My Vampire Harem Will Dominate Everything

Alfred was already in a battle position the moment he teleported into the alley.

He moved immediately from where he was, just in case.

It was an instinct that had developed after being ambushed one too many times.

When there was nothing out of the ordinary, he straightened, adjusting his coat.

He was as usual, dressed in his whole butler attire. He looked this way and that before he began walking briskly to his destination.

It didn't take long for him to get to the pedestrian bridge.

He walked up it and stood in the middle, waiting as he watched the few cars go by in the dark of night.

An hour went by before the person he was waiting for arrived.

She walked slowly towards him like she owned the place and technically, she did own the place.

"Lana." He greeted her with a nod.

"Alfred." The Countess returned his nod, coming to stand beside him.

They stood in silence for a long time, thinking of all the things that had been happening around them.

It had all started when Genesis had taken out Hyde.

Lana had been ecstatic. This meant that she could seize power immediately after her husband's death and James could do nothing about it.

After all, she knew the details of what he and Anya had done.

And as for James, he'd spent most of his life as a vampire, keeping James' grip on Faewall tight.

His whole life had been about maintaining order in Faewall. He hadn't even cared that he had to serve another to do it.

But now, the situation is becoming too unstable.

There were too many pieces shifting quickly and neither of them could predict where the fallout would land.

Alfred glanced at Lana from the corner of his eyes. He could tell that she was feeling… rattled.

And when she couldn't take it anymore, she asked. "What happened?"

"I think she knows."

Lana's eyes snapped to him but she said nothing, not surprised by the information.

"She has to know." Alfred said, staring out at the road down below. "She paid James a visit and hinted at it."

"James thinks she doesn't know and is just after justice for the person killed but I think she does know. And she told him something strange."

"What did she say?" Lana asked.

"She said she's set events in motion that can't be stopped even if she died and honestly, I believe her."

"Fuck." Lana cursed under her breath. "If she's right about her plans, everything, and I mean everything, falls apart. We were there, Alfred. We helped him! Whether Monarchy or Council, no one will help us."

Alfred turned, watching her for a moment before speaking. "This… is why we need to be prepared, Lana. No one is coming to save us."

He turned away. "We both knew this was a possibility. Power shifts, and sometimes things fall apart. It's up to us to make sure that if it does, we're not the ones crushed under the rubble."

Lana's lips thinned as she stared at him. "So what do you suggest we do? Genesis is dangerous and Ezra… he'll not back down. If he keeps pushing, he'll uncover something. Not to talk of whatever Genesis has planned."

Alfred crossed his arms, his eyes narrowing slightly. "First things first, Ezra's persistent, but he's not invincible."

"His peacekeepers are only as strong as the leash James has them on. If James gives the word, Ezra can be dealt with."

"You know we can't kill him now, right?" Lana frowned. "Or, are we creating a war just to kill him?"

"Of course we're not killing him." Alfred grinned. "We don't have to kill him. We've got the Arbiter on our side. We'll just find a way to strip him of his title and then, he's fair game."

"Now, as for Genesis, that's a different matter. If she truly is right about what she told James…"

"Then we're finished." Lana interrupted. "She knows too much. More than even Hyde did before she… took care of him."

It was Alfred's time to face her with raised brows. "You didn't mention that before. What exactly does she know?"

Lana hesitated for a moment, then sighed.

"Genesis wasn't just another member of the coven. She was tied to it by blood. Hyde never knew that she was related to one of the original members, but I did."

"Who?" Alfred asked. "Who is she related to?"

Lana sighed. "She is the sister of Nicodemus' one and only wife."

"Fuck." Alfred swore. "And you think she'll stop at nothing?"

"She's already proven that, Alfred." Lana replied.

There was silence, each vampire lost in their thoughts.

Then, Alfred broke the silence. "We need an exit plan. If Genesis exposes us, if Ezra gets too close… we'll be the ones on the chopping block. James won't protect us if it means sacrificing his own position."

Lana nodded slowly at his words. She'd come to the same conclusion.

"I've already taken precautions. I have funds hidden away outside the Republic, enough to disappear if it comes to that. I'll have to leave Faewall behind, but I'll survive."

Alfred smiled at her words.

"I've made similar arrangements. But leaving Faewall doesn't mean we're out of the game. We can rebuild."

"If James falls, and he will eventually, there will be other cities, other territories to control. As long as we can escape the rubble, we'll be alright."

Lana studied him for a moment. "You're planning to cut ties with James, then?"

Alfred's smile widened just a fraction. "I'm planning to make sure that no matter what happens, I come out on top. James is useful, for now. But if things go south, I won't hesitate to leave him to deal with the mess."

Lana raised an eyebrow, impressed. "I always knew you were smarter than you made people think."

Alfred nodded his head slightly, acknowledging the compliment. "I didn't get this far by being reckless. And neither did you."

"True." Lana nodded in agreement.

They stood there in silence for a moment longer, watching the cars go by.

Being a vampire was all about surviving. And they were experts at that.

**********

Ezra sat in the room of records.

He'd spent time poring through the old documents, trying and failing to find anything on the Nicodemus coven.

All he had was the names of the members of the coven. They were now buried in his mind and couldn't be uprooted as if he knew them personally.

Six names.

Nicodemus, Exodus, Hyde, Genesis, Alyssia, and Montreal.

Of them all, only Gen was still alive.

The others had been wiped out in a brutal purge after being accused of breaking the Law of Secrecy.

They hadn't even been given the opportunity to undergo a trial. It had been an execution on the spot.

And as they had been recognized as veilbreakers, no one had protested it.

He kept flipping through the documents and that was when he found it. The only other piece of information he'd been able to find on the coven.

He'd found the location of their death.

The place where they had been executed for their supposed breach.

A house. A single house that still stood in Faewall to this very day.

Ezra stared at the address for a long moment.

The place where it had all happened. Where the people Gen had previously called family, even if it was for a year, fell to the merciless enforcement of vampire law.

Closing the file, Ezra stood and gathered his coat. There was only one thing left to do.

He had to go there. He needed to see the place for himself, to try and understand… everything.

The drive to the address felt too long.

Even though the road was clear, he felt like he was wasting time.

He passed under a pedestrian bridge, catching sight of two people on it that looked… familiar.

But he put the picture out of his mind. He had a place to be.

His hands tightened on the wheel as he finally arrived at the upscale neighborhood.

The houses here were those old but well kept ones. The type that the rich call cozy. And among them was the house he was looking for.

He parked a few streets away, stepping out of the car to approach on foot.

He finally got to the address and stood at a distance, watching it. He could hear heartbeats inside. There were humans now living inside it.

He stared for a moment.

The house looked peaceful. It was as if whatever had happened in the past had been scrubbed away by the lives of the people now living in it.

He watched as the door opened and a well dressed older couple stepped out. Their chauffeur parked their car in front of them, they got in and were driven away.

His eyes followed the car as it disappeared into the night.

The couple had withstood the test of time, sticking together through their younger years.

He sighed and that was when it struck him.

"Wait a minute." He whispered to himself.

He had a rough timeline of events. Gen had been part of this coven some years after the death wave.

Judging by the time she left Faewall, he could conclude that her coven had just been slaughtered at the time.

Looking at Hyde's records, he'd married Lana immediately after. That meant Lana knew something.

There was no way she didn't.

He narrowed his eyes. Was that why she was unwilling to help him? Because she knew what all this was about since the beginning and had wanted to save her own skin?

He turned and began walking back to his car.

Whatever she knew, he'd drag it out of her. One way or the other.