Chapter 13

"Now why would I be interested in killing a Pure-blood Gypsy? A human Gypsy at that."

Human Gypsy, Human Gypsy… the words echoed through my mind…

He thought I was a human Gypsy. He didn't know what I was.

A sigh of relief caused me to go weak in the knees. The only thing that kept me upright in the chair was the fact that Viktor Van Helsing was still holding my hands.

"Do you really think that there are werewolves in Central Park?" Viktor asked, his head tilted to the side like I was the biggest mystery that he had ever come across.

"Honestly, there are records of them in my family books, but I have never come across one in real life. But then again, this is New York. If there can be alligators in the sewers, why couldn't there be werewolves in Central Park."

"You would have a better chance of finding wolves in Hyde Park than Central Park."

"Wait! There are werewolves in Hyde Park?!? I really could use ice cream right about now," I grumbled, feeling like the carpet was being swept out from under my feet.

"I didn't say that, now did I?" Viktor said with that slight smile on his face. Stupid Gypsies without Gypsy pride… they were able to lie without batting an eye. Me on the other hand? I broke out in hives even thinking of not telling the truth. It was so not fair.

"Wait, I'm confused. Am I having to hunt down a werewolf in Central Park or is there a reasonable explanation why someone died from both a wolf bite AND a silver bullet?"

Viktor let go of my hands and stood up from his crouch. "Tell me, Little Cub, to which House have you been registered to? And why don't I have a record of you entering my city?"

I now understood that any time Viktor Van Helsing started his sentence with 'tell me', he was putting a compulsion on me. I wondered if I could learn that trick. It would be very helpful in the interrogation room.

Wait, what was he asking? Register? With him?

"I am registered with the State of New York, you can check my driver's license. But as to a House? I don't have a House, not for a long time."

"We are going to have to change that, aren't we? Come, let's go."

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If I hadn't been made perfectly clear that this very long, tiring day was NOT my day, driving up to an old, Victorian mansion in the middle of Prospect Park Brooklyn, in the dark, with a monster hunter did it.

I looked at Viktor and then at the front door. Nope, I was not getting out of this Mercedes SUV. Take my head, I don't care, but I am not walking into the creepy-ass, probably haunted mansion.

Unfortunately, a Van Helsing did not give me an option.

I got out of the SUV and waited for him to come around, giving him my best glare at the same time.

"For the recorded, I am not happy," I said snappily.

He gave a gentle chuckle. "So noted. But you have no choice, so let's get this done, Little Cub."

I was really starting to hate that nickname.

We walked up the creaky steps and before we could even reach the porch, the door opened a crack.

Yup, definitely serial killer vibes here.

"Welcome, My Lord. May I ask why you have decided to come to our House?" The person who opened the door asked.

Well, I assumed it was a person that opened the door as I really could not see anything. I was pretty sure that they thought that the door would be enough protection against Viktor.

"I need to speak to your Head," said Viktor, not even putting who-ever-it-was in his eyes.

"Of course, please come in and have a seat." This time the door opened up all the way and I could see a man in a T-shirt and jeans. There was nothing about him that gave off the creepy vibes… or even Gypsy vibes.

What was this place?

I followed Viktor into the parlor where he sat down in one of the chairs (clearly meant for the Head) and made himself comfortable.

I stayed standing beside him. I planned to use this man as a shield, just in case.

He turned his head to look at me as if he knew what I was thinking. I panicked for a second… was mind reading one of Van Helsing's superpowers?!? I could not remember, oh crap on a stick. I would have to go back home tonight and do some studying.

I hated studying.

The Head of whatever House this was walked into the room and without a peep, sat down on the couch across from the Hunter.

"May I ask why you have come to my House, Van Helsing?" I was surprised to see a woman, no more than 40 years old addressing Viktor. I looked her up and down, trying to figure out who she was. She was dressed casually, in a Boho style with a long flowing skirt and a loose shirt. Her blonde hair was tied up in a bun, showing off her hoop earrings.

"You seriously don't know?" Asked Viktor, surprised. Well, that made two of us that didn't know why we were here.

"If I knew, Hunter, I would not have asked," the woman snapped back. Huh, kudos to her, I would not have said that to Van Helsing.

Viktor looked at me as if I should know what was going on.

Look, buddy, it is 9 pm and I have had a very long day. I have no idea why I am here and I would like for you to just hurry up and get this over with so I can go to bed.

That was what I thought, there was no way I was saying that out loud though.

"There is an unregistered Gypsy in the city and she needs to be registered before a Hunt is called," Viktor said clearly, surprising both me and the woman.

"There are no unregistered Gypsies in the city. I know this for a fact. My House is in order. If there is someone claiming to be of Gypsy descent, they are lying," The Head of the Gypsy House said, standing up.

"Hunt!?!" I screeched.

"Jenny, sit your ass down. Cub, quiet," Viktor said, taking charge of the room and the two women losing their minds in front of him.

"Can no one but me sense your Gypsy blood?" Viktor asked as he turned his gaze at me.

"How am I to know?" I asked sarcastically. "It's not like I can feel the pull to her. So far, I have only felt the pull to you."

"Who are you," demanded Jenny, glaring at me like I just put a blood curse on her House.

"My legal name is Nadezda Sokol," I said, my head high. I did not lie. As of right now, my legal name was Nadezda, it just was not the name I was born with.

Leave it to the Hunter to catch on to that quickly. "Legal name?" He turned around to gaze into my eyes and asked in a soft voice that only I could hear.

Jenny had a different reaction. "There has never been a Gypsy family with the last name of Sokol. She is not a Gypsy. Since this has nothing to do with my House, please leave."

Viktor paid as much attention to her as a tiger paid to an ant.

"Tell me, Cub, what was your given name at birth."

Damnit, I couldn't lie and tell him the wrong name, but I couldn't tell him my full name either. He would know what I was. Fighting the compulsion as much as I could, I revealed the only thing that would identify me as a Pure-blood, but not a monster.

"Tesalor," I whispered and waited for the bomb to go off.