***

Josephine was watching the grainy video on her smartphone in a blue van. The blue van had a logo of a cartoon handy-man and was perfect when she needed to do her stakeouts. She had acquired it from the same man that created the secret room in the Golden Arches.

She took a sip of coffee.

“Is that my coffee cup?” asked Telera who sat in the passenger seat with a laptop opened in her lap.

Josephine looked at her coffee cup. “Oh shit. Sorry, I grabbed the wrong one,” she said sheepishly.

Telera laughed. “It’s fine. I’ll just drink yours.” She nudged her chin at the smartphone in Josephine’s hand. “Same old?”

“Yup. For hours they’ve been chit-chatting for god knows how long. I almost want them to just like make out or beat the shit out of each other,” complained Josephine.

“Hey, you said you wanted to go watch them,” said Telera.

“Yeah, but I wish I knew what they were saying too. This is so damn boring,” yawned Josephine.

“I could only tap into the building’s video feed and unfortunately, the security cams in that building only have visuals,” explained Telera. Then she added before Josephine can ask her why they don’t just go and put in their own surveillance cameras, “We’ve already talked about this. There’re glyphs all around their apartment. The moment I set foot, boom, dead. You’re going to have to be patient and just watch them.”

“Patience is not one of my virtues,” drawled Josephine.

“I know but I want you alive,” said Telera.

“I don’t intend to die,” scoffed Josephine.

“Of course,” said Telera. “And we won’t die as long as we just watch them for now. Remember? You said just observe them.”

Josephine let out a deep sigh. “God, I hate when you’re right,” she said.

“I am your voice of reasoning,” said Telera. “Look, they’re leaving.” She chinned at Josephine’s smartphone. “Swipe to see where they are going next.”

Josephine complied, and they watched Elijah and Leora exit their apartment.

“Swipe again,” said Telera.

They then watch the pair enter what seem to be the garage.

“Finally heading somewhere!” sand Josephine excitedly. She turned on her ignition.

“I’ll pull up the cams we’ve set around the perimeter beyond the glyphs and see where they are heading,” said Telera as she started typing and putting in numbers on her laptop. After a few moments, she closed her laptop down. “If my algorithms are right, they’re either heading for House Eagle or Al’s donut shop. I very much doubt they’d be going out on a night run for donuts,” she said.

“Hmm, donuts.” Josephine licked her lips as she started the van’s engine. “We going to stop by Al’s after this. Where’s House Eagle?”

“As low key House Eagle tries to be, they sure don’t seem to keep their headquarters location a secret,” said Telera.

“Typical vampire arrogance,” commented Josephine.

Telera gave the hunter a side glance for the irony before continuing. “Head to Presidio Heights,” she said.

The van peeled away from the curb they were parked at and drove off to House Eagle’s headquarters. Before they reached there, Josephine turned off the headlights so they could not be seen approaching. When they arrived, they spotted a doorless mustang that Telera recognized from their surveillance videos.

“Okay, park here. I am going to go put an extra tracker in their car,” said Telera. When they parked next to the mustang, she started to exit the van as well as Josephine. “What are you doing?” she asked the hunter.

“I thought I go take a peek in that mansion over there,” said Josephine, thumbing the white building that stood out against the night.

“No, you are not,” protested Telera. “It’s too dangerous.”

Josephine shrugged and let out a hand. “I said, we watch them both. C’mon and give me one of your spy thingies. I’ll be in and out before you know it,” she assured.

At first Telera hesitated but relented. She wouldn’t be able to stop Josephine. “Put it somewhere and then just leave. No fighting,” she said. Her eyes trailed down to Josephine’s arm that was hurt during the last fight they were in. “Healed up?” she asked.

Josephine flexed her arm. “It’s all good,” she answered.

“Please, just be careful,” pleaded Telera.

“Likewise,” said Josephine. “I’ll be fine.”

Without another word, Josephine turned away and headed toward the mansion. As she got closer, she saw the mansion was surrounded by a moat of carefully trimmed tall bushes and trees. She stopped and slid into the shadow of a nearby tree when she saw a couple shadows move along the side of the mansion.

Guards. Damn. Now where can I sneak a peek? she thought.

Josephine scanned the edges of the mansion, and then her sight went up to the rooftops. The roof didn’t look as guarded, which she regarded as the master vampire must feel very confident or stupid to not have the roof protected. She pursed her lips. Even if the rooftops were cleared what to do about the two vampires roaming at the side of the mansion?

The hunter searched the inners of her jacket. Unlike the one she wore on her kill of Father George, this jacket had inside pockets and straps. They were filled with various vials, gadgets and even held an ancient looking kukri dagger, a gift from a former friend. She took out a round flat object and secured it to the tree next to her.

Then she covertly made her way around the mansion until she was on the other side. She watched the two shadows patrol around and when they were near the tree, she had planted the device, she pressed a remote button.

At first it seemed nothing had happened, but the shadows quickly ran off somewhere behind the tree with the device. Vampires are so easily tricked, she thought. The device she planted she knew shot marbled sized metal balls that emitted werewolf hormones. The two guards would be hunting for werewolves that weren’t there for hours.

Josephine made her way to the wall. She took out a grappler attached with a rope. With one try, she swung the grappler up to the roof. The automatic claws dug into the roof. She tugged on the rope to make sure it was secure.

Satisfied, she climbed up the rope. She noted how every window she had come across had thick curtains. Not that she was surprised. Vampires are very aware of technology humanity can cook up with. With the advent of drones and night vision goggles, vampires had to be extra paranoid. Perhaps too paranoid. That was an advantage since they usually aren’t expecting an old fashion climb up the roof and spy.

Once she reached the roof, she pulled up the rope and set it aside. She would need it when she made her escape. She looked around and found a door that likely lead to an attic of sorts where she could then plant that spy gadget for Telera to tap in.

She went to the door. As her hand reached for the door knob, she stopped. The door had no lock. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Nothing. No vision. She waited a few minutes and still nothing. Since I am not being pulled, I guess I won’t die if I entered the door, she thought. She opened the door and took a step in.

***

Leora and Elijah stood in front of the mansion. Two guards dressed in black suits stood like stone pillars with their arms at their sides. They regarded the pair with a steely gaze.

“We’re being expected,” said Elijah with an air of authority.

One of the guards nodded in acknowledgement while the other one spoke, “Master Elizabeth would like you two to know that any aggression or disrespect in the mansion would be met with an agonizing death.”

“A ‘nice to meet you’ wouldn’t have hurt,” said Leora under her breath.

Elijah elbowed her. “Just let me do the talking, okay,” he hissed.

“This way,” said one of the guards with a grunt

The door opened. Elijah and Leora followed the guards into the mansion. At first, they entered the high vaulted foyer, and it was lined with priceless statues and expensive furniture. Leora almost didn’t hear Elijah urging her to keep walking as her eyes darted between paintings, statues and exquisitely trimmed miniature trees.

They were then led down a hallway until they entered an open space that gave an impression that it was bigger than the mansion outside. Above them was a high domed ceiling painted in a mural of a scene from the American Revolution. The floor was marbled and there were two columns of fluted pillars that led up to a grand staircase. At the bottom of the staircase awaited Elizabeth, dressed in a neck high black lace gown. Around her were ten other vampires, all who looked at the newcomers with a mix of curiosity and vehemency. A few of them Leora recognized as the ones that had confronted her before.

The guards led Leora and Elijah until they were several feet from Elizabeth.

“Stay close by,” said Elizabeth to her guards. Her eyes fell on Elijah and then shifted to Leora. “In case our guests here ignored my warning.”

Leora opened her mouth to protest the accusation but was stopped by another elbow from Elijah.

“Yes, Master,” said the guards who then turned and headed back to stand in front of the entrance of the hallway they had just come out of.

“Well, I am happy that you two arrived on time. I like punctual people,” said Elizabeth. “Any for some blood or wine. Both?”

“I do not mean to be rude, but you said you wanted to discuss something with us?” said Elijah. He crossed his arms.

“To the point. I expect no less from Carmen’s brood,” frowned Elizabeth. She then flicked her hair. “As you know, my House owns San Francisco--”

“Along with my coven and the Bloodmoons,” Elijah pointed out.

Elizabeth's jaws clenched. “Yes, we have a truce. Now let me continue. I don’t take kindly to vampires not from my House coming here. Even if your coven invited them,” she said. Her eyes narrowed at Leora. “But I am willing to make an exception if this young turned one can help me out.”

“What is it?” asked Leora. She shifted her feet. She was not comfortable with Elizabeth’s threatening gaze. Elijah elbowed her. His eyes demand that she follow their plan.

“What do you want Leora to do?” asked Elijah.

“There is going to be an auction. A particular scroll belonging to an Apollonian priest, Abaris, is one of the items to be auctioned off. I want that and I want Leora to go get it for me in exchange that I let her be in my territory. Of course, she must abide by my house rules,” answered Elizabeth.

“So what’s so special about it, this scroll?” probed Elijah.

“Nothing special. I just like collecting old Greek artefacts.” Elizabeth smiled, showing her fangs.

Elijah wasn’t convinced. He could tell Elizabeth was a scheming type, and that scroll had to be special. He was about to further probe when Leora spoke.

“So why don’t you just go by yourself or send one of your people?” said Leora suddenly. She scanned the rows of vampires and wondered if this was how it was like to belong to a vampire house.

“That, young turned, is because the security, admittingly, is quite good. None that I have sent were successful,” said Elizabeth. “Let’s say, they have really good anti-vampire protocols.”

“Nothing special, huh. That’s some security for it,” commented Elijah.

Leora scrunched up her eyebrows and tilted her neck toward the top of the stairs. She was picking up some distant thrashing noises and yelling.

“It’s priceless. Now do we have a deal?” asked Elizabeth, who also turned toward the stairs.

“We’ll think about it,” said Elijah cooly.

There were murmurs among the other vampires, who all looked at each other and then toward the stairs.

Elizabeth held up a fist to quell the murmurs. “Please consider accepting. At least for your friends sake here, who seem to be attracting all sorts of trouble,” she smiled.

Elijah pursed his lips. “We’ll give you an answer by the week’s end,” he said.

“Of course,” said Elizabeth. She clapped her hands. She called out to the guards that had escorted Elijah and Leora. "Emmanuel and Henrique, lead them out!”