Chapter Fourteen: The Vampire and The Priest.

The black corvette car stood out from the environment it was parked in. The area seemed abandoned, a windswept landscape far away from bustling towns. The remote setting made the car come across as an object from another time.

In the car, Carin and Theo sat, passing a cigarette back and forth. "You sure this is the place?", Carin asked, wearing a puzzled look on his face.

Theo nodded. "I'm pretty sure that is the place", he said, pointing to an old cathedral in the distance. "My contact tells me that the person we're in search for stays there"

Carin couldn't hide his curiosity. "That place is like a thousand years old", he stated. Theo laughed at his brother's obliviousness. "That place is a church. In fact, it is one of the first known churches in the area", he said.

Carin took a drag of his cigarette, pondering. "Kind of makes you wonder what a cold blooded Lycan murderer could be doing in a place of worship"

Theo shrugged. "Maybe he's one of the worshippers", he suggested. Carin squashed the lit up end of the cigarette between his fingers, he opened the door and beckoned on his brother. "Come on, let's go"

"What the hell do you think you're doing?", Theo asked as he climbed out of the car. Carin turned to face him in a dramatic manner. He asked, "what does it look like I'm doing?"

"You don't expect us to just march in there", Theo protested. Carin smiled impishly. "Well, we can't just sit in the car all day", he narrowed his eyes. "We don't have all day", he said pointedly.

Theo rolled his eyes. "I don't think I like churches", he stated. "The whole atmosphere just gives off this spooky vibe"

Carin chortled, his brother was ever the comedian. "You're a vampire. We don't get spooked", he replied. "Speak for yourself", Theo responded in a sassy manner, he hastened away. 

Inside the cathedral, a humble church service was going on. Flickering candles casted shadows on worn pews and the scent of burning incense filled the air like a perfume. 

The atmosphere was thick with the scent of old dust and dampness. Voices sang hymns in hushed tones, echoing off cold stone walls.

"See what I said? Definitely spooky", Theo whispered in Carin's ear.

"Hush. Stop being such an infant", Carin replied. They made their way to an empty pew away from the rest of the congregation.

They sat there as the sound of the hymn pulled them into a quiet daydream. Carin felt a sudden peace wash over him as he listened to the voices sing. He loved how all the different voices blended into one, the whole thing was very captivating.

He imagined himself with Ember. In his head, she was in his arms again, smiling at him like he was her whole world. In his head, they were not vampire and werewolf, just two people who loved each other.

Love? He gagged as he thought about it. Love was such a strong word for whatever he felt for Ember. What did he even feel for Ember? He had not known the girl for more than a week and yet, he could not forget her.

"All right, that's enough. This whole thing is making me sick", Theo's voice sounded, pulling him out from the comfort of his own thoughts. He watched as his brother marched to the front of the church.

On the top of his voice, Theo said. "Well, that was a very beautiful song everyone". The whole congregation gasped as they looked up at him, shocked. "Who are you?", an old woman with grey hair asked.

"Doesn't matter who I am", Theo replied. "What matters is that this service is over. You can take your leave now, everyone". A smug smile lined the corner of his lips. 

A young man walked up to Theo, squaring him up with his eyes. "Who the hell do you think you are to ask us to leave?", he questioned. Theo could feel his patience running thin, humans were pesky little things who asked a lot of questions.

Theo hissed loudly, baring his sharp fangs. Everyone gasped, their eyes wide with fear. "Dammit, Theo", Carin whispered to himself.

"Get out!", Theo roared at them, his voice sounding like a thunderstorm.

Hymn books clattered to the floor as the whole congregation of people scampered away, screaming at the top of their voices as they ran. Theo cackled loudly, amused by their fear.

Carin approached him, looking very pissed. "What the hell was that about?", he asked and jabbed Theo's shoulder with force.

"Chill out, I was just having some fun", Theo snickered. Carin's jaw tensed as he said. "You don't have fun like that. There's a reason why humans have no knowledge of the supernatural world. That was just silly"

"Hello, there", a woman's voice sounded, breaking into what seemed to be a heated argument. "Are you looking for someone?", she asked. Her voice was kind, so were her eyes.

They both turned to face her. "Uh…who are you?", Carin asked. He looked over to Theo, who shook his head indicating that he she was not the person they came looking for. She ignored the question and rushed to the hymn books which were scattered all over. Bending over, she began picking them up one by one.

"I… I can see you met our choir", she announced. Carin walked over to her. He joined her to pick up the hymn books and handed them over to her, "Um, yeah. They left in quite a hurry", he lied. Carin looked down at the woman's hands and noticed that they were shaking uncontrollably. "Are you okay, ma'am?", he asked, sounding concerned.

Her face was pale as she raised her eyes to meet his. "I know what you are…", her lips quivered as she spoke. "…vampire". Theo was standing beside them now. "That means you know what we're here for", he said, flatly.

The woman backed away, looking scared. "He… he's not here. He went on a trip", she stuttered. Her face looked like it had been drained of blood. Theo cornered her, giving her a piercing look. "Why do I have the feeling that you're lying. Are you lying to us, ma'am?", he asked.

She whimpered under the intense gaze he was giving her. "I swear, I'm not… I'm not lying. He got called away because of something urgent"

Theo shook his head slowly, looking disappointed. "Do you know what happens to all liars….", he asked and grabbed her by the neck, pulling her closer to him. "…we set their pants on fire"

The woman screamed loudly, her voice carrying through the whole room. She was shaking as Theo raised her above his head, choking her. Just then, a man in a robe emerged from behind the thick curtain. By all indications, he was a priest. "Let her go!", he ordered. "I'm the one you're looking for"

A wide smile splayed across Theo's face as he slowly let the woman down. "You could have saved us all the drama", he told the priest. Carin shook his head, his brother might be a mad man but at least, he got the job done every time.

"I can tell you everything you need to know", said the priest.