Durant La Journée

Neculai arrived around ten o'clock at the luxurious club Durant La Journée, which his good friend Michael owned. He saw several guards posted along the front of the club. He was sure there were more guards he couldn't see surrounding the place. The club sat on the upscale side of the town. Only patrons with a few extra coins could afford the entry fee to get into the exclusive club, not to mention you have to have an exclusive invitation by Michael or a select host who Michael picked out each week.

Neculai had a permanent black card to the place. So, it was no problem for him to get into the club. He'd left Deja sleeping at his house while he went to check out information about The Order. He couldn't figure out why they were so bent on killing everyone, but he knew the perfect vampire who could give him this information. Michael always had information no one else knew. Neculai couldn't begin to guess how he came across his secrets. Neculai stepped into the crowded room.

The music blared from the live band on stage. Everyone was dancing to the hypnotic beat blasting from the guitar riff. Every vamp in the room was connected to someone important, whether human or vampire. Neculai spent many days having fun in this place. When he first arrived in this country, Michael was his guide, mentor, and friend. However, they had grown apart over the decades.

Neculai had heard it whispered around some of his more progressive friends that Michael had changed. He was no longer someone many had grown to count on considering it was always about money with him now. Neculai didn't know for sure if what he heard about Michael was true. Several decades back in the forties Michael had lost the love of his life.

He didn't function for several years after that, but since Neculai was going through his own personal demons at the time he was not there for his friend. Neculai sighed after considering some of the good times they had together. Looking around the spacious club, he could feel the familiarity of being home. This was his second home. He spent more time here than at his own apartment at one point.

Well, tonight he had to push away the thought of who had changed Michael. The woman they both were after in the beginning until she made it clear she chose Michael. Neculai had happily left the lovers alone. However, Michael had begun to pull away from Neculai, and Neculai never understood why. He never got the chance to ask Michael what happened.

Neculai sighed. Tonight wasn't about Rachel, tonight Neculai needed his friend's help and hoped his friend was in a benevolent mood. Deja was left at his home while he sought out Michael. Neculai wandered through the throngs of dancers flowing to the hypnotic heavy metal guitar riffs blasting out of the speakers of the live band onstage. A woman approached Neculai with a tray. Her slow focused stare never moved off of him as she came to stand before him. She waved a hand to the items she carried on the tray indicating for him to take one. He hesitated. The waitress smiled and tossed her hair back off of her neck and leaned her head to the side to give him access to the vein in her throat. He shook his head in the negative and gripped the neck of the beer bottle off the tray she held. She frowned at him before stalking past him with a humpf...

Deja had fallen asleep on the couch after Mrs. Reynolds retired to her bedroom. The woman had watched her none stop since she got there. She didn't know what she did to garner her freedom from the watchful eye of that pitbull but thank goodness. Now that she could relax she realize how tired she was. She must have really settled into a deep sleep because she had a vision of The Order bursting into a club. Neculai was there watching a human woman who was settling beside him on a couch. Deja could tell he was clearly distracted by what the woman was doing because he didn't look up as Safari entered the club followed by Quin. Anxiously Deja waved her hands frantically and shouted to Neculai, but he didn't notice or hear her.

Safari had a wicked smile that touched her gloss-covered lips as she moved to position herself in front of a distracted Neculai. Quin stood to his other side. Deja couldn't tell what made Neculai look up but he paused in his drinking from the woman, whispered something into her ear and the woman got up and walked away never looking back. Neculai set back and turned to the huntress.

"Safari, it's been a while since you personally have gone on a hunt. Surely hunting me would be beneath your dignity, considering I'm only half strigoi and all." He continued the smile never leaving his lips. Safari frowned down at him, her dark eyes flashed an iridescent red behind her stare.

"Well, Neculai things change, right? " She asked. He only shrugged as if he could care less. He turned to Quintus

"So Quin you are at The Order's beck and call nowadays I see." He stated with a small laugh. Quin frowned and moved closer to the laughing vamp.

"I would watch what I say if I was you Neculai. You make enemies of everyone. Who will stand for you if everyone turns on you as you did to Max that night." He exclaimed, his teeth clenched tight as the words seeped out of his mouth with anger and hatred. Neculai frowned and stood up. He turned back to Safari.

"Why don't we take this outside, so that we don't disturb Michael's business." He said about to turn and head out of the lounge area when Safari struck.

Her hand plunged into his chest gripping his heart. Neculai's reflexes were quick and he gripped her wrist holding tight as he gripped her throat in his other hand. His nails lengthen as they dug into her flesh to grip her vocal cord. She couldn't speak but her eyes burned with fire. Neculai had her and she knew it. She couldn't move an inch any more than he could. He grinned as he watched it dawn on her their predicament.

"So, what should we do Safari, you can't win any more than I ca---" He was saying but Quin had struck. Deja yelled 'NO!' still dreaming. Quin had beheaded Neculai. Neculai's hand fell away from Safari's throat as she completed the death kill and ripped out the heart she was gripping. Neculai's body fell to its knees hitting the floor before collapsing headless to the ground. Deja set up quickly her heart beating hard within her chest.

Deja knew she must get to him before they find him. The stupid man won’t answer his cell phone. So, Deja got a Lyft to his location. Lucky for him he did tell her where he would be. Besides, she didn’t like staying with Ms. Reynolds who obviously had a dislike for her.

The Lyft driver tried to make small talk with her, but she guessed he could tell she wasn't in the mood to talk because he turned up the radio instead and grew quiet. Deja arrived at the club and hopped out of the Lyft car slamming the door. Deja didn't see anyone out front at the upscale club but she didn't have time to figure out why there were no guards outside the establishment. Deja entered the club and looked around.

People were lost in the music. The way they moved was almost like an illusion. They turned to stare at her as she passed by them. She knew they were mostly vampires here. She knew this was why Neculai didn't want her to go with him. He had slipped off when she was sleeping.

As soon as she steps a foot inside the vampires had turned to seize her up. She knew she was in danger so, she tried to hurry. She slipped past several vampires who seemed really interested in her but she was able to avoid them only to run into a very very aggressive vampire. The man grabbed her and refused to let her pass. He leaned in to sniff her.

“You smell delicious.” Deja knew she had to do something quickly, so she open her senses to see into this vampire.

“Anthony.” She said, “You know you will die tonight.” The vampire paused.

“How do you know my name?” He asked, frowning.

“I work for Vulcan, I’m sure you’ve heard of the psychic he has assisting him?” She asked, keeping her fingers crossed that he hadn’t heard too much. He looked confused, then his frown cleared. Fear had him stepping back from her. He looked around suspiciously.

“Vulcan? We all heard of what The Order did.” He said then his eyes shifted back to her.

“Yes, I’m sure most vampires have heard the tale,” she stated a little more forcefully and sarcastically. “The Order will come here tonight. If you stay here you will die tonight. So, do you really want to wait around here, seizing me up for your next meal or what?!” she demanded. Fear had him stepping back from her.

“We heard of you.” His eyes continued to shift on her then around the room in suspicion.

“As I said before, death stalks this place even as we speak.” The man cast an angry, unsure look at her, then after several silent moments he turned and left.