Page 1 of Master Campania

Chapter1

Campania

My jaw lockstight with irritation as the miles go by over the highways of Italy. Overmaster Descallia has felt the impending danger of our enemies for quite some time. Now, it’s finally clear to all the vampire masters who we must defeat before we can ever hope to get a trail of the rogues. First, we must find the pesky witches and make them tell us what they know about the rogues they’re working for and divulge the names of the other traitors wreaking havoc in our world. Then, and only then, will we be able to end the rogue vampires for good.

So many traitors among us it’s hard to fathom. Dragos, Corcius, and other warriors we have trusted for centuries. No one would have ever suspected Vince who devoted his entire life working for the police just to provide us inside information, or Isala, Overmaster’s trusted consigliere, a woman who swore allegiance to him and stood by his side as he picked himself up from the ashes and built the very empire all the vampires enjoy today, yet every single one of them and more turned against us.

Any number of people could have joined the rogues: a fellow vampire master, a lord, a warrior; our fearless leader did not say who else dared to betray us. There is no doubt, though, that someone we trust is feeding information to the witches for the rogues. I have every intention of finding out exactly who it is and make them pay. They picked the wrong location to hide out when they selected the nightclubs of my region. They won’t be able to blend into the nightlife for long because my hunt for the evil little creatures begins tonight.

I know the Southern Italy region like the back of my hand. The nightlife activity is a good place to disappear and blend. Our enemies aren’t as smart as they think they are, though. The sneaky witches are about to learn just what a big mistake it was coming to one of the cities under my watch to hide. No place in the region of Campania is a safe haven for them when all of the community members are loyal to me, a trusted vampire master known for taking care of his flock.

The wheels of the black Maserati Ghibli hug the corners of the winding roads, snaking around the province of Campania as my driver rounds the bends high above the sea. The lights of houses set into the hill, and those shimmering from boats across the water shine against an otherwise pitch-black night as we set out on our search for the pesky witches.

We may have dealt with the rogue vampires time and time again, but there are more out there now. The rogues, or the orchestrators as they used to refer to themselves centuries ago, are stirring and growing in numbers. Overmaster Descallia and Lucianna have exceptional powers and have felt them for some time, but now, it’s not just the two of them who feel the presence of our enemies.

Even the twelve masters of the vampire consulate feel it, including me. Even the lords who work beneath us in the regions sense the tides of trouble swirling in the wind. Every time the orchestrators rear their ugly heads, we face a never-ending battle to control the destiny of the vampires and preserve the life that we’ve worked so hard to build for the vampires today.

Not once have we come close to losing that centuries old war. While the purebloods under Overmaster Descallia’s direction have chosen the path of blending, learning, and adapting to new ways of doing things, the rogues are still stuck in the ways of years ago. We’ve always managed to send the rogue vampires who want to revert us back to the blood-sucking creatures we were of years past, back to the dark ages where they belong, but every time they regroup, arm themselves, and come at us with a different method of attack. Even still, we’ve always prevailed.

But that could all change now.

The witches have always remained neutral in the war between the rogue vampires and the purebloods of today. The pesky witches are always making trouble, especially about our land in Romania. However, in the greatest battles between the rogues and us, they’ve never taken a side, always taking to their havens until trouble has passed.

Until now…

I plan to find out exactly why this group of witches has aligned with an enemy from the dark ages, even going against their own coven leaders. Why they would want us to revert back to a time when vampires roamed the streets, snatching humans for snacks is beyond me. Even the witches are safer these days as a result of our power. No longer sought out by the same enemies they seek to protect.

My jaw locks with irritation. It makes no sense whatsoever for the witches to side with the rogues. Witches have been oppressed, openly burnt alive for having the gift of magic and to heal. If anything, they should be taking the side of the Vampire Masters who have the power to go up against the rogues and even the humans if needed.

Whatever the reason, the witches we’re after now should never have gotten involved with the rogues, or left the safety of Devora’s coven. That’s a line even they can’t cross and come out unscathed, and I and the other vampire masters will see to it that they pay for their outright betrayal.

Just because they’ve blended in with the humans and other underworld dwellers who like the lights and action of the city, doesn’t mean that I won’t find them. My region may be vast, but my driver knows exactly where to go for some of the best nightlife in Italy. We continue searching city after city in my region. When we find them, we will get the answers we want and make them pay if it takes all night or all day.

We reach the outskirts of Salerno, weaving the luxury sedan through the main roads and back alley areas the tourists never stray into. Although almost midnight, the pulsing music from the club not too far up the street drifts over the quietness of the city. My keen ears hear the distinct little cackle of a pesky witch as the sound floats onto the wind along with the rhythmic beat. I gesture to the side of the road. “Pull over here and let me out.”

I step from the black sedan and tug on the ends of my dress shirt, adjusting my cuff links and suit jacket before walking the short cobblestoned distance to the club just a half a block away.

The big burly guy at the entrance gives me a nod of recognition. “Evening, Master Campania. Go right in.” He unhooks the red rope and lets me through the red wood double door. Earlier in the night, he probably had to keep the crowd of club goers at bay as they waited until opening time.

A strand of multi-colored light flashes across the room, blinking in time with the rhythm of the song. I make my way through the throng of small tables filled with people talking and drinking their favorite concoctions while watching a multitude of people on the dance floor who are moving to a popular beat.

My eyes scan the room, taking in the humans, vampires, and other under dwellers of the night. Everyone mingling under the same roof, as it should be. Divisions that still exist in other regions, even today, do not exist here. The humans and vampires may not see eye to eye on everything, but they respect each other, and the power the other faction holds. At least in most of the clubs.

I recognize the dark suited syndicate man in the corner and give him a chin nod as I pass by his table. Even the syndicate fucks mingle with us all in Campania. They watch the pretty dancing girls strategically located throughout the club just like all the rest of the red-blooded beasts.

The syndicate know exactly how the division of power is distributed in south Italy. They know they need the vampires as much as we need the humans. We may not agree on the division of territories, division of product or profits, and other minor things, but all in all we accept the other as a necessary and essential part of doing business in the world today.

But the witches, are a totally different thing all together. I have no doubt that one of Nick Molena’s men from the syndicate has no idea he’s hanging out in a club entrenched with the witches the humans and vampires hate.

A tinkling sound, although soft, captures my attention amid all the other noise in the club. My eyes home in on the shoulder-length dark-haired woman with big green eyes sitting in the center of a horseshoe shaped leather seating arrangement with a tall drink on the table in front of her and others lined up in front of her friends. She laughs again at something her friend says.

Found you…

Every single one of the ladies drinking and laughing at the table in the back are probably trying to blend into the surroundings as though they are human and not of wiccan descent. Probably born with no other intent than to cause the vampires aggravation and grief, any chance they can.

My eyes track the sway of her perfect heart shaped ass adorned in a short cobalt blue skirt that leaves a long expanse of creamy thighs and slender calves displayed as she makes her way to the center of the room with her friends. Her silver shorty boots click against the wood of the dance floor as she and her friends begin dancing to the ultra-contemporary beat. She spins and raises her hands in the air, her eyes closed, soaking in the moment, allowing me an unfettered view of her perfectly sized breasts which bounce sweetly with each movement she makes under the thin material of her clingy white leotard top.

It’s hard to believe that such an evil little creature can come in such a beautifully wrapped package, but the witches have always had the uncanny ability to lure and ensnare even the most careful of males with their female wiles. She absorbs the music and moves seductively with the beat, causing my dick to shift against the inside seam of my pants. Seductress, enchantress, beguiling little witch.

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