Blood Slave

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Bounty

I glare at my mother across the kitchen table as she plays with a lock of her wavy auburn hair. 

"Dalia, why didn't you tell me?" I ask her again. 

She shrugs. "You have no business getting involved with Dracula. He doesn't like hybrids. If he found out that you are one, he will kill you. I don't want you doing any bounty hunting for a vampire. He can solve his own issue." 

"What about the witches, lycans, and werewolves that I helped before? They could 'handle' their own issues too. You're being so racist towards vampires," I say angrily. "Just because Dracula is a hybrid-hater doesn't mean I should just cut off all contact from vampires." 

Dalia glares at me from across the table. “You have some nerve saying that to me since I'm stronger than Dracula. I don't hold anything against vampires in general. I just hate all of the pure blood vampires. I hate Dracula. I hate his two children. I hate his children's children." 

"Mom..." I say quietly. "Please... The reward is twenty-five thousand dollars... We may be supernatural, but we aren't invincible. This is still a world that belongs to humans. Money is the issue. You need money to keep this house." 

"It's American dollars, Helios. We live in Scotland. That money is worthless here." 

"Mom, we can live in America then. You are from there. I've seen it, okay? You need the money really bad. We have nothing. Sure, you're an original creature created by the Mother of all Monsters herself, but this isn't the Mother's world. This is a world ran by humans. You need money more than anything to survive." 

Dalia narrows her eyes. "I realize that I'm in debt, but I don't care. I rather die than work at McDonald's." 

"See? You think you're all high and mighty. You're too prideful to even accept minimum wage. That's why I need to do this, Mom. For you," I say with a frown. 

Her eyes narrow. "And Nix? What do you think about this?" 

Nix clears his throat as he stands beside me. "Um... I think it's a good idea." 

"Of course you do," Dalia growls. "Next time, I'm going to turn you in for tapping my phone, you dick." 

Nix backs away really quickly. "Sorry, ma'am." 

"Mom?" I say with a frown. "What do you say?" 

Dalia sighs as she studies me with thoughtful eyes. "Do you really want to do this?" 

I nod slowly. "Yes. I do." 

She shakes her head. "If that's the case...then I'll stay here and watch over Aimee. I'm guessing Nix is going with you." 

"No," I say. 

"No?" Nix asks angrily. "I'm coming with you, Helios. I don't care what you say." 

"Nix...don't start..." 

"Don't start? You're acting like Dalia now. What would you do without me? If it weren't for me, you wouldn't know anything about this job so give me some damn credit. I want to go somewhere. I actually want to get off my ass and do something so let me do it," he nearly yells. Then he looks up at Dalia. "No offense." 

"None taken," she says but then her expression darkens. "But say something like that outburst again and I'll castrate your ass." 

"Yes ma'am." 

I sigh. "Yeah, yeah... I guess I shouldn't take away something you're interested in."