The smell of smoke and iron lingers in his mind. Water cascades down his body, tinging pink as it washes away his sins for the night and flows down the drain. Reaching for the shower valve, Cassius turns it as far as it will go, needing the scalding stream to center his mind.

Foreign scents crossing their territory. A masked group of lithe muscular hunter's- scouting party- dragging one of their young ones away. The young one whimpering in pain and looking at them with fearful eyes. A brutal fight that nearly kills one of his own and leaves the child injured. The scouts are torn apart but one gets away. The smoke billows as the intruder's bodies are burnt as a warning to never cross their territory again. Somehow, they doubt this will be the last of them.

That night was nothing new to the head of the Moreau coven and one of the Primordials of their race. Their world is not an easy or clean one and Cassius was born into it, not turned. This coven is his legacy and he was chosen to lead it just as his father had before him dating back to the beginning of their kind.

Despite his familiarity with blood, fighting, and death, he could still be disquieted by it. He would be fine come morning once the sticky feel of the child's blood beneath his nails and the scent of burnt flesh were gone from his mind. Things had been peaceful for a time but something was stirring up.

Cassius could feel it in his bones, something closing in on them and he hated feeling like he was behind the curve. "Fuck!" he hisses and slams his fist against the white tiles which crack from the force. With a deep breath to regain control, he rests his forehead next to his fist still pressed to the tile. His more savage side is still too close to the surface after the earlier fight. The monster that lurks beneath his skin, camouflaged by pretty packaging. He had to keep his head straight if shit was about to hit the fan.

He needs a distraction for the night. He can't stay here alone with his thoughts. Cassius knows there are always people around the estate since most of their higher-ranking coven members have rooms there. The home is closer to a mansion in the middle of the woods with the security of a fortress. His father had bought the land and built the large home from scratch when they had chosen to settle down there and now it belonged to Cassius.

This was home base though. All of the members know you don't bring outside shit into the house. Cassius' childe, the female head of their coven unless he found his Destined, would beat the ever-living fuck out of anyone who brought an easy lay home or used it for heavy partying. That is why he and his men had purchased the nightclub Mōna. The club makes good money and is run by trusted coven mates. Cassius can almost guarantee that is where the men who went on the hunt with him tonight are holed up. Drowning themselves in booze, blood, and women. Tomorrow they will have to sit down and go over the information they gathered but tonight is their time to let loose.

Sick of brooding in his own thoughts, Cassius shuts off the shower and steps out. He barely dries off and uses the damp towel to give his chin-length hair the briefest ruffle to keep it from dripping. Minutes later, he is wearing a fitted black turtleneck that is paired with tailored dark gray wool slacks tucked into black polished combat boots. He pulls the top half of his hair back into a bun, a few curls falling out at the front, before grabbing his keys and wallet.

Cassius slides into his sleek black coupe, Rings by Aesop Rock filling the car. The drive to the club is short and he can hear things in full swing when he pulls into his parking spot. Heavy bass and shouted conversations filter out and there are women in various states of undress waiting to be let in.

Cassius saunters inside, a charming smirk in place. The bouncer at the door is one of the coven's best fighters. The women notice him first and he can almost feel the way their eyes check him over. They are easy. This is easy. It's all just meaningless distraction but sometimes that is all he has to stand between him and his demons tearing him apart. He nods towards the young one working behind the bar who respectfully greets him before going back to serving customers.

"Cass baby! Get your ass over here! I missed you love" Amir calls out when Cassius walks into the VIP section. The Commander only gets more affectionate and jovial when drunk. He rolls his eyes but weaves his way through the dancing bodies to where Amir has a redhead on his lap, Gunner next to him regales a group with stories that are probably only half true at best.

"Gotta be careful there Mir, the girls might start to get jealous if you keep talking to me like that" Cassius jokes and sends a wink towards the chick giggling on Amir who laughs and leers playfully at the Primordial. A chuckle next to his ear makes Cassius turn his head only to have a glass of bourbon thrust into his hand by his Advisor, Ezra.

"You look like you need it brother" he explains plainly, sapphire eyes looking at him knowingly. Moments like these make Cassius thankful for his nearly lifelong friend. The man knows him better than he knows himself. There is no need to air out the bullshit going on in his head because Ezra knows but does not push.

Cassius tips the bottle in acknowledgment and the two drop into the spots that cleared out for them to sit. They do not even have to try or charm the girls, they are more than eager to vie for their attention. A brunette makes herself at home, half draped over him. Her top is no more than a glorified bra and her skirt is pulled up to just barely cover her ass cheeks.

"Hello, there sweetheart. Aren't you looking good enough to eat tonight" he drawls smoothly and sees the triumphant look in her eyes. He has seen it a thousand times before. Hookups who think they will be sinking their claws into them. It will never fucking happen. They may fuck around but rarely do vampires, as old as they are, settle down with anyone but their Destined. This one will do for the night though.

He tries to be in the moment, to feel something while he flirts with the nameless girl. She rubs up on him and his body responds but he feels nothing. He internally sneers, hating her sickly sweet scent. He ignores it and takes her upstairs to one of the private rooms they keep for nights like this, more out of habit than actual want. He craves getting lost in the lust and heat of the moment but all he feels is empty.

Her moans irritate instead of arouse and he simply goes through the motion, trying to get it over with. He knows he is a selfish asshole for thinking it, but the body under him doesn't seem to mind or even notice that he is fully checked out. He grips her hair to hold her in place and bites down on her pulse point, taking long slow drags. The blood tastes like ash in his mouth and he can not bring himself to keep drinking, pulling his fangs away and healing the puncture marks, licking them closed. The condom is barely off after they finish before he is pulling his clothes on and telling her to leave.

The nameless girl tries to tempt him into staying but Cassius looks into her eyes, impelling her to forget him then leaves. He marches down the stairs and almost runs out into the fresh air. He takes a deep breath to fill his lungs and drive away the smell of sex, sweat, and booze. It all sets him further on edge.

There is a restlessness in his head and heart that he can not place. Hell, he has no idea what the fuck he even needs. He thought it was this, a night to sate the lust and hunger in his veins. He had been wrong. It only made the void worse. He leaves his car in favor of a long walk. He knows it will be safe there until he comes back for it.