My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 194: A Way to Infiltrate

Otto swallowed and glanced around, clearly panicking, before lowering his voice.

"The Red Zone is beyond that door to the underground," he said, pointing toward an unremarkable steel door marked STAFF ONLY, with a single bodyguard standing watch in front of it.

Of course it would be something that mundane. Seamus had half-expected hidden sigils, blood seals, or at least some theatrical nonsense worthy of Latros’ reputation.

Instead, it was bureaucracy and laziness dressed up as secrecy. That alone made his stomach sink.

If this really was Latros territory, then the House that once murdered an Emblem was now hiding behind something that banal, which either meant arrogance or absolute confidence.

"Do whatever you can to get us inside," Seamus said flatly, tightening his grip on Otto’s shoulder. "You brought us here, so don’t suddenly become useless."

Otto looked like he might actually cry. "I... I don’t have clearance. Recruiters like us aren’t allowed past that point. The ones who go down there never come back the same."

"Is the security inside that Red Zone tight?" Dylan asked, unusually serious for once.

"Because if it is, wouldn’t it be easier to knock out some staff and take their clothes? You know, like in the movies."

Seamus hated how reasonable that sounded. He shook Otto again, more roughly this time. "Answer him."

"They’ll know immediately if a human steps inside," Otto blurted out. "There are no humans down there. None. Even disguised ones get found out."

"Damn it," Seamus muttered. He exhaled slowly, then tilted his head slightly. "Madeline."

She appeared beside him with a tired groan.

"No. Don’t even ask. If I could make you pass as a vampire, I would’ve done it back at that private party."

Annoying, but fair. Seamus clicked his tongue and scanned the layout again, committing every camera angle, hallway reflection, and staff movement to memory.

"So no disguises, no humans, and one guard who definitely isn’t here just to look pretty. Do you have a back entrance, Otto, or something that doesn’t involve us getting slaughtered the second we step inside?"

Otto hesitated, then shook his head weakly. "Everything leads through that door. The Red Zone is sealed. You either belong, or you die."

Otto hesitated for only a second before blurting out, "I can help you get in. You just need to get really drunk."

His finger shifted subtly as he gestured toward Diane and Maria. "Both of you can disguise yourselves as staff. Make sure you take the ones with the red name tags. Those are senior staff. They have clearance for the Red Zone."

For the first time since they entered the club, Otto’s voice sounded steady. He wasn’t bluffing. And more importantly, he wasn’t lying.

Seamus weighed it quickly. The plan was ugly, risky, and relied on chance, but it was also the first option that didn’t end with a guaranteed massacre at the door.

Their internal communication would still work too. Bianca had given them an extra doll for precisely this kind of mess.

"The doll’s with me," Maria said quietly, already adjusting her posture like she was slipping into another role.

"We separate. If whatever’s down there can’t be handled, we run. Our lives come first. This investigation isn’t worth dying for."

Everyone nodded without argument.

Seamus reached out and squeezed Maria’s hand. "Meet me alive," he said softly.

He turned to Diane next. "Take care of her. Both of you. Don’t let anyone get hurt."

Diane nodded once. Her expression was tight, conflicted, and restrained, but she didn’t protest.

Seamus trusted her with Maria’s life, even knowing jealousy still sat somewhere in her chest. He knew she wasn’t crazy enough to kill Maria out of jealousy.

Before they could disappear into the crowd, Seamus activated his skill.

[Predator’s Mark]

A faint red aura wrapped around both women only he could see. To him alone, their steps left thin traces across the floor.

It was a technique meant for the enemy, something that weakened resistance to his psyche Bloodstyle, and he hated using it on allies. But losing track of them in this place would be worse.

As Diane and Maria vanished into the mass of bodies, Seamus exhaled slowly. Anxiety curled low in his stomach, sharp and persistent, but he forced it down. He couldn’t afford distraction now.

"Bianca," he murmured toward the doll hidden in his pocket. "Watch them."

"I can’t interfere directly," Bianca replied, her tone unusually serious, "but I’ll maintain a stable connection. I’ll do everything I can."

***

"Fuck you!" Dylan slurred loudly, already half draped over the counter. "But yeah, okay, maybe I’m weak as hell. Still, fuck you."

Seamus closed his eyes in irritation and dumped a full glass of water over Dylan’s head.

"Don’t get drunk, you idiot."

"I’m not!"

Dylan snapped, blinking rapidly as water dripped down his face. He immediately grabbed another glass and drank it anyway.

Seamus watched the bartender’s movements closely. The alcohol being poured didn’t smell like liquor. It was sweet, warm, and dangerously smooth, sliding down the throat too easily.

The effect followed almost instantly, heat spreading through the body and dulling thought before the brain could protest.

"This isn’t normal alcohol," Seamus muttered.

Otto sat rigidly beside him, eyes flicking between Seamus and the bartender. When a new shot was placed in front of Seamus, the liquid wasn’t brown this time. It was red. Dark, glossy, almost viscous.

Otto gave a small, almost imperceptible nod.

They had a blood pact before they decided to drink. Otto couldn’t betray them without consequences, and Seamus couldn’t kill him outright as long as Otto complied. It wasn’t trust, but it was leverage.

Seamus lifted the glass and drank.

The effect was immediate.

The room tilted violently. Sound stretched and blurred. His vision fractured at the edges, colors smearing together until the club lights collapsed into darkness.

[Warning: Host consciousness destabilizing]

[Location classified as hostile territory]

[Initiating automatic protection protocol]

[Protective barrier deployed: low-level resistance to Bloodstyles active]

[Shock response activated with 70% danger level]

The system’s voice faded in and out like it was underwater.

As blackness swallowed him whole, one coherent thought cut through the haze.

’If Otto betrayed me, I will rip him apart when I woke up.’