For a moment the other male just sat there staring at him, and the weary sigh Agony had been withholding did escape. “The longer you sit there convincing yourself you can’t do this, the more time you’re wasting. I don’t care what name or personal details you want to choose, just do whatever you need to so I can get my documents.”
“And how are you going to pay me for this? I don’t work for free, you know.”
The grudging respect he was already feeling towards the vampire went up another notch. It took a brave person to stand their ground with one they knew without a doubt could kill them in the blink of an eye.
“With your life?”
Agony smiled as he watched Faraday swallow hard. It was satisfying to watch him squirm, his rising feeling of power something glorious to experience. There was a tiny part lurking within him that found it distasteful to play with one so weak but his other emotions overrode it.
“Get to work,” he sighed, suddenly bored with the whole thing. “I will be back in half an hour with your payment.”
“I need your eye colour for the documentation,” Faraday called as Agony shadowed himself once more. “I need to take a photograph too.”
The Varcolac unshadowed himself, frowning at the vampire. Now that would be a bit of a problem and something he hadn’t considered until now. Peeling off his sunglasses, he allowed Faraday a rare view of his eyes.
“What the fuck? Have you crossed over, you crazy bastard? You need to feed right now!”
He hadn’t thought it was possible for Faraday’s pallor to become any more pasty but his face was now an unappealing shade of grey. It was also intriguing to note that he presumed Agony was a vampire and therefore his automatic reaction was for him to feed. He filed that away for another time to muse over and put his glasses back on. “I haven’t crossed over, that is my natural eye colour.”
“You’re natural colour is silver and red? There is nothing natural about that. Just who or what the hell are you?”
Faraday stood up, his body language so tense Agony wasn’t certain that he wasn’t thinking about trying to make a run for it. He hoped he wouldn’t because he didn’t have time to give the vampire another lesson in the futility of not doing what he wanted. “I’m the man who requires you to make documents. That’s all you need to know.”
Faraday stared at him a moment longer and then slowly sat back down. “You can’t wear those glasses through customs so you’ll have to disguise your colouring. When you’re out stop by this address and tell Carl I sent you.” He handed him a page from the notebook on his desk, an address hastily scrawled across it. “He’ll be able to provide you with some coloured contact lenses that will disguise your eyes.”
Agony hesitated and then took the paper, quickly scanning the address before handing it back. He had an eidetic memory just like the rest of the Varcolac. The vampire could simply have told him the details and he would have remembered them. His satisfaction rose higher too. It was clear that Faraday had made the decision to service his requirements so he shouldn’t have to waste any further time convincing him.
“Brown,” he said, turning to leave once more. “That will be the colour I select for my eyes. I will be back in thirty minutes. Make sure you have everything ready for then, and you can take your photograph to add to the documentation.” He shadowed himself and left as silently as he’d arrived.
Faraday swallowed loudly when the door closed of its own accord, wondering if the strange young man had truly left or if he was standing watching him to see if he would do as he was told. It took a lot to frighten him but the dark haired young man scared him witless. He considered calling some of his men in but decided not to.
If they survived an encounter with the younger male, they would no doubt also see Faraday being bested by him. That would be disastrous for his business so he would do what was asked of him. In under an hour the boy would be gone and he could once more go back about his business. Turning to his laptop, he began scouring the pre-prepared IDs he already had half finished. Possibly one of them would fit the bill and he could complete the rest before the boy returned.
*****
Agony headed to one of the pack’s safe houses that he knew wasn’t being used right now. There were various properties owned by the pack dotted around the city that members crashed at when they didn’t want to return home to the compound in the heart of the forest. He was aware that there were numerous supplies to be had, most importantly each had a well-hidden safe full of cash should anyone require funds.
He entered the unassuming brownstone apartment and headed straight into the kitchen. Pulling out the refrigerator, he accessed the safe behind it, typing in the ten-digit code that was this week’s combination. Someone came around once a week and changed the codes in all the properties. Every pack member was privy to the combination. There was no telling when any of them would require a safe haven and funds to live off. It wasn’t that Rafe was particularly paranoid, though they had all heard the tales of Richard Graves and how he had once attacked the Hanlon pack to try to kill Lacey many years before. Many emergency measures had been set it place since then and Agony, for one, was grateful for them right now.
There had to be at least a hundred thousand in the safe when it opened. He took that and a handful of credit cards too, as they could most likely come in handy as a diversion. Like the safe combination, all of the spare credit cards had the same four-digit pin that was circulated to the entire pack once a week. He pocketed the cards and found a plain black bag for the cash. Then he left as quickly as he’d entered, heading to the address Faraday had given him.
“I’m here to see Carl. Faraday sent me.” There were too many people around to bother shadowing and he didn’t see the point to it when he didn’t need to.
The female vampire eyed him up and down slowly, a hint of lust in her green eyes when she reached his face once more. “He’s inside.” She gracefully arched her neck, indicating the door to the left. “If you have time after your meeting, I get off in ten minutes.”
She was beautiful and blonde… just the type that his other half, and therefore he too enjoyed. If he hadn’t been on such a tight deadline he might have been tempted to join her. However, he was aware that his other half wouldn’t approve, that he believed in his angel back at the compound.