Blue Flames

Bonus Chapter 1: First Meeting

Hey guys!

Long time no see!! I hope you're doing well.

Did you miss Elle and Arthur? I know I did. 

This bonus chapter tells the first meeting (chapter 5) from Arthur's POV. I hope you enjoy it. Happy reading!

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Arthur's POV

Life has become dangerously boring.

The thought barely flickered in my mind before I chased it off. Becoming jaded was an immortal's worst nightmare. When eternity seemed a bleak promise, one could go to great lengths to find entertainment.

I had lived for millennia, seen countless wars and witnessed horrendous deaths, but the last century after losing my son had been the most difficult to withstand. I had lost count of how many times I stood with the tip of my sword pressed to my chest, ready to spear my heart with the slightest nudge.

Only the knowledge that the world might descend into chaos without me kept me alive. The Five were the power that controls vampires around the world, and I was the power that controlled their population in the Americas.

The power vacuum my death would cause would leave vampires in the continent without supervision. The time it would take for the rest of the Five to take control of the situation, there would be too much death already. I didn't need the weight of more innocent lives on my shoulders, so I lived despite the occasional overwhelming urge to just... let go.

It was becoming more difficult, however. My magic had become a restless darkness that demanded to be set free. My control over it was still firm, but it was getting tiresome.

"Sire."

I looked up from my book. Harvey stood in my office. Dressed in his usual three piece suit, he looked the epitome of civility. I knew better. I had seen him disembowel a man with his claws and strangle the said man with his own entrails. It was one of my least favorite memories of Harvey; the smell had been terrible.

"Yes?" I looked down at the book. I had lost interest in the story a few pages ago. Human literature was marvelous, but the past few decades had been a let down. Could no one just write a decent book? Or perhaps I was the one who lost taste to anything? Probably the latter.

"There's a situation in the city," Harvey said, his voice grim. "A demon is on the loose, targeting humans."

I glanced at Harvey with a raised brow. Why was he bothering me with the Order's minutiae. "Isn't that why the Order exists?"

Harvey sighed, tucking a hand in his pocket. The setting sun streaming through the window reflected off his impeccable hairstyle, casting his dark hair in auburn shades. "The Order is not... equipped to deal with this kind of demon."

"Elaborate."

"It's a man-eating demon," Harvey said, triggering memories from such a long time ago, they were mere snippets of images in my mind. It would take me some time to recall the details. Harvey continued, "George was getting nowhere in the case. And now he's enlisting the help of a human headhunter who works for the Order."

"A human?" I asked. "What would the director of the Order need a human for? Bait?"

"No. It seems she has a unique set of abilities that George needs for the case. I had Jesse drop by her place this morning and take a look, but he said she's just a normal Human."

My curiosity stirred. It was such a wonderfully nostalgic feeling, and I paused to relish it. Being intrigued didn't come easy to an ancient immortal.

I closed the book and leaned forward, clasping my hands on the desk. "Tell me more."