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MICHEL | continued from x

It was still strange to be alone in a bar. Miguel had always been the textbook definition of a social butterfly, he liked being surrounded by people, in the middle of whatever was going on. Having all eyes on him was freeing in a way, he didn’t need to worry about anything else in those moments. But sitting at a bar all by himself was beginning to really bring a damper on his overall mood. He used to go out with his friends or with just his best friend and ever since the night he’d been turned he hadn’t really seen much of anyone.

At first it was because he thought Julia hadn’t survived the attack, but then once he found out she’d been changed as well, except she was now a vampire, he didn’t feel like he really belonged with the rest of his friends from before. The pack was nice though, Miguel was glad that they were as welcoming as they had been since everything had happened. He missed his family and now it was like he’d found a new one to be a part of.

The bar didn’t smell all that great, thanks to his supernatural senses now, but as someone came to stand next to him he immediately noticed a change in the air. It was rotted like something was dead or-- a Vampire. Miguel realized as the man spoke, his voice was easy enough to hear over the noise in the bar and the young lycan didn’t know if that was because of his enhanced hearing or if that was just something vampires could do. Silence stretched between them for a moment and Miguel knew he looked more like a deer in headlights than anything else.

“Sure,” he responded with a bright smile to hide the way the hair on his arms was already standing up. He couldn’t tell if this vampire was friendly or not but the last time he’d come face to face with a vampire was the night he’d been turned and it seemed the memory wasn’t going to go away so easily when faced with another. “This seat is open as well if you’re- uh looking for one.” He added just a little awkwardly, gesturing to the open stool next to him.

#miguel | interactions

ZAIDEN |

GODDAMNED SINCLAIR , MAKING FRIENDS with undeserving beasts ; the briefest mention of his lover , his comrade , his only remaining tether to what little remained of his humanity , is enough to render him silent as blazing sapphire hues burn into the lycan trapped before him. teeth clench together with a low , strangled hiss gritting out between them & the muscle in his jaw jumps visibly as he does so. ❝ you leave his name out of your muzzle , mutt. ❞ his words , however , lack the initial conviction with which he had snarled only moments earlier. wrist twitches enough to allow the cool metal of his glock to press insistently along the underside of his mirror image’s jaw , lingering with a certain level of forced stillness before , finally , zaiden exhales a growl of resignation. hand drops , his gun resting pointedly at his side instead – and though his fingers itch to release the trigger with the barrel pointed between zacharie’s eyes , zaiden is all too aware of the precarious position one sinclair portier has placed him in.

an accomplice – zaiden knows that what he is now & though his loyalties to the crown runs deeper than what little blood exists between himself and the beast with blood trickling down its cheek before him , he had still consciously chosen his partner in arms over the king he had so dutifully served for centuries upon centuries. a foolish , flippant decision that zaiden had yet to properly berate himself for – but the decision had been made & with it , his fate had been sealed into a nefarious plot entrenched in treason and betrayal. it is because of sinclair that he is here at all – and zacharie’s brazen assertion that it was not he who pulled the strings behind the master plan , but instead zaiden’s lover , who had been calling the supposed shots leaves him back at square one. fucking sinclair. zaiden made a mental note to chew his stupid ass out once he makes it back home.

slowly , mechanically , zaiden takes a singular step back ; it is enough to place a healthy amount of distance between both himself and zacharie , enough of a show to convey that zaiden has forsaken his desire for bloodshed , save for the singular incision he had sliced so neatly upon the other’s cheek. the dark-haired vampire takes a moment to admire his handiwork – and though the lycan’s wound has already begun to stitch itself back together , he cannot help but smirk ever so slightly to himself. it’s muted , lacking in the usual sadistic glee that would light up his angular features – for the lurking promise of sinclair & zacharie’s convoluted plot for corruption occupied too many of his thoughts to take the proper amount of joy at the circumstance at hand. nostrils flare suddenly & after drawing in a slow breath , zaiden levels zacharie with a sharp look.

❝ you’re telling me that sinclair is the one in charge , ❞ he echoes calmly , the even tone lurking in his baritone drawl almost eerily steady. ❝ but that also means you two have been working closely together. i find it hard to believe that you , a seven-hundred year old lycan , alpha of the current pack , would demean yourself enough to follow orders from a vampire only a century and a half in age. ❞ he doesn’t waver – and though zaiden , himself , holds sinclair to such a high standard , he cannot imagine that someone as high up in ranks as zacharie would follow the other’s word without some sort of incentive for himself. ❝ there’s something missing from the equation. there has to be something in it for you … ❞ head cocks to the side & blue hues narrow into chips of pure ice. ❝ so what is it that you’re trying to gain out of your partnership with him ? i cannot imagine that you would send him on a suicide mission without some form of asset that would benefit you or the liberation … because , surely , even you are not so much of an idiot to think that clair is not putting himself in a stupidly large amount of danger by doing so. unless , of course , your intention is to pick him off by encouraging his whims with full knowledge that any misstep may lead to his execution. ❞ zaiden doesn’t quite notice the way his calm tone rises ever so slightly , the inklings of a worried hysteria bleeding into the concerns that suddenly tumble from his lips before he can stop himself. his grip tightens around his glock & his wrist twitches suddenly , as if the urge to press it back to the lycan’s throat has finally returned. ❝ so which is it ? are you sending him to his death willingly ? or is there something else you’re vying for ? what is your endgame ? ❞

Zacharie braced himself as he felt the gun press against his chin, he hoped that Zade wouldn’t pull the trigger. But if he’d learned anything about his twin in the last century it was that he always followed through with a threat. And judging by the fire that flashed through his eyes at the mention of Sinclair, he was already pushing Zaiden closer to that point. Even though they were brothers, Zacharie knew that wouldn’t stop the death dealer from putting a bullet through his skull. All he needed to do was give Zade a reason and he was as good as dead.

The silence between them was deafening, the cold metal from the gun burning against his chin. But then just as quickly as Zaiden had pulled the weapon out it was gone again. Zacharie wasn’t sure what to think, and as Zaiden stepped back, putting a proper amount of space between the two of them, he stepped back as well. He stopped himself from reaching up to touch the scar on his cheek, refusing to show any kind of weakness in front of his brother.

“He is the one in charge.” Zacharie sighed, forcing himself to meet Zaiden’s gaze. He wasn’t going to be scared away by the way he was glaring at him. And of course Zaiden had seen right through the stories that he and Sinclair had told him. “It wasn’t my idea for him to go off on some sort of suicide mission. He came to me and told me about his plan and to be honest we both know that he is going to do it whether I agreed to help or not.” Zacharie knew that he was right and even as he skirted around his own reasons for agreeing to help Sinclair, Zade had to know that he was right.

Sinclair hadn’t even told him what his plan was, the other vampire refusing to let Zacharie in on too many details. Only making him promise to be around to help with the fall out that was going to happen with Zaiden once the truth came to light. “Sinclair is the mastermind, I just agreed to help should he need it.” He added with a hard look, trying to make it clear that he wasn’t lying to Zaiden about this. He could tell that something about this conversation was really starting to weigh on him. “I don’t have-- I’m not trying to send him to his death. He’s just trying to figure out whatever it is he’s convinced that Aleksander is hiding from all of you. You should really be taking this up with him.” He felt a little more confident staring at his brother, his voice soft but even and firm now.

#zacharie | interactions

SINCLAIR | continued from x

Austin couldn’t help but snort at Sinclair’s words, the very idea of Zade calling someone a thick-skulled dumbass was so fitting but he just couldn’t imagine that label being applied to the death dealer in front of him. “If that’s true, it speaks volumes about how great of a teacher Zaiden is.” He comments lightly with a grin. Sometimes it was easy to forget that he and Sinclair were actually around the same age, since most of the time he didn’t act like anyone else that Austin knew around his age. That was probably because of all the time he spent with Zade, who was so much older than both of them combined. Not that he’d ever say that to Zade’s face.

It was nice though, just sitting around with someone that he really got along with. He hadn’t really found a group of friends here in New York. Not like he had when he had been back at home, he wasn’t ready to be close to anyone like that again. Not after everything that had happened.

“Ah so Zaiden not actually dislocating my shoulder during every training session is his way of saying I’m actually doing pretty well?” Austin teased with a smirk as he lifted his glass to his lips. He drank slowly, savoring the taste of the synthetic blood even though it wasn’t all that appetizing. Blood was blood after a while and they did need it to survive after all. “I just don’t want to let him down or make it seem like you both are wasting your time with me.” He added after a moment with a shrug, a small smile playing on his lips.

#austin | interactions

Z | continued from x

Z was angry with him, he could tell in the way that she didn’t say anything as she pulled the washcloth away from his face. Zac knew that he was downplaying the seriousness of the new found scar decorating his cheek, their kind was highly allergic pure silver, even the smallest cuts or scrapes could turn deadly if they weren’t properly taken care of. Z didn’t need to worry about that though, he’d already cleaned everything out and he had just been trying to make the bleeding stop when she had come in. Zac had a feeling though that he needed to let her speak before trying to tell her everything was okay again. Getting into a fight with Z wouldn’t help anything right now.

The silence gave him a chance to really think about what had happened between him and Zade. The brother he’d been constantly chasing since he’d first found out about Zade being alive was slipping farther and farther away. And Zac didn’t know what he was going to do now. He had a responsibility to his pack and he couldn’t continue to let himself get so wrapped up in trying to find the human side of Zade.

The sting of Z dabbing at his cheek with the freshly dampened washcloth made him hiss softly, pulling back slightly before forcing himself to relax. His eyes met hers as she tilted his head up enough so that she could continue to clean his cheek. The silence between them was slowly becoming suffocating but he didn’t want to be the one who broke it.

When Z finally did, Zac couldn’t help but chuckle softly, his lips curling up in a soft smile. “I’m okay really,” his voice was soft, not raising a hand to stop her as she continued to dab at his face. “I cleaned up before you arrived, it looked worse earlier.” He added with a light grin trying to make light of the situation, even though he knew how serious this was. Zade had broken into his apartment and could have killed him if he wanted to.

“Yes he was here when I came home.” His voice was still quiet, tired almost as he looked up at Z again. “Apparently he compelled the doorman. I think we need to put better security in place. Especially for the younger members of the pack who are still living in this building.”

#zacharie | interactions

ZAIDEN |

THE UNWAVERING DISGUST glimmering in iridescent hues only hardens with each syllable that leaves the lycan’s lips. a low scoff escapes him & as fangs click together forcefully with a pointed snap , zaiden’s wrist flicks with the fluid ease of an assassin. the pointed edge of his dagger slices along the high planes of zacharie’s cheekbones with sudden swiftness , a thin laceration of scarlet blooming against ivory flesh from where his dagger had made its perfectly-timed incision ; zaiden’s tact is evident , for the cut is too thin to be considered messy , too calculated to be anything less than an example of perfected skill – & though the hiss of burning flesh is enough to make a mortal recoil in horror , zaiden remains steadfast & unmoving. he glowers at the other with a low tsk , one hand moving to pluck a handkerchief from his inside pocket to clean the thin trail of ruby staining his knife’s serrated edge. ❝ i am not your FUCKING FRIEND , mutt. you are an animal to me – NO , worse than that. you’re a MAGGOT. i don’t want to waste my time sharing drinks with the likes of you. so don’t try me again. answer my FUCKING questions. ❞

jaw flexes dangerously , lips parting with enough of a gap to expose glittering fangs in the low light ; zaiden doesn’t bother to move , caging zacharie in against the door regardless of the small hiss of pain that escapes the other. the death dealer may be in the heart of liberation territory , but the fact that zaiden remains in complete control of the situation isn’t lost on him. his glock , loaded with silver bullets , rests neatly at his hip , waiting to be drawn & pointed if the lycan continues to wear down his already fraying patience any further. he allows the other to speak , only partially annoyed now as he rolls his eyes with obvious disdain. ❝ tell me something i don’t know , jackass. ❞ clair had already told him so much – that he was in cooperation with those like zacharie to find intel against the king zaiden so dutifully served for centuries … and while the sentiment continues to make zaiden uneasy , it had become something he had already grown adjusted to. ❝ do you think i want to waste my time talking to you about what i already knew ? i know there’s more , something you’re not telling me. ❞ head cants to the side as eyes narrow.

his hands work with fluid ease to tuck his knife away in favor of fetching his most favorite weapon ; it glints in the darkness , dangerous & foreboding , and as the mechanical sound of his gun clicking into place echoes in the empty apartment , zaiden’s smirk grows wider , more sadistic. ❝ last chance. what do you know ? you’re in no position to fight me right now. ❞ gloved hand lifts just enough to allow the muzzle of his weapon to nudge beneath zac’s chin , enough to tilt his so-called brother’s head back until blue-and-white hues meet glowing , dangerous sapphire. ❝ what are you planning with clair ? how does this have anything to do with me & how long has this been going on for ? WHAT IS YOUR ENDGAME ? ❞

As the knife neatly sliced into his cheek, Zacharie couldn’t help the hiss of pain that escaped through gritted teeth. He knew that Zade wasn’t lashing out to hurt him. No this wasn’t anything but a display of what he could do, and for anyone else the act alone might’ve stirred up a sense of fear. But Zacharie wasn’t nearly as afraid of his brother as he probably should have been. Though he couldn’t hide the way that his cheek was burning from the silver blade, he refused to back down anymore than he already had. He promised Sinclair that he wouldn’t be too confrontational with his brother, that he would look out for the other vampire but Zade was making this a little more difficult than he had originally anticipated.

“I have answered your questions.” Zac growled out all too aware now that Zade had him more or less trapped against the door behind him. He wondered idly, as Zaiden continued to insist that there was something more that he knew, if Sinclair had made any mention of his belief that Aleksander was compelling him. Probably not and Zacharie wasn’t going to be the one who spilled that particular secret. It was one thing to tell his brother that the king he so blindly served wasn’t the great vampire that he believed him to be; but he couldn’t tell him that they believed Aleksander to be controlling Zade like a marionette on a string.

Zade drawing his gun wasn’t nearly as surprising as it should have been for Zacharie. Not at this point in their relationship. The cold touch of the barrel pressing against his chin brought a new found sense of urgency to the situation at hand. This wasn’t going to be the way he was going to go, not like this. “I’m not the one planning anything, Sinclair is in charge here. He has this idea that you’re not safe or there’s something going on that is going to change everything we currently believe. If you think he told me more than that you’re underestimating him.” He knew that Zade trusted Sinclair more than he trusted anyone else. “All I know is he’s probably going to get himself into trouble and he wants my help should he need it.”

#zacharie | interactions

insporp

©

#miguel | aesthetic

GIOVANNI | continued from x

Zac pulled back, silently surveying the other lycan to make sure he didn’t miss anything before moving to put away the first aid supplies he had taken out. He knew that this wouldn’t be the last time Gio ended up at his apartment to be patched up, and everything else aside he was glad that the other was still here and had allowed Zac to help. He couldn’t fault the other lycan for wanting to defend himself, especially since Zac knew that some of the fledglings in the coven felt themselves to be invincible.

“WELL, I CAN’T FAULT YOU FOR THAT.” He murmurs with a heavy sigh, pouring each of them a drink before bringing it back over to where Gio was sitting on his couch. “AS LONG AS YOU DIDN’T GO LOOKING FOR THE FIGHT.” Zac added with a meaningful smirk, though it was clear that he didn’t doubt Gio’s explanation at all. He knew the other lycan was telling the truth about the situation. “FLEDGLINGS DO TEND TO THINK THEY’RE INVINCIBLE DON’T THEY.” It wasn’t really a question, more of a tired fact as he sank into his armchair.

Gio’s casual mention of Zac’s own recent run-in with a vampire made him want to groan. Though he hid the feeling behind a long slow sip of his drink. “I DID NOT PICK A FIGHT.” He assured him after a moment, his voice quiet and meaningful, though there was a ghost of a smile on his lips. Somehow he knew that Gio was going to ask about his recent fight with Zaiden eventually. “AND I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD CALL WHAT HAPPENED AN ASS KICKING. JUST LIKE YOU, I CAN HANDLE MYSELF IN A FIGHT.”

#zacharie | interactions

sacrilegisms:

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐋𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒! 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐌𝐀𝐓𝐂𝐇.

JULIA : whaaaat no way im def the luck 1 fdkjgn JULIA : im ok!! ive been trying 2 paint my nails while i watch netflix buuuuut it’s not going rly well :c JULIA : what have u been up to tn!

AUSTIN : aww no that sucks tbh :c AUSTIN : what are you watching? AUSTIN : i’m just getting off of work, late night tonight

#austin | interactions

ZAIDEN | continued from x

Austin wasn’t surprised by Zade’s less than enthusiastic response. He knew that Zade had probably heard everything he’d said from all of the recruits that he’d trained before and Austin wasn’t delusional enough to believe that he was different than the vampires before him. Holding the death dealer’s bright blue gaze with his own, Austin pulled himself back up onto his feet focusing now on not letting himself falter as a wave of exhaustion swept over him. He didn’t doubt that Zade knew what he was talking about, but that didn’t mean that he wanted to admit how beat down he was at the moment or how much he hated the way Zade called him a fledgling. He still had a lot to learn and he didn’t want to waste any time doing it.

He didn’t respond as Zade turned sharply and walked out of the training room, moving as quickly as he could to follow along. The smile that spread across his lips disappeared as quickly as it had arrived as Zade’s compliment gave way to a criticism of his abilities. “YOU DON’T THINK I HAVE RAW POTENTIAL?” Austin’s tone wasn’t accusatory, in fact it was very much opposite that. The young vampire frowned as he fell into the step with the older death dealer. Honestly he was curious about Zade’s answer as neither he nor Sinclair had mentioned it before now. Maybe he didn’t have that innate sense of fire that Zade clearly had, but he hoped he was right in believing that it wouldn’t be something that stood in his way.

“WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST?” Austin adds on, again curious as he glances over at his mentor. “I MEAN ASIDE FROM THE OBVIOUS THINGS YOU’VE ALREADY MENTIONED. I DON’T JUST WANT TO BE ALL TALK, I WANT TO ACTUALLY IMPROVE.”

#austin | interactions