Jessy knew very well why the woman was acting like a psycho a while ago, it was due to psychological and emotional trauma she encountered inside the cave surrounded by bloodsuckers 24/7. Anyone on their right mind would go crazy if they are abducted and imprisoned inside the cave for a long time, some would rather die than being held against their will and their blood taken regularly.She looked at Roden. "I"m just wondering where you got rice for the humans?"
"We steal sacks of rice from a rice dealer in the nearby towns," Roden answered. "You want to eat something for dinner?" he asked.
Just the mention of dinner sent Jessy"s stomach in overdrive. "Yes please..."
"Anything specific you want to eat?" he asked.
"Nah, just the foods that the women prepared in the kitchen, they smell delicious to me," Jessy said.
"Okay, I will instruct my wife to ready your food and she will bring them to the secret room a few minutes later," Roden said and they walked back towards the secret room.
Jessy entered the room and Roden left to attend to some important matters inside the cave.
She sat on the edge of the bed and picked up the bottle from the table and stared inside at Jagger who refused to look at her. She has the urge to shake the bottle hard but she feared that he might hit his head in the walls repeatedly and undergo brain hemorrhage.
Even though she was feeling outraged by his devious scheming behind her back she still can"t bring herself to kill him. Maybe, because she took care of him once, save his life and genuinely considered him as a friend and that made her...his benefactor.
Now that she had finally meet Roden the leader of the savage vampire, she realized that the vampires hiding in this cave are much more concerned about their safety and survival than waging war against the Facility.
In short, they are not a threat based on her a.s.sessment of their strength, capabilities as well their dire situation inside the cave but sooner or later she has to decide if revealing their existence to the king can be beneficial for both parties.
What she feels worried the most is the emotional and psychological condition that the human captives were going through inside the cave.
She wants to help them by saving them and returning them to their homes. But if she will do that, Roden, his family, and his clan will die if their blood supply will be cut off. This posed a bigger problem. How to help the humans while making sure Roden and his clan will survive even without their food supply?
There is only one solution...
Relocate all the inhabitants of this cave to the Facility. There, they will have a constant blood supply every day without the need to abduct humans. And if that happens the decade long war between the two vampire clans will no longer exist and it will be forged with peace and unity.
Isn"t that great?
Brilliant idea!
Finally, after a long time, the two clans will be friendly and civil towards each other and no longer pose a danger to humankind.
Who would even think that during the most difficult times throughout the vampires" history, unity and peace can finally be achieved by both warring parties?
Hmm...maybe she was fantasizing too much and too soon because she is a peace lover by heart just like Roden. She always prefers peace, not war!
What would the king think and feel if he saw the remaining savage descendants inside this cave? When he was keen on killing them all.
A minute later.
Roden"s wife entered the secret room holding a tray of food.
"We are bringing your foods, Crossbred, please enjoy your meal," she said shyly and placed the dishes in the center table occasionally glancing at her brother in law imprisoned inside the bottle.
"Please do call me by my name, Jessy. And what is your name?" Jessy asked the woman.
"My name is Mahlia," she answered smiling a little.
"Thank you for bringing my meal, Mahlia," Jessy smiled appreciatively at the woman.
After the woman finished placing the dishes in the wooden table, she exited the room quietly.
Jessy looked at the ordinary dishes which consist of plain rice, grilled fish, and some vegetable soup. She picked up the spoon and tasted the soup, it"s still a bit hot but tastes delicious in her mouth. She began eating the food while occasionally looking at Jagger wondering if he was feeling hungry or not. He never dared meet her gaze until this time.
Done eating her meal. She went outside the room to bring the plates back into the kitchen.
She spotted Roden, Mahlia and the kids in the bedchamber, sitting on the bed.
Mahlia approached Jessy. "Let me take that back to the kitchen," she said and took the tray. "Children follow me," she ordered the kids and they obeyed her.
Jessy looked at Roden.
"We need to talk..." she said and walked back inside the secret room.
Roden followed her inside.
Jessy faced Roden. "I will bring the humans with me," she declared.
Sadness clouded Roden"s features. "We are all going to die here if you will take away our only source of blood supply," he said worriedly as panic starts settling in his stomach.
Jessy smiled. "On the contrary, you and your clan will live, that if you will agree to my terms," she said.
Roden"s miserable face brightened a bit. "How? And what are your terms? Please tell me, I"m ready to listen."
"Would you be willing to bow to the king and swore alliance with him? Starting today there will be no two fractions of vampires, only one will exist and you must abide by his rules?" Jessy asked.
Roden"s brows furrowed, confused. "I"m interested in the blood supply...not about joining forces with the king."
"Exactly, if you will ally with the king, he will take care of you and your entire clan. You can all live safely inside the wall of the Facility. You will receive blood ration everyday enough for your entire clan, no need to abduct humans. And the best thing is...I can turn you all into a mortal being and you will no longer need to suck human blood. I can do blood transfusion ranging from four to five recipients every day. To date, I have successfully converted more than a thousand vampires into mortal beings and they are now living peacefully inside the protection of the Habitat. Since we are the only remaining vampires on earth it is only logical that we stick together until the end. Let"s leave the war and conflict behind us. It"s now the new era of peace and unity among surviving vampires," Jessy talked animatedly. "So...what do you think?"
Roden was listening attentively to the Crossbred"s offer. "Y-your offer sounds too good to be true. I"m at a loss of words on what to say..." he said in amazement.
"I will give you one hour to think it over. After one hour is over, return here. I expect that you already had a decision by then," Jessy said.
"And how about my brother, Jagger? What are you going to do with him? How are you going to punish him?" Roden asked sadly, his face was riddled with concern over his brother"s safety and uncertain future.
Jessy stared at the bottle for a few minutes. "I will keep him in the bottle for the time being while I"m still thinking of how to punish him. By the way...how long he can live in the bottle without eating and drinking?" she asked curiously.
"The bottle is safe, if you are inside the bottle you will not feel any hunger nor thirst," Roden explained.
"Cool!" Jessy murmured.