Chapter 207 - Smile For The Camera

JJ didn't respond immediately. Nervously waiting for his option, I raised my head to watch his face for a trace of an emotion that would've told me what he thinks. The surprised raise of his eyebrows, the contemplating gleam in his eyes, the amused curve of his lips… I guessed, if he was amused instead of outraged, then it was good enough already.

I was unsure about this option myself. It was such an impersonal one, but at the same time, a crueler one that a simple killing. To take one sin off your hands, only to replace it with a bigger one that you encourage someone else to do—math wasn't on the side of selling Desmond. Money was, though. But it wasn't all about money, even if I liked money a lot.

Then there were details. Whom I would be selling him to? Some vampire enemy? What if I instead sold him to, say, vampire hunters? I bet they'd love to have their hands on a live vampire, to experiment with their weaknesses and such. I doubted they had more money to offer than a typical vampire, but one could argue that their cause was at least somewhat righteous.

Of course, it was hard to say that when I was shackling with a vampire myself. God, this was becoming worse and worse the more I brooded on it.

"I think this is the most unexpected, but tantalising idea, ma chèrie," I almost jumped when JJ said that, and stared in shock at his sly grin. "It would be, as certain philosophies put it, karmic justice brought to life by the hands of people. On the grand scale of things, I'm sure that we weren't the ones most wronged by Desmond, not even close. Nor we are the most vengeful. These are only my guesses, though—I don't know as much about him as I'd like right now—but I am very curious about what and whom we might find if we explore that option a little. We can even do that in the same message we will make to intimidate any other ill-wishers. It would only add to the terror factor."

That cheered me up. "Well, I suppose there's no hurt in looking around, then making the final decision. As long as we don't take too long. Ten days, you said, the shortest he would sleep?"

"Probably longer. But this is very approximate…" JJ pursed his lips. "We don't have secure arrangements for him, and I don't know anyone who has. So I will watch him closely in case he wakes up earlier than expected, and the sooner we get rid of him, the better."

"Couldn't disagree with you there. Alright!" I clapped my palms. "Since I have no wink of sleep in me right now anyway," and since doing something helped me put off the shock of a sudden attack right in my fucking bedroom, "let me grab the camera, put on something presentable and shoot that message."

⠀⠀

For the right atmosphere, I chose the storeroom as the place for the shooting. It was underground, and it showed in the lack of windows and the rough concrete floor. If not for the boxes and packages of items waiting for their time to be displayed in the store's showcases, the room could've been an appropriate place to keep kidnapped victims.

Desmond had been no one's victim, though. Except for the karmic retribution, I supposed.

JJ put his unmoving body in a chair, propping him until he stopped falling off. He looked like someone who fell asleep while sitting, with his chin resting on his chest.

I had a great temptation to take my small, petty and childish revenge on him by drawing something humiliating on his face. An "ASSHOLE" on his forehead, or a dick on his cheek… A black eye, or a moustache—the possibilities were endless. But I held myself in rein.

JJ, on the other hand, didn't stop himself from using Desmond's shoulder as a resting place for his elbow the same way a piece of furniture could be when he assumed his position in the camera's eye. A moment later, I turned the record on and joined him in the frame.

We weren't pretties by stylists this time. Not the vampiriest vampire and the witchiest witch—just a vampire and just a witch, but this was all the better. All the more real for those who knew.

The show had begun.

"Greetings to everyone who watches this. I assume by now you know our names, as we had been very public with it lately," JJ purred. He had a way to make this sound threatening and charming at the same time… He looked a well-fed cat, at that moment, one who could still claw you just because you got too close and he was bored. It made me feel tingly all over.

"Yeah, and some people got unhappy with it," I continued from the other side of Desmond, nodding at the comatose vampire in a deliberately blase manner. "Like this guy. You might know him too—his name is Desmond, if this tells you anything. Just an hour ago he's been all arrogant and asshole, and now he's in vampire coma for—how long again, JJ?"

"From ten days to ten years. Approximately, of course. Alas, I couldn't say with any more precision, even though I was the one to put him in it. Desmond has made a mistake by challenging me to a mental duel."

"He made a mistake by coming at us in the first place." I huffed. "Well, his mistake is my profit. You all have a unique limited time opportunity of getting himself a live, if comatose, vampire. Just send me your offers!"

"And whether or not you do, remember that Desmond had been an old, respected for his strengths vampires, with a powerful ability to turn himself into a cloud of mist. Yet here he sits, helpless to prevent his humiliation, helpless to save himself from being sold like a piece of merchandise.. Ask yourself…" JJ smiled, slow and wide. "Do you want to be in his place?"