Chapter 4 : Tonight, We Feast

*Darick’s POV*

The cool night air came through the open window to my left, brushing against my skin. I closed my eyes, letting it touch my face, as I breathed in its fresh scent. The sound of approaching footsteps caused me to snap open my eyes to see Viktor, one of my men, standing before me.

"What was Wendall yapping about earlier?" I asked Viktor rubbing my beard, concerned.

"He said he heard something in the storage room," Viktor replied with a shrug, handing me a stack of papers.

"Hmm. I’ll have to toughen that kid up," I sighed.

I remember discovering Wendall a month ago in the alley, about to attack an older man.

From the moment I saw him, I could tell he was one of us. His eyes were bloodshot red, and he had a look of desperation in his eyes. I shoved Wendall against a trash dump and told the older man he was getting ready to kill to run away. I asked Wendall what he was getting ready to do. He tried pinning me down and stuck his fangs into my neck when I overpowered him and held him in my arms.

"Shh. I know what you thirst for," I whispered in his ear.

He looked at me and screamed, "Let me go! You know nothing about me!"

I gripped him tighter until he was calm. "Do you want me to help you quench your thirst?" I asked him.

"Please," he begged. I helped the poor young lad stand up and took him back to my home.

Viktor greeted us at the door, and I told him to take him to the wine cellar.

"Wine? I don't need any damn wine!" I recalled Wendall shouting.

"Oh, but you do, and I think you are going to like this wine," I replied with a smirk.

Viktor escorted Wendall to the cellar filled with bottles of what he thought was red wine until he tasted the first drop of blood. He screamed for more and almost drank himself mad. We had to tie him down to get him to stop, as he was unaware he could have killed himself. Viktor and I have been training him to restrain himself ever since.

"Yeah, he's afraid of his own shadow. Are you sure he can be one of us?" Viktor questioned, interrupting my daydream.

"Yeah. I see potential in him but won't go easy on the boy." I leaned in my seat and stared at Viktor, warning him not to question my authority again.

Viktor shifted nervously in his seat.

Viktor and I were more than Blood Brothers; we practically grew up as brothers. Edward, the man who took me when I was just a boy and mentored me, also adopted Viktor after I found him twenty years ago tied to a tree in the woods, getting ready to have a stake shoved through his heart.

Rumors were going around that vampires were stalking the city during that time, and unfortunately, Viktor was caught sucking the blood out of another man's neck in the back of a restaurant. He was pinned down until the police came, and instead of the police holding him in a cell, they dragged him to the woods, tied him to a tree, and burned his arms with cigarettes, as they prepared to kill him.

Viktor still had burn marks on his skin to this day.

Thankfully, I happened to be taking a shortcut home that night as streets were filled with men carrying torches searching for vampires, and it wasn't safe to walk the streets. That’s when I heard Viktor screaming for help. By the time I arrived, they had gagged him so he wouldn't draw attention, but it was too late. I had already heard his cries, and we feasted on the blood of three cops that night.

I sifted through the stack of papers in front of me. "What of the territory in the upper east side of Brooklyn?" I asked, just as Wendall entered the room.

"The Blood Kings are still hanging around the block, claiming it."

"What?" I scoffed. "I sent five men out there last week to reclaim our territory." I stood and walked toward the bookshelf skimming my hand across the various chronicles.

"They were attacked and outnumbered. Three of them ran away, and the other two-well they, um—"

"They, what?"

"They joined the Blood Kings crew, boss.” Viktor lowered his gaze.

"Hmm…" I nodded.

"Do you want their names?" Viktor asked.

I gritted my teeth angrily. "No. I want their blood." I was determined to send a message to everyone else who dared cross me.

"Noted." Viktor licked his lips.

"We need to reclaim that territory. Let's start preparing the plans for a raid,” I stated firmly.

"That's a good idea, boss, but the men are weak and may need a few days' rest," Wendall chimed in.

I grabbed a red book from the shelf and traced the title with my finger: ‘The Chronicles of the Blood Brothers. Vol I’. I opened the book and walked to the head of the table near the rest of my crew.

"Do you know why it's important for us to reclaim that territory?" I asked as I sat in my chair.

"Because we want to own all the land in Brooklyn," Wendall answered.

I hummed. "Yes, but not necessarily. It's because our gang has laid claim to that territory for decades.” I slid the book toward Wendall and motioned for him to open the book.

Wendall looked at me curiously but complied with my command.

"What do the first three pages say?" I asked.

"In the year 1800, war broke out between the two notorious gangs in New York—the Blood Brothers, and the Blood Kings. This gruesome war lasted for one year. Lord Van Himmer was the leader of the Blood Brothers mafia and led the crew to victory against the Blood Kings." Wendall stopped reading and looked up at me. His eyes widened with shock.

"Continue," I motioned.

"It was on the 5th of November 1801 that the Blood Brothers first lay claim to five blocks in the upper east side of Brooklyn, securing refuge for the wounded men, mothers, children, and wives whose husbands were members of the Blood Brothers. Lord Van Himmer declared that this territory must remain under the Blood Brothers' control from this day henceforth."

"And what do you see at the bottom of the page?" I pointed.

"Drops of dried blood," he whispered.

"Not just any drops of dried blood. Those drops represent the founding fathers of our gang, and I'll be damned if I will disrespect their memory and let any other gang, especially the Blood Kings, steal our territory, kill our men, and shit in our mouths while we lie down like helpless dogs and say thank you for shitting on us." I banged my fist against the table as the thunder outside grew louder.

"Sorry, boss, I knew nothing about this war," Wendall replied softly.

"Well, it would do you good to come down here in the Great Hall from time to time and read about the history of the brotherhood you've just joined."

Viktor nodded in agreement.

"What of the crew in Manhattan?" I asked.

"They're holding steady for now." Viktor ran his fingers through his long black hair and tied it into a ponytail.

The man was obsessed with his hair, and apparently, so were women. Viktor was often told that he looked like Brad Pitt but with long dark hair.

"Viktor, will you leave your hair alone, dammit?"

"Come on, Darrick. You know I have to look good for the ladies tonight," he shrugged.

"How is our supply looking?" I opened my black ledger and noticed it hadn't been updated.

"I'm sorry, boss. I was a bit weak after the fight with the Blood Kings and hadn't been in the cellar to count the bottles of blood," Amber replied.

Amber had been a part of the crew for the past five years now. She managed our inventory and purified the blood so we wouldn't get sick. I'm sure her parents had no clue what they were doing when they named her Amber, as her name is the very definition of a mineral that acts as a natural purifier and is able to draw pain away from the body.

Amber would often suck the poison from the wounded, and she, too, came from a long legacy of vampires who saved many of our people during the Great Vampire Raids.

Though our gang was called the ‘Blood Brothers’, Amber was content with not changing the name as she was the only female in our crew. I mentioned it several times, but she stated that she respected the legacy of what the Blood Brothers stood for and saw no need to change it on account of her.

Just then, Martin opened the door. "Dinner is served, gentleman."

Wendall licked his lips and rubbed his hands together. Wendall was tall and stocky. He had curly blond hair, and his eyes were still slightly bloodshot red. He had yet to learn how to control his thirst, and his eyes would remain red until he did.

I could see he was still having a hard time controlling his urges, but I knew from the glint in his eye that he was getting better, even if it was slower than expected.

"I hope you all brought your appetites. I got a nice juicy plump one for us tonight,” he smirked at Viktor and me and then rushed through the door into the kitchen as the rest of the crew followed.

"Hmm, Wendall’s kills are getting better," Viktor noted as we stared at the dead human lying on the table.

I circled the table, observing his naked body. "Indeed. This guy is fat."

Amber began salivating as she slid her finger across the puncture marks on the man's neck. "I can see someone already had their share," she said, turning toward Martin.

"Hey, I had to get him down, right?” Martin stated. “Besides, I left plenty for everyone."

"Family,” I said after a momentary pause. “Tonight is a night of new beginnings. Let us feast as we embark on this journey of reclaiming our territory. We dedicate this meal to all those who have sacrificed so we can keep our brothers and sisters safe."

I leaned over the dead man slowly. My fangs grew the closer I came to his body. Ready to feast, I sunk my fangs into the dead man's soft, warm, and tender skin. His blood came gushing out like a watermelon.

"Hmm, still warm and fresh." I licked my lips and invited the rest of the crew to partake in feasting on the man's flesh.

Viktor grabbed the man's wrist and drew in deep, slurping mouthful after mouthful. He moaned, basking in the pleasure of every sip that filled his mouth.

We tore the man's skin and slurped the blood that spilled on the table, leaving no drop to waste as the night’s moon illuminated us from above.