Chapter 90: Stratagist

Words : 1804 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 90: Stratagist Griffin~ I had rented the penthouse of a five-star hotel. The place was extravagant—marble floors that gleamed under pretty golden lights, a modern open kitchen, a spacious living area with velvet couches, and floor-to-ceiling windows offering a breathtaking view of the city. Two rooms, each with a king-sized bed, separated by a long corridor. A place of comfort, a place of luxury. But comfort was the last thing Cassandra wanted. She walked in behind me, her movements smooth, calculated. She tilted her head, assessing the space with an impassive expression before turning to me, her arms crossed. "Not bad, Blackthorn. I expected something filthier." I smirked, shoving my hands into my pockets. "Oh, trust me, sweetheart, I thought about putting you in a dingy motel, but then I figured—you’d probably kill me in my sleep." Cassandra let out a slow, humorless chuckle. "Smart boy." Ignoring her, I picked up the service phone and ordered some food—steak, potatoes, a side of vegetables. I had no idea what she liked, and I wasn’t about to ask. After placing the order, I turned back to her, watching as she leaned against the arm of the couch, those sharp, deadly eyes fixed on me. She was like a storm coiled tight, waiting for the right moment to strike. I rubbed my jaw, deciding to break the silence. "So, tell me, Cassandra... how does someone like you get into the business of slaughtering vampires? Did you wake up one day and think, ’Hey, murder sounds fun’?" She scoffed. "Not your business." I grinned. "C’mon, humor me. We’re stuck together for the night. Might as well get to know each other, right?" Cassandra’s expression turned to ice. "The deal, Blackthorn, was that you deliver the vampire to me. In return, I keep Mist and Cole Lucky off your back. That’s it. So spare me the small talk." I laughed, shaking my head. "Relax, don’t get all pissy about it. You look like you might pop a vein." Her eyes narrowed dangerously. I raised my hands in surrender. "Alright, alright. I’ll leave you be. Tomorrow morning, we start the game." She said nothing, just held my gaze for a few seconds before turning her back on me. I took that as my cue to leave. Walking into my room, I closed the door behind me, letting out a slow breath. This was a disaster waiting to happen. I sat on the edge of the bed, running a hand through my hair. I don’t even know which vampire I’m supposed to give her. I was only following my grandfather’s orders, but I had no plan. And worse... Cassandra wasn’t someone to play games with. Mars, growled inside my head. "Griffin, what the hell are we going to do now?" I sighed. "Working on it." Mars scoffed. "Work faster. That woman reeks of evil. Pure, unfiltered evil. We shouldn’t joke with her, or we’ll be the ones lying in a pool of our own blood." I rubbed the back of my neck. "I know. But Grandfather wouldn’t have sent me in blind. He has a plan." Mars huffed. "Let’s hope so." I closed my eyes, reaching out through the mind link. "Grandfather." There was a beat of silence. And then— "Ah, Griffin. I assume things are going smoothly?" "Yeah, I replied. Very smoothly. Cassandra and I are in the hotel I prepared. Now, about this vampire—" Grandfather chuckled. "Ah, you’re finally asking the right question." I frowned. "Finally?" "Something important happened today, Griffin. The gods are on our side." My brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?" His voice was thick with amusement. "My spies informed me that two hours ago, Cole Lucky arrived in Golden City to see the King." I sat up straighter. "Wait, what? Why would Cole Lucky go see the King?" "That," Grandfather said, "I do not know. I tried to look into it through my Seer means, but something is blocking my visions. However, my intel says that Cole Lucky has already left Golden City and is heading toward Vereth as we speak." Excitement shot through me. Cole was back. Which meant... Natalie might be back too. Hope flickered in my chest—warm and bright. I clenched my jaw, forcing myself to stay focused. I cleared my throat. "Right, that’s great. But what about the vampire? I don’t want to get on Cassandra’s bad side if I can’t deliver." Grandfather let out a deep, satisfied laugh. "Ah, that’s where the surprise comes in. You see, Cole Lucky didn’t come alone." A pause. "He brought Sebastian with him." I frowned. "Sebastian?" "Yes," Grandfather said. "Cole’s business partner. His friend." I rubbed my temples. "I know who Sebastian is. So, What are you trying to say?" "Griffin, my boy," Grandfather’s voice dripped with amusement. "Sebastian is exactly what Cassandra is looking for." My breath caught. "Wait—you’re saying...?" "Sebastian is a purple blood vampire. The rarest of them all." My pulse quickened. Sebastian. Cole Lucky’s right-hand man? A slow, wicked grin spread across my face. "Well, Mars... this just got interesting." Mars let out a low whistle in my head. "Damn. I did not see that coming." Neither did I. My body twitched with excitement as I struggled to keep my voice steady. "You’re telling me Sebastian was a purple blood all this time?" I heard that Purple blood Vampires were almost regarded as myths because it was so rare to see one. Grandfather chuckled, the sound rich with amusement. "Precisely." A slow grin stretched across my face. This was it. The perfect opportunity. "So, how do we get Cassandra close to Sebastian?" I asked, already running through possibilities in my mind. "From what you’ve just told me, Sebastian isn’t just some random vampire. He is also Cole Lucky’s right-hand man. That means getting to him won’t be easy." Grandfather hummed in agreement. "That’s why we won’t rush. I got a reliable intel an hour ago that the king will be hosting a royal ball in two months, I also heard he’ll be inviting every supernatural from all walks of life. There’s no doubt Sebastian will be in attendance." I sat up straighter. "A royal ball?" "Indeed," Grandfather said. "And that’s where we make our move. I have a few men working inside the palace under my command. During the ball, I’ll have them slip something into Sebastian’s drink—something undetectable, something strong enough to take out even a vampire of his caliber." Mars growled in approval. "Smart. That way, we don’t have to fight him head-on." I smirked. "And what about Cole and Mist? They won’t just sit back and let their friend be taken." "Cassandra will handle them," Grandfather said. "She’ll keep them occupied while you focus on Natalie. Make sure you get her away from everything. Then, while Cole and Mist are distracted, my men will take Sebastian away, and you will personally hand him over to Cassandra once the dust settles." I let out a slow exhale. This... this was brilliant. Sebastian gone. Cole distracted. And Natalie— My stomach twisted, my grin faltering. Natalie. She’d be in the same place as me. The thought sent a rush of conflicting emotions through me. Mars rumbled lowly. "Are we sure we can handle seeing her again?" I clenched my jaw. That didn’t matter. This was about setting things right. I will get her to forgive me by all means. "So, for now, we wait?" I asked, my voice steady. Grandfather hummed. "Not quite. These two months will be crucial. We need to gather intel on Sebastian, learn his patterns, his weaknesses. We need to keep a close eye on him because if we make a wrong move too soon..." "He’ll kill us," I finished grimly. "Exactly." Mars scoffed. "Great. Just what we needed—a vampire who’s apparently stronger than we can imagine." Grandfather’s tone darkened. "Sebastian is not someone you can just ’pop up’ and kill. It will take more than brute force. Even Cassandra, the famous vampire killer, won’t be able to take him down easily. I’ve already seen it in a vision. If we aren’t careful, we will be the ones lying dead." I let those words sink in. Two months. Two months of preparation. Two months of playing pretend while waiting for the perfect moment. I smirked. "I like this plan." Mars rumbled in agreement. "It’s risky, but it could work." Then a thought struck me. "How do we gather this intel? We can’t just sneak around Sebastian for two months, he would definitely catch us." Grandfather chuckled again, this time more sinister. "Oh, my boy, I already have that figured out. You and Cassandra will go to Cole and Sebastian’s company—pretending to be large-scale customers in need of weapons and amenities for your pack." I blinked. "You want Cassandra and I to pretend we’re business partners?" "Exactly," he said. "Make the proposal large—something that even Cole won’t be able to resist, something that will take at least two months to fulfill. That way, you’ll have a reason to hover around Sebastian and Cole while you wait for the ball." Mars let out a sharp laugh. "Oh, this is devious and expensive." A slow, satisfied grin stretched across my face. This was perfect. Not only would it give us a reason to be near Sebastian, but Cassandra would also get a firsthand whiff of his blood which would make her even more willing to help me. I let out a low chuckle. "You’re a devil, Grandfather." He chuckled back. "I prefer the term ’strategist.’" My smirk remained. "Same thing." There was a pause before he spoke again, his voice serious. "Griffin... don’t let your emotions cloud your judgment. This isn’t just about Cassandra or Sebastian." I knew what he meant. Natalie. My fingers curled into a fist. "I won’t," I said firmly. I heard the approval in his tone. "Good. I’ll make the arrangements for your meeting at Cole’s company. In no time, Sebastian will be expecting you. Don’t keep him waiting." With that, the call ended. I let my body drop onto the bed and exhaled deeply, running a hand through my hair. Mars was silent for a moment before he murmured, "Are we really ready to face her again?" Natalie. The shy, broken girl I had rejected. Only, she wasn’t that girl anymore. She was stronger now. And she was probably in love with another man. I swallowed the lump in my throat. Focus, Griffin. You can do it. I pushed myself off the bed and stretched, rolling my shoulders. "Well," I muttered to Mars, "time to play businessman." Mars snorted. "Let’s hope we don’t get eaten alive." I smirked. "Oh, we will. Just not by Sebastian." And with that, I walked out the door, ready to set the game in motion.

Chapter 90: Stratagist

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