Page 12 of The Vanishing
The vampire is ancient with pale flesh, wrinkled and creased. A hardness is set in his expression. His posture is straight in a tall, thin frame. He’s dressed in pristine formal clothing, but his fashion is severely outdated: a deep blue greatcoat, waistcoat and white dress shirt tucked into pleated slacks. He taps his cane as he stands there, lifting his sharp chin as if he is a king and they are his menial subjects.
The old creature steps down into the room. Haruka takes a deep breath, then bows at his waist. “Welcome, Lajos Almeida, to Okayama prefecture. I am Haruka Hirano. This is my mate, Nino Bianchi. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
Nino bows at his side, his smile kind but without its usual warmth. “Welcome to our home and realm. We’re pleased—”
Lajos raises a gloved hand. Nino stops, glancing at Haruka from the corners of his eyes. Lajos’s chin lifts even higher, his dark, sharp gaze focused on Haruka underneath bushy eyebrows. “You are of ancient blood. You are the leader of this house? Are you the elder as well?” Despite his frail appearance, the vampire’s voice is heavy, weighted with time and authority.
“No,” Haruka says, keeping his face even. “My mate is the elder, but we do not operate our household according to such conservative edicts.”
Lajos furrows his gray eyebrows. His silver hair is pulled back and gleams against the recess lighting. “So this house has no leader?”
“It hastwoleaders,” Haruka says. Without question, this purebred is his elder, and his blood registers as primeval, like Haruka’s own. He knows that he should show their guest respect, but their guest should not openly question the operations of his household—especially within the first two minutes of walking through the door.
Smirking, Lajos steps back and toward the sofa opposite them. A small coffee table is set in between. “Two leaders? That is not possible.” He flicks his long coat to the side before sitting down, never breaking eye contact with Haruka.
“And yet, we stand before you.” Haruka sits as well, the vein in his temple throbbing as he folds his hands in his lap. The anxiety radiating off of Nino’s body beside him is palpable.
Lajos props his cane against the seat cushion beside him. “In any pairing, there is always one stronger and one weaker. One greater and one lesser. It is the role of the lesser to support the stronger.”
“I respectfully disagree,” says Haruka. “In any pairing, both are strong, but in distinct ways—their talents and support of one another equal in value. You sent us a formal request for introductions. Please disclose the true purpose of your visit with us this evening. How can we assist you?”
At this, Lajos tilts his head back in genuine laughter. The sound of it is boisterous, startling. It irritates Haruka even more.
When Lajos gathers himself, he runs a gloved hand over his head, focusing on Haruka again. “Very sharp.You, young male, are the leader of this house. Your speech is bold and resolute. You radiate power and grace, while this male of new-found blood sitting beside you says nothing. Is this not a fascinating introduction? I cannot remember the last time I have been challenged this way. How amusing you are.”
“Have you come here seeking amusement?” Haruka asks, his temper reaching a low boil. “To agitate and offend our household?”
Haru.
Haruka’s eyes flicker to his mate, recognizing the faint call as it echoes in his mind. He opens his senses to receive Nino’s thoughts, clear and concise.
Nothing he says matters. Don’t let him upset you. Stay calm.
Agreeing, he takes a deep breath. He rolls his shoulders, and Nino reaches over to grab his hand. Haruka refocuses on their pompous, uncouth guest that reeks of sage… He won’t eat anything with sage again for a very long time.
“Interesting.” Lajos tilts his head at Haruka. “Young male, what is your age?”
He speaks through gritted teeth. “One hundred and three.”
“Very young… With your mind and power, you could do great things. You should not waste the gifts you have been uniquely blessed with by playing into these soft, contemporary ideals. You have the ability to shift the very foundation of our race. You could rule over all. I can show you how.”
For the first time, Haruka is speechless. He hadn’t known what to expect tonight, but it was not this.What the hell is he talking about?
“Senhor Almeida, why are you here?” Nino asks, cutting to the chase.
“He speaks.” Lajos smiles, but his expression is unamused. “Is your renewed bloodline even a century old? Your ancestors are a disgrace for feeding from humans as long as they did. Repulsive.”
They both sit, blinking in response to the derogatory comment. Discrimination between purebred bloodlines is irrelevant. Obsolete. Especially not after the Great Vanishing. Purebred blood is purebred blood. Period.
At their silence, Lajos shifts his gaze back to Haruka. “Are you interested in improving our race? Growing our numbers as glorious purebred entities?”
Haruka stares, feeling as if his brain has stalled, or as if he is misunderstanding something. Is this an elaborate hoax? This antiquated creature with his elitist rhetoric and unapologetic arrogance.
“Our race has become bastardized—marred with these first-, second- and third-generation creatures that reek of human blood,” Lajos continues. “Purebreds of the past have fornicated with humans to create these lesser vampiric beings. They guzzle both blood and food, like pigs at a trough sucking up all the earth’s resources. I have established a solution. A pure and perfect society where wemultiply. Where we survive on blood alone and remain nocturnal as our ancestors once lived.”
Asao enters the room with a tray of tea and rice crackers. He steps up to the small table, then drops the tray against the surface, making the contents spill and shift in a loud clang. He stares at Lajos with his brow furrowed for a long moment before turning and walking out of the room.
Lajos waves a hand. “See? They are a stain on our race. The unfortunate consequence of avarice and perverted curiosities.”
