ADRIAN
"The suit feels too expensive, dude." He looked himself over in the large leaning mirror and then at me. "How the fuck am I gonna pay you for this?"
I looked over at him, my little protégé, and couldn't help but feel pride. He was sharp as fuck, a goddamn genius, who looked kind of hot in that gray double-breasted suit I'd shopped for him.
"I don't remember saying you have to pay me for this," I smirked, walking towards him, straightening his collar. "This is an important night for us, Lucian. You're smart enough not to mess it up for both of us."
First impressions were crucial, especially with the Invictus elders: Corvin, Lyra, and Ronan. They'd eat him alive if he weren't good enough.
It was hard to say what my suit was like, with the exception that it was dark and midnight blue in colour, single-breasted, two buttons, both at the mercy of gravity and left open. The coat draped long, the shirt underneath undone at the top. I never liked wearing ties.
"Corvin's one of the three Gratian elders who control the Invictus," I murmured. "Original member of Ashvale… been here since before dirt. Lyra and Ronan, not as long."
"Lyra?" Lucian inquired.
"Yeah, a Nosferatu. Which reminds me…" I shot a quick look at the clock, then looked back at him. "The clans. You need to know about them. Let's talk about the clans while we're on our way to the meeting."
"Oh?" He ruffled his already-perfect-tresses with one hand before he dashed to the mirror and stared at it for a brief moment. "Let's do this." He gave me a look, and we both walked out of the apartment. We descended to the street, wiggled into my car, and started it up.
"Let's start with the Daeva," I snarled, imagining the Prince. "They're fast, strong, and can seduce you with one glance. They're also obsessive, materialistic, and all about gratification." I glanced at Lucian, and then back at the road. "They're beautiful, and they know it."
"Like a succubus?" he quipped, half-joking.
"Dead on." I smiled slightly. "But guard yourself because the Prince is one of them."
He nodded, flicking his eyes to me, then back at the road. "You brought up Prince earlier, too. Who's that?"
"In a nutshell? She owns the city's night. Calls the shots… what we can do, what we can't do."
"The prince is a she?" His eyes flew to me, wild, and then he laughed. "Don't fuckin tell me all this stupid gender drama runs in vampires as well."
"Prince is just a title." I rolled my eyes at him. "We don't use it by gender." I laughed and gave his arm a playful shove.
"Another clan is the Mekhet." I stared down the road. "They are like shadows. They know everything, they see everything, and they can be everywhere. They're fast as fuck and pros at digging in dirt."
"Like ninjas?"
"Close enough." I snorted. "Then we have the Gangrel. Barbarians is the term to describe them. They're beefy, very tough, mostly more beast than man."
"I better keep my distance." Lucian grinned, "I can already picture they're triple my size."
I turned my head to him, and then rolled my eyes, half-smiling, directing my attention to the road.
"Alright, man," he mocked, "I love my face. Why would I want a beast man to ruin it?"
"Yeah, you're actually too pretty." I laughed. "You should've been a Daeva."
"About that…" His voice dropped, and then I heard him giggle. "My super-immortal sense tells me they are pretty good in bed."
"Ah, Lucian, quit poking where you're not wanted. Immortals are fucking paranoid, okay… bloodsuckers who'll cut you up and leave you out to dry in the sun if they even suspect anything."
"Ooooo …" He threw up his hands, sarcastic. "Very scary."
"And the Nosferatu…" I shook my head and sighed. "They're monsters."
Lucian cocked his head at me. The kid always had a thing for the weirdest shit. "Monsters?"
"They're like living, breathing nightmares, and you wouldn't want to mess with them." I tapped my temple. "They'll fuck your mind and you'll forget what being sane was."
"Fuck my mind?" he shrieked, and then dropped his head against the window. "Yeah, I don't have a thing for that."
I shrugged. "They're likely the least of your concerns." My eyes were fixed on the road as I took a turn. "And then there's us. The ventrue. We're the smartest." I shot him a smile.
Lucian had potential. That's why I chose him. I knew he'd make a hell of an ally if I could keep him alive long enough.
"The Invictus have members from all five clans." I went on. "We're the largest covenant here."
"Covenants?"
"Yeah, sort of like political parties. I know it's a lot, but for now, just remember the names. Tonight you'll be introduced to Corvin, Lyra, and Ronan. The Invictus leaders. Then there's the Carthians, Circle of the Crone, Ordo Dracul, and Lancea et Sanctum. But the Prince banned all of the Lancea stuff… at least the loud, preachy part."
"She banned a whole covenant?" His head snapped toward me. "So… Ashvale's a dictatorship?"
"More like a monarchy. She's got advisers from every group, but what she says goes." I glanced at Lucian. He looked both impressed and terrified. Better than him brooding, though.
I'd seen too many new vamps fall apart before they even had a shot. Lucian wasn't one of them. He had it in him… even if he didn't see it yet.
"She's got the power," I chipped in, "and you'd better believe it."
He nodded. I could still see the doubt and confusion in his eyes. I didn't blame him. It was a lot. And this was only the beginning.
I had to get him moving, get his brain going. I couldn't let him fall off whatever he had left into that fear that some elder would tear him apart for looking at them the wrong way.
No, better to keep dumping the facts, keep him grounded and alive through the night. "You're handling this better than I thought you would," I said, half-joking.
"I mean, I'm freaked… anyone in my shoes would be." He shrugged his shoulders. "But… I trust you, man."
My chest tightened. Trust? You're welcome. He had no way of knowing what that word would ultimately mean, or how badly I would probably screw up that one for him.
"Good," I gruffed, nodding. "You'll do just fine."
I stole another look at him. He was frightened, but he was curious, too. Always had been.
Hang tight, kid. You've got this. And I've got your back.