Date: 2014-05-12 04:00:00+00:00
Keywords: Fantasy; Paranormal; Vampires; Paranormal Romance; Romance; Dystopia; Supernatural; Science Fiction; Apocalyptic
Description: Being born a hunter, Esmore has been raised with one purpose: to hunt and kill the vampire race that destroyed the world as it was known. At eighteen, Esmore’s a Token Huntress in her Guild, surpassing her mentor’s expectations of her, despite having no magical ability, like all hunters before her. During a raid in the once iconic San Fransisco, Esmore’s team is ambushed, and a mysterious vampire that she is drawn to captures and takes her to the Vampire Council as a prisoner. Her captor—Chase, a lethal, immortal, sexy, and charming vampire who will stop at nothing to claim her as his familiar

Token Huntress

Token Huntress

Kia Carrington-Russell

Crystal Publishing

CRYSTAL PUBLISHING

Published by Crystal Publishing (Australia)

Copyright © Kia Carrington-Russell 2014

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Cover Design: © Ynne Black

Interior Image: © Ynne Black

All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced or partially used by any means unless prior permission by the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-9942999-1-8

Contents

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eightteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Chapter Twenty-Four

Chapter Twenty-Five

Chapter Twenty-Six

About The Author

Also Available

Dedication

To all my fans, team, friends and family- Thank you so much, without you and all your support I would not be where I am today. Thank you.

Prologue

Even when I conjured all my strength, his speed was unmatched. He grabbed my sword with his hands, blood spurting everywhere, his eyes now savage on me. In one swift movement he threw it away, grabbing my throat, ready to rip out my heart. His fangs were very large and blood dripped over them. Had he bitten into one of his own comrades? I could not breathe, but I did not gasp for air. I would not fall so far as to want mercy from his kind.

Before he plunged his fingers into me a hand stopped him. My heart pounded, yet I was not scared to face death. A swift movement was made and I fell to the floor, holding my throat. Whoever had grabbed his hand tore him away from me. I looked up in front of me to see the familiar coat. It was Chase. His back was to me as he faced the vampire who had almost killed me. Did the Council really have such old and strong vampires right under our noses?

“Don’t touch her. She’s mine,” Chase snarled, holding two swords.

“She threatened Whitney!” the other vampire spluttered.

“Tythian.” The small voice of the woman from behind him broke the tension. “It’s okay, we can go now.”

He buckled to his knees in front of her, cupping her face gently. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “I did not know they would use you for this.” She gently caressed his face. In amidst the ghastly noises of weapons scraping against one another, it seemed to them that nothing else mattered as they gazed into one another’s eyes devotedly.

“Let’s go home,” she said with a reassuring smile. I was mortified how comfortable she was in the blood war that raged around her.

Before I could stand, the vampire had grabbed her chair and, with lightning speed, they were gone.

Chase turned to me, his fangs not as large as Tythian’s, but I could see he too was a very old vampire. “Esmore,” he whispered. Before I could run for my sword to use it against him, he had already vanished, leaving me by myself.

Kora and Kasey were the reason why he fled. They had advanced on him, trying to entrap him. For what reason he hadn’t tried to kill them I wasn’t sure. He simply hid amongst the dark. I could still feel his presence close by, but it felt as if he were only watching. Not fighting, but just watching how everything would play out. Realizing Chase was gone, they focused on another three vampires, entrapping them as Dillian and Tori covered their backs. One by one, the girls trapped more. There were so many of them.

Teary was fighting off four. Except for Tythian and Chase, they all seemed like younger vampires. You could tell by their strength and speed. Usually we could challenge vampires if they were no more than one hundred and fifty years old. After that it became very difficoven to compete against a vampire who had lived for so long.

James was now by my side. He had gathered my Barnett bow and sword for me. I used my arrows instantly on a vampire who ran for me, piercing his chest. He crumbled to the ground, quickly decaying. I roared in anger at how easily I had been overcome by the previous two vampires. I sliced through another vampire, cutting down his throat and through his belly. I cut across another’s head, slitting their throat and puncturing their chest. I raged again, feeling myself fill with hatred and a need to see their blood. I cut off one’s arm, plunging my sword into its chest, driving so deep into it that after a few steps I had nailed it to a tree. It slumped around my sword, its skin turning a shade of black. I pulled it out, watching it begin to decay.

A huge fire lit behind me. Teary was controlling the flames, sweeping over the ten of them that encircled her. There must have been one hundred vampires. This was a well-thought out ambush. James grabbed one vampire’s throat and then another as it ran from behind him. Smashing both their heads together, they shattered from the impact. James steely skin was impenetrable. He grabbed his sword from the ground. A vampire must have knocked it out of his hand. He punctured both in the chest before they could heal.

In the distance I could feel the presence of many more coming. For that many we would have to use the grenade. It was us against many. As if knowing what I was thinking, James ran to Teary as she continued to sweep her hand containing the fire around.

In the distance a vampire stalked toward Teary. He too was strong and old. I had the feeling that others followed him as their numbers grew. James now had the grenade, and he was pulling the pin. Inwardly I counted the short seconds in my head. Ten, nine. Teary continued to control her flames, still engulfing the many around her. Eight, seven. Two vampires came at me and quickly I thrust my sword into them, before shooting an arrow into another oncoming vampire. Six, five. James threw the grenade at the large army that stampeded toward us.

The leading vampire swept one hand across them both. Teary’s flames were instantly put out as a gust of wind extinguished it. The wind not only pushed James and Teary back but Dillian, Tori, Kasey, and Kora as it smashed into their backs, throwing them forward. It had even taken the Council vampires along with it. This vampire had the gift of control over wind. The grenade was thrown toward my team.

Four, three.

With all the speed I could muster I ran for them, grabbing a hold of the grenade in the air. I ran into the distance so the grenade was nowhere near them, throwing it at the army that charged toward them.

Two, One.

The grenade exploded near the army, but shattered much more than just that. Quickly a burst of dust swept over me. The burning flames of the explosion encased my body. I heard my name whispered by an angelic voice, but noted it was probably the afterlife calling for me. This must now be my time of death.

New World

The pressure of a new world is limitless.

There is no expectation of a future;
when the past has been so carelessly destroyed.

Society’s former glory has been taken.

Now we must survive and try to maintain numbers.

The world seems abandoned.

But in the dark monsters lurk.

I am a Token Huntress.

I will find the humans who remain,

And with great pleasure will destroy all vampires.

I am the vision of the new world.

I am Token.

I am Hunter.

Do not become my prey.

The stagnant smell of the classroom was getting on my nerves. I looked behind me to the window, desperate for fresh air. The small windows seemed to shun the sunlight. What little light that seeped through the glass highlighted the dust particles that floated lazily above the heads of my equally bored classmates. The small room seemed crowded, yet there were only eight of us in total. The hunter to my left sighed deeply, and I rested my elbows on the desk as I attempted to stifle a yawn.

At the front of the room stood our teacher, Miss. Femine, who spoke nervously to us now beside our formidable Head Huntress, Miss. Campture. The door beside the large chalkboard was the only exit, and, almost metaphorically, it was Miss. Campture who blocked it. She often came to check up on the classes. We were expected to be knowledgeable in all fields, and Campture monitored our progress like a hawk. Our education didn’t cease until we reached the age of thirty — only then were we deemed intellectually competent. Those radiant yellow eyes rested on each of us in turn. Her long snow-white hair was as stiff as the air in here, and her frown lines were visible from four desks away. Miss. Campture’s eyes locked on mine as she registered the insult. I diverted my eyes, knowing I had been busted. Every hunter had a gift and hers, unfortunately, was the ability to read minds.

I tapped my fingers lightly on the leather garter that was strapped around my hips, trying to distract myself from thinking about her. I scanned the room. My classmates varied from seventeen to late twenties. I could only see the back of their heads, but I knew all their eyes were glowing iridescently. Their unique eyes were the physical feature that claimed them as hunter from birth — the defining feature that differentiated them from the defenseless humans. On the eighteenth birthday of a hunter, a special ability unique to them becomes enabled. All of their gifts had activated except mine. When I awoke on my eighteenth birthday, no gift was apparent. In fact, my purple eyes had dissolved into a dull gray.

Someone coughed, snapping me back to the present, and my eyes met Miss. Campture’s once more. I supposed I owed her gratitude. I was kept in the Hunters’ Guild because I had been born a hunter — my eyes had once glowed as brightly as theirs. There was also the fact that they could not deny my superiority in combat. I was the most skilful of my generation of hunters. I excelled in both raids and in battle. Vampires feared me and hunters respected me. My speed, stamina, strength, and tactical projections in battle were unprecedented. Undeniably, I was the best of the younger hunters we had in our guild.

Despite this, speculation had grown with each day that passed after my eighteenth. Conspiracy theories were whispered in hushed tones when my back was turned. They said I was the first hunter to have lost my iridescent coloring — the trademark stamp of our identity. They asked it carefully of each other: If she is not a hunter, then what is she? What is her ability? What is her place amongst us? What right has she to lead us into battle?

I swallowed my bitter retorts each and every time. After all, I had no answers. I turned to science instead, thinking again of our genes. Evolution was both necessary and inevitable. Perhaps our DNA was altering and I was merely the first case. Perhaps others would follow, other hunters born without gifts. Perhaps humans had been too quick to celebrate when they created us.

My mind drifted to the early-history lessons we attended which explained our origins. The first hunter had been created by humans in 2016, and for a very specific purpose: to stand against vampires. The project was successful, or so we had been told. Scientists had concocted a sub-species of human. It was a long and slow process, apparently. The humans began to kidnap vampire subjects and study them from as early as 2012. They learned slowly, and they suffered many setbacks. Synthesized blood of the vampires had been injected, cells had been manipulated. Of course, the first subjects were claimed by the virus in the blood, which turned them into vampires themselves. But the thirty-first human subject to be tested on was a success, and the first hunter had been born.

The injection deteriorated every cell in the body and replaced it with vampirism. Apparently, when scientists studied the blood under a microscope, they could see it squirming as if it were alive itself. If a cut appeared on the surface of the skin then the blood would frantically heal the wound. The thought was disturbing, but we benefitted from it. Although we did not heal as quickly as vampires, we healed faster than humans. Selective DNA combined with the capabilities of advanced technology had resulted in a new breed: the hunters. We matched the vampires in almost every way.

In the technology age, the twenty-first century, they were also trying to create things called military robots. They were not human, but were machinery instead — impractical. Of course, the technology era did not have time to advance this machinery before the vampires swooped in, so they were left with us. Although we functioned and looked like humans, we were a different race completely. We could run faster; our stamina and endurance beyond compare. Eyesight, smell, and touch were far more advanced. We had an exceptional ability to heal, and we did not need as much maintenance to sustain our bodies, such as food, water, or sleep. Our levels of human emotion were very weak, however. Emotion was not something we entertained. Perhaps it was the alteration made in our genes many years ago when we were first created. Attachment and sentimentality only slows you down.

They learnt quickly that we were something entirely different from them. After World War III began in 2017, the vampires used the distraction as a final opportunity to overrun the humans. Military was stretched around the world. The world had already suffered damage and disease following the nuclear bombs, mass deaths, and general havoc. In 2019, survival camps were being instigated for humans and the remaining human population was protected by hunters. These camps still exist, but they have lessened in both numbers and in standards. By the 2020s, the world’s natural resources had been depleted. Electricity, water, and conventional gases were sabotaged by both parties.

The wars changed the world beyond recognition. Nuclear weapons had changed the face of the land. Pollution increased dramatically in civilized society’s final decades. A thick laye of dust and fumes cushioned the earth’s surface, disallowing the sun to penetrate our atmosphere as it once had. The lack of light enabled the vampires to roam freely. They could now prowl the lands in both night and day. It was in the 2030s that the guilds were created. Their role was to raid for supplies and to look for humans. Any humans that were recovered were transported to safety; any vampires found were killed on sight.

It was once predicted that by the year 2300 the earth would be so hot, parts of it could not be lived in by humans. The drastic decline in the human population went some way toward stalling that process. The world went back to a more organic state, and the animal population grew. Animals that should have been extinct by 2100 multiplied uncontrollably. New, strange plants evolved that depended less on sunlight and water. Trees and vegetation grew where it could, creeping through the silent streets of deserted cities. Freshwater was rare and hard to procure. The oxygen in the air became thin as plant life struggled to survive. The world became a dark, sparse forest of abandoned civilization. Broken cities grew gray and dangerous. Lurking in this new landscape were hunters, humans, and vampires, as well as an abundance of animal life. The species at the top of the food chain was now uncertain.

In 2115 the government — who at the time still had some authority over the hunters —attempted to take back military control of a place called the ‘White House,’ in a land then recognized as ‘America.’ Some humans resented the leadership the hunters were asserting over the survivors, others feared them. The government still had many weapons at their disposal, and many hunters were wiped out by the vampires in this last act of rebellion. This foolish action allowed the Vampire Council to become strong. It was the humans’ final failure. This was when communication between the human government and the hunters ceased completely. Hunters took control both of themselves and of the remaining humans. After many years of reproduction, the hunters became a powerful force, though some hunter offspring were born human.

It was then that the Guild noticed a change of behavior in some vampires. Usually they were strategic, intelligent, sharp, restrained. Now a more monstrous and barbaric kind of vampire emerged. They hunted everything, but they were easily killed. It was as if they were deranged, completely devoid of intelligent thought. They even slaughtered the animals relentlessly. We called them sabers.

Now, we continue our ambition to save the human race. Although the humans created us, we know that they were incapable of looking after themselves. It is for their own good that we now are in complete control of their care and well-bring. Our camps are evidence of this. We nurture them and ensure their survival as a species. It is, after all, embedded mechanically in our genes.

Amongst the hunters there are always a few elite ones, and I am one of them. These are the ones who are the leaders of small groups of between six and eight members. These hunters are superior in organizational skills, fighting, speed, talent, and stamina. They are Token Hunters. We have four Token Hunters in the Guild, each one in charge of a raid team. We usually go on raids to gather supplies and to seek out humans to take back to the safety of the camps. We are the ones that search for the Council, our mission to bring an end to their kind.

It was an honor to be named a Token Huntress at such a young age. I turned eighteen six months ago on April 20, 2322, and was made a Token soon after. My birthday had been tainted by tragedy. On the night before, my mother had slipped away in a raid without my knowing. There was a rumor that humans were dwelling in a forest nearby. The next day it was reported to me that she was dead. I was now parentless; my father had been killed by sabers when I was only ten. Ever since the day my remaining parent was taken from me, life had not been the same. I now only focused on my strength. I felt cold and impassive about life. My title of Token Huntress was the only thing I really cared about.

My eyes trailed over the bulky arms of my boyfriend, James. We had been together for a little over two years. His blonde hair had been recently shaven, and he had fluorescent green eyes. Those eyes were now staring back at me worriedly. I felt agitated by his concern. For a long time now we hadn’t been on the best of terms. He was just too pushy on matters I really didn’t want to focus on, such as a future together.

I turned my gaze to Miss. Femine as she held up a weapon called a chainsaw. Many of us had heard of them before, they were tools from the past. We had now reformed them, making them into weapons. Tanya, a huntress whose ability allowed her to harness electrical currents, had obviously been put to use. At first the hunters were not sure what to do with her ability, after all, the time of electricity was long gone. Now, at sixty-five, her gift was found to be one of the most invaluable ones known amongst our kind. We were hoping this weapon would become useful for our raids.

“The chainsaw was commonly used in the twentieth century, and even before then. It was often used for chopping wood. However, after some adjustments we have supplied it with enough battery life that it will be useable for a few days. Does anyone have any comments on how they think this may fair in battle?” Miss. Femine asked.

Corso, a hotshot, spoke out, just as he always did. He was one of those I-know-everything kind of guys, and sadly, James’ best friend. “It would be practical,” Corso nodded enthusiastically. “It can be used over a long amount of time and it can do a lot of damage very quickly. You could easily target at least their arms or legs, or something larger, even if you couldn’t get to their heart straight up.” When he finished, he leaned back in his chair and folded his arms smugly.

I would personally conclude that such a weapon would be more efficient for beheadings. The two ways to truly kill a vampire was to either pierce their heart or behead them. The idea that fire and sun were the only methods to kill them was quickly scratched out in the 2000s — it had no effect on them. Sure, their skin melted in the flames, but no matter how long the fire was on them, they never died from it. Their blood healed them instantly and repetitively as they lay in the flames. Annoyed, I pushed away part of my golden-blonde fringe which was in my eyes. The strands should have been tightly bound by my long braid at the back. I deliberated between fixing my hair and entering into an argument for only half a second.

“It’s impractical,” I stated loudly. Corso’s head whipped round to glare at me. He hated being challenged.

“Esmore?” Miss. Femine prompted.

“It’s slow, heavy, and it is for close range targets only. No better than a blade or sword, weapons that can be administered to the chest during battle. We are trained to be of the same speed and stamina as the vampires. And we have been using the same tools for hundreds of years. In what world would something so heavy and bulky ever be practical in a fight? We are not out there to display new gadgets or to show off that we can revive useless items that should have been left to rot. My god, most of the vampires out there are far older than that, they know how a chainsaw works. It is now the year of 2341. We shouldn’t be attempting tricks; we should be sticking with what has kept us alive all these years. On top of that, I have heard it is noisy. This will not only attract more vampires toward us on a raid, but discourage any human survivors from approaching us.”

“I could easily use it in a fight and I know I would kill far more vampires than you,” Corso spat.

“You couldn’t stab yourself with your own knife even if you fell onto it,” I sneered. “This isn’t about who kills the most, this is about practicality and keeping ourselves alive out there.” This was our first basic rule in training.

“That’s all it ever is to you, isn’t it, Esmore? Keeping yourself alive? My, what a huntress you are. I intend on killing those vampires who slaughtered so many of our kind. You can hide behind me if you like,” he winked maliciously.

I briefly looked at James, who looked away from me. Only two months after my mother’s death, and following the death of our Token Hunter, Drue, I was put in charge. Although a lot of the older hunters didn’t much enjoy it, I had since brought almost everyone back safely, with very few deaths or casualties on my record. I had only lost two. “Then may I make a suggestion? On the next raid, you lead, Corso. I mean, it’s not like I know what I am doing as Token Huntress. Why don’t you and your chainsaw take center stage?” I mocked. My eyes steadied on his in challenge. It was like watching an animal be ensnared in a trap. His red eyes glowed at the thought of being in charge.

“I will. Miss. Campture?”

“Esmore,” she growled angrily.

I never asked to be the Token Huntress and some respect had to be shown. I would much prefer to do raids on my own. Ok, yes, it appeared that I was mostly saving and protecting other hunters than actually dealing a huge blow to the numbers of the Vampire Council, but choices had to be made.

Campture was shaking her head. “Corso, such a thing will never happen for you,” she said sternly as she stared reproachfully at me.

“Perhaps, though…,” Miss. Femine ventured, eager to please, “Corso could trial it in the next raid?” My quick glance was diverted to Femine. She wasn’t a part of the raiding teams. She had always been behind the walls, so the realities of this decision obviously wouldn’t dawn on her.

A low knock on the door interrupted the thick tension. Kelf, an older hunter now in his fifties, addressed Miss. Campture. I narrowed my hearing on their conversation. As they whispered and everyone began to chat amongst themselves, James rose from his seat. He approached my table and requested that the hunters sitting next to me move aside. I ignored him and strained my hearing further. My hearing had always been inexplicably heightened.

“Two vampires have been spotted not far from our borders. They are alone, but the first raid team are still currently out,” Kelf said quietly.

“Es?” James interrupted as he settled beside me. He used that tone when he wanted a heart-to-heart. It was usually a precursor to a long and bitter fight.

I stood up sharply, not wanting to endure another one of those talks. “There is something I need to deal with,” I said abruptly, grabbing my Barnett crossbow. My leather pants swept past James’ leg. He caught my hand before looking up at me with saddened green eyes.

I arched my eyebrow, which ordered him not to say anything further.

“Be safe,” he said hesitantly.

“Always,” I soothed, rubbing my hand over his face and giving him a kiss on the lips. I walked confidently toward Kelf and Miss. Campture.

“I never said that I wanted you to go,” she said.

I dismissed her comment with the slightest flick of my head. We both knew that she did. Narrowing my gaze on Kelf, I asked, “Where are they?”

“Toward the river on the east, within range of our fishing nets,” Kelf said, stepping aside.

“Thank you, Kelf.”

I nodded to Miss. Campture in respect. Although I had my doubts about her, I did respect her for looking after the Guild. We had now been in this location for fifty years, and it had not once been found by any outsider. I had to remind myself almost daily to curb any other suspicions I had about her. After all, she could read my mind without permission.

I struggled with those suspicions now as I hastened from the building, eager to put distance between myself and Campture so that my thoughts stayed private. I suspected that something odd had happened between her and my mother. My mother was one of the most special huntresses within our guild. Her gift was nicknamed The Corpse, and was phenomenally useful in both healing and fighting. She could enter a creature’s body and replace it with her own energy. That was only if she wanted them to live, of course. She had killed many vampires by simply touching them and pulling out their heart. But she had saved many hunter and human lives as well by replacing their damaged organs or limbs with her own healing energies.

Her death, in my opinion, was strange. Our raids were usually planned days in advance unless we had an urgent mission. The fact that it was only Campture, Kelf, and my mother who went on the raid that fateful night troubled me endlessly. It was claimed one of our spotters saw movement close by, but that did not convince me at all. Neither Campture nor Kelf usually left the walls, so it was suspicious that my mother ventured out with them instead of her usual raid team.

My mother never liked Campture, but for what reason they would kill her I could not guess. But considering they came home empty-handed — no human, no vampire, no… body — it was hard for me to accept their version of events. They claimed to have been attacked by sabers, that my mother had been dragged away. But out of all of them, I knew she would be the only huntress who would have survived such an attack. And yet everyone so readily accepted their story.

Well, everyone but me.

I walked through the quiet and ghostly white walls of the corridors before turning to the exit. If someone didn’t know the tunnels in this underground system, they could get lost very quickly. Although we had all homes up top, all of our training grounds, classrooms, eating areas, and storage units were below ground. I climbed the stairs quickly and stepped out into the dull sun. It was a depressing sight that greeted me: the large doors in the steel walls were closed to the outside world, just as they always were. The wall around our perimeter protected us, but sometimes it felt as though we were imprisoned. Both the inside and outside were wrapped in the vines of plants so the surfaces would not catch an intruder’s eye.

A bright sky was now a very rare thing to see. The effects of pollution from long ago still hung in the air, staining our vision. Because of the thick layes between the earth and sun, the vampires were able to come out both at night and day now. We had sought this location strategically; there was optimum light where we were based. We were well hidden amongst the forestry, with a river on the east for fishing. The woods also provided a practice ground for hunters who were beginning their training. The roar of the river drowned out the sounds of our animals in the farming section of the Guild.

My eyes fell on some young apprentices who were training with crossbows. Training begins at the age of four. Rules, regulations, and principles are embedded in young minds from the start. From there on various training and tests are administered on a weekly basis. Throughout their whole teenage years, hunters’ skills are evaluated and judged. At sixteen, only a few are chosen to be a part of the raid teams, others provide the labor needed to keep the Guild functioning. By eighteen, their gifts are activated, and they are no longer apprentice hunters.

The original hunters already had gifts, so when the first generation was born, scientists did not understand why the children had no gifts. The only rational explanation they could make was that eighteen was a mature age for the hunter to control such an ability. Perhaps it was nature’s way of making sure our species survived. After all, imagine a baby lighting everything on fire?

I greeted the three hunters who watched over the east side. They slowly opened the doors with thick rope, their bulky arms tightening as they pulled. One of the younger apprentices ran out to me, clutching my long sword. It wasn’t overly thick, but it was elegant, and I could use it quickly on reflex.

“Esmore, you forgot this,” she called, pushing it forward meekly.

“Thank you, Urabell. But I was informed of only two vampires.” This information alone was enough for any raider to know that the Barnett would suffice, but the implication was lost on her. She glanced at me quizzically. Urabell looked to be only fourteen, and she was of lower intelligence than others her age. She would never be a part of any raid team, but perhaps she would excel in the cooking sector. I grabbed my sword and sheath, thanking her once again before she ran back toward the underground system. They closed the doors behind me.

I looked toward the small man-made trail that reached to the fishing nets at the water’s edge. It was always refreshing to leave the walls and be surrounded by the trees, despite the dull sunlight. The sun could be dimly seen behind the clouds. I wished the trees were beautiful and green, like it is said they once were. But here they were dire and dark, almost dead-looking. The trees were almost completely dead, and the leaves had stiffened in time, still attached to the branches.

A thick fog swept through the trees, settling on the land. This was nothing compared to other parts of the land. The pollution was far worse in the old cities. Fog streamed from the sewerage pipes, even though they had collapsed so many years ago. The earth had lost its original beauty. The fog swept past my ankles as I walked even now.

I stepped over a gapping crack in the ground that etched deep into the earth. The result of an earthquake. The ground shifted a lot more nowadays than it did in the technology era. It looked as if the ground was in pain with its open wounds.

My mind drifted to the last batch of humans that were carted to the camps. Although it was my job to save them, I didn’t feel a loss as I watched them go. We had a protective instinct for humans. But over time it became merely a job to us, we held no special feelings for them. In fact, the more research I did, the more repulsed I was by their selfish actions. I would continue to do the task I was born to do until the day I died, but I held no respect for their kind. When found they were transported to the camps we created for them.

Our camps were efficient, and most importantly, safe. They cropped their own food, gathered their own water. Finding a location for camps is hard. Soil for farming was scarce. The camp nearest to us was connected to the same stream of water as us. The humans then had to boil the water to purify it and make it drinkable. Every two weeks our transport team would go to them, supplying them with what we found on raids and what we had hunted for them. In the human camp, only few could hunt properly. It made me question whether all human camps were like this, or if other Guilds across the world had to provide so much more to keep their humans alive. I had never come across another Guild. There were less of us than there were humans.

I heard a splash of water and I crept to the ground as I listened. The vampires were ahead, not that far from me. I crept closer to peer at my unsuspecting prey. There was a female figure caught in the net. Her very youthful, glowing skin implied that she was not a vampire, but a human. I examined them for a moment. The male vampire wasn’t overly aggressive toward her. Instead it seemed he was using his elongated nails to cut through the net. He was obviously on the border of becoming a saber. Sabers were vampires of any age that had lost their minds. Once they become a saber they cannot retract their claws or fangs. They were monstrous and animalistic. At least the vampire members within the Council could control themselves slightly, but this kind was the worst. This one had not fully turned. I estimated he had about a week. Actually, I estimated he had about twenty seconds.

I stood out from the bushes. The girl looked up at me, frightened. “Run, Chris!” she shouted to him as she noted the crossbow in my hand. I cocked my head slightly to the side in curiosity. Was the human trying to protect the vampire?

The pale, blue-eyed vampire turned on me, his fangs ejecting as he stretched out his fingers. I must admit that the absence of the iridescent eyes that marked me as hunter often gave me an advantage. Usually they did not know who they were pointing their disgusting fangs at.

I raised my crossbow to him. If I were only human, I would never be able to match his speed. I would never be able to pull the trigger so quickly. But human was something I was not, and pulling the trigger brought me much satisfaction. His instant, surprised expression startled the girl and she screamed. I had pierced him through the chest. He staggered before falling backward into the dark water. His pale skin turned to a ghastly black as he floated limply in the water. By nightfall his corpse would deteriorate into the ground, polluting the earth further.

“Nooooo!” The human girl tangled herself up more as she tried to reach him. Her scream pierced my sensitive ears. She thrashed in the water as she tried swimming toward him.

“You do understand what he was, don’t you?” I asked her, mostly out of curiosity. I had never received this reaction from a human I had just saved from a vampire.

“I love him!” she wailed. My eyes bulged at her confession and then I simply laughed. I strapped my crossbow to my back. “Dear child, vampires do not feel. He was merely trying to eat you.” Within seconds I was by her side, cutting away the fishing nets.

“Don’t touch me!” she screeched, pointing her finger at me. “We only just escaped the Council together, and now I have nowhere to go!”

“The Vampire Council?” I asked in surprise. “Where is it?”

She lifted her head in defiance, but quickly crumbled under my intimidating glare. “I don’t know,” she admitted, looking back at the decomposing vampire corpse. “When we fled, he took me on his back. I was asleep. We just wanted to be happy…” she trailed off. “I loved him.”

“You don’t know what love is. We need to go now,” I stated bluntly. I assessed her age; she must have been sixteen at the most. What could she possibly know of love?

“With you…? No, you’re a murderer,” she whimpered.

“No, I am a huntress.”

Her blue eyes widened again as she looked from me to the vampire’s body. “But… your eyes?”

The mere mention of it insulted me. Was my skill not enough to show I was huntress? “You either come with me now so I can have you shipped to your fellow humans, or you can be eaten alive here,” I looked down at the vampire’s corpse. “Beside your love.” I began walking toward the Guild. My job here was done. Whether the human followed or not, I didn’t overly care.

Whether vampire, hunter or human, we all had something in common and that was a desperation to survive. And, like a moth to a flame, she followed. Together we walked in silence toward the Guild. The hazy mist darkened as the sun slowly went down. Howling rang out as the most barbaric kind of vampires swept through the forest.

It was only a short walk back to the Guild. The human would be fed, and then tomorrow the transport team would escort her to the human camp, where she would be looked after by her own kind. There were a few hunters that protected them there. The humans were not permitted to leave the small compound. We only monitored the one camp, and as far as we knew, most Guilds only had one human camp to protect. We were their only true form of protection from the plague of vampires that roamed the earth. Out there by themselves they would not last a day. And the night would be merciless.

There were three forms of vampires. Firstly there were those who were a part of the Council: tactical, clever, civilized, and self-regulated. This much we had learnt by torturing members of the Council, but none had told us of their location. They refused to tell, no matter how much we tortured them. Miss. Campture’s ability was also useless. It seemed that like us hunters, some vampires also had gifts. And whoever was in control of this Council was able to haze the vampires’ memories so no one could enter and inspect their mind. The Council often hunted for humans, and took them back to feast on. It was an even larger gain if they could get their hands on us living hunters. We tasted better.

Then there were the covens of vampires. They weren’t aligned with the Vampire Council, but they weren’t sabers either. They loved everything dark about being a vampire. They were the rebellious vampires who had no rules, only respecting the hierarchy in their own coven. They were ghastly creatures who ventured through the land in large packs.

The nastier scum of their race were driven into a frenzy over our blood. Which brings us to the sabers. They were monsters. Most couldn’t even speak words, their sense of humanity fully erased. Most of the time, they couldn’t even control their own speed or stamina, slipping over the ground and grasping wildly at nothing. We believed they were the vampires who had deteriorated over time. Perhaps they thirsted for too long. There was speculation that they drifted away from any real structure, and this was what ruptured their mind, causing them to snap into insanity.

Hunters saw an increase in saber activity around the time that human society was broken. They did not know where to go or how to act. We could identify a saber by their long fangs. Their mindset was that of an animal, and killing was all they knew. They were my favorite to kill. They decayed quickly and stunk more than the coven or Council vampires.

“Where are you taking me?” the girl sniffled as she tripped over a log. We were so close to the wall already that I flagged one of the archers to open the gates. The clunking noise was heard before we could actually see the fog breaking before us as the gates opened. James was there, waiting patiently with his arms crossed over his chest. “Ah, thank goodness,” he said, walking toward me. It agitated me that he would think something had gone wrong. I was more competent than he was in battle. I would not be put on a pedestal because I was a woman, and often he pushed for that.

A fleeting memory returned to me as I recalled the first raid I had gone on at sixteen. My mother was in the same stance as the gates were pushed open and I looked up at her. Hunters usually displayed no emotion, but my mother had come rushing toward me with the largest, most relieved smile. She wiped vigorously at my face where blood had splattered across it from Drue stabbing a saber in front of me. It was only supposed to be a simple day raid, but it went on longer than expected and we were forced to travel at night. We were attacked by a pack of them. Drue had protected everyone and brought the apprentices back safe. I had highly respected him as a mentor and a fellow hunter. He had been murdered on an attack against the Council. We had been studying their small camp, then we had swept in. After two days of fighting, Drue had been murdered and dragged away. It was the day after that that Campture replaced me as Token Huntress of the group.

It was not him who trained with me personally, but my mother. My father trained me more on the sensory side of hunter skills, such as patience, listening, concentration, and keeping my temper intact. I was a very aggressive child, but he made sure that I quickly pulled that into line.

Both my mother and father had been very special. My mother was able to insert herself into any living creature. She could heal them. She could take out their organs and replace that space with her energy, and still the creature or human would survive. Despite this being a huge advantage to us in healing our hunters, it also served an outstanding purpose in the raids, as she could simply touch a vampire and rip out their heart. My mother was one of a kind. I couldn’t fathom how she so easily died. I stopped myself from thinking about the matter any further. I had to be very mindful of my thoughts, especially the ones I conjured within the walls of the Guild, where Miss. Campture could hear.

My father was murdered when transporting a large sum of humans to security. He was a member of a raid team. Thirty humans were found surviving in a small cave underground. With so many humans to transport, two raid teams had to assist the transport team, just in case they were ambushed. Unfortunately the Council had intervened, and both my father and another hunter were captured as they protected the humans. By the time the bodies were found — by my mother and Drue, no less — there was hardly anything left of their bodies. It was a merciless attack.

“Es?” James words broke me out of my trance. I was staring at the place where my mother had once stood. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said, nodding to the girl behind me. “We need to prepare her for travel tomorrow. I found her with the vampire. They were… together.”

“Together?” James repeated.

“Hey Es,” a man called out, interrupting our conversation.

I turned and saw that Dillian was walking toward me. We had been close friends for years and sparring partners for even longer. He had iridescent pink eyes and long black shaggy hair, with four bars of metal in his ear. He looked harsh and grungy on the outside, yet he was the most sensitive man I had ever known.

“I can take this one if you want me to?” he said, gesturing to the frightened girl, who trembled at the sight of Dillian’s rough exterior.

James and Dillian greeted one another briefly as I made a quick decision. “Yeah, you take her. I should report to Campture.”

“Cool. Are you on wall duty with me tonight?” he asked, cracking his neck.

“Wouldn’t miss it for the world,” I stated sarcastically. I patted him on the shoulder. When James turned to walk ahead, Dillian looked between James and me, mouthing, ‘All good?’ I mouthed back, ‘Tell you later.’ We had been friends for so long now that we spoke of almost everything to each other. James and I began walking toward Miss. Campture’s room, which was three flights of stairs up. The girl behind me began crying. Luckily for her, she was escorted by Dillian, who was very sensitive to human emotion.

I turned my attention to James. “She claimed she loved the vampire,” I said with distaste. As ridiculous as it sounded, we had to take every word seriously after she claimed to have been held within the Council.

“She loved him?” James repeated in bewilderment. He shook his head. Nothing more would be said on the matter; it seemed that the girl was merely delusional, and we did not have the time or inclination to discuss her mental health. My mind was already on my meeting with Campture. After a moment of silence, James spoke.

“Hey, Es,” he said suddenly, grabbing my hand and halting me. “Before you watch over the wall tonight, come over to mine?”

Last time I had gone to his home he wanted to yet again pursue the details of our future and voice his concern for me as Token Huntress. It annoyed me how much he tried to bubble wrap me. What initially drew me toward James was that he was so strong, and I respected him. I was young and we had both become flirtatious at the hormonal age of sixteen. Many of the younger huntresses wanted him. He was, after all, attractive and fairly well-respected amongst the Guild. I jumped at the chance to claim him as mine. But after my mother’s death, much changed. I didn’t want to be ‘just’ his. I was my own, and hated the thought of someone else trying to control my life, especially someone who claimed to love me. It all came down to control. Only one of his parents was a hunter, so when he was born with his fluorescent green eyes, he was separated from his human mother. That was why he clung so tightly to the thought of a family. A family I was not ready for. Now when I looked at him, he always seemed so sad. Although I put distance between us at times, I still did love him. I often fought with myself at how I mistreated him.

“We can do that,” I agreed.

He smiled with relief, obviously expecting a different answer entirely. “That sounds good. I’ll see you shortly?” His grip tightened around my hand as he pulled me toward him, kissing me on the lips. He cupped my face with a lingering look that insinuated that he wanted me to stay the night after wall duty. I nodded my head at him to agree I would see him shortly.

I ventured into the same tunnels where we met for our lectures, and only a few short minutes later, I found myself at Campture’s large steel door. She was reading a book at her desk, and pretended not to notice my entrance. I made myself comfortable in the seat opposite. I liked to unnerve her, simply because I didn’t trust her, much like she didn’t trust me. I could sense it.

Campture snapped the book closed. “What do you have to report?” she asked with her nose pointed higher than usual.

“It was only a lone vampire with a young girl of perhaps sixteen years of age. I killed it, obviously.”

She nodded in agreement. Usually if our spotters found something suspicious or there were vampires nearby, we disposed of them, and that is all we had to report.

“She mentioned coming from the Council,” I said forcefully, taking her by surprise.

“How is that possible?” Her yellow eyes were quick on me as I left my thoughts blank. It was something you had to become accustomed to when around her. I knew her distrust in me would have her searching for something further.

“I don’t know, and when I questioned where it was, she couldn’t say. Perhaps if you pursued this further. Maybe her mind hasn’t been tainted by the Council,” I mused.

“Very well, I will meet the child tonight and question her before she is shipped off to the humans,” she said, dismissing me. I stood tall, before charging for the door.

“And Esmore?” Campture drew my attention before I walked out. “Vampires do not know love.”

I trembled with annoyance. I must have let the thought slip when I considered the human’s words.

Campture continued, “That girl did not love the vampire. I will inform the humans that she is sick and needs attending to when she arrives.”

I gave her a twisted smile, one that conveyed I did not appreciate her squirmy tentacle-like mind. Her mouth twisted in displeasure as she witnessed what I perceived her mind to look like.

“Leave,” she demanded.

I stalked toward James’ small house, where he lived by himself. Since my mother’s and father’s deaths, I also lived alone. I pushed away the sad thought, looking into the sky. The moon was dimly glowing amongst the clouds, and already the screeching of animals had begun. You could hear their lives being taken from them as they were torn apart. Although there were no sabers close by, I knew they were in the forest, killing. The animal population had peaked many years ago, when the sabers’ numbers began to grow. Now many animals were extinct, and those who survived adapted. It made food scarce for us, and as the animal population dwindled, so did the humans. We kept living animals within the Guild in the farming section. But for a survivor out in the wild, finding animals to live off would be tough. The world had gone through so much and yet most animals were able to adapt and still thrive. Although the population slowly decreased because of the lack of plants and water, the animals found other resources. I guess it was because of Mother Nature; somehow it always adapted.

The homes were built out of stone, and were close to one another. They were small spaces with very little to offer, but still everyone had their own door for privacy. My home was further in the back, right next to the Guild’s wall. Often if I couldn’t get to sleep, I would slip up the wall by myself, watching over the mist as it swirled through the woods. Further past the houses I could see the outline of our farm. It took so long for the Guild to find land that could be efficiently used for crops. We had a few animals such as pigs, chickens, goats, and cows. We even had six horses, with a foal on the way. The horses were now used only for transporting the humans. They were once used for the raids, but quickly it became impractical. We could easily match their speed, and they became a liability as the vampires and sabers began hunting and feasting on them. The many cries and squeals of sixteen horses in one large raid being taken down by a pack of sabers pierced my memories. I was only sixteen then, and Drue had lost three hunters as well. We had lost much to learn so little.

The doorways were short, and tall hunters like Dillian often had to dunk their heads to fit inside the door. James’ house was in the middle of the row of houses. A few sticks with flames rested along the path for anyone who was walking around at night. Most preferred to be within their homes at this time, but some roamed the grounds restlessly. I greeted one of the older hunters.

I opened the door to James’ home, where he sat patiently waiting with a few slices of fruit on the small wooden table in the middle of the room. Our food was supplied at the eating quarters, but sometimes we were able to take some home with us, not that we had any place to store it.

There were only two chairs, a single bed on the left, and a narrow bench along the wall behind him. Beside the door were a few of his personal weapons. Although there was a section in the Guild where weapons were supplied, the raid teams were able to keep their own collection beside their door. There were no windows and only the candle he had lit on the table brought light to the room. The only weapon I had in my home was my crossbow. Sometimes I took my sword as well, but still that was property of the Guild, although everyone knew that I wanted to handle that blade. Most of the other hunters used the larger bulkier weapons, which was the reason why some struggled holding their own ground against the tactical members of the Council.

“How did you get on with Campture?” James asked. He had now changed into a sleeveless tight-fitting shirt.

“It was as fun as ever,” I said blandly, looking at the various fruit on the table as I took my seat. There was a heavy silence as I grabbed a grape and popped it in my mouth. It was an overly bitter batch, forcing me to impolitely spit it into my hand.

“You know after you left to eradicate that vamp, Corso was permitted to trial the chainsaw in our next raid,” he said, biting into one of the plums. It was a cooler night than usual, and a cool breeze swept through the room.

“Well, that sounds wonderful. That sounds like another responsibility I will have to handle.” They were wrong, and I knew it would end badly.

“I don’t know why you and Corso don’t get along,” he tried to sooth me.

I looked at the stone wall, trying to push my agitation away. “Is this why you asked me to come here?” I was so sick of him lecturing me.

“No, I’m sorry,” he said earnestly, grabbing hold of my hand. He stood up, pulling me toward him with a shy smile. “I’ve missed you lately.” He wrapped his arms around my waist. I dropped my shoulders, forgiving him, trying to let the moment sweep through me. I wrapped my hands around his neck, following his lead. His iridescent green eyes brightly shone when the flame flickered.

His waist was firm against me, and his chest felt warm. He leant in, kissing my forehead. He began to roll a small piece of my golden hair between his fingers. “Do you know that tonight is our two-and-a-half-year anniversary?” he asked, kissing me gently on the lips. His warmth filled me, and I could feel it slowly trying to creep toward my cold heart. “I know you didn’t remember, but that’s okay.”

He parted my lips and his tongue found mine. He pulled me closer to him, his hands lightly playing with the hair behind my neck as he pulled me to him. We moved toward the bed, James laying me down on it as he looked at me endearingly. “I love you, Es,” he said, finding my lips again before I could speak. His large body swept me with warmth and his cold hand slid under my shirt.

I kissed him back, enjoying the relief that swept over my body. I didn’t have to think of anything else when we were like this. I could simply be with him.

“You should move in with me,” he said between kisses. His mouth began kissing down my neck, as I stared at the dark roof. When James went to press his lips against mine again, I pushed his chest away. He stopped and looked at me in surprise.

“James, we have spoken about this,” I said, exasperated. Why did he have to push such matters?

He gave me a cocky smile, trying to dismiss the uncomfortable atmosphere. Propping himself up on one elbow beside me, he said, “C’mon Es, your parents had only been dating two months when they married,” he smiled.

I opened my mouth in annoyance and shock. “My parents are not me,” I said, now propping myself up on my elbows so he was no longer lingering over me. The mood was gone.

“No, they are not. But you know I love you more than anything. Let me look after you,” he begged.

I pressed my hand on his chest again, pushing him against the wall as I slithered out of bed. I gathered my crossbow that I had left beside the door.

“What, are you going to run out again?”

Why was he always like this? All he ever wanted to do was keep me like a bird in a cage. “I’ve told you before, I don’t want to get married, and I don’t want children. I am a Token Huntress and I will not let you take that away from me,” I said proudly.

“You are something else sometimes, you know that?” he said, infuriated. “I am telling you I love you and want to look after you, and all you do is push me away. Tell me what I am doing that is so wrong?”

Here it was again, the same argument had aroused itself. “You are trying to control me. I am who I am. If you are looking for obedience in a woman, then maybe I am not the woman you should be after. I imagine that is what you tell Corso and the others, isn’t it?” I asked spitefully.

His eyebrows knitted together in infuriation. “Well, at least they listen to me. You have changed ever since your mother died!” he shouted.

The air went still as my sharp gaze reached his eyes. My jaw clenched as I tightened the grip on my bow. No words could convey my fury at him. If it were anyone else, I don’t know what I might’ve done. One of the greatest lessons my father taught me was how to hold my outbursts. I nodded my head, pinching my lips firmly together as I considered this lesson. Everything that boiled in my mind, every destructive word… I could not continue this pattern with him, because I knew shortly I would not be able to hold my temper anymore. Inside a darkness, an emptiness, swirled. I felt scared. I did not yet know how far it would go. His words that hung in the air were enough of an invitation for me to leave. I had nothing to say that would be productive in this conversation. I still felt pain in my chest, not at the thought of losing James, but at the memory of my mother, and having her death thrown in my face. I turned on my heels and left.

After slamming the door shut behind me and slipping into the cool air, I felt something wet on my face. I touched my cheek, revealing a tear. I was bewildered by such mixed emotions. Why, why are we still together if this is the outcome of our nights spent together? I knew within myself I could not choose James over my duties.

I stalked toward the northern wall, where tonight Dillian and I were due to keep watch. Perhaps Dillian had some insight for me. He understood human emotions far more than I did. Maybe he knew the answer as to why I would shed a silent tear.

“There she is,” Dillian called out as I reached the northern wall. The sky was now fully immersed in darkness and only a little of the moon shone through. At night the mist grew denser due to the coolness of the night. There was a loud scream nearby indicating that an animal had been attacked. I took hold of the rope ladder and climbed to the top. Dillian held his hand out to help me up. He pulled me to his side and we sat for a moment in companionable silence. He was focusing in the direction of where the noise had come from. Dillian was one of our greatest spotters. His gift was a rare one. We had only known four before him. His sight was intensified, far more so than even mine. The fog and mist were not an obstruction for him.

His piercing pink eyes relaxed as he turned to me with a smile. “Only two sabers, but already they have taken off in the opposite direction.”

I nodded, happy with that. I placed my crossbow beside me as I dangled my legs over the wall, looking at the dim moon. Dillian had his legs scrunched up, his knees near his face.

“Did you guys get into another fight?” Dillian asked softly.

Now and then we lightly touched on our romantic interests, but most of the time we talked about combat. Dillian was a part of my raid team. When we were in search of something specific or had to go near a city, he would accompany us. Usually nights before we would plan our strategy. Although not the strongest fighter, he had a mind for tactics. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if in the near future he was nominated to become a Token Hunter, simply because of that overly smart brain of his. After all, I had been promoted young. I was nominated as Token Huntress over the older hunters because of my superiority. My knowledge of fighting outweighed even the older hunters who had been doing this half their life. Although I had no gift, I was by far one of the strongest huntresses within the Guild.

“Yep,” I dragged the word out, considering it.

“What happened?” he asked, his eyes falling on the foliage in front of us. I knew he was scanning through the trees for unseen dangers. Very little usually occurred, but precautionary measures were what kept us alive.

“He keeps trying to cage me, talking about me settling and having his children. He doesn’t want me to be a Token Huntress,” I said. “He threw my mother’s death in my face. Saying I haven’t been the same since.”

Dillian paused for a moment, tensing. His shoulders dropped. Whatever he thought he had seen was obviously nothing. His fluorescent pink eyes flicked over to me as he placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder before speaking. “In a sense, he is right. You have changed.” Dillian and I never pulled any punches; we were honest with one another, which was why our friendship worked so well. There was no theatrics. We were comfortable. “…But I don’t think that is something he has the right to hold against you. Esmore, you are an outstanding fighter. Your abilities are far superior to those of any other hunter here, with or without a gift. If you think he is trying to cage you, then you need to really speak out. Try and make him understand. The Esmore I know would never let herself get cornered, whether it is out on the field or even within the Guild. You have always spoken your mind, maybe you need to stop holding back.”

I considered this for a moment, my shoulders slightly sagging in defeat. Maybe such a relationship wasn’t worthy of my time anymore. Although, thinking of James with another woman made me feel slightly conflicted. I found it hard to understand my emotions. Ever since my mother died, I felt like a huge block was within me, preventing me from functioning properly. I was just so numb.

Dillian roughed up my golden-blonde hair playfully. “You will figure it out Esmore, you always do.” He continued scanning over the foliage. We were often positioned on this side because it was more likely to be populated with sabers or members from the Council. On the very far distance in the north was a large city. Probably about a six-day walk for humans, but for my raid team, it was about an eleven-hour run. We would probably then need to camp before attacking. It was an unfortunate way we differed to the vampires. All they needed was a little bit of blood to rejuvenate them, which was easy to find. As for us hunters, well, we still needed rest to replenish our bodies. Not a lot, but it was most certainly something the vampires had over us. They could go without sleep and rest for days. We do try attacking them when they sleep, but it is no easy task. We had to be wary with the city somewhat close. Often sabers gathered in those areas because of the thicker mist that blocked out most of the sun.

I leant back on my elbows, my legs still hanging over the wall. “How did you get on with that young girl?” I asked. It piqued Dillian’s interest, as often I did not ask about the humans I found. He turned to me as I continued, “She claimed to have loved that vampire.” I glanced at him. I had never met a human that claimed to love such a hideous creature.

“I know, she told me you killed her lover. She will be all right. She was slightly dehydrated, but it is only a temporary condition. When I left her, Campture arrived. I assume she is searching through her mind to see if she can find the Council’s location.” Dillian pondered for a moment, looking unsettled before he looked quickly behind us. He lowered his tone. “Do you ever think that we are treating the humans like cattle?”

I raised my eyebrows at him, surprised by this reflection. “How so?”

“I don’t know, I’ve just been unsettled by it for a while. I know we are protecting them and taking them to safety. But, take for example that girl today. She was terrified when you found her, not relieved. And those that come through here, they seem to be similarly affected. I know some seek us out, but they are terrified of being transferred to the human camp. I feel like we are just shipping them off. I never understood why we couldn’t merge both hunter and humans together again, like the old days. I don’t understand why babes must be taken from their human parents if they have hunter eyes. I know that we do it for survival, for both the humans and ourselves. But the more humans we transport, the more unsettled I feel by it. I just… I don’t think there is such a huge difference between humans and ourselves. I think they want to learn how to defend themselves just as much as we do.”

“But they don’t have the hunters’ skill, stamina, speed, nor gifts to match that of the vampires,” I replied.

“It’s not about matching us, it’s about defending themselves. So they don’t feel so lost and helpless. Some have survived for many years out there without us. I get the feeling they don’t feel safe even if we put them into a protected camp. I feel like we are taking away their options and rights by forcing them to be there.” His pink eyes were damp. I tried to understand his thoughts and his sensitivity toward the humans, but could not comprehend it. I cared very little for the humans, and that was something we both knew. He gave me a smile, dispersing the tension. “I know you probably don’t get it, I was just thinking, that is all,” he said, dismissing the subject. “How come Campture has been on you more than ever lately?”

I sat upright, doing as Dillian had before and looking behind me in secrecy. If Campture was currently investigating the young girl’s mind, then she would not have access to my thoughts. I took that opportunity to divulge my deepest thoughts. “Dillian, I think Campture is lying about my mother’s death,” I stated bluntly.

“What?”

“Think about it, my mother was one of the most ambitious huntresses here. She alone took down packs of sabers at a time. In what reality would she be taken down so easily? Neither Campture nor Kelf go on raids, so why suddenly did they decide to go in search of a rumored human close by? Campture and Kelf have been close for a long time and both are very secretive. I don’t trust the story they have fed me.” It all gushed through my lips. I felt selfish for offloading it to Dillian. Now he would have to be wary of his thoughts around Campture. But if I could trust anyone with my secret, it was him.

He inhaled deeply, considering this. “Have you told James this?”

“No, you are the first person.”
“Good, don’t tell him. Who knows what sort of trouble it could lead to? I know he is your boyfriend, but this suspicion will only get you into trouble, Esmore. I know you miss your mother, but you cannot state this opinion so loudly. It is a form of treachery to go against, or even be suspicious of, Campture.”

I crossed my arms, my jaw clenching as I tried to not let infuriation rain over me. “So you don’t believe me.”

“I never said that.” His deeper tone grabbed my attention. “Your suspicions are a reflection of what I have been pondering on for a while now. But Esmore, right now there is nothing that can be said or done. I want to tell you to pursue your doubts, to find out what really happened. But I am conflicted in giving you such advice, because it is unhealthy to cling so tightly to the past. Especially if it puts your life in danger. I want you to be smart about this, be safe. And I am sorry, but I think I should deter you from speaking of this openly within the walls.”

He began searching over the foliage again. He was only four years older than me at twenty-two, but he always seemed far older mentally. I could not claim him to be unsupportive because everything he said was true. How was it that I could speak freely with Dillian, but when it came to James, I was secretive about my true feelings?

I ruffled my hair, agitated. “How do you and Julia do it? How do you guys not fight?” I asked, thinking of his loving relationship with Julia. She was part of the farming section in the Guild. It was fitting considering her gift was the enhancement of plants. When her gift was activated, the mist within the Guild’s walls lessoned. She was only small in size, fragile-looking, with big blue iridescent eyes and long wavy brown hair. Dillian and she had now been together for five years. They were sweethearts from apprenticeship. They complemented one another perfectly — they were both sensitive to the humans and they held a strong attachment to family members. Julia was one of the few who cried when we lost hunters. Although her mother frowned upon her sentimentality, it was what attracted Dillian to her.

A wicked smile crossed his lips in answer. My eyes brightened at its significance. I punched him in his arm playfully. His smile only stretched further. “I am going to ask her to marry me,” he said proudly.

I couldn’t help but mirror his smile. “Well, it’s about time,” I said. “When?”

“In three days. It is her brother’s eighteenth birthday, so we will celebrate the presence of his gift. I want to ask on that day, after the ceremony.” His eyes held a glimmer over their natural pink. It made me feel overwhelmingly light to see him so happy. Dillian most certainly deserved it.

Crunching noises pierced my ears. I stood up sharply, grabbing hold of my crossbow. My glimmer of happiness distracted me from my senses. With relief I quickly realized it was not a vampire near the wall. The noise was coming from behind us.

The glow of yellow eyes settled on me first. I watched Campture walk toward us, her face stern. “I have just inspected the mind of the young girl,” she stated as she stopped in front of us. Kelf also crept from the shadows behind her, obviously having been with her during the process. “You are to take your team on an inspection tomorrow of the city. Although the young girl’s mind has been muddled, and her memory of where the Vampire Council location is has been erased from her mind, I was able to dig up some memories. They were of fog-filled streets. It was all I could unravel. With so much fog, it leads me to believe at some point she was taken through the city. Or perhaps she and the vampire who was accompanying her were fleeing the city. The Council might be residing within the city, and if this is the case I want an inspection team to investigate it straight away. Until now we have had no real ideal as to where their location is, but have suspected in previous years they might have been hiding within the nearby city. Find what you can and report back. You are looking for signs that indicate the presence of the Council. This is not a raid mission and you are not to attack. Your mission is to gather what intelligence you can about unusual activity in the city. We must be certain to find them before they find us. Be prepared to depart from here upon sunrise. I will have Kelf debrief your raid team.”

“Of course,” I said quickly, almost excitedly. A small glimmer of hope that I could fulfill my purpose as huntress rose in my chest.

Campture nodded curtly to Dillian before both she and Kelf marched off.

“Well, looks like it will be an exciting day tomorrow,” Dillian said, looking over at me.

“Finally Dillian, we may have found a lead to the Council,” I replied breathlessly. This was what I had been waiting for since becoming Token Huntress. The fangs there were as good as dead.

When the sun began to rise, I was quick to change into my black leather pants and a sleeveless leather shirt. I strapped my crossbow to my back, adjusting the straps between my breasts. I adjusted my garter on my waist, which held four small knives. I slipped a smaller one around my ankle, underneath my leather boots.

The crisp air of dawn greeted me as I left my home. I was on my way to meet with my inspection team in the weapons room. James was sitting outside my door, waiting for me. When I emerged he stood upright, his proper raid attire on — full leather — with a few weapons on him. “I was on my way to the weapons room as well,” he said quietly in consideration for the other, sleeping hunters. I ignored him, still angry over the argument we had had last night. I stormed toward the weapons room, with James following in silence. It was easier for me to avoid the subject and wait for time to stretch over it than to confront the mixed emotions and relationship talk.

But James only ever wanted to talk of our relationship. Right on cue, he interrupted the silence. We had just reached the stairs to the tunnels, which were dimly lit by flames on the wall. “We need to talk about last night,” he said, sure of himself. It was always the same thing. I wasn’t ready to settle for children or marriage. I was only eighteen. I couldn’t help but feel like it wasn’t anything I would consider until older, if ever.

I walked down the narrow hallway, titling my head as I heard a few of the hunters within the walls, already decorating themselves with weaponry. They looked up as I entered. This room was one of the ones which was cleaned daily, and the floor, ceiling, and walls were very white and clean. There was a silver bench, where weapons were placed now and then if a hunter was deciding on a weapon. If anyone left a weapon out they were locked up for two days without water or food. We were forced to show respect for the weapons room from a young age, after all, the room was our everything, our first line of defense. On my left were numerous swords, knives, and blades on display, these were the weapons that weren’t often claimed. Most were held up by a few well-positioned nails. In the left corner of the room was a tall wooden box. It had many separators in it where the swords were usually hung, but they were already claimed. My sword was there, as it was off-limits to any other hunter. In front of me was a large mirror where hunters could have a quick assessment of their apparel.

The twins, Kora and Kasey, were already prepared for battle, both cleaning beneath their nails as they leant against the wall. Directly across from me, Teary, the eldest of the group, was assessing her arrows. Pac was pacing in the corner. There were usually eight hunters per raid team, including the Token Hunter.

Teary, a huntress in her mid-thirties, had many daggers strapped across her body, with her bow and arrows on her back. She was a rather large woman, very muscular and tall. Her muscular arms were larger than James’. She had long red hair that was tied into a bun at the back. Her orange eyes were a symbolic reflection of her invaluable gift. Teary was able to manipulate fire, although she could not create it. If it was around her she could lift it and use it. The closer the flames were to her body, the easier it was for her to control. When the flames were hundreds of meters away, far more concentration was required from her, and at times it left her open to oncoming attacks. Teary tried not to rely heavily on her gift alone, so she incorporated it with her weapons as much as possible. She carried around numerous lighters with her, and all her wooden weaponry was pre-dipped in oil. The common lighter had been replicated by one of our hunters, Reece, who had a knack for manipulating gases, and understanding the reinvention of archaic objects from the technology age. The greater the explosion, the quicker she could claim the flames as hers, instead of merely enhancing a small flame.

Teary was one of the older women I didn’t have issues with. Some of the older hunters felt resentment over my authority. I found her gift and her attitude very useful when ambushing vampires. I often had her cover the back of the group as the rest of us swooped in. However, before I became Token Huntress, Drue was in charge, and he did not use this structure. Most of the time he forced her to be a part of the attacking team.

“Was Reece able to bottle you some more gas, Teary?” I asked.

She had an unfamiliar accent, it was very thick, and her voice was quite masculine when she spoke. “I hav’ al ten in my packet,’” she said, gesturing to the carry-case at the front of her stomach.

“Tested and range-approved?” I asked. We had to test the repercussions of the explosions because other hunters would be surrounding. We couldn’t allow for any of the others to be swept in by the flames.

“Te range is about forty meters for the largest one, but that is only in case of an emergency. The others are standard, within a five meter radius,” she answered.
I placed a hand on Pac’s shoulder as he paced past me again, attempting to slow him for one moment. He simply nodded, confirming that he was ready to depart. His skin was tanned and he had very small eyes. He had short spiked black hair that was dyed blue. He was slightly smaller than me, but his size did not reflect his strength or ability. Unfortunately for Pac, when his gift of speed was activated, the constant shakes never stopped. As our ‘run in man,’ he was fast — extremely fast. For about two years straight I challenged him almost every afternoon, but I could not keep with his speed. We often had him race through areas we were unsure of or had him quickly gather humans out of dire situations. But the speed contained in his body forced him to fidget as he tried to contain his ability. Not all of us had such issues, but some did. Because of it, he hardly spoke, and when he did, it was too fast to really understand him. Despite this, Pac had married. He had three children now. Unfortunately one of which came out as human. It was rare for such a thing to happen, usually with two hunter parents the child would be born hunter as well. But his second child was not. That child was his only son, and his green eyes were a dimmer shade of Pac’s. Within a few days of the child’s birth, they were forced to transport him to the human camp. Although they did not cry, I could only imagine their resistance toward it, but it was one of the many rules within the Guild.

I eyed the twins as we waited for Dillian and Corso to arrive and complete the team. The last two hunters who cleaned beneath their nails were obviously ready. They were identical twins, Kora and Kasey. Both had cut their black hair short into a pixie style. It was often hard to tell the difference between them. If it wasn’t for my keen sight, I could not have told the difference. The only way I could was to identify the small scar on Kora’s chin. I still forced them to wear different colored chokers and bracelets so the team could effectively tell them apart. Kora wore blue and Kasey wore green. I had to enforce this because they liked to play immature tricks on the other hunters. They were easy to work with on the team, but outside of attacks, investigations, and raids, they were terrible. The separate colors were also necessary because of their gifts. Both girls — and I call them that because of their immature attitude, despite their age of twenty-two — had majestic coral-colored eyes. We used them as our perimeter trap. Kora had the ability to take mobility away from creatures. Kasey was able to project that ability further and increase it. Often we used their combined ability to entrap our prey.

They were still disgruntled about me becoming their Token Huntress because of my younger age. As well as that, they were both infatuated with James, even though we had now been dating for a couple of years. Their gift was commendable and had many times protected us from gory outcomes. But their attitude was something I often had to contend with. They were replacements for two of the older hunters who were a part of Drue’s team, and then mine. They were both in their thirties and when it was announced that I was to be Token Huntress, they forced Campture to move them onto another team. There were only four teams in total. Pride and arrogance was an interesting trait amongst the hunter kind. Most of us didn’t work well together because of that defect in our personality. When we worked together, we were a tremendous team. But outside of that focus, we all grew very tired of being around one another.

A shuffle behind me began as James made way for Corso to stride in. His red eyes were glowing as he tapped his fingers on the chainsaw which was strapped around his back. A buckle was secured on his stomach to help with the weight. My eyes narrowed on it, my rage boiling. “What is that?” I asked savagely.

“I approved it,” Miss. Campture said as she walked in with Kelf by her side. The black bags under her eyes indicated she hadn’t had much sleep. “We need to trial these things, Esmore, if we are to enhance our Guild. I will not debate this further.”

The air stood still as James gave me a warning look to bite my tongue. I crossed my arms, holding in my savage words. That thing is impractical, I shouted loudly in my mind, watching her wince as my amplified voice echoed in her mind.

Dillian walked in behind Miss. Campture, stopping behind her and giving me a warning look. Behind him I noticed two young male apprentices. “What are they doing here?” I asked sharply.

“Esmore, I warn you of your tone. You seem to have forgotten your place. This here is Tori and Fam. Although they are only sixteen years old, their skill and speed are the best of the apprentices thus far. You will be taking them on their first raid.”

“But we are going in to see if we can find traces of the Council! I can’t take in two apprentices. What if we are confronted by a pack of them? It is another two lives I am responsible for.”

“We can look after ourselves!” One puffed his chest out at me. He had fluorescent brown eyes and blonde hair that was cut short. The other puffed his chest out as well; he had a similar style of black hair, with very pasty white skin and white eyes. My teeth clenched grittily together as I inhaled the boys’ scent of testosterone. They hadn’t even aged enough for their gifts to become present.

“They are good in combat,” Campture said after having read my thoughts. “And the point of this investigation is not for you to engage in battle, but for surveillance. Really, it is a superficial task which they can easily be a part of.”

“Did you really think that the Head Huntress would waste an important task on a newbie like you?” the apprentice with blonde hair said smugly. I recognized him to be the son of one of the older hunters who had been on my team before transferring because of my age. This apprentice thought he was far greater than he actually was and I wanted to quickly deflate that ego of his.

“Let me tell you two something, you little delinquents,” I said, pointing my finger at them angrily. “You are to stand down, and remove yourself from the high horse you are on. You will show respect to these hunters and huntresses before you,” I raised my eyebrows as they both quickly adjusted themselves. Neither could meet my eyes. “You will do everything you are forced to, and without complaint. More importantly, you will never speak back to me, your Token Huntress, ever again.”

“Yes, Mam,” the one closest to Dillian said.

“Esmore,” Campture growled. “You are to see me after this inspection. I have given you too many warnings about your intolerable behavior.”

Dillian interrupted the tension before Campture or I could argue any further. I remembered much harsher words being spoken to me when I was an apprentice, but too often now when I had something to say Campture would find a way to punish me for it. She truly hated me and her eyes were always so trained on me and everything I did.

“This here is Fam,” Dillian said, grabbing the young apprentice with the white eyes and nudging him forward. He was the one who was easily influenced by the other boy.

“And I am Tori,” the other boy with the blonde hair spoke up, slightly pushing his chest out again.

“You’ve given me children,” I said in annoyance.

“Do you forget so quickly that this was once your situation when Drue took you out on your first raid? You will take them, no matter what you think about it. This is an order,” Campture said dismissively.

Dillian gave me a fierce look which clearly said, ‘No more.’ It was hard to bite my words as I looked around to my team, agitation rising again as I stared at the chainsaw strapped to Corso. Having Corso on my team always caused me great displeasure, but his gift was commendable. His skin could excrete acid. He was the slowest on the team; his hunter senses never seemed to have developed as much as the others. His gift was easily used in situations of sudden torture if we needed to learn something quickly. It was also useful in preparing traps; if there was water in front of us and we needed to put some distance between us and the sabers, he could easily excrete acid into the water, burning the flesh of those who followed. I believed he was submitted to my team because of James’ preference. Although James had no huge say, he did have Campture’s interest if he needed something. He abided by the rules and regulations without fail. Who could have asked for a better hunter? I thought inwardly as I looked at him.

Grabbing my sword, I looked over my team. Usually it was eight but now it was ten. I couldn’t help but look at the apprentices again begrudgingly. “Hurry with your weapons, we leave now. Depending on your speed, we may camp an hour away from the city before surveillance tomorrow. Everyone is to take the usual positions. Dillian, James, and I at the front. Teary, Pac, you both take the sides. Kora, Kasey, and Corso, take the back. As for you two apprentices, you are to stay at all times within this boundary. You are not to change position, and you will not argue about it. Where we are going we may come across a pack of sabers. You are to be on guard, and most of all quiet.”

With that I was satisfied that everyone would quickly gather their equipment and follow. I smoothly walked past Campture, my eyes conveying my mistrust in her judgment of the situation. I had a lingering feeling that having these two apprentices and the chainsaw as Corso’s weapon was not going to lead to a pleasant outcome.

The mist that steamed from the ground was cooler during the mornings. The already dead leaves that littered our path were shrouded in a dew. Although I imagined a normal human would feel such  coolness of temperature, I was comfortable in my sleeveless leather shirt.

We were greeted outside the gates by the small transportation team. It was a small carriage with only two horses to pull it. A team of four hunters surrounded the cart. One sat at the front with the ropes to control the horses. This was the main mode of transportation now, although we could use the vehicles that were used until the 2150s. But of course they drew too much attention from vampires. Also, it seemed a waste to place our supply of gas that we found on raids in such vehicles.

“Good morning, Esmore,” the Token Hunter of the transport team said. Golipse was always polite; he was different to the rest of his moody team. Perhaps it was because he was older. He was well-acquainted with my parents, and I think because of this he often went out of his way to speak to me. He had wiry white hair and milky white eyes. They were once white, but the haze over them now clearly indicated blindness. He had once been a part of the raids, but at the young age of twenty-four he was ambushed by the Council, and other members, including his Token Hunter, were killed. He was kidnapped and tortured for information about where we were located. Luckily for my mother’s raid team, Golipse’s gift was sensory, so he was able to feel the surroundings around him with exceptional awareness. He was also able to distort them. So when my mother’s team was close to where his kidnappers had taken him, his gift rang a siren of sorts, sending signals to her. They found the young Golipse and killed the members of the Council that had taken him. Unfortunately, his sight was already destroyed. They had dropped acid into his eyes; fortunately it hadn’t further reached into his body through his bloodstream, which would have killed him entirely.

The older we got the more we learnt of our ability. Golipse was not only able to sense his surroundings, including if vampires approached them, but he could also disturb the environment. That meant that if he felt a vampire approaching, he could summon the atoms surrounding us so that we seemed invisible. This was a necessary ability to protect large cargos of supplies or human transportation. Although old and blind, he was still a fierce fighter from his many years in the raid team. Now looking into his white glazed eyes, I questioned how he must have felt when taken off the raid team. It was unusual to happen, once you were selected for your position you would usually stay in such a place until your death. But Golipse, well, perhaps they took pity on him and pushed him into the transport team. Ten years after that, Golipse was now Token Hunter in that department.

“And a good morning to the fine Dillian as well,” his smile stretched wider. Dillian was not too far from the carriage, folding back the thick material to reveal the young girl I had found yesterday. She shook vigorously even under her thick clothing. Her eyes lit up when she saw Dillian.

“You will be safe,” he said, reassuring her with sad eyes. It was something about him I had to try to hide from most. I couldn’t understand Dillian’s anguish over the human kind. Empathy was not something another hunter would fail to notice. Often I had to shield Dillian from the others, so they would not stare at him in mortification as he soothed the humans. Mercy and kindness were not common traits amongst our kind. Although I didn’t understand, I would not attempt to stop him either.

“Be quick today, Golipse. I feel that the air may be far chiller this morning. Perhaps we are in the presence of rain, something which we cannot afford to be trapped in,” I said, looking into the sky. Although through the trees I could see a light glimmer of light, it was almost non-existent, and if it stayed that way for the next hour or so it would probably rain. If we were caught in the rain, this trip could go wrong quickly. The rain only heightened and thickened the fog, leaving some of the hunters almost blind. The rain within these parts was quick to flood.

“You do not have to inform me, young one. I can feel the moisture in the air against my skin,” he said with a crisp smile. I felt foolish after I had said it, of course he could. That, after all, was his gift. I was informing the wrong person entirely. I wished him a safe journey as he transported the human to the camp. The large doors creaked shut behind us. Golipse and his members began at a quickened pace toward the south-east trail we had created for the transportation of the humans. At the horses’ full pace, they would arrive there hopefully within two days. Although they had to walk at night and in darkness, it was unavoidable. We could not have the human camp and our Guild so close together in case vampires found either one.

“Let’s move,” I said, taking the lead place. Although the apprentices seemed clumsy, they fell into position quickly. Once out of sight of the Guild, I breathed in heavily, slightly tightening the straps on the small bag I carried. We all had a bag which had a few supplies inside for the nights that we would have to stay out in the open. Inhaling deeply once more and soothing my raging nerves, I looked at James and nodded to him. It was now time to quicken our pace.

It was something the Guild had taught us at a young age. There was running at our natural speed, which was still faster than any human, and then there was our heightened speed, which took an extreme amount of concentration. You had to train your mind on every movement within your body, moving your muscles forcibly and in sync to propel you forward. This was draining, but something we had to do to cover more ground without horses.

The trees around us became a blur, the cool air tingling against our skin as we jolted heavily through the thick fog. We had to concentrate on our every step so as to avoid the gaping cracks in the ground. As I suspected, the fog thickened as we ran, which led me to believe that it was soon to rain.

There was something odd about running together. It was as if everyone’s senses were heightened and because of that our thoughts became attuned. We could quickly halt at the same time if one of us requested it. One scattered mind could easily disturb the rest. It made me question whether vampires did the same. Much to my surprise, my initial judgment of the apprentices as weaklings was incorrect. They in no way affected our progress.

Slowly, small spots of rain began to pour. A few hours had gone by and black clouds lingered over us. The fog had thickened and I was struggling, even with my keen sense of sight, to watch where I led my team, who were heavily dependent on mine and Dillian’s skill. We were almost entirely pillowed in white. It had been raining for some time now and we had run straight into the middle of the storm. Small streaks of blinding light flashed across the hazy colors of the sky. A loud bang rattled the ground, sending a quivering sensation up our legs as the lightning struck close.

I felt one of my member’s losing their awareness, startled by the flash of lightning. I quickly spun on my heels, collecting the young apprentice, Fam, in my arms as he tripped over a slippery mud pile. Instantly everyone halted as I did. My strained eyes looked down at the startled apprentice as his white eyes scurried over where he imagined my face to be. Although I was holding him, he could not see me through the fog. It was only mine and Dillian’s eyes that could see in front of us, and now that everyone had reached their limits, we had to stop.

The rain dripped off my lips onto the muddy ground beneath me. I searched through the slight outline of trees. We could run no further in this rain. I looked around me at the others who did a similar sweep of our surroundings, realizing they could not see past their hands. I could not lead them so blindly. Although I believed in my ability to lead them safely, I could not be so selfish as to force them to run without their sight. “Dillian!” I shouted over the rain, releasing the young Fam. Dillian knew what I wanted from him and he projected his far keener sight into the distance. He was locating cover for us somewhere nearby.

“Esmore,” James said from behind. His wet hand slipped over mine and he grabbed me firmly. “Do you really want to stop here? At only midday?”

His question and anticipation was valid, the less ground we covered today the more we would have to stretch tomorrow. And already our pace had slowed down because of the rain. I reassessed my team. I could not risk them. Before I answered James, Dillian responded quickly, as if answering James.

“I can see an abandoned shed ahead. The house attached seems to have been burnt down, but the shed has still a solid foundation. It looks despite the storm,” Dillian shouted over the pounding rain.

“And the radius around? How far can you see?” I asked, walking over to him. I could not see as far as him, but to know what direction I was leading everyone into was a very good start.

“I am sorry, Esmore, I can only see for about a two-kilometer radius. The fog is thick and I am limited,” he shouted as another cracking bang rang out, dropping most of the hunters onto their knees as it rattled through their bodies. The thunder echoed around the trees.

“Be on your guard!” I shouted at them. “We are going for shelter and giving today a rest.” I nodded to Dillian, telling him to lead us. Although our speed was not as great as it had been that morning, it was a pace that quickly delivered us to our destination. As Dillian had mentioned, there was a wooden shed, and it was not as small as I had envisioned. It might even have once been a barn.

I searched the surroundings, even though Dillian had announced it clear. I nudged the door open, searching through the empty barn. There were a few rotted bundles of hay on the ground. It had been abandoned long ago. There was a small wooden ladder that led up to a thin plank of wood that lined the shed, with a few windows on either side. There were three windows; they would be our lookouts. Although water leaked from the old roof, the fog was not as thick, and we could comfortably rest in it. And best of all, there were no vampires.

I flagged to everyone that it was safe in the shed. The rain was not over and I knew that we could have gone no further. The rain washed against the shards of glass in the windows. I had Dillian, James, and Corso each take a post by them. We would have to be cautious in such thick rain as this would be perfect timing for a pack of sabers to attack. They would be unaffected by such a predicament, hunting with their sense of smell.

I rested my backpack beside me, taking a seat on the hard wood beside the entrance. Kora and Kasey gathered in the center with the apprentices, who already looked exhausted from only half a day’s run. I placed my crossbow beside me, took my sword from my sheath, and held it loosely by the handle as I pointed the tip to the ground. I was not at all happy with this holdback. We would now have to wait yet another day to venture into the city, where the fog would be only slightly thinner. My gaze crept up the young apprentice, Tori, who walked over to me with a tight expression.

“We aren’t tired. Just because Fam had a small fall doesn’t mean we have to stop. We are fine and rested,” he protested. I tightened my grip around my sword, annoyed by his insolence.

“Little apprentice, I did not stop because of you or your friend. We stopped because I ordered it so. And you simply do as I say,” I spat harshly. “How do you think you will get along in a raid team with such an attitude, once you are no longer an apprentice? Do you think other members will allow your tongue to speak so immaturely?”

“Immature, have you even grown breasts? Look how young you yourself are... you...” Before I could teach the child a lesson, Teary’s firm and harsh grip dug into Tori’s shoulder, slamming his knees to the ground as she held him. Her foreign accent was even thicker when she was angry.

“Ye little maggot, ye’ll say no more. Esmore is one of tha brightest Token Huntresses we av’ within tha Guild. Ye will learn respect, boy, before I teach ye a lesson. Ye are far better off if it is me, than her herself.”

Although I kept my stern expression, I was pleased by her kind words. It was nice to have someone say such thing. It did not matter how many of the older hunters I proved my worth against. They were always so insolent because of my age and my dull gray eyes. And, right on cue, this was voiced.

“She doesn’t even have the eyes of a hunter,” Tori snipped, trying to regain his composure. I allowed a demonic laugh to pass through my lips. I didn’t have the greatest sense of humor; my smiles and laughter had quickly vanished after my mother’s death. But getting a kick out of teaching a young apprentice a valuable lesson was an opportunity I couldn’t let pass.

I drew both of their attentions with my laugh, holding Teary’s words back as well. “Do you know why my bright purple eyes turned to a dull gray, young apprentice?” I said, cocking my head to the side and looking at him as creepily as I could. “Because on my eighteenth birthday, when my gift was present, a demon form of myself appeared, and when it did, I consumed it entirely, its fiery wicked hair ashing out the color of my eyes as I engulfed it. Now, I do enjoy the hunt, and the taste of fresh meat. At times I often love to rip apart a saber’s flesh, just for the enjoyment of my taste buds.”

“You’re lying!” he spat, but as he said it I could see the uncertainty in his eyes. A small smile pressed at Teary’s lips as well as Pac’s, who watched from a distance. Kora and Kasey rattled the young Fam with their own malicious story. Of course it was a lie, but one which might deter the young apprentice from annoying me for some time now. And I couldn’t deny that at times I felt something dark within me. Despite my father’s teachings of patience, I was a very angry and dark person inside.

“Well, you shall see,” I said in a haunting whisper as I looked toward the door.

“Now ye’ve done it, ye best be going back into the safe company of ye friend Fam, better safe than sorry I say,” Teary said, pulling him back toward the others. I peeked from the corner of my eye, noticing that although he pretended to be resistant, his feet quickly scuffled away from me.

After agreeing on the rotations for guard duty, they all rested. Sleep was something far from my mind, and so I stayed at my post even after James insisted on taking my place. My team’s safety was my responsibility and it was not something I could take lightly, not for any amount of sleep. I opened the door slightly, leaving my thoughts behind. I watched carefully through the thick fog and rain, making sure nothing would venture nearer during the night.

A few hours later, Kora and Kasey happily woke the apprentices, who were not used to such early mornings. The girls kicked Tori and Fam in the stomach, perhaps not as gently as I would’ve hoped. Both of them had a mischievous grin on their faces, ready to kick again before they stirred.

After almost a full night of rain and lightning, the fog began lifting, and only dew remained. Stepping outside, we saw with relief that the early morning sun peeked through the trees. We were lucky no vampire smelled us. Vampires had a far keener sense of smell than we did, and it was usually how we were found out.

“Find your positions again. Today there can be no delay. We must enter the city. I have the expectation that we will reach there by midday. Pac, when we are less than five kilometers out of the city, I want you to do a run through ahead of us. Dillian, keep your eyes sharp ahead of us. Kora and Kasey, be prepared. If the rain affected the city’s fog then we may still meet a pack of sabers, even during the daylight. We need to contain them and lock them in. And everyone, remember we are in search of clues about the movement of the Council. They will not be so easily found, so be alert,” I instructed.

Everyone quickly assumed their roles and once again we began to run. The sun caught up from behind. Hours flew by in what seemed to be a merge of colors and a stream of wind. When we reached the five kilometer point from the city Pac ran ahead. He was quick to report back that there was nothing suspicious on the borders. He was only ever to approach the borders; I would never allow him in on his own. I would not risk it.

We all paused at the border, where an old, shattered tarmac road led into the forgotten city. During the last world war this area was known as ‘San Francisco.’ There was a sign that stated it as we walked through the cracked road toward the city. This was one of the places which was not heavily bombed. It was the eastern and southern states of the former ‘America’ that had suffered the most damage.

I could tell San Francisco was once beautiful. Magnificent buildings towered in the distance to form an elegant skyline. The city was mostly surrounded by water, but the rising sea had swallowed the edges of it to the west. I could hardly see the tops of the buildings through the mist that rose from the ground. Even through the fog, I could see that the city was built upon sloping hills; its buildings nestled on streets that gently rose and fell in height.

The mist was worse here because of the sewerage pipes, and I could hear a constant wheezing noise hum through the city, as if the earth itself was sick. The cockroaches grouped in hurdles as they scampered into the cracks of the ground. Many buildings had been burned down, but some still remained. I scanned the streets ahead warily. The road was lined with broken glass, discarded materials, and rats. The smell of unhealthy gases pained my nose. There were charred walls and shop fronts where fires had been lit. Many bullet holes were embedded in the walls. Wiring hung from large poles. I was informed these were electricity poles.

It seemed the humans had over indulged in everything; life was in no way difficoven for them. I would even say their spoilt ways was the reason why the remaining humans had no survival instinct whatsoever. They could not hunt, fight, or even tend to crops. These inadequacies alone greatly reduced the humans’ numbers after the fall of the technology age.

“We will take the streets in the south and then carry through to the north. We will camp an hour out of the city at nightfall, and tomorrow we will search more thoroughly in the other parts,” I said, adjusting my bag straps loosely and retrieving my crossbow from underneath. Just for reassurance I held firmly onto the handle of my sword to make sure it was also still there. Everyone else gathered their weapons. I grimaced in annoyance when Corso grabbed his chainsaw with a smug grin.

“Are we to gather supplies if the opportunity presents itself?” Teary whispered from behind me. Although this was not a direct order from Campture and we were only there for surveillance purposes, such an opportunity couldn’t be missed.

“Nothing large, and no one is to stray from the group until I have confirmed that we are all to go in that direction. Only take things so light that you can pack them in your bags. But remember, our main aim is to gather information.”

We crept through the dark streets, keeping tight to the walls of the decaying buildings. We were even more cautious the deeper we went into the city. For today we would not walk into the central area. The city was so large, we could be here for days living off the packaged food in our bags. Once supplies ran out, we would have to return to the Guild.

We often raided this area in search of human survivors, but never had we been made aware of the Council here. Some hunters suspected they may reside here, but after months of searching the theory was dismissed. It heightened our caution, as maybe we had been so close previously without realizing it. This was only my second time leading my raid team into the city, and it was something that brought me great distaste. Unsettlement lingered in the air. Our eyes stretched over the vast emptiness, and a swift breeze that swept through the buildings added a feeling of disorientation. Our eyes and ears were strained for movement, and the slightest noise, such as a cloth trapped in broken glass, would cause us to stop for a few seconds in alarm.

We hurtled around a large building. I gripped onto a dirty window ledge of a room with street level windows and a shadow streaking across the room took my interest. I gestured for the group to halt and they formed a silent wall around the window frame. Shards of glass edged from the frame. I wrinkled my nose at the pungent smell which emanated from within. I hesitated to walk in, wary that a group of sabers could be clustered inside. Tori obviously decided this was the time to display his bravery, because he stormed past me to the wooden doors of the entrance. Without hesitation I followed him angrily. I flagged everyone to keep tight, and soon we were creeping into a lobby. A dusty chandelier was the only remains of the building’s former glory. There was a counter on my right which had sustained obvious fire damage. On my left was what looked to be the silver doors of a large kitchen.

I halted everyone, raising my hand for them to stop. I trained my hearing on the sounds from within the building, and detected that Tori was near the stairs. I didn’t dare make any loud noises in case nearby vampires heard the echo. It was a dark room, but I now realized what I had seen in the window.

“Sabers!” Pac yelled.

As he screamed a saber jumped onto the chandelier before plummeting to the ground. After it hit the ground, many more crept from the dark shadows. I shot one in the chest with my arrow. I aimed for another that jumped from above, but it also used the chandelier to jump to the ground, and I was unable to shoot straight. I shot another two in the chest as they ran out of the kitchen. It was a whole pack, just as I had dreaded.

Already Kora had raised her hand to the smaller group of sabers and Kasey enforced her gift by tightening her grip on their mobility. The sabers could not move and only their eyes looked around. Kora released her grip and then the sabers could move, but only within a small circle, where an invisible wall held them in — Kasey’s input. They were trapped. Pac ran along the circle, quickly cutting them down. They fell to the ground with blackened skin. The smell of death already filled the room.

Corso’s loud chainsaw pierced my sensitive ears as I continued to shoot more oncoming sabers. Why is there a pack so large? Teary’s scream echoed through the great room, grabbing my attention as I turned to see a saber’s large fangs driving deep into her neck. Her blood spluttered everywhere.

Corso ran for her with his chainsaw, swinging it at the saber’s neck, but as I predicted the weight of the chainsaw was too heavy and made him slow. Before the saber could tear into Corso, James stopped it, stabbing it in the chest with his sword. Another pounced on James, its fangs only just drawing blood on his neck before James exterior hardened to metal and broke the saber’s fangs completely. It squealed in agony before James adjusted his handle and stabbed the saber in the chest.

I shot a saber which approached the two apprentices, who although were deflecting the three sabers that encircled them, clearly now understood how far out of their league they really were. I could tell by their expressions that although they fought fiercely, they were both surprised and frightened. This was what we were trained for. I unsheathed my sword, charging for them. One used his elongated claws to cut at me, but I quickly deflected it, coming through strongly with my sword. I cut through the gristle of his throat. His dark blood spurted over me as he paused for a moment, trying to gasp for air. As he stood there I struck again, beheading the saber.

I eased around its body as it slumped, stabbing into the next saber’s chest, avoiding its claws which aimed to burrow into my chest. The figure’s chest blackened around my sword as the rest of its skin also took a black tinge. I pulled my sword out and the body quickly fell. Another saber jumped at me and was pierced by my sword, but not straight through the heart as I had anticipated. She was still planted on my sword. Turning on her, I shot her with my bow. Her skin instantly blackened around my sword and I reefed it out of the disgusting corpse.

A loud snap echoed through the room as I witnessed Fam’s neck being snapped by a saber. Fam’s eyes were wide as his life dimmed. The saber roared in triumph, trying to quickly drag him away as Tori chased him. My inner rage erupted as one of my team members become lifeless under my watch. My speed enhanced and I was instantly in front of the saber. I cut through the arm that clung so tightly to Fam’s lifeless body. As it wailed in pain, I cut off its other arm and then one leg. It dropped before me and I could feel myself growing in sadistic rage as I towered over him. Although it was obviously about to die, it still tried to have one last bite, its overgrown fangs dripping with blood from where it must have bitten into Fam’s body.

With my other hand I raised my bow to his chest, shooting him. From there I took aim at every saber within the dark lobby. I shot one and then another. My arrows shot quickly, as in my rage everything was heightened. My need for blood was far greater than I could ever admit to anyone. I wanted to see their blood drip. I wanted to behead every single one of them and keep their heads as trophies. They should have never challenged me nor attacked my members. This protectiveness was by far my greatest strength. And when tempered with, when what I was protecting was threatened, I could not contain myself. This potential was what made me Token Huntress.

The noise of the chainsaw was heard and then the scream of Corso followed. He was in front of the large silver doors which led to the large kitchen. One of the sabers had grabbed hold of his chainsaw, cutting through his leg. James, who was cutting down sabers as they scrambled down the stairs, aided his friend, bringing his sword down and plunging it into the saber’s chest. It went straight through and with James’ control the tip of his blade stopped right before Corso’s face. The others fought in the corner of the room, holding off the sabers that crept out from the darkness of the kitchen.

At the stairs were eight sabers. They were trapped within the invisible walls that the twins had placed them in. It was Dillian and Pac who protected the girls from the oncoming sabers. I took my aim. One, two, three... I let the count pass through my lips. All eight were quickly shot down. A scuffle took my attention as I noticed a saber dragging Fam’s dead body to a door underneath the staircase. It dares to feast on my apprentice’s body, I raged internally. I chased it, noticing that the path it took was a dark back alley, one which had very little light. This one was a lot faster than the average, and I realized that it was leading me into a trap of further sabers. Torn and shredded curtains in the windows on either side of me twitched. They hunted me from the buildings, following my steps. I would not be deterred by numbers. I would get Fam’s body back.

Simultaneously two sabers jumped out on either side of the two-story buildings. The first I shot with my bow, the second I shoved my sword into its chest fiercely, before flicking it off with great strength against the building. I heard the splatter of its already decaying body as it slid down the wall.

Ahead of me were another two. One side stepped me, leaving me open on my side. Its claws cut against my stomach lightly, giving me the opening I needed to swing my sword up him, dragging it deeply up its stomach to its throat. I clobbered the other one over the head with the back of my bow. I followed through with my sword, piercing it in the chest.

I quickly caught up to the saber that dragged away its feast. I took aim, quickly shooting it down and grabbing Fam’s body from its filthy clutches. I took him in my arms, close to my chest as I felt the weight of a saber on my back. I looked around to now notice that eight encircled me. I let out an enraged roar. Not because I feared them or could not handle them, but only because I could not look down at the face of Fam before his body got cold. A noise reached my ears. A dart came toward me from up high in the buildings. I threw my body over Fam protectively. I felt the dart graze past my left arm.

A gas cylinder reached one of the sabers and then a match. Quickly the effect was controlled by Teary, who instantly wiped out all in the circle with one clean sweep of flames. The heat instantly forced my body to sweat. I searched through the flames for where the dart had come from. From above there was a shadowy figure. Someone wearing a long leather jacket stood up there, watching from the rooftops. I went to stand, wanting to pursue this person, but I felt dizzy. My arm was grazed by the dart and bled slightly.

Teary reached my side, looking over the body of Fam, who I held so tightly.

“Is this poison?” I asked.

Teary assessed it, squinting. “It is paralysis, there is slight infection already crisping at ye skin. It will soon affect ye whole body. We will get ye out, Token Huntress,” she said, adjusting herself to lift me. By now James and Tori followed her.

“No! Burn it out now!” I yelled savagely, still eyeing the shadowy figure from the rooftops. I could not see their features.

“No!” James shouted. I gave him a steady look which forced him to stay back. I did not care about a scar. Teary did not question my decision, quickly lighting a flame and edging it over the slight scratch that bled. I knew she would have to burn further so the poison would not spread. I held my facial expression steady, only fiercely looking at the figure that had poisoned me. The burn quickly crisped my skin. I assumed it was a member of the Council. They had previously attempted such methods, trying to kidnap and torture other hunters for information on the location of the Guild.

I slowly stood. The poison on my skin had been burnt away. Luckily for me it was not such a quick and effective form of paralysis. Already the shadow on top of the building was gone. I could have pursued the vampire, and I wanted to, but the coldness of Fam’s body was my confirmation that I should stay and make sure everyone else escaped alive.

“We must retreat,” I said, looking at Teary’s neck which still bled. James slowly took Fam, and much to my discontentment, he was taken from my arms. I did not show how much displeasure this gave me, not wanting James to see the mourning within me. Hunters disregarded emotion and I didn’t want him out of all people to see that I had such feelings.

We ran back toward the others who were still within the building. Many of the sabers’ bodies were seeping into the carpet. My steps slowed as I walked in to find Dillian holding Corso. His leg was badly mutilated. Already the others had found some reasonably clean cloth and had strapped it tightly over the wound, but his blood still dripped onto the floor. We were in a horrendous state to run through the forest. So much blood would surely attract more vampires.

My facial expression further hardened as I saw Pac within Kora’s and Kasey’s arms. Five stab wounds were in his chest. But Pac was so quick. How had he been killed? As if reading my mind, Kora’s voice rang out. “He protected us from three,” she simply said. Death surrounded me. It was my fault for being unable to protect them. I looked at Dillian for some form of reassurance, but he only reflected my pained eyes. I could not seek such refuge in James, who was aiding his friend.

“We must retreat,” my voice was only a shadow of the fierce tone I had earlier. “We must return to the Guild, and with only death to show for our efforts.”

We helped our fallen members through the streets of the destroyed city, on edge about the creatures that might follow. Corso contained his screams, mostly because he was near unconsciousness. He was bleeding severely, his blood seeping through the bandages. He would not make it even if we ran at our heightened pace as a group. We were quick to reach the outskirts of the city, stopping for only a moment to regroup. Our first goal was to get out of the city, especially because of the trail of blood we left behind enticing the vampires.

I assessed Teary’s neck; it was a clean bite — no venom was injected — so I knew she would not be turned. Only Council members could turn someone, not sabers. It was how vampires continued to expand their population. The vampires had to be much older and have complete control over their own hunger before being able to turn someone, or else they would probably drain that human completely dry. The process of being changed lasted a few days, although everyone experienced it differently. It was like a virus; slowly the human’s body would deteriorate, and every cell in their body would change. It was a long and painful process. We had now a few times tried to help a few of our own comrades who had been bitten. With hunters, the change happened quickly because we already had a strain of vampirism in our blood. We were turned within only a few hours. Luckily, the Vampire Council would rather kill us than turn us. We were two different races that hated one another. The vampires thought of themselves as superior, and thought it a gift to turn someone. They often only turned one or two in their lifetime and had an inseparable bond with them. This we had learned from information gathered over hundreds of years. Much of the vampire world was unclear as they guarded their secrets as tightly as we did our own.

“Esmore, he will not make it,” James said breathlessly, looking between Corso and me. “You need to run ahead of us with him on your back. You can get there within half a day, I know your speed. You need to take him back to the healers at the Guild. We have no other choice.” Although he covered his emotion, I could see the worry in his eyes for his friend.

“I cannot leave you all,” I answered hesitantly.

“We cannot lose time,” Dillian replied. There was a large cut above his florescent pink eyes. “He is losing much blood Esmore. Sabers may follow. If you carry Corso, it is not us they will follow, but you. We will be safe, and you can outrun them.”

Dillian knew how I thought, and what he said was very rational and true. My goal was always to protect my team members. So right now the bait was Corso, and I would take him away from my members. I looked at Corso, who was very quickly slipping out of consciousness. I draped him over my shoulder. James grabbed a rope which was in my bag, quickly strapping him tightly, yet awkwardly, onto my back. There was not much height difference between Corso and me, and his weight didn’t affect me in the slightest. But I needed to make sure I could still swing my sword with my right hand, and still lift with my left hand and shoulder.

“I love you,” James said, kissing me on the lips and stepping out of my way.

“You are to bring Pac and Fam back, and all of you are to return alive. No breaks, be wary,” I ordered.

*

My steps echoed through the trees. Racing at such a speed caused my heart to thump loudly in my chest and the noise of the wind was whistling by my ears. At this pace I would easily make the full days’ run within a few hours. I was not as fast as Pac, but I could muster a far greater speed than the other hunters, including the older and respected Token Hunters. My eyes burned because of the mist and wind sweeping by them.

Gradually I became tenser. For the past five kilometers I could sense footsteps following me as it had now turned to night. No doubt it was sabers, they would have smelled Corso from far away. Hunter blood was far more enticing to vampires than human blood. I imagined this was a different pack than the one we had encountered in the city. Perhaps they caught my scent as I ran past their resting chambers. Little did they realize it was me they would meet when they caught up with us, and I would not let any survive.

I did not let my speed waver, and stretched over another ten kilometers within eight minutes. I could now feel the footsteps getting closer, their breathing heavy. I could hear them coming, their rodent-like pace tripping over the forest floor. I passed the barn where we had stayed only the night before. I needed to get rid of the sabers before I reached the Guild. I enhanced my sight, no longer straining through the foggy dark.

A saber jumped from the high treetops on my right. I raised my Barnett bow, shooting it down, and then the second one that followed. Three had surpassed my speed, perhaps carrying Corso dampened my speed slightly. But I refused to untie the rope that bound him to my back.

They challenged me head-on, erecting their vile, long nails as weapons. I cut up the chest of the first one, barging it as hard as I could. My force was brutal enough to force it back, but scratch marks were evident across my cheek. I shot the second one with my Barnett bow. It took me only a second to apply new arrows. I was one of the better shooters in the Guild. I hacked my sword across the third saber’s neck, shocking it for a moment. My sword didn’t slice its head completely off. While it was stunned, I plunged the sword deep into its chest. Already I could begin to smell the stench of their corpses.

Corso mumbled something under his breath, still very much in an unconscious state. I couldn’t see behind me to look at his leg, but by the wetness on the back of my leg, I gathered he was still bleeding heavily. If he were a human he would have been dead. Although we didn’t heal instantly like the vampires, it helped in the long fight against death. If I made it back soon, he would barely be alive. That end battle would be his to fight. His hunter body was doing what it could to keep him alive. I just had to safely get him to the medical section of the Guild.

On my left two sabers attempted to ambush me. One tripped over a log and then crawled at me on all fours like an animal. I shot the first and then the second, taking note that there were no more following. Perhaps these sabers came from the forest and did not follow from the city.

Corso mumbled under his breath again. I couldn’t make out the words, but it sounded like the same gibberish he always spoke. Corso and I never saw eye-to-eye, but I still would do everything in my power to protect him. I slightly readjusted him, briefly looking behind me and scanning if anything else followed. I couldn’t detect anything, but I had the feeling I was being watched.

I breathed in heavily, refocusing and making sure to keep a very acute sense of my surroundings, just in case someone was indeed following me. But I could not delay any longer or take any uncertain routes. I had to be direct. It was the only way Corso would survive. My running enhanced again, the fog surrounding me billowing away as I breezed through it. A few more hours passed and much to my delight no other vampires followed. Over the last hour I could feel myself depleting in energy. With only a mere twenty minutes left of my run, Corso’s mumbling became fainter.

A scream ripped passed my lips as acid started to drip from his skin onto my shoulder. The right side of my body buckled under the intensity of the pain. When unconscious, Corso could not control the acid his body excreted. As a consequence, it now dripped over me. Smoke rose from my wounds. I couldn’t move my shoulder. My Barnett bow was rendered useless as I could only control the muscles in my arms enough to keep a hold of it. I gritted my teeth. There was no other way I could carry him.

Soon his chest started secreting a steady stream of acid, causing it to burn through his shirt and onto my back. My legs buckled and I held my roar of anguish in. I could feel the droplets of acid digging holes into my back. Breathing heavily, I tried to push the pain away. I have to save him, I reminded myself. I crawled back to my feet, pushing myself to my limits. It was not that much faster than how fast I was running before, but the desperation made it burn all the more. My legs buckled a few times when the acid from his legs dripped onto the back of my calves. It was affecting my will power as my muscles began to spasm. I dared not think about the long term effects it may have on my body.

I could see the gates, and waved my good arm and sword for them to open. “Open the gates,” I bellowed, although I knew they could see me. I wanted them to rush. The two hunters at the gates looked at me in surprise as I poured into the gates, running straight past them and into the tunnels. Sighing with relief when the white walled infirmary came into view, I rushed in. I placed him on the first bed I saw, more forcefully than I intended to. It was my body’s instinct, flicking him off to limit the pain.

I quickly moved toward one of the tall wooden stands that held the white coats. I wrapped one around me before the nurses could properly understand what was happening. I still flickered across the room at a high speed. I flicked my golden blonde hair out from beneath the collar. I couldn’t let them see the wounds, if they knew they would report it instantly to Campture. And that was something I didn’t want. She may very well take me off the raid team because of it, deeming me unfit.

Within those few seconds the two nurses — who had been quietly enjoying their tea —panicked. They saw the blood that seeped into the mattress. Droplets of green leaked from his skin as sweat drops, dripping off and burning through the mattress. If it weren’t for his hunter blood, he would most certainly be dead by now from losing so much blood. We could heal efficiently but such a wound could not repair itself.

“We were attacked by sabers. His leg was cut through with a chainsaw,” I said, explaining his wound. Irritated by the burning of my back and neck, I adjusted myself uncomfortably. I felt as if it were still festering. The two nurses both looked at me blankly; of course they didn’t know what a chainsaw was, it was a trial weapon. “The weapon he was attacked by had a metal jarred exterior. It can cut through solid wood and obviously flesh. The weapon works in a rotary motion.”

That was all the information they needed to start busily handling Corso. “This is Corso; we have to watch his acid drops. I need the sedative to induce him into a coma. It will stop the perspiration of acid from his skin,” the older nurse said. All hunters, no matter their Guild department, were aware of one another’s gifts, especially the infirmary members. She injected the sedative into Corso with a needle. The younger nurse was tearing away the heavy bandage on his leg.

It was almost completely dangling off. Only his bone kept it together. It seemed that the acid was being used for survival. His body was trying to detach and burn away the rest of the leg. I could see that the acid was eroding the bone, trying to close off the wound.

“Huntress Esmore, are you in need of assistance?” the older nurse with white eyes asked, catching my attention. It was then I realized how tightly I strapped my arms around myself, trying to contain the shakes — the repercussion of Corso’s acid affecting my muscles. They were continuing to spasm.

“No, I am fine. Do what you can for him. I will be taking my leave now. There may be more wounded hunters that I must go fetch now. Thank you both,” I said, nodding my head in respect before leaving. I struggled to lift my Barnett bow. I rolled my right shoulder. I was able to freely move my right arm which always held my sword. I quickened my pace out of the tunnels and stood at the front gates impatiently.

“Open them,” I said to the two guards, who were surprised by my sudden appearance. They looked at the white robe I wore in suspicion, but I had to cover my wounds.

“I think not,” Campture’s voice rose from the shadows. Kelf followed behind her. I shot a harsh glare toward the guards who had informed her of my arrival. “Why are you wearing a robe?”

“My team is still out there. I could only bring back one. I will report to you afterwards,” I said, prompting the men to open the gates.

“No, you will report to me now. Your team should be strong enough to return on their own,” she said sternly.

“I am their Token,” I retorted angrily.

“You, Token, have already abandoned them.”

“I had no choice. I had to save the life of Corso because that ridiculous chainsaw weapon was used against him. We have lost another two. I will not witness the death of anymore,” I said savagely.

“You don’t have a choice. If you leave these grounds, there will be consequences.”

I felt the anger swell inside of me, like a savage animal clawing its way up through me. This image came to mind and I felt myself slipping out of control. Whatever was coming to the surface was radiating lust for blood. Campture took a step back, as if reading my thoughts. I took a shallow breath, reminding myself of the lessons my father had taught me. Contain those thoughts and dark intentions… breathe. Calming the darkness that bit at my insides, I focused on Campture again.

Campture’s lips tightened at my internal anguish. She drew breath to speak, but I would not stay because she said to. My allegiance was only to myself. I bolted for the unsteady rope ladder on the north wall where Dillian and I often were placed on guard. My left shoulder was almost useless now. As soon as I reached the top, I flipped myself over the high wall, regretting it as soon as my knees took the impact of the heavy jolt. The fog swept around me, unsettled by my sudden jump.

I scrambled on the forest floor to get back up. I narrowed my eyes on the direction in which my team would be in, then began running for them in the dark night. Repercussions were something I would consider later. I would not let so many die because of regulation.

After a clumsy two-hour run, I eventually found the tired group, their pace slow. Much to my relief no more had been lost. Fam’s and Pac’s bodies had become paler. Dillian tiredly carried Pac and James carried Fam. The others formed a protective structure around all sides of the group. Dillian was struggling with the weight of Pac so I asked to carry him. James was one of the strongest in our guild, mostly because of his gift. He did not struggle or sweat in the slightest under the added weight.

“They are doing what they can for Corso now,” I said, raising a hand to him before he had to ask.

“Why are you in a white robe?” Kora asked, looking me up and down.

“And why did Campture permit you to leave without giving a full report?” Kasey interjected.

It was protocol; of course they would question how I arrived back to them so quickly. A report of this magnitude would have taken hours. I would have to tell her every little step we had taken. There would be meetings, inquests, lectures. It was very obvious that I dropped Corso off before racing back. Very few defied Campture and she would not take it kindly. I made my face blank so they would not see my expression. This was something they were very used to, but James knew better.

“What did you do?” he whined.

“Is this really the time?” I snapped, rearranging Pac on my back. “We need to get back to the Guild.”

The slower pace gave me time to reassess all that had happened. It pained me to search the eyes of my fellow teammates and to see very little emotion there as we carried our fallen comrades. I was upset to know I had failed them in so many ways. This was why I preferred to work by myself, because then I would only risk my own life. I would not show the others, but I truly cared for their safety under my guard. Being a Token you had to have strength, and weakness could not be shown. This was something my mother had constantly reminded me of. I took that in my stride, becoming every bit the savage Token that was expected of me.

The gates were opened for us immediately. Everyone’s expression mirrored the same emotion: disinterest, despite the death of our teammates.

“Esmore, perhaps we should visit Campture straight away and ask that whatever punishment she has decided upon be lessened,” James said. He was always like a pet when it came to the Guild. He would follow and he expected the same from me.

“First of all, James,” I spat angrily. “I will go to the families of those who have fallen under my leadership.”

Before he could argue, Dillian was beside me, shooting a smile at James. “I will take her straight to Campture afterwards, James,” he said reassuringly as he went to take Fam from him.

James held tighter onto the body. “I will go with her,” he said possessively.

“I don’t want you with me,” I said quietly. I felt the odd heat from within me once again rise. What was this sensation that was creeping over me? I pushed down the feeling, noticing the odd exchange between James and Dillian. Surely he did not see Dillian as a rival?

Dillian and I walked toward the small homes. Firstly we went to Pac’s home. I had now been working with him for almost two years and I was saddened to know I had to tell his wife and children. But out of respect, it was something I would do, it was something I had to. Dillian and I were silent as we approached. It was as if we were walking to our own funeral. I tapped on the door lightly, struggling as I briefly forgot about my left arm’s immobility. Dillian gave me an inquisitve look. Before he could ask questions Pac’s wife opened the door.

I wish I could have brought her to his body instead of bringing him to their door, but time was not permitted. I was soon to feel the wrath of Campture, and I didn’t know if anyone else on my team would be as respectful. Her eyes darted to her husband’s body. She did not move, her face did not change. She went to lift her hand toward his face but retracted it quickly.

“I am sorry that I let his happen. He was protecting his team. He was heroic,” I said. She nodded her head indifferently, showing no emotion. She did not reach for his face again, but instead held both to her stomach. There was a noise coming from inside. I assumed one of her children must have woken.

“Very well, I will inform our children. In the new day we shall pay our respects. And where will you keep his body?” she asked me.

My heart froze and my body felt stiff. I wanted to shake and slap her, to scream at her ‘your husband is dead.’ But her movement was expected, this was what we all did. And yet, within the pit of my stomach, it made me nauseous. This custom was not right, yet I could never voice such an opinion.

She looked at Dillian as a few tears dripped from his eyes. He was one of the most sensitive people I knew. Most hunters did not appreciate that at all. Obviously neither did she. Did she see it as a weakness in Dillian to cry so easily, to be pardoned from the hard manner we all adopted? Or did she feel weak within herself for being unable to break, to let such emotion surface? It was the most I had ever looked into the emotional programming of our kind.

“I will bury him at dawn,” Dillian said. “At our shrine, alongside Fam.”

“Very well,” she said again, agreeing on the place and time before closing the door on us. The small light from her singular candle vanished when she closed the door and I felt myself harden again. I let myself slip into the darkness, far more comfortable with little emotions. At least there I did not think constantly.

Silently Dillian led me to Fam’s home, which wasn’t overly far from Pac’s. It was daunting to walk around at such early hours in the morning. Hardly anyone was awake. Lightly he tapped on the door and within a few moments Fam’s mother appeared. Her throat tightened and she clenched her jaw at the sight. Instantly a tear dropped before she looked away into her home. She quickly wiped it away, calling for her husband.

Fam’s mother had now concealed her emotions, as if in the presence of her husband she had to act in such a way. She was not as strong as most and the artery in her neck noticeably tightened. Her bottom lip was slightly quivering.

“Your son...” I hadn’t the time to finish before his father cut me off.

“We would like to keep our son here until morning, when we will bury him at the shrine,” he said. His voice was tough. Hesitantly, Dillian handed Fam over.

“Thank you for returning his body to us.” And with that, Fam’s mother closed the door. Once again the singular candle’s light was taken from us and we were left in the dark.

“We should take Pac to the shrine before you confront Campture,” Dillian said, already walking in that direction. The shrine held our deceased, and usually everyone went alone. It was a white picketed-fenced area, and the grass was always maintained well and kept green. It was a symbolic measure: because of the fallen everything can still live and grow. Near the small gates of the shrine were thick sticks with cloth wrapped around them. Beside them was a silver container of oil for giving light. Dillian held two flames while I carried Pac.

A small white-pebbled path led through to the shrine. Beside us were various flowers that hunters had left behind in secrecy. It was a tradition created by humans, though we did not keep grave stones as they did. Instead, when you reached the three steps to walk into the shrine, we had small silver plated squares. Behind them was a small canister of the dead’s ashes. We were educated in human tradition: some would spread ashes over their favourite spot or in a memorable place. But we contained the ashes within the walls.

The circular room was about four stories high, mostly to contain the ashes. It was almost full and construction of a second building would soon need to commence. There was no roof to this shrine so the dead could bathe in the sun and moonlight. In the centre of the white shrine was a large circular stone. This was where we would set alight our fallen hunters, turning them to ash. Usually only the closest to the dead would witness it.

Already a few sticks were laid down on the stone. A member of the Guild who maintained the shrine had already been made aware of Pac’s and Fam’s death. Tomorrow they would be burnt and their human soul would be set free from this destructive world of everlasting war.

I recalled the words of a huntress who became sick in her old age. She began to misunderstand everything and forget who everyone was. It was called dementia. She was the only huntress to suffer from a human disease. Still there were no answers. When she and I paid respects to her grandson, she looked at the scenery peacefully. She questioned loudly why we fought so hard for a world which was already breaking. She said she couldn’t wait for the day in which she was set free, and that she didn’t understand why everyone clung so tightly to such a world. It was such a human thing to say. I could imagine that some humans also thought this. But she was not human; the disease made her think unconventionally. Shortly after that she died. Carefully I placed Pac on the stone. I reassessed his wounds, still so disheartened.

“There is nothing you could have done,” Dillian said placing a strong hand on my shoulder in reassurance. I winced slightly at his touch, grabbing his immediate attention. I shuddered at the touch, but it did not hurt as much as I had thought it would. “What have you done to yourself?”

I pulled the white robe from my shoulder to assess my left shoulder. Dillian raised his flame to it, offering me the other one. My lips slightly parted in surprise. My skin was healing.

“Corso, in his unconscious state, was dropping acid on me.” I shrugged the white robe from my back. “What can you see?”

Dillian assessed it, poking his finger through the holes of my leather shirt. “If these holes were created from Corso’s acid, then you are healing somehow, Esmore.”

I flicked my plait again, readjusting the white robe to reveal where I had forced Teary to melt a part of my skin. Now only a small red blemish appeared. “It’s healing,” I said, just as surprised. It had been such a long time since I was seriously injured in any way that my healing rate came as a surprise. Dillian reached for my white robe, pulling it over my arm and covering me up.

“You need to get rid of those clothes. You know it will not go down well if you are healing in such a way without explanation. If you were burnt by Teary’s flames and infected by Corso’s acid, you should not be healing so rapidly, especially without scars. It will only heighten suspicion around your huntress eyes, Esmore. You can speak of this to no one,” Dillian said sternly.

“I know,” I agreed. I repeated the words to myself as I took a seat on the bottom step.

He sat beside me stroking his hand through his shoulder-length black hair. “You can’t tell James,” Dillian said forcefully. I found it an odd thing for him to say considering he knew I told James very little in comparison to what I told him.

“I know. It is James who I have no idea how to handle or deal with anymore,” I said, annoyed by his very name. I looked at Dillian from the corner of my eye as he studied me carefully. “When you are around Julia or even parted from her...” I trailed off, not knowing how to voice my question. “Do you ever feel like you are enemies?”

“No never, Esmore, that is not a relationship. I love Julia and would do anything for her. I would risk my life for her.”

“I would risk my life for James,” I objected.

“No Esmore, you would risk your life for anyone because you do not fear death.” His words rang true. It made me reflect on the darkness and anger I felt as a child. All that my father had helped me supress was now resurfacing again.

“When Campture told me I was not to leave the Guild, I felt something within me, something... dark. It felt like an animal rising within me. I was fuelled by hatred, and I wanted blood. Sometimes I feel that way when challenged by vampires, but I had never felt it against my own kind. There is a feeling inside of me I cannot explain. The same darkness sweeps within me every time James challenges me and I don’t know how to control that anger. When I look at James and when I feel him touching my skin, I want to push him away. I feel as if that anger is instigated by both him and Campture. In my heart I don’t feel as if it is right anymore. I have a longing which I cannot explain... ”

“You are very talkative tonight,” Dillian remarked, his eyebrows raised. I usually was so careful with my words. “Do you mean to say you have a longing for another?”

I went to object instantly, but nothing followed. I thought about this for a while. There was no one I was fond of, and yet I felt something stir within me as if somebody had created a change. For some reason my thoughts instantly narrowed on the person who had shot the dart at me from the rooftops. I quickly scratched that from my mind.

“I do not long for another, but I do long for something,” I said, holding my hand to my chest and gesturing outwards as if trying to convey my meaning. “And James... he is not a part of that. He wants to ground me, hold me, force me to be a minion of the Guild. I can no longer simply be,” I said, realizing what I was about to say.

“Esmore, if you cannot speak to him openly, you shouldn’t be in a relationship. To me it sounds as if you feel like you are bedding the enemy. And if that is indeed how you feel, then that is not the bed to sleep in.”

“But right now, my blood boils. I feel like everyone is my enemy.”

“It has been a long day for all of us. You will find a way to find peace with this.” He placed his hand over mine in reassurance.

Maybe he was right. Well of course, Dillian was always right. His hand tightened over mine as his facial expression contorted. “What’s wrong?” I asked. He forced his hand to his face, tightening his grip around his forehead as if in pain from a sudden headache. He breathed heavily, removing his hands and opening his eyes, looking forward as if possessed.

Suddenly I felt a creeping presence. I retracted the sword from my sheath that I had beside me and raised my Barnett bow. I searched past the shrine, the tops of the trees, and past the great wall. I could not see anyone, but I could feel them. Hunters had an eerie sensation when foreigners were close. But for some odd reason, even though the presence was faint and very far away, I was being led into that direction. I couldn’t describe the sensation of knowing this presence or being drawn to it. I had to stop myself from stepping forward. I was conflicted about whether to give chase to whatever presence it was I felt in the forest, or whether to stay by Dillian’s side. Something horrific was happening.

“Go,” he said through a harsh cough, obviously noting my discomfort. His eyes were darting across as if he were reading quickly. “It’s our duty.” In the distance I could see James, who now stalked toward us. He would find Dillian and take him to the infirmary. With Dillian’s permission I ran toward the southside wall, where for some reason, the guards were not on duty.

I scampered up the ladder, standing tall on the wall and searching through the trees, prepared for anything that would come. I dared the follower to show themselves. I could not see them but I felt drawn to them, knowing where their shadowy presence was. I jumped off the wall, inflicting the same pain in my knees that I did the last time I jumped.

It did not take me long to reach the presence after I dashed through the trees. We were about ten kilometers from the fishing nets. Near it, in the only patch where the moon shone, was a figure. He was crouched with his back to me, washing the clear river water over his face. It was the same vampire that had shot me with the dart previously in the day. I could tell because of the long leather jacket he still wore.

I aimed my Barnett crossbow at him, infuriated to know I had been followed. He had got the better of me. Although he could feel my presence, he was hardly fazed, and it made me consider if he was trying to lure me. He looked casually over his shoulder, noticing me standing there. He passed his hand through his shaggy black hair. The vampire’s skin was noticeably pale and without a blemish. One ear was pierced and a blue gem hung from his left ear. He tucked part of his hair behind his ear before smirking in my direction.

“You are a part of the Council,” I flashed angrily. I did not know why my hands shook when I said it, nor why my heart was beating uncontrollably. Was I frightened of him? There was a strength radiating from him I could not understand.

He was not wearing a shirt beneath his long coat, his chiselled stomach was on display. Another blue caught my eye. He wore a leather necklace with a similar blue gem dangling from it. He had very light gray eyes that stood out against his white skin. His dark black hair and white skin were in opposition to each other, yet magnificent at the same time. Was it fear that rattled me or... excitement?

“Oh my, we are very rude. We don’t ask for names anymore? I am disappointed by your manners,” he said. I could not recognize his accent, but it sounded very proper, very old.

“What have you done to my friend?” I demanded from him. I was certain Dillian’s sudden pain was caused by this vampire. I gathered my wits about me and held up the Barnett bow in a threatening manner.

“Now, accusations never get us anywhere, young Token. Where are your eyes?” he asked inquisitively.

“You shot me!” I accused. I did not understand why I had not yet shot him. I needed to capture him. I needed answers. If he were my link to the Council, I would have him.

“I hardly grazed you,” he said childishly, sweeping through his hair again. This confirmed that it was definitely him who was on those rooftops. “It was not me who ordered your skin to be melted because of it. What do you deem me to be, some kind of animal?” As he said it a cocky smile pulled at his lips, revealing his fangs.

I shot the arrow at him but he easily out-maneuvered it, his speed far greater than I anticipated. He was coming for me. I braced my sword up in defense, but he was already behind me.

His words were a cold puff embracing my ear. “I do not want to fight you, Esmore,” he growled. I struck my sword behind me, but again he had anticipated my moves. My heart raced. Never had any vampire been ahead of me.

Again he was behind me. His hands grabbed me from behind and he held me firmly, his chest hard against my back.

“You looked sexier in your leather.” I felt his cold fingers lightly brush over my neck. I sucked in my breath, unsure as to whether he was going to rip out my neck or if he was seducing me.

All of a sudden, I was very alone. I spun quickly, no longer able to feel his presence. He had disappeared. I looked down at my white robe. He had slid down part of the collar, revealing my shoulder. That was where his touch lingered from when his finger trailed down my shoulder. I grabbed the robe, covering myself in disbelief. How did he know my name? Why did he flee?

“Esmore!”

James burst out of the forest, looking at me oddly. I quickly changed my open expression. I looked behind me again in search of the Council vampire whom I had just made contact with. How did he know my name? So many questions infuriated me. My heart still beat and for some reason my breath came out in staggered breaths. His face kept flashing in front of me as he lingered on my mind.

“What happened?” James said, coming to me and pulling me close to him. Instead of flinching, I accepted his embrace. My head rested into the warmth of his chest as I battled with myself. Who was that, and what is this strange feeling that he has left behind?

James led me back to the wall. We walked around to where the large doors would open for us. I felt like a stray, like an animal that had been abandoned by their owner and was taken in by another. I was familiar with James, yet when I walked within the walls everything felt different. What is this sudden change?

“What did you see out there?” James prodded. I thought of the mysterious vampire I met, reminding myself of why it was I went there. Wasn’t he doing something to Dillian? Dillian only started acting bizarrely when that vampire’s presence was close.

“Where is Dillian?” I demanded.

“Do not ask a question with a question,” Campture said sharply as we walked into the room. I couldn’t refrain from throwing a contemptuous look at James. Of course he and Campture were in cahoots. “You jumped the fence again. What did you see?”

Again I felt an unfamiliar strength rise within me. I didn’t know exactly what to report, as I had not yet concluded on anything myself.

“Why are you wearing this robe?” she questioned, storming toward me. I stepped away, on reflex more than anything. Why did I not trust her?

“Take your robe off!”

“Es...” James trailed off, as if trying to sooth the situation. In that moment it only made me feel even more disgusted by him. He always wanted me to play by the rules. Never did he support me. I tore the white robe off, revealing my damaged leather clothing. They both assessed it quickly.

“When bringing Corso back he began to perspire acid onto me,” I explained quietly, trying to contain the beast inside of me. I felt trapped by them.

“What’s wrong with your head?” Campture grimaced in rage as she stormed toward me.

“What do you mean?” I touched my face, expecting to retrieve blood from a wound.

“I cannot study your thoughts? Who has distorted your mind? It’s similar to the distorted minds of those who have exited the Council.”

The accusation startled both me and everyone else around us. I processed her words. My mind was not distorted. I internally frowned, thinking of the mysterious figure at the river. Did he jumble my mind? James simply stared at me as Campture advanced on me.

“Do not touch me!” I spat at her now. She stretched her long fingers toward me. My instinct interjected as she tried to touch my mind to connect with me. My inner voice was very clear at that moment. I do not trust you.

I hit her hand away from me. The loud smack of defiance echoed in the room. Her fluorescent yellow eyes grew very thin.

“Miss. Campture, I think a lot has happened today, maybe we should—”

Kelf was quickly cut off by Campture. “Hold her in the cell!” she demanded.

I stood there breathing slowly, trying to contain what it was within me that eyed her neck, wanting to rip her voice box out. I could not defend myself in such a state. If I did, I wasn’t sure what extremes my body would take. I could not fight these hunters. They are my people, I tried to convince myself. Whatever was to come would not last long. I am a Token Huntress. All will be well. This is where I belong.

The hunters who guarded the door surrounded me timidly. If I wanted to, I could have escaped. James looked at me, unsure of what he should do. I gave him a look which told him to keep away from me. He was the last person I wanted touching me.

“I do not need to be tied down like an animal to be taken to a cage. I can walk myself.” I spat on the ground at Campture’s feet. I could no longer respect her as my Guild headmistress. They couldn't keep me in a prisoner cell for long. I am a Token Huntress and I have done nothing wrong. She can’t hold anything against me. Until I was free I would stay silent until she finally decided to stop treating me like the enemy.

I walked to the cell which was close to the north side of the wall in a separate underground tunnel. It was separate so it was not so close to the training, education, infirmary, and eating areas. There were three different cell rooms.

The first silver door was opened for me. There was only a chair and small window up top. Usually this was placed in here to serve as a discomfort to the vampires we kept. Usually they were tied to the wooden chair, which was the only thing in here. This was directly under where the sun would shine during the day. We tied them with silver rope — it was the only thing that truly affected their strength substantially and the silver burnt them. It was one of the few objects that we could use against them which decreased their will to fight. One of my fellow hunters closed the door behind me.

I began pacing the room with my arms crossed over my chest, thinking about the day’s events. I again looked at the scar that should have been on my arm after Teary burnt it, but nothing was there. How had I healed in such a way? I thought of the vampire from the Council. How was he so much faster than me? I punched the wall in rage. How had everything fallen so quickly? I retracted my hand noticing a small trail of blood from where I had busted my knuckles. I refocused. A member of the Council knew where we were. This could destroy us and yet I was now locked in a cell, unable to tell anyone. I would tell Campture of the vampire when she came to release me.

I leaned the against the wall. I closed my eyes for only a second but the exhaustion of my body quickly put me into a deep sleep.

*

There was fog everywhere, like always. But this time it was thicker and trailed over the water where our fishing nets were. I looked closely, noting that this was the exact spot I killed the vampire who was a part of the Council. Lurking in the river was the same shadowy figure I had recently met. He was washing his face again. The moon shone dimly, causing the wet blue gem on his left ear to sparkle.

I was not alarmed, and my hands did not grab for my weapons. Here I was at ease with him. I searched my surroundings, unsure of what was happening. “Is this a dream?” I asked, my voice echoing in the enchanted forest. It felt as if we were the only ones present, that no one else existed. I could not hear forest animals or others nearby. Right now, it was only him and me.

“You could call it that,” he said, looking over his shoulder with a smile.

“Did you do something to me?” I asked. Campture could no longer read my thoughts, and that hadn’t happened until I had confronted him. It was odd... I felt so soothed, so human. I felt vulnerable, yet safe at the same time. He slowly walked over to me, the water dripping over his face and muscular frame. A few droplets from his dripping hair landed on his leather. A small line of water trailed down his stomach, illuminating his abs.

I could not describe the exotic intensity that swirled around us. In this place we were familiar with one another. I hungered for his touch. It was as if we were lovers reunited. In this dream world I was encompassed by his smell, his allure, his everything.

“Your eyes are greedy,” he whispered with a lustful look. He came closer to me before reaching for my face and cupping it. He pushed aside my golden fringe, looking at me longingly. “You are ravishing.”

I stared at his beautiful lips as he spoke. Something was enticing me, I wanted to pull him in. He grabbed my hand and pressed it against his hard chest. His skin was cold, yet somehow I felt an electrifying warmth.

“You are so cold, yet you feel warm to me,” I said in a distant tone.

“That is because we are familiars,” he said, his thumb stroking my cheek. His thumb trailed down my cheek and down my neck, before stroking my collarbone.

“We have met?”

“No Esmore, our souls are familiar. We are of the same.”

His words made no sense to me, yet I lingered upon every word. He did feel so familiar. We had such a fierce connection. My hand trailed slowly over his chiselled stomach, stopping near the belt of his dark-blue jeans.

“But I don’t know your name,” I said, fully captivated by my desire. His hand lightly brushed over my breast as he pulled me in. He held me endearingly as he leant in to kiss me.

“My name is Chase.” His words thinned into a whisper before I could feel our lips touch.

*

Hitting reality hard, I jolted up from where I was sitting against the cold wall. I was still in the cell. I looked above me, remembering my dream. “What the f...” A loud banging noise broke through the silence. I straightened myself and noticed the sudden rash that had spread across my body. I looked at my skin, noticing it wasn’t a rash at all. I was simply too hot. I stood, listening as someone walked down the stairs toward my cell. I held my head high, waiting for the accusations they would soon throw at me. The sooner this was over, the sooner I would be able to inform them of the immediate danger we were in. The sun protruding through the window informed me that it was now day. I must have slept all night.

Campture walked in with her lips pursed tight. She too held her head high. “You need to go out to find more information.” I knitted my eyebrows in confusion. “It seems as though one of your members, Dillian, has yet another specialty in his gift. He can foresee,” she said as she avoided eye-contact with me.

Kelf was standing behind her, looking at me respectfully, like he always did. Kelf didn’t hold the same bitter distaste for me as Campture did. He was one of the first to nominate me as Token Huntress.

“Dillian cannot foresee the future,” I said suspiciously. He could only see long-distance.

“I thought the same, Miss. Aguire. I thought he was playing mind games... trying to relieve you of your punishment. But, after connecting with his mind, I saw the same visuals that he did. And it is not a lie. He was very clear about the few members who should go. And you, Esmore, were one of them.”

“And you will let me go without punishment?” I asked, almost not believing her words. Her lips tightened again and I could see one of the veins in her neck protrude.

“We had to send another raid team out yesterday morning. The transport team did not return. We had another team follow afterward to make sure the human was untouched. Both teams have yet to return.”

There was silence for a moment. I thought about Golipse, who was a part of that team. It was a very stormy day indeed, hopefully it didn’t give the vampires the advantage. “I see. So, have you revoked my Token title yet?” I said with arrogance, folding my arms over my chest.

Her eyes were quick on mine. I could sense her rage boiling. Whatever it was she wanted to say, she held the words back. It must have infuriated her that she could not read my thoughts. I did have the feeling that the vampire I met had created the blockage.

“Foresight is a very powerful gift. You all have your part to play. This is how we will find the Council. I will not let your attitude or almighty pride get in the way. You cannot simply dismiss a Token. But you have disappointed me greatly,” her tone thickened. “And there will be punishment; you will not come out of this unscathed.”

I did not take her threat lightly. I knew when I got back there would be consequences for defying her. But at least now I knew Dillian was safe, and we might have the upper hand in the fight.

“When do we leave?” I asked My body was now rejuvenated. I was ready to attack the Council. Finally, we had the chance.

“Now.”

I changed my clothes into my usual attire. I decided it was best just for now to wear a long leather shirt instead of my sleeveless one. I didn’t want them asking me questions that I obviously couldn’t answer. I met my team in the weaponry room again.

The team was smaller than what it had been yesterday. Kora and Kasey looked at me suspiciously; Teary indifferently; and James just pouted angrily, not able to make eye-contact. Dillian looked tired, the bags under his eye evidence that the foresight took much out of him. But it did not break his spirits, and he gave me a small smile. One James obviously begrudged, as he immediately shot Dillian a murderous look. I couldn’t help but want to walk up and slap him for his stupid jealousy. When we got back, this would be something I would have to deal with.

To my surprise, Tori was standing with everyone, his hands crossed over his chest. When he looked at me, it was not with his usual contempt. His eyes were filled with respect and he now looked like a man. I was saddened to know that such terrible circumstances had to happen for him to respect me as his Token.

“What of Corso?” I asked. Everyone looked down, except Dillian. I inhaled deeply, preparing myself for what they would now say. I had failed him; he must be dead. I failed. The tally of members who had died under my charge had grown. Were we out of our league? I internally slapped myself. No. I have never, and will never, doubt my skill or that of my fellow hunters. This was because Campture permitted him to use such a stupid weapon from the past.

“His leg had to be amputated,” Kasey explained nonchalantly. Her upbeat tone bothered me. I gave her a pointed look. She shrugged her shoulders at me childishly. “What? He could have died. It’s good that it is just his leg.”

“He is still battling for his life, though,” Kora interrupted, slightly more seriously. “It’s all up to the infirmary now. We did what we could. He has been dismissed from the raid team. He cannot function with one leg.”

Swallowing this, I nodded, thanking them. I felt almost sorry for the loud-mouthed Corso — he lived for the raid team. But now with only one leg, who knew what would happen to him?

“Status update on the transport team?” I asked. Campture was being vague in her descriptions; she would usually go into far greater detail.

“Nothing yet, no one has returned. We aren’t yet sure if it was delayed, if they are in hiding, or if something else has happened,” Teary answered.

“Can you not see them?” I asked Dillian. He looked at me as if he had only just walked into the conversation, his mouth slightly open. He looked horrible and so awfully tired. In fact, I was hesitant to take him on our outing.

“It doesn’t work like that, Es,” James said. My glare was more intense than I had intended it to be. He quickly dropped his gaze.

“I am still trying to understand it myself,” Dillian interrupted. “But I get shown things. I don’t get to choose, they just happen. I saw a few things, and pieced them together over the night with Campture, who could see the same as me when she read my mind. Everything leads to this exact team going back into the city. There we will find a Council member, fight off a few more. It will be a challenge but everyone will be unharmed. This is what will lead us to the right information about where the Council is stationed. This much Campture and I clued together.”

This was good news indeed. Suddenly an image of Chase flashed into my mind: the water dripping over his lips, his stone-cold abs... I closed my eyes in irritation. Why am I seeing him? When I opened them again, everyone was looking at me in suspicion.

“Teary, what have they supplied you with?” I asked, dismissing their looks and walking over to assess what was in her bag.

“The same as last time, except I was given three grenades as well.”

I thought about this for a while. Grenade. The word rang a bell. She pulled one out from her bag, and I held it up to the team. “These were used a few times when Drue was Token. They are effective when there are a lot of vampires surrounding. All you do is pull this pin. They have adjusted these ones, however. Last time they used one, another hunter was blown apart because they were too close. Now there is a time limit on them. So once the pin is pulled, ten seconds is allowed. Obviously our team will be aware of this timeframe and find cover by then.”

“Esmore?” Tori called, walking toward me with my sword and Barnett bow in hand. His head was bowed reverently as he offered the items to me. I now looked at him differently. He held much respect for me, I could tell from the way he looked at me. It was reassuring to know he did not hate me because I was unable to protect his fellow apprentice. His gift of my weapons was a token of that respect. “Campture wanted me to give you back your weapons.”

I took them from him with feigned indifference.

“Well, if that is all, we will leave now. I saw no clouds, so this will be a full days’ run. We won’t stop until we are at the edge of the city. We will rest there for the night. If anyone cannot come, they must speak now. I will not hold it against anyone if they don’t think they are up to it.”

I had Dillian in mind as I said this, he looked terrible. But no one stepped forward. Dillian deliberately ignored my eyes, knowing that statement was intended for him.

“Right, move out.”

*

We only made two stops. Each time I called for refreshments and a small break, mostly for Dillian’s sake. I could see he was struggling with the pace after very little sleep. I didn’t know how this new foreseeing skill of his worked, but by his exhausted expression and sunken eyes, it took a lot out of him, I could tell that much. I had great respect for the fact that he did not ask me to stop. He continued pushing.

Looking at James broad back as we ran, I was reminded of when we began sparring at the young age of sixteen. At first it was to train and test our skills against one another, but then things flourished into something more. It was enjoyable to have such a tough opponent. All the female apprentices wanted him. I couldn’t help but be flattered back then. Eventually it became more, and we started a relationship — one that was happy and playful. But slowly the sparring stopped as he began to see me more as his girlfriend than a worthy challenge. Shortly after that, when my hunter eyes vanished, it seemed he only wanted to conceal me, like a damaged animal. Looking back at it all now, that was when the problems began.

We found our way through the forest. There was very little fog to interfere with our sight and no vampires to be seen. We were about ten kilometers out from the city when we settled down to camp. We had stayed in this position once before. It was a good location: a cave on the side of a hill. It gave us a visual of the city, but no further as the fog lurked over the ground. We took turns to watch, two at a time. It was Teary and James who were to take the first shift, followed by myself and Dillian, but looking at him now, I knew I would insist he sleep instead. Kora or Kasey could take his turn.

Tori walked over to me, tightening his leather jacket around him and puffing his chest up as he came over to me. He had seen me looking at Dillian. “I can take over Dillian’s shift, if you would like, Token Huntress,” he offered. I considered it for a moment. He had proven himself to be a very gifted apprentice when we had last fought together. Looking at Dillian, who was searching for his water bottle, I knew Tori was a much better choice for now.

“That would be appreciated. Please inform Teary of the change,” I asked, tapping him on the shoulder in thanks as I walked past him.

I could feel James’ eyes on me from afar as I crouched next to Dillian. He looked paler than usual. “How are you fairing?”

He rubbed over one of his eyes before scratching his head. “I’ve had better days, but I will be okay after a few hours’ sleep.” He dropped his tone to a whisper only he and I could hear. “How are you? You could cut the tension with a knife.”

I took a seat beside him on the edge of the rocky ledge, looking out toward the city. The sun had almost been engulfed by the land. “Because of what? My imprisonment by my own kind, my boring relationship issues, or my confrontation with a Council vampire?” I deadpanned. I knew that no one could hear. Campture could not read our minds from so far away. Here, we were free.

“What!”

“He followed us from the city; he was the one who shot me with a paralysis dart. Last night, when you had your first... uh... vision, I was confronted by a vampire on the south. He was faster than me, stronger than me. Dillian, he knew my name.”

Dillian didn’t hide his shock. His lips parted in surprise as he tried to consume this. He looked behind us, making sure no one could hear. James was scraping his sword down a tree trunk to sharpen it as he watched us warily. Right now he was the least of my concerns. He could not be so jealous after how quickly he had turned on me last night.

“What did he want from you? Did he try to kidnap you?”

The more I thought of his movements, the more I realized they were not threatening. He did not even carry a weapon. I thought about it for a while, pausing as the image of him popped into my head again. The water sliding over his chiseled abs. His wet, glistening black hair. I refocused myself. How filthy of me to admire him — a vampire.

“He only asked me about my huntress eyes,” I finally said. Dillian did not interrupt as I continued my train of thought. I remembered him saying we were... familiars. “He said we were familiar, but I have never met him before. What do you think that means?” I asked, rattled by my own inability to decipher it. Did he mean that we were acquainted or did the word familiar hold a far greater significance? My stomach tightened with desire at the memory of his cool touch.

I slammed my hand angrily into the ground. Dillian flinched in surprise and I looked at him apologetically. I tried to suppress my thoughts. The sudden ache of my knuckles was the only thing taking away my lingering thoughts. He is not a man, I reminded myself. He is a disgusting vampire.

“Did you tell Campture about this?” Dillian asked. At my hesitation, his eyes bulged in disbelief. “Esmore, there was a Council vampire outside our Guild. They know of our location. What if they ambush us now? How could you not tell her that?”

Everyone looked up as his volume rose on the last sentence. Luckily they did not know what it was he was yelling about. He regained himself, pinching his nose. “Sorry, I am tired. But Esmore, you know the potential consequences of this. There are people back there who are unprotected. People I care about, even if you don’t.”

I was ashamed of my actions. What could I say, I did not have time? I wanted to figure it out myself first? There was no excuse I could use to justify it. And the more I thought about it, the angrier I became. Why had I not told her of him? Before recently, I wouldn’t ever hold something like that from her, even at my most defiant. I felt like my mind was tricking me.

I rested my hand on his shoulder, deep in thought. “Don’t worry. I promise I won’t let anything happen. Rest, Dillian.”

That night I did not dare sleep in case my mind drifted like it did the night before. I did not want to dream of a vampire. I hated how my body ached for him. I should have shot another arrow when I had the chance. I was sitting on the edge of the rock, watching in the trees below. I had the daunting sensation that the same vampire was watching me. I couldn’t help but feel a pull toward him, but I tried to suppress it. If he were here I would have seen him by now.

James took the opportunity upon wakening to advance on me. He sat down beside me. “Es, we have to talk…”

“James, you betrayed me yet again. Your head is so far up Campture’s rear-end it is not funny. I cannot trust you,” I said defiantly. In a way, I hated him, yet there was something that stopped me for saying what I really wanted. I realized I feared being alone. Was that selfish of me? I preferred doing everything on my own, so why would such a thing bother me?

“I only tried to protect you. If you would have just listened, everything would have been okay,” he said, his tone slightly deepening.

“I do not take orders from you. You cannot force me to do anything I do not want to. You don’t own me, you don’t control me, and you certainly cannot protect me. From any punishment from within the Guild walls or out here. I had so much respect for you once,” I said harshly, rising to leave. He caught my hand, and I was angry at him for it. Before I could act on that and hit his hand away, the reflection of something caught my eye.

I looked deep into the trees, thinking I had seen Chase pull back into the woods. If anything reflected, it would be the blue gem of his earring or necklace. I was disturbed by how much attention I paid to his jewellery. There was nothing there; was my mind making things up? I could no longer feel the pull of his presence.

“Es,” James said, reminding me that he still held onto me. “We need to work this out, I know we can.” He took my hand, kissing my knuckles gently. I stared at him, unmoved by the action. “We will discuss it when we get back to the Guild,” I said, retracting my hand and walking away.

*

Soon it was dawn and everyone was awake. Dillian looked much better. His skin glowed. Obviously he had not suffered any more visions last night.

“Okay, we keep tight in structure. Kora and Kasey, you are to take the back; James and Teary take the sides. Tori, you are centre; Dillian and I will be frontal. If you hear or see anything, you stop the group instantly and we find cover in the closest place.”

Everyone was prepared, but there was a slight resistance in all of their eyes. If I hadn’t looked for it, I may have never seen it. An unsteady group was something that we couldn’t work with. But after what had happened only days before, they were all unsettled. I gestured for us to move out. For now, the sun was very bright and hot. We shouldn’t see any sabers unless we were to go deep into the darkness of buildings or sewers. I didn’t like that we were walking into the city after a premonition. But if both Campture and Dillian had already seen it, I had to believe that was evidence enough. After all, it was the biggest clue we had in finding the Council.

We began running at our heightened speed, and we were on the edge of the city streets in only minutes. I held tightly onto my sword with my right hand and my Barnett bow with my left. I flicked my fingers in the direction right to us. We would search around this side of the city first. What made it hard was the fact that although Dillian had foreseen us being in the city, there was nothing specific to look for. We had to simply hope we would stumble into the area in which we were meant to be.

After walking around a quarter of the city, we were becoming frustrated. “If I may speak?” Teary said in a whisper. I approved. Teary had been working the raid teams for a while, so her advice was greatly appreciated. “Perhaps we need to go more inwards again, Esmore. I doubt that the Council would be on the outskirts. If anywhere they would be hidden somewhere in the middle. Perhaps we need to split up to cover more ground.”

I considered her theory, but was against being torn apart. “We will go deeper into the city, but will not split up. If the sabers’ numbers have grown, then it is not a risk we can take.”

Teary nodded in agreement. So we walked into the city, but it was absolutely dead. Much like it always was. I had only once been in the heart of the city. This was where Drue, my previous Token Hunter, was killed. It was dangerous in the centre as it was shrouded in tall towers. It was too easy for the team to be torn apart, and it would take us longer to escape into the outskirts if we had to flee. A silent wind brushed through the city. On this side there were very little bones from corpses. On the west side, however, a large amount piled up, and cockroaches infested the streets.

It was reported when the vampires overpowered the humans that most had enough time to escape. The east side was a richer suburb, so of course they were given priority. The rest had not made it in time. I imagined that if it were only one hundred years since that era, then the city would reek of death. But now, it was a ghost town. I could not picture its former glory. Street posts had bent through time and were now dipping eerily over the dark streets. The roads had large cracks in them. Most windows had been shattered. Droplets of stained blood had not been wiped by the thick layer of dust and grime. And this was considered the cleaner part of the city. The other side’s fog was thicker and it crawled densely around our ankles.

A flicker of motion grabbed my attention and I arched my Barnett bow in that direction, only to realize it was a shred of curtain flapping in the wind. Still it surprised me that the buildings survived after all this time. It made me consider how selfish the human race had been, how congested their population once was. Although the vampires were disgusting creatures, they did not destroy the earth further. Humans, however, monopolized the resources, draining the earth dry. Their technology was obviously no match for the simple fangs of vampires.

We searched around the buildings and what were once glorious parks with fountains. Now dead and covered in fog, I questioned how much of this was once truly of value? If humans saw this all now, would they regret how they polluted the world? I think they wouldn’t, for they were too selfish of a race to understand. Was the first hunter familiar with these customs? Did they know and feel the loss of human civilization?

Continuing to search through the abandoned park, we found a large bridge. Its structure was still mighty amongst the fog. I had not yet had the chance to see it up close, but it was something that I had always wanted to look at. Out of curiosity, I wanted to look down at the still water. Was it abundantly full of water in those times? Was the water sparkling clear or a dirty grotesque color then as well?

Movement caught my eye again. Near the water fountain sat a figure. I raised my Barnett bow. It was a girl in a wheelchair. I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. What was a girl in a wheelchair doing here?              I looked to Dillian, who was looking between her and me. I flagged my team to spread around the girl in a circular structure. She must be human. Kora, Kasey, and Teary distanced themselves to the left. James, Tori, and Dillian kept to the right, as I kept my position at the front. Slowly, with my Barnett bow held high, I walked toward her. I could feel the presence of the others quickly circling around her, waiting for my go-ahead.

After walking through cracked path and dead grass, I was only a few meters away from her. But she seemed not to have noticed. She was facing the water fountain, looking at the shattered cement heap. In her hand she held a small yellow flower. Looking around the area, I could not see one living plant. She was wearing a pale blue dress which had long sleeves. Creeping up behind her from an angle I could assess her front as well. I noticed that she also wore a purple scarf, partly concealing the red-gemmed necklace she wore. It reminded me of the one Chase had.

She was humming to herself, and when she looked over her shoulder, it was me who was more startled by her calm composure. She was very pretty, with pale-brown eyes and a ghostly white tinge to her. But she was noticeably sick with something. Her hair was long and golden, but as a breeze swept through it, it moved unnaturally. She was wearing fake hair. Under her eyes was a ghastly brown color. This girl was dying of something.

“Hello?” she said, her voice raspy. I looked at the positions of my team members, unsure of what to do in such circumstances. I did not care for humans, but this girl, she struck me as odd. How could she be in the middle of the city by herself in such a weak state, without having been attacked yet? I considered how we could possibly take her to safety. She looked too fragile to move. She was so tiny, and she looked to only be in her mid-twenties.

“What are you doing here?” I asked suspiciously, still searching our surroundings, waiting for a trap or ambush. Was this girl some sort of bait? Although I already knew she was not a child, her presence gave off a very innocent vibe.

Suddenly, I was overwhelmed by many presences surrounding. I raised my bow into the direction of Dillian and shot behind him at where a vampire crept from the shadows. Council vampires. The others were already aware and began fighting the closest ones to them. This girl was bait. I looked at her angrily, wanting to kill her.

A ghastly snarl ripped through all the others. The Council vampires were holding back one of their own. He was blonde-haired and very tanned, with blue eyes, average in build. But as the others struggled to contain him, I realized he was a much stronger vampire. They were holding him back. It was not a chance I could let slip.

Aiming for his chest, I shot an arrow. Already he had busted the face of two of those who held him and snapped the neck of another who tried using a sword against him. He dodged my arrow, growling savagely. Before I knew it he was already in front of me, his speed incomprehensible. He backhanded my bow away from me. He went to grab my throat but I narrowly dodged it, taking hold of his arm and swinging myself over it.

I balanced in a crouching position, aiming to strike my sword through his chest. Before I had the chance, he kicked me across the face, knocking me a few meters along the gravel. I collected myself quickly, having to focus intensely on his movements. His speed was the same as Chase’s. I inhaled deeply, summoning my intense feelings from within. I can and will kill him.

James ran toward him with his sword. The vampire grabbed him around his neck and I took this as my opening. James skin hardened into metal so the vampire was unable to snap it. James was a decoy. He threw James into a tree over ten meters away. The vampire moved himself so he was in front of the girl in the wheelchair. She looked down as she toyed with the yellow flower in her lap.

Even when I conjured all my strength, his speed was unmatched. He grabbed my sword with his hands, blood spurting everywhere, his eyes now savage on me. In one swift movement he threw it away, grabbing my throat, ready to rip out my heart. His fangs were very large and blood dripped over them. Had he bitten into one of his own comrades? I could not breathe, but I did not gasp for air. I would not fall so far as to want mercy from his kind.

Before he plunged his fingers into me a hand stopped him. My heart pounded, yet I was not scared to face death. A swift movement was made and I fell to the floor, holding my throat. Whoever had grabbed his hand tore him away from me. I looked up in front of me to see the familiar coat. It was Chase. His back was to me as he faced the vampire who had almost killed me. Did the Council really have such old and strong vampires right under our noses?

“Don’t touch her. She’s mine,” Chase snarled, holding two swords.

“She threatened Whitney!” the other vampire spluttered.

“Tythian.” The small voice of the woman from behind him broke the tension. “It’s okay, we can go now.”

He buckled to his knees in front of her, cupping her face gently. “I’m sorry,” he whispered to her. “I did not know they would use you for this.” She gently caressed his face. In amidst the ghastly noises of weapons scraping against one another, it seemed to them that nothing else mattered as they gazed into one another’s eyes devotedly.

“Let’s go home,” she said with a reassuring smile. I was mortified how comfortable she was in the blood war that raged around her.

Before I could stand, the vampire had grabbed her chair and, with lightning speed, they were gone.

Chase turned to me, his fangs not as large as Tythian’s, but I could see he too was a very old vampire. “Esmore,” he whispered. Before I could run for my sword to use it against him, he had already vanished, leaving me by myself.

Kora and Kasey were the reason why he fled. They had advanced on him, trying to entrap him. For what reason he hadn’t tried to kill them I wasn’t sure. He simply hid amongst the dark. I could still feel his presence close by, but it felt as if he were only watching. Not fighting, but just watching how everything would play out. Realizing Chase was gone, they focused on another three vampires, entrapping them as Dillian and Tori covered their backs. One by one, the girls trapped more. There were so many of them.

Teary was fighting off four. Except for Tythian and Chase, they all seemed like younger vampires. You could tell by their strength and speed. Usually we could challenge vampires if they were no more than one hundred and fifty years old. After that it became very difficoven to compete against a vampire who had lived for so long.

James was now by my side. He had gathered my Barnett bow and sword for me. I used my arrows instantly on a vampire who ran for me, piercing his chest. He crumbled to the ground, quickly decaying. I roared in anger at how easily I had been overcome by the previous two vampires. I sliced through another vampire, cutting down his throat and through his belly. I cut across another’s head, slitting their throat and puncturing their chest. I raged again, feeling myself fill with hatred and a need to see their blood. I cut off one’s arm, plunging my sword into its chest, driving so deep into it that after a few steps I had nailed it to a tree. It slumped around my sword, its skin turning a shade of black. I pulled it out, watching it begin to decay.

A huge fire lit behind me. Teary was controlling the flames, sweeping over the ten of them that encircled her. There must have been one hundred vampires. This was a well-thought out ambush. James grabbed one vampire’s throat and then another as it ran from behind him. Smashing both their heads together, they shattered from the impact. James steely skin was impenetrable. He grabbed his sword from the ground. A vampire must have knocked it out of his hand. He punctured both in the chest before they could heal.

In the distance I could feel the presence of many more coming. For that many we would have to use the grenade. It was us against many. As if knowing what I was thinking, James ran to Teary as she continued to sweep her hand containing the fire around.

In the distance a vampire stalked toward Teary. He too was strong and old. I had the feeling that others followed him as their numbers grew. James now had the grenade, and he was pulling the pin. Inwardly I counted the short seconds in my head. Ten, nine. Teary continued to control her flames, still engulfing the many around her. Eight, seven. Two vampires came at me and quickly I thrust my sword into them, before shooting an arrow into another oncoming vampire. Six, five. James threw the grenade at the large army that stampeded toward us.

The leading vampire swept one hand across them both. Teary’s flames were instantly put out as a gust of wind extinguished it. The wind not only pushed James and Teary back but Dillian, Tori, Kasey, and Kora as it smashed into their backs, throwing them forward. It had even taken the Council vampires along with it. This vampire had the gift of control over wind. The grenade was thrown toward my team.

Four, three.

With all the speed I could muster I ran for them, grabbing a hold of the grenade in the air. I ran into the distance so the grenade was nowhere near them, throwing it at the army that charged toward them.

Two, One.

The grenade exploded near the army, but shattered much more than just that. Quickly a burst of dust swept over me. The burning flames of the explosion encased my body. I heard my name whispered by an angelic voice, but noted it was probably the afterlife calling for me. This must now be my time of death.

Hollow Darkness

The darkness which was bestowed upon me at birth,
has edged into my very soul.

My daddy whispered those haunting words and lessons,
making sure that I would never reveal that clawing beast.

Daddy, you and mum are gone now. I am now adult.

The world I fight in against vampires is offering a power which we never thought I’d know.

I can feel it rising, and with it I feel the taste of pleasure.

My skin shrieks to be free of this taint, but I can feel the beast within me smiling.

I am Huntress but within me, I can feel this darkness.

Daddy, what if it consumes me?

Slowly I came to consciousness, realizing that I was in an unfamiliar room. My eyes felt sticky when they fluttered open. I shot up, wincing in pain. I looked down at my body, which was covered in deep cuts. It seemed odd to me that they were so deep, yet they did not bleed. It looked like an animal with sharp claws had attacked me.

I suddenly realized I was not alone. I reached for my weapons, but they were not there — I couldn’t see them anywhere. I was in a large room. It looked like a basement of sorts. I was on a large king-size bed with a wooden frame. Above me was a small window, but no light shined in. It was now night. There was an odd material hanging in front of me. I tried recalling its name; it was a type of lounge bed from the technology era. We had studied many trivial things like this at the Guild. It was a ‘hammock.’

I was mortified to notice that many faces were looking at me: tiny dolls. Rows of them on a six-stack of silver shelves. And it looked like there were many rows behind. It was just creepy. “They are called bobble-head dolls,” a now familiar voice said as he crept out of the shadows. Chase walked up to one, lightly tapping its head. It began to bobble.

He wore nothing except his dark-blue jeans, which were torn to shreds. The material hung in threads. I could see his muscular legs through the cuts, toned and strong. A small line of hair trailed from his belly button to below his belt. I flushed in anger at my own admiration. I had to stop looking at him in such a way.

“You kidnapped me,” I regained myself. I would never show my weakness to a vampire.

“Pardon? No. I was the only one who tried to save your life,” he corrected me. The glimmer of the blue gem on his ear grabbed my attention as he stepped forward. I was disgruntled by how comfortable I was in his presence. I flushed with fury, knowing I had to kill him. I had to kill all vampires. I searched around me for what I could use as a weapon against him. Perhaps I could kick in the wooden bed, splintering it and using it as a weapon. But assessing it again, I saw that they were very thick posts.

“Esmore, your hunters abandoned you. They left you for dead when that grenade went off. I swooped in as fast as I could, but you had already been gunned down with shards from the explosion.”

My wounds did look like the repercussions of such an event. When I looked closer, it didn’t look as if an animal had attacked me, but indeed, as if I had been caught in an explosion. The memory painfully came back to me. I remembered my self-sacrificing motions. I had run with the grenade to save the others without thinking. Chase’s torn jeans were much the same as my tattered clothing. My clothes were mostly shredded. Part of my breast, stomach, and inner thigh were revealed. I tightened my jaw.

“If that is the truth, then I should be dead!”

“Wow,” he mocked. “You are so depressing. I thought you would at least idolize me or something after I saved you.”

“You kidnapped me!” I spat savagely, hiding my pain as I moved uncomfortably.

“I saved you, at least admit that,” he said. Once again I searched around, looking for something I could use against him as a weapon. But my body was very fragile and I questioned if I could get anywhere quick enough without him knowing it first. As if knowing what I was thinking, he went serious again.

“Esmore, yes, you should be dead. Hunters don’t heal like you do.” He slowly walked toward me. I was stiff, yet could not look away from his enticing gray eyes. There was something that nagged at me, as if he did feel familiar. Like we had known one another long ago. My body craved for his touch. My mind was repulsed at the thought of it, yet my body sung out for it. He sat in front of me, on the edge of the bed. “But I am glad you are not.” He reached a hand out toward my face as if going to cup it.

I was confused by my body wanting him to touch me, but my instinct to kill him. I slapped his hand away from me with a determined look. “I am not your pet,” I said dryly. “You should have let me die.”

At my words he seemed disheartened and his shoulders slightly slumped. He noticed my hand was now bleeding. The force I applied to hitting his hand away reopened one of my wounds, its burn engulfing my whole hand.

“You’re so savage, I love it,” he said humorously, changing his demeanor entirely. I couldn’t gather my thoughts on his personality, which turned quickly from intense to well, weird. “Let me wrap something around that.” He walked into a room that was behind me. I looked through the partially open door to see a bathroom.

“I don’t need your help!” I said angrily, wanting to be anywhere but here. Why couldn’t he have left me in the carnage? I hated how much he rattled me. Never did I feel such confusion, not since my mother died.

“Oh, I’m not doing it for you Esmore, because I know how much you despise me. For now,” he said with a cocky smile. “But in all seriousness, those are my bed sheets your hand is bleeding on, so I would like you to keep your blood to yourself. It tempts me too much. You smell so sweet.”

I glowered angrily. How dare he suggest I was food?

“I promise I won’t touch you,” he raised his hands in a defensive manner. His movement caused his jacket to open further and reveal more of his glorious muscles. “Not unless you want me to. I am old enough to fight my cravings, Esmore.” The way he rolled my name in his mouth alone seemed to give him great pleasure. I said nothing, so he continued to fill the thick tension in the air with more talk. “You know if you have a small taste of my blood I can heal you much faster than your hunter blood can.”

“Absolutely not!” I spat in disgust. Before I could throw further words of reproach at him, a banging on the door began. I refocused my killer instincts. Chase had brought me back to the lair of the Council. Before I could hide, Chase had already grabbed me at lightning speed and hid me behind the door of the bathroom. He covered my mouth with his hand so I could not make a noise. He had me pinned against the wall so I could not fight him. His speed had once again taken my breath away. He was so much faster than me. I could feel that he was aware of his strength, and he held me carefully. Although he had me pinned, I could sense it was for my own protection. “Chase, I know you are in there!” a rough-sounding male vampire shouted, banging on the door again.

“Don’t leave this room,” Chase whispered to me. His face was close to mine, his hot breath mixing with mine. Suddenly he realized our closeness. His eyes clouded with a very different expression. My body was responding to his touch, even though my mind screamed at me, infuriated. He licked his lips, staring at mine. The lingering feel of his fingers on my skin sent shudders of faint hotness through me. My body wanted more.

The vampire shouted again, breaking the trance we were in. “I will break down your door. You have to report to him now!”

Doing the only thing I could to remove his grip on me, I bit Chase’s hand hard, drawing blood. He loosened his grip on me, slowly taking his hand away from my mouth with a small smile. “Please Esmore, do not leave this room. No one can know that you are a hunter. They will kill you.” Hesitantly he stepped away from me, assessing me carefully like I was an animal ready to break free. But I couldn’t move; he had stunned me. A smile came across his face as he licked the small bite marks on his hand. Already they had healed. “Well, looks like you did have a taste for my blood after all.”

Before I could voice my repulsion, he was gone. I heard the slam of the door behind him. And suddenly I felt very alone. The bathroom had a claw tub in the left hand side, on the right a toilet, and a long marble white bench with two basins. I hurried over to it, looking at the large mirror. Gasping at the single droplet of blood I had on my lip, I wiped it with my hand, hoping I hadn’t ingested any of it. Looking down at my hand in amazement, I saw my wounds had begun to heal. The pink scarring vanished and my skin returned to its plump state.

My hands shook from anger. I had never felt so powerless in my life. Never had my mind and body been so at odds with each other. On that thought, never had my body desired anything so desperately. I pressed myself to the basin, looking at the claw bathtub, deep in thought. I questioned what happened to my team. Please let them be alive. I measured the distance between them and the grenade. It was far enough for them to have escaped the explosion. And it should have been large enough to wipe out the majority of the vampire Council army.

But after that I could not remember anything, I thought myself dead. I recalled an angelic voice calling to me. But that was only the whisper of my name from Chase’s lips as he collected me into safety. Well, his version of safety. He had, after all, taken the brunt of the blow, heaving me out of there in time. Anger flushed through me again. Darkness was rising from the pit of my stomach. I closed my eyes, calming my thoughts so I could push back that vile darkness that so quickly rose to the occasion when I was angry.

I stood tall against the basin. So if Chase was now reporting to someone, it was probably that vampire who had the ability to control wind. He was the leader who led that army, perhaps he was this district’s Council leader. Why had they gone to such great lengths when we were only a small raid team? And what of Dillian’s foresight? How did he get it so wrong? Perhaps all this needed to happen so then I could infiltrate the Council. I decided to follow Chase, to see who it was he was reporting to.

I looked down at my exposed body. It would only bring further attention to me if I walked around. I planned on being a shadow that no one would notice, but if I were spotted, it couldn’t be obvious that I had been involved with the explosion. Humans were brought into the Council all the time. If a vampire smelled me, they would assume I was a human. I wasn’t yet sure what they did with those humans but in any case, my smell wouldn’t be unfamiliar to them. Since hunters were derived from humans, we smelled like humans to the vampires. It was our eyes that so easily gave us away as hunters.

I surveyed his room. In front of the bathroom was the king-size wooden bed. In front of it were the hammock and the rows of bobble-head dolls. There was a wooden desk and a leather black chair in the corner. Beside it on the right was a small room, which looked to be a closet.

I jumped over the two steps leading into the room. I was correct. There were many leather jackets and many other clothing neatly folded in their allocated spots. I snagged a long leather black coat, throwing it over me and strapping it shut. This way, if anyone found me, they would not see my torn clothing. I could go freely. I had no intention of being caught.

Looking around, I could not see any weapons. I kicked in the closest leg, snapping it in half. The wood moaned. Luckily there were only a few notepads and pens on the desk, so the lost leg was no strain on the desk. Preparing my tracking skills, I went for the door handle, only to be quickly surprised. I didn’t need my tracking skills, oddly enough. For some reason, I just felt and knew where Chase was. I furrowed my eyebrows in both infuriation and confusion. What had he done to me? He hadn’t even yet told me his name was Chase. I was just assuming that from the dream I had. I breathed in and out harshly, trying to contain my rising anger as once again I felt that darkness stir within me. I counted slowly, like my father had raised me to do if my anger or anxiety became too overwhelming. I didn’t know what it was that tried to appear on the surface, but it was not something I could deal with now. It was something my father made me promise to never let surface. Whatever it was, it needed to disperse. And so I thought of it doing exactly that and almost instantly I was relieved, now able to focus again with a sharp mind.

I opened the door slowly, peeking through the small gap between. No one was out there, but it was awfully bright. The walls were painted white and very bright white lights shone from the ceiling. This was not at all what I had expected from the gloomy, dark vampires. There were a few blue vases with plants in them against the walls.

Looking to my right, I saw with relief that there was no one there. There were many doors though. Were these other vampires’ rooms? Chase’s room was at the beginning. He was one of the first in this corridor I now stood in. I scurried out, wrapping myself against the wall of Chase’s room. In front of me was an open space of white marble floor with a running water fountain. It was the first I had ever seen. It was beautiful. Down my left was another hallway with more doors. Perhaps more rooms? I wanted to walk down that hallway and inspect them but knew I couldn’t. I had to remind myself what I was here for, and that was to find who Chase was reporting to.

Feeling my pull toward him, I knew he was north-east to me. I looked across the room again, expecting to see someone, but no one was there. I heard a creaking noise and knew someone in the hallway was now opening their door. With heightened speed I ran across the marble white floor, hiding in the shadows almost one hundred meters away. Again it was white, but I was encased by shadows from the large statue that stood in front of me. It was a creature with stripes on it. It had large canines and claws. If recalled correctly this was once called a tiger.

Again I heard a noise and crouched low behind the tiger statue. Once the vampires had passed I noted there was no one in the long hallway to my right. There were two large closed wooden doors. I could feel that Chase was inside that room, but how could I get in there without being noticed?

Looking up to the ceiling, I noticed that there was a small white square. I was certain that would lead me into the roof where I could go unnoticed. If I was lucky there would be another opening just above the room where Chase was. I jumped onto the head of a white statue and then jumped at the square and flicked it up with both hands. Jumping for the second time, I pulled myself up into the darkness just before another three vampires walked around the corner. Quickly I replaced the white square so they would not notice a hole in the ceiling. When it was closed I felt comfortable in the dark space. I exhaled, somewhat relieved to see something not painted white. It just all seemed so clean.

I quietly crawled along the interior roofing. To my left there were a few materials, such as wood. This seemed to be a very small attic of some kind and by the looks of it there were many entry points. I opened the first one on my left, which opened into the hall again. Closing it, I traced the familiar pull of Chase and opened another door. Looking down, I saw I was now within the room that Chase was in. Although my hearing was exceptional, I could not hear what they were saying. The room they stood in was a very large room, the height of a three-story building. Underneath me was a steel ridge which ran around the room’s infrastructure. Securely fastened to the steel ridge were colored spotlights. They were not yet turned on.

The room was very different to what I had seen of the Council so far. There was a large booth, which had two large discs on the top, and room for one person to stand behind. The room was decorated in an antique manner. This was what I expected to see from the Council, not so much white walls and long, tastefully-decorated hallways. There was a large wooden dining table further back and in front of it was a wooden throne. I noticed that the vampire who sat in it was the same vampire who had ambushed us with his army.

The vampire who challenged me, Tythian, broke through the doors. I took advantage of the loud noise as a distraction, falling onto the floor as quietly as possible. I rolled to the right of me, hiding behind one of the lights. I could now hear them speaking, although I didn’t need to be in hearing range to hear Tythian’s rage.

“How dare you use Whitney, Fier!” Tythian roared.

So the vampire in charge was Fier. He wore a black suit, and was looking at Tythian very seriously, with his hand resting on the side of the large wooden chair.

“Actually, to be on the factual side, she nominated herself,” Fier said, now placing his chin on his closed fist.

“She is sick!” Tythian roared.

“She is a human! If you wanted her status to change you would have turned her by now. She is merely a pawn to me,” Fier said seriously. It outraged Tythian. He grabbed hold of a wooden candle stand nearby, throwing it across the room in anger. It smashed to bits against the pale gray walls. Vampires began to surround him, and more took a protective stance around Fier. Not only was Tythian angry at Fier for using the human Whitney, but it seemed he also flared at the statement about changing her. It surprised me that he hadn’t. Older vampires with enough control could change humans into their own kind. By the way he protected her in our battle it was obvious they had known one another for some time, so why would Tythian refrain from changing her? Vampires mostly drained their victims, but sometimes they turned them. It was more common in the technology age for humans to be turned into vampires because there were more humans to feed off. But very rarely now were they changed.

“Do you dare come in here and challenge me! How dare you, after I found you and saved your life? It was me who showed you kindness and brought you back to humanity, and me who has allowed that girl to stay here!” Fier said, spit coming from his mouth, his fangs had slipped out in his rage. His fangs were not as large as Chase’s or Tythian’s, making me believe that he was not as old as them. So why was he in charge?

Chase watched from the sidelines, unfazed by the commotion. He looked into my direction as if feeling my gaze. I hid, knowing he could not have seen me. Tythian went silent, clenching his fists before leaving the room in a rage. He seemed oddly protective of that human woman, Whitney.

Fier summoned Chase forward to speak with him. A small breeze swept through the room, brushing my plaited hair over my shoulder. I looked to the right, realizing there was an open door. How did I miss that? That means there would have been staircases close by and I could have walked in here instead of dropping through the roof.

Fier lifted his nose in inspection, his eyes quickly narrowing on Chase.

“I can smell a human,” he said sharply.

“Yes, I’m so glad you noticed actually. I found myself one on my last search through the city, perhaps you can smell her on me,” Chase said light-heartedly.

“No. I can smell her presence surrounding,” he said gesturing around them all. The other vampires started looking around and it was then I questioned if they would find me.

“Well, you see, she is kind of fat, so perhaps you can smell her literally all over me, she had a large surface area,” he said, spreading his hands out wide. My mouth gaped open.

“We do not have time for your jokes; report to me what happened!” Fier demanded.

“We had sixty-five casualties,” he continued. It seemed like he was being mindful of what he said, as if knowing my presence was near. If I could feel his location, did that mean he could feel mine? “All of the hunters had enough time after the explosion to escape.”

They are alive. I was so relieved to hear my team had escape, that both Dillian and James were alive.

Fier roared in outrage. “Find them! I want you on the outskirts now! Report back to me in six hours!” Fier said. Wind whistled through the room as his rage heightened. It appeared he had the gift to manipulate wind in some way, much like Teary’s fire control. It would be highly beneficial if I could learn how he had obtained it while I was within the Council’s walls.

Chase gave a half-cocked smile in compliance. Then he vanished so quickly. My eyes darted across but I could not track him. The other vampires turned to each other, whispering to themselves as they walked out of the room. Suddenly I felt a very heavy presence over me. His blue gem necklace dangled beside me, and I realized I was not alone. He knew where I was this whole time.

Before I could rebel in any way he grabbed hold of me. He had me tightly bound in his arms, sweeping me through the door, then through the hallway to his room. His speed was exceptional. I would compare it to that of my fallen teammate Pac. He had already unlocked his door and laid me onto his bed before I even took a breath.

“Do you know how serious that was? Do you know what would have happened if you were caught?” he hissed, yet he didn’t seem entirely surprised.

I raised myself onto my knees so I was no longer lying on the bed. I still held firmly onto the wooden leg as a weapon. His movements were quick and it rattled me to know I couldn’t compete with him in such a way. After vigorously pacing the room, he came at me. On instinct I raised the wooden leg to his chest.

I was now on my knees, my back to the wall as I tried to cower further away from him. He did not come at me aggressively. Suddenly his breath was inhaling mine and his gray eyes silenced my movement. He looked down at my breasts, where I firmly held the end of the wooden leg. If I had the confidence I would have scrambled off the bed instead of us both staring at one another on our knees, but I could not escape his gaze. It was only a small piece of wood that came between us.

His eyebrow lifted in challenge, and before I knew it his speed had taken me. He took the weapon from my hand and bound my hands together above my head, pinning them against the wall behind me. It wasn’t in a threatening manner, but it was as if he was proving that even though I had a weapon, I could easily be trumped.

My breath was taken in the swift movement. His eyes looked over me, over my breasts, down my stomach and legs. I sucked in a sharp breath, still surprised by how quickly he overpowered me. He got closer to me, his chest now lingering against mine as he assessed my eyes and stared longingly at my lips. My heart raced at his proximity. My body craved for him to touch me.

Slowly he released my hands. His hand trailed down my arms. I slowly pulled them down, unsure of what was happening. I cannot be attracted to him. He is a vampire. But my body ached for him.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “I just act unusual around you. I can’t control myself.”

There was nothing my mind could conjure. I didn’t know what to say. I was still trying to break away from the overwhelming sensation of desire for him. There was something that emanated from him, something aggressive, yet I knew he would never hurt me. It went against everything I was raised to believe in. Yet I felt as if I had not yet seen Chase’s tender side. That, like me, he was battling off this exotic urge we felt around one another. It was as if when he got closer, when he touched me, it was intoxicating for us both.

“Just please do not do such things without my companionship. You cannot fight all the vampires here within the Council. There are three vampires here older than me and some with their own gifts. If they want you Esmore, they will have you.” He stepped off the bed, lending a hand to help me off. I hesitated to take it, instead getting off on my own. He fidgeted with the back of his neck before taking off his leather necklace.

“Wear this while I am gone,” he motioned quickly behind me and before I knew it his hot breath was on my ear as he gently placed it around my neck.

“Why?” I asked, placing my hand on the smooth gem.

“It is different in the vampire Council than outside in the woods, Esmore. Here in the Council vampires fight over their humans. It is the only way I can protect you. If any other vampire approaches you, this claims you as my property. I know that is not the case, nor will it ever be. But it is only a way to keep them away. Think of it as a gift. I know you are not my property nor would I ever look at you like an item. But here, other vampires will. You don’t want to draw attention to yourself, do you?”

It was very different to the way James fought over me and claimed me as his. He idolized me as exactly that, property. Yet Chase made it clear this branding was only to deflect other vampire’s attention. “They will recognize it as my necklace. And if they dare touch you, they will know the consequences. I must go for a while, so please stay in here until I return.”

I slowly turned to him, and as I spun round I was unable to avoid my arm brushing across his shirtless stomach. Suddenly, my hair blew in my face and I heard the click of the door. He had already vanished and I was now alone.

He is a grotesque vampire. I cannot stay, I thought as I fumbled with the smooth gem he had given me. I sat by the window idly for a moment, trying to comprehend my thoughts. I am now in the perfect position to infiltrate and learn of the Council’s interior. I could singlehandedly be the informant who will change the hunters’ strength in this war. But, like a double-edged sword, Chase also knew of where the Guild was. I was unable to comprehend why he had saved me and brought me back here. What infuriated me even more was my body’s yearning for his touch, yet my mind in every sense was telling me to kill him.

I flicked his necklace away from my hands, agitated that I was rubbing it for comfort. I looked at the little bobble-head dolls in a new light. If I could rip one of their heads off and file it down, I could keep it as a small weapon. I could search the Council’s hideout while Chase was gone. Why he thought I would respect his words in anyway was beyond me. This was my chance to make a difference. Finally I could avenge my father’s and mother’s murder. I could kill as many of them as possible. But for now, without my weapons, I had to be smart.

I gathered the wooden leg and concealed it in the long leather jacket I wore. If I needed this to pierce into a vampire’s heart, then so be it. I jumped off the bed before walking over to the three-legged wooden desk. There was a small drawer and inside was a letter opener. I examined it, deciding it would do the job on the little bobble-head doll. I’d take the letter opener too. I would need as many weapons as possible.

There was an eeriness to them. So many different faces stared at me. Some wore capes, some wore large-brimmed hats, and some wore exquisite dresses. A small breeze swept through the window above and a few of them began bobbling, creating further creepiness. Grabbing the first one I could, which had a red mask across his face, I tugged on the head, ripping it off. I assessed the window. It was far too small to be able to escape through, not even the diameter of my head could fit through, let alone my body. We were underground. Thick fog brushed over the window. It was obvious that a street was right above us, indicating that the Council was beneath ground.

I sat for a moment on the bed again, taking the letter opener to the doll’s shoulders and chiselling it down into a smaller dagger. Impressed by my work, I grabbed another four and did the same, realizing they could be used very nicely as daggers. I placed the daggers in a pocket within the jacket, where they rested just over my chest. I searched through Chase’s clothing to find a belt. I tightened it around my thigh, slipping the daggers into it and shuffling slightly to make sure they didn’t stab me. They felt perfect. It wasn’t my garter or weapons, but it would do. I tightened the leather jacket over me, concealing my still torn leather shirt and pants. My leather boots managed to suffer very little damage from the explosion. Luckily there was some advantage to the leather jacket I chose as it had a large hood. I hid my golden hair in it and pulled it low over my face.

I hadn’t yet seen any humans but I knew they were somewhere within the grounds. The Council often went on raids in search of humans. They had to be storing them somewhere here. I wondered if they were trapped in some dark room, held against their will. We didn’t gather any information from the last human girl I saved, and all other humans and vampires we caught couldn’t remember anything. I had to trace the culprit behind the mind manipulation. If it weren’t for them, we would have tracked the Council sooner.

I quietly opened the door, looking to my left and then to my right. It was odd that I hadn’t yet seen many vampires freely walking around. But it was night. Perhaps this was when they went on their raids, having to compete with the sabers of the night. Or maybe the team Chase was a part of was far larger than I had thought. I could only pray he wasn’t leading them to the Guild.

Depending on the information I found today, I would try to find a way out of here so I could find the others. I wonder if they stayed close by or went to the Guild straight away to report to Campture. After seeing the many vampires in Fier’s army, I hoped they had reported to Campture.

We had now learnt two new things. One, they have larger numbers than we thought, and two, they were in the city, plotting traps. I wondered if other Guilds that were not within our district were up against so many vampires.

What didn’t make sense was why they would use so many vampires to take down our one raid team of hunters. Their numbers already outmatched our own, so why did they go to such great lengths? If the intervention of the grenade hadn’t happened, then really the odds would have not been in our favor.

I pulled down on the hoodie of the leather jacket again, covering half of my face. I headed left again, like I had last time. When I did I noticed the same girl in the wheelchair, Whitney, simply staring at the water fountain. I was enraged seeing her, knowing that she had been the cause of my raid team being ambushed. It was only the night before this woman had been the undoing of my team as she baited us. She began wheezing a frail cough. She was alone, both of us were, and it was deadly silent. Only the trickle of the water washing over the cement statue in the fountain made a noise. I could imagine how some would find it calming, but there was nothing comforting about being in the enemy’s territory. The good news was she was only human.

She looked over at me with a faint smile and raised her hand up for a small wave. Why was she waving if she didn’t even know who I was? I pulled down the hood further, looking around again. No one was near. I approached her and as I did she focused on the water fountain again.

“I am sorry about the other day. For what it is worth I heard your fellow hunters made it out alive,” she said before I even reached her. My back stiffened as she said ‘fellow hunters.’ If a vampire walked past and heard that, everyone would be alarmed instantly. I could pass off as human because of my eyes, but I couldn’t keep my secret for much longer, it seemed. Noting my stiffness, she raised her hand to me before I could threaten her.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone what you are. But you know, you are in the wrong place. If any of the vampires found out…” her voice was very small and she gave out a low cough again. Whatever illness she had, she was very sick. Thinking of the attachment the vampire, Tythian, had for her, I had to know why she was here. She was human and he was vampire. Yet, he was so protective of her. She was so weak I couldn’t understand how her blood would give him any strength.

“You’re human…,” I began.

“I understand,” she said, tightening the scarf around her neck and readjusting the fake hair she wore. “As a hunter you wouldn’t understand why a human like me is a part of the Council, right?”

I stood there silent, as if answering her question. Well, yes, that was one of the many questions I had for her.

“Tythian and I first met when I was fifteen. At the time my father and I were trying to find refuge, in fact we were in search of a Hunter Guild, or just hoping to stumble upon one of your raids, where we knew we would be taken in. One night a pack of sabers attacked us. My father was torn to shreds in front of my eyes,” she paused momentarily, thinking of this. She did not look sad about it, she only smiled bravely. “It was Tythian who saved me from them all. It has always been the hardest thing to explain, as you are not the first hunter I have come across. Tythian has looked after me since. To me, he is my everything. He has been for the last ten years.”

“You know he will drain you.” It sounded as if I was rehearsing what I had been taught as an apprentice. Even I knew that what we had learned did not cover every circumstance, but I didn’t understand why a vampire would keep such a sick human. I had never heard of a case where a vampire carried a human around with them for ten years.

“Tythian would never do that. He is old, so he has far greater control than the other vampires over his cravings. I am his familiar, he would never do anything to hurt me.”

Familiar. I recalled Chase once saying that to me in my dream-like state. He had said we were familiar. But I didn’t need to know what a familiar was, what I needed to know was everything about the Council, and if this girl was so freely speaking, then I should take advantage of it.

“I love Tythian with all my heart,” she said with a small smile, red blushing over her cheeks. Her pale-brown eyes reflected a sadness of sorts as she watched the water trail down the statue.

“Vampires do not know love. He doesn’t love you back. They are savage beasts. They have killed most of your kind, torturing and eating humans.”

“I do not fear death,” she stated abruptly. They had clearly brainwashed this girl. “I am already dying and I am at peace with that. I do not fear death, in fact, I welcome it.”

I pondered on this for a moment, looking at the fragile girl. Very brave words. When I first met her, she did not fear us in the slightest. “If Tythian loved you, and you are dying, would he have not turned you into a vampire?” I said this recalling the displeasure it brought Tythian when Fier brought it up in their argument. This could be the breakthrough for her, to question his obvious manipulation of her. But she only smiled in response.

“Tythian has wanted to change me for many years; after all, I am his familiar. But I don’t want that. Death is a part of life; it should not so often be challenged. My body has been made fragile and I can feel myself slowly deteriorating. But Tythian by my side makes it all okay. To know I was gifted ten beautiful years with him is more than I could ask for in a lifetime with anyone else. He has respected my wishes and I look forward to when I pass on. I have accepted it and will not cheat death.”

She was at peace with death? All because Tythian had made her life worthwhile? I questioned if there was anyone I could feel so happy with. When I thought of James, such sentimentalism did not come to mind. I was repulsed. But when my body touched Chase’s, feelings triggered. I felt odd and challenged. I flushed in rage, annoyed that my thoughts had trailed off yet again onto Chase, whom I had to hate.

Whitney began giggling at my expression. “You are a very hard woman to read, but I can see that already you are questioning everything you’ve been taught to believe in as a hunter.”

It wasn’t entirely true, but it was close. I had to keep my mind clear and take advantage of being within the Council’s walls.

“Vampires are not as evil as us humans once believed. The Council is a civilized structure. They capture humans, but only to ensure their own survival. Hunting for deer would not do. They do not kill the humans unkindly in here, it is the sabers that do that. Yes, some humans are killed, but that is usually by the younger ones who lack control. There is a penalty within the walls if a vampire drains a human completely. And usually, if it is a vampire with no political power, they too are killed. The humans live freely within the walls. Like a trade-off, their blood is in return for the Council’s protection from the sabers, which live outside.”

“And that is why you are alive, because you are Tythian’s meal?” I asked. I was surprised by how much she told me, she seemed fragile, but not silly. She knew what information she was giving me and how it could jeopardize the Vampire council. So far she was the only one here who knew what I truly was.

There was a noise and I sensed a vampire was coming. Before I could speed away to a secure hiding place, she grabbed my leather jacket. “You are safe with me, just keep your hood low so they cannot see how pretty you are,” she smiled.

I needed to gain her trust if I were to continue the conversation and learn more from her. I stood still, my hand close to the opening of my jacket where my weapon was. Two vampires walked past. I only looked at their feet. After they were long gone, I took my hand away from my weapon.

“There are other humans here. Some are kept longer than others. If some humans put the structure into jeopardy, such as trying to convince a vampire to turn them, or trying to injure a vampire or another human, then they are discarded. Some vampires grow attachments to them and claim them as their own so other vampires don’t drink from them. A few have fled with their human lovers if they cannot claim that specific human as only theirs. It is Fier who gives the okay for certain vampires to have their own human. If it isn’t approved the human’s blood gets shared equally.”

My eyes narrowed on her as she said ‘human lovers.’

“I have heard at times that the hunters can be more merciless, shipping humans off to the camps. Although a few hunters still protect them, I have heard of other humans feeling like sitting ducks. Most don’t understand the Council ways and believe they will be dragged off and torn from limb to limb. It is not the Council vampires who do that but the sabers, who have no control over their vampirism. Or the covens, which are small groups of vampires who choose to torture and terrorize humans. The sabers are vampires who have lost their humanity, but the covens are worst in my opinion. They choose to devour humans. In this world we live in, humans are going extinct, and when that happens everything will die off. The vampires will only be able to live off the animals for so many years, same as the hunters. We have created this world of extinction. So to love a vampire who can feel compassion and care for another is not a bad concept. We will all die eventually, it’s just a matter of when,” she said, deep in thought.

“Oh look!” she exclaimed softly, “Chase gave you his necklace.” She pulled out her red one from underneath her scarf. “Tythian gave me mine when we first met as well. It means I am his and it keeps me protected from the other vampires.” Her eyebrows furrowed for a moment. “Chase has never given his necklace to anyone or kept a human for himself. Does that mean you are Chase’s familiar?”

I felt an eerie presence. Someone was watching. Suddenly Whitney perked up. “I can sense Tythian is close, that must mean their raid ended sooner than they thought. After a few days of being here, everyone will know you and you will be able to walk through the halls freely to the human sections. If you would like I can show you around? I will be here tomorrow. Most of the vampire raid teams go out during the day to find humans, the others usually rest. The humans mostly come out of hiding during the day, so it is the most practical time to look. I could keep you company if you would like?” She began adjusting her wheels and pulling away from me. Her little arms seemed to struggle with the motion. I nodded my head in acceptance. I could learn much from this girl.

I was disturbed to have the feeling that I too could sense Chase was close by, presumably with Tythian. Looking at Whitney once more, I wanted to soon ask her what this talk of ‘familiars’ was about. For now I would leave her and return to the room. It was best to stay inconspicuous to others for now. Especially the vampire Tythian, who had once tried to kill me.

Whitney and I parted ways and I walked to Chase’s room. The lingering presence became stronger. Before walking into the room, I searched down both sides of the hallway in anticipation of something creeping up on me. At lightning speed, not giving me the time to grab my wooden leg, a male grabbed me and dragged me into a room a few doors down. He threw me against a wooden dressing table. The back of my head smacked hard against the wood. Here I was very much out of my league. He was a larger vampire, with very lustful eyes. His fangs dripped with saliva; the size of his fangs proved that he was very old.

“I do like fresh meat, and my, how pretty you are. Perhaps we can have a little fun before I drain you completely.” His voice had a very heavy accent to it.

I was a proud hunter and I would not become the meal of some disgusting vampire. I pulled my wooden leg out of my jacket, prepared to pierce his heart.

The vampire smiled wickedly. “I do like foreplay, dear,” he said, raising an eyebrow.

I inhaled deeply, focusing on his movement, so that if he raced at me so quickly again, I would be able to defend myself. He ran for me and I pushed myself against the mirror beside the dressing table. I smacked him over the head with the wooden leg, smashing him into the wardrobe. He looked back at me in surprise, now realizing that my speed and strength was not that of a human. He had underestimated me.

“Filthy hunter!” he spat sharply, now coming for me. In one swift movement I moved behind the mirror and slammed it onto him. It shattered into many pieces over him. He scratched at his eyes, trying to take the glass out. I clutched for my hand-crafted daggers, slamming one into the side of his neck. Before I could plunge another dagger into his chest, he grabbed me around the throat, lifting me against the wall. My feet no longer touched the ground and I could not breathe. I hit him in the face twice with the wooden leg and broke his nose. In one swift movement he knocked it out of my hand, holding me harder against the wall. His face began to heal and the bleeding wounds of his eyes disappeared.

His green eyes looked at me hungrily. “What a treat for me,” he said, arching his neck to plough into my neck.

He was suddenly thrown off me, his grip so tight that I was flung across as well. Before I slammed into the wall on the other side of the room, I was caught in the air. My hands wrapped around Chase’s neck as he angrily looked at his fellow vampire. The vampire snarled at him grotesquely. But Chase only stood tall, with me still in his arms. I was mesmerized by the powerful energy that radiated from him.

“You saw nothing in here,” Chase commanded. “You will never touch her again. You are lucky I didn’t kill you. Are we very clear, Gardar?”

“Yes,” he said, sounding brainwashed. Suddenly it seemed that this vampire had amnesia. He looked around at his room, surprised at the mess it was in.

Just like that we were gone, as if the scene had never happened. He lowered me on his bed, my hands still lingering on his bare chest underneath his leather jacket. “I told you to stay in here.”

I pushed him away. “What was that back there?” I demanded from him. Was Chase the one who could manipulate minds? It was after I had made contact with him that Campture couldn’t read my mind. And my attraction for him was very likely the same kind of trickery. “You brainwash people.”

His serious demeanor vanished as he looked at me sceptically. “Brainwashed? I didn’t even think that was a word a hunter would know. Please, I don’t employ such cheap tricks. I manipulate, imply, slip into people’s unconscious states and interject,” he said, it as if it were two different things entirely.

“You have brainwashed me! That dream I had! You have never even spoken your name to me, yet I know it,” I said, now taking steps back from him. My mind told me to run, but my body wanted to grab the edge of his jacket and pull him into me.

“You… I didn’t. I only interfered with the outer laye of your mind so the Guild mistress could not see our meeting or gather any thoughts you had of me. She needn’t know I was so close. And the hunter who had the gift to see long distance…”

“What did you do to Dillian?” I demanded, pulling out one of my daggers and preparing to pounce on him.

He only raised an eyebrow. “I sent him those visions he thought he was having. It is how my gift works. I can manipulate anyone I desire. I needed to lure you to the city. You were not safe there. And, well, because our meeting was so uninspiring, I came to you when you were dreaming. In that dream you had full control as well. It was you who tried to kiss me,” he said with a suave smile.

I threw the dagger at his chest, enraged by his trickery. He caught it between two of his fingers, tisking at my actions. Again I could feel something rising within me. I went to pull out another one of my daggers but my fingers began to shake.

I tried to push this new creature down, but I was struggling. The entrapment only heightened my senses. Like vomit trying to creep up my throat, burning me, every inch of my darkness rose. I could not let this darkness consume me, not now. Much like Campture did when this first happened to me, Chase looked at me, surprised. What had happened to my face for him to react in such a way?

“Esmore, you need to calm,” he said, holding his hands out to me. “Why have your eyes flashed purple?” Purple, that was the color of my hunter eyes that vanished on my eighteenth birthday. “Esmore, I can sense whatever that is that is rising within you. You need to calm.”

I felt like a wild animal. I wanted to rip his throat out, yet there was a gentleness to his words that restrained the beast within me slightly. He took a step forward and I stepped back from him. My throat began to feel dry and my gums hurt as if something was about to pierce through them. I tried breathing deeply, but I had let the intensity sweep over me for too long.

“It’s okay, Esmore,” Chase said, holding his hand out to me. I was stuck under his words. Whatever was creeping forward rattled me into a state of fear. This creature fed off that. “Esmore.” His soft words repeated. I felt the light touch of his hand against mine, feeling like a serum was spreading through my whole body. I could feel Chase with me, as if touching my mind. If he could manipulate people’s thoughts, then perhaps he was helping me, caging this beast once again. He held tightly to one of my hands. I could feel the creature completely fold within my stomach. Again he cupped my face.

At first he stared into my eyes, but when I refused to look at him, he stared at my lips instead. Longingly, I inhaled deeply, knowing what it was he was about to do. My body longed for his touch. He slowly leant in, his other hand trailing up my forearm and holding my waist beneath my leather jacket. Before our lips touched, I pulled away.

Sadness was now in his eyes from the rejection. The beast was now gone and I had full control. “I have a boyfriend,” I exhaled deeply.

“I know,” he said, stroking my jawline. “But you were never meant to be his. I’ve seen how he treats you, like you are a mere object. I would never treat you so unequally,” he said, gritting his teeth.

“You’re a vampire,” my breath came out staggered. When Chase touched me, when his hands lingered over my hips, I actually felt emotion, powerful and enticing.

“I am your familiar,” he said, his grip tightening on my waist as his thumb trailed over a part of my bare skin through the shredded leather shirt. “And what you are, Esmore, is something you must tell me.”

I thought about the beast that had almost crept out from my darkness. I was a hunter, yet the creature within felt dark and impure. What was inside of me?

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. Suddenly aware I was revealing myself to be vulnerable, I pushed Chase away, holding the leather jacket tightly around me. He looked down at the hand crafted dagger I had made.

“Did you use one of my bobble-heads for this?” he asked suddenly, his demeanor now immature. He raced toward his shelves. “No, not batman,” he whined. “If you feel like you need weapons just ask me, but please don’t attack my collection again.”

I rolled my eyes.

“It took me forever to find that one,” he mumbled as he walked toward the shower. He took his leather jacket off, revealing the tension of the muscles beneath his skin. He began to undo the belt on his dark leather jeans. He stopped for a moment, his hand still on his belt. Slowly he slid it off, arching a suggestive eyebrow at me. It was like someone had clapped in front of my face as I realized I was staring at him the whole time. I looked away from him, walking toward the hammock.

He is vampire, and I am hunter. We were naturally enemies.

Swaying in a hammock felt odd. Yet it gave me the time to completely wrap myself within my own mind and thoughts. I wasn’t yet sure why Chase insisted that I stayed, or even why he had brought me here. He was under the impression I was not safe at the Hunters’ Guild, but he had brought me into the enemy’s nest. No one could protect me better than I could myself, and that was my full belief. But when Chase said it, there was an seriousness to his tone that I did not yet want to push. I would only stay for another few days until I found my own way of escape. Chase stupidly thought I would stay by his side and endure his company, but I would sneak out during his work hours and study the Council more. This was the perfect opportunity to find out everything I could before escaping back to the Guild. We would prepare during the night to speedily march out and claim all the lives of these vampires within the Council. Then we would most likely travel to a new area and find traces of another Council to eradicate. This was the job of the hunter.

That night Chase insisted I slept in his bed while he took the hammock. Even though we slept a part, I couldn’t sleep with his presence so close and it ruined my concentration on my escape tactics. Often I found myself lifting my head to look at him, but then he would do the same and I would roll over. This happened a few times. It wasn’t out of curiosity, it couldn’t have been. It was because I was very aware that I was in the same room as a vampire. That was the only reason I could fathom. I didn’t get any sleep that night. I idly stared out the window, where I could see a small mist of fog. It was odd that even though I could see the outside world, I could not touch it.

Chase informed me that they followed a few leads as to where my team may have gone, but had not yet found where they were situated. He said that they had ventured further into the south- east, which meant that they had not yet returned to the Guild. In this I did not find any comfort. It meant that my team was still out there without me as I lay here on a king-sized bed. I didn’t understand why he would inform me of this so openly, as if to comfort me. Apparently more raids would continue in search of them. When I asked why they wanted them so desperately, he could not answer. He said he was uncertain of Fier’s intent but that when they ambushed my team, we were all supposed to be detained and kept. He did as his leader said and conveniently, it was where Chase already wanted me —within the city, where he could bring me back to the Council. I felt foolish to have once thought his reappearance was mysterious. He traced me to find where the Guild was so he could manipulate someone into assembling a team, my team, to approach the city. It was planned all along, and we fell for their trap.

When I now thought about it, it made sense that Dillian hadn’t suddenly acquired a new extension of his gift. Chase manipulated him in such a way that he thought his long sight had also turned into foresight. Chase knew that Campture would read Dillian’s mind. It was Campture they had tricked as she was the one who made the call to dispatch the teams. Which meant the Council already knew of our Head Huntress’ gift and abused that so we fell into their trap. We were wide-open and exposed at the Guild. So why hadn’t they yet attacked? What were they waiting for? What information were they hoping to extract from my teammates? I couldn’t understand Fier’s idea to focus on a certain few hunters, as opposed to the entire Guild.

When I thought of my team’s safety, I thought of James. An ill feeling stirred in my stomach. I wanted to know if they were safe and alive. Just because the Council had seen them escape, it didn’t mean they could survive so long outside the Guild’s wall. Why had they not returned and reported to Campture? Perhaps for precautionary measures. They would have known the Council vampires were following them. Maybe they were waiting it out a few days.

Slowly I watched the shadows of night turn into the shine of day. Still I had not slept and my body craved for it. I was too aware of my surroundings. Could I demand from Chase to let me leave? Who was I kidding? He was a deranged vampire who thought he was keeping me safe from my own people. A kidnapper would not give his victim an explanation. I repeated these thoughts in my mind, but when I looked at his peaceful resting face, all of those thoughts receded. The hatred I built up for him had gone. And so I would have to fight myself internally again to raise the hatred. Why did I react in such a way to him?

I could hear him stretching out of his hammock. For a vampire he wasn’t the quietest when he awoke. His yawning and stretching sounded like an animal roaring. I was amazed that he had slept within my presence, and more surprised that I hadn’t tried to dagger him during the night. Vampires didn’t require as much rest as humans and hunters, so I was unsure as to why he would risk it. He could have gone days, maybe even weeks without rest. It was reported that if a vampire tried to live without rest then the likelihood of them going silly in the head and slipping into a saber state was probable. Although they didn’t need as much rest, they still required it to protect themselves from such an outcome.

“Good morning, beautiful,” he said merrily.

I sat up with an evil expression on my face, unappreciative of his comment, only to find him checking himself out in the full-length mirror near his three-legged desk. He arched an eyebrow in my direction, now realizing I thought he had meant me. “Well, you too,” he winked. “I am going to get you some clothes so you aren’t walking around in my leather coats like a weirdo. You can have a bath while I am gone, everything you will need is in there,” he paused for a moment as if in thought. “Well, everything but me.” At my mute reaction he smiled. It was exactly what he wanted. He swept through the room and was already gone. I exhaled angrily once again at how my body wanted him, by his words alone could I lose my trail of thought. I hadn’t blushed in many years. It was such a rare hunter expression, being overcome with such a sexual intention.

I did need a shower. And now that I was alone, I couldn’t help but feel the desperate pull to the sensation of hot water on my skin. The water at the Guild was often cold by the time I used to shower late at night. I became accustomed to it. But to now be able to bathe in it, well, that was something I did look forward to.

Dipping my toes into it, the water scalded me, but I could not help but find relief in it as well. I peeled the dirty and sweaty clothing off of me. I undid my plait, washing my hair vigorously. I dipped my head under the water, trying to ease my train of thought. So many things kept trailing over one another. I was never like this. I was always so sure in both my thought and actions. Never did I feel such a trivial thing as doubt. If I wanted something I took it. But now it seemed as if I had no idea what it was I wanted. Chase made it very hard to keep a clear mind. This was never what I had thought would happen when I finally infiltrated the Council.

Shortly after that Chase returned with some clothing, placing them near the door where I could collect them myself. He had lingered near the door for a while, unsure as to whether he should have walked into place them on the basin. I hadn’t told him not to, more so as a test. How odd for a vampire to be considerate?

The clothing was not to my taste and reminded me of what Whitney wore. It was a long green flowing dress with long sleeves. When gathering it, something hit the floor. Chase had placed a garter and two knives in there. Three small sharp daggers were also a part of the package. He was serious about me not touching his bobble-head dolls.

I walked out, uncomfortable in the free-flowing attire. Never had I worn such a thing in my life.

“Aww, you look so pretty,” Chase commented, sitting on the edge of his bed with one leg folded over the other. “What? You need to tone down the ‘I can kick your ass’ attitude. There are only a few vampires here older than me. For the most part I know you can handle yourself with the rest. But it’s around those ones you have to act as human as possible. If they so much as guess your strength, they will drain you instantly. That is why I had to erase Gardar’s recollection of you being a Hunter. I gave you those weapons, but, just in case, please be smart about it.”

“I wouldn’t be in such a situation if you hadn’t brought me here,” I said coldly.

“Well, that is very true, but regardless, I know you are benefiting from this. You are thinking, ‘I will find out everything I can, and then I will go back to my Guild, where I stupidly think it is safe. I will tell them everything I know and they will embrace me as a hero and we shall eradicate the whole vampire race. I shall lead it with my very own sword,’” he said in a lady–like, mocking tone.

Before I could swallow back my fiery words, he approached me, now very serious. I held my ground firmly. I had my weapons now. I could defend myself far more efficiently. Even against Chase. Then I stepped back. I couldn’t stand so close to him anymore, it was unbearable. I hated the pull he had over me. It must be a gift of enticement or something… he must be brainwashing me with his gift.

“I just wanted to tell you, that you look beautiful with your hair out. You are like a golden bird. You are right in front of me, yet so untouchable and spectacular at the same time. Esmore, I will not let you return to the Guild. When I say it is not safe, I truly mean that. I have seen it all before.”

“In a premonition?” I mocked. I did not take kindly to flattery, yet my breath became uneasy at his words.

“My sweet Esmore, I cannot prophesize things, my gift does not work in such a way. I have, however, lived for four hundred and thirty-one years. I am far more accustomed to the world of hunters than you with your short eighteen years. The hunters are not a loyal breed. If they have an inclination that a hunter is treacherous in any way, they kill them on the spot. Most of the murders are unjustified, and whatever information tipped them off was usually later found to be incorrect. I guess in a way the hunters are very similar to us, but I wouldn’t allow them to do that to you. I intervened that night when we first met because I already knew of the mistrust that Guild mistress, Campture, had in you.”

“Why did you follow me? You shot a dart of paralysis at me. You were planning on taking me as hostage,” I said sternly. I felt very unintimidating with my long-flowing dress, so I crossed my arms for added effect.

He laughed lightly to himself at that. “I did and I had every intention of bringing you to Fier. We were to take the Token Hunter. And I had every intention of doing so. But then, well, it is probably going to sound corny…You demanded for your arm to be burnt, which I was very impressed by. You felt me, as I did you. You knew of my exact location and when you looked at me, I looked at you like I do now. You were like a golden bird: so close yet untouchable. I was intrigued and followed you, only to find out how close you were to death, so I had to intervene. So I meddled, and you should be grateful for that.”

“I was not near death,” I said angrily. I could protect myself from anything.

“Esmore, let me explain to you what would have happened, because I have seen it far too many times in my lifetime. Your kind is a very predictable kind and very untruthful. Even though you hold so much hatred for vampires, you are so very much like us. So very much like humans throwing around their power and strength.” Chase shook his head as he realized he had rambled on to another topic, and refocused on telling me what he predicted. “Campture had you locked up. Within those next days she would have created a conspiracy about you: how you are involved with vampires, misleading your Hunter Guild. She would have used the deaths of your fallen members as proof of that.”

I shook my head, but he continued, unperturbed. “Your boyfriend, whom you pretend to love so much, would not be loyal to you. When I watched you both, it seemed like your relationship was a label. I know you can feel that same desire. Do you know how hard it is for me to control my urges around you?”

He now looked at me lustfully. I couldn’t help but feel empty, as if those words he spoke were very true. I did not love James; I was just so used to the attachment. Maybe at one point I had loved him, but not anymore, and I could not deny by body’s pull toward Chase.

“My relationship has nothing to do with you,” I said. “And you ran off subject.”

After a moment of silence, he continued. “Your boyfriend would have pleaded your case for about half a day, but then would have been convinced of the same conspiracy. He has an unnatural want for you, Esmore. It is not love he holds, but a very deep sense of entitlement. Whatever happened to him a long time ago has made him now believe that he owns you.”

I thought of his childhood. He was taken away from his mother. He always begged me to live with him, to leave my position as Token Huntress, to wed, to have children. Could it be as severe as Chase let on? But I was fine; I could always look after myself. But to have an outsider’s perception of what I already feared sent me deeper in to those dark thoughts. Did James really believe he controlled me?

“He would have pleaded with Campture for, say, a day at most. By then he would have been convinced that you were a traitor. He would have come and offered you an ultimatum: to live with him as mother to his children, under his protection, or you could choose death.

By then your best friend, Dillian, would have been outraged. Despite the low emotion levels of hunters, you had a few who would stand up in your defense. The woman who can control flames would have been first. She would seek out Campture on her own. On her next raid this huntress would be ‘accidently’ killed by her own kind, but they would claim it to have been sabers.

Unfortunately the little apprentice, Tori, I believe it was, would be witness. They wouldn’t kill him, but he would never be allowed on a raid again in punishment. Your best friend Dillian, would face a decision: defy them and die, or say nothing and stay with his fiancée. Of course he loves her very much, but he would still fight for you. He would openly be killed in front of all. He would be an example to other hunters not to interfere. You would then be killed.”

Still with my arms crossed over my chest, I thought of this. In truth, I could understand his thought process on the matter, and although I wish I could have dismissed it as a lie, I couldn’t. I already had my doubts about Campture. I did not trust her after my mother’s death. I suspected she had made me Token both because I was one of the best warriors, but also to keep me close. I wish I could laugh in Chase’s face at the words he spoke. But all of it seemed true.

“And this is what you suspected would happen?” I asked dryly. I did not want Chase to know that I considered his words to be true.

“Esmore, I would not lie to you. I brought you back to protect you. For now this was the safest place I could bring you. I know it seems unlikely because of the enemies around you. But the difference is, if they only think you are human, I can protect you from both the vampires within this wall and the hunters who want to execute you within your own home. I cannot protect you within the wall of hunters. Although I would have tried it in a heartbeat, if my manipulation did not work.”

“I cannot be kept as a pet.” Eventually I would have to return. A place of vampires was not a home for me.

“I would never treat you as a pet, Esmore. For now, please understand my reasoning.” He stood again, reaching out for my hand. “For now let us stay, for only a while longer while everything calms down. If this is not a place you would want to be, then we will find a way to leave. I will follow you if it’s something that you so desperately want. But know there will be consequences if I do such a thing.”

I considered this for a moment. I had comments to make, remarks to shoot him down. But I could not say them. For what reason would he sacrifice all he had for me? The thought of him following me sent a warmth through me which was scary. His hand slowly intertwined with one of mine, unlocking the firm grip I had across my chest. He simply held it and leant down to kiss my forehead. A shudder of warmth spread over my forehead and like I had noted before, I actually felt something when Chase touched me. It was almost overwhelming as I had not felt such a feeling in so long. His other hands stroked my cheek and trailed down my neck. He lifted his necklace away from my throat so that it was no longer tucked into my dress, out of sight.

“There is so much I want to share with you. But I will wait until you want that,” he promised. I could feel the heat radiate between us. It was like a swirl of tension, pushing us together. I could feel my legs wanting to give way to him, sensations trailing up my legs and desire heating me.

I stared at his lips longingly before pulling away. I could not, even to James. I could not be unfaithful until I could tell him my feelings were no longer true.

“Tythian and Whitney are the only other two who know your true identity. After much arguing with Tythian, he has agreed to say nothing. He is older than me, but we have lived together for a long time — he is someone I can trust. But as I said he does not take well to those who threaten Whitney. I have also been informed she will be showing you around. It shocks me that you found her so quickly. But be careful around her. Tythian and I are close but if you insult her in anyway or push her for too many answers about the Council, he will not take it kindly. He is very protective of her.”

“Because she is his familiar?” I asked.

“She told you about familiars?”

“Well, no not as of yet, but…” Before I could demand the answer from him, he cut me off.

“I will tell you soon. But for now let’s go out and I’ll show you the big bad vampire lair,” he suggested, his fingers waving in the air spookily. “And, if anyone asks, you are mine,” His tone was so sharp that his sudden mood swing had even me intimidated. “I know you don’t belong to me, Esmore. But please, if anyone asks, you must state it. It’s the only way within the walls I can keep you protected… you must be bound to me.”

I already had a taste of what his speed and strength was like. I was now growing very aware that I was no longer as strong as I had thought, well, not in comparison to the older vampires. Especially Chase.

Walking out into the white halls, I saw that already Whitney and Tythian were in front of the water fountain. Whitney favored water features immensely, it seemed. This was her favorite spot to sit and simply stare. Tythian noticed us first. Chase went tense and stood in front of me. Tythian was the only other vampire who knew my identity and it was obvious he didn’t like it that I was within the Council. It did bring me relief to know that no one vampire recalled my face from the battle. Too much was happening during the fight and I was taken in after the explosion of the grenade.

Whitney then noticed us, patting Tythian’s hand lightly in a reassuring manner. “Don’t you ruin my friendship for me,” she said playfully with a light smile. He looked down at her, his hand tightening around hers. His eyes glistened in adoration. His blonde hair was slicked back smoothly, seeming very golden against his tanned skin. He was wearing black pants and a white buttoned shirt.

Chase was standing next to me as we had come to a halt in front of them. It gave me a moment to admire the difference in not only Tythian’s and Chase’s style, but age as well. It made me question why Chase seemed to be the only one who never wore a shirt, only a leather jacket. My eyes fixated on his hard chest, my eyes lingering over his hard stomach. His hip bones made me go hazy in thought. He found my eyes, a cocky smile twitching at his lips. Although my expression was bland, he knew I had been staring at his perfect body.

When I compared the style of both men, you could tell there was a very large age gap simply by the way they dressed. Although Tythian looked to be in his mid-thirties, there was an atmosphere around him. He was much older than Chase, possibly the oldest one here. I would have to ask Chase later.

“I am sorry about the attire,” Whitney said sheepishly. “You see I always have to wear long dresses. It is more comforting for me but I get very cold, very quickly. Chase asked me to find you clothes as we look the same size. It was all the clothing I had in my wardrobe.”

“Do not apologize, Whitney. She should be grateful,” Tythian interjected sharply. A low growl erupted from Chase in some form of warning. His fangs were already bared, and Tythian followed. His were much larger and fiercer.

“I said not to, Tythian,” Whitney said, slapping him on the arm lightly. The exertion of it forced her to cough into her hand. Chase caught and held my hand so I would not run to her aid, simply letting me watch.

“Whitney,” Tythian said, dropping to his knees in front of her. He rested one hand on her back, the other holding her hand tightly. “Let me ease the pain for you, please.” His tone was begging. She continued coughing hoarsely. Tythian’s eyes scattered over her, he was suffering himself.

“I’m okay,” she panted. She looked back at the water fountain. It was as if she had forgotten what she was doing. She looked back at Tythian, placing her hand on his smooth jaw before stroking it. Her eyes were filled with such love that I was suddenly reminded of Chase’s hand holding mine and I let go. Never did I think in this lifetime I would see such a display of affection between human and vampire. I wanted to deny it but as they stared into one another’s eyes, I knew their feelings were true.

“Please help me make this a wonderful day. I like Esmore,” she said, her voice fragile. She reminded me a little of Julia, Dillian’s girlfriend.

“Anything for you, my love,” Tythian responded, kissing her knuckles. He stood, resting a kiss on her forehead before turning to me. He tried to soften the hatred in his eyes and took on a very bland look. I knew that look all too well. It was the same one I adopted when I didn’t want others to guess my thoughts as they studied my expression.

“Well, first of all,” Whitney clasped her hands together. “I bet Chase has forgotten that you actually need food to live, so let me take you to the food hall.” When she mentioned it both Chase and I looked at my stomach, as if forgetting that I did actually have to eat. So much had happened over the last few days that I had completely forgotten.

“Shit, I knew there was something I forgot about keeping a pet human,” Chase teased. I raised my eyebrows at him in challenge. I was no one’s pet. Yet I was not angry at him for the comment, accepting it as playful.

Tythian pushed Whitney in her wheelchair. He turned down the hallway on our left. I remembered that here there were more rooms. We walked through the hallway rather slowly. A few vampires had walked past us and looked at me hungrily. A few times Chase growled, checking my chest every time to make sure that his necklace was showing around my neck. A few vampires had even let their fangs slip, covering their mouths in apology as Chase’s larger fangs came out nastily.

“Don’t scare the young ones; they can’t help it that you brought a human in that smells so appetizing. It was your choice to bring the wrong kind of human,” Tythian said with his nose pointed in the air.

“It’s not like I had a choice in the matter,” Chase said, stretching back his arms and revealing his perfect chest as his leather jacket pulled back. Again I could not resist letting my eyes trail down each and every muscle. His body was splendid and very alluring.

“What do you mean by that?” Tythian asked. He caught me staring at Chase hungrily. I looked away, angry with myself for letting myself slip. The longer I was with Chase, the more my rational thoughts fled. I became primal, only thinking of one thing: what his skin would taste like on my tongue. To be able to touch him, breathe in his scent. To kiss him and…

Tythian looked between Chase and me before continuing. “Is she your—”

“We can discuss this another time, surely. All I need to let you and Fier know is that she is my human to feed from, no one else’s. That is all that should matter,” Chase snapped, no longer as relaxed. “But I will tell you this: she ruined my Batman bobble-head doll.”

“That one took us almost a decade to find!” Tythian complained, now showing a far less mature side. He was very serious about it. Another two vampires walked past me studying me intensely. It was then that Chase grabbed my shoulder and pulled me into him, eyeing them warningly. Their pace quickened instantly.

“I remember when I first saw your bobble-head collection,” Whitney announced, still looking ahead as we came to another intersection in the large white underground lair. How many vampires dwelled here? Tythian led us into the right hallway, where at the end there were two large wooden doors. “I screamed when I saw them, they were so creepy,” Whitney giggled. She turned around and laughed at the look on my face. “I had the exact same expression on my face, creepy little things. But it makes sense. His mother started that collection for him. So it has been the only thing connecting him to the eras in which he lived. You should see Tythian’s collection, it is—”

“Nothing,” Tythian said in a bored tone, cutting Whitney off. She looked up at him with pouted lips. He gave her an even smile and brushed back part of her fake hair where some had fallen into her eyes. So Chase’s mother began collecting them. I wondered if she was vampire as well. Before I could ask, Chase loosened his grip on me and stretched his arms back again. I was so relaxed that I had forgotten that he still had hold of me, deterring other vampires’ admiring looks.

“Oh, so we can talk about Chase’s collection, but not Tythian’s,” Chase said childishly.

Tythian opened the large wooden doors, revealing an enormous white room. There were eight long tables, each of them hosting about twenty chairs each. On the right side seemed to be a large open kitchen with benches. There was a lot of food already placed on top. There must have been forty humans in here at least, some of them already eating their food, others choosing from the plates that were on the bench. All of them stopped eating and talking amongst themselves for a moment to look at who entered. None of them seemed disgruntled by the fact that two vampires had walked in, and then I noticed that there were already a few vampires in the room, sitting beside humans.

“I don’t understand,” I whispered to Chase. Why would the humans be so calm with the vampires in here? They were the enemy.

“Some vampires prefer to keep the one human for a while. They grow an attachment to them, whether it is because of sex, their blood, or companionship, even. Most humans come around to it quickly. We have better shelter, facilities, and food for them here, and it is much safer than them living out in the open where the sabers or covens could get to them. Because of our Council rules and regulations, we don’t torture or objectify humans. Just as you are finding less and less humans every day, so are we. We need to limit ourselves and ration the blood supply. Animal blood isn’t the sweetest, so we try to enjoy humans in moderation.”

I looked in disgust as one woman was talking to the vampire across from her. The female vampire that sat beside her was drinking from her wrist as she did so. It was disgusting. Fools, all of them. This reminded me why I had very little respect for humans in the first place.

“What do you feel like eating, Esmore?” Whitney asked me. Seeing my horror at our surroundings, she continued, “Perhaps we will come back later. I would love to show you the gardens.”

“The gardens?” I repeated, trying to look away from the creatures that I hated so much. Chase was looking at me warily. Whitney smiled, urging Tythian to proceed. He led us around the tables as they continued to watch us. It was obvious I was new. Most of them had dark hair, so when I walked through with my golden-blonde hair I stuck out noticeably. They all watched, even the vampire who was feeding off its companion. I eyed her evilly, wishing now more than ever I had my bow and sword.

There was one large glass door in the corner of the room. Tythian opened it for us, taking us out to a pavement. There were two male humans playing with an orange ball. One side-stepped the other and skilfully threw the ball toward the hoop. It sunk in and he scored himself a ‘two-pointer.’

“This is called basketball. It is a very old game. It is only the Council here within the city that has brought such an old game back, the other Councils we meet with don’t usually partake in such games,” Chase educated me. The way he said it provoked more questions from me. “You interact with the other Councils often?” I asked him, still watching the men play. Tythian led us around the corner on the right. There were vampire Councils all over the world, but we weren’t sure whether they kept in communication with one another.

“It was only five years ago when the Council’s last met. We were known to be the smallest, but since we have been gathering our numbers. I dare say in the next few months our numbers won’t be as small.”

Above us glass windows covered the whole roof. It was a dreary day. Dark clouds covered the sky and blocked the sun. Although it should have been dark in here, it was not. There were bright lights shining along the roof. “Where do you get the power for all this?” I asked, lifting my hands and gesturing to our surroundings.

“We have light and hot water in here because of the solar panels. It was a technique used in the technology age, and probably one of the few which they actually got right. The humans realized they were heavily polluting and destroying their facilities too quickly, so they created this. We have only had these for four years now. We use to go by fires and were very primal. But Fier wanted something more stable. We went on many raids to try and find other solutions. But much material has been either taken or wiped out. However, the city proves useful for finding such things. And Gardar, you met that vampire only yesterday…” He paused. The only vampire I had met was the one who attacked me. That was the vampire he intended to make me wary of. “He used to be a mechanic and techno wiz in the days of technology, so having him nest into our home within the past ten years has proven beneficial.”

“You tell her too much,” Tythian said sternly.

“I tell her what I want to tell her,” Chase responded.

I wondered if it was because of Tythian that Chase wanted to come. It was obvious Tythian was no ally, not that I would consider any vampire ever to be my ally. When we were led around the corner a small green strip of land came into view. There were many flowers. It was not overly large, but it was beautifully maintained. There was a wooden deck with a few tables and chairs, and a few large trees. I was used to the usual dead woods. It was uncommon to see so much green and colored flowers. The fog usually prevented most plants from growing.

“Because of the glass roof and the large walls, the fog can’t get in. We never use fresh drinking water on the plants either. We keep the drinking water in storage in case for some reason we can’t obtain more for a long period of time. This water comes from under the main large bridge in the middle of the city. You know it? It was once called the ‘Golden Gate Bridge.’ We are looking for a way to connect a hose and pump from there to here. But for now we use those large blue drums,” he directed my gaze to where there were three drums standing next to the wall. “To facilitate the garden. Obviously we can’t grow anything too large here.”

I gave him a side glance, questioning why he was telling me all this. He had already guessed why I was staying, and that was to report back to my Guild as soon as I was able to escape. So why tell me so much? He gave me a cocky grin, suggesting he knew exactly what I was thinking. I frowned, now wondering if he was listening in on my thoughts.

“I helped start these gardens,” Whitney said with a gleeful smile as she played with a pink flower.

“You did a stunning job, my love,” Tythian said, watching her with admiration. She gave him a smile and picked the flower, offering it to him. He took it and placed it in his pocket.

“Hey, do you want to see the training room?” Whitney asked me. This girl was making it too easy for me to uncover their foundations.

“I do not think that is wise, my love. You know what she is,” Tythian reminded her patiently.

“I know, but she is Chase’s familiar, so she won’t do anything to hurt us,” Whitney disregarded him. Tythian looked at Chase sharply. I hadn’t yet been explained to about what a familiar was. For some reason no one openly spoke about it to me. And I didn’t think it was a topic they would approach now.

Whitney went to push toward the direction of the dining room again, but Tythian firmed his grip on the wheelchair holders and began pushing her again. I suppose he was leading us to the training room at Whitney’s request. The amount of control she had over this vampire was startling. I never knew such a relationship could exist.

“The newer vampires are very clumsy. Since the sabers have been overpopulating, we have been required to recruit and build our numbers. A lot of them are trained daily. We need to protect ourselves from hunters and other covens. The more experienced ones such as myself and Tythian lead separate small groups when we need to find more humans or human supplies. Sometimes the sabers are close and hide within the dark buildings during day. So if it is suggested they are dwelling within the city, we go out to kill them. They can’t smell the humans within here because we are underground and the fog on the ground interferes with that sharp smell. A lot more have been coming closer frequently so we still cannot take any risks,” Chase explained.

At this point I wasn’t sure if he was trying to impress me with how much he knew. We walked around the large tables in the dining room and then through the wooden doors, back to the intersection. This time Tythian led us down to the right. We entered another room through more wooden doors. But instead of being covered by the normal white walls, it was all glass. The larger room was divided into many sections. I saw an archery area, a boxing arena, and an exercise area. The one on my right was for hand-to-hand combat. Twelve vampires practiced with one another.

The next room on my left seemed to be some kind of torture room. Three vampires were tied to metal chairs. Fire was applied to their skin. They would scream for five seconds before water was thrown over them. Their healing quickly took away their wounds as they panted heavily.

“It’s called the Tolerance Room,” Chase said, breathing hotly over my shoulder as I stopped to watch. “Fire is most effective. We train our vampires with pain so they are accustomed to it in battle.”

One vampire was standing still against the wall. A vampire on the other side of the room threw a dagger at him which plunged straight into the other vampire’s stomach. He didn’t even flinch, closing his eyes as it happened. He inhaled deeply, refocusing and nodded for another dagger to be fired at him again.

“You seem kind of sadistic if you just stare,” Chase said with a cocky smile. “Don’t tell me you are one of those women who like it like this?” he said, clamping his teeth together to make a biting noise close to my ear. I looked at him abashed, but he only returned a cocky smile. Quickly he snapped out of his playful manner as Fier approached us from the other room.

Fier looked at me with an expression of surprise. “You told me she was fat,” he said, holding out his hand for me to grab it. I did not move. I would never touch him nor kiss his hand, if that was what he expected.

“Sorry, she doesn’t like it if anyone else touches her beside me, if you know what I am saying,” Chase said, embracing me. His hand slipped around my waist. I had the urge to flip him over and slam him into the ground for fumbling his hands over me where they did not belong. I gritted my teeth, enduring it as I knew I had to act as human as possible. And like Chase said, I had to appear as his so I would go unnoticed.

“She doesn’t seem to enjoy your touch,” Fier said, his green eyes searching over my face. “She is very pretty,” he continued, his hand coming to touch my hair. Chase pulled me tighter into his arms possessively. Although I could’ve held my own ground, I couldn’t have done so without Fier being suspicious of me. I was grateful for Chase pulling me back. Fier arched an eyebrow at Chase in challenge. A small breeze swept through the hallway, making a low howl. The two vampires who walked with him looked at one another, slightly concerned.

“A little possessive, aren’t we, over a meal?” Fier asked, his fangs now revealed.

“If I may speak with you privately, Fier, I would like to speak about actual important matters, such as the teams finding the hunters?” Tythian interjected.

“I will be seeing her tonight at the rave, after all, that is where all these young vampires take their humans to dry hump them,” Fier said as he continued to stare at me.

“I am not a young vampire,” Chase said intimidatingly.

“It was not a question. I will be seeing her tonight,” Fier said, eyeing Chase before walking around us to speak privately with Tythian. Whitney watched them as they walked away, deep in conversation already.

I grabbed Chase’s fingers, using all my strength to pry his fingers off me. Small cracking noises began as I had him in a firm grip. He had to slowly dip to the ground to get away from me.

“Ow, what do you have, mutant fingers? That hurts,” Chase said, now his carefree self again.

“Do not grab me ever again,” I hissed, releasing my hold of him. I had to put distance between us because my heart pounded at his lingering fingers. I was upset with myself for not being uncomfortable by his touch. When he faced Fier in my stead, I did feel protected. This was bad and I had to break the spell.

“Ah, I see, you like it rough,” he said with another playful smile. His comments didn’t help my situation in the slightest. It was as if he knew it boiled my blood. I tried my hardest to hide my desire for him, but every time he touched or embraced me it became harder to push him away. The longer I stayed within his presence, the further I felt I was being consumed by his world. I had to break away. I couldn’t comprehend my yearning for him. I felt him within the pit of my stomach. His touch made me flutter. I was becoming nervous and suspenseful around him.

“Why the glass rooms?” I asked Chase, trying to take a more serious tone. I needed to dispel my tension. I made sure my voice was low enough for Fier and Tythian not to hear. The vampires who followed Fier were standing idly by the doors, holding them open for him. I now understood that Tythian used himself as a distraction so Fier stopped applying pressure to Chase. “And why does Fier ask you so many questions?”

Chase gave a half-cocked smile. “So many questions, and your next one will be: what is a rave?” he mocked. I stood there silently and then he realized. “Oh, you really don’t know what a rave is. Well, diva, the rooms are glass, so Fier can regularly walk through and check on their training and combat skills. In here there are eighteen rooms.” I looked further down the hall, which was lengthy and could accommodate many rooms. “The two end ones are weaponry, and no I can’t take you there, only vampires are permitted. A rave is well, a lot of music, dancing, and lights stretching across the floor. This is something the vampires have enjoyed for many years. In the technology age it was the easiest way to scout out our desired victims for the night and toy with them for a while before we took them. Fier is Fier. He wants a lot of things and chucks a tantrum when he doesn’t get them. I will not lie to you; I am uncomfortable by how he stares at you, so please never approach him. Especially without me. You just really stand out from the rest of the humans. I think it is your golden-blonde hair. Even though we are vampires, we are still men, and you are beautiful, Esmore.” His tone was sincere but he was trying to cover the actual issue — Fier’s interest in me could prove fatal.

“Chase, I want you here now,” Fier commanded over Tythian’s shoulder.

Tythian came to Whitney, bending himself on one knee to speak with her at eye-level. “Whitney, I will be back shortly, my love. Why don’t you head back to our room and rest for a while?”

“I have to go also. Keep close to Whitney or go back to my room,” Chase said seriously. He gave me a smile. “No hug?” he teased immaturely. I now understood that if Chase felt threatened or uncertain about something he would state the concern and then try to cover it with humor. Not that I wanted Chase’s protection, but my heart felt empty when I thought of him leaving. My stomach turned. I did not understand this feeling. How could he so easily creep under my skin?

He hunched over, whispering in my ear, his hot breath spreading over my skin and blazing desire. “I will make you fall for me; you will only wish you committed sooner. I will show you what ‘hard play’ is, my golden bird.” Chase’s lips brushed against my ear and then he pulled back with a smile, assessing my rigid body. I had frozen on his words, desperately trying to bring forth my mature mind. But my body pulsed for him; it longed for his touch. And as he smiled at me hungrily, I knew he could sense that. If others weren’t surrounding us, I think I would have been very tempted to take him in that moment. It was Chase who walked away, leaving me startled and hungry for more. That hungry darkness within me rose, now tainted with lust.

Whitney led me to the water fountain where we had met earlier in the morning. “Don’t worry, they won’t be too long. It is probably just to inspect a part of the city or attend a Council meeting,” she said with a smile.

“I am not worried,” I asserted. I was relieved to have Chase gone so I could hide my beating heart and focus on my hatred for all vampires. Such a union between vampire and hunter could not happen. And I could not be unfaithful to James. But the longer I stayed within Chase’s presence, the darkness within grew, growing because of desire, instead of the anger it usually fed off.

Now that we were alone I could also finally ask her what all of this ‘familiar’ stuff was about and why I kept being objectified as such. I guessed it was like some kind of lovers, which we obviously were not. I had to make sure that would never happen.

“What is a ‘familiar’?” I asked Whitney. She smiled, looking down at her twiddling thumbs.

“I really can’t explain it to you; it honestly is not my place. But you will find out soon enough. I do hope you plan to stay with us, Esmore. I often worry about Tythian. I am to leave him soon. I am worried he won’t cope and I need someone I can rely on to look after him. I can’t have him slipping over to a saber after my death. In that sense, he is so fragile.”

“You just diverted my question with a request,” I noted, watching as two vampires walked past, looking at me curiously. Never did I think I would be standing in the middle of the Council casually chatting amongst these filthy creatures.

“So I did,” she giggled to herself in amusement. “Come to my room, I think it will be safer for you there until Chase gets back, you draw too much attention. No one would dare come into Tythian’s room.”

I wanted to do more snooping, but Whitney was right. I was too noticeable it seemed and that discouraged me from venturing off, especially because I hadn’t yet found an escape route. Whitney could be very useful for me. She had now been here for many years and without Tythian’s eyes watching over us, I could ask her so many questions.

“It’s this way,” Whitney said politely as Gardar, the large vampire that had attacked me only yesterday, walked past. He paused for a moment, staring at me. He distracted himself and walked toward where we had come from. I wonder if he also was in charge. He did seem like an older vampire, that much I could remember clearly from his great strength when he attacked me.

Whitney led me past the giant tiger statue I had hid behind only yesterday. We walked past the wooden doors where Chase and Fier last met. They were now closed, making me question if they were indeed having a meeting. I followed her down the white hallway, where on the left only three doors were. She opened the first one, revealing a much cleaner and homely room in comparison to Chase’s doll-collecting weirdness.

On my left were a small wooden table and a brown, soft-looking couch. There seemed to be a small kitchen with a wooden table and chairs. The flooring was a white marble and there were a few paintings of flowers hung up. In the left corner was a large king bed and on the right seemed to be where the bathroom and a walk-in wardrobe were.

“I will show you Tythian’s collection before he gets here,” she giggled to herself. “I thought it was strange at the start as well. But when Tythian explained it to me, it made sense.” She was leading me toward the walk-in wardrobe. When she opened it, I saw that many various colored silk formal shirts were hanging. Hundreds.

“Tythian is eight hundred and twenty-seven years old. So after about two hundred years, he began collecting things. He explained that it made it easier to grip onto humanity. Every year there is an annual anniversary of some kind where you gift yourself with something. He said it made it easier to count the years, especially when humanity was literally destroyed. A lot of the vampires here still collect things, it isn’t uncommon. Chase does the same with his bobble-head dolls,” she said behind me as she waited by the door. I ran my finger over the silks of the shirts. All of them did look very old and the material was something I hadn’t felt before. We wore practical clothes which hunters had been wearing for many years before. My attention was grabbed by a different fabric. Nine shirts were collected together. The style was much different to the others and none had buttons.

“They are called ‘sweaters,’” Whitney said, coming behind me. The material had an odd image on the front and I realized it was a flower. “I know they are not silk, but it is so hard for him to find them now. So ever since I met him I have made this for him annually. I found how to create them in an old book Tythian stole for me from a library. Of course he had to teach me how to read then. I create him a special one every year.”

Looking at them I said nothing so I wouldn’t offend her, but I couldn’t imagine such a shirt on the proper and handsome Tythian. Yet for Whitney I imagined he very well might wear it. She pushed through two of them, revealing a box hidden behind them on a small shelf. “This is the one I am working on for him now,” she said with great happiness, revealing an almost completed one. “I started it a little early this year but I will finish it while he is away sometime today.”

She placed it back in the box she had removed it from and hid it amongst the clothes again. Walking out of the large room of shirts, I peered into the bathroom. In there, from what I could see, seemed to be a large tank, attached to it was tubing and a mask. Whitney noticed me staring and looked almost ashamed.

“It helps me breath when I most need it,” she admitted, still staring at the ground.

“What is wrong with you?” I asked gently.

“Well, it has been very slow, I had medication for it that Tythian tried to administer, but it doesn’t help anymore. He told me he saw it a lot in the eras before. He is almost certain it is a disease called ‘cancer.’ Apparently, in the technology era they could help with it and most survived from it when aided by the medication. But now, there is no such thing.” Suddenly she perked up, as if defiant against the sadness. “But that’s okay, I mean my papa always told me that everything happens for a reason. And as much as I love Tythian, I have no fear of dying to be with my family again. So I find no sadness in any of it, only for Tythian. He still cannot accept my decision, although he respects it, he doesn’t want me to go.”

“Why don’t you let him turn you into a vampire?” I asked. Their love seemed undying and as much as I hated the thought of Whitney being turned, I was curious as to why a human would not take such an opportunity. I had seen many humans offer themselves, wanting the chance of elongated life, one that could last for thousands of years. Some humans I had met wanted that more than anything. One would think a young woman who was dying would want that more than anyone.

“Because although I love Tythian, sabers were what killed my family. I could never allow myself to be turned into a vampire, to only eventually turn into that exact same creature. I am peaceful and like flowers, in fact I am almost simple. I do not need a full lifetime, nor the possible chance of eternity to know that I am blessed to have life. I love Tythian but I think defying death is not natural. I could not ever be disgusted by him, but I do not think I would have the will power to stay humane for hundreds of years. I mean, when you think about it, after so many hundreds of years, what do you think it is they live for? I couldn’t imagine any goal that would need eternity to complete it,” she looked at me innocently, seeking my answer. But I did not have one. Every word and question she spoke was true. What would take so many hundreds and thousands of years to accomplish? Could you really just ‘be’ indefinitely? Vampires could be killed, but they had the option to live a very long existence.

“I don’t know,” I said honestly. It shocked me that she didn’t pass harsh judgement on the vampire kind, especially after what had happened to her family.

“Why did you come here, with Tythian, into where all the vampires are? Any of them could lose control and trigger into sabers?” I asked.

“Well, at the time when Tythian saved me, I was drawn to him instantly, and honestly would have followed him anywhere. At fifteen I was mesmerized by his handsomeness, but also by having someone so willing to protect me. Without my father I was alone. When I did begin to question everything, I realized it was wrong to hold a grudge against Tythian or any other vampire here for what had happened. Although they are a race and did overpower the humans, we live in a time of survival. It is what it is. None of these vampires within the Council took my family from me, it was sabers. I could not curse their race because of what some sabers or individual vampires have done. Tythian helped me realize that. I have seen a few vampires slowly turn into sabers here. Not all of them are so strong to hold on to their humanity. From what I have seen, sometimes it is too easy to be persuaded by a much hungrier side. I have seen the signs of them being turned, and by then there is no hope for them. It is like a sickness that breaks them down and turns them. Some endure it for longer than others. But once it is noticeably there most of them give up. Having sabers within the Council is a liability. They would kill all the humans here and it is known that the Council does not approve of sabers. They are the creatures which are further killing the food supply, so the Council actively kills them. It is Tythian’s role to kill them as he is the oldest here; he will have no issue with destroying them quickly. The other vampires can smell the sickness within those vampires who have begun to slip into a saber. They are killed before they can fully turn. Once that sickness has started it will inevitably claim them. They are creatures without purpose. All they do is kill and murder. They are the darkness within vampires, not the vampires who live within the Council. But every vampire here could be affected if they do not keep to their humane side and disallow the hunger to take over.”

She paused before continuing. “For those who simply disobey the rules here, such as torturing humans, going on a blood frenzy, or even challenging other vampires, they are killed also. Liability to the humans’ lives here is not taken lightly, they are, after all, the Council’s meal source. We don’t live in an age of human law, we haven’t for over three hundred years. But here there is some structure and rules. I feel far safer in here than out there where there is nothing but death.”

Whitney began coughing harshly into her hand. After hearing her words I didn’t think much more could be said. Everything she said was very thought-provoking, yet at the same time I could understand her. It reminded me of when Dillian and I had spoken of such things and his concern for the humans. I now had an insight into what it was they actually feared. Although it was our task to save them and take them to the human camp, we did not place much structure for them. And here, looking at all the white walls and clean living, they were somewhat safer than the outside world. Obviously humans did not feel safe without structure or security of some kind, and their payment was simply blood.

“Excuse me,” Whitney gasped over a handkerchief she had pulled out. A few droplets of blood grabbed my attention before she hid it in her small hands, smiling at me. “I have a few items of food here, why don’t we simply eat here instead?” She positioned herself at the head of the table, offering me a seat next to her. She pulled out a few pieces of fruit from a small shelf which had very few items on it. There was a small bowl of fruit, a few bottles of some red liquid, a few plates, bowls, glasses, and cutlery. Her hands trembled as she tried slicing the fruit on a plate.

“Let me,” I said, taking the knife from her and slicing thin pieces of the apple and then pear. After only taking one bite of the pear, the door opened and Tythian and Chase entered. They had been lightly debating something that had obviously been said at the meeting they had.

“Obviously what Fier says will go, but I must admit I am losing respect for his decisions lately. He is acting like a child who simply wants a bigger throne,” Tythian said, walking over to the shelving and grabbing one of the red bottles. He poured the thick syrup like substance into two thin glasses and I then realized it was blood.

“Well, I guess we will figure out what Fier is up to when it comes to it… we can’t exactly challenge him, we don’t have the numbers,” Chase said seriously. He took the seat beside me, as did Tythian beside Whitney, giving her a kiss on the forehead in greeting. I saw Chase looking at me from the corner of my eye, thinking the same.

“Don’t touch me,” I said sharply.

“Whaaat, how did you even know I was thinking that… you are too confident in yourself, my golden bird,” he laughed.

“Stop calling me that,” I said, annoyed by his irritating personality. But still, I was not annoyed by his taunts anymore. He was no longer appearing to me as the enemy.

After a long moment of silence Tythian spoke. “I don’t know why you keep her here, you are playing a dangerous game with both of your lives, Chase,” Tythian said, now serious.

“I can look after myself,” I said angrily. Around these three I did not have to pretend to be a defenseless human. I was entirely huntress, and with great pride in it as well.

“Little huntress, you may fight well and in fact I will commend you on being very strong for your age. But you are no match for the vampires here who have lived for hundreds of years training and surviving. Why do you not have your eyes? I have never seen such a hunter.”

“She can’t answer you because she doesn’t know why,” Chase said protectively. I had never exactly told him, simply because I hadn’t the answer.

“I am the only born huntress to have no gift,” I simply said. I was not ashamed of this.

“And yet you are Token, why?” Tythian asked, more stern this time. We were both getting agitated in one another’s presence.

“Because she is super amazing and hot in leather,” Chase said with a childish beam. He was trying to distract us, like he did when confronting Fier. Did he always become immature when trying to dispel tense situations?

“I have worked and lived with you for many years, Chase, which is why I haven’t killed her already, but know and understand the situation you have now put yourself in. I honestly can’t fathom what you are to gain by doing this,” Tythian said seriously to Chase.

“I think Esmore is very sweet, no matter what she is or isn’t,” Whitney interjected. Tythian looked at her for a moment, before apologizing.

“I am sorry to have spoken to your guest in such a way, my love,” he said, kissing her knuckles.

Chase took a mouthful of the blood, his fangs shining as his lips parted for it. I looked away in disgust. They bottled it, how disgusting.

After a few hours of discussion and awkward tension, Tythian asked us to leave as Whitney began tiring quickly. “Besides I think it would be a fitting time for you now to go to this rave you are expected at,” Tythian said, grabbing Whitney out of her wheelchair and placing her comfortably in bed. He tucked her in, feeling the warmth of her forehead and looking over her worriedly.

We excused ourselves and left their room. “Stay close to me this entire time. Don’t talk to anyone and don’t get us into trouble. We are simply going to say ‘hi’ to Fier, and then we will leave. Besides, it’s almost night. I have somewhere I want to take you.”

“It’s already night?” I said, astonished.

“Well, we did get up at mid-day, Esmore,” he growled my name, as if enjoying the taste of it. “Most of us wake at mid-day.”

A thumping noise began irritating my ears as I felt a heavy pound under my feet. I looked around the hallway, assessing where it came from. What vampire could make such noise?

“No Esmore, this is a rave. It was something that was appreciated many years ago by our kind. We have only been able to project this in the past few years. This is how most vampires spend their lives,” Chase said as we stood in front of the large wooden doors where the Council had their meetings. The thumping was louder. If I recalled it was called ‘music.’ But it sounded dreadful and glitchy, like someone kept scratching it and then bringing it back to a loud enormous bang.

Chase opened the door before me. My eyes widened at the enormity in front of me. There must have been hundreds of vampires in the very dark room. Colored lights flashed across the room. The room once seemed so large, but now with so many vampires it was little. There were chairs and couches in certain spots. In these positions some vampires were feeding off humans. The whole atmosphere seemed hormone-driven and intoxicating. Everyone had a sexual tension surrounding them.

Chase grabbed my hand, pulling me into the room. I didn’t want to be a part of such a place, but knew we had to go further in so Chase got to speak with Fier. The music continued to bang and it seemed most of the vampires dry humped one another in sync with it. There were six vampires hanging from the ceiling in what looked to be silky cloth. The oddest part of it was they wore nothing but gold skirts. I was barged left, right, and centre as Chase charged me through the center of the dancers. Some frolicked over their partners as if they were a pole, grinding themselves up their leg and biting into their neck.

“I take it you have never danced,” Chase said loudly over the pounding music. I looked up at where I had once hid. I was staring at the exact same lights once, only now realizing their purpose as an array of green blinded my sight for a moment. “What do you do in celebration for things, like if you just want to have an enjoyable time?”

I looked at him scornfully. I did not have to hide my agitation of being in here. Someone’s hips bumped into mine. Chase tugged me into his arms before I could release some of my tension on the woman who did. She looked at me in disinterest before looking at Chase, who held me tightly in his arms. It was more like he was strapping me in. I tried to use my full strength to get out of his grip. I resisted the urge to smack the back of my head into his just to be free. It was natural for me to do so when he held me in such a way and I had to fight away the urge to defend myself. It was just reflexes. Despite this, I pooled into his arms very quickly, the tension releasing.

“Chase,” the dark-haired vampire said with a velvet voice. She was very attractive and tall. “Is this a pet you now have? Was my blood not sufficient for you or was the sex not fragile enough?”

“Oh Tanya, I didn’t even recognize you with a shirt on,” Chase said with a laugh. “And yeah, she is my pet,” he said, stroking the top of my head. His hard chest was tight against my back as his one hand pinned me harder to him, locking in my resistance. He turned me around, leading me further into the dancers, dismissing the vampire.

“Oh, a bit of a tease for the ladies, are we?” I said, trying to provoke him enough so he would let me go. The room made me uncomfortable and every bang of the music seemed to rattle the floor. The darkness within me seemed to stir to the erotic and distasteful music.

“Hey!” someone shouted angrily. I looked to my left where a human lay dead on the floor. The vampire who had drained her completely was spotlighted instantly by the lights. Chase and I stopped walking and he put a hand in front of me protectively, assessing what would happen next. Gardar pushed aside the crowds of vampires.

“You know the rules!” Gardar said. The other vampire pleaded for his life but within moments, Gardar had bitten into his jugular, ripping out his throat. He plunged his hand into the younger vampire’s chest and reefed his heart out. The young vampire slumped, the smell instantly filling the room. Everyone cheered as the vampire and dead human were dragged away.

Chase grabbed my hand, hurrying me toward Fier, who sat in his large wooden chair. Finally we reached the end of the crowd. Everyone began dancing again and the lights were streaking through the room randomly.

In front of Fier two female vampires with very little clothing on were on the ground kissing one another. “Now bite her neck,” Fier called, aroused. The darker vampire bit the blonde-haired vampire’s neck. She gave out a moan in pleasure. Fier watched intently, enjoying what they did. “Now slide your fingers…”

“Fier!” Chase yelled over the music, grabbing his attention before he could proceed with his commandment.

With his head rested on his hand, Fier looked up, his eyebrows raised. “Ah, there you are, would you care to join me?” he asked. As Chase said nothing, Fier’s green eyes rolled over to me. “How about you?”

“She won’t be involved in any of that. I have only come to assert my ownership of this human,” he said seriously. I wanted to drop him on the spot for claiming me as his. But looking around I now understood that I would be in far more trouble. I also knew that although I didn’t like someone claiming me as their property, much like James did, Chase only did it to dispel other vampires’ interests toward me.

“No. I am fond of your human,” Fier said, staring at me intently. “She is so supple and she smells delicious.”

“Have respect for my mother. I won’t let you. She is mine,” Chase said, tightening his grip around my hand. I felt tension rise between the two.

“You dare bring your mother into this,” Fier said angrily. “For what, a human?” He paused for a moment, staring at Chase’s hand, which was strongly bound over mine. He now raised a sceptical eyebrow. “You have got to be joking me… this cannot be your familiar?” Fier said seriously. He began to laugh. “A human, truly? My heavens, it is like a second Tythian all over again. Fine, I will accept this, but you have two weeks to turn her or I will claim her as my own.”

Chase and Fier stared at one another. A small breeze blew between Chase and I. Suddenly a harsh wind howled past Chase’s cheek, slicing his cheekbone. A small trickle of blood began to bleed before the wound healed instantly.

“Get out of my sight before I change my mind,” Fier said, waving us away.

Chase took me through the crowd of vampires. My steps staggered over a body on the ground. It was a human who had numerous bite marks all over his body. He must have only been thirty and there would be no justice for him. He was already dead.

Finally we were out of the disgusting room, and Chase slammed the doors behind us. I felt as if I could breathe again. Before I could finally release my rage at him, he spoke. “I won’t let anyone hurt you and I will not turn you against your will.”

“I do not like being spoken for. I demand that you let me go.”

“Give me three more days to convince you to stay. I will show you the way out now and in three days if you do not want to stay by my side, I will escort you out. But you can only go with me, if you go alone you will be chased down,” Chase said seriously. “I want to take you to the large bridge that is still standing. I can show you the way out.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to guess his trickery. Why would he offer me such things? If he wanted to trap me then why would he show me the way out… unless it was a trap. I was sceptical, but when I looked into his beautiful gray eyes, I only saw sincerity.

“I am not tricking you, Esmore,” he said patiently. His gray eyes were sincere as he dropped my hand and placed his hand on his chest. My eyes followed his movement to his hard chest. I was instantly angry with myself again for being so easily distracted.

“C’mon,” he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me through the hallways. Obediently I followed him, mostly because I was trying to flush out my hotness. There should not be sexual tension. The moral dilemmas of being attracted to Chase were excruciating. But my mind could not justify it; my body wanted action.

We walked past Chase’s room, continuing straight. We then came to an intersection and he pulled me right. He opened a silver door which had very little light in the room. It was dark and secretive. But I realized that was because there was metal stairs in front of us. Two vampire guards were on either side of the door.

“I am taking my human out for a little,” Chase reported to them. They permitted this. Chase walked me up the spiral metal stairs. If I were human I would have not been able to see where I was stepping. Maybe that was why this room was so dark, because only vampires would use this. The darkness for me, however, was no issue. I was not human and could see very clearly.

After a short walk up the spiral stairs, we came across a small ramp connected to a door. It was a very small ramp with no side bars. Humans would fall to their death if they misplaced their feet before even making it to the door. Still holding my hand, Chase pulled me steadily toward the door, as if I couldn’t see where I was going. In front of the guards I had to pretend to be clumsy, helpless, and very human. When he opened it, the wind of the night brushed over my skin, like a breath of fresh air. It was refreshing and intoxicating to be outside once again. So this was how I would escape.

“None of that,” Chase said with a smile. “Please, give me three days. And let me take you to the bridge. I know you have always wanted to see it up close.”

It was then Chase revealed to me that he could obviously hear my thoughts. I had never told anyone of my curiosity over the bridge within the city. I felt myself building in anger, but he only smiled sheepishly, rubbing his thumb over my hand. His touch ceased my rage quickly. It scared me how much his touch alone could extinguish my flames. It frightened me that I felt emotional over his touch. What tormented me most was that I had not yet pulled away or fled.

“C’mon Esmore, the night will be ours together,” Chase said sweetly as he stood by my side, his hand over mine. He began walking me into the direction of the large bridge.

We walked past where I had been once shredded apart by the grenade. The after effects of that were very obvious as a large hole was now in the ground, and everything surrounding was shattered. The rusty light posts were thrown meters away and were in pieces. The water fountain, where I had first met Whitney, was no longer there. It was nothing but an abundance of shattered cement.

The moon which fought against the gray clouds presented itself finally. Tonight it was very beautiful and bold, capturing my attention as I stared up at it. I wondered if I had died on this spot would I have spent the afterlife here? As a hunter it was not something we often questioned as we were programmed to not fear death.

“Come along, Esmore,” Chase said softly, offering his hand to me. Without realizing I had been fiddling with his necklace around my throat. Slowly he grabbed one of my hands, still watching me in case I did not take kindly to the action. But I did. As soon as his fingers intertwined with mine, it was like taking a breath I had needed for so long. I could not describe the sensation. When he touched me, I actually felt. It was as if I had been incapable of feeling for the past few years. It was something I often thought after my mother’s death. Not even James helped me feel. Although he had tried in many ways, I was repulsed by his lingering neediness. Whereas here, right now with Chase, these feelings came to me like a wave of refreshing water. And it was a very hard slap to the face indeed. These were unexpected feelings, ones that I could not understand.

In the moon’s glow, with his hand holding mine, I was torn by confusion. His chest looked so pale, yet beautiful at the same time. He was angelic in every way. For all his oddness, quirkiness, intensity, and cockiness, I was drawn to him in ways I could not describe.

“This was once the world’s most known bridge; it was called the ‘Golden Gate Bridge.’ Thousands used to travel over it every day in the technology era,” Chase informed me. A lot of things had lost their titles many years ago when the world changed so horrifically. I think humans gave up on the chance of restoring everything that once was.

“This part of the bridge is still very stable. When the bombings happened the bridge was unaffected, and three hundred years later it still stands. It goes to show the strength of the foundations the humans used,” he said in admiration.

We came to the end of the bridge. There were cracks along the road, and it was littered with rusty objects like cars and other vehicles. My eyelids batted a few times in awe. I tried to imagine a different world entirely. As Token Huntress, there was not time to discover such things. My kind had very little curiosity at all, but with Chase it was as if the world had opened up to me, and I wanted to learn of its beauty. Chase made it feel like time had stopped and I had a brief moment to breathe properly. I could consider the endless possibilities of the world and what they once may have been.

“Chase, you were once a part of this era, weren’t you?” I asked. I recalled him saying he was four hundred and thirty-one years old. It seemed so unnatural considering he looked to be no older than his mid-twenties. He slowly pulled me down to sit next to him on the edge of the bridge’s road. I stared beneath us where very little water streamed through. Although murky, the moon’s shine made it seem beautiful. The fog hovered over it, adding to the surreal, mystical atmosphere. I could only imagine that once it was glorious. Did the humans of that day regularly admire it or had they forgotten its glory because they were so accustomed to it?

“I lived in a few eras,” he announced. “But yes, in the time of technology and such, I was there, amongst them. In the time that I was turned it was not like this; life was valued. People had a sense of purpose that they valued above their ego.”

“Who turned you?” I asked inquisitively. Was he turned against his own will or was it something he sought out?

He gave a shy smile, looking at me and then back to the water’s edge. It was when he looked to the water that I could see the true depth of his pain. Like he always did to dispel a serious topic, he tried to make the situation humorous. But already that fake humor had vanished from his eyes.

“My mother, actually,” he said quietly. He grabbed a piece of rubble and threw it into the water. His other hand was still holding mine, and when he continued he held it tighter. “She was turned against her own will when I was younger; my father had died in war before that. So my mother and I were left to fend for ourselves. My mother was very beautiful — it is obvious who I got my good looks from!” he laughed, trying to dispel the intensity. “You know I haven’t always been in this country? I have been spread over many because of that one grotesque vampire. I was born in the United Kingdom, and in the end, this is where we fled to.

A vampire broke into our home and after the vampire had his way with her against her will, he decided he enjoyed it so much that he turned her. Of course she didn’t want that, but he threatened my life, so she agreed to it if I was unharmed. The vampire was a very sick and evil man. He was an example of the vampires who had gone rogue and violent... who lacked control over their cravings and slowly would turn into sabers when they gave into that savageness. It is just too compelling for most to refuse.

During this era vampires could only walk during the night, so I became useful in his eyes to ‘fetch’ women for him to feast from. Eventually my mother was able to control her vampire ways and stayed true to herself for my sake. A rarity. I now understand how lucky I was she hadn’t ripped my throat out the moment she was turned. I have seen it happen far too many times to those who thought they could control their impulses. But that is in a sense the curse. It is because of one’s arrogance and internal weakness that they cannot control themselves. Usually after that they don’t last very long and spiral. They go on a rampage and quickly become sabers themselves.”

His black hair was lightly swaying in the breeze as he continued to speak. He was looking intently into the water as he brought all the memories back. “Eventually my mother became strong, very strong for a young vampire. The vampire who tormented her tried to create some false family-like scenario. But when his mind began to alter, he slowly started resembling a saber. My mother wanted to protect me from him, but you cannot raise a hand to the vampire who turned you, it simply cannot happen, you are to be faithful and loyal to them. So when I was fifteen and he rested one night, I silently crept up on him. Most vampires would’ve been alerted by someone creeping on them, but when they turn into a saber their heightened senses are lacking. I had tried it for many nights prior to see if I could creep up on him. Eighteen days straight I did so, just to make sure I could do it without myself or my mother being killed in consequence. And on the nineteenth night I crept up on him and like always he did not move. So I pierced a stick straight through his chest. I killed him.

I thought my mother would have been overjoyed but instead she cried. Apparently that ghastly vampire had many followers. He was the leader to a coven. There are still a few around these days; a lot of them have been around for as long as the Council. They are ruthless and are the stepping stone between sabers and vampires. Their ways are like a drug to them, and they enjoy torturing... they enjoy the hunt. We Council vampires are more civilized and structured. When I killed their leader, his death smelled of me. To become a leader of the coven you have to kill the current leader. And by killing him I was now the leader, but very easy prey. And so they hunted us in an attempt to kill me and take leadership. Until this day, that coven is leaderless. They cannot claim a leader; it is by death alone that any will be pushed through the ranks. My mother fled with me and for years we ran away from followers. We had many close calls, but my mother protected me fiercely.” His thumb began trailing over my hand absentmindedly. I could tell by the way his shoulders now hunched that he was becoming angry at the thought. I placed my other hand on his, grabbing his attention. He gave a weary smile and continued.

“My mother would not turn me until she thought I was of an appropriate age. She said she wanted me to have time on my own to think if eternal life was something I truly wanted. And also if it was a risk I was willing to take. My mother had not turned someone before and there are rules when it comes to such things. But at the age of twenty-three, five days after my birthday, she did.

Still for many years we ran and there were many near death encounters. It still surprised us, the ripple effect after killing that horrid creature. I would have been a far weaker master for them to challenge. So somewhere out there I imagine they still might be in search of me, if they haven’t yet all died. You see, in a sense, they are trapped in that group. No one allowing them to leave, it truly is an unhealthy group. They mostly feed off one another, which is sickening. Vampires can feed off one another but only to a certain extent. Our blood is like synthesized blood. After drinking too much of our own kind, we become sick, even delusional. At this point, it puts us at further risk of becoming a saber. It only takes one slip to become an inhumane creature.”

I nodded in encouragement. He looked into my eyes then down at the ground before continuing. “In the early years of the twenty-first century, my mother stumbled upon a young vampire. Although so young, only ten years in vampire years, he was my mother’s familiar.” He gave me an arched eyebrow, knowing what I was about to ask. “I will explain shortly. That vampire was Fier—”

“As in Fier, who is charge of the Council?” I asked, surprised. I thought one’s familiar was a lover, so if I were right that would mean... “Fier is your stepdad?”

Chase gave an uneven smile, shaking his head lightly as if weighing up the options. “I suppose in a certain way you could claim that. He wasn’t always in charge of the Council. At the time his father, Arab, was in charge of the Council. He promised my mother and me protection, which we humbly accepted. By then the world had changed drastically. Things that had once hurt us no longer did. There were a few who knew of our kind and hunted us, but they were only humans. The only things that still continue to harm us are fire and silver. It is the only thing that can. Once the sun burnt us, as well as blessed water. But when the human kind altered, they no longer respected religion or law. They became selfish and a very dark race themselves.

Only few could bless water then, because only few remained pure and believed in it. The sun was thickly covered by pollution. The humans would turn on one another in war. Terrorist attacks began; planes would drop from the sky.” He looked at me for a moment, realizing I probably couldn’t quite comprehend what he meant. Although I had read about them, I could not fathom their size. He continued after I prodded him to keep talking. I was learning so much.

“Mankind destroyed their own beliefs and in that, their only weapon against us. It was myth that items like a religious cross could kill us, it was something we created ourselves to witness the stupidity of humans. However silver’s elements have retained their power over us. Flames burn us to death. However the sabers are still affected by all those things: the sun, silver, and pure water. When they change they regress back to a more primal version of the vampire kind.”

I was surprised by how easily Chase spoke of all this to me, but I remained silent, eager to learn all that I could.

“By this time, it made us vampires angry to watch, as we were the ones presumed to lurk in the shadows. Of course the government who ruled over the humans knew of us. They considered us a plagued species. Yet because of our strength, elongated life, and healing qualities, more and more of our kind were being taken.

So Arab took action, and rallied the Councils which had been gathering for many years all over the world. We overpowered the humans; they were so deluded and arrogant in themselves that they thought they could beat us. But of course this was not the case. At first we only wanted partial control, to become the government of the humans. But the humans did not realize their downfall so easily, and what was meant to be a quick sweep of political power turned into war. We only wanted to protect our own kind, who were being taken and tested upon. We wanted equal rights.

By then we could walk in the sun. And we took what we wanted. It spread quickly; those who didn’t know of the Council had the opportunity to stand with us. Within two years we overpowered humans and took what we wanted. But the humans only retreated and continued to sabotage when they could — this is what killed the humanity of the world. I killed many; I am not in denial of what kind of vampire I once was. It is only now that I am older that I do not torture or play games. But I did enjoy the hunt; I enjoyed the darkness that so easily consumed vampires. But the older you get, the more sentimental you become. I have found many vampires to be the same as Tythian. I will never lie to you, Esmore, which is why I am telling you this. I have killed thousands, and some in not so kind ways.”

I was unable to say anything. Was he in search of some reassurance? Yet I couldn’t argue with him for something he had done so long ago in the past or over something I had not seen him do, even if he admitted it.

“It was the government who created the first hunter from the vampires they kidnapped. They tested and studied them, creating the first hunter.”

I knew of our creation but was very interested to hear of it from the perspective of someone who had lived within that time.

“The hunters were special. They all had gifts after their eighteenth birthday. And you were all so easy to spot because of your eyes. It was quickly realized that when you drained a hunter entirely, their gift would become yours, it would pump through your veins. We vampires are not born with gifts, which is why hunters are so prized, especially Token Hunters, as they are known to be the strongest. We were to find the hunters and bring them back. Only the members in charge of the Council were to obtain such gifts, but of course a few of the older ones were careful enough to obtain their own. The younger ones did it foolishly and were caught for it, and were instantly killed.”

At this I was surprised. It made so much sense: Token Hunters were targeted as they were the most powerful. Now I knew why the vampires often took hunters as hostages instead of beheading them or killing them straight away. It was a source of embarrassment for my Guild as we had not yet figured this out. We simply thought that because we were derived from vampires that they were the ones who naturally had gifts.

“How did you acquire your gift then?” I asked, still absorbing all that he told me. Chase took on a gloomy disposition and his fangs accidently slipped out. It startled me, but did not scare me. He apologized and closed his mouth. I had upset him with my question.

“Ten years ago a few of the hunters, not from your guild but another, were closing in on our location. My mother went on that raid, and she never came back,” he simply said. “We had lived together for a mighty four hundred years and yet one hunter, who had only had her gift to control for a mere six years, was able to manipulate my mother so severely she took her own life and Arab’s as well.

I found that huntress and I drained her completely. Before her last breath escaped her mouth, I ripped each of her limbs off one by one and threw her into this very river.” He was now looking down at the water as if the images flashed before his eyes. “Of course, I acquired her gift. Hunters are born with gifts and so they think they can overpower us. But what is forgotten is your kind is still mortal, you only have a certain length of years to learn the extent of your ability. Our lifespan has been frozen and only certain death can kill us, not age. When we acquire a gift we have hundreds of years to fully develop it. It is the second gift I have acquired, after that I did not want anymore. My first gift was a mistake entirely. That one I have locked away for a very long time. It has lived with me for one hundred and fifty years. I acquired it from the first hunter I killed and do my best to keep it hidden. It’s best not to draw too much attention to it. Since Fier has been in charge, and after my mother’s death, he has changed into a very dark figure. Although there are a few who could overpower him, he has many gifts that we do not dare to challenge.”

I allowed myself to absorb this for a moment before asking my next question. “So what exactly is a familiar?”

“You see, my sweet Esmore, a familiar is a rare thing to come across.” He took my knuckles and kissed them gently, caringly. “A familiar is someone you hope to have the chance to meet in this lifetime, no matter what form they might be: human, vampire, hunter...” he let the word linger. “They are your soulmate, and in every life you may find love, but when you find your familiar, it is true love. Your familiar is the one who you meet in every lifetime. You will always be together. It is why you feel so familiar, because already you have met and loved one another in many lifetimes.” I thought about this for a moment. The way he made me feel, it was something I now considered to be true.

“If by chance both familiars are vampire or hunter, they share their gifts after initiating their long, undying love. My mother had five gifts and Fier had two. Between them, they both had the same: seven each. It is — if you ever permitted me to do so — something I would share with you someday. My first gift would not harm you because you are not vampire. And I could share my gift of manipulating the mind with you.”

“What must one do to initiate their undying love?” I asked.

He kissed my knuckles again, looking at me with his beautiful gray eyes that glistened in the moonlight. “Become lovers, claim one another as only theirs. That is what binds familiars officially. I know you may shy away from this, Esmore, but I cannot explain to you how hard it is to not touch you, to not be with you. For heaven’s sake, I don’t know how Tythian has done it all this years. He has made sure not to touch Whitney as she is waiting out her days. They can both sense and feel that they are one another’s familiar and their bond is deep. But never have they been able to connect on that far deeper level that familiars crave: to become one with one another. If she and Tythian were to make love, it would change her entirely, which is something she has never wanted. Tythian respects her and her wishes.” The air was thick with tension and longing. “You, Esmore, I crave more than anything.” His hand trailed up my arm and gently caressed the back of my neck. He pulled me in and I could feel myself leaning toward him.

“Since vampires have existed, it has always been questioned whether they have a soul. But I believe it; we were, after all, born human. You have confirmed my many questions that I have asked all these years. I will protect you forever, and I will love you even into the next life until we meet again. My love for you will never die,” Chase said, his words becoming a whisper as I closed my eyes, ready to embrace his soft lips. I could no longer deny my desire for him. And as he explained everything, I felt that it was all so true. I could not confront my feelings just yet, but I could commit to one kiss, just one was all I pushed for.

Chase’s lips gently brushed past mine, but before I could push further into him, snarling noises broke our trance. Chase jumped up immediately, standing in front of me protectively. He tilted his head as if listening in the distance. His hearing was far more exceptional than mine and I trusted him to report to me what those noises were.

“A spotter has just located two hunters nearby. They are circling them now and taking them hostage,” he claimed, aiding me to my feet. My lips parted as I feared who those two hunters might be.

“From the description they are alarming everyone with...,” Chase continued. “Two males... I think it is Dillian and James.”

By the time we found the other vampires, James and Dillian were already at the Council. I was too late to intervene, already they were captured. Chase took me to our rooms so we wouldn’t raise suspicion by following the small group of vampires who had a hold of the two. It would be suspicious if Chase brought his human with him to see them. So instead he brought me to his room to form a plan to see them. My heart dropped within my chest. He was so willing to risk himself so I could meet with my captive teammates. He was the only vampire I could ever imagine to do such a thing. Our kinds were enemies and yet, for me, he did this. I stood pacing near the bed in anticipation. Dillian and James had been trapped before we had time to even reach them and that unsettled me. Why would they so foolishly come back into the enemy’s territory?

Chase left the room. Within a few minutes he was back and my heart tugged as he walked toward me. “Come on, I can only provide you with a few minutes. Please understand that,” he said very seriously. I nodded in agreement. I knew the risk that Chase was taking if I were caught talking with the prisoners. Chase gathered me in his arms, breezing through the halls with lightning speed into a foreign room I had not yet explored. His pace was so fast that I knew he was worried about us being discovered. Outside was a vampire whom I did not recognize. He looked at me, bored, and held out his hand to Chase. Chase placed something in there. By the look they exchanged it seemed to be payment of some kind.

“I will be back in three minutes,” the guard warned.

Before he had completely vanished around the corner, I hurriedly opened the door to reveal a very near unconscious Dillian and James. They both had blindfolds on and their mouths had been gagged. Both of them had their ankles and hands tied to the wooden chairs they sat on. First I took Dillian’s blindfold and gag off. He looked up, terrified, only to realize it was me. He looked at me and then went to say something before I took James gag and blindfold off, but he hesitated as soon as James’ eyes were revealed.

“Esmore,” James whispered desperately. “I have been looking for you everywhere.”

Dillian was exchanging a pained expression with Chase. I was trying to guess whether Chase was speaking to him or not within his mind.

“Take this off my wrists so I can hold you in my arms,” James said fiercely.

“I am sorry, but I can’t right now. I need to figure out how I can get you out…”

“What do you mean, you ‘can’t’?” James shouted angrily.

Suddenly Chase was by my side, standing protectively. I looked between him and James, shocked at the sudden outburst.

“That’s what you left me for, so you could be with a filthy vampire! You are mine and you can’t ruin yourself by—” James was cut off by Chase, who held him around the throat. He lifted both him and the chair to his eye-level.

“You do not speak to Esmore like that,” he said slowly and deliberately. His fangs were now out and he looked at James’ throat with consideration. Before I could say anything, Chase took James out of the room at a pace I could hardly follow.

“Chase!” I yelled angrily.

Before I could run after them, Dillian called out to me from behind. “Esmore! I asked him to, we don’t have much time.” His face was badly bruised and his lip and right eye were busted. Two bite marks were on either side of his neck.

“You know Chase can speak through the mind?” I asked hesitantly.

“I figured it out as soon as you were taken. I knew you had not died. Not much can get past my eyes, even if my body cannot follow at such a speed. I saw him take you. You cannot come back to the Guild, Esmore.”

“What are you talking about?” I asked, now coming to his side. How I wished I could heal his wounds for him; he looked terrible.

“James… he has become obsessed with you. You are not safe there. His personality changed instantly as soon as you vanished. When you were in the Guild he could control and monitor you. But as soon as you were out of his grasp, he became violent toward the other hunters. He is half crazed and desperate to own you. I figured after the fight Chase brought you here. If you come back to the Guild I really do believe Campture will kill you in front of everyone, which is why we haven’t yet reported to her. The suspicion James has around you… I think his desire of you becoming his wife was far more intense than you ever knew. The signs were so obvious with his need to control you, but we didn’t take it seriously. I know you are probably thinking you have infiltrated this place and can bring us good news. But you cannot, Esmore. You mustn’t come back,” he said desperately.

“James has always—”

“No Esmore, I mean this. He isn’t of a healthy mind anymore when it comes to you. He hasn’t slept since you have been taken. I have been worried about you too, but he is obsessing. It isn’t because he misses or worries for you. The way he rambles... it is as if his property has been stolen from him. He thinks you are his. I knew you were alive but after a few days of his mumbling and spitting your name under his breath, I knew even if we found you, he would not be kind. He has been claiming you are a traitor for throwing all that you and he had away, and that he will take you back to teach you where you went wrong. Esmore, I swear I am not lying. I swear it,” he said pleadingly. “I know you are amongst vampires. But if this old vampire, Chase, is willing to protect you right now, you need that to hide from James. You know he has great influence in the Guild. You must stay away,” he said sternly.

I considered his warning, but I cared more about Dillian escaping than my own life right now.

I took two of the daggers from my garter, placing them in his hand in an upward position. “There is only one guard for the time being. Most vampires will not wake for another few hours. You must escape or they will kill you in only a few hours, I am certain of it. You know me Dillian, I can look after myself.”

“You don’t understand,” he whispered.

I pressed my finger to his lips. “You are my friend, let me do this for you,” I begged. If I were to risk my life for anyone it would be Dillian. I explained to him where he was and gave him very specific instructions about where to go and how to escape. I told him to break the ropes and use the daggers as weapons.

Chase came back in with James. James was now raging, pulling back and forth on his chair. He was spitting angrily, like a saber out of control. It was scary to see such a transformation within him. Dillian’s words sunk in as I realized the extent of James’ possessiveness. The thought lingered. If he could not have me and control me then he would most likely want to kill me.

“You filthy tramp!” James spat at me. “You belong to me! How weak you are in the mind, how easily you spread your legs for anything…”

Chase sharply backhanded him across the room, smashing him into the wall. James began to bleed from his head. Chase’s speed was far too fast for James to have protected himself with his metal skin. But as Chase advanced on him again, his skin then turned. “Utterly filthy! I will have you return to me.”

“She is not yours,” Chase hissed angrily. “You do not own her.”

My own anger built at the accusations he threw at me without knowledge of what I had been going through. He had always been like this, but I never realized the extent. He would never let me go. And as his control of me slipped, he slowly turned into this hideous beast. I felt the stir of darkness within my stomach again. At this point I wanted to follow Chase’s lead and hurt James. I wanted to force him to retract his words. The creature continued to stir as I beckoned it to go, trying to pull myself back. I felt as if I couldn’t breathe and as it rose, I wanted to hurt James, to… kill him.

“Esmore,” Dillian said cautiously. My eyes flickered to him. I now realized I had my arms crossed and my nails had been clawing my own skin in anger. Chase looked at me worriedly, now no longer fixated on his hunger for James.

“Breathe, Esmore,” Chase soothed. His voice whispered like my father’s used to when such desires came to mind. Count to ten, my father used to say. I proceeded to do so, just as he had taught me. I contained the creature as Chase’s eyes pooled into mine.

I swallowed hard, walking over to both James and Chase. I knelt in front of James. I would not give him the satisfaction of knowing he had made me feel something at his words. I would stand in front of him with very little expression. It was only Chase who could make me feel anything other than hate and bloodlust.“We are done, James. I do not belong to you. I will never be owned by you. I choose Chase,” I said bluntly.

James metal forehead smashed into my nose. He had head-butted me. I fell back into Chase, who then held me behind him with one arm and lifted James by the throat with the other. “I will kill him,” Chase promised.

I too wanted to make James pay for what had happened. I could feel he had broken my nose. Whatever we had once shared in our younger years vanished as I now saw him for the disgusting man he was. And yet, as I looked into his eyes, I pitied him.

We all turned as the guard opened the door and stepped into the room. He focused on Chase. “You know Fier will punish you if you do something so reckless,” he said in alarm.

“Chase, let’s go,” I whispered to him softly. He was hesitant, but slowly he let go of James and dropped him to the floor. James slithered on the floor, choking.

I gave Dillian another wary look.              “Be safe,” he mouthed.

The guard followed us out, watching us as we walked down the hall and turned into the white hall. “Erase their memory of this location,” I said briskly. Chase was the vampire who had the power to blur and control everyone’s minds. I knew he could do the same to Dillian and James so they would not know how to come back. At least I knew Dillian and James would now be able to escape. And when they did, it would look as if it was their own doing. They were hunters after all.

“Already have. Why? What did you do?” Chase asked. I stayed silent.

I was suddenly swept off my feet and then Chase set me down on the floor of his room. He assessed my nose carefully. His fangs slid out of his and he bit into his own wrist. “Drink this,” he said, offering his wrist to me. “It will heal your nose.” At my hesitation he added, “Your broken nose will not go unnoticed by other vampires.”

Because of that I agreed. I did not want to raise attention. I slowly took Chase’s wrist. I pressed my lips to it, letting the warmth of his blood flow over my lips, over my teeth, and down my throat. I had tasted blood before after many hits to the face in both training and in raids. But Chase’s blood tasted different: it tasted sweet and comforting. Chase pushed back my golden fringe, pushing it out of my eyes. I released my hold of his wrist, feeling the after-effect of a slight buzz. I felt my nose healing and then very quickly it was no longer broken.

“I have something for you. Dillian was carrying them with him,” Chase said, vanishing into the bathroom. After only a moment of silence he came back, presenting my Barnett bow and sword. I took them swiftly, looking at them in awe. I thought I would never see them again.

“Thank you,” I said. I was a huntress, a Token Huntress, yet Dillian just warned me not to come back. What purpose would I have if I stayed?

“Did you mean it?” Chase asked, interrupting the very dark thoughts that swallowed me. I looked away so he could not guess at my inner thoughts. But he had already seen them. My expressions and thoughts were always so hard to keep from him. He brushed his hand over my arm. At his touch I suddenly wanted to cry. What reason did I have to live if I was no longer a Token Huntress?

“Esmore,” he said soothingly. “Did you mean it?” He meant when I told James I chose Chase, I knew he did. I felt vulnerable under Chase’s stare so I continued to look at my weapons. Chase’s other hand gently held my chin and lifted it to his gaze. “My Esmore, you are far too beautiful to look beneath you. If ever you feel insecure about anything, look to me. I will be yours forever, and my counselling is the least you can ask of me. But I selfishly ask you to let me make you feel,” he exhaled. His breath was hot on mine as he slowly leant in. His lips brushed past mine and I could no longer fight the need I had for him. It was only with Chase I felt something, anything.

Chase kissed me, his tongue leading mine. We held each other desperately in case either of us slipped out of the other’s grip. I let my weapons drop to the floor, brushing my hands under his leather jacket to feel the warmth of his chest. My hands trailed down his abs, embracing each and every muscle. The lower I got the fiercer my nails dug into his skin as I knew what was soon to come.

Chase stopped kissing my lips, lifted me, and wrapped my legs around his waist. I fumbled for what I was so desperately after, and that was his belt. Within an instant, Chase had thrown me face-down onto his bed. I clung to one of the posts as he came up behind me, kissing the back of my neck, which sent shivers down my entire body. He made me feel as if I were flooding with warm energy, like we were radiating together. I couldn’t handle his sweetness, I wanted more. I wanted to see his savageness and I wanted him to fill me with that hunger. Reading my mind, he tore the back of my dress open in a clean sweep. Slowly he began kissing down my back.

At each kiss my nails clung deeper into the wooden post, until I could no longer be teased. I turned to face him, and one of my torn sleeves slid over my shoulder to reveal my breast. He looked at me lustfully, licking over his lips as he stared at my exposed body. He took my lips again, more hungrily, tugging on the bottom of my lip as we parted. I tried to fumble for his jeans, feeling the heat radiate from him. He took my hands, gathering them above my head and pinning them to the post. He kissed my lips fiercely again, his fangs accidently sliding out and nipping my lip. He pulled back for a moment. His lustful expression had turned to worry.

My body overflowed and I needed to relieve myself of such heat. I needed to be with Chase. He was staring at my exposed neck, and I nodded my permission. His beautiful gray eyes went hungry as he kissed my lips again before biting into my neck. The feeling was both terrifying and erotic at the same time. In a sense I felt even further connected to Chase. It was another way of being able to be with him. He arched his head back, embracing the taste of my blood, before wiping his mouth on his jacket. I so desperately wanted to clutch for him again but as he had me pinned I was unable to. It felt like teasing, which only made me wetter. I needed him inside of me.

His hand slid over my dress, ripping the front of it apart. He kissed down my neck, creating a moan that rumbled from the core of my stomach. His lips brushed over my nipples, kissing me gently on both as he lifted me higher on the bed. I loved the pain it caused when he pushed me back against the post.

He looked at me hungrily before kissing me again. He whispered into my ear, his words warm. “You are so beautiful, Esmore,” he growled.

I kissed his neck, not wanting to suffer under his torment any longer. I wriggled my hands beneath his jacket, fiercely taking it off and throwing it away. The mere pleasure I had in touching his shoulder blades forced another moan from my lips. I clutched for his belt, sliding it off quickly and unzipping his pants, desperately trying to grab a hold of his hard shaft. My fingers brushed the tip of it and I was pleased by the size.

He held my hand firmly for a moment, looking at me fiercely, wildly even. “Esmore, what is mine will be yours, and yours mine.” I kissed his lips to confirm that I knew. Chase was something that I would agree to for the rest of my life. For better or for worse, I only cared for this moment right now. My hands went through his hair wildly.

He shredded my underwear and lifted me over him. I kissed him again fiercely as I slid over him, accepting his enormity. At first it hurt, but as he slowly began pulling me further onto him, I became intoxicated by him. Kissing his neck fiercely, our speed heightened. Moans tore from my mouth. I had never felt anything so fulfilling. I pushed him down, wanting to explore his full length on my own. I went down harder on him, causing me to moan louder. Chase could not handle that and with speed he swept me from the bed and had me on the desk.

Every time he thrust into me I moaned louder and louder, almost ready to peak. I could not handle his speed or might much longer, yet I only wanted more. I clung to his shoulder blades desperately, my nails etching into his skin. I couldn’t hold such pressure within me anymore, and I moaned loudly at the release he forced out of me, at the same time he did. Breathing heavily over my shoulder for a moment, he kissed my neck gently, lovingly. The wood creaked beneath us and we both awkwardly fell onto the floor as the desk snapped and shattered. I fell on top of him awkwardly. We both looked at one another in surprise and then began laughing at once.

I moved on top of him, my chest pressed to his as I played with one of his hands, staring at it in thought. I felt different after being with him. After all my resistance, I was right to be with Chase. I could now understand being his familiar. Chase combed through my sweaty hair, pushing it aside from my face. We just lay their contentedly, enjoying being with one another.

“I understand now,” I said. I could feel him smiling as his breath got hotter on my face.

“I will be yours forever, Esmore.”

When I awoke still on top of Chase, I found we were lightly swaying. I realized then that we were in the hammock and Chase was lightly pushing us away from his collection of bobble-head dolls. He had covered us both with his beige silky sheets. I smiled as I remembered what we had shared.

I wanted to argue with being claimed as his familiar, but I couldn’t. Everything had changed, so much so it scared me. But, resting with Chase, I was at peace. It was like he once said, our souls did feel familiar. It was as if we had swung on this very same hammock lifetimes ago together. My instinct was now to fight anything that threatened our togetherness. It was not about losing my freedom, but in finding my freedom through Chase.

He was gently pushing back my golden hair, looking at it contentedly. I looked into his beautiful gray eyes before kissing his smooth chest. This chest will be mine forever, every inch is mine.

I was distracted by one of the bobble-head dolls. They are so creepy.

They are not, they’re cool, Chase’s voice interrupted in my mind. I looked up at him, baffled.

Can I communicate to you now from my mind? I felt stupid for asking, he had mentioned that his gift would become my own, but still it was the oddest of sensations. It was like a pool of whispers, and I could hear Chase’s voice over all the rest, which made no sense to me. I wondered if they were the voices and thoughts of all the other vampires and humans who dwelled within the Council.

He smiled at me. You will be able to use it better soon, but yes, my love. When he called me ‘my love,’ I shuddered with warmth and happiness. You will soon learn how to manipulate people’s minds, and soon you can even start reaching people in their dreams. I can teach it all to you. He swept his hand through my fringe again. You are so beautiful.

Never was I vain, nor did I care much for my appearance, but when Chase said it, I welcomed the compliment. But not as beautiful as you, right? I asked with a wicked smile. He arched an eyebrow in challenge, pinching at the sides of my ribs and trying to tickle me.

There was a huge bang on the door and I jumped with fright. I was so absorbed I hadn’t even been cautious of my surroundings.

“Bring your human out, Chase!” the vampire bellowed. It was the vampire who had attacked me only nights before, Gardar. Chase threw me a look. He didn’t even need to ask me what I had done.

You gave them a way to escape, Chase projected into my mind.

I couldn’t just leave them there, I answered, pain shredding through me at his disappointed tone.

“Get some clothes on,” he said, gently lifting me. I wrapped the sheet around me, watching as he got out of the hammock naked. He walked toward his closet, his behind so desirable. His muscles lightly rolled beneath his skin as he walked. Never had I noticed how toned every inch of him was. Feeling my gaze, he shot me a devilish stare, raising a suggestive brow. I smiled, only wanting the same that he did in that very instant. I pooled over with heat for him once more. But the enticement was broken when the banging continued at the door.

“Don’t make me break this door in!” Gardar raged.

“I’ll be two seconds. My heavens, calm yourself!” Chase bellowed. We both looked at the heap of clothes on the ground. They were shredded into bits.

I gave him a sheepish smile. “I suppose you only brought me one garment?” I asked, pulling the sheet higher up my chest.

He gave me a half smile, gesturing for me to come to his wardrobe. “I guess it can’t be helped then, you will have to wear something of mine.”

Unfortunately Chase’s clothing didn’t exactly fit me. He presented me one of his white buttoned shirts and a long leather jacket, so most of my legs were covered. He tightened the leather jacket around me so tightly it took my breath away, then gave me a wicked smile. The temptation was far too great and I had to bite my lip to discourage myself from grabbing him as he stood naked in front of me.

Another bang forced us to move. Luckily my leather boots were undamaged and I tied them up easily. Already Chase had pulled on jeans, a belt, and a leather jacket. I went to grab for my weapons but he gave me a warning glance that motioned for me not to. Whatever has happened, you cannot go in armed. Let me do the talking and remember, we were here all night. Don’t worry about me. Fier will most likely threaten me. But don’t worry about that, I can take care of myself, he explained.

Before I could show my obvious discomfort with this, Chase opened the door. The barbaric vampire looked at me uneasily. Chase grabbed his cheeks to refocus his eyes onto him. “You look at me only,” he growled, deterring the vampire’s lingering eyes. Although I knew he could not remember attacking me, it seemed the same interest danced in his eyes.

“Fier wants to see you both. By the sound of it, your human is as good as dead. Familiar or not,” he smirked with a very hungry smile, his fangs slipping out. Chase threw him into the hall. He came back at Chase just as quickly. Both of them grabbed one another’s throat in a tight hold. I looked at my Barnett bow and sword, which was in the center of the room.

Don’t! You are only supposed to be human, Chase raised his voice in my mind.

“The fact that you are Fier’s second-in-charge and your mummy was his familiar doesn’t mean much to me. Fier’s pissed, man. He knows your human let our hunters escape. They killed eight of our kind. That’s on you,” the vampire finished, smiling maliciously. He released his hand on Chase, who did the same, straightening out his coat. The vampire sneered at me and then stalked through the hall.

“Come along, Esmore. I will protect you,” Chase promised. I would not rely on his protection, but I took his hand anyway. I had to keep up the pretense that I was only a human or it would put Chase in danger as well.

Chase led me somewhat anxiously through the halls, though on the outside he looked perfectly calm. As I hovered my mind over his I could feel that his was darting between possible outcomes. I had put him in this position, but they didn’t know it was me who had let them out. I reminded him of this internally as we paced through the hallways.

We walked past the water fountain and turned right, then walked toward the large wooden doors where Fier often gathered his men. The doors were already open; they were waiting for our arrival. Chase tightened his grip on me as we entered. Fier was pacing the room. At our entrance he savagely swung around, holding his finger up. His blonde hair was messy and his eyes were wild. The first few buttons were undone on his silky white shirt. He motioned for the other guards to surround us in a complete circle. His fangs were savage as he spoke, spit flying. “You dare betray me, after my father took your sorry life in and protected you… after pledging your loyalty to me?” Fier demanded of Chase.

Chase was unflinching. He stood there looking intimidating, like a hard statue. He swept his gaze over the numbers surrounding us. There must have been one hundred vampires here, easily. Is this how they convicted their vampires? Were these witnesses or warriors? Looking at the ones closest to me I knew I could disarm them quickly in hand-to-hand combat.

“Fier, would you like to state what this is about? And why so many vampires? Have you convicted me of an unknown crime already?” Chase asked. His deep, threatening voice caused the other vampires to shift uncomfortably. Although Chase was not the oldest vampire here, they feared him. And much to our advantage, they did not know I was a huntress.

Fier pulled a shining object out of his back pocket. To my disbelief it was one of the daggers I had given Dillian. They must have dropped one and that was the evidence. Chase heard my thoughts and he tightened his grip on my hand. He now completely understood what I had done.

“The person to have signed this out of the weapons room was you. So it was one of two options: it was either you or that damn human you hold so dearly.” Fier looked like a creature with rabies; he was almost frothing at the mouth in rage. The frown marks in his face cut deep into his skin. Wind began to stir in the room, causing objects to creak. Fier’s anger was manifesting through his gift.

“Kill all the humans!” Fier announced harshly. There were a few mumbles amongst the vampires. “If my men’s loyalty has begun to falter because of some humans, then we will be rid of them all. You will all find new ones. They are only meals!” Fier roared. The wind began to surround us and vampires pushed together, frightened.

“It wasn’t them!” a faint voice tried to shout over the loud howls of the wind. Suddenly it stopped as vampires pushed aside for Whitney to wheel herself in. She gave me a small smile.

What are you doing? I asked her in my mind.

I hadn’t even known I had done it until I could feel the sensation of her mind receiving me. I thought I could only share my gift with Chase. But then I considered when James and Dillian were captured. With silent words Dillian had requested that Chase take James from the room. So Chase’s mind manipulation could allow for conversations with others as well, I discovered.

Whitney looked at me warily, though she did not seem surprised that I could now speak to her in such a way. My death is nearing and I am okay with this. I know you saw the blood yesterday that I coughed into my handkerchief. I am very close to my death… my body is now shutting down. I feel as if I only have days left, she murmured. Tythian and I cannot live together forever and it pains me to leave him. Right now he is on a raid, and when he returns he will be furious. But if I can help save many people’s lives, then I will. I knew it would come to this.

“What do you mean, you weakling?” Fier spat at her angrily. Chase held me firmly as I stepped forward.

I am okay with this, Esmore, Whitney said to me, as if she knew what was about to come. After I have gone, please talk to Tythain. I fear that with no one to talk to, he will forsake his own sanity.

“Kill all three!” Fier roared.

I couldn’t reach Whitney in time, but as I stumbled forward, Chase covered my back as vampires began to run for us. Fier was in front of Whitney, and with one clean slice, he slit her throat with the very same dagger. Gasping for breath and choking began, but Whitney did not look at me. My mind brushed over hers. I could feel the shadows of death reach for her. And yet a smile still pressed on her lips. Her pain was not for long, but I suffered it with her.

Admiring his work, Fier looked from Whitney to me with cold eyes. The movement around us seemed to blur. I roared with hatred and pain, swept over with guilt. Whitney’s death was now on my hands as well.

One vampire came at me with a large wooden stick. On the end of it was a sphere. I grabbed it, flipping myself over her stick and over her back. Behind her I breathed heavily, surprising her with my speed, and snapping her neck. I claimed her weapon as mine and pierced her chest with it from behind before her neck could heal.

“Hunter!” a vampire roared amongst them all. Suddenly all their attention was now on me. I sliced through the first two, cutting their throats open. I didn’t have a clear opening to pierce their hearts, with so many enemies in such a confined space. I could kill the ones who gave me an opening, but for now I had to severely injure and cut down as many as I could to drop their numbers before they healed and revived into masses. I would have to kill them one by one.

Two jumped from the forefront of the group. I slid under them, slicing at their ankles before they dropped. I swung my blade around in time, thrusting the blade across a vampire’s eye who had tried to attack me from behind. I pierced the vampire in front of me through the chest, jumping into him as he keeled over and took me with him. I took the motion, flipping over his corpse and jumping onto a vampire’s shoulders. I placed both of my hands on the ground, throwing the vampire’s weight over me and into an oncoming four vampires.

My rage only burned fiercer and the wild beast that I too often tried to hold down was now gathering itself again. I could not fall away from it. I could not resist the pull of darkness. Blood was all I wanted to see. I wanted to kill each and every one of them. I was in a bloodlust frenzy.

A vampire came at me with two swords. I dodged the first, ducking to the side and then spinning around them. I grabbed hold of both of his arms, plunging my feet into his back and pushing into it. I heard a snap which busted both of his shoulder blades. Letting go I flipped myself behind him, retrieving the two swords.

My movements were fluent then as I fixated on Chase. I needed to get to him so I could stand by his side and protect him. I sliced through many vampires who came at me: their throats, chests, stomachs, faces, and ankles. Nothing would stop me from getting to Chase. The old grotesque vampire, Gardar, now ran for me. A smile pressed at his lips as he arched his neck back with fangs showing, thinking it would be so easy for him to rip at my neck. I dodged him, jabbing for the side of his stomach, but he was already gone. I couldn’t track his movement. I breathed heavily and tried to focus my senses on him while other younger vampires attacked and distracted me. Still slicing through them, I tried to focus on that one old grotesque vampire.

The back of my hair was grabbed. I tried to kick my leg behind me, but I was heaved up by my hair as the vampire behind me held me firmly. As I scanned over the vampire’s mind, I realized it was Fier. When sensing over someone’s mind, I now realized you could picture who it was just by hovering over it. He whistled, but it was ear piercing, and a tunnel of wind blew through the room, blowing away all vampires and splitting them until I could see Chase. He was panting heavily now, standing alone. He looked into the direction of the whistle, noticing my capture.

The anger swelled inside of me as once again I felt useless. I was one of the best, yet I couldn’t even defend myself against a mere hundred vampires. Where I was held was next to the pooling blood of Whitney. It only jerked my rage further as I once again looked into her glassy dead eyes, the blood from her slit throat pooling near my knees.

“My dear Chase, you have been holding a huntress as your familiar,” Fier said calmly. “I wonder which would hurt more: if she were to watch you die first or if you watched her die an excruciating, humiliating death.”

Gardar stepped forward hungrily at Fier’s words. Chase’s feet moved at lightning speed but already twelve vampires held him down. One of them was Gardar, who looked at me and unstripped me with his eyes.

Revulsion spread through my veins and power possessed my thoughts. One held a blade to Chase’s throat, waiting for the command of Fier. No longer could I bottle the beast that held itself inside of me. I remembered my father’s words as a child, telling me to shoo the monster away, but I could no longer respect his wishes. There was no point, if whatever it was could protect Chase, then I welcomed such darkness. As soon I accepted that darkness my whole body shuddered in pain.

My throat felt as if pins swarmed up from my stomach and a small ghastly growl passed through my lips. My gums burned and my blood began to feel hot as if boiling beneath my skin. My mind felt like it was being torn apart to make room for the darkness to seep through. When I felt as if my body had expanded, I felt light and as if weight did not ground me.              A ghastly, domineering noise came from my mouth as the darkness from within claimed me. It tainted me and my thoughts. I felt powerful and in control. Like I could kill them all in an instance. This darkness had my tongue rolling within my mouth with pleasure. I opened my eyes, no longer hiding from the change I felt within me. I was confident and vengeful.

My sight was hazed with a light purple. My huntress eyes had returned. I no longer felt like I was immobile, like my speed was slow. My goal was to get to Chase and now I could do it. The power that surged through me was intoxicating and lustful. And unexpected by those who thought they had me captured.

Still with blades in hand, I plunged behind me. My neck cracked back, but not enough to snap it. This darkness made me stronger, less breakable. Whatever was surging through me was the reason as to why Fier couldn’t snap my neck as I turned on him viciously, slipping out of his grip.

I threw my sword at the vampire who held the blade to Chase’s chest, nailing him straight in the heart before he even knew what had happened. A few vampires took a few steps back from Chase as I advanced on them. Whatever they saw, they feared. Another ghastly noise left my mouth as my breathing felt heavier. I simply walked up to Chase, power emanating from me. Whatever the others saw, they walked back, not willing to attack me. Chase looked at me calculatingly. His voice was the light in my dark thoughts. All I could make of his words was retract.

“She’s vampire,” someone gasped. This I did hear clearly, and snapped on the person instantly, only to realize it was Fier. “But how?”

Slowly I raised my hand to my gums, which now felt somewhat sore. The dark that surrounded me began to deplete at my sudden realization that Chase was safe. My finger touched a sharp point. I had fangs. I hid my confusion, looking at them all savagely.

Chase? I asked, almost scared.

This is not of my doing Esmore, this is you, he replied. His voice was distant. I was still staring down Fier as I considered this.

“She hasn’t been recently turned, look at the size of her fangs, they look to be twenty years old,” someone whispered in the crowd.

I thirsted for blood, I ached for it. It was the hardest of sensations to push away. I craved so many things. I looked at Chase hungrily and he knew what it was I now craved. My feelings were heightened; my desire of all things hot and sticky like blood and sex swarmed over me. I thirsted, I needed blood. I wanted to kill more. I stepped forward, letting this instinct sweep over me. I will kill them all.

“No Esmore,” Chase said, grabbing my wrist firmly and pulling me back. “You must come back from this. Hold it back in. Don’t let it devour you, trust me.”

If it weren’t for his eyes pooling into me like light into darkness, I don’t think I could have resisted the temptation.

“She has always been vampire?” Fier asked, astonished.

“Yes,” Chase lied. It made me question if Chase had always known of this. But when I swept over his mind, he once again scattered in thought. He was now very wary of me.

“What is wrong with her eyes?” Fier demanded in bewilderment. Thinking quickly, I interjected so Chase would not say anything I didn’t agree with.

“It’s a gift,” I said. My voice sounded hollower, darker, and deeper. I took Chase’s advice and slowly I felt the darkness retract, not only because of my own force but because Chase was within my mind, aiding me to push the darkness away. Slowly my fangs slid back into my gums. My hazy purple eyes vanished and I inhaled deeply as if it were the first breath I had taken in a long time.

“We did not do it,” Chase said. “We had no reason to. Your culprit admitted to it. There is no reason for—” Suddenly a very powerful presence swept through the room and took Chase with him. Tythian threw Chase into the furthest wall, then went to Whitney’s side.

He gasped, tears pouring from his eyes as he touched her face. “No,” he howled, looking up to the ceiling. “No, no, no. Come back to me,” he pleaded. “No, this cannot be.” He held her in his arms tightly. Chase was cautiously walking back to my side to stand in front of me protectively. Everyone in the room did not let their gaze leave Tythian.

“Tythian,” Fier said cautiously, slowly stepping away from him. “If you try anything, you will be killed.”

“You did this to her!” Tythian accused angrily. I felt Chase inserting influential thoughts into Tythian’s mind. Tythian had already imagined killing me as he thought me to be the reason for her death, and he was right. And then the next plan was that he would challenge Fier. Instead of this, Chase continuously repeated in Tythian’s mind: Bury her, that is the least I can do for her: bury her. Bury her.

Tythian’s large fangs slid out of his mouth as he angrily stared at Fier. “I will make sure you suffer for what you have done.” Tythian’s eyes glowed and a black hole appeared beneath him. I had never seen his gift and had no idea what would come of it. Suddenly both he and Whitney had vanished.

There was an awkward shuffle in the room and a howl of wind. Fier was no longer threatening, but on edge. A few of his guards gathered around him warily.

“This discussion is over for now. Gardar, take three teams out and find Tythian. If he has just threatened my life then you all must find him before he returns,” he ordered fiercely. “We will talk about this later.”

Chase held my hand, walking me out of the room. Still my blood felt as if it were on fire beneath my skin, like at any time it would boil over once again. And I wanted it to, the powerful feeling was intoxicating, I wanted it to overflow.

No, Chase said still pulling me toward his room. We were still within hearing range of the others. You mustn’t let it take over, he urged seriously.

He led me to his room, taking on a very serious demeanor. “How are you a vampire?” he demanded. I gave a sour look, unable to explain anything. Every part of me craved and urged to feed the darkness which corrupted my body. Suddenly I was in need; my skin tingled for Chase to be inside of me. I couldn’t handle such cravings, I thirsted for him. I felt him sweep his mind over mine. At my predator-like movement he took a few steps back, trying to control himself. He felt my desire for him.

“This is serious Esmore, you don’t understand what this means,” he said worriedly.

“I want you,” I said, walking over to him and pulling at the ends of his leather jacket. Craving him was the only thing I could feel right now, and any questions I would have could wait. “I want you inside of me, now,” I said, brushing my lip against his ear. Everything in me burned. I needed him to cool me. He needed to fill my craving. I couldn’t explain my sudden savageness.

“Your senses are heightened,” he said almost in a whimper, as he tried to resist me. I nibbled on his ear, rubbing myself against his leg, my chest against his bare one. My lips kissed down his neck and to his collarbone. “As a vampire you—”

I cut Chase off, slamming him into the wall with my hand around his throat. “Stop talking,” I said with a smile. The strength of my desire consumed him and his eyes finally snapped into a lustful darkness. I would not be denied any longer. His hand swept up me, brushing over the parts of me which desired him the most. He tore open the leather coat I wore, revealing my naked body. I reefed his off as I hungrily looked over his perfectness; he was already hard and ready for me. He wasn’t holding out as much as I thought he would. I was like an animal, only wanting one thing to fill me, and that was Chase. There was an emptiness inside of me that I so eagerly wanted him to fill.

He kissed down my neck, raising his hand to my nipple to caress and then pinch it. With vampire speed he took me to the bed, throwing me on my back. I bounced with a light jolt from the impact, enjoying it rough. And with his wicked smile, I knew he knew it.

He slammed into me hard. I hadn’t even time to prepare myself. The pain only riled me. I was able to consume all of his size, moaning in pleasure as he went into me harder and faster. I pulled his neck down to mine, holding him tightly. I now wanted to be in charge. I wrapped my thighs around him hard and flipped him over. I didn’t let him escape me as I sat on top of him, groaning in pleasure as I was now on top.

As I rode him, pleasuring both myself and him, there was something that just wasn’t meeting my center, something that I still deeply craved. Chase sat upright, still pounding me from beneath. He kissed the side of my breasts and grabbed my lips, pulling at them hungrily with his teeth. Every kiss that lingered sent a trail of flames through me. Another moan passed my lips as he bit into my neck. It was now so pleasurable that I had to contain myself from erupting in that instant.

I wanted him as he had me. I wanted his blood. Without even thinking, my fangs had slipped out and I bit into his neck clumsily, but still the flow of his warm blood swarmed my mouth and filled me with such great pleasure. Chase’s moan swept through his throat and into my ear. Neither of us could handle so much heat and climaxed together. His hand trailed up my spine as he continued to fill me entirely. A moan passed my lips as I felt his blood drip over my naked skin. But I was still hungry and wanted so much more. He pushed me closer to his neck as I went to pull away.

“It’s okay, Esmore,” he whispered. With his permission I continued to drink from him. The heat spread through my body, and again I wanted Chase. I clung tightly to his neck and drank more. It continued to arouse me. It didn’t help that only after a minute Chase began trailing his fingers lightly up my inner thigh.

“I just want to keep drinking from you, and fucking you,” I said. Instantly I put my hand to my mouth, shocked at what I had said. I took my fingers from my lips, looking down at the blood smeared all over it. Chase’s neck was also smeared with blood. It looked like an animal had attacked him. But again the urges crept through me.

Chase chuckled, relieving some of the tension from the situation and soothing my brewing guilt. “Whatever happened triggered your vampire self to come forth. If you had been turned I would have known, so somehow you were part vampire from birth. And for all these years it has been starving. It is hard to recognize the line between sex and feeding, they are both just so pleasurable,” he said with his fingers still trailing up my leg, closer to my warmth. I shivered, unable to be disgusted with myself as I still craved him.

Already the bite marks on his neck had healed and he was ready for round two as I looked down. I couldn’t help myself, as still every part of me was on fire. I tried to resist him, I truly did, but his beautiful gray eyes consumed me.

“Vampire or not, my Esmore, it is my turn to make love to you,” he said, pushing me down onto my back. His hand trailed over my ribs and I knew already I couldn’t handle the wait as he teased me. My hands clawed at the sheets as I felt him near my inner thigh, but never further. He teased me.

He kissed the bottom of my stomach and then my hip, trailing up. As I tried to pull him in, he grabbed my arms, pinning them above my head with an arched eyebrow. “No Esmore, you will wait. I will show you what real love-making is,” he said with a confident smile. But already I whimpered for him. I was already so moist with the expectation of him inside of me. “You are just so beautiful,” he said, amongst kisses.

He continued kissing up my stomach to my chest, teasing my nipples with his tongue. His wet tongue trailed to my collarbone, then my neck, where I felt the graze of his fangs. I whimpered for him to bite me, knowing I would explode with pleasure, but he brushed past it with a small kiss. I grunted impatiently, but he only laughed. He studied me for a moment, enjoying the toy he played with. He edged slightly up. I could feel the tip of him on my heat, my toes curling with the expectation of him driving deep into me.

But instead he brushed himself over me until he was lying over me. I tried to squirm out of his tight hold, but to no avail. His fangs scraped up my arms. He bit into my wrist gently, making me groan in pleasure and need. His chest was that little too high for me to be able to do the same and engulf him entirely. I began to whimper, my thighs rubbing together impatiently. He came back down over me, now biting into my neck. I arched into him in pleasure, my whole back driving up.

I felt as if I were entirely connected to Chase. That I was his as he drank from me. Gently he pressed his hand down on my waist, pushing me down as he licked the bite marks he had just left.

“I love you, Esmore,” he whispered feverishly into my ear.

I could feel it as well. I knew then that no matter what happened or what would eventuate from my unexpected vampirism that I loved Chase and would forever be his. “I love you too,” I struggled to gasp through hot breaths. I was in anticipation that he would no longer taunt me and fulfil me as I had already given in. He then drove into me, forcing the loudest moan I had ever heard erupt from my stomach and through my lips. He felt even harder and larger, if possible.

Still on his knees, he lifted me from the bed, and held me against his stomach as I bounced on him, accepting the entirety of him in pleasure. He offered his neck to me and with gratitude I took it again, biting as deeply as my fangs could go.

His blood pooled into me again, dripping down my lips and down my chest. Never had I tasted anything so divine. I could no longer hold myself in. Chase was simply too perfect and both the sex and the blood I could easily indulge in. And so I did, thirteen times. Chase was right, the fine line of sex and blood were two things I could not tell apart. But what I did know was that I was hot for it and I couldn’t stop.

*

I expected myself to wake up very sore, but much to my surprise I felt extremely refreshed and far more level-headed. At some point we must have fallen asleep and again Chase was lightly swaying us both in the hammock. I could admire him for his very innocent look as he slept, washed away of all his cockiness and weirdness.

I looked over to the bed, mortified. It looked like a massacre had occurred and there was blood everywhere over the sheets and on the floor. I wiped at my neck, retracting no fresh blood. What drizzle there once was had now healed and left only dry blood. Tiptoeing out of Chase’s grip I walked to the bathroom to look at myself in the mirror.

I was still very naked. I appeared the same and yet I felt so different. I felt tainted. I wanted to confirm it and look in the reflection with my fangs for show, but I dared not to in case I couldn’t control my urges again. Already it had taken me so long to curb my desire: a day full of sex and drinking blood. I had feasted off Chase. There was a sensation in my stomach that did not ease well. It was so wrong. It was against everything I had ever grown up with and been trained for. I was in fact my worst enemy. And yet I was unable to think about it until my thirst and hunger was quenched.

Chase was right, I still did not know if it was the sex I craved or the blood. I had no answers. I knew I was definitely huntress because I was born one, so why now had my own vampirism been triggered? I heard someone say my fangs looked to be the same age that I was, so did that mean I was born part vampire? Chase had said so, but how could such a thing be even possible? Was this why my gift was never revealed when I turned eighteen?

I slammed my fist into the basin of the bathroom, agitated that I had no answers. I was never like this. But vampirism was not something you could heal. Or was it? In a hurry I crept out of the bathroom, checking on Chase who surprisingly did not flinch. It looked like I had tired him out far more than I had myself. I had to push away the advancing sensation that I should again touch his skin. My hormones were in overdrive and already my fangs had slipped out at the thought. I retracted them painfully. It seemed there was no magical trick to it, I just thought about them retracting and they did. The sensation of them splitting my gums was not pleasant. Now that they had surfaced, I could feel them constantly in my gums as if they were on fire.

If anyone had the answers, it was the oldest vampire I knew. I knew Chase would not approve of me visiting Tythian, considering he might try to kill me. But in a sense, I also wanted to offer my condolences. It was because of me that Whitney died. And I needed him to know that did weigh on my conscience. If he were to kill me, I would want him to at least know that. After all, now looking at Chase adoringly I couldn’t imagine losing my own familiar. So I couldn’t possibly know the emotion Tythian was going through now.

I swept through to his room quickly. I was even faster now, much faster. I could feel the blood within me burning, as if confirming that it was because I had drank blood that my speed was heightened. I recalled Chase saying that I had been a starving vampire for all these years. Did that mean my greatest potential had not yet been revealed, even when I was one of the best Token Huntresses within the Guild? But it seemed that even when I asked myself questions such as that one, I already knew the answer. And that was yes.

Passing many vampires, I still felt hatred for them and wanted to kill them all. So again, my instinct was fighting my craving, or… I really could no longer justify it, the longer I stayed with Chase, the longer I felt emotion and I hated how it stirred within me.

Letting myself into Tythian and Whitney’s room, I saw no one was there. I stood beside the door for a moment, wanting to do something else for Tythian. I didn’t know if such a gift would give him closure, but I certainly wanted to try. I took two steps forward past their dining table. A black hole spread across the wall and Tythian lunged for me, throwing me across the room. I hit the ceiling hard and landed on the floor face first. I coughed, but again he had already grabbed me and thrown me across the room and into the wall where I bounced onto the bed. His hair was wild, bits of dirt and leaves through it. His usual clean clothes were spoiled by mud and torn into shreds. His eyes were crazed and unflinching.

“How dare you think you are welcome here? This all happened because of you,” Tythian growled angrily. He was no longer the formal Tythian I had seen, but a wild mess. His fangs were most intimidating, reminding me of a predator in search of its prey.

“I didn’t kill her! But I was the reason why she lied and told Fier she had done it, she was protecting me,” I gasped. He silenced me, irritated when I spoke. His speed outmatched mine. I hadn’t the chance to defend myself against him as he grabbed my throat. He was so close to completely crushing my windpipes. “I came to you to give you something.” His grip did not loosen so I could show him to the gift I had in mind. He had no interest in such a thing.

“I want nothing from you!” he growled savagely. I lifted my hand in a defensive gesture, my other hand scraping over his firm grip.

“It’s not from me, but Whitney!” It instantly grabbed Tythian’s attention. The mention of her name had his eyebrows furrowing deep in both thought and confusion. The mention of her would be the only thing that would bring him back to reality, and hopefully to a less savage state.

He dropped me onto the ground. I gasped an excruciating breath, moistening my mouth. After a moment of recovering myself and looking back into his expressionless face, I slowly walked around the edge of the room and into his wardrobe. He watched me warily and I made sure to not make any sudden movement in case he would snap again. He had blood all over his shirt. I found the hidden shirt that she had begun creating for him, to find that it was now finished.

“She started this a little earlier this year,” I said. This was the last thing he had to connect to her. He still watched me warily, looking at the object I presented to him. I could tell by his expression he was thinking. And I left him to his thoughts. Although I now had the ability to manipulate other’s mind and talk with them, I could only do so if they accepted me.

I slowly absorbed this knowledge from Chase earlier. What he knew I gathered as well. Chase could always read my mind even without my permission because I was his familiar. But others had to grant us permission. We could sense emotion from them and that was how we were able to manipulate them. If we pinpointed that emotion it was like the whole thought opened in front of us. And from there we then had access to their mind for that period of time as we manipulated them. It was best described as a puzzle; if you guessed the piece correctly you could easily manipulate your own piece to fit in next.

Slowly Tythian reached out for it, taking the material between his thumb and index finger. He kept a hard expression, though I knew he was mourning on the inside. With small steps he wobbled over to the edge of his bed. Tears began to shed as his grip tightened on it.

“I never meant for this to happen,” I said, stepping toward him to sit beside him. “I know you don’t like or trust me, but if I could have protected anyone, it would have been her. It just all happened so fast. I cannot in anyway make amends for the damage I have caused. I struggle to show sympathy, so I hope presenting this to you can offer you some sort of comfort.” I realized my words weren’t the greatest, nor were they probably what he wanted to hear. They made me sound insincere, but I wasn’t. I just didn’t know how to properly deal with such situations.

“Before Fier killed her, she asked me to look after you.” Tythian flinched under my words. “I know you don’t trust me and to be honest, I am still fighting my entire upbringing by not killing every vampire I see in here. But if any of my members on my raid team asked something of me on their deathbeds, I would keep to it. And this is no different to that. I will mourn my comrade’s death with pride and dignity. So I won’t let you derail yourself into a saber because it may seem easier.”

There was a long pause and still Tythian said nothing, only staring at the odd material of the shirt. “I don’t understand, why do you follow Fier when you are obviously the oldest vampire here?” Again he did not say anything, ignoring me as he stared at the shirt. My eyes caught a glimpse of the light pulse of his neck. I straightened my back, uncomfortable with this new craving.

“Ah yes, that’s right, you are vampire as well. The cravings are hard at first, aren’t they? You probably just want to dive into my neck and feel my blood ooze over your lips,” he said passively. I was disgusted in his description of it, but I couldn’t deny the thought. He stood up and my nose followed his scent as he walked. My fangs had already slipped out without my command. I placed my hand over them, annoyed with myself.

“Let me ask you the questions now, huntress,” he said, reaching for two glasses and a bottle of blood. He poured one glass and gave it to me, his blue eyes pooling over me as he assessed my fangs. “How are you possibly vampire? You reek of human, and because of what I know already, you are huntress. But you are part vampire as well, which isn’t detected unless your fangs slip out. By the size of them, I am guessing you have had them all your life. Why now do you discover such truths about yourself? What do you know, I am curious. I have never seen such a thing, so I want the answers. Now.”

“I actually came to you for that,” I said, not appreciating his tone. “I thought maybe as the oldest vampire I have met, you might know how to take it away.”

“So you can return to the Guild? Please child, I am not daft,” he said with an amused expression. “And what of Chase? You have had this in mind for some time now. But I am certain you have both become one another’s familiar. In fact, he is all I can smell on you.” And then he smiled devilishly, before taking a swig of his blood. Never had I seen such an expression on him. “It’s hard to tell the difference between sex and blood, isn’t it? I remember when I was young also. I think I murdered hundreds of women in the 1600s, with great pleasure as well. But it was for my familiar that I changed everything about me. So what makes you think you can so easily walk away from Chase. You are both bound, you cannot.”

“I am dead if I stay,” I said angrily. Even if I am part vampire now, I clearly understood that I could not hide in here for much longer. And with such heightened emotions, at any point I could snap and try to kill them all.

“You are dead if you return to the Guild,” Tythian announced. “And because of you, Chase will follow you to his own death.” I consumed his words like I did the blood. It had a very crisp and bitter taste to it, it wasn’t pleasant at all. I must have pulled a face of disgust. Tythian pushed himself away from the chair he was leaning on.

“It doesn’t taste good and it never will. Only fresh blood is flavorsome. The blood of your familiar, however, is oh so sweet. I only twice drank from Whitney until her illness became apparent,” he said, looking at me and knowing that I had fed off Chase already. “It adds a hypnotic erotica sense to the pleasure. Although not healthy, you can’t simply live off one another, it would eventually make you both sick, draining of the same blood. It does however make sex that much more pleasurable.”

Talking to Tythian now, he seemed like a completely different person all together. But still he held onto the shirt tightly. “Let me guess, you haven’t had the chance to properly talk to Chase about it, but you have come to me for answers?” Tythian said coldly. “I will make you a deal, little vampire.”

“A deal?” I repeated. He sat next to me, looking at me calculatingly, intimidatingly. This Tythian was scarier than the one I knew when Whitney was alive.

“I am going to kill Fier. I don’t know if Chase will agree to it, after all, he is a father figure to him. But I don’t care much for Chase’s feelings right now. Of course his guards are now in large numbers. So I need a decoy, and I need a few days to try and convince him I was only upset. And when his guard is down, I will kill him.”

“And what’s in it for me, if I am to be this decoy?” I asked, considering it.

“Nothing, you see as of right now I am letting you live. If you are as apologetic about me losing my familiar as you so boldly state, then you will do this. Her blood is on your hands.”

I didn’t like the thought of being blackmailed, but his strength emanated off him, and this was very much a threat. And it now seemed like Whitney was his only reservation of killing me.

“Chase will know this, he can read my thoughts,” I counteracted. It was a small error in his cunning plan.

“Not entirely true, you will learn in time how to develop your shared gift. You can block certain parts of your memory. As he described it to me once, all he does is envision a black bubble over the thoughts and no one will know. He has done that to all the vampires here, so if they are captured or flee, they will have no recollection of our location.” He paused for a moment in thought. “If you are part vampire, then what happens to his other gift, The Descendant?”

“The what?” I asked, blocking this conversation from Chase. I bubbled the conversation. That was confirmation enough that I would go along with his plan. To kill the leader of the Council would indeed make it easier for the hunters to infiltrate here once I had fled and returned to my own people.

“It must now be a little under one hundred and fifty years since he blocked that gift. If you have received that and are partial vampire then…”

The door slammed open as Chase stood at the door, panicked. He was standing there naked. My eyes bulged as he walked in angrily.

“You do realize you are walking into my room naked. I don’t understand why your head is still held high,” Tythian said, having another sip.

“I did have the sheet wrapped around me, but it fell off as I ran here. What were you thinking Esmore? Tythian could have killed you.”

“Well, as much as I do enjoy the theatrics of two familiars fighting, I will pass. If you don’t mind, I would like to be alone for a while,” Tythian said.

I put the glass of blood down on the dining table, following Chase as he walked in front of me and held the door open for me. I stared at his behind, trying to disguise my lust. I suppose if I were a male, I would have no shame in showing it either.

Before he closed the door behind me Tythian grabbed Chase’s attention one more time. “And Chase, do consider the other gift she may have contracted from you. You may want to teach her to get herself into check. If she is part vampire and The Descendant is active, you have already sealed her fate.” Chase went pale before closing the door. Instead of speedily walking to his room, he simply held my hand.

“I know what you are going to say,” Chase protested. “I don’t own you, and you can do what you want. But please be smart about it.”

“I just wanted answers and to give him my condolences,” I said quietly.

After a long moment of silence Chase broke the tension.              “You have concealed your conversation with him. Will you already conceal things from me?”

“Sometimes it is better you don’t know,” I said fairly. I only hid it to protect him, but he was very right, already I was hiding things from him.

Eventually we stumbled across the bed sheet, which still had blood stains on it. Chase collected it and tied it around his waist as we walked silently back to his room. It was only when we got to the dark and dreary room that he spoke. “What did you two talk about?”

“What is The Descendant?” I asked in reply.

He did not seem surprised by my question, only saddened. “What had Tythian told you of it?”

“Nothing, a common thing that tends to happen here: something is announced, but then there are no further details as to what it actually is.”

He sat on the edge of the hammock, patting next to him for me to do the same. “About one hundred and sixty years ago, we struggled against a certain Guild. Their Token Huntress was near to impossible to defeat. She had a very mighty gift which we called The Descendant. To best describe it, it was godly. She had so much power, strength, and speed. When she used it, two enormous white wings protruded from her back. When they triggered, we knew then she was very dangerous. So we fought her for over five years and when the opportunity came, we were finally able to take her down. I was so in awe of her gift that I wanted it for myself. I killed twenty-two fellow vampires to be the last standing and I drained her. Of course Fier’s father, Arab, who was in charge at the time, wanted to kill me, as it goes against our rules. It was the ruler’s right to drain the hunters so they would gather the strength. And you cannot steal a gift from another vampire. There is no way you could completely drain another vampire. Before being anywhere close you would sicken and go mad. It was my mother of course who saved me from the death penalty.

To this day I regret being so selfish. A hunter is like light, they kill vampires who are only darkness. The first time I triggered The Descendant in battle, well much of it was a blur,” he hesitated, his hands and head dipping near his knees. “The Descendant isn’t something I could or can control. For a vampire it is like a curse. Our very core is dark and consuming. As you now understand, we just crave things endlessly and it is something very hard to control. Imagine that times a million. But now with your strength, speed, and everything else enhanced. For three years I slaughtered and destroyed. At some point I must have gone into hibernation after I was wounded.

Eventually my mother and Tythian found me in a cave, one country over from where I had started. They said that I had looked glorious with my black wings covering my entirety as I slept. But it took them a very long time to bring me back to my more human side and to conceal that gift. There is no way to control it, not for a vampire. It brings out the worst in our kind, of all the things that we try to conceal and tame, this is the worst. There are no boundaries or sense of morals. If I have passed that onto you…” He didn’t even dare finish the sentence.

I placed my hand on his back in reassurance that he had not hurt me. “We can work through this. I just won’t rely on it. And plus, I am still huntress, maybe I won’t be cursed with the black wings,” I said.

Since the day I met Chase, I realized that it was my vampire self that was stirring from within — that darkness that constantly crept beneath my skin was waiting for its chance to rise. The very creature my father had made sure that I would not reveal. Had he known? Surely he must of if he trained me to never let it escape. If I now had to learn to control that, we would find a way to make it work. I just needed to find a cure for this vampirism. I hated to know now what was within me. I was disgusted in myself.

“Esmore, you know I think you are beautiful. I hate it when you think you are anything less. Even as a vampire, it does not change who you are,” he said, answering my thoughts.

“Chase, I am everything I hate and despise. It is in my blood to kill vampires and I have no intention of stopping that. I am a huntress, a Token Huntress. You know I don’t want to leave your side. But I am no safer here than at the Guild. I should return to my own people.”

He looked gloomy as I spoke. I grabbed his chin and lifted his gaze to mine. “Fier will only ask questions and we do not have answers. I need to go, come with me.”

“He will track us no matter where we go. And I cannot go to the Guild or let you return there. Esmore, they will kill you.”

“No, they won’t. I know you think you know my kind. But you do not. I need to return to my people Chase; I am not safe here anymore. We were almost killed only hours ago. I don’t want to be content living in a place I hate so much. I need to make sure Dillian and James got back safely.”

“Why do you care for them? James treated you as if you were a despicable creature. I won’t let him speak to you like that again, even if he was your former boyfriend. I will kill him and have you angry at me for a century before listening to him speak to you in such a way ever again.”

“You know my heart does not rest with him,” I pushed aside his protectiveness. “I need to make sure Dillian is safe, and the rest of my team. I have been worried ever since Fier and his army ambushed us.”

“If that is what you want to know, I can show you how,” Chase said. “If he is asleep you can contact him. But you must be within reasonable distance. It will be hard to get out of here. Fier will be watching us closely. We must first be granted his permission. But I can show you.”

“Then let us go ask Fier for permission,” I confirmed. I needed to make sure Dillian was okay, right now he was my priority. If what Chase says was true, would I be an outcast for the rest of my days?

“Whatever it is you and Tythian discussed, for whatever reasons you won’t tell me, please be smart about it. You don’t know Tythian or how he was before Whitney. He may be in mourning now but I fear he will so easily revert to what he once was. So please be clever around him and don’t trust him. Don’t trust anyone,” Chase said strictly.

I was touched that he didn’t push it any further, knowing that for my own reasons I kept things from him. He was so different to James: he was not controlling. He let me make my own decisions and although he didn’t support them, he would still stand by my side. That was something James had never done. I rested my head on Chase’s shoulder, tired. I just needed to make sure my team was okay before I tried to proceed with anything, especially Tythian’s revenge plan.

“Shall we go ask for permission to leave now?” I asked with Fier in mind. Although he may be strong, I had the feeling that if I tried to attack him then I not only had Chase’s support but also Tythian’s.

Chase quickly dressed before we walked toward Fier’s meeting room. The closer we got, the more looks we received from other vampires. I don’t know what word it was that spread, but when I hovered my mind over theirs, the word ‘abomination’ came up more than once.

Chase spread the wooden doors wide, striding in with confidence. He stared down a lot of the vampires who had tried to kill us. Gardar crossed the room and stood beside Fier as he looked over me hungrily. I wanted to rip his eyes out for the way he looked at me.

“Ah, Chase, I was just about to call for you,” Fier said, opening his arms in a welcoming gesture.

“Enough of the theatrics. You tried to kill us,” Chase said angrily.

Fier only waved it off as if he were a mad man. “Well, you know how these things go down. Someone lets prisoners leave my presence and they are killed, no matter who they are or who their mother might have been.” He let the words sit still in the air before continuing, brushing through his blonde hair. “But we have now prosecuted the one who has done that, so let bygones be bygones.”

I was irritated by his quick dismissal of killing Whitney. I could still smell her blood in the air. Someone had scrubbed a chemical of sorts over the spot.

“Now we have a new question,” Fier’s eyes fixated on me. “Why does she smell like human, yet she is vampire?”

“The vampire who turned me was a first timer. And since no one asked when I walked in, I didn’t care to give you the notice of my fangs,” I said sharply.

He blew a mouthful of air out as if my talk was mind-blowing. Chase gave me a cautious glare, as if to say ‘settle down.’ But my tongue could not resist digging at this vampire who agitated me so much.

“Why do your eyes change color when your fangs slip out?”

“I have the gift of heightened senses,” I lied quickly. “It is useless and it doesn’t give me much superiority in my fighting. However, it does animate when I am more powerful than my opponent, which works for intimidation,” I said blandly as if he were only a fool I was reporting to. This was a lie, but one I quickly thought of on the spot, and he seemed to accept it easily.

“You don’t seem to have much respect for me. You do realize who I am, don’t you? Or are you half-witted?” he snapped sharply.

“I don’t play nicely with those who attempt to kill me. Let me assure you I am not intimidated by age,” I spat. My fangs left a fiery sensation in my gums as they protruded. Many of the vampires that surrounded us were on guard. Chase gave me another warning look to keep my composure.

“Is your familiar threatening me?” Fier asked Chase directly.

“No, she is still young. She is still struggling with her heightened senses.” Chase answered, giving me another warning glare.

“Where is the vampire that turned you?” Fier asked. He now sat down in his large wooden chair.

“He was killed by hunters, which is why I sought out this place. As useless as that vampire was, I had a certain attachment to them.”

“As all vampires do to their master,” Fier said, flicking his fingers in the air in contempt.

“So I want to be a part of your raid and ambush team. I want to find the hunters who escaped. I want to kill as many of them as I can. Nothing would give me greater pleasure than you permitting me to hunt them.” Chase’s expression was unmoving but I could tell he was impressed by my words, as was Fier. I simply envisioned him to be similar to Campture, with an ego to boost. Their kind often seemed to delight in that. And like Campture, Fier studied me for a while before speaking. He was trying to create an intimidating atmosphere. I wanted to jump at him and find the closest silver knife I could and plunge it in his heart. This vampire was the reason why I hunted their kind.

“You expect me to just let you go out, just like that.” He snapped his fingers. “I already have fourteen separate teams in search of those two. Including Tythian, whose familiar was the reason why we are in this mess in the first place. And you want me to gather an exception and just let you go?”

“You know I can fight; you have seen my skill already,” I stated bluntly.

“Yes you can, which is why I am hesitant to let you go. Where did you learn to fight?” Fier narrowed his eyes on me in contemplative thought. He was trying to have me slip or lose my thoughts.

“My father created weapons for the humans and our small community, where we fought sabers regularly. He taught me all that he knew. Since then I have had years of training by myself, risking my life against the hunters. I was almost killed twice, but was also close to infiltrating a Guild once, as they thought I was only human. Someone exposed me. I barely escaped,” I recounted. If there was anything I had learnt from Campture, it was that she wanted to think that she controlled her hunters as if they were some kind of puppets dancing to her command. Much to my suspicion, Fier gloated in the same way.

“And was this Guild nearby?” Fier asked, putting pressure on my story.

“It was two years ago. I am from three countries away. It took me forty days, by an almost completely run down boat, to get here. I almost starved to death in the meantime, losing my bearings and simply stumbling onto this land. I had no other choice but to flee the Guild after they gave chase and tried to kill me.” As I said it, I hovered over his mind touching lightly so it was not obvious to him. I was sending small influential thoughts so he would slowly believe my story.

Chase straightened his back as he looked at me indifferently, but he knew what I was doing. He stayed quiet the whole time. I could feel him hovering over my own mind manipulation, just watching as I enforced. He was making sure I made no careless mistakes.

“And what would you do if I simply said ‘okay’ and pardoned you to find these hunters? What makes you think I can trust or believe you,” Fier asked. Gardar patted his stomach hungrily as he looked over me as if I were a piece of meat. He was resting one of his hands on the head of Fier’s chair. One day, I will kill that disgusting vampire, I promised.

“Whether you trust me or not, do not think I lack in ambition. I wish to barter with you. I am fearless in my desire. If I bring back those hunters before any of your oh-so-capable team, I get his position by your side as leader.” I indicated Gardar, whose mouth dropped opened at my request. Fier’s eyebrow arched in surprise. “I told you, I do not care for age and will not be intimidated by position. Although I may be young, I fully believe I can stand by your side in Gardar’s position. I will not be intimidated by any other vampire’s age. If I want something, I will get it.”

Another thing I had learnt from Campture: when others eagerly wanted a position close to her, it went straight to her head. If Fier thought of me as a half-wit then I was easily fooling them and we would be let free shortly. Despite my little growth of emotion in the past few years since my mother died, I did know how to present myself in such circumstances. And even if Chase and I had to return after I finally spoke with Dillian, I could aim for a promising position. If I could stand so closely beside Fier, I could easily aid Tythian in his revenge. And if I were accepted open-armed into the Guild, then such a position would be welcome.

“Well Chase, I do not know what to say. Your familiar has much fire in her; I do love that about her,” Fier said with a large smile. Chase growled under his fangs in a threatening manner as Fier considered me indecently. “I will make you a deal, little golden vampire,” he began. “If you in fact succeed, I will announce you as my leading hand.” Gardar did not at all like this and he protested, but Fier shot him down quickly. A light breeze swept through the room in a threatening manner. “If, however, you fail, you will become my leading hand in other matters.”

“She is mine!” Chase said angrily, stepping forward with a knife in his hand.

He is going over the boundary, there is an unspoken respect for those who have familiars and he is stepping over it! Chase growled at me internally, as if I hadn’t known what I was stepping into. I obviously had no desire to spend any time with Fier in such a way. But I would take this chance to escape. And now like a double-edged blade, Chase had no choice either. I hesitated to respond, because I knew this was not my decision alone and I knew it would be wrong to do so. Chase studied me for a moment longer, having read my thoughts. This was my question to him as to whether he truly would leave with me. If we didn’t return, we would be on the run for the rest of our days.

I will follow you anywhere Esmore, even to death, he said hesitantly.

“Well, little golden vampire?” Fier pushed.

“Done. But let me assure you no such thing would happen. Never would I waste my time on such small commitments,” I said, staring at his package.

He smiled at me. He liked my comment and took it as flirtation. “Then go, my little golden vampire, you have three days to please me.” Fier waved us off. Chase grabbed my hand fiercely, death-staring Fier as we left.

Let’s take some of your ugly dolls with us, I offered.

I diverted my eyes from him, feeling guilty after putting him on the spot. I knew this would be hard for him, to drop everything for me. Yet at the same time, I had to check on Dillian and make sure the others were safe. I felt that perhaps these circumstances were pushing us in the direction we needed to go. I had said at the start I could not stay for long. And no matter how much Chase tried to convince me otherwise, my thoughts stayed the same, even if I was now part vampire. My only anxiety was about the deal I had made with Tythian. If we did not return I knew he would be mad with me for abandoning his goal.

No matter what step I took I knew I would be looking over my shoulder. The only difference now was that Chase would be right behind me doing the same. I would either be received back into the Guild, and then I would come back to the Council to infiltrate it, or I would be shunned. If word spread of Chase’s treachery, then every other Council around the world would turn on him as well.

Are you sure this is what you want? There is no coming back from this; we will be chased for as long as we breathe. It is a form of treachery and they do not let that go lightly, Chase whispered internally. The white walls of the Council were not something I wanted to see every day. By simply being born a huntress that decision was made for me a long time ago.

Finally we reached his room, where Chase closed the door and pulled me into him, cupping my face and kissing me fiercely. His tongue slid over mine passionately, leading me and burning my senses. My hands touched his bare chest and hips. He slammed my back against the door, so I could not challenge his way with me, not that I would have. It was like he had to validate his love and touch me after another had threatened to take me away from him.

His hand slid up my inner thigh as I squirmed with anticipation for him. Already my fangs slipped out and I was moaning at the thought of enjoying one last time with him in his room. He bit into my neck, sliding his hand under my shirt to caress my hard nipples. Another moan left my lips as he began pleasuring me.

“I will protect and love you forever more, Esmore,” he whispered into my ear before letting me dive into his neck.

A whirl of exotic taste danced in my mouth. “And I you, Chase,” I said with heated breath, enjoying the taste of his skin on my tongue.

We took twelve of his favorite bobble-head dolls he wasn’t willing to part with. I now felt comfortable with my Barnett bow and sword strapped closely to me. The guards at the entrance of the Council had already been told to permit us to leave. They did check the backpack we held, which had two bottles of blood, bobble-head dolls, daggers, and knives. We had stocked up on what we could.

I wore a white sleeveless shirt of Chase’s, which was baggy on me, and some of his dark-blue jeans. I tightened a weapons belt around them so they would not fall. I wore one of his long leather jackets which trailed to the top of my leather boots. Chase wore his pale-blue jeans with only a leather jacket, of course without a shirt.

We headed toward the location of my Guild. Chase stated that it was within a six-hour range. My vampire self awakened, my pace was much faster and I didn’t need time for a break. It made me only revaluate the difference between vampire and hunter that much more. Had we only survived for so long because of our gifts?

We hid amongst shrubbery and trees. The fog misted over us. Cockroaches sprang to life and fled the log as we crouched. Chase explained to me how to find Dillian’s mind. Eventually I did but he was not yet asleep so I could not freely speak. Chase told me it was far easier to speak with one in their dream state and also that from where we sat, we were too far away to try and hold communication with him while he was conscious. If we were closer we would give away our position. We could only communicate with people if they allowed us to. It was like tapping on their mind for permission; they could either accept or shut us off. But the distance between Dillian and I would be too long even for that. A conscious person had a natural protective laye over their thoughts, whereas when they slept they became more vulnerable and unaware.

We waited for many hours until finally I felt Dillian’s mind fold over into an unconscious level. Finally he was asleep. It was tiring focusing on him for so long, maybe because I was new to this gift and only learning.

Chase nodded in response, confirming with me that was the reason. It gets easier over time. I will help you ease into this. I will be there with you. Think of any place manifesting around you. When you call upon him in a dream state you must actively create a physical place surrounding you within your mind. When in someone’s mind, it is just darkness; you need such a physical place to ground both you and them into one location. If you were to have a conversation with him in darkness, you may not come back. You always need to make a connection with something on this earth to do so. So just think of our surrounding trees. And think of Dillian as with us.”

I focused on what Chase told me to do, closing my eyes and imagining myself to be connected with Dillian, bringing him to this exact same place. Minutes flickered by and it annoyed me as still I had no response. I felt as if I wasn’t getting anywhere. Suddenly I felt Chase’s hand on my back and I opened my eyes. There in front of me was Dillian, looking at me just as amazed.

“Is this a dream?” he asked. He would recognize this area and know we were close.

“No, well it is. But it is me, Dillian,” I said, slightly desperate. I tried to get up quickly, but wobbled at the sudden movement. I felt very lightheaded by the amount of concentration it took me to hold our conversation. Chase held my leather jacket to help me keep my balance.

“You seem different,” Dillian said, and narrowed his expression on Chase. “The Esmore I know would not desperately speak; she talks in a monotone.” He was very sceptical and didn’t believe it for a moment. I had to convince him. I thought of something only both he and I would know.

“When you were thirteen and sparring against me, I got caught in the moment and bit your ear!” I clicked my fingers as if finally finding it. “Julia and you didn’t have your first kiss until your five-month anniversary where you spotted a flower. But when you gave it to her, it had a deadly spider in it and it almost…”

“Esmore,” he whispered, and searched around him wide-eyed. “No, you cannot be here, if Campture listens into this, then you have doomed us both.”

“She cannot interject and I will block this conversation from her,” Chase said dismissively. Dillian still looked at him sceptically but accepted it.

“You must get away Esmore and don’t return,” Dillian said, walking over to me and leaning in front of me.

“No, I need to know that you are okay first,” I said worriedly. He seemed different, almost timid.

“I am okay, now you must go,” he said crouching with a slight wince.

“He is lying,” Chase said quickly. Dillian looked at him angrily. “His physical state in reality is not faring well. It is easy to cover your appearance in the mind and make yourself look like something else. If he willed it, he could appear as any other animal. It is like a separate attachment to our reality and physical presence. He is hiding his real physical condition. But others’ mind manipulation even in the dream land is something I can easily remove.”

“No, don’t,” Dillian pleaded, but it was too late, whatever cover-up Dillian had used now vanished as Chase willed it away. This was, after all, his created world, even if in dream state. Dillian’s clothes were ripped to shreds. It looked as if someone had taken a whip to him and lashed at his skin. There were bleeding marks. His eyes were battered and black. Both were swollen and the pink of his eyes could hardly be seen. His breathing was uneasy as he gasped for breath. There were marks around his neck that indicated someone had choked him. His black hair was damp and plastered to his neck with dirt. By the looks of it someone had been drowning him.

I tried to hide my anger as I felt the fury of fire in my gums. My fangs wanted to come out fiercely. I wanted to protect Dillian. They slipped out, but Chase was able to hide them as if it had never happened. It was only in the physical world that they were present. When my fangs slid out both happiness and anger excited my inner dark self. My vampire self.

“Who did this to you,” I asked. He looked to the ground, embarrassed by his state. But I knew he would not avoid my questions if I already had seen him like this.

“Mostly James,” he admitted quietly. “Ever since we returned, he has convinced Campture that you are a traitor, but only because your mind has been manipulated by this vampire.” He gestured at Chase. “He has gone crazy, obsessing over you even more, claiming when they find you he will nurse you back to health, but keep you within his home as you are a threat to everyone else, that you are unstable. They thought I was involved with it someway. And when Campture detected that my mind had certain blank spaces, it didn’t go down too smoothly,” he said with a small smile.

“What do they plan to do to you?” I asked. I was so angry with James. His obsession was far worse than what I had originally thought. I never knew how far he could go. Possessive, yes, but this was a sickness.

“They plan on killing him,” Chase revealed slowly. Dillian said nothing, but his eyes confirmed the truth in Chase’s words.

“I’m coming for you,” I said to Dillian. I cut off our connection before Dillian could argue.

A sort of screeching noise echoed in my mind and dropped me to my elbows on the ground. When I came back to my own reality, I was sweating. Suddenly I vomited into the dirt, unsteady and uneasy. Chase patted my back cautiously, looking around.

“You came out of it too quickly,” he said. I wiped the vomit away from my mouth, trying to gather my wits and balance quickly. “We are not alone.”

I gathered my sword and Barnett bow, preparing myself for a fight. Did the Guild already know of our presence? But I was sure that their lookout did not reach this far. No matter what, I had to get Dillian out of there. If he had been accused of conspiracy then it would not be long until they sentenced him to his death.

Aiming for where I sensed the presence sneaking up on us, I shot a arrow. Quickly jumping to my feet and hiding behind a nearby tree, I dodged a dagger that was thrown at me. Chase took the other side, quickly circling the trees to close in on them.

I sensed someone next to me, running beside the tree. I struck my sword at them but it was counteracted by their own long knife. My sword’s handle was punched out of my hand. I dropped it, punching for the woman’s face before registering the familiar scent and long golden-blonde hair. My mother stood tall in front of me, as beautiful as she always had been. Her exotic orange eyes stared at me.

“Mom,” I choked in shock. There was no mistaking her.

“Esmore,” she gasped, suddenly desperate as she hugged me. Her thick golden hair smothered my face as I nestled into her neck. I embraced my mother dearly, clutching onto her in case it was a dream. She had aged slightly with a few wrinkles and gray hairs since I had last seen her. But she was still as beautiful as ever. When she touched me I began to sob. For the first time since I had been told she died, I cried. So many emotions overwhelmed me. When she did look at me again she gasped, almost frightened. I realized I was staring at her neck with my fangs out, ready to take a taste.

“I’m sorry,” I took a few steps back, tripping over a log.

“What do you want me to do with this one?” a rough voice interjected. I was startled and appalled to know that in my moment of reunion with my mother, I had forgotten that Chase had charged on elsewhere. There was another person with us. He threw Chase in the center of a few trees, presenting him as if he were some meal.

“Chase,” I said, scrambling toward him. He was badly beat up. I hissed at the unfamiliar male, hunching over Chase protectively. The male with rough red hair looked between my mother and me. His gray eyes studied me seriously. He was a large vampire; his fangs were even older than Tythian’s. No wonder Chase had been overpowered so quickly.

“No Esmore,” Chase said, gathering me behind him. I held my Barnett bow, shooting at the man. I ran for him, picking up the dagger that had been previously thrown at me. With speed he was beside me, putting his foot out to trip me. I skidded hard on my face. I quickly collected myself, zipping through the trees to chase him. I would not let him harm Chase again. I lost my sense of direction and retreated to Chase, where already the male was standing beside my mother. His speed was the fastest I had ever witnessed, even faster than that of the fallen hunter, Pac. Still he stared at me, a smile pinching at his lips.

“So, this is my golden treasure,” the man’s deep voice spoke.

“Esmore,” my mother’s soft and fragile voice interjected before I again chased after the vampire that threatened Chase. “This is your father.”

I stared at the vampire, baffled. But my father died when I was ten… he had taught me to count and to breath and to concentrate. Now that I thought of that, it made sense to me. Perhaps my father knew all along that I was part vampire so he taught me to ease my rage. But he was my father, not this vampire.

A light breeze swept around us. Chase’s wounds had already begun to heal and he was now sitting upright. “But he is vampire,” Chase said, rubbing his jaw tightly. Although everything had healed, it was his way of trying to cool such tension off.

“And is she not part vampire?” the man who claimed to be my father said. My mother shot him a look which made him retreat from his arrogant status very quickly.

“Well, that is something we have only just discovered as of late,” Chase snapped on my behalf.

“My darling Esmore, I have missed you so much.” My mother took a few steps toward me. Her leather attire was dirty, as if her clothes had not been cleaned for weeks. Yet her hair still glowed with its mesmerizing blonde. She was the one who taught me how to plait mine.

“Campture told me you were dead! And my father is dead! This isn’t my dad, my dad is dead.” I exploded with sudden rage. Chase was now standing, offering his hand to me, so I too could stand. I was in shock. I struggled to comprehend anything.

“Shall we sit for a moment, Esmore?” My mother indicated to me to sit on a nearby fallen log. “Please, my dear, there is much I need to tell you.”

“And who is this boy to you?” The man who claimed to be my father asked in an arrogant way.

“I’m her familiar!” Chase said sharply through a growl.

The other vampire gave out a monstrous laugh. “You will never be good enough to be my daughter’s familiar. You are tiny, nothing but a pretty boy flashing his bare chest.”

I held Chase back, my head swirling. Instead of accepting the challenge, he slowly walked me over to the log. I was feeling nauseous. So strange considering I had never been ill before.

“Cesar, stop!” my mother snapped at him, and quickly the large vampire ceased his antagonizing.

“But my father is dead,” I whispered, trying to understand.

Finally we sat down and my mother knelt in front of me, shaking her head. “Let me explain to you from the start, my Esmore,” she said, patting her hand on my knee. “Cesar here is your biological father. We first met one another in a raid. His group of vampires were much older than our hunters, most of us were killed. But Cesar took me to safety so I would not be harmed. If this young man claims to be your familiar…”

“I am four hundred years older than you, easily. I was turned in my twenties. I would be careful as to who you call young,” Chase said, showing his fangs.

“I’ll rip those fangs out of your pretty mouth, boy,” Cesar roared, already his hand placed protectively on my mother’s shoulder. Yet neither of them stepped forward as my mother and I gave them harsh glares to stand down.

“Cesar and I are familiars, so obviously the pull was far too great to deny, as I imagine you would only know. Miraculously you were conceived. Because of my ability, it was something that was pushed through to the very end. By then Tyler, whom you thought your dad to be, saw us together. He was my best friend, but he could have reported it. I would have been beheaded instantly. But instead, he gave us a chance. His condition was that Cesar and I could no longer see one another. And although Cesar offered us protection, I feared leaving the Guild, it was all I knew. So we parted ways. Even though I wanted to be with Cesar, you were my child and your protection was my absolute concern.

So much relief swept over me on the night of your birth because you had huntress eyes. I thought maybe you would have come out of this unscathed and live a normal hunter life. However, Tyler was sceptical, and because you always had a temper, he tried his hardest to train you to calm yourself, just in case that rage was something else entirely.

When Tyler died, I felt awfully alone. Although we were only friends, and he was good at keeping such a long-time secret away from Campture, it was so hard to not think of the treachery we played around her. We avoided her at all costs, and kept our minds busy with other trivial thoughts if we crossed paths with her. But she had her suspicions and we were closely watched. When you excelled at everything, they thought you a prodigy. But I had my suspicions of it being something else.”

I was breathing in slowly, staring at the ground as I practiced that exact same thing my father had taught me, which was supressing my urges and darkness. It made a lot of sense now that my father trained me so thoroughly. And it was only until I was within the Council and Chase was threatened that I broke that seal.

“It seemed you were living a very normal life, you and James were…” She fell silent, looking at Chase as his lips tightened angrily around his fangs. “You had made it onto a raid team.”

“I am now Token Huntress,” I interjected. She smiled proudly at that.

“No doubt Miss. Campture named you as a Token Huntress. The closer you came to your eighteenth birthday the further you excelled. Your superiority was hard not to notice, which had many hunters snooping around our home and things. A few days before your eighteenth, you were mumbling in your sleep. And the words you spoke were ones no mother wants to hear. I always told you I wouldn’t assert myself into your body without your permission, but I then realized what your gift was, and I only had days to think of what to do.

I went out in search of word on where Cesar might have been. I didn’t know what to do or who to ask for. But with no luck could I find him. So I had to make the decision myself. Your gift was like a ticking time bomb. You are the weapon against both vampire and hunter. Within your very heart was a disease and I felt it growing within you. All hunter’s gifts are derived from their heart. It is the very source of us and passion for our fighting. Yours was exceeding at such an incredible rate. I feared that upon the very hour of your eighteenth, you would infect us all to death. And even if you didn’t, once you displayed it in front of everyone, you would be chased by both hunter and vampire.”

Chase stared at me from the side, trying to read my blank expression. I had no words to say. I felt like I could neither talk nor breathe.

“So I had to make a decision. I took your heart from your chest; without it your gift was useless. Of course I replaced your heart with my own energy so you would not die, but your eyes instantly lowered in their purple glow and went to a gray. I knew there would be consequences for having violated you in such a way and having taken that away from you. I wanted to come back to you, I truly did. But I had to flee with your heart. I could not destroy it or it would destroy you. So I had to hide it.” My mother almost began crying as her expression tore at the memory. “Campture had hunters following me, they tried to kill me so I faked my death. In truth, I hardly made it out with my life. I did try to return to you, that I promise. But first I had to hide your heart and in that I found your father.”

Cesar then spoke. “We had to find a hunter who had the gift of concealment, to hide your heart. It is a lot harder than it sounds, especially when the man we needed could conceal his very presence,” he said, rolling his eyes. “But eventually we found him and I drained him to acquire his gift, so I had full control of concealment. We have hidden it.”

I placed my hand on my chest, suddenly feeling so empty. But then it made so much sense as to why I felt very little emotion and could not deal with such things. I literally had no heart. It was only when I was with Chase or that he touched me that I actually felt. The rest of me was heightened by my vampirism.

Chase wrapped his own hand over mine, watching me warily. Are you okay? he asked me internally. My mother and Cesar exchanged a look, as if knowing that we could communicate internally. Perhaps Chase’s worried look completely gave that away.

“I know I do not deserve your love and trust anymore Esmore, but please know that I did everything I could to protect you. And you cannot return to the Guild, they will kill you,” my mother said. “I came here now to retrieve you, but it seems you have already found an escape.”

“I am not fleeing,” I said defiantly. I was so angry with my mother, but when I looked into her beautiful florescent orange eyes I could not hate her for what she had done. I only hated myself for not figuring it out sooner. “They have Dillian. I am going back to save him. They have pushed a death sentence on him for being in alliance with the vampire Council and me.”

“Dillian,” my mother winced at his name. She knew who Dillian was. She had always been fond of him and thought for a long time that we would end up in marriage. “Campture ordered this?”

“James is not who we once thought he was. He has gone ill in the mind and from what I can gather, he wants me dead or to keep me hidden for himself. He has grown obsessive and I fear leaving Dillian in the current state James is in. He has already hurt him so much, I cannot leave him.”

“No hunter is worth risking my daughter’s life,” Cesar objected.

“You have only been involved in your daughter’s life for two minutes, you do not get to make such declarations,” I snapped just as quickly. My fangs slid out in anger and I again covered them from my mother, ashamed of my lack of control. After a moment of Cesar staring me down he let out a monstrous laugh.

“Ha,” he bellowed. “She is my daughter. Well, I do like a massacre at a Hunter Guild, so let’s go kill them.”

“No!” my mother and I both growled at the same time.

“We rescue both Dillian and his fiancée Julia, and then we flee,” I ordered. I knew Dillian would not leave without Julia, and if he were taken they would suspect her as well. After what happened to Whitney, I could not have Dillian’s and Julia’s blood on my hands, no matter what challenge that might bring me.

The guard of the Guild wall was prepared. Because of the execution of Dillian, I had no doubt in my mind that Campture would have raised the amount of those guarding the wall. I suspected they had Dillian tied up in the same rooms that she had imprisoned me in many days ago. He would probably be executed upon morning. The hardest part would be finding Julia. I wasn’t overly familiar with where she would be. She might even be in hiding.

We waited impatiently and very quietly in our awkward group. We needed the cover of night visuals before getting closer to the wall. We had to be wary for sabers. The forest held an eerie atmosphere to it, more so than usual. A lot of animal blood stained the ground. I could smell it in the air as my own cravings wanted to be satisfied. We had to be wary tonight in case somewhere a pack of sabers rested close by.

I was fiddling with a dead leaf when I thought of my conversation with Dillian, and his intention to propose to Julia. After everything that had happened, I very much doubted he had the chance to ask her. I threw the leaf away, somewhat agitated. The air seemed to be far hotter than usual, and I was starting to feel very hungry.

I looked at Chase’s neck as he sat at the base of a large tree. Its bark looked dead and its roots unstable. He had his eyes closed but I knew he was awake as I hovered my mind over his and he scattered over various ideas. A cocky smile pressed on his lips as he noticed my mind scanning his, and then his gray eyes flashed open. “Don’t be so greedy, you cannot drink from me anymore. It would make us both sick if we continued doing that,” he said with a sly smile before stretching himself awkwardly against the tree.

“Why not?” I asked, extremely disappointed. I thirsted so much it burnt my throat. I flushed, still very hot. “Why is it so hot?”

“The sun still irritates us to a certain extent, my Esmore. It mostly immobilizes the sabers, that is why they lurk in the shadows.” He took my hand and began drawing light circles in my palm, which alone was enough to arouse me. His simple lingering touch was like a drug. “Because we are both vampires, our blood is in a more synthesized state. After drinking the same blood for a while it becomes toxic to us. However, I don’t know if that is the case with your own blood because you are part huntress. But if you kept drinking from me you would become very sick.” He kissed the palm of my hand, sending through me a trail of hot flames from his moist lips. I bit my lip in response.

“Stop, or I will take you now, and I don’t feel the most comfortable doing that in the presence of your parents,” he said, antagonizing me as he rolled his tongue in his mouth playfully. “I would love the chance to have you in the wild.”

I quivered erotically at the thought. The hardest thing to control besides my lust for blood was my tingling body that wanted Chase so desperately. Not jumping him was taking my every ounce of control. And it seemed as if Chase had more control than I could ever conjure.

My mother was sitting not so far away and speaking with my father. I felt different toward her, now knowing what she had done. I could understand why she had done it but I still clutched at my chest where I should have a heart, instead there was nothing. It explained the constant emptiness I felt. Somehow I felt as If I were deprived of something.

“So where do we go after this?” I exhaled evenly, trying to calm myself.

“Where did you both come from? The Council?” Cesar interrupted, who must have been listening in on our conversation. If I had of known him as a father figure sooner in life I may have been embarrassed at the conversation he might have overheard. But instead he seemed only like a very rowdy and old vampire. The only shared quality I could see in both of us was arrogance. And that was what I disliked about him most.

I was sad to know that the man who raised me was not at all my father. I trembled to know that all his years of raising me and claiming me as his own child might have simply been a rouse. He was all I knew as a father and I still thought of him as my dad. So how could Cesar so quickly expect me to discard such memories and fondness? He was not my father, even if he did partake in creating me. My father was the man that raised me and I would stay true to that belief.

At first I simply ignored him, because I didn’t want to partake in conversation with him. I found myself rebelling. I grew harsher at the thought of him being my actual father, and a vampire at that. It was my mother who raised me to kill them and yet here we both were, our familiars vampires. Under my mother’s watchful eye I then spoke.

“From the Council,” I said steadily. “My investigation team was ambushed by the Council’s small army there, and Chase took me in from the wreckage. It has only been a short time since I was last at the Guild, but a lot has changed and been revealed since.”

“An interesting choice for a daughter of mine. I would never align with the Council,” Cesar reflected. “I even had one of the vampires I turned infiltrate there so I could suss out what was so interesting about it. I don’t think he likes it very much.”

“Let us get one thing very clear before you aid me in freeing my friend. The man who is my father and raised me as his daughter, is dead. I will remember him for the time he put into raising me. You cannot come here suddenly to announce that you are my dad. You sacrificed that option the moment my mother and you parted for eighteen years. I am so happy you found one another, at the cost of yet again abandoning me. And letting me discover on my own that I am part vampire when this whole time I lived in a Hunter’s Guild!” I was now shouting. He was so arrogant, it frustrated me so much.

“Esmore,” Chase whispered to let me know to calm myself.

“Your eyes have returned to their purple,” my mother gasped, coming closer to study me. I placed my hands to my fangs, irritated that yet again they slipped out without my knowing. I couldn’t control my temperament. The gnawing darkness within me only wanted to spread further. I wanted to fight them both. But it was Chase’s pooling gray eyes that told me not to. His mind hovered over me, gripping tightly to my humane side before something else pushed over. After a moment of silence and ignoring my mother and Cesar who studied me seriously, I calmed myself enough to sit beside Chase again and retract my fangs.

“Lost time isn’t something a vampire of my years has to worry about, my dear. We have an eternity to fix things. I am disappointed in your stupidity,” Cesar provoked me.

“Cesar,” my mother growled.

“Well, we have been sitting here for what, two hours now?” Cesar demanded from her. “I commend you on waiting until dark; it seems like a smart tactic. But have you forgotten that your mother and I have the gift of concealment to infiltrate the Guild?”

A subtle breeze swept through us, spreading a thicker mound of fog over my knees. I bit my tongue so I would not spit harsh words at him. “And you only mention this now?”

“Well, my long, lost, ever-brooding daughter, you never asked,” Cesar taunted in response.

My mother warily looked between us, giving Cesar a harsh glare and forcing him to wipe his smug expression from his face.

“And you didn’t want to mention anything?” I asked angrily of my mother.

“You needed to calm your thoughts about all that we discussed. But it seems you have already made your mind up on it all. At least we won’t have to worry about your recklessness. We can conceal all four of us. Your father and I will look for Dillian. I cannot recall Julia. You will know where to find her.”

“No, I need to be the one to find Dillian,” I discouraged them. We had to infiltrate the Guild so we could collect both Dillian and Julia. But I felt responsible for Dillian’s safety and urged that it was me that protect him.

“My daughter, please be smart about this, you know you can trust us to get him out safely. It is the only way we can get them both out alive. But be wary, the concealment gift does not hide one’s physical presence. If another hunter has heightened senses it will block them from noticing us. But if someone physically sees us they will sound the alarm. It is like blocking the smell of us to vampires, but if they see us they will know we are very real. It only takes away the sense that we are there. No one can read our minds, feel our presence, or locate us.”

“Just don’t get seen,” Cesar said. He had a large axe strapped to his back. My mother was still holding onto the same sword the last day I had seen her before my eighteenth birthday. She was always fond of that sword with the gold trimming. I gathered my sword and Barnett bow. My mother was right, if we didn’t have Julia, Dillian would never agree to go.

“Fine, we head for the north wall, closest to where Dillian is imprisoned,” I agreed.

*

I didn’t feel overly different after Cesar put a veil of concealment over us. It antagonized me that somewhere out there in the world my heart had been hidden. It was only when Chase placed a hand on my back that I realized I was overwhelmed by the thought of not actually having a heart. I felt violated. To make it worse, the only time I could feel emotion or be tortured by my deepest thoughts was when Chase was touching me. He was my only real connection to emotion.

We followed a small trail that my mother was familiar with. We were wary of our surroundings and froze at certain times, straining our ears for sounds. We reached the wall where Dillian and I often stood guard. Now there were another two guards that I wasn’t overly acquainted with. They were alert; Campture would have made sure they were. Did she and James plot to trap me? I was almost certain of it.

If there was something Campture hated most besides vampires, it was traitors. Staring at my mother’s long golden hair, I questioned whether this whole time Campture was in search of my mother. I had my suspicions that she also knew that she was not dead. And what was I to do now after learning that my heart had been hidden? No matter what my mother’s intention, having no heart really did make me feel empty. I had always felt as if I were missing something. Now that I knew, I desperately wanted it back. I wanted to know love and be with Chase. I felt cheap and that the love I offered him was only erotic lust. But how could I ever explain that to him? I knew that I must have loved him, but the feeling was caught in a very hollow emptiness in my chest. Like my mother said, hunters’ passion is derived from their heart, so what did I have to live for? All I knew now was darkness, anger, annoyance, hatred, thirst, and sexual desire.

Cesar went to step forward to take the two guards out, but Chase raised his finger to him. As I tapped into his thoughts, I realized Chase was manipulating the guards, convincing them they urgently needed to collect water because one of the wooden sheds on the farm was alight. I imagined he used this very same tactic when he lured me in to first meet him.

We weren’t that far from where Dillian sat unconscious. I could feel him in the exact same room they had thrown me into. I indicated to my mother where he was; she nodded with determination. Cesar came to her side, offering his clasped hands. She placed her boot in it and he flung her over the wall swiftly. When she touched the ground I could not hear a noise. Cesar offered the same to me but Chase brushed him off with his shoulder, in a show of strength no doubt. Just as swiftly I was flung over the wall, landing quietly on my feet and crouching with my Barnett bow aimed. The guards were all gone. Chase looked over his shoulder at Cesar smugly.

My mother was also crouching low to the ground and walking toward the imprisonment area. Cesar and Chase came to our sides. My mother parted with Cesar, and Chase and I ran toward the huts. We were very cautious and expected a lot more hunters to be patrolling the grounds. The ones that were did not glance in our direction, proving Cesar’s concealment abilities. After two fellow Hunter’s strolled past with weapons in hand, we rolled out from between two huts and continued walking toward where Julia lived. Dillian and she had now been together for a long time, so I knew where she lived. Much to my relief, when I came closer to the hut, there was only a single mind in there that worried about Dillian. She cried for him. It was Julia.

Looking on both sides, I flicked my fingers to Chase to stay guard where he was now. I needed him to make sure no one entered as there was no place to hide in any of our homes. When he crept back toward the shadows I sneaked across the damp ground. I hurried inside, holding my hand over her mouth before she let out a terrified scream.

She panicked until she recognized my face, her sobs ceasing. I was hunched over her awkwardly on top of her bed, where she had been crying into her pillow. I pressed my finger to my lips, indicating for her to be silent. She nodded vigorously, her long wavy brunette hair shaking as she did. I slowly released my grip on her.

“I am here to take you and Dillian away. There is no other option; they will kill him. And I won’t let that happen. If I leave you they will think you suspicious, so you must come with us. Grab whatever belongings you must, we leave now.”

“Is he okay?” she whispered, wiping tears away from her watery eyes.

“I don’t know yet, but we will get him out alive,” I said earnestly. “Is there anything you need?”

“No, just Dillian,” she whispered. “And this.” She grabbed a small wooden carved box from beneath her bed. There was another single bed and double behind her where her parents and brother slept. I understood how hard it was to leave the Guild, but she was leaving family and safety. But for Dillian she bravely wrapped herself in a cloak. She was prepared to see the light of a new day with him. It was a strength I was embarrassed not to have. We were so trapped within our own world of killing the vampires and retrieving the humans we had forgotten about love and peace. After taking Dillian and Julia, we would be embarking into a new day and world. One I hoped I could find some peace within.

I opened the door but Chase was no longer there. The day had taken a very sudden darkness to it as nightfall approached. I searched for his mind but to no avail. I couldn’t find him anywhere. I searched both corners before realizing that he was no longer within the shadows I had left him in or anywhere nearby. I panicked.

“Is everything alright?” Julia whispered behind me. I heard a noise and held her firmly to the wall. The hunters walked straight past us. A smell teased my nose and my fangs felt hot, wanting to pool out of my gums. With all my might I restrained it, but the smell of blood was so thick and beautiful. I could smell so much blood both in and outside of the walls.

The throbbing of Julia’s neck artery caught my attention. I was so hungry and her neck looked so salty and clean. My fangs slipped out as I stared at her neck. I just had to have one taste.

“Pull yourself together.”

Cesar’s large hand shook me suddenly. Before Julia could see my fangs, I hid my face in the shadow of Cesar’s large frame. If it weren’t for Cesar I would have happily fed off my best friend’s girlfriend.

Julia screamed and fled at the sight of Cesar, but already he had grabbed her and knocked her out, bringing her back to me. “We have to go now; something isn’t right. The clouds are covering the sun and night is soon to come. There is a lot of blood out there. I am guessing sabers are outside. I can feel their movement, they are close. The smell of blood within these walls is attracting them here. Someone has lost a lot of blood. Your mother has your friend,” Cesar explained quickly.

“I have to find Chase first, you both go ahead,” I said, walking past him through the two huts.

“What do you mean you have to find him?” Cesar asked, grabbing my arm. His fangs slipped out as he smelled the air. I too followed his lead, picking up the smell of a familiar scent. I didn’t want to show panic on my face, but I knew instantly that it was Chase who bled. And by the smell of it, already he had lost a lot of blood.

“Take her now, I will only be another minute,” I said, breaking the grip he had on me before going in the direction of where I smelled Chase. When I looked back Cesar had already gone. He had respected my wish. Sticking closely to the walls of the huts, I was surprised by how few walked past me. Where were they all?

“Esmore!” James voice quivered.

My head automatically jerked in that direction, and it was where Chase’s blood dropped. I kept close to the shadows of the hut. When I looked around the corner, most of the Guild surrounded James and Chase as onlookers. Chase was tied by many silver ropes. That is why I couldn’t detect him, because the silver was counteracting it. Kora and Kasey were close to Chase. They must have trapped him as he was hiding in the shadows waiting for me. We didn’t go as unnoticed as I had hoped. The smell of blood still swept through the air from the outside of the walls. I could now sense movement. I feared Cesar was right and for some reason a pack of sabers was drawn here.

“I know you are out there, Esmore!” James called angrily. He had changed much since only days ago. It looked like he had not slept at all; he looked crazed. He was walking around the pit of hunters. Four hunters were holding the silver chains wrapped around Chase tightly, as he could hardly stand. Campture and Kelf were standing behind James. I searched the many faces of those who encouraged him to flame the foul vampire.

I now realized the side I was on. I hated vampires and would have also called for their blood. But my beautiful Chase could not suffer such a fate. Not because of me. Looking at the surrounding walls, there were no guards because they were all eagerly watching. I saw Teary and Tori, who looked around at the group uneasily. Had Chase guessed correctly? He once said they were the two who would resist my beheading and the way they were reacting, he could be very right. Chase knew that this predicament would happen, but never did I realize he would be the bait.

“Esmore, sweetie, if you don’t come out now I will kill him,” James called. He pushed the flamed stick into Chase’s face. Chase screamed as his skin began to melt. I picked up a bucket of water, diving into the center of the hunters and pouring it over Chase, who looked at me helplessly. His expression told me that he wished I had never come. I kicked the flaming stick out of James’ hand, jumping on him and slamming him to the ground.

“There’s my beautiful Esmore,” James said, raising a hand to my cheek. I jumped off him, disgusted that he would try to touch me so affectionately after torturing my familiar. I tried my very best to restrain my vampire self. If they witnessed that I was now vampire then there was no chance of escape. I looked glumly at Chase, knowing already we were outnumbered. I had no idea how I could outwit all of the hunters that surrounded us. They looked at me with eyes which held disgust and hate.

“Behold, our traitor Token Huntress,” Campture announced loudly. “Bedding a vampire. Such filth.”

I ignored the many insults that were called out to me. All of it built such an anxiety within me that I struggled to contain my feelings. I felt trapped, and that was not something I had felt before. The smell of Chase’s blood lingered on me. But further past the wall I could smell an odour that could only be carried by sabers. As Cesar had said, they were now very close to the Guild. The dry blood on them gave me their location.

“There are sabers out there!” I shouted at them, now brushing my hand through my hair. What was this anxiety I felt? Where was my usual calm and collected self? I had no heart so why did I suffer at the very thought of the situation?

“We are a Guild of Hunters. Don’t doubt our skill, you filthy monster,” Campture hissed.

“Esmore, my love,” James stretched his hand out to me.

I tried my hardest to get away from James as I struggled to contain the acidic sensation that tore through me. I tried to keep myself calm and push down the darkness that wanted to claw its way out. Chase stared at me worriedly, now tugging at his chains as he tried to get to me. I was standing directly across from him, panicking.

“Stay with me and let me aid you in getting better. We can destroy this monster right now who has taken your mind. You will find peace, my love,” James said. “Be mine, you always have been. You are mine.”

“And if you don’t, you will die right now,” Campture snapped quickly.

Chase began dragging one of the hunters close to him as he tugged on the silver chains attached to his wrists. Another hunter came from behind him, shoving a wooden sphere into his leg and dropping him to his knees.

Suddenly, I snapped and my fangs came out. Large growls came from me as I hunched my back. I could feel something take over and I happily accepted it. My vampire self had already spread throughout me. There was something deeper that lingered and hungered. I would do whatever I could to protect my familiar. As I felt the change begin within me, I could not move. I was frozen there for a time then I hunched over like an animal.

“Kill it!” Campture hissed.

Shards felt as if they were passing through my back. I heard a cracking noise. My hunched figure echoed with pain. Two large white wings sprouted from my back as my pain slowly receded and was replaced with a lust for death and chaos.

James pulled something from behind his back. At the end of it was a large explosive fixed to a stick. I had no time to move as I was still frozen in my position. He speared me through the chest, and as soon as it touched my skin, the explosive reacted and blew my chest open, traveling straight through me.

My eyes widened in shock. I had been shot. Everything fell silent. Chase tore from his chains, beheading instantly the hunters around him who fought back. Hunters attacked him, overpowering him quickly. My knees dropped to the ground as I watched. The slow ringing of screams began to pierce my ears as I saw shadows streak over the wall. When my nose regained smell I noted it was the sabers. They now jumped over the wall and slaughtered the hunters. In front of me one saber leapt onto a hunter, ripping at his lips hungrily and then diving into his neck.

James stormed toward me, slicing through two sabers in his path. His skin had turned to metal. Past him I could see Chase struggling against the eight hunters who kicked into his stomach. Still on my knees, I took another breath. I looked down to my chest where slowly my skin sealed over my wounded chest. As it did, my once beautiful white wings slowly folded into my back, not having the energy to offer me any power. I knew it was The Descendant that had come forth. A very dark black spread over its beautiful white coloring on one of my wings. My near death had tainted such purity.

When I felt it sink into my skin again, a part of me felt even darker. Like all that had once been pure within me, and my hunter beliefs, were now only half as my vision of black and vampirism crept over. James grabbed my chin, looking at me with disgust. “How nice of your eyes to go purple now. I saw you first. I loved you first. It is me who owns you!” he spat with hatred. “All I want to do is look after you, Esmore; just me and you. I can make you better.”

At my silence, his eyes glowed with rage and he backhanded me across the face. Still my chest was not fully healed and I was incapable of moving. Having no heart may have been the only reason I survived. But taking such a fatal wound left me weak. I coughed into the muddy ground, where rain poured. The small wooden parts of the Guild had descended into flames. Screams from hunters and high-pitched squeals from sabers eroded the purity of the grounds.

“You always thought you could do better, didn’t you Esmore?” James went to kick my stomach. He hesitated when he looked behind me. A deep meaningful growl tore through the air. Within seconds, James was grabbed and flung meters through the air. I could not see where he landed.

“Come here, daughter,” Cesar’s voice tore through the air. His fangs dripped with blood as he cradled me in his arms protectively. “Tythian, stop taking your bloody time!”

Suddenly Tythian was by my side, taking me into his arms. He bowed to Cesar, gentleman-like, and looked down at me. “I think the little vampire is realizing she isn’t as mighty as she first thought,” he teased harshly.

I didn’t even have the time to question why Tythian was here or how he knew Cesar. But I was certainly glad to see him. “Please Tythian,” I gasped dryly. “Chase.” Blackness swallowed me and I was in a pool of emptiness, before resurfacing beside Chase. So this was Tythian’s gift: teleportation. Tythian backhanded a hunter fatally who had tried to spear Chase.

“Esmore,” Chase whispered, moving over to me. He looked as badly and as beaten as I did. I used all my strength to tear the silver of his chains. The silver burned and made my hands bleed. I tried but the blood only loosened my grip. He cupped my face.

“Esmore!” Campture roared, walking toward me. My mother intervened. The look both of them shared was one of pure hatred. “Trinity, why am I not surprised? You think you kept this from me. I have for a long time known what your daughter truly is,” Campture announced with smugness. That explained why she wanted to lure me back to the Guild and take me hostage. “Our battle may not be today, vampire whore, but it will be soon. As soon as everyone knows what your daughter holds, they will search for her. You cannot keep her safe.”

My mother threw a dagger at her chest but James pushed her aside. A large bang erupted, breaking everyone’s stance. Tythian was knocked toward a nearby burning horse carriage, just missing the open flames. My mother was flung toward the brick foundation of the tunnels. I realized the bang had erupted from the weapons room, and within no time at all the explosions would go off. I could now feel myself healing rapidly. I held Chase tightly in my arms, trying to stand, but my legs buckled.

My mother ran to my side, snapping the silver off Chase. She was the only one of us who could tear through them without being affected. Flames poured out of the tunnel, reaching for us like snake heads. I felt the gentle touch of Tythian’s hand and suddenly darkness consumed us again.

A breeze now swept between us as we stood on a grassy ledge a few hundred meters away from the Guild. I witnessed the blast which could have claimed all of our lives, if it weren’t for Tythian, who had teleported us. The Guild was up in flames and from here my sensitive ears could hear the screams of many of my comrades falling.

“Esmore,” Dillian’s voice interrupted me. He looked badly battered as he stood behind me holding Julia. I had no words, my mouth was parched. I was so drained and exhausted that I could not will anything. I felt limp. The further I was wounded, the hungrier I was. Yet right now I was incapable of moving. I was so hungry that I even preyed on my best friend. It was joy in the immobility I felt that lessened my temptation. I needed blood to replenish.

“Oi, Tythian!” Cesar shouted from nearby as he ran up the hill toward us. “You couldn’t even give me a lift?”

“You are the oldest vampire I know. I knew it would not take you long to return to us,” Tythian said, bored of Cesar’s theatrics. We all continued to watch the flames as the sabers’ squeals pierced all of our ears. Tythian continued, “You know it was the Council who lead that large pack of sabers to the Guild. They have been living within the city for some time now. Fier wasn’t fooled by you at all, Esmore. You led them to the Guild. This was Fier’s first attack on the Hunters’ Guild.”

Neither Chase nor I could say anything. It made sense, the blood which was spread all around the Guild. That was the Council. How had we not known we were followed? How did we not know we triggered this battle?

“It looks like Fier is being clever and conserving his army. Is the world leadership Council soon to be held?” Cesar asked of Tythian.

“In a few months now. It looks as if Fier is serious about trying to outmatch the other Councils and take further leadership of more land and countries. As you suspected,” Tythian praised.

I let that information sink in. So Fier planned to overpower the Council?

“I suspect they already know,” Cesar responded as we watched the crashing flames in the distance. “This next Council meeting will destroy many of our kind. They are no different to the human wars. There are always men who want more.”

I tried to numb the mounting questions. For today I only wanted to rest, and then worry about it in the new dawn.

“How do you two know one another?” my mother asked.

“Well, Tythian is my first son of course,” Cesar said with a proud smile as he pulled Tythian in for an embrace which then turned into a headlock. “Well so to speak, he was the first I turned into a vampire.”

I wanted to feel shocked or overwhelmed, but I was far too tired. Even as my body tried to rejuvenate, it struggled. So Tythian was the vampire Cesar spoke of placing in the Council. And I now understood why: because a secret war had been brewing. The Hunter’s Guild knew nothing. But that was no longer a battle for me to fight. Or was it? Right now all I was concerned with was that my team would stay safe.

“Esmore,” Chase coughed. Slowly I watched the burn marks on him heal. He now had the energy to fully lift himself and hold me in a tight embrace. He almost pushed me over onto my back he held me so firmly. He kissed my lips hungrily. “Thank god, I thought I had lost you,” he whispered into my ear, holding my hair tightly to him. He kissed my ear again. I wanted to be sad for the hunters who would be killed tonight. But we were a diligent breed; I knew some, if not most, would survive. I could not be sad as they so quickly turned on me and left me for dead. I wasn’t sure who I was battling for any longer. I was where I was meant to be and that was by the side of my familiar, my mother, and my best friend.

“So what do we do now?” Tythian asked. My mother looked at Cesar worriedly.

“Perhaps her heart isn’t as safely hidden as we first thought,” my mother said. “Word of her ability will spread and her gift will be highly sought out. They will want to use her as a weapon against one another.”

“First we get them out of here, we need to retreat,” Cesar said, placing his hand on Tythian’s shoulder. Cesar was directing him to teleport us all to a different place. Tythian held his hand out to Dillian and Julia, waiting for their permission before transporting them. After they accepted, they vanished into a black hole.

“Esmore, you are literally the definition of an immortal,” Chase teased with a smile. I gave a faint and uncertain smile in response. Chase had not changed at all; it was me who had changed entirely. And with the knowledge I now held, I wondered how long it would be until the next smile would spread along my lips.

“Others will come looking for me now. I don’t think I could survive a beheading,” I said, now understanding the war I was now in the middle of. I would be the token item vampires and hunters would search for. After all, we were all creatures who grew to survive. They would come for me, all of them.

Chase kissed my lips, pinning back a piece of my golden hair behind my ear. “I will not let them touch you. We weren’t prepared this time. But the next, we will be.”

Suddenly Tythian was standing behind us. “Little vampire,” he antagonized. “Do not forget your promise to me either.”

Darkness consumed us as I waited patiently for the place of where he next transported us. A smile spread across my lips. I thought I would be hungry and vengeful after all that had happened. The hunter was now the hunted. But I was relieved to find that, because of Chase, I would fight for the right reasons. Instead of killing vampires and finding humans to protect, I would now selfishly fight for my own individuality and existence. Chase was my awakening to that, and I would not let him go. He was my only connection to emotion and love until I found my heart. And when I did, I would no doubt give it to him entirely. He gave me a reason to live.

Sneak Peek of Token Vampire

What hit me first was the damp air. I sat in the dark and the stone flooring beneath  us cooled my fingers when I brushed my fingers along it. Goosebumps pricked at my skin. I was used to being underground in the Hunter Guild but this was far deeper into the network of tunnels than I had ever been. Tythian had teleported us, and his hands still rested on our shoulders now as we all struggled to regain our composure. Only seconds before we were watching the hellish scene of the Guild burning to the ground. My fellow hunters who had turned on me were screaming in the distance. I didn’t know how many survived. I couldn’t even feel guilty for not caring. My emotions remained stagnant, like they always did.

Chase and I clung to one another for support as we tried to get our bearings. We were both absolutely exhausted. My mouth was parched and dry as I inhaled the scent of blood, imagining the warmth of it filling my mouth. I knew it would restore the energy that was stolen from us during the ordeal with James and Campture. A burst of relief rushed through me as Chase’s fingers trailed over my cheek, grabbing my attention. It was only at his touch, or my mother’s, that I could truly feel. And it was overwhelming. One thing screamed out at me and that was the fact that everyone I loved was now safe. I looked to Chase with simple relief; my Chase, my familiar, whom I would die for. He brushed my cheek with a smile, a wicked glow in his eyes. I need to drink some blood, I confessed to him in my mind.

His smile widened. I know Esmore, I will find us something, he replied.

The vampire lifestyle was not one I could get used to anytime soon. My body screamed for blood, but the other thing that was heightened, despite my exhaustion, was the torture of not being able to ravish Chase then and there. We had both almost died today. I had my chest blown out and yet I had survived. I had watched the man I love be tortured. All I wanted was to shred the clothes from his body and devour him. Another smile spread across Chase’s lips. He knew it, he could sense it from me.

“Are you both going to just sit there all day?” Tythian interrupted with his hands behind his back as he looked at us impatiently.

We were interrupted by a sound. I heard Dillian’s voice in the distance and then a scream. It was enough to startle me out of my stupor and I immediately ran into a narrow dark hall. When I turned the corner, I came to a rocky circular room, which was lit by candlelight. Wooden chairs and tables were spread about. Above was a small chandelier with candles. I quickly scanned the room, accessing the occupants.

My mother and biological father, Cesar, watched me from the corner, alongside two foreign male vampires. One had black hair and blue eyes. He eyed me coolly as he leaned back in his chair so far that the front chair legs balanced mid-air. The male beside him watched on with a childish smile on his face. He beamed as if toys were being presented in front of him. His hair was long and blonde. He wore no shirt, but there was a large wooden cross around his chest. His eyes were the same color as the wood, which contrasted nicely against the light tan of his skin. His body was covered in various black tattoos.

To my right, huddled in the corner, was a larger male vampire who stood over Dillian baring his fangs. Dillian stood in front of Julia protectively. The hood had fallen from her head, revealing her sheer terror. She huddled behind Dillian.

“Just one taste, eh boy?” the vampire mocked. He was Dillian’s height, if not taller. His black hair was cut short and his green eyes shone like a snake’s.

Neither Dillian nor Julia had weapons to protect themselves. Dillian could hardly stand after being so badly beaten. I took only four steps forward at my most heightened speed, but the vampire seemed to have vanished. Already he was behind me, his rough hands brushing over my plaited golden hair.

“Mm, you smell yummy,” he said from behind me. Before I realized it I had already turned and grabbed the vampire around the throat, lifting him from the ground. Growls swept past us, but the loudest was my own. I could sense Chase behind me. I kept my eyes on the vampire savagely.

“They are mine!” I said, remembering how Chase had to objectify me in such a way within the Council. “And if you ever touch me again, I will break your spine into small shards and feed it to you.”

I dropped him onto the ground and he slithered toward the other men angrily. Chase walked around the vampire with his hands in his pockets and a smirk on his face. It was both he and Cesar who had growled. Shards of spine, really? he spoke to me within my mind. I felt the touch of a smirk on my face as well. My aggressive instincts shattered when Chase looked at me in such a way. Chase obviously realized I didn’t need him to protect me.

“Be good to your sister, the lot of you!” Cesar bellowed, kicking his boot into the vampire who had threatened Dillian. Dillian was still on guard as he hugged Julia protectively.

“Their what?” I hissed. The thought of being connected to these vampires in such a way sickened me. My mother also looked around somewhat shocked.

“Oh, so you are the little sister we have heard so much about,” the blonde-haired male with the wooden cross on his chest said, standing and stretching his hand out to shake mine. “Call me Yolo.”

Yolo obviously sensed my disdain because he pointed his outstretched hand at Chase. Chase looked down at his hand, his hands still in his pockets. He raised an eyebrow at the gesture and looked at him tiredly. “Yolo. Seriously?”

“Hey man, when I turned vamp I could choose whichever name I desired. I was a new me, thanks to Cesar. So, Yolo, right. You Only Live Once.” He said it with a cheesy grin, but the smile faltered somewhat when he realized Chase wasn’t going to shake his hand. He withdrew it hastily.

I looked back at Tythian, who still stood in the doorway. His expression mirrored my contempt. I turned to Yolo and couldn’t help but glance in confusion at the cross that rested against his many tattoos.

He smiled again, as if my gaze alone was all he needed to initiate conversation. “My parents were catholic, you see. So I keep to that. I love my mom and dad, even after their passing. I never had the chance to see them again after I got turned. It took over one hundred years to be able to contain my thirst, so Cesar didn’t let me near any humans or civilization.”

“One hundred years?” I choked, thinking of my own burning desires. I was struggling to keep myself from indulging in Dillian’s and Julia’s neck right now. If it weren’t for my exhaustion and determination not to get any closer, I shuddered to think what might happen.

“Connor took the longest,” he pointed to the dark-haired male who had been balancing on his chair. He seemed timid and he looked at Tythian for reassurance. It forced me to question if he was mute. “Connor was found in 1936, during Hitler’s rein. He had the blue eyes but not the blonde hair,” Tythian said as he walked over to him. He spoke affectionately of Connor. They were both very introverted men, but you could see the respect they held for one another. “His family was murdered. Connor was almost killed as well, except Cesar turned him. But Connor never forgave any human after that. He got a little twisted and saw the vampires as a more heroic race and the humans as parasites and beasts. It took a while to dilute that hatred.”

I looked at Connor as he leaned shyly forward, assessing us. His blue eyes were piercing and held so much sadness. He continued to stare even when our eyes met.

“And that’s Balzar!” Cesar bellowed with a monstrous laugh, pointing at the vampire who had threatened Dillian. “My daughter is only eighteen years of age, and you are over one hundred and fifty, yet you still get your catoot handed to you!”

“Yeah, would someone like to explain that?” he tisked under his breath. “She doesn’t even smell like a vampire.” I looked at my mother, who seemed just as unsure of what was happening as the others. At first I thought she might have been here a few times, but with her tense body language I knew that she hadn’t.

“Well, when a daddy vampire and mummy hunter love each other very much…,” Cesar continued, rustling his hand through Balzar’s short hair. “They create a vampire-hunter baby girl who is stronger in everything because of that. The end.”

“You suck!” Yolo laughed, and pointed at Balzar. Balzar grunted under his breath at the insult before pouncing on Yolo. Both of them ran down a hall childishly.

“And you also forgot to mention that she carries the Descendant gift within her. Perhaps the biggest cause for concern,” Tythian said, now standing with his hands strapped across his chest.

“Why have you brought us here?” I asked, not wanting to waste my time with stupid introductions any longer.

“Because you are safe here, and you can build your energy back up. You will need it,” Cesar said, resting a hand on my mother’s lower back.

“In the next few months a war will begin. And this time we, our own coven, will not step aside and let the humans or Council rule,” Tythian began.

“You’re a coven?” I narrowed my eyes on them judgementally. They were at times no better than the sabers. Yolo and Balzar returned after hearing my raised voice.

“Not all covens are bad, Esmore,” Tythian brushed me off.

“We have just chosen to live more freely from the start,” Connor’s rough voice interjected, surprising me.

“Cesar turned all four of us, so we were automatically a part of his coven. But we would have stayed even if we had the choice to leave. We are family here. And there are many other covens around the world we are aligned with that think the same way. Of course, not all agree or care,” Yolo said, shrugging his shoulders.

“So why attack the Council?” I asked.

“It’s not just the Council, my beautiful daughter,” Cesar stated quickly. “The humans too have been gathering power. We cannot live in a world where there is a war, where the Council takes further control and power. They demand one ruler. If all are combined under one Council, it could be a free-for-all hunt on the covens. We hit them from the side before they gather that power. Which is why I had Tythian infiltrate Fier’s Council. They have been gathering numbers for a while now, and Arab’s displeasure with covens has been known since the day they tried to rally us all against the humans.”

“You met Arab?” Chase asked.

“I did,” Cesar agreed hesitantly. “And your mother as well. Who was far nicer than you, might I add, pipsqueak.”

Chase growled under his breath, enraging Cesar. When Cesar’s demeanor changed, both Yolo and Connor growled in support.

“Stop with the macho dance,” my mother interjected. “Cesar, tell her about the humans.”

“I…” He dissolved his attitude quickly at the request of my mother. “The humans have been hiding. You hunters lost contact with them, but the government of the humans has been functioning. They are trying to create a new form of hunters. Stronger ones to overcome the humans.”

“I don’t know why they don’t let it go. I mean the world has already turned to shit. It won’t be like the good old days of the early 2000s,” Yolo said, stretching back on his chair.

“How do you know this; do you have proof?” I asked.

“Yes,” Tythian interjected angrily. His jaw was quivering and his hands were still across his chest. “Whitney was one of their victims. When I found her, she was left for dead.”

I shivered at his words and I felt Chase straighten beside me.

“But Whitney died of cancer. You saved her from a pack of sabers when her father was killed,” I said, repeating what they had told me. Chase’s fingers brushed past mine, but I couldn’t accept his hand. Somehow I sensed betrayal.

Tythian exchanged a look with him before continuing. “It’s what we made her believe,” he said under his breath.

“I don’t understand,” I said. Slowly it clicked together. I stared at Chase accusingly. “You tricked her mind?” I demanded.

“Only because Tythian asked me to. Esmore, with enough suggestive thoughts people can forget their darkest nightmares. I spared her that pain. It was Tythian’s familiar, and his call,” Chase gushed. He was trying to smile and I could sense that his mind was thinking of something funny to say, like he always did to dispel serious situations. I felt the rumble of darkness within me tap lightly in my stomach, like butterflies were trying to escape. But I was too weak for rage to sweep through. I hated how close I stood to him. I was able to feel the betrayal, lies, and pain he had caused.

“I asked Chase to do so,” Tythian confirmed. “I found my love — my sweet, beautiful Whitney — abandoned beside her dead father at dusk. It is true sabers did attack her, which I didn’t lie about, and that her father died at their hands. But where they had come from was a secure place for humans… where technology remains highly advanced. They are trying to create stronger beings. The injection, according to our research, killed most; and in Whitney’s case the disease spread through her for many years. I was feeding her my blood every night without her knowing. I could have never turned her into a vampire because of the parasite disease, even if I tried. However, after so many years of my blood rejuvenating her, my blood no longer worked.”

“It was her brother who injected them both,” Yolo spoke up now, allowing Tythian to slip into a subdued silence. Now I knew if he had the choice he wouldn’t have respected Whitney’s wishes. He would have turned her anyway. But if that were to happen to Chase, I would have done the same. I could not judge, yet I felt sick by the lie.

“How do you know all this?” I said angrily.

“Yolo here is a part of that human group,” Cesar interrupted. “He was the only one who could infiltrate them.”

“How?” I demanded. How did the Guild have none of this information?

Yolo stood up tall. I could see a lightly quivering mist surrounding him. Within seconds a human woman with long blonde hair in a tight skirt, shirt, and high heels approached me with a velvet voice. “Because I am Jenn Cadolwadt: engineer and specialist at the Human Activist and Regaining Existence Movement,” she said, holding out a hand for me to shake. Yolo even smelled like a human woman.

“He can bypass all the scans. He comes up as human,” Connor spoke from the corner of the room.

“Why a woman?” Dillian asked from behind me.

The woman gave a sheepish smile in response. One that made my whole body cringe. “Well, mostly because of these,” Yolo said, grabbing hold of his bountiful chest. “It is a pretty nice rack, if I do say so myself.”

My stomach turned. “I think I am going to be sick.”

“She needs blood,” Chase growled, ending the conversation. “She has lost too much. She has to feed.”
“Of course, sorry for having not noticed sooner,” Cesar roared. “Connor, if you would be so kind as to show those two to their room, and Tythian, can you show the two other hunters their room?”

“No!” I said savagely, looking at Balzar. “They stay in the same room as us.” I would protect them no matter what.

After much hesitation Cesar agreed. “Very well, but you only have a day’s rest until you are to come out and meet the rest of my Coven.” He dispelled us within moments, and the others went their separate ways as Tythian escorted us silently through the rocky walls.

About The Author

Kia Carrington-Russell is a young author writing from her Australian home. Kia is supported by her helpful friends, family and readers. Most of all she is assisted by her Ying and Yang kitties, Isa and Forest, as well as her Cavoodle, Sia, who are always by her side as she busily types away in her office.

Kia completed her first manuscript, Possession Of My Soul: The Three Immortal Blades, when she was fifteen. After graduating from high school, Kia pursued freelance journalism. After working for half a year within the sales section of the local paper, Kia realised journalism was not what she wanted to focus on.

Kia started her Precious Living website, which is a self-help blog publishing weekly affirmations. It was a way to express her enjoyment of photography as well as reaching out to readers who might not be feeling positive in their current lifestyles. She often published motivational stories, hoping to fill many with gratitude for what they had, instead of focusing on what they didn’t.

In the year of 2014, Kia took her first manuscript seriously, and on May 15, Kia’s first book was published. Since then Kia has continued writing and publishing many works from the Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance, and Action genres. Kia has many more books planned for the future.

In 2015, Kia’s self-publishing services and promotional services became live. She is now CEO of both Crystal Publishing and Crystal Book Promoters, which have been designed to help other authors at an affordable price. The mission is to guide writers through the perilous journey of self-publication.

Kia enjoys dancing, cooking, painting, manga, anime, eating (loves eating), reading, and is very competitive in all games, no matter what game.

From Kia:
Thank you to all my friends, family, and readers who have supported me. You have no idea how much it truly means to me; the support inspires me to keep writing. I am very grateful for the kind words you offer me and for telling others of my books.

Thank you everyone so much,

Kia

Also Available

Awarded ‘The Best Fantasy Series of 2014’ and ‘Best Book Bad Guy of 2014’ by The Paranormal Bookshelf.

Possession Of My Soul: The Three Immortal Blades

Karla Gray is an ordinary young woman that is taken from her mundane life into a world of blood lust as she begins to struggle with a unique ability. Karla is a Shielder; an exceptional fighter born with the rare ability to project a Shield for protection. However, Shielders are not the only kind that possesses such a talent. The Shielders battle a war that has been raging for centuries against Starkorfs, who harvest humans and Shielders alike to obtain a near immortality.

Alongside the charming Lucas and selfless Paul, Karla must unravel the purpose of her curse and battle an unknown presence manipulating her thoughts; a mysterious woman who may be dormant for now, but has every intention of possessing Karla- mind, body, and soul.

Within this new reality that Karla faces the search for the Three Immortal Blades begins.

Possession Of My Heart: The Three Immortal Blades

After the great fight between Tyran and Misfeata, Karla’s body is recovering. Misfeata has manipulated and possessed her body — now, she lies dormant. But for how long?

Paul and Karla continue to venture into the unknown. Karla is in pursuit of her parents, as well as a cure for her body in which Shielder blood now resides. She must find a cure for herself both physically and mentally as she struggles with the morals of this very different world.

As Karla tries to avoid the war, she inevitably drags Paul into dangerous circumstances. A rare Elemental Breather is after Karla and out for war, but why? Now, not only combating the Starkorfs, Karla must contend with the Elemental Breathers and her own fighting spirit.

In this time of hardship, Lucas comes back into her life. He is also targeted by the strange Elemental Breather, Taskatae, who calls herself ‘Mother.’ After his betrayal, Karla must learn to trust him again as he reminds her who she truly is now.

Can she survive the constant battles from not only the physical world but from within? For a while Misfeata is dormant; Karla must try to keep hidden her true feelings. Karla is in turmoil as she faces who may truly possess her heart.

Phantom Wolf

Sia is a Phantom Wolf. Neither dead nor alive—and rotting from the inside—she is on the edge of her curse. Once a Phantom Wolf has been created, they hunt their blood pack and slaughter all their loved ones. Except for Sia, who woke years after her death to find herself rampaging through the land on a lonely path. She continues to run from the rival pack that hunts her because she is a Phantom Wolf.

Attracted to a scent, Sia finds her old best friend, who is now a grown woman. Having once saved Keeley, Sia takes the role of protector yet again, despite Keeley’s involvement with the mysterious Alpha, Kiba, and his kin brother, Saith. An ambush separates the pack and the four of them blindly fight the new warriors that attack them: desperately needing to find out where the attacks are coming from, as Sia has vowed to protect Keeley. But at what cost?

Now being chased, Sia finds herself conflicted by the mortal and spirit world while trying to protect her kin. Sia must confront her fears, as well as the human lover who killed her many years before. It is not only survival Sia contends with, but her own façade that must be broken so that she may find peace within herself once more.

Sia

Eighteen years have now passed since the Phantom Wolf, Sia, faced her greatest challenge when she was forced to kill her lover, Kiba—the rightful heir to the throne. Sia murdered the dishonorable King Taleb for his transgressions before resting in peace among her Spirit Pack.

Saith and Keeley now rule over the Kingdom, endeavoring to restore peace and allegiance throughout the land. Their actions are clouded in secrecy so that their daughter—whom they named Sia—should remain protected and unaware. But what are they preparing for?

Sia, now almost eighteen years of age, must face her own journey to discover the mysteries her world has to offer. In order to uncover her true potential, Sia must confront her feelings for Trim. When her name is called, she sees him cringe as he remembers the love he once held for the Great Phantom Wolf before her.

Mistrust and lies decay the Kingdom’s solidarity. Sia’s curiosity is piqued by the fear that shadows all wolves: the threat of the humans. So what happens when she comes across one?

My Escort

Clover is personal assistant to Debra Coorman, the merciless boss of Candice fashion magazine. The bright lights of New York are dim for Clover, who is tormented by a work schedule like no other. Debra is relentless in her determination to demean Clover.

For once, Clover dares to play Debra’s games, and intends to prove her wrong at the next glittering event. With mixed emotions, Clover contacts a male escort, Damon. If his velvet voice over the phone is anything to go by, Clover knows her money will be well spent.

But when Damon appears at her door, something unexpected happens. The taunts and the games begin. Who is truly going to win at this game?