust back into the fire, forcing a growling hiss out of his lungs as he slumped in agony.

Harry looked at his mentor's old, gnarled hand clamped around his burnt hand, then looked at the old wizard questioningly. When he saw the pain on Harry's face, his expression sickened and he let go.

"The hell was that for?" Harry gasped.

"I'm sorry, Hoss," Eb whispered. "But it won't work."

"What won't work?!"

"Throwing your magic at him, not even if you spend all your might."

"How do you know?"

"Because I tried!" Ebenezer barked. "Three times! But I didn't even get close. Your mother tried too–she would have gotten her revenge through her Death Curse if she could have." He shook his head, both in fondness and grief. Had…Eb trained Harry's mom too?

"He's protected from magic?" Harry asked incredulously, a cold pit forming in his stomach. His other question would have to wait.

"Washes right over him," his mentor confirmed. "The old bastard must have made a deal with something big. Maybe some big damned demon. He can't be touched with magic."

"Touched?" Harry mused. "Can he be strangled?"

"The hell are you talking about boy?!"

"Can't curse him, can't burn him, right?" Harry asked. Eb nodded. "Can he still bleed? How many degrees of separation do I need?"

"Get to the point Hoss!"

"Does the protection only work against direct attack? It can't be absolute."

"He can't be beaten with magic, Harry," Ebenezer sighed, slumping in his seat. "Even your mother failed."

"How do you know?" Harry shot back bitterly. "Not like you were there." And the image in the Soulgaze…his mother had seemed sure it had worked.

"He's still alive, isn't he? I knew her. She would never let the monster that enslaved her suffer anything less; she could be cruel."

"Cruel, huh?" Harry muttered, ignoring the disbelieving look from his mentor. A breath of air escaped him in a huff. Then another, and another, until he broke out into full on laughter. Ebenezer stared at him in concern. Harry grinned savagely back at him.

"I see now." He pushed open the door. "Thanks for the advice. I'll be back."

He slid out of the truck with a pained grimace. The high from the batteries was fading. But the fatigue was surprisingly easy to ignore.

He knew now who had killed his mother.

He knew what he had done, to her and others he cared about.

He knew he was weak.

Tania rushed over to him as soon as she saw him exit the truck, a first aid kit in one hand. Harry shook his head.

They needed to get going, they could treat his hand on the road.

Murphy was looking over an old-fashioned black Cadillac with a complicated expression on her face as Cleph explained something to her.

"What happened?" Tania asked gently, tugging hesitantly on Harry's sleeve. Her silvery blue eyes stared up at him in concern.

"Later," he promised.

She paused, then nodded, squeezing his arm encouragingly.

"Do and try to bring my car back in a repairable state," Cleph requested, adjusting his suit and striding towards Ebenzer's truck. "It has quite a bit of history."

Murphy watched him leave with a conflicted look on her face.

"What's the matter?" Harry asked as he and Tania moved to join them.

"I'm pretty sure this car was used by the mafia at some point," the cop replied uncomfortably. "It has a hidden storage compartment for weapons and another for alcohol."

"It will get us where we need to be," Tania declared. "Let's go."

The two old men watched as the youth clambered into the black Cadillac and sped away hurriedly.

"Damn fool," the old wizard sighed.

"If only the world had more like him," the old vampire mused. "Then it would be a better place."

"What?"

♤♤♤♤​

Despite his determination, Tania could see how Dresden's injuries pained him. Still, he managed to clamber into professor de Rossi's car before collapsing into shivers, pain and the adrenaline crash robbing him of his strength.

"Let me see," Tania insisted, sliding into the seat next to him, trauma kit in one hand, the other reaching out to him, palm upwards.

Harry hesitated. "It's pretty ugly."

"It's an injury," Tania tsked, "of course it doesn't look pretty. Show me."

Chastened, Harry complied, and Tania frowned at his raw, reddened flesh. Parts of his hand were charred white, an indicator of severe burns. She had seen worse, but she had not seen anyone recover fully from those, if at all.

Grabbing his forearm with one hand, Tania pressed a cold compress to the injured appendage, drawing a wince from her partner, a shiver of pain and some relief running through him. Hopefully, it would reduce the swelling. "What is our plan?" She asked him, in part to give him something to focus on instead of the pain, in part because she did not trust her own judgment at the moment. She wanted nothing more than to charge right into her family's property and flee with her twin, but it would not be so easy. Not to mention that it would merely be a temporary solution–no, nothing more than a delaying action.

"Been a bit busy," Harry demurred. "Go in, grab the girl, bust out?" Tania gently unclasped and removed his burned and warped (but surprisingly intact) shield bracelet, taking care not to rub the metal against his raw skin.

"That's a lot less thought out than the raid we just did," Murphy commented as she started the car. "Where are we going?" Tania gave her the address, which drew a raised eyebrow from the unusually helpful policewoman. "That's a rich neighborhood, Harry," she observed. "That plan isn't going to work; the police or private security would be all over the place in no time flat, not like here."

"Indeed," Tania replied in agreement. "While I certainly appreciate their efforts in keeping my family's property secure, it does mean that dealing with my sire…properly…would be inconvenient in its aftermath." She retrieved the burn cream from professor de Rossi's trauma kit and squeezed a dollop onto her palm before smoothing it out and then carefully applying it to Harry's burnt hand.

Murphy glanced into the rearview mirror as Harry hissed in pain, her eyes lingering over Tania's hand as she delicately smeared the salve onto his injury, her other hand cradling his injured limb. "When you say 'properly', what exactly do you mean?" she asked pointedly, smoothly taking the car through the parking garage and down towards the street.

"Dead," Harry said.

"Or similarly incapacitated," Tania amended.

"This won't be like Bianca, Harry," Murphy cautioned. "It's one thing for there to be a freak fire in a building used for things of questionable legality where people aren't going to look too deep into it. Killing a wealthy man in his own home is a whole different can of worms." Regardless of her warning, the off-duty policewoman accelerated their shared car to a speed that was also of questionable legality.

"I'm gonna kill him," Harry declared, his burning rage dulling the pain of his scorched hand.

Murphy glanced at him in the mirror again. "Are you ok—?"

"Can we?" Tania blurted out, wrapping a bandage around Harry's injuries. "I mean, are we able to?"

"We can," Harry answered. "Survive though?" He trailed off.

"Failure there would be an undesirable outcome," Tania hissed, wrapping a bandage carefully around Harry's hand.

"Harry," Murphy asked pleadingly. "What's wrong? This isn't like you." Tania did not say it aloud, but Harry knew she was asking the same.

"He killed my mother," he said softly, as if it explained everything. And it did.

Murphy gasped. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Tania gently took his uninjured hand into both her own, wrapping her fingers around his hand in a comforting gesture, looking at him with understanding and an all-too-familiar pain.

She understood what it was like, to lose a mother before you knew them, to have a father absent.

She knew the uncertainty of children raised by everyone and no one.

She sympathized with his physical deprivation, even if she had not experienced the like.

He could not grasp the feeling of having such a monster of a parent, but he knew the suspicion being raised by one brought.

He understood what it was like to have a sibling, by blood or foster, to share so much of their lives.

And he knew the pain and horror of a monster ripping them away while violating their mind.

His monster was dead. He would make sure hers could worry her no longer.

"She will be avenged," Tania promised softly, her hands cupping his face on both sides, entirely ignoring the pain of their touch. She promised vengeance for his mother.

"She will too." He promised vengeance for hers, his uninjured hand squeezing her arm in reassurance while he pushed through the pain to brush a few rebellious bangs out of her face with his burnt hand.

"But how?" Murphy asked in a small voice, eyes fixed on the road ahead. "It can't be that simple."

"He will have a hostage," Tania bit out with a grimace. "Even if my sister is braver and tougher than she thinks she is, that will not be enough."

"He's got the bodyguards too," Harry added. "They're human, right?"

"As reduced as they are," Tania confirmed.

"Complicates things for me," he muttered.

"Not for me," she replied, "but if my other sisters get involved…"

"You don't want to hurt them, despite how they are? What they do?"

"I am the same as they are."

"No. You're not."

"They can change!"

"Will they want to?"

"Perhaps–! Perhaps if they are no longer under my Sire's influence."

"Going easy on them could kill us–kill me and Murphy."

"...Cursed be God, for forcing this choice on me."

"Isn't that the story of our lives?"

"More than you know."

There was a cough from the front seat as Murphy awkwardly interrupted their bit of soul-searching. "I…don't know how that helps us figure out what to do." She exhaled, before muttering something under her breath. "I am literally a fucking third wheel right now."

"My sire appears to be making a statement," Tania observed, gaze still fixated on Harry. "Presumably he expects me to return, perhaps to report on our removal of the infection of a rival Court."

"And since we helped, it'll make sense for us to come along?" Murphy asked.

"More like they'll believe we are her thralls," Harry commented dryly.

Tania flushed slightly. "That is not the case–!"

"Not in the way they think," Harry muttered.

"–But it could be a useful misunderstanding," Tania finished, glancing uncomfortably at the floor.

"Can it get us in the door?" Murphy asked.

"Quite possibly," Tania mused. "Perhaps bringing assistance would even be expected if my sire is using my twin as leverage."

"He'll have a plan for us?" Karrin pressed.

"Might have a plan for me," Harry chimed in, "but not for you."

"Asides perhaps from an incidental morsel," Tania added grimly.

Murphy's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "Is there anything I can do against that? The mind control?" She sounded unnerved. Harry frowned. He was used to her stubborn confidence…this was…not right.

"You do not happen to conveniently have True Love's protection, do you?" Tania asked.

"I'm divorced. Twice." Murphy bit back.

"My condolences," Tania offered.

"My sister can keep the bastard!"

"Ah…that is a severe breach of trust." It didn't really go down like what Tania was thinking, but Harry was in no rush to defend Murphy's bitchy little sister.

"That, as well as your position in law enforcement…" Tania began hesitantly, pursing her lips, "That places you squarely within my sire's preferred prey category."

Harry glanced at Murphy in concern, looking away from Tania's expressive eyes for the first time in a while. He saw a shiver of disgust snake its way through the shorter blonde, before she exhaled slowly, focusing herself. "Could that…" she hesitated. "Could we use that?"

"You don't have to do that, Murph!" Harry cut in.

"What else can I do?" she spat. "I can't just arrest him since it's not like he'll comply, and I can only do so much in a fight if I can't get my gun past his security. But what he's doing is wrong, so I'm not going to just stand by and do nothing!"

Harry smiled sadly. It was so like Murph to jump into a crazy situation like that. Though she was hesitating a bit, a sort of insecurity leaking through that he hadn't expected her to have. Maybe seeing some supernatural side troubleshooters had shaken her confidence?

"That is an admirable stance, Lieutenant Murphy," Tania commended. "But that is not something I would ask of you."

"Something tells me that Papa Raith won't be easily distracted like that," Harry cut in. "At least not until the rest of us are dead."

"It could give her an opening to strike," Tania pointed out.

"Can't your kind regenerate?" Murphy asked sourly. "Unless I shove a grenade up his ass, I don't think I can really do more than distract him with that kind of opening."

Hold on… "You have an idea, Harry?" Tania prompted him.

"The nails."

"Ah."

"Nails?"

"Tania," Harry started. "If Papa–"

"Do not call him that," Tania snapped. "He sired me, but he did not raise me."

"If Senile Senior Raith is behind the curse…" Harry continued in stride. "Why did Lara get targeted?"

Tania's eyes widened. "Tricia seemed far too coherent compared to the thralls I have seen."

"Why would the White King bother with using uncontrolled human patsies for something like this, especially ones with such limited brain cells even without the mind whammy?"

"Given the backstabbing nature of our kind, that could well be simply a precaution," Tania pointed out, eyes narrowing as she caught his implication.

"But he would have made sure to have more control of them, unless he couldn't," Harry insisted.

"Are you suggesting he's weakened and near impotent?!" Tania exclaimed. "Someone would have surely noticed!"

"Isn't Senior Raith fairly reclusive and secretive? Moves around a lot, doesn't stay with any of you except his enthralled bodyguards for very long?" Harry pressed.

"That's true," Tania conceded.

"And aren't we technically at war?" Harry asked, not giving her time to deflect. "Sure, you didn't want to get involved, but it seems like the White Court is being very uncommitted to the whole thing."

"I believe that is what my kind prefers others to believe."

"You check your family finances," Harry pointed out. "Have you seen anything there? Signs of a secret plot to destroy wizardkind?"

"Various plots, yes," Tania admitted blatantly, "but most are geared towards manipulating humans for our benefit." She pursed her lips. "There are suggestions for purging or seducing and attempting to reproduce with those of magic potential, but those plans are…likely born out of pure lust or avarice rather than any serious consideration given the expenses I have seen."

"Or maybe because of the fertility issue," Harry mused.

"Fertility issue?" Tania asked with a frown.

"You…huh," Harry grunted. "Maybe I was wrong, but looking at Senior Raith's gallery…he really didn't have a lot of kids, especially since he's got to have slept with tons of women, and if his habits are anything like Thomas's, it's not like he would have used protection."

"I…was not aware of this issue," Tania whispered, sounding oddly…saddened by that thought? "I suppose it is not too surprising, a Hunger's consumption of life energy likely makes it difficult for a pregnancy to thrive."

"That's…not the kind of nailing you meant, right?" Murphy asked, a hint of trepidation in her voice.

"Oh, no, definitely not," Harry blurted quickly. "I can make nails that'll drain life energy if stabbed into something."

"What the hell would you need that for?" Murphy asked archly.

"It is useful to assist in incapacitating certain creatures," Tania explained. "Not to mention it serves as an emergency battery, of sorts."

"Can't…can't the big vampire just…drain the energy back?"

"No, at least, I don't think so," Harry replied.

Both Tania and Murphy gave him a questioning look.

"It's weird, isn't it? That Senior Raith bothered to use Trixie of all people," he began. "Especially since she targeted Lara, who was loyal enough to shoot Thomas for him."

"Wait, what?" Murphy burst out.

"A Family Matter," Tania explained bitterly.

"But that's a lack of control trying for plausible deniability can't explain."

"It was quite a lapse in judgment," Tania agreed.

"There's no way that would happen if he had them enthralled, but why didn't he enthrall them?" Harry continued.

"He preferred not to hamper their already limited mental capacity anymore?" Tania suggested.

"That's even more of a reason for him to enthrall them!" Harry countered.

"Maybe he couldn't?" Murphy suggested.

"Exactly," Harry exclaimed. "My mother must have cursed him as she died."

"How would she do that?" Murphy asked.

"We wizards have magic running through when we're alive," Harry explained. "Part of it is tied to our life energy." Tania tilted her head adorably, wondering if that was why his essence tasted so tempting.

"And if you're dying…?" Karrin trailed off.

"Us wizards can dump it all in one, last, giant middle finger," Harry finished for her.

"And you have reason to believe that your mother sealed my Sire's Hunger?"

"If he's protected from magic like Eb said," Harry continued, "then that's what mom would have done since she couldn't kill him directly." Both women blinked in surprise but seemed to take the news in stride.

"Even so," Tania grimaced. "My sire must have substantial reserves, unless he is an utter fool, and if he can't be hurt by magic…"

"Doesn't mean magic can't be used to hurt him," Harry cut in, pulling part of a spool of wire out from his pack. "And I have a gun."

"Just so," Tania acknowledged. "But what if we have to fight him as well as my sisters?"

"What?" Murphy snorted. "Big strong vampire has his little girls fighting for him?"

"He takes delight in forcing others to do his bidding," Tania explained.

"Playing on his pride could work though," Harry pointed out. "Call him a coward and he'll have to back it up or lose face. Then you can weaken him."

"I…" Tania slumped. "I do not think my older sisters could even move against him if he was weakened. They are…too broken."

"If they're hungry enough that won't matter."

"You seek to feed my Sire to my sisters?"

"What goes around comes around."

"Were it so easy."

They didn't really have a plan, but the discussion helped the trio focus, and Harry began preparing nails.

♤♤♤♤​

The ride to St. Mary's was rather awkward, with Ebenezer McCoy doing his best to ignore the White Court vampire lord in the passenger seat, while Cleph de Rossi tamped down on his desire to poke some fun at the Blackstaff.

"Why are you here?" the Blackstaff asked, breaking the tense silence after a long minute.

"To look suspicious," Lord de Rossi replied.

The old wizard scoffed. "This will be a headache to explain."

The old vampire nodded. "My wife will likely try to kill me for this bout of recklessness."

"Why do you care about the Raith, anyways?"

"She's a bright young thing. More importantly, disciplined and committed." So she was more aligned with them in attitude, or goals?

Cleph glanced at the Blackstaff. "I did not expect you to let another apprentice into Mario's clutches," he stated a question of his own.

"Mario?" Ebenezer guffawed in spite of himself, then his face turned serious and his hands clenched tighter on the steering wheel. "And I still don't trust any of this." He didn't answer the question.

"Reasonable," Cleph conceded.

"But I have to think of the consequences of interfering," the old wizard sighed.

"Indeed," the old vampire agreed.

"What's your game?" Ebenezer asked, starting to get the odd sense that their interests were actually aligned.

"He has someone watching us."

"As expected," Eb grunted. "Trying to lose them?"

"Quite the contrary," Cleph smirked. "Confuse them."

"You want us to be a distraction?" The old wizard asked skeptically.

"Of a sort," the old vampire answered. "Our positions bring scrutiny, and prevent us from helping them as we would prefer."

"But that scrutiny can be used as a distraction," Ebenezer observed. "You want to play mind games with Lord Raith?"

Cleph shrugged. "That is something we are known for as a people. If we appear in his vicinity, he will have to watch us."

"Doesn't sound like much help for them."

"No, it is not." The de Rossi paused. "Though you could still burn down his house if they don't come back. We are already at war."

"I can't do that," the Blackstaff sighed.

"Then we will have to make do with acting suspicious and intimidating," de Rossi shrugged. "I do not have your destructive potential."

Eb wished he could say this was the worst ally of convenience he had worked with, but this really wouldn't even make the list.

♤♤♤♤​

Inari knew that she was in danger. Maybe not mortal danger, since there was a good chance her…father did not seem the right word. There was a good chance the Old man didn't want to kill her, but after what she saw last night, and what she knew now, she knew better than to think being his daughter would keep him from hurting her.

In some ways, she was actually less afraid of that–she was afraid, oh, was she scared–but physical pain and even death was one thing, being forced to hurt someone she cared about, to be made into something that could not live without doing that? It was a horrifying thought.

Physical pain could fade over time (unless she was crippled) but the scar on her soul, if she did That, was something Inari knew would haunt her forever, and if her sisters really couldn't die of old age, forever might not be just a saying.

No wonder Lara and Natalia and Elisa and Felicia seemed so broken and joyless some of the time. No wonder Thomas held onto Justine so desperately. And no wonder Tania latched so hard onto Harry, a man who she could not easily accidentally violate.

And no wonder Inari herself had been so desperate for friends outside her family. Even if she was too naïve and stupid as a kid, she had sensed that something was wrong with her family.

But she had done nothing about it, ignored it, too afraid of losing her family's affection, not to mention their protection and money.

There was, honestly, probably nothing she could have really done that would have made things better, but that did not make it right not to have tried, willfully blind so she could hold onto her mostly charmed life.

Hah! Mostly charmed? She had almost everything a person could ever want, even her siblings loved her, even though they were not entirely human. How many people would jump to be in her shoes? How many wouldn't care at all about killing another person for eternal youth and beauty?

She did not deserve any of this, but that wasn't how the world worked. People who did good were often taken advantage of, and evil people thrived all over the place.

But everything had a cost, both evil and good, and now it was her turn to pay up.

"Inari?" Antonio asked worriedly, his calling her by name showing just how concerned he was. "Are you ok? We'll have you to safety soon."

Inari nodded to him, a small, sad smile on her face. It was…not entirely a lie. Despite the danger she was in, she felt oddly calm, maybe resigned.

She was never as brave as Tania, as poised as Lara, or as determined as Harry; she'd always been the baby they needed to protect.

It wasn't that she didn't appreciate them for it–no, Inari was grateful for them, but with all the things they had been fighting, both with and without her knowledge, Inari could not help but feel unworthy of their sacrifice.

They risked so much for her, and for what? A bit of kindness and affection? Was that really worth all that?

What could she give in return for that kind of selfless sacrifice?

"Here we are," Antonio said, relaxing slightly as they pulled through the gate to the Raith family estate, more security closing it behind them. "They can't get to you here."

Oh, Antonio, they are here.

Jane stopped the car and John and Antonio got out, scanning their surroundings carefully. After a moment, they gestured for Jane and Inari to come out.

Inari hesitated for a moment, then exited the car. There was no use delaying.

"Antonio, go watch the gate," John ordered tonelessly, lifeless and almost doll-like, the same as far too many of the people who had helped raise Inari.

"Wait, what about Inari?" Antonio demanded with a frown. "Aren't you two going to watch the boss now? Who'll watch her?"

"We are taking her to Lord Raith," Jane replied in the same way as her twin.

"Then I should come with you," Antonio argued. "I'm supposed to watch her and Tania."

"The Boss demands you stay," John insisted flatly.

"The Boss will take care of Miss Raith," Jane added in the same bland tone.

Antonio glanced between them, his consternation obvious even under his sunglasses. He looked at Inari questioningly. She gave him a small smile and a nod. It would be better if he did not get caught up in this. Ignacio was just a little baby, and Claudia needed her husband alive.

"Very well then," Antonio conceded. "I will ensure no one who wishes harm to her passes through the gate."

"See that you manage that much," John and Jane replied in sync, turning and ushering Inari away. She really should have noticed how abnormal they were long ago. Even identical twins were usually not so…intertwined.

Instead of heading towards the house itself, Jane and John escorted her deeper into the family property through their curated forest and out of sight from prying eyes. John led the way while Jane followed behind her.

Despite having lived here for much of her life, Inari had not actually been to this part of the property before. It had been forbidden, not explicitly, but mostly by omission. Now she had some context for why it could be, and that just made her more nervous.

She bit her lip, but refused to let her fear show more than that. Tania was almost always composed, even when something bad happened, so Inari would copy from her older twin once again.

Based on what she knew of the head of their house, he probably wouldn't kill her immediately. The idea of a father killing their child should be unthinkable, and it would be, if she was thinking about a proper Papa like Papa Carpenter. But given what Lara had tried to do to Thomas yesterday, and what she had implied about what their House Head would do…Inari felt a sinking feeling in her gut as she remembered the paintings that had been put in storage, of images of mothers of siblings that did not exist.

But if he wanted to kill her, why bring her here in the first place? Inari knew that while she was more capable of defending herself than she probably seemed, she was still a fairly normal human (very tall for a girl though), and she wasn't sure what she had done to make House Head mad.

Was he mad that she had lied about there not being anyone special like that in her life? Well, she hadn't really lied, she wasn't dating Charles, and he was as oblivious as Tania in that way, but if Househead thought she was lying…? Was that really enough?

Or maybe…maybe this wasn't even about her. Hous'ead had not been shy about showing how much he favored Tania over Inari. That had stung when she was younger, but Inari hadn't been able to say that was unfair, since Tania was just better than her at a lot of things. Even with making friends…Inari had more friends, but they were mostly normal, and none of them could help her more like Tania's friends could.

On second thought, that really just meant she owed Tania even more. She has been in Tania's identically sized shadow for most of her life, and that had meant the older twin had drawn most of their…house head's attention.

Inari had been a bit jealous when she was young. Now she felt thankful for Tania shielding her, as well as awful that her twin had to deal with their…Househead so much.

Perhaps he was simply using Inari as leverage, to test Tania's loyalty. Though Inari was fairly sure it was also a test for her as well. Multiple birds with one stone? He would definitely take it.

John slowed as they turned through a few more trees and reached a clearing, a clearing with a downward slope leading to a cave. Inwardly, Inari huffed, of course the vampire lord would have a cave hideout! She shivered slightly. A cave would be a pretty good place to kill people, out of sight, probably hard to detect with stuff like infrared, and while guns might echo in the cave, if it was deep enough, that wouldn't matter too much, not to mention the forest deadening the sound all around.

It would also be easy to pretend that someone simply went missing. Inari's heart started racing at the thought. Why did she think this was a good idea?! No, she had known it was a bad idea, but at that moment, she had been more worried about her new friends on Arturo's crew. Maybe she should have been more worried about herself.

Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! There was no reason that they couldn't just kill her here and then go back and kill Arturo, Jake, Joan, Bobby, Emma, Giselle and everyone else! Coming here probably just played right into the Hunger King's hands!

"Almost there," Jane droned, and Inari flinched slightly as the dead-eyed bodyguard sounded much closer to her than she expected. Inari nodded, realizing that she had stopped in her internal panic, but she swallowed her fear and continued onwards.

The Hunger King couldn't want anything good, but she was pretty sure Arturo wasn't really a huge priority right now, and if he was here, and so were John and Jane, that meant he was more focused on something happening here.

Oh. This cave would be a great place for casting the ritual.

John strode down into the hungry maw of the cave without a break in stride, completely unaware or uncaring of the fearful hesitation in his charge. Jane simply pushed Inari forward gently. "Almost there," she repeated.

Inari swallowed, and stepped forward into the cave. She was technically a grown adult, but she still got tricked by something so obvious. Be that as it may, she was in it now, and one way or another, she would account for her failings. God help her.

The path downwards was steep and not lit very well, but Inari found that she could see without too much trouble somehow. Well enough to see that the passage was similarly decorated to the hallways inside the family home. Really? That probably meant the Hunger King used this place quite a lot.

The ground evened out a bit and the passageway opened up into a giant cave–or cavern, she wasn't sure which was the right term. Either way, the place was huge, and it was actually quite pretty. The walls were made of rock traced through with wavy watermarks, marking out different colored layers in a sort of natural painting etched into stone, and Hunger King must have added some nice, colorful lights to cast a pinkish glow onto the shiny wall surfaces. The floor smoothed over and rose up to a chair made of bone white rock–wow that was a lot of decorating. It looked absolutely ridiculous! Like, there was all this natural beauty and then someone had added a dopey-looking chair smack in the middle. Honestly! With the misting machine overhead throwing droplets down to catch the light, this looked kind of like some sort of tacky rave set-up. Seriously! It really ruined the aesthetic! The folding screen to one side of the chair also looked really out of place.

Inari bit back a hysterical giggle, wondering why that of all things was what she focused on. Then her eyes noticed the crack in the ground on the left side. That, and how there was nothing but abyssal darkness behind the throne.

Oh.

This wasn't just a soundproofed and hidden place for killing people, it was also a place for disposing of dead people! She'd really stepped in it now! Stupid! Stupid! Stu–

"Inari?"

"Charles?!" she gasped in horror.

Her friend stood awkwardly in the center of the cavern, flanked by Jack and Jill, who, while not actively restraining him, probably wouldn't let him get very far if he tried to run. His eyes found hers, a hint of confusion and fear present, but he was oddly calm despite being in the middle of the lion's den.

"Ah! My youngest has arrived," the Hunger King boomed, seated on his silly-looking chair. Inari blinked, wondering how she had missed him sitting there.

"About time," Elisa chimed in, and Inari felt her mouth dry as she glanced over to see her sister draped on the side of the throne, dressed in something that looked like a white toga but was really too short. "I almost thought you were a repressed dyke." It was strange, Inari could tell that it wasn't really Elisa speaking, it was almost like Hunger King was speaking through her.

"You are not a child anymore," Natalia intoned, standing stiffly on the other side of the throne, dressed similarly. "It is time you stopped pretending to be as kine; time to shed mere mortality and join us properly."

"Listen to your sisters, my child," Hunger King commanded with an almost convincing fatherly smile. "You have learned your lesson well; already, kine trust you so, even eager to leap to your defense." He spread his hands magnanimously. "Be grateful, for most of our kind, this moment is one of blind, clumsy accident. Your moment will be nothing of the sort."

"This is for your own good," Lara whispered in Inari's ear, somehow sneaking up behind her without a sound. Her big sister squeezed her arm encouragingly, disguising her flinch. "Inari, you must do this if you wish to live. Please."

Inari took in a slow breath. It was strange. Big sister Lara had always seen so much older–all of her siblings seemed so much older. But for some reason, hearing the fear in her eldest sister's voice, Inari was struck by how much bigger she was now. She was the youngest, sure, but she and Tania were a good deal taller than their sisters, and even a couple inches taller than their brother and the Hungry King.

It would not do her any good, not against vampires, but that wasn't the only difference. They were afraid. All of them were afraid of something. Her sisters were scared of Hungry King, but what was he scared of? This was the seat of his power, attended to by mind-controlled bodyguards and three loyal vampire daughters. How could Inari or Charles scare someone like him?

Inari glanced at Charles again, cringing at the fear and confusion in his eyes, though the clinical, Tania-like part of her noted he looked surprisingly alert, the hint of danger underneath his usually placid nature now hovering just below the surface.

He was afraid–no, he was nervous. Inari focused on the resolved, almost mad gleam in his eyes, looking at her for a sign. It was weirdly comforting, that the thought of blaming her for him being here didn't even cross his mind.

She shook her head slightly. What had she ever done for him to earn such loyalty? She did not deserve it. God, she prayed silently, Mother Mary, get him out of here safely!

"What is all this for?" Inari asked, incredulously noting how steady her voice sounded, despite the trembling running through her body. "And why did you grab Charles? He hasn't done anything to deserve this!"

She knew.

She would not do it.

"Inari!" Lara hissed warningly, but she ignored him, stepping forward with a daring that she didn't really feel real.

Hungry King hummed disapprovingly, looking at Inari with a sort of bemused annoyance.

"You are too close to kine, small sister," Natalia admonished, his words coming out of her mouth.

"Not close enough to take what's hers though!" Elisa snickered.

"Now, now," the Hungry King chided, "that is not so surprising. It is not as if we can expect her to be as her twin, after all."

Part of Inari winced, the childish part of her cringing at parental disapproval and feeling envious of her twin's superiority, but she tried not to let it show. She probably failed; she wasn't used to hiding her feelings.

"Whether I'm too close or not," she started, voice steadier than she felt. "What does that have to do with why Charles is here? What did he ever do to you?!"

"What did he do?" Hungry King mused. "Why, he is trying to steal you away!"

"How would I do that?" Charles wondered aloud. "She'd kick my ass." Jack hit him over the head to tell him to shut up.

"Do not speak unless spoken to!" Natalia barked at him.

"Screaming's fine though," Elisa grinned.

Charles glanced at Inari for confirmation, and she nodded. He wouldn't be able to get away if they were paying attention to him.

"So he denies it." Hungry King observed, glancing at Lara and patting Elisa condescendingly on the head before looking back at Inari. "And yet my loyal daughters tell me he spends quite some time with you."

This was a farce, Inari realized. They didn't care if he actually wanted to do something like that.

"He's my friend!" She declared, stepping forwards towards Charles. "He wouldn't hurt me."

"You are too trusting," Natalia scoffed, "he is a weakness, and should be cut away before he is used against you."

By you!

"Just look at him," Elisa snickered, "who's going to miss someone so bland?"

Inari would.

Charles narrowed his eyes at her, looking for something. It must have stung to be disregarded like that, but he didn't seem affected. Inari always had a knack for reading people, but for some reason, it seemed more poignant than ever before. He was afraid, but not like Inari was, nor terrified for his life like she thought they both would be. It may have just been the stress, but to Inari, he looked much angrier than afraid. Of all the people she knew, she never expected Charles of all people to have such a strong fight instinct, he usually pulled away from serious conflict.

Not that it would help him, in the end.

"Even if that was true, that doesn't give you the right to just kill people like this!" She yelled. They wouldn't care–didn't care, but there wasn't really a reason to hide her feelings anymore.

"Do not be absurd!" Natalia barked. "We are higher than kine, more powerful, so it is our right to do as we please with them."

"It's what we are made to do!" Elisa added giddily, "Come on! I know you like feeling superior to other people, don't bother hiding it."

Inari winced. She…couldn't say that was wrong. It was an easy trap to fall into. But she would not use that as an excuse, even if it got her killed.

"If you are so superior, why do you hide?"

Her family all frowned, disapproval flowing off of them in waves at her continued defiance, or maybe at how she excluded herself.

"Inari," Lara whispered. "Please! You will die!"

Inari found she didn't really care, even as she felt the bridges burning along with the chances of her survival.

"I know."

There was something freeing in the certainty of death.

"If power makes right, then shouldn't stronger things be in charge of you?!" she shouted in defiance. "There are things as stronger than you as you are stronger than we. If it was just power, why aren't you licking the boots of your betters?!"

"Enough!" the Hungry King snarled, skin turning a sinister silver, causing Lara, Natalia and Elisa to cringe. His power, ancient and vast, suffused the cavern, pressing down on everyone inside, demanding they obey.

Lara gasped, her resolve long broken by lifetimes of conditioning. Natalia and Elisa fared no better, cringing away from their king. John and Jack, Jane and Jill all stared transfixed at the thing that had enslaved them.

"It is beyond past time that you were disciplined!" the Hungry King spat at his defiant daughter, who stood unbowed. For some reason, she saw weakness where her sisters saw strength, a lack of control, a lack of patience, not a lack of power, but a strength built on glass.

"If you love the kine so dearly, then you shall suffer as it will." The silvery thing on the tacky throne smiled cruelly. "Seize her!" he commanded his guards with a wave of his hand.

John and Jane marched towards her, as dead-eyed as ever. If she had tried, Inari might have been able to fight one of them off, she did have reach, but it wasn't their fault, and hurting them wouldn't do any good in the end.

They grabbed her by her arms and tried to force her forward. As physically fit as they were, and despite how they had been a silent threat throughout her life, Inari was now taller than them, and she was not so easily moved.

"Very well," the Hungry King hissed, "let this be on your head!" He waved a hand and Jack and Jill walked away from a trembling Charles, drawing weapons from their harnesses.

There was a crackling of electricity and Inari jolted as Jill hit her with a taser.

Lightning shot through her and her muscles seized, aching like the worst muscle cramps she had ever felt. Her vision shrank and grayed and her legs lost their strength, almost toppling her, but John and Jane held her up so Jill could hit her again.

Inari did not scream, it was a bit difficult, given the electricity coursing through her. Her convulsions rocked John and Jane back and forth, almost pulling them off their feet, something one part of her brain found almost idly amusing even as the rest of her body was alight with pain.

After what felt like a solid minute, but was probably only a few seconds, Jill let up and Inari slumped, gasping for breath.

"I can be merciful, daughter mine," the Hungry King remarked with false magnanimity and a wave of his hand. "Kneel, take your place, and all shall be forgiven."

Inari's eyes flicked over to Natalia, who stood still, lifeless like a statue. To Elisa, still smiling suggestively and stretched out languidly like a woman of ill repute. She could not see Lara, but knew her eldest sister would be similar. If that was mercy, Inari would rather face Judgment.

Her gaze settled on Charles, and she almost cracked at his still expression. There was no way she could get him to leave, was there? Even if there was a slim chance of escaping, the cold, focused rage burning in his eyes told her he could not live with that.

She smiled apologetically and shook her head, sorry that she would probably be the death of him.

Pain struck her again as Jill jammed the taser into her neck and her flesh seized again. It seemed like the Hungry King disliked being ignored.

It didn't seem to hurt as bad this time, but perhaps that was just her body weakening.

Another eternity in a second, and the sparking prongs were pulled away, leaving her twitching and weak.

Charles shifted, but Inari glared at him. The Hungry King would take his time with her, her friend did not have that leeway. Even so, his lip curled into a defiant snarl, and Inari felt something stir in her chest.

She choked on a gasp of pain as John smashed something into her collarbone, and she felt it give. Jill tasered her again and her muscles convulsed, agony lancing through her shoulder, her broken bones grinding against each other.

Her vision shrunk and her ears were filled with an unending ringing sound. Yet somehow, her vision sharpened, honing in on Charles' eyes, inexplicably able to pick out the red of bursting blood vessels around his dark pupils. She could almost taste his helpless anger, but–

Oh, what did it matter?! She could not protect him, not like this. What a joke, she could not protect anyone.

There was a crack as something hammered into her knee and Inari screamed, as much in hysterical laughter as in pain.

What was she trying to accomplish with this stunt? It did nothing, really. She couldn't save Charles, and her own suffering could not undo the evil of her family.

Her world shrank, to nothing but pain and self-recrimination.

She really was useless to the end.

Something hit her and–

AGONY like nothing she had ever felt before seared through her body as something in her thigh broke.

Pain, worse than everything that came before combined–she couldn't hear herself screaming, but she couldn't hear anything at all.

Her vision blackened.

This was it, wasn't it?

AN. As Usual, thanks to @Sunny @Half_Baked_Cat @Obloquy @Vista @Darath @Rakkis157 @Zulie the Lich as well as others on the Discord whose usernames I don't know.
 
Always happy to assist
 
Well that...


Is definitely a cliffhanger.

It's hard to write my impressions on this chapter without knowing how this ends, but it was a good chapter up till then.
 
YAY! Update! This notification has brightened my Monday! Now to read it! But before - share a crazy idea:
I has remembered my time playing Vampire the Masquerade as a vampire blood mage - they was vampires descendant from some mages who studied vampires. I just thought what Harry with his studies and Tanya hAlp is just one step from them - the step where he realizes what he can use iron in his blood
 
"Damn fool," the old wizard sighed.

"If only the world had more like him," the old vampire mused. "Then it would be a better place."

"What?"
He meant an angrier place, there's not much of a difference to a rage vamp
she wasn't dating Charles, and he was as oblivious as Tania in that way, but if Househead thought she was lying…? Was that really enough
Yeah he keeps a cooler full of weird ice cream in his car but he's the oblivious one.
Coming here probably just played right into the Hunger King's hands
In the Dresden universe Burger King was bought out and rebranded by the white court.
I'm not sure if there's a reason this keeps changing that I'm missing or if it's just a "I've used the last one three times now, better change how I describe Mario or it will get old"
 
My guess was it was there to indicate Inari's demon starting to awaken and bleed through maybe?
I'm not the biggest dresden buff. But... you skipped over the most important part. How or why is it doing that?

Was she slowly getting more aroused the whole time? Is Inari keying off a fight instinct rather than lust, similar to what Tania did?
Is it an instinctive reaction to Lord Raith, and if so why did it start when she was so far away from his presence, she wasn't even in the Cave when the first appeared. Why didn't Hungry King actually upgrade after he started tossing around his aura or what not.
 
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I'm not the biggest dresden buff. But... you skipped over the most important part. How or why is it doing that?

Was she slowly getting more aroused the whole time? Is Inari keying off a fight instinct rather than lust, similar to what Tania did?
Is it an instinctive reaction to Lord Raith, and if so why did it start when she was so far away from his presence, she wasn't even in the Cave when the first appeared.
Yeah, I'm really not sure either. That was the best guess I had, but it doesn't really work the best as you say.
 
The inner demon activates on two things:
-Food
-Danger
Good job restating my suggestions but I think I've said why I didn't think those fit the circumstances
Was she slowly getting more aroused the whole time? Is Inari keying off a fight instinct rather than lust, similar to what Tania did?

Is it an instinctive reaction to Lord Raith, and if so why did it start when she was so far away from his presence, she wasn't even in the Cave when the first appeared. Why didn't Hungry King actually upgrade after he started tossing around his aura or what not.
However the points this suggests that the demon ramped up to Hungry King outside the cave and not the response to the danger of being tazed or when Lord Raith forced everyone into line via will. And it started during the drive
It went from Hunger King to Hungry when they told her to fuck Charlie or possibly when Lara was hopeless. Which is about the best the food suggestion gets however the Hunger King started before inari was aware Charles would be there.

If this is a feed thing my best guess is that she's about to become an anxiety vamp.
 
"I can make nails that'll drain life energy if stabbed into something."

"What the hell would you need that for?" Murphy asked archly.

"It is useful to assist in incapacitating certain creatures," Tania explained. "Not to mention it serves as an emergency battery, of sorts."

"Can't…can't the big vampire just…drain the energy back?"

"No, at least, I don't think so," Harry replied.
I'm confused. They know he's immune to magic, so why do they think the nails will work?
 
I'm confused. They know he's immune to magic, so why do they think the nails will work?
because strictly speaking it's not a direct magical attack on his person, which matters, because his immunity is only against direct magical attacks.
you can't just shoot a fireball at him, but you can use magic to railgun some sharp bits of enchanted metal at him.
similarly you can't focus the earth's gravity to flatten him like a pancake, or rip his soul right out of his body, but deorbitting a satellite onto his head woould work.
 
because strictly speaking it's not a direct magical attack on his person, which matters, because his immunity is only against direct magical attacks.
you can't just shoot a fireball at him, but you can use magic to railgun some sharp bits of enchanted metal at him.
similarly you can't focus the earth's gravity to flatten him like a pancake, or rip his soul right out of his body, but deorbitting a satellite onto his head woould work.
I get the shooting nails at him bit working, but wouldn't the nails stealing his life energy count as a direct magical attack?
 
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I get the shooting nails at him bit working, but wouldn't the nails stealing his life energy count as a direct magical attack?
actually it's a bit complicated, because Lord Raith's "magic immunity" comes from a deal with an Outsider, and they're not actually immune to all magics.

if this was later on in the series, I wouldn't be surprised if Harry could just burn right through lord Raith's "immunity" like he could have against "He Who Walks Before", or how Dresden pumped a .45-caliber bullet full of Pure energy and Will, and exploded the Outsider's head
there's also other examples of enchanted weapons and wards stopping Outsiders

then there's the whole Starborn thing that Dresden has which gives him some unspecified type advantage against Outsiders

there's also the potential that the Nail have been enchanted to work exactly like a White Court vampire's hunger, which could in theory by pass things because he's not immune to WC Hungers

as for the nails being a direct magic attack, then depends, because the magic could be interpreted as working on the nails rather than lord raith directly.

now with all that said I don't know for sure if the Nails that are in him and touching his blood while his life force spills out of his body would be enough to get around the "Magic Immunity", but there are enough factors in play that it could go either way without breaking any of the settings rules.
 
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Its also probably something he never had to defend against before. He's the apex predator, and expects to handily defeat any physical or Hunger contest. Like, Lord Raith in his prime is the kind of guy with a regeneration strong enough to just Wolverine-recover from being blown to bits, since his Hunger tank is massive.
 
19. Childhood's End
Childhood's End

There were fewer people at the gate than Tania expected, given the circumstances. While there were only a handful of guards stationed there under normal circumstances, given her sire's certainty that a frontal attack on this property would not occur, she still had expected there to be more security at the entrance to the family estate during this kind of situation, not less.

But lo and behold, only Antonio was at the gate.

"Welcome back, Tania," the dark-haired man greeted with a curt nod. Despite his sunglasses, it was quite obvious that he was giving Harry a calculating look. The two of them were actually dressed fairly similarly, with their suits and dark sunglasses.

"Dresden."

"Tony."

The two men grunted at each other, before Antonio nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied that Harry was fit to serve as a bodyguard. Lieutenant Murphy snorted at the display, but looked amused. She almost seemed wistful, but that was not important for now.

"And this is?" Antonio turned to the short policewoman. "Lieutenant Karrin Murphy? What brings you here?" He glanced between the three of them. "I was not aware you were all acquainted."

"We met recently," Tania supplied, "but Lieutenant Murphy has offered to assist me in a rather important task today."

"Is that so?" Antonio cocked his head questioningly. "Are you here on official business, Lieutenant Murphy? Or just visiting."

"I'm not here for policework," the Lieutenant replied, with a hint of frustration that she couldn't be. As galling as supernatural creatures not being beholden to human law might be generally, it was convenient for this specific case.

"Well, in that case, if you are with Miss Tania," Antonio continued, "then I see no reason to protest your presence." He opened the gate, letting Lieutenant Murphy drive them through. "Inari is safe on site," he added as they drove past him. None of them had the heart to tell him he was wrong.

"That is odd," Tania muttered. "Antonio has not been assigned to gate duty for years. And there should be at least two at the gate…I would have thought there would be more."

"Maybe the old rape monster has all his guards with him," Lieutenant Murphy suggested with some trepidation.

"Doubt it," Harry replied. "Don't think the vampire king's pride would allow that." Not to mention how many of the human staff were kept unaware of the family's true nature.

"He would likely have his matched pairs with him, but not others," Tania elaborated. "Our other security staff is not as soundly enthralled, by my estimation, so are thus not as trustworthy to him."

"Then where are they?" Lieutenant Murphy asked. "You've got to have a small army of private security."

Tania frowned. "We do have a substantial number of security staff." Not enough for an army, but something along the lines of a platoon might be possible. "Though the number is spread out over various properties around the world."

"Even with that," the Lieutenant cut in, "I would have thought that he would have kept a lot of them with him, or at least here. What else would he need them to protect?"

"Unless there is something he really needs to keep an eye on," Harry muttered, before shrugging. "Or because this is a trap."

"Perhaps both," Tania concurred. Her Sire quite liked it when a plan came together.

"Could they be waiting in the mansion itself?" Lieutenant Murphy suggested, slowing the car down as they approached the main entrance of the structure.

"Possibly," Tania replied. "Let me exit first. They are unlikely to fire on me, and I could survive better if they did."

Harry frowned, his protective instinct flaring, but Tania glanced at his hand meaningfully. As flattering as his willingness to risk his life for her was, this was not the time for that.

Lieutenant Murphy gave her a careful look in the rearview mirror. "I hope this car being armored wasn't a joke," she muttered, before putting it in park.

Tania swept her eyes over the available windows; none of them were open. There did not seem to be anyone watching them at all, which was strange. They should be visible on the few cameras Lara had managed to cajole their sire into installing, unless Harry had accidentally shorted them out last night.

She stepped out of the car, focusing on the small clockwork device at her throat. The shield proved unnecessary as no fire greeted her.

In fact nothing greeted her at all.

That…was not entirely unusual, on second consideration, but in her memory, the staff usually had an almost uncanny sense of when one of their family arrived.

Nothing for it. Tania strode to the door and unlocked it, pressing an ear to the door just in case. No sound.

She pushed the door open a hair–no one was waiting for her.

Tania entered her family residence, waving for her companions to follow her in.

Harry and Lieutenant Murphy complied and the three of them paused in the oddly silent entryway.

"They aren't here," Tania whispered, nervous unease leaking into her voice. Antonio had said Inari would be here, did he lie–? No, he was mistaken, they must have sent him to the gate to prevent him from interfering, which was…softer and more cautious than Tania expected of her sire.

"It's a big place," Harry observed, eyes sweeping the room for danger. "Got dungeons in the basement or something?"

"Nothing quite so expansive," Tania replied, sharpening her senses to detect any sign of life. "Though there are places that could hold some individuals."

"This place has cages for people?!" Lieutenant Murphy exclaimed with righteous fury.

"Among other things," Tania confirmed, "...of a more sexual nature."

Harry choked a bit, then frowned, while Lieutenant Murphy made a short sound of disgust.

"Your family is fucked up," she stated flatly.

"In more ways than one," Tania agreed off-handedly, still listening intently for movement in the strangely silent halls.

Footsteps. Ah.

Tania glanced upwards as Justine hobbled over to the railing overseeing the front entrance. "Where is Thomas?" She asked her brother's favorite.

"They took him!" The young woman (only a few years her senior) looked awful. Her skin was even paler than normal, almost ashen, her limbs trembled with strain, and her hair looked like it had gained some strands of gray overnight. And yet, there was still some fire left in her unfocused eyes.

"They took him that way!" She pointed insistently behind her.

"Are you ok Justine?!" Harry yelled. "Do you need a doctor?"

"They took Thomas!" Justine yelled back, as if that answered the question perfectly.

"I believe the Feeding has robbed her of a significant amount of her faculties," Tania observed.

"Feeding?" Lieutenant Murphy asked, a hint of venom in her tone. "Is that what someone looks like after you're done with them?"

"No, she's still alive," Harry spat. The Lieutenant's face twisted uncomfortably, looking away from the distraught women.

"Can you show us where Thomas is?" Tania asked. Justine seemed adamant she knew his location.

"Tania! She can barely walk!" Harry objected.

"Then we'll carry her," Tania shot back. "Inari will probably be where Thomas is."

"Unless he split the hostages up to make it harder for us," Lieutenant Murphy cautioned.

"I find that unlikely," Tania countered. "My sire would want us to witness whatever he has planned."

"There!" Justine insisted, continuing to point insistently over her shoulder.

"Can you show us the way?" Tania requested. Harry and Murphy shared a concerned glance, but did not make further protest; they understood they were pressed for time, and this was their only lead–

"Stay there!" Tania barked as Justine almost fell over the railing in her haste. The young White Court vampire's lips curled in distaste at the state of Thomas' lover. While she was not a particularly productive member of society even under normal circumstances, Justine had been noticeably reduced by her lover's metaphorical teeth.

Harry was up the stairs in a few long strides, and Tania was not far behind. Lieutenant Murphy stayed on the ground floor, eyes alert for further dangers. Between the two taller members of the party, Justine's weight was negligible.

"Do you have a wheelchair, or something?" the police lieutenant asked.

"I do not believe so," Tania replied. "Our regeneration would make such things unnecessary…and our more mundane staff would likely not be afforded that option."

"He's that way!" Justine insisted, looking perturbed that they appeared to be headed in the wrong direction.

"Relax, Justine," Tania replied, trying to steady her. "We will find Thomas and Inari."

"Let me grab her a chair," Harry suggested. "Won't have wheels, but that should be more comfortable."

And so they ended up carrying Justine on a chair, using her as a sort of ersatz, Thomas-homed compass while Lieutenant Murphy followed them, a hand on her sidearm.

Justine pointed into the cultivated forest of the estate. Ah. Tania had noted some odd expenses about decorating an outdoor part of their estate. She had waved it off as just another location for sexual activity, but perhaps there was more to it.

"Well that's not ominous at all," Harry quipped, some of his nervousness showing.

"Are we sure she isn't leading us into a trap?" Lieutenant Murphy asked.

"I am fairly certain that she is, but not intentionally; her desire at this moment is solely to be reunited with my brother," Tania answered grimly. "She was not being watched," she mused. "Even for my sire, that is incredibly arrogant. Most likely he has restrained my brother, counting on the fact that Justine could direct us in the right direction."

"How exactly is Justine so sure where Thomas is?" Lieutenant Murphy asked. "Some kind of pair bond?"

"White Court can form a sort of mental link to the people they feed on consistently," Harry explained. At least according to Bob. For various reasons, Tania could not confirm that.

"Well that's just great," Murphy grit out, hand tightening on her gun. "Definitely a trap, then."

"You are a brave woman, Lieutenant Murphy," Tania complimented, doing her best to calm down her brother's distressed lover. She turned and looked the Lieutenant in the eye. "But I feel compelled to suggest you avoid putting yourself at risk."

"Danger's part of my job!" Karrin's pricked pride objected.

"But you are not on the clock at the moment," Tania straightened, trying to keep Justine level given the difference between her and Harry's height.

"I'm…trying to do what's right," Lieutenant Murphy sighed. "Don't you want more help for saving your sister?"

"I welcome your assistance," Tania replied, before flicking her eyes at Harry for a second. "Yours as well." It was strange how much he had become a fixture in her life without her realizing it; she should not take him for granted.

"Hey," Harry shrugged, "I did promise to look out for Inari." This was quite a bit further than just that, but this kind of excess was so very typical of him.

Justine tugged on Tania's shirt, but seemed mollified by her continuing in the right direction, albeit at a walking pace.

"I swore an oath when I got my badge," Murph added. "And what kind of woman would I be if I did nothing about this?!"

"A normal woman," Tania replied flatly. Most people would be too afraid or too ambivalent to offer assistance, especially without any personal stake in the matter.

Murphy blinked, apparently unsure how to respond to that.

"What Tania's trying to say, Murph," Harry interrupted, "is that while this can go wrong for all of us, you haven't been involved in this until now. Me? Her?" He nodded at Tania. "For us, this is personal, not to mention that he'll definitely be after us whether we come here or not." That was…essentially what she was implying?

"And I could just walk away, keep my head down, and let my conscience wither and die," Lieutenant Murphy finished bitterly.

"You do not need to risk yourself–"

"Tania just doesn't want to see you end up like her mom, or mine." Harry cut them both off. Tania frowned slightly at him, raising an eyebrow at his amused look. Was she not being sufficiently clear?

The lieutenant took a deep breath, looking at Justine with a disturbed expression on her face. She exhaled slowly, closing her eyes for a second. Tania noted her cringing slightly, probably imagining the same fate befalling her. The thought of Inari suffering likewise sent a sliver of rage through her spine, causing Justine to whimper nervously.

"That is a risk I am willing to take," Karrin declared. "Now are we getting on with it or are you two just going to talk all day?"

Tania smiled grimly, reigning in her anger for the moment. "I will be sure to find some way to compensate you for this should we come through alive."

"That means thank you," Harry mock-interpreted, smirking back as Tania glared at him. She did not put much heat into it. Humor was one way he dealt with stress, and she would not begrudge him that.

The lieutenant looked at Thomas's thrall for a long moment, unease evident in her eyes–she shook her head. "Come on, let's go."

♤♤♤♤​

Felicia was a good girl–at least she wanted to be. That was why she was standing here behind the screen, waiting for Papa to tell her when to start. Tommy had been a bad boy–he wanted to hurt Papa!–so he needed to be punished.

Felicia didn't really understand how that worked. She glanced at where her brother was chained to the ground, glowing silver and thrashing about silently, the dumb red doe draped over him and being eaten as Tommy tried to heal.

That didn't look too much like punishment to Felicia–well, Tommy did get badly beaten up first, and Papa said he was punishing the doe for being useless and being dumber than a brick (it would be irresponsible to let this doe reproduce!) Maybe he wanted him to be healed up so he could be punished more?

Felicia shrugged, swishing the special knife through the air cheerfully, idly walking around the edge of the circle, reciting the stuff she was supposed to say and do in her head (but not out loud, because Papa said not to do that).

He also said not to help Tommy finish off the dumb doe, which was a bit annoying, 'cause standing next to them was making her a bit Hungry. Oh well! She could always find some more kine after this whole event.

She didn't really get why Papa was trying to get Inari to eat someone, the girl had so many kine wrapped around her finger it was only a matter of time. And apparently Tania had already really become one of the family? Felicia wasn't sure how she missed that, but she missed a lot of things, and that did explain how 'little' Tania (Felicia was the smallest one again! So unfair!) managed to snag herself a wizard.

It was also a bit weird that Papa brought one of Inari's bucks to the Hole (or Deeps, but Felicia liked just calling it the Hole). This was a whole lot more pomp than what she remembered about Elisa's or her own fledging. Well, Tania and Inari did seem kind of special, with their Hunger-colored hair and being very brain smart. They also weren't not body smart, but the smarter twins did seem to be a little dim on the whole Feeding idea.

Didn't they know that Feeding was so much better than just eating normal food? Oh wait. Inari wouldn't, and Tania probably did now.

Anyways, Papa wanted this so this is what they were doing. But it was taking a bit long, and Felicia was getting a bit bored.

She sauntered over to the screen and peered through it, seeing her littlest sister walk into the Hole, looking confused and nervous, then scared when she saw her buck. What was there to be nervous about? Shouldn't she be happy he was there?

Oh wait, Inari must have been saving him for a special occasion if she hadn't finished him off yet.

Eh, this was probably as good a time for that as any, if he was her favorite. Felicia couldn't really see why, he looked boring and hadn't done anything interesting so far, just glanced around. He didn't even give her a good ogle! How dare he! Oh wait, she was behind a screen. Another thing annoying about this.

Papa had Natalia and Elisa do some talking, Felicia didn't really pay attention. With all this preparation, Inari would understand–she blinked as Inari said something weird. Huh? She didn't get it. How?! It should be obvious what Papa wanted!

But no, apparently Inari wasn't as smart as Felicia thought she was, and still didn't get it even when Papa explained things in detail–why did Elisa get a pat on the head?! She was a bad girl when she was little! It wasn't fair!

Felicia shrugged. Inari would be a good girl too eventually; Papa would make her come around, he always did. That sorted out, Felicia kind of tuned that out, watching Tommy eat the doe to pass the time.

It wasn't that fun to watch, since Tommy was tied down and the doe was far enough gone that she had no creativity, not that there was much to begin with. Didn't this doe work in the porn industry? Surely that would have given her some interesting ideas?! Or maybe the doe was just that dumb.

There was a buzzing sound of electricity and Felicia blinked. Again? She padded over to look through the screen again. Huh, they were zapping Inari, was she really that bad of a girl? Felicia hadn't thought their little sister would be so bad.

Oh well, it would work out.

Inari's Hunger did not rise up. Huh.

They zapped her again. Still nothing.

Then they started hitting her then zapping her. Wow, Inari was a lot tougher than Felicia thought! Though she didn't really see the reason, just fledge and it will all make sense!

Oh, was Papa saying something? Oh no! She missed it! Oh wait, he was talking to Mama Lara. She looked sad–that was weird, Mom was always happy around Papa.

There was an audible crack as Mama broke Inari's leg. Ooh! That's got to hurt.

Inari still didn't wake up, even as she screamed. Huh?! That worked on Tommy, and Inari couldn't have that much control over her Hunger, could she?

There was a scuffling sound, a roar, and another scream filled the Hole as Inari's buck suddenly jumped one of Papa's dolls, stabbing a pencil into his eye and almost wrenching it out of socket.

Well that was a bit of a delayed reaction.

Felicia watched with morbid curiosity and amusement as the other doll not holding Inari tried to restrain little sister's buck to no avail.

She jabbed her taser at the crazed kine–oh well there went that idea. The buck practically trampled the doll and–

Squelch!

Ooh, there goes another eye! And the buck was beating the screaming doll into a pulp. Felicia frowned. Didn't Papa say the dolls were supposed to be kine that could herd other kine? It didn't really seem to be working at the moment.

The first doll stumbled to his feet, one hand clutching his bleeding face, groping blindly at the mad buck–

Well now the buck was smashing his face in.

Felicia smirked. This was more entertaining than she thought it would be! See, Papa! The dolls are only good for looking pretty! She'd be pretty and able to fight! Then Papa would see how much of a good girl she was!

The dolls holding Inari were forced to drop her so they could try and restrain her crazy buck. They had a bit of trouble, even though he wasn't that big–did the buck just bite them? Was it rabid?

Oh, there went the other taser. Annnd down does the buck. Down but not out–

A fresh aura bloomed and Felicia smiled as Inari glowed silver, her features sharpening like the rest of their family. It was a bit strange, why did that happen now instead of when she was being hurt? Well, whatever, took long enough.

Even though she only had two functioning limbs, Inari managed to crawl to her feet and–ooh! That was a nasty hit, there goes another doll! The other one wasn't able to hold down her buck and he snapped free–

Inari wrapped herself possessively around her buck before he could punch the last doll. Aww…Felicia was hoping for all of them to get broken, but hey! Everything was working out mostly well, even if it was a little hiccuppy. Inari even tamed a crazy buck! Felicia hadn't thought she had it in her!

To Felicia's disappointment, Inari didn't really do much after that, just hugging her buck and cuddling. That was a really slow way to Feed–oh wait, her leg and one arm was broken, she'd probably have to heal that before getting into it properly.

Still boring! Felicia glanced back down at Tommy to see the last dregs of life drain out of the no-longer-red-haired doe. Drat, she missed watching that bit of excitement. Eh, looks like that doe was totally useless; couldn't even provide any fun.

Oh well! She grabbed the dead doe by her hair and dragged her off Tommy like Papa told her.

"...Felicia?" Tommy coughed out.

Felicia ignored him, humming to herself as she tossed the dead doe down into the Deep Hole (heheh).

"Whuh!" Tommy gasped.

"Shh!" Felicia glared at him. "We're supposed to wait!"

Oh! Someone was coming down into the Hole! Showtime!

Well, when Papa said so.

♤♤♤♤​

There was something odd about the Raith family. Antonio had always known that. But his dad had worked for them for over a decade before he was 'medically' retired. His father had even met his mom through them, and they had helped support her financially even after he died, so Antonio felt a bit obligated to work for them as well.

It certainly helped that Tania and Inari were remarkable young ladies, especially in how much respect they offered him, even when he was green and nervous as all hell. Antonio had been with them for most of their childhood, but they were grown up now, and as much as he preferred not to think about it, Tania might actually be more dangerous than he was.

Inari was a lot less threatening in that way, but it was a little creepy sometimes how she seemed to know everyone. It seemed that anywhere he went, there was someone who knew Inari– she'd even been the one who introduced him to Claudia to begin with.

Antonio had been…perhaps overly zealous in dealing with the occasional threats against the twins when they were younger, both because that was his job and he found those people disgusting…

So why was he at the gate right now? He should be keeping an eye on Inari, now that she was back home. She'd said that campus was safe enough, and the boss had seemed all too happy to indulge her wishes, but she was back at the manor now.

There also should be at least two other people with him: another at the gate and one more watching out of sight. But he was the only one here. The boss had sent the rest of them out somewhere. That made no sense, because as far as Antonio knew, all the family present in the city were in the manor.

To be perfectly fair, no one had tried to bust down the front gate during his tenure. The people who had tried to break in had usually gone over the fence at a different point.

But it was still weird. He couldn't help the nagging feeling that something was wrong.

Wait, was that a car? Antonio blinked, narrowing his eyes behind his sunglasses down the road. There was a weathered old truck rolling up to the gate.

It was a familiar looking truck.

Antonio stepped out of the guard booth, though he did not reach for his gun. There wasn't any danger, but it was quite strange to see him here.

"What do you need, sir?" he asked as the truck slowed to a halt at the gate.

"Antonio. Let me pass, please."

♤♤♤♤​

Harry had seen a few caves where nasty magic had been used. He had also been in a few expensive rich monster lairs. This was the first time he had seen both in the same place.

The three of them stepped cautiously into the cave mouth, the lack of resistance up to this point doing nothing to allay their concerns.

If not for the obviously natural structure and the partly uneven path downwards, the decor and ambience might have been confused for another hallway in the Raith Manor. That could suggest regular use, though with someone like Lord Raith, it could also just mean he had too much of an ego not to be at a place without his mark on it.

Tania led the way along the long, descending path, her vampire eyes cutting through the dim lighting better, one hand resting on the handle of her gun. Murphy followed her, similarly ready for danger, while Harry brought up the rear, staff held at the ready in his good hand.

The sound of laughter echoed up along the tunnel to them, a chilling, satisfied sound. Tania stiffened, and Harry clenched his teeth. Were they too late?

Tania's posture stiffened in fury, her fingers closing around her pistol, hackles rising, the hair at the nape of her neck almost bristling like an agitated hedgehog. Harry stepped around Murphy and placed a reassuring hand on the taller woman's shoulder, wincing at the pain from his injured hand.

Tania took a deep breath, not exactly relaxing, but not at risk of exploding in rage just yet. They needed the old bastard to drop his guard, and as much as this path seemed unguarded, there was no way he wouldn't be prepared for an attack.

"Welcome…sister." Speaking of which, Lara greeted them at the end of the tunnel, holding a spear of all things in her hand. "Father will be pleased that you are here. I am…glad…to see you." Her almost indescribable attractiveness was still there, but Harry narrowed his eyes at her uncertain posture.

"You saw me this morning, Lara," Tania pointed out acidly, not breaking stride until she loomed over her shorter sister, angling her head to observe the large room the passage opened into. "And if our sire is pleased, he can speak to me himself."

Lara did not flinch, per se, but she seemed to withdraw slightly, her aura reeled in a little. Unlike yesterday, the older sex vampire did not ooze that easy confidence, looking more like she did after Mavra's scourge roughed her up a bit. Was this what the old monster reduced people to?

"Of course," she conceded to her younger sister. "He does wish to speak with you." Unlike the captivating violet depths of yesterday, Lara's eyes were duller, not really focusing on any of them. She kept shifting her grip on her weapon, her movement looking less calculated than before. She was also barefoot for some reason.

The older vampire stilled suddenly, and Harry saw a flicker of the same protective look he had seen last night spark in her eyes. "Tania," Lara cautioned, "Heed our Father's call, for your own sake, please." Like that was working out so well.

"I will take that under advisement," Tania replied.

Lara nodded, almost seeming to deflate slightly, before she turned and stepped into the main cavern.

"Ah!" Lord Raith boomed. "My intrepid daughter arrives!" He lounged on a bone-white chair that was probably made to look like it had formed out of the cavern floor naturally, two of his daughters flanking him, one standing guard with a strange notched ax and the other draped over the side of the throne like a sexy rug. Natalia and Elisa, going by Tania's descriptions.

The whole thing was a bit of an odd sight, especially with an out of place screen on one side and the not-at-all encouraging endless drop behind it. All of them being barefoot also made it weird. Of course the old bastard took the only chair in this place. "And she comes bearing gifts!"

Harry almost bit his tongue as he clamped down on a retort, instead sweeping his gaze around the cave, noting the two sets of enthralled twin bodyguards, who looked like they had seen better days. Did one of them lose an eye? When did that–?

The four of them were standing in a loose ring around Inari, who was sprawled on the ground, arms wrapped around her friend, her lips locked onto his, skin glowing silver as her Hunger fed.

Shit.

This was going to be a lot more complicated than they hoped. Tania stiffened, gaze fixated on her twin, horror evident in the cringing of her shoulders, her right hand flexing for a weapon and her body tensing in preparation for violence.

"What is the meaning of this, sire?" Her voice came out almost hesitantly, quite different from her usual poise. The desire to reach out and try comforting her was almost too much, but Harry managed to keep it to himself. The urge to try and grab Inari and get them out of here was just as strong, but they wouldn't be able to outrun the older Raith sisters, and trying to jump into the Nevernever from a Raith dungeon was a pretty bad idea–no telling where that would lead.

The White King leered at Harry and Murphy, a dark gleam in his eyes. "The Starborn wizard that should have been ours, and the head of the only police department we hold no sway over. You certainly have an eye for talent, daughter mine." He ignored Tania's question as if he hadn't heard it.

They needed an opening, so they had to appear compliant, but how much time did they have? Harry glanced at Inari and her friend. The young man was flushed, but not yet pale, so they had some leeway, but the plan might take too long.

"Their assistance with this infestation was instrumental," Tania replied, pointedly keeping her gaze in the direction of the old monster, doing her best to appear relaxed, though Harry could see the hand behind her back flexing in tension. "But what does that have to do with my twin?"

There was a cracking sound and Harry winced as he watched Inari's collarbone snap back into place. They must have forced her Hunger to the surface somehow–that bastard!

"Oh, I am sure they would prove very useful for our interests," the old vampire continued, still ignoring Tania's main question, locking his gaze onto Murphy. Harry tensed as she stiffened like a deer in the headlights. Karrin had volunteered, but that didn't change how dangerous this was, or how much he hated the idea.

Murphy was one of the strongest people Harry knew, but Lord Raith had seduced his mother, who had been a proud, dangerous woman herself. And if Tania and Inari were at all reflective of their mom, she would've been strong-willed too. Not to mention that Karrin had just learned her ex-husband was marrying her little sister…they had really not thought this through enough.

"They are helpful allies to have," Tania stressed.

"Indeed," Lord Raith chuckled, not giving his daughter any more time to speak. "Now, daughter mine, you are quite the heartless little thing, aren't you?" His smile grew wider. "To claim your birthright and take a man–or woman, I suppose–with no regrets? How delightful."

"It seemed the most rational action at the time."

"Ha!" the old monster tipped his head back in amusement. "Rational, you say?" His smile turned cold. "Then I trust you can make the right decision."

He raised a hand and beckoned Murphy, eyes flashing silver. "Come here, little doe." His voice took on an unearthly tinge, adding more weight to the command. Murphy twitched, almost automatically taking a step forward, but catching herself as Tania stuck out an arm to block her path.

"Sire," the younger vampire admonished, "surely it would be more beneficial for her to remain sound of mind?" What was she going for?

"You are protective of your toys, it seems, daughter mine," Lord Raith drawled. Well that was a good enough cue as any.

"Hey!" Harry interrupted. "We aren't toys you impotent geriatric on a immobile mobility scooter!" Tania twitched in faux annoyance as she glanced back. Harry shrugged minutely in response. This was faster.

"Impotent?" the White King chuckled, as if it were a ridiculous thought, but Harry saw the twitch of genuine anger in his eyes as he slowly stood up from his throne. "You are young yet, daughter mine," he crooned, stepping languidly down from his throne, "it seems you still lack the proper control over your thralls." He smiled cruelly. "No matter. We have time. Dispose of these defective kine and I will show you the proper way to go about their domestication."

Well, they definitely got him a bit ticked off now.

"Dispose of them?! Did you not just state how useful they are? That would be a grave waste of human resources!" Tania argued back. "Have you become senile?!"

Harry's gaze flicked around the room trying to cover a snort (seems like he was rubbing off on her a bit). The enthralled bodyguards were still docile, despite one of them missing an eye and another bruised almost beyond recognition, arrayed around Inari and her friend. The two attentive Raith sisters by the throne barely reacted to what was going on, their eyes dull and filled with blind loyalty, but he could actually see signs of impatience as they shifted minutely.

Lara had been similar, but if Harry was right, there had been a hint of defiance there. Perhaps the old monster's control was slipping.

Lord Raith sighed dramatically, shaking his head in feigned fond exasperation. "I suppose I should not be surprised that both of you would turn out so wilful. The two of you are quite similar to your mothers, it seems." The old monster scoffed, his eyes hardening as he stopped pretending. "But enough of these games. Shall we see if you are as rational as your mother was?"

There was a crashing sound as the screen tipped over, revealing a shorter Raith sister standing over a chained Thomas inside a ritual circle.

The two less injured bodyguards drew pistols and aimed them at Inari, still obliviously draining her boyfriend.

"It is time to choose, daughter mine," Lord Raith commanded. "Family, or your toys."

Hell's Bells.

If they moved now, it would be a tricky fight. Getting to both Inari and Thomas, then getting them away…

Harry began drawing on his power. Gramps probably had tried everything, but it–

In a sudden movement, Tania roughly shoved Murphy forward towards her sire, then turned and grabbed Harry by the collar of his suit, yanking him down towards her and bringing their faces crashing together.

Huh…

Tania actually did almost taste like candy.

♤♤♤♤​

Harry's lips burned against hers and his long arms snapped shut around her body in a heated embrace, his protective lust wrapping around her like a warm blanket. Tania shivered as he forced his tongue into her mouth, her own tongue instinctively tasting him, sending pain prickling through her as the crackling hum of his power filled her mouth.

Her Hunger crowed in masochistic joy, brushing herself teasingly against his energy, reveling in the forbidden contact and the adrenaline rush spiked by the pain. Harry grabbed the back of her head and crushed their mouths harder together.

This…may not have been the wisest method of distraction.

The kiss deepened and Tania noted with a start that she had also pulled them closer together, hooking one leg behind Harry's and pressing their bodies tightly against each other, that small, inconvenient part of her salivating at the contact, yearning for the feeling of his flesh against hers–

This was not the time! The pain blessedly kept her from succumbing to his charms entirely, and she pulled back, locking eyes with him and hoping to convey her stupid, impulsive plan. She ended up biting his lip instead.

His eyes blinked open and cleared. His grip on her head loosened and his ardor focused, sprouting an inconvenient surge of denied lust in her Hunger. He was thinking more clearly, but his repression only sharpened the scent of his desire. His tongue caressed hers in a slower, gentler stroke and Tania shuddered. Oh no, he was rubbing off on her too much (not nearly enough!)

Please get a move on, Lieutenant, or she'd be undone by her own distraction!

"You warrior women are all the same," her sire crooned, and Tania tensed in anticipation, "always so eager to match your body with another." Harry's gaze was locked over her shoulder, so Lieutenant Murphy must have been able to get close enough.

"You think you are striving for victory and dominance, but a part of you will always be looking forward to giving in." Tania wasn't sure how true that was, given her sire's admittedly significant experience with women was largely skewed by his mental manipulation ability.

Tania's sharpened hearing picked up a slight, feminine gasp; her sire must be molesting the unfortunate, brave Lieutenant. "Poor, denied doe," the old vampire crooned, "you will taste so sweet." Tania did not understand why her family compared normal humans to deer, when deer were specifically not kine.

There was the sound of a scuffle and her sire laughed. Harry's eyes hardened and Tania winced as angry lust swelled within him, the kind of jealous rage one had when their friends or family were threatened. "I do so enjoy your kind," her sire chuckled, making further unwanted advances, given Harry's reaction. "The kind that can be taken again and again before you finally break."

Was that what he had done to Natalia and Elisa? They were the ones he kept by his side most of the time…

Rage curled in Tania's stomach and she reflexively tightened her grip around Harry's neck, their kiss becoming more heated and aggressive, their mutual hatred rushing through the most accessible outlet, turning into a fascinating flavor–

The old monster had been a leech for too long. He had killed their mothers. He had ruined her sisters. And now he wanted to ruin her twin. Ruin her.

And if he managed to get her under his thumb, what else might he do–?

A clicking, hissing sound interrupted her sire, and Tania froze as she heard the rapid pattering of small feet against the stone floor of the cavern. She pulled back from Harry's mouth, her head whipping around to see her sire's face contort in rage as he slammed his heel down on an ornery hedgehog.

No–!

Hayek gave one last hiss of defiance before the White King silenced him, but his spines pierced their foe's bare foot even in death, spilling drops of pink blood across bare stone.

He could bleed.

Lieutenant Murphy acted first, stabbing three nails into the old vampire's thigh–

Twisting in the embrace, Tania drew her gun, fired, and slipping out of Harry's arms, pounced. Her first shot cut across her prey's cheek as he twitched from the policewoman's attack, but two rounds caught him center of mass, sending him stumbling, pink blood splattering across the white stone of his throne–

"Forzare!" Harry screamed, curving a wave of force around her and knocking the human bodyguards off balance as they startled into action.

Natalia blocked her path to her prey, and Tania hesitated, part of her flinching at the idea of shooting her sister, no matter how monstrous–

An ax cracked her shield, but failed to stop her.

Natalia was the tallest of her sisters, standing a couple inches short of six feet. Tania barreled into her, flooring her shorter sister, her Hunger laughing in battlelust.

Elisa lashed out with a sword she produced from seemingly nowhere, but also failed to pierce the shield and Tania trampled over her in turn, her hunger singing as she reached her prey–

Pain lanced through her skull as he hammered a fist into her barrier with force much greater than that of sisters, sending her stumbling back. Her prey's form glowed the same sinister silver as the rest of them, wounds already healing.

Tania growled, lips pulling back from her teeth in a savage snarl, hurling herself back at her target–

Natalia got in her way again, snapping her ax out at Tania's leg. Even if her shield held, the blow could knock her off her feet–

Tania dropped her shield, slamming one foot down on the ax head and snapping her other leg up, sending her knee cracking into Natalia's chin as the stomp pulled her down.

Natalia dropped like a sack of bricks and Tania winced slightly as she pivoted against her falling sister, but she had no time to feel remorse as Elisa lunged, throwing all of her vampiric strength behind her sword–

Her outraged yell turned into a howl of pain when Tania fired her fourth shot into Elisa's knee, staining the floor with more pink blood and sending another one of her sisters to the ground with serious injuries.

Part of her felt sick at the harm she had done to them, but the darker, uncivilized part of her bayed for blood. The colder, more clinical part of her saw the injury as expedient: mobility kill; they could heal; they'd be fine.

"Are you so weak that you cannot fight yourself, Sire?" Tania challenged, her voice inexplicably tingling with laughter. Her Hunger roared in her ears, snarling a challenge in turn at the threat that had been hanging over her head for so long.

"They are my family," her prey laughed, his Hunger puffing itself up in an intimidation display, "when they fight, it is as my own hand." Ancient eyes blazed silver as he smiled cruelly. "As you defy me, you defy our whole family." He spread his arms dramatically, trying to make himself look bigger than he was. "Enjoy your brief moment of childish pique, but know that what you have done to my daughters will be returned a thousand fold."

Tania snarled, settling back into a ready stance, her and her Hunger uncowed by the bluff. "You lack the power to do so," she declared. Even elevated by the throne, her sire suddenly did not look so intimidating.

He had seemed an insurmountable obstacle when she was younger, when she had few connections and little personal power. But now, cold rage cut through her old fear; rage at how he dared to hurt Inari, at how he would have her discard Harry–mine!–like an old toy, at how he had torn her mother from her family.

She could no longer let it stand.

♤♤♤♤​

Harry spooled up his rotating shield a split second before Lara would have impaled him with a spear, her thrust instead deflecting off the concave barrier, the impact sending the both of them tumbling to the floor.

Lara recovered first, using her spear to vault herself upright into another attack in one smooth motion, raining swift, hammering blows on Harry's shield after a killing thrust failed to penetrate.

Scrambling back up, Harry planted his feet and his staff into the ground, gripping the gnarled wood with both hands, fighting through the pain in his burnt hand and the spiking migraine hammering into his skull as the barrier started to flicker.

The Raith sister drew back for an overhead blow–

"Rimbalzare!" His shield exploded outwards, the kinetic energy it absorbed slamming into the vampire all at once, flinging her into the wall of the cave like a ragdoll, her spear hurling end over end to clatter across the ground.

"Mama!" Harry turned at the outcry, catching a brief glimpse of Murphy disabling one of the stunned bodyguards and Tania throwing her shorter sister aside–

Pain exploded in his chest as something slammed into him, the last Raith sister crashing full tilt into him at vampiric speed, sending him crashing into the stone floor again.

Felicia recovered first and pounced, knife flashing down towards him–

"Lancea!" Harry thrust out his staff reflexively, sending a bolt of force into the incoming vampire, knocking her off course in a bloom of pink blood, a neat hole punched straight through her torso.

"Felicia!" Lara shrieked, voice choked with such human-like anguish that Harry froze for a second, giving the enraged vampire enough time to slam him into the floor again.

The two of them rolled and thrashed against each other. Lara knocked his staff away, snaking her limbs around him from behind and squeezing.

Harry jerked his head backwards, slamming his skull into Lara's nose, the impact and the shock of the Bane slackening her grip enough for him to throw her off, his hand and fingers leaving angry red trails across smooth silvery skin.

He slammed his other hand into her throat, drawing a choked scream from the vampire as the soft, sensitive flesh burned. His own injury lanced pain up his arm, but he ignored it, retrieving a coil of wire from his suit pocket with his good hand.

"Alliga!" The wire snaked forward, coiling around the prone vampire and binding her arms and legs as she thrashed back and forth, flopping around like a landed fish or distressed snake. Pink lines sprouted on silvery skin as the wire cut into her flesh, closing and reopening rapidly as she struggled fruitlessly.

Harry glanced up to see Tania break one sister's jaw with her knee, then almost twirl to kneecap the other sister, splattering pink blood giving the sight an almost beautiful, artistic flourish–

His feet were swept out from under him as Lara thrashed and twisted, taking advantage of his lapse in attention to knock him prone, using her entire body as weapon even as her limbs were restrained.

Harry snarled as he hit the floor, slamming his will and rage through the wire and drawing it tighter around the ensnared vampire, locking her in place like a straightjacket and slicing more bloody lines into Lara's pale flesh, stifling her attempts to struggle. Even then, she did not give up, rolling towards him with the intent to commit violence evident on her face.

His scrambling hand found his fallen staff and Harry brandished it at the restrained Raith. "Stay down!" He poured power through his staff with a thrum to make good on his threat.

Lara looked up at him with an expression like an enraged or terrified wild animal, her features sharpening and gleaming silver in manic desperation. Harry was uncomfortably reminded that as humanlike as White Court were, they were still decidedly not.

The vampire's gaze flicked over to where Felicia lay slumped in a pool of pink blood, before darting back to the business end of his staff. She stopped struggling.

"That's a good girl," Harry muttered, tightening the wire just for good measure, his gaze snapping over his shoulder–

Krak!

♤♤♤♤​

Tania wasted no further time, springing forward and firing her two remaining bullets while flicking her knife out of her sleeve with her other hand.

The old vampire did not bother to dodge. The first round ripped through him, but the wound immediately closed–

Krak!

Her prey gurgled in surprise as the explosive round burst through his torso, blasting chunks of silvery flesh into the air and painting the white throne pink with his blood.

Tania was on him before he could recover, slamming her knife into the closing wound and slamming the both of them through the rocky seat in a cascade of stone and dust.

The hole in his torso closed, and Tania ripped her knife free, driving it towards his jugular–

He caught the knife in one arm, rocketing a vampirically empowered fist into her with the other.

She was thrown away from him by the blow, pain arcing through her chest as her ribs cracked and reset in an instant, her Hunger gorging itself on stolen energy.

The old vampire sprang to his feet, his injuries mostly healed as he let loose an enraged roar tinged with desperation.

In that exchange, her sire's Hunger had not been able to find purchase in her, like a savage dog frustrated by a cone. She licked her lips, the sweet taste of his blood bursting on her tongue, sending an excited shiver through her body and she rose, undaunted by her sire's unleashed Hunger, holstering her now empty gun and curling her freed hand into a fist.

Harry had really proved a worthwhile investment.

Her prey's Hunger hesitated, too used to being surrounded by learned helplessness. Her passenger snapped at the weakness, and Tania charged forward, knife slashing out with a shining edge, another trick her roommate was responsible for.

She had first sought Dresden out in a desperate search for answers and protection, but he had given her more than that–he had given her means with which to protect herself.

The old vampire lashed out to intercept, but she snaked to the side, driving her knife into his chest, the impact of her charge sending him reeling, even if the blade did not cut as deep as she expected–his protection stopped the mage blade, tsk!

His left arm snapped towards her side, just like before, but she blocked the blow with one arm, her other cutting jagged lines into her sire's flesh, even as he tried to force the knife away with his right hand.

The lacerations bled, then closed, but not instantly.

Dresden's information again proved useful.

Tania snarled, and shoved.

Lord Raith's eyes widened as his arm caved. He was forced back, the eldest Raith giving ground to one of the youngest, retreating away from what should be a trivial threat.

Tania pursued him, striking low and high as her foe was forced to block, shocked disbelief negating any advantage experience might have lent.

Perhaps most important of all, Harry had given her a way to use her unwanted passenger in a constructive manner.

Her prey struck back desperately like a cornered animal, and Tania caught his blow with her free hand. The impact sent jarring pain down her arm, but she stopped his fist dead in its tracks, her right heel lashing out in turn with shocking force and cracking across his knee.

Stumbling, Lord Raith buckled as his leg collapsed under him. The difference in height between them suddenly that much more noticeable.

Tania brought her knife down–

Her foe launched himself forward, tackling her to the ground, her knife lodging itself into his back–

Crack!

Tania blinked stars from her vision as a fist smashed her headfirst into the floor–

She jerked forward with the momentum as her head bounced up from the ground, her jaw snapping shut around her prey's throat, teeth and Hunger biting down–

Ooooh

Her Hunger roared in triumph as it devoured energy already distilled into another of its kind, and Tania was momentarily stunned by how good her prey's blood tasted–

Her vision blurred as she was sent hurtling through the air, her mind idly noting the impact as she hit the ground and rolled, too absorbed by the sweet, delicious flavor of blood–

Heat flashed through her body, making her fingers curl and twitch as she instinctively sprung to her feet. Her senses seemed to have sharpened, the sound of labored breathing and pounding heartbeats sounding clearly in her ears, the dimly lit cavern bright as day in her no doubt gleaming eyes. The sweet tang of blood on her tongue, the sensation of her clothes pulling across her skin, the scent of weakened prey–she wanted more!

Her foe stumbled to his feet, rage and disbelief flashing through his eyes even as he and his Hunger flagged, clutching as his savaged throat.

He could not win this way–he never could have, and he was only just realizing that–

"Enough of this!" he cried, gesturing at something behind her. "Kill her!"

Tania whirled to see Natalia standing unsteadily, ax swinging jerkily not at her, but at Inari–!

She was there in an instant, pain lancing through her shoulder as the ax parted flesh and crushed bone, more lethal injury only stopped by her arms arresting some of its momentum.

Hot liquid splashed across her face–her own blood, Tania noted absently, as she wrestled Natalia for control of the ax.

Inari hissed, scrambling away and dragging a dazed Charles with her.

Good.

Her twin out of danger, Tania snarled at her opposing sister, surprised by a flicker of life in Natalia's otherwise dull eyes.

Tania shoved the ax free, trying to wrench it from Natalia's hands–

Something heavy slammed into her head–

A.N. Apologies for the delay, the end of year was quite busy for me, and this fight took quite a lot of reworking to get it into a satisfactory state. Anyways, thank you all for reading, and the next chapter should be out faster than this one.

As usual, thank you @Sunny @Obloquy @Darath @Half_Baked_Cat @Abhorsen @Rakkis157 @ScarletFox and all the people who've helped proofread this chapter.

If you want to chat more directly, there is a Discord available for this fic. I also have a Kofi if anyone is interested.
 
Oh, this is here, too. Well, glad I can start showing my appreciation for it again, rather than being stuck not even able to hit the "like" button.
 
"It is time to choose, daughter mine," Lord Raith commanded. "Family, or your toys."

Hell's Bells.

If they moved now, it would be a tricky fight. Getting to both Inari and Thomas, then getting them away…

Harry began drawing on his power. Gramps probably had tried everything, but it–

In a sudden movement, Tania roughly shoved Murphy forward towards her sire, then turned and grabbed Harry by the collar of his suit, yanking him down towards her and bringing their faces crashing together.

Huh…

Tania actually did almost taste like candy.
... "I was expecting a little hesitation."
 
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