Both sides were stuck in a stalemate. Nobody moved. The soldiers had their rifles raised, but they didn't dare pull the trigger.
Who knew if the bombs Luke mentioned would really go off if they shot him? Maybe he was lying, maybe not — but no one wanted to be the guy who found out the answer.
The air felt heavy, like everyone was holding their breath.
"Why do you want to meet our boss? Do you even know who we work for?" the commander asked finally, his tone sharp but not shouting. His eyes narrowed as he studied Luke.
He kept his rifle steady, aimed right at Luke's chest, but his gaze kept flicking between Luke and Selene. If these two actually knew who his boss was… that was trouble. Big trouble.
Their whole group was meant to be shadows in the dark. No one on the outside was supposed to even guess they existed, let alone demand a meeting with the one in charge.
"Yes, I do know him," Luke said, his voice calm and steady, but with a hint of a smug smile. "And I've got a few words for him… something about his sons."
That made the commander's expression twitch — quick, but enough for Luke to notice.
Luke leaned in just a little, as if he wanted to make sure everyone heard him. "And if you don't agree to take me to him," he went on, spreading his arms like he was putting on a small show, "then I'll just walk into the nearest news station and go live on camera. Big title: 'Vampires and Werewolves — Are They Real? Let's Find Out Together!'"
A couple of soldiers shifted their feet. Some traded glances. Nobody laughed.
The commander's jaw tightened. "You're bluffing."
Luke tilted his head slightly, keeping that faint grin. "Maybe. But are you ready to bet your boss's privacy on that?"
Before the commander could fire back, Selene finally spoke, her voice cold and flat. "You know he's not lying. And you know you don't want this to get out."
The commander shot her a glare. "You're a vampire. You really think it's a good idea to expose your own kind to humans?"
Selene didn't answer, didn't even change her expression. She just went along with Luke's bluff. As for that whole live broadcast threat, she didn't really believe Luke had the time—or patience—for something like that right now.
Luke stepped in again, not missing a beat. "Relax. You don't need to worry about that. Thirty days from now, we'll be gone. No one will be able to track us down. But your boss…"
He let the pause drag for a second, "…he won't be so lucky. Because the first thing I'll talk about is his family history. The full Corvinus story. Imagine that splashed across every news site. The panic, the mess — it'll be everywhere."
The commander's eyes narrowed more. This guy wasn't just being annoying — he was a real problem.
First, he claimed to have bombs ready to blow. Now he was threatening to throw centuries-old secrets out into the open. And the worst part? They couldn't even be sure he wouldn't actually do it.
Luke knew that in any high-stakes negotiation, bluffing could be just as dangerous as a gun or a spell.
It was a tool you pulled out when you needed the other side to freeze, to think twice, to wonder if maybe you had more power than you really did.
If the other side had a weakness—even a hidden one—he could lean on it, press it, and keep pressing until they started doubting their own position.
Right now, their weakness was obvious: fear of exposure.
It didn't matter whether he actually had the ability or even the intention to go public with what he knew. What mattered was that they thought he might. And when people started thinking in "might" instead of "won't," the balance shifted.
In the end, half of the battle wasn't about firepower at all. It was about convincing your opponent you held the detonator to something far more destructive than a bomb—something that could unravel their entire world without a single shot fired.
"I need to make a call," the commander said at last, his voice tight, each word sounding like it had been dragged out of him.
He gave a small signal with his hand, and the soldiers adjusted their stances, rifles still locked on Luke and Selene. Then he stepped a few paces back, pulling out a secure handset from inside his vest.
Luke didn't move to stop him. Instead, he shifted his weight, leaning casually against the rifle he'd slung over his shoulder. If they wanted him to look nervous, they'd have to wait a while.
Selene wasn't quite as relaxed. Her gaze flicked constantly—first to the soldiers' fingers near the triggers, then to the rooftops around them. She had the look of someone who knew just how fast things could go wrong.
From the corner of his eye, Luke caught the way the commander's back stiffened mid-conversation. Whoever was on the other end of that line was clearly not happy.
Finally, the commander returned, his expression unreadable. "You can come," he said, his tone firm but carrying that edge of caution that never quite went away. "But don't try anything weird."
Luke gave a small shrug, like the warning was just background noise. Selene didn't react at all, but her posture stayed steady.
It took about ten minutes before things started moving. The commander gave more instructions to his men, and soon Luke, Selene, and the commander were heading toward the waiting helicopter.
The rest of the soldiers stayed behind, fanning out around the collapsed building site. Some began setting up perimeter markers, others started making calls for cleanup crews. Whatever had just gone down here, they clearly wanted it wiped from sight as fast as possible.