Don't lose your focus, Jacob said to himself. Get back to Savoring the Hunt. Now for Potence...
The two men were growing more restless now, standing side-by-side and visibly frowning. It seemed they were unsure whether to rob Jacob or run away from him. Considering the Wrath Jacob felt animate him, the second option would probably have been recommendable. All of a sudden, the pimp's eyes widened as he recognized Jacob. As he opened his mouth to say something, Jacob knew exactly what to do...
Now for Celerity.
With supernatural speed, Jacob was at the bodyguard's side before he had even drawn his gun. Jacob grabbed the man's neck by the chin with both his hands and pulled backwards with all his supernaturally augmented strength. The expected dry snapping sound followed. He turned to face the pimp.
Jacob heard the bang. He had grown somewhat used at the different sensation of injury in his vampiric state. It seemed the pimp managed to tear off most of Jacob's left cheek. Jacob used the power of his blood to heal his wound before the pimp's eyes. He felt the absolute fear and surprise climax in the man's silence... as he moved to bite him, the man could not even run away. With supernatural strenght, Jacob held him in place and started to draw his blood...
Ah how good it felt to take a man's life without doubt or regret! He remembered the first time he had killed, when the bargirl Rose had gone to his apartment - how brutal he had been in his hunger! As he laid her mangled corpse on his couch, he had felt guilty - partly for taking her life, partly for not feeling half as bad about it as he thought he should. He had come to terms with that now, and admitted it. But he suspected that Ian had always known.
How he had changed a lot since then. He had found his apparent lack of a moral code as a human and now tried to build one around what he felt to be his nature as a vampire. He was a predator. It was his role to hunt and feed. It made no sense to kill unless it was necessary to do so, but it also made little sense to dwell on why he killed or hunted. One might as well ask why people get sick and die, or why flashfires or hurricanes happen. When he felt he had to kill, he would kill.
Or, as happened in this case, when killing the victim was totally free of moral constraints. Then he could go beyond following his nature - he could relish in it. He could take pleasure in the fear and helplessness of the pimp, and in his superiority. Here he could channel his anger at all he had failed to do in the past. How he had failed to help his father. Or Quentin. How he had failed with the pharmacy. How he had failed the Dracul...
It suddenly dawned in Jacob's mind that THIS was what he wanted to do with his life - to Hunt.
The Path before him was drawn clearly, the Solution to his Equation. He wanted to be what Erika was - only better. He remembered her words - "the Hornmist can help you excel in whatever you're best at". Could they make an assassin out of him? He would try. Weapons, combat, stealth, Erika would know what was necessary. And she would help him, because she was his sister and loved him. And because she wanted them to be together.
Two more gunshots had sounded beneath the starlit sky, but Jacob took no heed. He would heal later. For now, he was absorbed in the tranquility of feeling one's Path and Aims well defined. All that was left was Quentin, he thought. What to do with Quentin? The ritual in the hotel suite came back to his mind, and he strived to push it away. Study, Jacob thought. Knowledge is the best answer to Fear. For now all he could do was try to learn all he could about Magic from the Dracul, Constantine, whoever. Would Katherine and Tauber let him use the library again now that Ian was decided to betray his sire's trust and covenant?
Jacob felt the man's heart slow down. He made a note to never tell Rachel about it, as he suspected she would not take kindly to what he had done. With full conviction of his actions, he drained the last of the man's blood.
There's a killer for you, he thought. The street was still empty in spite of the gunshots. The police had been probably called, sure, but even now they were still busier and no-one was fool enough to come out for a better look at what was happening. Jacob had still comfortable time to run away. Grinning, he opened his eyes as he dropped the pimp's body.
And for a brief moment, he saw his father instead.
Jacob took a jump back, startled. The pimp's corpse tumbled on the pavement, rolled, and turned face up again. Jacob saw Ian this time. He tried to stand, and glanced at the bodyguard's broken neck. There was Erika.
As he turned his back on the scene and started to run towards his car, Jacob felt a red glow and warmth coming from behind him. He felt it increase, and he heard that same voice speak in that same incomprehensible language as he had heard the day before...
Jacob reached the Aston Martin and drove away in absolute fear. It took him quite a few minutes to calm down. Life's Equation, it seemed, had more unknowns than he thought...