Blood & Sugar

Chapter 15- Full Cassius POV

 Cassius grits his teeth, fangs aching to elongate as rage courses through his veins. He can feel his eyes flashing, revealing his barely restrained wrath. Blood drips from his fingers as he squeezes the warm beating heart of the rogue hunter that had killed Huan Lin. The man lays crumpled at his feet, body splayed at odd angles. Cassius regrets killing him so quickly after what he had done and the pain it caused his Destined, as well as those in the coven that cared deeply for the man. At least they were able to extract valuable information from him before meeting his end.

The Primordial knows that torturing the rogue hunter would have been purely for his satisfaction after the man had no further information to give. The man had worn a magical amulet to shield himself from being impelled but unfortunately for him, such trinkets are made to work against regular vampires, which Cassius is far from.

"Should I start diggin' up everything we can on this Ian Gregor dude? You know if it exists, I'll find it" Diesel speaks from just behind Cassius which breaks him out of his stupor. Closing his eyes, Cassius breathes deeply, hiding any sign of his previous agitation. With a careless flick of his wrist, the now still heart is tossed onto the floor like trash. With a natural grace that permeates his every move, Cassius pulls a handkerchief from the front pocket of his suit and casually cleans the blood off of his hands while turning to face his information specialist.

"Please do. We need to know the scope of what we will be facing. If Gregor is planning to make a move, we must be prepared. They obviously have no qualms harming innocents if they in some way associate with us. Huan was a message. He was telling us that they could reach those we care about and are most vulnerable. If we don't end this, a lot more people will die."

"They're fuckin' cowards, the lot of them. They don't have the balls to hit us directly so they go for the young ones and our humans. Bastards will get what's comin' to 'em." Gunner practically snarls, his usual joking demeanor nowhere in sight. They all feel the same way. The rogue hunters will pay. They will be made to regret the day they set their sights on his coven.

"I think we can all agree brother. Diesel will get us the intel we need but in the meantime, I propose we have a constant watch rotation. The Turned can't walk in the daylight so whichever of them we choose will have to take night shifts. Those of us that can day walk can keep an eye out. A couple to look after the coven and another few spread out around town. What says you?" Amir proposes then waits for Cassius to give the final go-ahead.

"That seems to be the best course of action. We can not allow another one of our own to fall prey to these swine. Javier and Amir, please put together a list of the Turned best suited for the task. Ezra and Gunner, you do the same for the rest. Keep Hiari in mind, she will want to be included. I will be meeting with the head of the hunters guild tomorrow to ascertain whether they have anything to do with these rogue hunters and what it means for the peace treaty." Everyone nods, understanding their assignments. Gunner and Amir begin cleaning up with a few helpers. By the time they are done, it will be as if nothing had happened.

Javier is turning to leave but pauses. Cassius does the same, waiting to see if the other man will approach. Something had obviously been on his mind during the debrief by the way his eyes narrowed. The moment lasts only seconds before his confident strides bring him before Cassius. The concern barely concealed on his face makes Cassius' mind sharpen and he gives Javier his full attention, tuning everything else out.

"It might be wise to consider having someone close to Sofia. We don't want to call more attention to her but she's related to Huan and, if they have been watching close enough, they would have realized she has connections to the coven. I doubt they have discovered she is your Destined since we are keeping that information inner circle only, but it would be stupid to overlook all possibilities." With a nod after saying his piece, Javier walks away leaving Cassius to think his words over.

"He has a point you know" Ezra pipes up, coming to stand beside Cassius. He hums, wordlessly acknowledging it. It is a struggle Cassius had been having internally since that first night at the hospital. Every instinct in his being is clawing at him to stay by Sofia's side at all times. The logical part of him though knows that too much contact could up his Destined's chances of being targeted by these hunters. No matter what, he must keep a tight leash on himself. Too many people are relying on him to lead effectively.

"I guess it's a good thing my old man gave Sofia his number in case she ever needed help" Ezra adds with a wry grin. Cassius turns to him with a raised eyebrow and an amused smirk. "Alasdair approached Sofie? I wasn't aware he had even ventured into town lately" he questions his best friend who shrugs.

"He didn't give any details. Just said that the girl would need it someday and your father would kick his ass if he wasn't there to offer protection."

The two lapse into silence, Cassius losing himself in memories of his father with Alasdair and Javier. The three were thick as thieves and he finds himself grateful that the two remaining men are fully committed to making sure Sofia remains safe while they face this threat. Thoughts of his Destined warm his tormented soul and chase away the remnants of fury that had gripped him earlier. He remembers their last interaction and a slow smirk takes over his lips.