Julie kept a passive expression on her face because she could feel the waitress's eyes that was fixed on their table. Roman didn't reply but only glared at Donovan before he said,

  "We should get going if you have built trust with the waitress. But I don't think it will be easy to get into the circle of the hunters. Times have changed and hunters aren't easy to trick."

  "That shouldn't be a problem," Donovan cleared his throat as if something had clogged in his throat. "This has a very familiar after taste, and brings back nostalgic feelings. Maybe it is time to leave?"

  "Not right away," replied Roman, who tried to keep straight while he felt the prickly feeling in his chest.

  "Are you okay?" Julie asked worriedly, and Roman put his arm behind her seat. When he turned to look at her, she noticed the specks of red that looked like burning coal, and she softly gasped. "It's showing." She wondered how much pain he was in, that he was letting a drop of blood drip out of his lips and keeping his expression unwavering.

  "If we leave right after we have eaten and drunk what they have offered, it will only end up like the vampire who just got caught a few minutes ago," stated Roman, blinking his eyes to let the flicker of redness disappear from his eyes.

  "I am so glad that you grew up so smart. You make me proud, Rome," Donovan subtly puffed his chest, and he looked too out of place to be sitting in a diner while eating a burger with clothes like that. But Julie had to agree that the Elder vampire had style and class when it came to dressing up.

  Julie then asked, "Will you be able to hold up? Without getting sick?"

  "I will be alright, Winters. Let us order another round of food and drinks at the table," on hearing Roman's words, Julie's mouth hung open, and Donovan looked surprised.

  "Another round of this?" Donovan didn't seem too keen on eating another burger.

  "Yeah," Roman gave a small nod, and a smile came to form on his lips. "Now that we are here, and it would be rude to find a meal somewhere else, let us eat here. Are you scared that you will throw up?" This time it was him who taunted Donovan.

  It was as if someone had stepped on Donovan's nerve, and he leaned his back against the seat. He raised his hand as if signalling the waitress to come to their table. The woman, a hunter, made her way to the table, and she looked at them.

  "Yes?" asked the waitress with a polite smile.

  Both Donovan and Roman stared and glared at each other. Donovan ordered, "We would like to order everything from the menu that you think might appease our taste. One of each."

  The waitress' eyes subtly raised, and she said, "One of each? There are a lot of items."

  Donovan turned his head to look at the woman, and he offered his charming, saint-like smile. He said, "Yes, we would like to try everything. You see, we are celebrating our time together as a family."

  The woman gave a nod as if this order alone had cleared the people at the table, that they were purely humans and just wealthy ones who wanted to throw their money in here. She gave a nod, "I will be sure to get them here once they are ready."

  "That would be wonderful," replied Donovan, and the woman left the table. "How about that, Rome? Are you willing to eat them equally with me? I think this would be a meal I would most enjoy."

  Roman offered a smile to Donovan, a smile that Julie had never thought or imagined to see him have it. The look in his eyes was cold, and the smile empty as a person who was dead. He said,

  "I think the important question here is, if you will be able to handle it. I can feel you trying to keep down the cough that is pricking your throat."

  "Mm," hummed Donovan, being the cool Elder vampire, he said, "The food wasn't exactly to my liking. It was a little dry, and I think I am more used to having raw and fresh meat."

  "Perhaps should make a request to the waitress, she will be sure to take it as personal order with the rest of the hunters," remarked Roman, his hand running up the length of the knife kept next to his plate.

  It took two seconds before Julie realized what was going on. This was another side of Roman, a side that looked very familiar to how Donovan was but more menacing. Was this because his heart had started to corrupt again? The last time his heart had been affected, he had turned wild and animal-like.

  "Why make an order when I can take a fresh full course drink from her?" replied Donovan.

  Julie didn't know who was trying to spur whom, or maybe both the vampires were at it. But this was not good, she thought to herself. What if both of them were going to fall sick? How was she going to handle or even save? Maybe open the portal to send them back in time? That was a possible solution, but the last time she had opened the portal, it was on a whim, and she didn't know how to do it again.

  Since the time she had returned from Willow Creek, Julie had tried to test and make use of her abilities, but she had found very little luck in it.

  When the food was brought to the table, one after another, Julie said, "Let me take some that I like."

  "Go ahead, Winters," replied Roman and Julie wondered which had the most Silverwater so that she could reduce the amount of Silverwater consumed by Roman and Donovan.

  There was no telling how much of Silverwater was mixed in each item because the substance didn't affect her the way it affected the vampires.

  "You know, Julie," Donovan tapped his finger lightly on the surface of the table as if he was trying to control the effects of Silverwater. "It would be more terrible for Roman to take a sip from you now the more Silverwater you consume.You, the emergency blood bag, would not be helpful if he turns blood thirsty."

  Julie's hand hovered above the sandwich that she was about to grab. This was something she had not considered, but her blood had already turned impure because of eating the contaminated food on the table.

  "You don't have to worry about it, Winters," remarked Roman, and he pushed the plate towards her. "Eat as much as you want and do what you like. It would be best if you are filled with Silverwater."

  Even though Roman could feel his emotions changing, where he wanted to claw people out and rip their heads off while drinking blood from their necks, it didn't reduce the emotions and feelings of concern he had for Julie. If she had a sufficient amount of Silverwater in her body, and even if he did lose his self-control and momentarily drank from her, his body would reject the blood immediately, and he would immediately stop drinking from her.

  "We ordered too many things," whispered Julie, looking at the waitress, who brought two more plates of food on their menu.

  "It looks like you are celebrating something," commented the waitress, and Donovan offered her the politest yet charming smile. "I hope you enjoy your meal."

  "We will," replied Donovan, and before she could leave, he said, "Compliments to the person cooking it. The food here is quite delicious."

  "I will be sure to pass on your compliment to him," replied the waitress, and she left the table. Once she returned to the main counter, the man in charge of billing appeared from the back door, dusting his hands and the front of his apron. "How did it go?"

  "Ben is fixing up the body in the back. Unfortunately the dumpster isn't as safe as it used to be, and the blood sucker's body will need to be placed somewhere else," informed the man.

  "The graveyard you mean?" asked the waitress.

  "Where else do we dispose of it," said the man, and his eyes then fell on the customers at the table.

  "I thought the vampires were supposed to combust."

  "Yeah, but this time the Silverwater is mixed with something else. It's not just for vampires."

  "Hm?" asked the woman, and her eyes widened slightly. "I thought they went extinct."

  The waitress didn't give away what it actually was because who knew which vampire or witch would be listening in.

  "Word is that there are still some lurking in the shadows. The composition was not mixed well and it stops the vampire from combusting into dust," said the man, before his eyes fell on the table where the three customers sat, who seemed to be eating quite slowly. "Anything out of order with those three?"

  The woman carefully turned her head to Julie's table before she looked back at her fellow hunter. "Looks like rich folks wanting to throw away their money here. They spent an awful amount of money wanting to taste everything on the menu."

  "I wonder what such privileged people like them are doing here instead of dining in some fancy restaurant," remarked the man in a low voice. The music playing in the diner and the noise of the crowd talking and laughing drowned their voices.

  "Probably came here with the kids. Anyways, table one to twelve is clear. I will go and attend table thirteen and see if I find anything odd in there," said the woman, fixing the napkin behind the pocket of her jeans.

  Back at the table, Julie took a couple of bites from the sandwich, wanting to eat as much as she could, while both Roman and Donovan took their leisure time to have the food. The Elder vampire took a look at the pizza that was placed right in front of him.

  Roman took a slice of pizza in his hand and started eating it. Donovan took a moment before deciding to pick it up. The vampire then complained when the toppings fell on his plate, and the ends of it moved down, "How do you eat this thing?"

  Julie decided to teach Donovan by saying, "Here, let me show you."

  "What a wonderful and helpful daughter-in-law I have. I knew I could always count on you, if not my son," the word son was nothing less than Donovan stepping on Roman's nerve.

  "You need to curve it and use one of your fingers at the bottom as support," Julie let the vampire know, and he picked another slice of pizza. "Yes, that's how you do it." She wondered if it was time for her to adopt a pet as she patiently taught Donovan how to eat.

  As light-hearted as Donovan tried to make the situation, Julie was counting the seconds on her watch. It was obvious that both the men at the table were prideful and were eating the food one after another, waiting for the other to drop and accept defeat.

  Donovan picked up the glass of cold drink, sipping it, and he scrunched his face, "I keep forgetting that this thing has Silverwater in it too. Only if I could order a glass of whiskey or rum. Do they serve it here?"

  Somewhere amid trying to finish the most out of the two men, the food got stuck, and Julie started to cough. On seeing this, Roman picked up a glass of water, and he brought it up to her lips, "Drink this."

  All the while, Donovan watched Roman's interaction with Julie. Even though his son was trying to conceal the ripper traits, Donovan was an experienced vampire, and he knew when a vampire's ripper side made its appearance. So far, he was doing fairly well, and it was interesting to see how his affection for the witch didn't deter.

  Julie drank the water, feeling some drops of it slip from the corner of her lips, and she quickly wiped it away.

  "Are you planning to have everything on the table? Technically it would be impossible to finish everything by yourself," said Roman, placing the glass back on the table and using his thumb to rub the trace of water next to her lips.

  Roman's had pressed a little more firmly on her lips, and he heard her heart beating and the blood coursing through her veins. He could smell the blood, not just from her, but from everyone who surrounded him, but along with the warm blood, he sniffed the scent of Silverwater that wafted around this place.

  When the table was mostly out of food, Julie whispered, "Rome. Your eyes."

  Roman's eyes had turned bright red, and he felt his fangs ache. The food on the table wasn't something that could curb his thirst, and needed to feel the taste of blood.

  "Looks like it is pushing through the surface," Donovan murmured, his demeanour still calm as if he hadn't spurred Roman to turn into a ripper.

  Julie asked Roman, "How do you feel?"

  "You wouldn't like to know the truth," replied Roman, and he looked at the table's surface. Julie saw his hands clench as if he was trying to control himself, and she wondered if this was what Donovan had been aiming for.

  "Maybe it would be best to pay the bill and leave this place now," suggested Julie, and she said, "Let me go to the counter and pay for it." But before she could make her way out of the seat, the waitress was already making her way towards the table.

  This was not good, thought Julie in her mind. Roman's control was slipping, and it was nerve-wracking for her.

  "She's coming here," Julie's voice was low, and she wondered if the waitress would notice.

  With every step, the woman took, Julie's heart was ready to slip out of her chest. Roman said, "Deep breaths, Winters."

  "How do you take deep breaths when there's a possibility of being shot out in the open," replied Julie, feeling her nerves jitter. Roman then turned his body to face her, and she watched how his eyes looked slightly different from the usual red.

  "Like this," said Roman, his hand raked through the side of her hair, and he brought her face near to his before kissing her on her lips.

  She hadn't expected this, and Roman took her by surprise. Her cheeks turned red, not because it was anything new, but the waitress and Donovan, and a few who caught sight of it, stared at them.

  Roman's hand was firm, and it didn't let her go, as if he wanted to suck the very soul out of her and keep it with him forever. Julie wondered if this was his other side taking control of the situation. She had been held by him and kissed several times to know this one felt much different from the ones she was used to.

  While Roman was busy kissing Julie, the waitress arrived and noted the young couple. Donovan commented, "Kids these days are very open, aren't they. When do you think I can get your address?"

  "Address?" the waitress asked, raising her eyebrows, and she then said, "Aren't you a little too fast, Mr…"

  "You can call me Azazel. It's an alias," Donovan let out a smirk on his face, and the woman, who had now confirmed that this group weren't vampires, noticed the man was indeed peculiar, but he had class with the way he spoke and his gaze.

  "It looks like you are into video games," the waitress then placed the bill. "Here is the bill for the food."

  Donovan pulled out his wallet and smoothly placed his card on the bill. She swiped the card, and before leaving, she wrote down something and placed it on the table. He picked it up and noticed the numbers written on it.

  "What's your name?" Donovan continued to flirt with the woman while keeping her eyes on him.

  "Vanessa."

  The woman left the table, and Roman finally let go of Julie, whose head turned slightly dizzy because of the intense kiss. Not to mention, right now, all she wanted to do was hide under the table.

  The colour of Roman's eyes didn't go back to his black ones, and instead, the red eyes continued to persist.

  "It's time to get out of this place," remarked Roman, and Julie couldn't agree more.

  "What are we going to do about the hunters?" Julie's words were a whisper. She felt Roman slip his hand into hers and pull her away from the booth.

  "Today is just the day we observe, unless one of us slips and they catch hold of it," replied Roman, and he closed his eyes for a moment before opening them, and they finally switched back to black ones.

  When they walked past the hunters, Julie held her breath and noticed two of the hunters quietly staring at them. Stepping out of the diner, the three of them headed towards the street. They didn't stop walking until they came to a quiet, deserted alley.

  Donovan and Roman had been holding well so far even though they had consumed a good amount of Silverwater. But Julie's assumption was short-lived. When there was no one around, both the vampires threw up black blood.

  "I don't think I have ever held it this long," Donovan pulled his handkerchief and wiped the blood off his lips. "There was something in there, wasn't it? It tasted rubbish."

  Roman bent down, his knee touching the ground as he threw up black blood in colour. He finally stood up, using the back of his sleeve to wipe his lips, while staring at Donovan.

  "Now that you are done testing my corrupted heart, I think it is time we said goodnight," stated Roman, getting back to Julie's side. "We'll take a look around the other places tomorrow morning. You can go back to Veteris."

  Donovan started to cough more as if he were sick, and he placed his hand on his chest. He said, "I don't think I have the energy to travel back to Veteris right now. Is this how you treat your sick father?"

  "You are right, let us take you to the hospital and have you admitted there," said Roman, but Donovan shook his head.

  "Why would I go to a hospital when I have you both? Isn't that right, Julie?" asked Donovan, and Julie shook her head. "Let us go home together."

  Huh? Asked Julie in her mind.

  "No," deadpanned Roman, "Go find your own place to stay in—"

  Before he could complete his sentence, Donovan disappeared from there. Julie turned slightly anxious and asked, "Please tell me he's not gone where I think he's gone to."

  Roman raked his fingers through his hair and said, "Come let us leave before he creates unnecessary trouble."