Chapter 7

A week had passed since my run-in with the Royal and I’d spent that whole time trapped in the association’s clinic while I ‘recovered’ from my injuries of that night.

The blade wound that had only narrowly missed my heart was now no more than a faint cut in my midsection, no bigger than a paper cut. The wound had healed at a frightening speed and now there was almost no trace that I’d nearly lost my life that night.

It had taken so much out of me to hide the nearly healed wound from Dr Miyu but somehow I’d managed. If she’d seen how quickly the wound had healed, there was no doubt in my mind she would put two and two together and figure out I was changing into something loathsome.

My fingers tightened on the handlebars of my motorcycle as an image of what my life could become if the truth got out flashed before my eyes. I saw Damien’s cold face as he held the barrel of his gun to my skull while everyone else stood and watched, silently urging him to just end my life already. I saw the leader’s cold gaze staring me down like I was some vermin who needed to be exterminated. I sucked in a harsh breath as a quake resonated in my chest.

I had to find a way to reverse this. I just had to.

The wheels of my motorcycle gave a screech as I came to a halt in front of my target for the night. A large nightclub known to be frequented by the abominations and where I hoped to find the person who could help me stop this transition and turn me human again.

Melissa Morange. Supposedly the strongest Wiccan who currently inhabited our mortal realm, a witch of unmatched prowess and my last hope at remaining human.

Ever since the changes started, I’d sought out ways to preserve my humanity. Investigating ancient texts, searching out relics, and even going as far as seeking the help of witches and warlocks but all my efforts had been for naught. No matter how far I searched or who I spoke to, no one knew of a way to turn a vampire human again.

I’d almost lost hope until the last witch I’d encountered spoke of Melissa. A witch that was over two millennia in age and the strongest of the Wiccan kind.

Surely a witch that old should know of a way to turn me back, that had been my first thought.

And so my search for Melissa began but as expected, it was far from easy. Very little was known about the witch and there were no records of her in the association’s archives but somehow I’d learnt she was a frequent visitor of Club Eternal; a large exclusive club in the centre of town. And as the name suggested, It was a place heavily populated by the hedonistic abominations. Humans were allowed in but only so they could be preyed on by the abominations.

Yet large as the club was, it wasn’t on the association's radar for two reasons; it was run by one of the more notorious Royal vampires and the humans that entered the club always came out alive. As no human lives were ever lost in the club, the leader decided that shutting down the place wasn’t worth the risk of antagonizing the Royal the club belonged to.

It seemed cowardly but it was the smartest decision the leader could make for the association’s sake. The association currently lacked manpower as a result of our last encounter with a Royal, the encounter with HIM on the day I was rescued. So many lives had been lost that day, including Damien’s mother.

Considering how much the association had struggled against HIM, it was almost guaranteed we would be wiped out if we attempted to face this particular Royal, especially with our current numbers. So for the sake of the other humans we could protect, we opted to steer clear of Club Eternal.

I took off my helmet and examined the large flashy building. Melissa was just inside. All I had to do was find her and somehow convince her to help me. How I intended to do the latter was beyond me but that was a bridge to be crossed when I got there. I had to actually find her first.

I hopped off my bike, hung my helmet on the handlebar and approached the entrance of the club. To my surprise, the queue to get in had been short for such an exclusive club and it hadn’t taken long for me to reach the bouncers that warded the entrance. There were two of them, large males clad in black and at first sight I could tell they weren’t human, though I couldn’t pinpoint what species they were exactly.

One of them gave me a strange look the moment I’d approached and for a second I’d feared he would stop me from entering but to my surprise I was allowed in without a hitch.

Everything was going smoothly.

The moment I stepped into the club, however, I realized finding Melissa would be far from smooth or easy.

Music blared from every corner of the room, paining my overly sensitive ears. It was an agonising pain that made me debate running out of the club but the need to have my life return to normal kept my feet rooted in place. Instead of running like I so desperately wanted to, my eyes searched the space of the large club.

Strobing lights flashed all around, bathing the space in a sea of colours. The lights were enough that the space was fairly illuminated but not enough for me to actually see clearly. If anything, the constant flashing pained my eyes.

The place was packed. So much so that I could barely see anything past the sea of bodies that danced in the centre of the room.

How on earth was I supposed to find a person here?

My eyes continued to examine the expanse of the club until they landed on the private booths on the floor above, overlooking the rest of the club. Suddenly a lightbulb went off. Finding the witch would be easier from higher ground but the only staircase I noted was on the other side of the room, through the sea of dancing bodies.

I let out a curse before diving in. I wound through the sea of bodies, twisting and turning as I tried to make my way through. I was almost halfway through when a pair of hands suddenly grabbed me by the waist and pulled me flush against a hard chest.