Free Magestorm: The Embracing by Chris Fornwalt

walked up to the third floor.
    The clicking of his shoes alerted the residents of an intruder.  Dawn was just approaching, and that limited the werewolf’s abilities.  He stepped into the hall to confront the man, anyhow.
    “This is private property.  You’re not welcome here.”
    Sebastian stood tall with his fists clutched.  His dark eyes peered out from behind dark hair.  Wearing anger and determination on his face, he knew he could take down any human or werewolf at this time of morning, and no vampire would dare be out.  The stranger wasn’t impressed.
    “Actually, this is public property, though soon that will change.  I have made an offer to the city.  Don’t worry, though, you’re not being evicted.”
    “Good thing, for you.”
    The stranger laughed as he approached the werewolf, and as he got closer, his pointed teeth could be seen.  Sebastian thought the man to be a fool, who would soon be irrelevant as the sun was barely a moment from emerging.
    “If I may take a few minutes of your time, I’ve come with a proposition for you and your mate.  I think you will find it mutually profitable.”
    “Sorry buddy, I don’t deal with dead men.”
    The sun broke into view and sunshine showered them both through the large hospital windows.  The vampire was unaffected, much to Sebastian’s surprise.  He couldn’t hide the shock on his face, which caused the vampire to laugh loudly.
    “Allow me to introduce myself.  I am Victor, prince of the royal vampire family.  And I have a special gift in regards to the sun.”
    He reached into his shirt and pulled out the necklace he was wearing.  On the end was a pendant, a blood red ruby adorned in gold.  The ruby seemed to be glowing, and was clearly protecting him.
    “That’s amazing.”
    “It’s a gift from a great wizard, which I rightfully stole for my own.”
    “Ok, so what’s this proposition you were mentioning.”
    The vampire stepped up to the doorway and glanced into Sebastian’s private quarters.  He glanced around at the very basic living quarters and had a feeling the werewolf hated the place and thought this was beneath him.  That could be taken advantage of.
    “As I said before, I’m with the royal family, and you are a well-respected member of the werewolves.  We have an opportunity to use our influence to our utmost advantage, and join forces to overtake the witches.”
    As the vampire spoke, Rachel returned and overheard the conversation.  She hid out of view and listened to them as they continued with their discussion.
    “What do you have in mind?”
    “I can’t go into all the details right now, but the first part involves your home.  We would like to use this as a base of operations.  Basically, use this as our version of the witches Grand Hotel.  Another important detail involves your woman.”
    Sebastian’s eyes narrowed as he wondered where this was going.  If the vampire wasn’t careful, he’d get to see a werewolf’s temper.
    “Basically, I’d like her to see if she can replicate this necklace.  It would obviously benefit us greatly to be able to walk during the day in greater numbers.  And, if we are aligned, it would therefore benefit you.”
    “What exactly is my gain here?”
    “Instead of living like this, you could become something you probably never imagined.  We will declare you werewolf royalty.  As such, you would have a portion of the city to rule, and once we have control and begin to expand, you would have an ever increasing empire of your own, as would we.”
    That offer got the wolf’s attention and he began to pace as his mind raced on what he could do as a king.  The endless possibilities made an inevitable smile cross his face.  Victor knew he had a hook in now.
    “I’ll have to think it over, and discuss it with Rachel.”
    “Of course.   The witch council is voting soon on whether to allow werewolves and vampires into the council.  If it goes well, we’ll destroy them