Diamond undid her holster to hand to Chris and kicked off her shoes to the side. She spotted Emma jogging over to them and Diamond noticed she had changed her black shirt to a referee stripe shirt. Diamond used her feet to take off her socks and bent down to stuff her socks into her shoes.

When Diamond stood up Emma was waiting and Diamond spread out her arms with palms open. “Thank you.” Emma said and she started to pat down Diamond. 

She noticed Chris’ raised brow, “Checking for silver items. Common for any legal fighting ring rules.” Diamond explained and slightly flinched Emma touched her stomach.

Emma did pull back from the flinch but returned to patting her down when Diamond didn’t growl. “Tilt your head down please.” Emma said and Diamond tilted her head down. Emma checked Diamond’s ponytail and paused, “Oh interesting.”

“What is it? A hidden silver blade?” Scarlet joked and Diamond snorted from Scarlet’s comment and Chris’ stifled chuckle.

“Hidden braid,” Emma gently moved Diamond’s ponytail and showed a braid wrapped around the base of her ponytail. Diamond let out a small grunt and Emma let go and took a step back. “You are cleared to enter the ring.” 

Without pause Diamond vaulted over the guardrail and landed on the soft sand without sound. Diamond flexed her hands and tried to relax her shoulders as she stood still in the ring. She spotted Emma patting down a man on the other side and Diamond started studying her opponent.

Her nose told her he was a type of werebear at first thought and further thinking she narrowed it down to black bear. He was at least six feet tall and heavily built strongman and internally Diamond was jealous of his ability to gain weight, which she had hard time to do. Her nose also told her one more important fact about this man, and that was he had never killed before.

Scarlet had called him Jasper and he climbed into the ring only once Emma cleared him. Emma got in the ring and Diamond could feel some form of disgust coming off Emma. Jasper must have said something to Emma that Diamond didn’t catch as she was focused on how he moved and Diamond found his movement wasted.

“This fight is under legal means, so it means no killing blows or paralyzing blows.” Emma said and both fighters nodded to her. Diamond moved her hands into a proper boxer stance and Jaspers did boxer stance but Diamond found it too loose to label it proper. “Fighters ready…begin.”

Jasper lumber forward and Diamond smoothly walked closer to him, eyes locked on his movement. He swung his fist for head strike and Diamond leaned back with ease as she found his slow movement. She felt insulted from his arrogance she felt from his actions and she would punish him for it. She rushed in as he recovered from the sloppy swing and put as much power she could into a liver punch.

Jasper tried to dodge but couldn’t match Diamond speed and he crumbled from the liver punch. He landed face first into the sand and Diamond felt her hackles rise up in seeing him in this position. Her instincts scream and hunger for Diamond to swing down on his spine and tighten her shoulders to fight her bloodlust.

To help, Diamond took a few steps back away from Jasper and Emma moved to Jasper, “T’KO!” Emma yelled out after examining Jasper and Diamond lowered her hands, trying to relax them. 

Diamond took that call of T’KO as end to the fight and headed to the guardrail to vault over it with the same ease as before. Scarlet held out a damp towel and Diamond took before leaning on the guardrail to clean off her feet. “So what is your evaluation of Jasper the ‘Great’.” Diamond could hear the harsh spite when she spoke Jasper’s names and nickname.

“He’s wasteful in his movement, his speed is slower than a human's, and he has never been in a serious fight.” Diamond started to put on her socks and shoes back on her feet after she finished getting all the sand off them. “In a real pit fight, he would be dead in seconds. If he’s your top fighter, get a new top fighter.”

Scarlet snorted with a short laugh, “Hardly, he was just getting a big ego from all the mock fights he won.” Scarlet said as tried to hold back her laughter. Diamond grabbed her holster to put it on and finally understood why Jasper’s ego was big, most werebeast athlete fighters don’t take mock fights seriously to prevent major injury.

“If he isn’t your strongest fighter, who is?” Chris asked and raised a brow. Diamond adjusted her holster once she clicked the buckle in front and paused when Emma caught her eye. Her movement was smooth and when walking towards them, Diamond could see it now, muscle tension of a proper athlete fighter.

“It’s Emma, isn’t” Diamond interjected before Scarlet could say it and she smirked from Diamond saying it. “Smart move to make your best fighter to be a referee as well.” Diamond grabbed her coat and put on quickly as James walked over with a paper in hand.

“The best person to break up a fight if it breaks out.” Emma said and leaned forward on the guardrail. James handed the paper to Chris and Chris slightly scrunched his face but relaxed it just as quick.

“Not many on this list,” Chris said and tilted the paper to allow Diamond to see the names. The paper had an excel page print out on it and there were only six names on the page with phone numbers beside the names.

Scarlet shrugged, “A lot of blood drinks don’t normally hang out with us ‘Ghouls’and our coven members are mostly ‘Ghouls’.” Scarlet bit out ‘Ghouls’ whenever she said it. “Just because they think they are hot shit and higher beings in this world.” 

Diamond let out a huff and Chris sighed, “Ya that makes sense, not all them are as humble as Nix,” Chris said and shook his head. “Thank you for this information, we’ll get out your hair now.”

Chris started walking towards the exit and Diamond followed by pausing to turn around to look at Scarlet, “Also congratulations on becoming a grandma.” Diamond saw Scarlet’s polite smile turn to a soft and true smile.

“Thank you,” She said and Diamond nodded before leaving the room with Chris, who had stopped at the door when he noticed Diamond had stopped. 

The two left and once in the truck Chris looked to Diamond with raised brow. “There was baby stuff by the pool area.” Diamond said as buckled in and Chris started the truck.

“I saw that but that could have been anyone's or for charity.” Chris said as put his hand on the back of Diamond’s seat head rest as he backed up.

“True but her son, James, was covered in the scent of a pregnant female.” Diamond said and Chris removed his hand from her seat once he finished backing up. “I know he was her son when she moved in front of him to protect him.”

“I saw that too but I figured they were related due to his name waiter tag.” Chris said with a smirk. Diamond narrowed her eyes on him and he playfully waved his hand. “So you said you dealt with Red Mist before, what can you tell me about them?”

“Pain in the ass,” Diamond snarled and Chris raised a brow in wanting more information. “They are those hoity-toity vampires that Scarlet was snarling about before. This meeting is going to be like pulling teeth…without anesthetics.”

Chris grimaced from Diamond’s words and gripped the wheel tighter. “Dealing with werebeasts is easier and simpler.” Chris sighed and Diamond just nodded in agreement.

Chris stopped the truck at a set of iron gates and Diamond leaned forward in her seat to look past the gate better. The mansion she could see had a gothic french victorian style and the snow on the ground was barely shoveled. The hairs on the back of her neck raised up and she couldn’t see any kind of cameras.

Chris rolled down his window and leaned out to be closer to an intercom on a pillar. He pressed a button on it before saying, “Hello there, I’m officer Quinn and I wish to speak with your coven leader, Pierre Beauséjour the III.” 

There was a long pause before the gates started to slowly open as ice and snow slowed them. “Pleae drive up to the front, Officer Quinn.” A male voice said over the intercom.

Chris got back in the truck and closed the window, “There don't seem to be any cameras or sense anything like them either.” Diamond said as grabbed the ceiling handle as the truck bounced on the rough ground up to the front door.

“It feels like they haven’t updated the road since horse and carriage days.” Chris gritted as he gripped the wheel and Diamond snarled in agreement. The bouncing stopped once they stopped at the front door and Chris looked back. “I hope that was the road and not just the garden.”

Diamond looked back and shook her head. “I highly doubt that and the grass would be a smoother ride.” Diamond stated and Chris hummed from her statement. 

“You're right…I don’t see the building having modern lighting either.” Chris said and unbuckled his seatbelt. “We are probably dealing with a vampire stuck in the past and hates change.”

Diamond snorted as she unbuckled and got out of the truck when Chris got out of it. The two had to walk through snow that was ankle deep and Diamond caught Chris twice while going up the stairs to the front door. Once at the door Chris knocked and they waited for someone to open the door.

It was only a minute before the door opened up and Diamond smelled the old butler was a human. “The master of the house will be with you shortly, please wait here in the lobby please.” The butler allowed them to walk into the main lobby. The butler left the two in the lobby and Chris looked around before tapping Diamond’s shoulder.

“I was right, no modern lights.” Chris whispered and pointed out the gas lamps that were being used to light the lobby. Diamond scowled from the lamps and the waste and danger of using outdated ways to light a house this size. “That must be very expensive even now.”

Diamond was about to comment but her head snapped to conversion happening above them. The house had bad sound proofing and Diamond could hear the full conversion from where she was but she didn’t understand it as it was all in French. Diamond glanced at Chris and he was looking up too, “One man and one woman yelling in French.”

“And you don’t speak French and I have human hearing,” Chris said and tilted his head with a grimace. “I can’t catch anything, only the sound of it and it sounds like a heated fight.”

“A very he-” Diamond stopped as she heard the sound of slap and let out a low growl. The slap happened when the woman was talking and it was clearly the man slapping the woman. The man was talking but since they weren’t yelling Diamond couldn’t tell the tone of it and seconds passed before a door slammed and someone rushed away from the slamming door.

“Guess that end of that fight,” Chris said and Diamond heard the sharpness in Chris’ tone. Diamond rotated her shoulders and her head snapped to someone coming down the stairs, it was butler.

“The master of the house is ready for you in his study.” The Butler said and bowed to them. The two looked at each other before looking back at the butler to follow up the stairs. Chris was behind the butler and Diamond covered the back as it allowed her to grab Chris if she needed to.

They were led to a Victorian era like study and it had plenty of books that never touched the shelves. Diamond could see the dust on top of the books and her eyes drifted around to see other signs of other items never being touched. The only thing done in this room was drinking, smoking bad cigars, fucking a prostitute, and maybe some paperwork.

After looking around her eyes rested on the little man behind a large wooden desk. He was clearly a vampire with his scent and his bright red eyes and pale skin. He reminded her of a weasel with that small pencil mustache and slicked black hair.

“Sorry for the wait, I’m Pierre Beauséjour the III.” The man said with a hint of a french accent and tossing a cloth, he was using to clean his hand, to the side of the desk. “I had family matters to deal with…so what can I do for you, Officer.”

Diamond could hear the dismissal in Pierre’s voice and he was completely ignoring Diamond, his mistake if he attacked Chris. “We are here on a case, a murder case, a young lady was found with half her blood missing.” Chris stated and Pierre was looking at his nails. “Your branch coven is close by and I would like a list of all your blood drinkers that roost here.”

Pierre waved off Chris, “I assure you, Officer, none of my people are this killer you are looking for.” Pierre scoffed and Chris crossed his arms. “If that's all, please leave.”

Diamond could sense Pierre wanted to add ‘and don’t come.’ with his words and she saw Chris’ narrow eyes and lips tighten. Chris was about to say something but stopped himself before placing his hands on his hips. “Alright, Mr. Beauséjour, we will leave.” 

Chris looked at Diamond and nodded his head to the door, which Diamond simply nodded back. Chris walked towards the door with Diamond but stopped and turned with a bright smile on his face. Chris said something in French and Diamond watched Pierre’s face shift from disbelief to deep red with rage.

Chris bolted through the door and Diamond smoothly followed Chris out of the door while closing behind her. She kept up with Chris and he took a fast pace without turning it into a jog. “Have a nice day, Alfred.” Chris said as they passed the butler on the stairs and didn’t stop to hear what the butler said.

They got to the truck without trouble and Diamond shot him a look. She knew Chris loved to stir up people who are being uncooperative with him but she never saw him do that before, sending a vampire into a deep rage.

“Remember my mother is from France?” He said as buckled his seatbelt and Diamond nodded. “Well she told me a story about a vampire that embarrassed his father so much he was exiled from France to a new world.”

Diamond paused before raising her eyebrow, “That vampire was Pierre the III?” Diamond asked and Chris had shit eating grin. “And you just attacked him by using that information.”

“Oh ya and reminded him that he was a young vampire, like only fifty years old, not one of those old vampires with all that power and respect.” Chris said as started to drive on the bumpy driveway. “Basically he was still riding his daddy’s coattails, instead of making a name for himself.”

“One of these days you're going to get killed for upsetting the wrong vampire.” Diamond snarled as she grabbed the ceiling handle once again. 

“Only if you're not at my back and even then you would get revenge for me…that or Nix would.” Chris laughed and relaxed once on the smooth streets.

Diamond thought about it for a second before nodding in agreement and relaxed in her seat. “You now know what you have to do now.” Diamond said.

“Yep…I have to wait for a warrant and interview those vampires that Scarlet gave me.” Chris sighed and tapped his finger on the wheel. “Want to join me or wait at the shop?”

“Belle can help you with interviews.” Diamond said and crossed her arms. “Take me to the shop, I’ll update Ophelia about this case.”