《Nyx: The Demon Princess》 We Meet at Journeys End Nyx The Demon Princess Chapter 1-We Meet at Journey¡¯s End ¡°Did you hear the news?¡± David looked up from his book at his friend Jacob, who was sitting across the small but fancy white table from him. Adjusting his glasses, he asked, ¡°What news?¡± ¡°About that massive fight over in Ceta. It was between a group of hunters and a vampire coven.¡± Jacob said. ¡°I heard it was really violent. A lot of people got hurt during the battle.¡± ¡°By who? The hunters or the vampires?¡± David asked. ¡°The vampires obviously. The hunters wouldn¡¯t hurt innocent people.¡± Jacob snorted. David rolled his eyes. ¡°Please, Jacob, there have already been several cases of civilians getting hurt because the hunters didn¡¯t know how to aim at a moving target. For all the fuss they make about being humanity¡¯s defense against the ¡°creatures of the night¡± they really do a good job of hitting everyone but the creatures they¡¯re hunting.¡± Jacob gave his friend a dull look, unimpressed with his friend¡¯s reply. Comments like that probably would¡¯ve gotten him beaten in an alley or punched in the nose, but he had a feeling that David didn¡¯t care. ¡°With that kind of attitude, you¡¯d be drained by a vampire in a heartbeat, David. It¡¯d be easy with your head in all those books.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t all be strapping young lads skilled in rugby, Jacob. And I read these books because they¡¯re an escape from how ungodly disappointing humanity¡¯s become.¡± David replied. ¡°You¡¯d best watch your words, David. Talk like that might piss off the Order.¡± Jacob grinned. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, those buffoons would self-destruct from their own stupidity before they even get to me.¡± Jacob laughed loudly, drawing attention from several nearby tables at the caf¨¦ he and David were having tea at. David could give most gothic writers a run for their money in the dreary and dull department. He almost always wore dark colors, wore his dark brown hair long to his ears and had an interest in fantasy and horror novels. Jacob was a tall and muscular young man who took part in the most physical of sports, was generally outgoing and boisterous and had tons of friends. They were as different as night and day and yet somehow they¡¯ve been friends since college. It wasn¡¯t as if David didn¡¯t have good reason to act so¡­disconnected from the rest of the world. The world hasn¡¯t really done him any favors these past two years. ¡°But going back to earlier, I¡¯ve never seen a vampire before.¡± Jacob continued, idly sipping on his tea with a lazy expression on his face. ¡°I mean, do you think that they¡¯re like all those stories? Pale, hates sun, hides in the shadows and all that?¡± ¡°Those stories are all hogwash. Vampires don¡¯t look any different from us. We¡¯ve probably run into at least one back in our school days without even knowing.¡± David said. ¡°It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to jump out and say ¡°I¡¯m a vampire!¡±.¡± ¡°True, that does defeat the purpose of being a predator.¡± Jacob sighed looked at his friend long and hard. David tried to ignore his friend¡¯s staring but eventually he found it had to focus and slammed his book closed. ¡°What is it now?¡± ¡°You need a girl, mate.¡± Jacob said it with such a straight face that even David couldn¡¯t keep his composure. ¡°I-I¡¯m sorry?!¡± He exclaimed. ¡°You need a girl. You¡¯re going to end up old and alone in that big mansion of yours with no one but those dusty old books keeping you company. Or worse, stuck with some unattractive cougar your parents decide to set you up with.¡± Jacob leaned forward and grinned. ¡°I just so happen to know a couple of ladies who are very interested in¡ª¡° ¡°Don¡¯t even go there, Jacob. I¡¯m not in the mood for looking for a lover, especially whoever you have in mind.¡± David said firmly. He had to put his foot down or Jacob will lead him to some brothel on the far side of town. ¡°David, you should really¡ªoh wait, I see. You¡¯ve already got someone in your sights, don¡¯t you?¡± Jacob smirked. ¡°Is it Anna? I bet it¡¯s Anna, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s not¡­¡± David sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. ¡°Look, Anna and I are merely friends who haven¡¯t seen each other in a while. She¡¯s got a busy life cleaning up after the Foundation¡¯s heiress.¡± ¡°I imagine.¡± Jacob¡¯s grin said that he didn¡¯t believe David¡¯s excuse. ¡°Whatever. I¡¯ve got to get back home before father sends Edward after me¡ªagain.¡± David got up from his seat and nodded to Jacob. ¡°Until next time, Jacob?¡± Jacob nodded. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t have to head back to the factory for a few more days. Business has been slow so far.¡± David nodded and left the caf¨¦, his book tucked under his arm. He still had some time before Anna arrived at the mansion, so he decided to head over to the local bookstore to if they had anything new. There wasn¡¯t much else to do in Rosemary that didn¡¯t involve him mingling with the rest of those high society blowhards who like to flaunt their status. David had enough of those people and their suffocating cigar smoking. Rosemary was a port town that he was born and raised in for twenty years. The town had been growing exponentially as a result of the increase in trade and tourists brought about by the so-called Industrial Revolution that the Arcadian Empire spearheaded. The buildings grew taller, people from all over the world moved in to set up permanent businesses, goods from different countries flowed in and out of the town, and everything was changing at a seemingly rapid pace. David had never thought he¡¯d see a family from Indus living next door to a predominantly Arcadian family given the bad blood between the two nations, but the proof was there. The world was becoming more connected. Yet for David, everything still felt small to him. Being the son of a plantation owner meant that he was stuck mingling with members of his own class, the wealthy businessmen and nobles who thought that they shat gold and no one could touch them because of their money. David had no patience for people like that, and he made sure his mother and father learned that too the next time they tried to set him up with a lady who treated his family¡¯s servants like trash. ¡®Philip knew how to deal with these people. This was his world, he was born for it.¡¯ David thought, his mood darkening further at the thought of his older brother. Losing him and his sister still stung even after two years, and it brought his mind into a dark place that he didn¡¯t want to fall into now. David was so engrossed in his thoughts that he wasn¡¯t paying attention to his surroundings. He didn¡¯t see the woman who was turning the corner just as he was until he bumped into her. The startled yelp she gave brought him out of his dark thoughts and he quickly caught the woman before she fell. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, miss, I didn¡¯t mean to run into you like that!¡± David apologized. ¡°I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going and¡­¡± David¡¯s voice trailed off when he got a good look at the woman he bumped into. She was absolutely beautiful! The woman had fair skin that was completely flawless and smooth, and she had long blonde hair that hung freely down her back, and amber gold eyes that looked stunning to him. His eyes were unintentionally drawn to her cleavage, which was supported by a black corset, and her bare shoulders were covered by a small red jacket. Her dress hugged her slender but curvaceous form, ending in a long red skirt that stopped at her calves, where she wore a pair of black heeled boots. In her hands was a black parasol that she almost dropped when she lost her balance. David had never seen a woman wear such an eye-catching mixture of red and black out in the open on a bright sunny day like this. In more conservative communities, she¡¯d be accused of being sinful or inappropriate. Her face was slender yet sharp, and her lips full and pink, and her eyes stared up at him with mirth. Oh wait, was she speaking to him? ¡°I know I¡¯m beautiful, sir, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯m pretty enough to make men go speechless.¡± She laughed. ¡°O-Oh, I¡¯m sorry!¡± David stammered. He inwardly berated himself for acting like some lovesick fool who drops his jaw at the sight of a pretty face. ¡°I was just¡­I¡¯m really distracted today. I wasn¡¯t looking where I was going.¡± ¡°Yes, you do look like a man with his mind on a thousand things at once. Not that I¡¯m complaining, but not every lady likes a young man running into her like a runaway train. Save the hard thinking for indoors, yes?¡± ¡°Good idea, miss.¡± David cleared his throat. ¡°I¡¯m David, David Talbot.¡± ¡°Danica Acerola.¡± The woman smoothly replied. She grinned when David took her dainty hand and laid a kiss upon it. ¡°Oh, such a gentleman. I thought men only did that in Arcadia.¡± ¡°My parents did their best to raise me right.¡± David said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve seen you around Rosemary, Danica. Are you new in town?¡± ¡°Yes I am. I just moved in from Araluen actually. Things over in the Empire have become a bit¡­volatile given the rise in vampire attacks, so I decided to go to someplace that wasn¡¯t so dominated by violence and figured Rozzaria was perfect for me. Lovely weather, scenic backgrounds, and the food¡­¡± Danica gave a moan that revered straight down David¡¯s body to his loins. ¡°To die for.¡± ¡°Yes, Rozzaria is a beautiful country, though Rosemary isn¡¯t the first place I¡¯d go to enjoy the sights.¡± David said. ¡°I thought it best to start small.¡± Danica shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m going to be staying here for a few days, but since I¡¯m new in town, I don¡¯t know my way around very much.¡± David didn¡¯t know why he did what he did, but he spoke up without thinking. Something he rarely did these days. ¡°If you want, I can show you around.¡± ¡°Really? Are you sure? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re a busy man, David. I wouldn¡¯t want to impose.¡± Danica said. ¡°It¡¯s no trouble. I can¡¯t leave a young lady such as yourself to wander this strange place by yourself.¡± David said, almost cracking a smile. Almost. Danica laughed at that. ¡°Young, I¡¯ve never had someone call me that before.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± David asked, but she continued on as if nothing happened. ¡°I¡¯ll accept your offer, David. At least I¡¯ll have one companion in this town.¡± She said smiling. David actually gave her a small, very small, smile and offered her his arm, which she took. Walking down the street with Danica, suddenly the day didn¡¯t seem as tedious to David as it used to be. XXXXXX It funny how times flies when you¡¯re having fun. David had lost track of time showing Laura around town, talking about random, trivial topics just for the hell of it. David couldn¡¯t remember when he managed to talk to a woman without having to worry about her ulterior motives. Sure Danica was a stranger, but at least she didn¡¯t treat him any different because of his status. Talking with Danica had helped David learn some things about her. Danica displayed a kind of strength about her that showed in how she carried herself and interacted with others, mainly himself. She showed confidence, independence and even a bit of regality that would intimidate other men David¡¯s age. It was a breath of fresh air to David, and honestly he didn¡¯t realize that he was actually enjoying talking to someone who didn¡¯t care about convention. Before either of them knew it, the time to separate was upon them. David escorted Danica over to a popular hotel he knew about and signed her in. They shared their goodbyes, reluctant as David was, and Danica promised that whenever he was in town she¡¯d love to see him again. David left Rosemary that afternoon in a lighter mood than when he came there. But of course nothing lasts forever. When he arrived at his estate, he was already descending back into the same mood he had earlier. It got even darker when he saw his father standing in front of the mansion with his arms crossed. ¡°You¡¯re late.¡± Peter said to his son as he stepped out of the carriage. ¡°I know. I was helping someone out in town.¡± David said, walking past his father without a second thought. ¡°Anna is waiting for you in the garden.¡± Peter said, glaring at his son¡¯s back. ¡°She was kind enough to wait for you even though you were twenty minutes late.¡± ¡°Good for her. Not a lot of people can wait that long for me.¡± David replied. Peter sighed through his nose and followed David inside, wondering how things went so wrong between them. David was never this unruly, and he would never leave anybody waiting intentionally. Granted after the deaths of his brother and sister, it seemed as if nothing mattered anymore. David tossed his coat to Edward, his head butler, and made his way through the mansion to the garden outback. It was nothing special, just a small little private retreat filled with flowers locally grown or imported from abroad (Rozzaria was known for producing the most beautiful roses in Eura), and was a place where his mother would bring friends for tea and gossip. Except his mother wasn¡¯t here, and the only occupant in the garden was Anna Williams, a childhood friend of his who was one of the few who remained in contact with him when he attended college. She was a young woman of twenty-one, with short dark red hair and sky blue eyes that David had to admit were her most enchanting feature. She wore a burgundy dress that left her shoulders slightly bare and a black choker around her neck. Definitely not the kind of dress that the daughter of a simple banker could afford. ¡°David!¡± Anna smiled brightly as he entered the garden. ¡°Good afternoon!¡± ¡°Afternoon, Anna. It¡¯s been a while since we last talked.¡± David said smoothly as he took a seat across from her at the tiny white table, a small smile gracing his lips. ¡°Too long. I hope you¡¯re doing well in my absence.¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you were a mess without me looking over your shoulder.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not that bad, Anna. It¡¯s been quiet here, though. The town¡¯s getting bigger, we¡¯re getting more visitors from overseas.¡± David shrugged. ¡°Nothing new.¡± ¡°And¡­how are you, David? Has anything special caught your eye?¡± Anna asked cautiously. David admired how she avoided mentioning the tragic passing of his siblings. That was good, because he wasn¡¯t in the mood to talk about it. ¡°Well I¡¯m helping father with the plantation, and I¡¯m taking some classes in business. The exciting things life has to offer.¡± Anna pursed her lips but didn¡¯t say anything. This response was to be expected from David, considering he was less than enthusiastic about taking over the plantation. It never interested him and he had no passion for business or trade. He wanted to learn more about the world and its history. To travel to far off places and see the world. Anna could imagine how he was feeling, if that was possible.Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°So how¡¯s life fairing you as the tutor to the little mistress of the O¡¯Hara Foundation?¡± David asked, already munching on his third cookie. They were really tasty. ¡°I hear she¡¯s a real sweetheart to her servants.¡± ¡°Miss Scarlett isn¡¯t that bad. She¡¯s young and temperamental, a growing lady.¡± Anna said defensively. David could tell this wasn¡¯t the first time she¡¯s had to defend her boss¡¯s daughter. Lord only knows how many times she¡¯s recited that line to people. ¡°And she¡¯s actually very nice when you get to know her.¡± ¡°I doubt that, but you¡¯re no liar so I¡¯ll take your word for it.¡± David replied. The O¡¯Hara Foundation was the world¡¯s leading transportation company that manufactured everything from steam trains to airships. They practically dominated the airship industry and their work could be seen all over the world. Anna was the personal tutor of the Foundation head¡¯s granddaughter, Scarlett, who had a reputation for being a terrible girl to be around. David did not envy her job. ¡°So why were you late?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You¡¯re not usually one to be tardy, even for meeting up with friends.¡± ¡°I was helping out someone in town. She was new to Rosemary and needed a guide to show her around.¡± ¡°She? What was her name?¡± ¡°Danica. She moved here from Araluen if you can believe it.¡± David said, judging her expression. Seeing nothing that spelled his immediate demise he continued, ¡°She wanted to escape the growing violence in the Empire going on between hunters and vampires.¡± ¡°I heard about that. There are several reports of vampire attacks increasing in the capital. It¡¯s gotten so bad that the royal guard is on watch 24 hours a day.¡± Anna said, her expression darkening. ¡°But the worst past about the conflict isn¡¯t the vampires, but the collateral damage caused by the hunters. Half of a museum was burned down by an apprentice hunter chasing a vampire woman. Do they have no restraint?¡± ¡°Considering the growing bounties for vampires, I¡¯d say no.¡± David finished his tea and sat back with a sigh. Anna studied his face, noting the faint black circles under his eyes and his half-lidded stare. He looked tired, not physically but emotionally. It was starting to worry her. ¡°David, have you been taking care of yourself?¡± Anna asked. ¡°Well I¡¯m alive, aren¡¯t I?¡± He retorted. Anna frowned. ¡°There¡¯s a different between being alive and living.¡± She replied. ¡°I don¡¯t want you wasting away before you¡¯re even thirty, David. I know you¡¯re still hurting from losing Philip and Mary, but¡ª¡° ¡°If you¡¯re just going to preach to me, then consider this conversation over.¡± David growled. His hand clenched on the arm rest of his chair and he took a breath to calm himself down. ¡°I¡¯ve made my peace with their deaths and I¡¯m moving on, that¡¯s it. And I¡¯ll speak no more of it!¡± Anna stiffened from the hard tone in his voice, rough and grating, tinted with barely restrained rage. She wasn¡¯t convinced by his half-hearted attempt at masking his spiral into depression, but he looked ready to leave her then and there without a goodbye. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to bring up¡­that. I was just worried about you. You just look pale and you look like you haven¡¯t had a good night¡¯s sleep in ages.¡± Anna reached over the table and grasped his hand. ¡°I¡¯m just don¡¯t want to see you waste away from this tragedy. You still have your parents, and Jacob, and¡­me. Please don¡¯t give into despair, David. You¡¯re too young to be this jaded by life.¡± David¡¯s fingers reflexively wrapped around her hand in return, her fingers somehow still soft despite spending so many months bending over backward for that spoiled little girl. His eyes looked up into her concerned face and he grimaced at how genuine she was with her worry for him. He looked away and pulled his hand back. ¡°I¡¯m fine, Anna. I¡¯m well aware that everyone is sick of my moping, I¡¯m aware that I look like a depressed drunk who is absolutely done with life. I¡¯m aware that it is a crime to feel sad about losing two of the closest people in my life and being thrust into taking up a position that I neither wanted nor cared about. But I haven¡¯t hit rock bottom yet, so that¡¯s a relief, right? Thank you for your concern, but I don¡¯t need it.¡± David said all of this in a single breath, and it was only when he was finished talking that he started to regret those words. Anna didn¡¯t look mad, but she had a stricken expression on her face, hurt from his words but also sad at how far he¡¯d fallen. Pity, sadness and pain mixed together in one expression. It was so real that David couldn¡¯t bear to look at her anymore. ¡°I have to go.¡± He said and stood up, almost knocking his chair over. Anna tried to stop him, but he wouldn¡¯t let her. He needed to be alone. XXXXXX After his disastrous meeting with Anna, David left the estate as if the devil were on his heels and headed back to Rosemary. Still agitated from his spat with Anna, he went to the nearest tavern and bought the best drinks his money could buy, whiskey, scotch, the high quality stuff that¡¯d make a noble knight of the Arcadian royal army turn into a bumbling drunkard with a potty mouth. Of course David didn¡¯t chug these drinks down. No, he just sat at a table near the window in the back, staring out the window wallowing in his own self-pity while the world passed him by. David didn¡¯t keep track of time nor did he notice the sun setting until he was barely past his first bottle. He looked at his drink and then back out the window, where he saw the side streets that only had a few people here and there strolling about. Such places would usually be unsafe for wealthy folk to traverse at this hour, but such was the pleasures of Rosemary¡¯s upper class section that one could walk without fear of being jumped. No, the real robbing was done behind closed doors. ¡°The sun¡¯s already setting. I didn¡¯t realize I was here for so long.¡± He muttered. Then he shrugged and took a nice, long swig of his beer. ¡°Oh well. More alone time for me.¡± ¡°Hello stranger.¡± David jumped and looked to his right, where he saw the beautiful form of Danica standing above him. She stood beside his table, wearing a dark blue dress that looked just as unique and lavish as the crimson one she wore earlier, and had her arms behind her back, a grin on her lips. He stared at her for a second before gathering his wits. ¡°Danica? What are you doing here?¡± ¡°I was just going out for a walk when I spotted you through the window.¡± Danica said, tilting her head to the side. ¡°You look like you needed a friend.¡± ¡°A friend, huh? Yeah, I could use a friend right now.¡± David said idly. He looked up at Danica. ¡°Do you consider me a friend?¡± ¡°I like to think so after you helped me out earlier.¡± She replied. David nodded and offered her a drink, which she declined. Danica wasn¡¯t one for alcohol it seemed. It didn¡¯t sit well with her stomach. ¡°I thought a woman like you would¡¯ve had a taste for wine at least.¡± ¡°I¡¯d rather have something¡­thicker in my system that keeps me going throughout the day.¡± Danica smiled as if she were thinking of some joke he didn¡¯t get. ¡°So what are you doing out here at this hour? Even this deep into the town it¡¯s not safe for a lady to walk around alone.¡± David said. ¡°I can take care of myself just fine, David. These days, a woman has to rely on herself for protection.¡± Danica said smoothly, not at all offended by his words. ¡°And I just wanted to go out for a walk and enjoy whatever this town has to offer. Finding you was a pleasant but welcome surprise. Would you be interested in coming with me?¡± David would have said no if it were anybody else who said that to him. But he quickly realized that Danica had an effect on him that was not entirely unwelcome. Not really giving any shits about what he did that night, he shrugged and said, ¡°Why not? I¡¯ve literally got nothing else better to do.¡± Danica¡¯s smile grew bigger and she practically tore his arm out of his socket pulling him out of the chair. They were out of the tavern in a heartbeat and walking down the street like a couple taking a midnight stroll. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, what¡¯s got you so depressed?¡± Danica asked. ¡°Who said I was depressed?¡± David asked. ¡°You had the air of someone who¡¯s been beaten down by life one too many times. I¡¯ve honestly never seen a man look as sad as you yet still look so handsome.¡± Danica said. David was caught off guard by the compliment she slipped in and cleared his throat. ¡°I¡­well, it¡¯s been a rough day, as I said before. I had a talk with a friend earlier and she brought a sensitive topic. I lashed out at her and now I¡¯m wallowing in my own self-pity. Basically the same thing I¡¯ve been doing for the past two years since¡­¡± David cut himself off. Danica looked up at him. ¡°Since what?¡± David looked away, not feeling comfortable telling her about his problems. ¡°It¡¯s nothing. I don¡¯t want to bring down the mood.¡± Danica put a slender hand on his arm. ¡°David, I don¡¯t mind. You look like you need someone to talk to.¡± He looked down at her, his eyes gravitating to her slender face, her features soft and beautiful yet displayed a type of strength in her expression. Her hair was still mostly untethered but was tied back into a ponytail with a red ribbon, flowing down her back like a trail of gold. He swallowed hard and looked away again, lest he be lost in those golden pools she has for eyes. ¡°My older brother and sister, Philip and Mary. I lost them two years ago. Philip to a sickness a few months after his wife died in childbirth and Mary to a fire that tore through the city near Rosemary. They died a few months apart from each other.¡± David said. His face and voice were blank and emotionless. He stared straight ahead as he told her. ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten over losing them, and it¡¯s only gotten worse since then. My attitude hasn¡¯t improved and it¡¯s starting to affect my relationships with family and friends.¡± ¡°Ah, depression.¡± Danica nodded. ¡°I take it you were close to them.¡± ¡°Of course. Mary wanted to be an author and was studying literature in private school. Philip was going to take over our family business and become a father. He was so happy when he learned that his wife was pregnant.¡± David¡¯s fa?ade cracked a bit and his eyes glistened. He kept himself together, but Danica saw through it. ¡°Say no more. I¡¯m sorry for asking about them.¡± She said. They walked in silence for a few more minutes. ¡°No, it¡¯s fine. I¡­to say that I¡¯ve made my peace with it would be a lie, and I can¡¯t bring myself to lie to you.¡± He said. ¡°Losing them was the worst thing that has ever happened to me. Honestly, if I didn¡¯t have my mother, father, and my friends, I would probably be worse off. I think it would be more accurate to say that I haven¡¯t hit rock bottom¡­yet.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a very morbid thought.¡± ¡°I¡¯m past the point of caring, my lady. I¡¯m just living my life at this point. Nothing more, nothing less.¡± Danica hummed and said no more. They walked and walked, no destination in mind. But the silence between them wasn¡¯t awkward or uncomfortable. It was quite the opposite actually. David felt calm and peaceful for the first time that day. What was it about this woman that made him feel like this? ¡°So you¡¯re tired of life I take it?¡± She asked. He blinked and looked at her. ¡°Come again?¡± ¡°You loved your siblings dearly, I can see that from how you acted in response to their deaths. They were your role models in a sense, your family who seemed untouchable by the realities of life. Losing them was akin to losing pieces of yourself, and now it seemed that no matter what you did, what you achieved, it seems meaningless if they aren¡¯t with you to enjoy it. Everything just seems dull and pointless, the world has lost its color in your eyes.¡± Danica was looking up at him as she said this, yet she never faltered in her stride. She had a strong grip on his arm, and David felt his elbow press into her soft chest, making his heart rate increase slightly. ¡°Am I close?¡± It took him a minute to gather his thoughts for a proper response. ¡°I suppose so. You sound like, and forgive me for saying this, that you¡¯ve been through the same thing.¡± Danica¡¯s red lips turned up in a smile that was both knowing and a little mocking. ¡°I too have lost someone dear to me. Believe me, David, you are not alone in what you¡¯re going through.¡± David was speechless, and he didn¡¯t realize that he stopped in place, staring at her with wide eyes. ¡°That¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Accurate? On point? Trust me, I¡¯m no stranger to tragedy. The only one who can understand you is someone who has gone through the same thing. That is how it is, and yet you have people who claim to be able to help you get over your grief, thinking that it¡¯s something you can easily forget. The stupidity of such thinking baffles me to this day.¡± Danica looked into his face and laughed slightly at his expression. Reaching up she traced the outline of his jaw with a slender hand and he shivered a bit from the feeling of her soft skin. ¡°Are you alright, David? I hope I didn¡¯t break you already. We still have to get to know each other first.¡± ¡°My god you¡¯re amazing.¡± He whispered. Danica¡¯s smile grew at that and she gave a little chuckle. ¡°My, aren¡¯t you a flatterer.¡± Something bubbled up from David¡¯s throat and burst from his mouth. Then he heard laughing close by. It took him a minute to realize that the laughing was coming from him. He was laughing. His first, true laugh since Philip and Mary¡¯s deaths. He gripped Danica¡¯s hand and pulled her along, laughing loudly like a madman, as if all the joy he kept buried deep within him burst out at once. Danica laughed with him too, happy that she could make him happy and the pair practically danced down the street drawing stares from bystanders. But neither of them cared. They were happy, at least for this night. XXXXXX ¡°I knew it!¡± David almost jumped and spilled his tea when Jacob yelled in his face, shoving a finger at his nose. He glared at the loud blonde and asked, ¡°Knew what?¡± ¡°You did meet a girl!¡± Jacob exclaimed. David rolled his eyes and smacked Jacob¡¯s hand away. ¡°You¡¯re insane.¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m totally right. You don¡¯t look so depressed like you usually do. Hell, you even look like you¡¯ve been smiling!¡± ¡°Would you be quiet?¡± He hissed. ¡°You¡¯re disturbing the other guests.¡± David and Jacob were spending the morning having breakfast in the dining hall of a hotel that David spent the night in. David never went home after escorting Danica back to the hotel, and it was only by chance that he ran into Jacob when he was signing out of the hotel. Jacob had been completely insufferable since then. ¡°So what¡¯s her name?¡± Jacob asked with a grin, scarfing down his scrambled eggs and toast like a man who hadn¡¯t eaten in years. ¡°She must be really special to have broken through your shell.¡± ¡°I just met her yesterday, Jacob, nothing¡¯s¡ª¡° David paused, eyes wide as he realized what he just said. Seeing Jacob¡¯s grin, the cheeky bastard caught what he said as well, and he groaned. ¡°God damn it.¡± ¡°So there is a girl. Good for you, mate!¡± Jacob laughed. ¡°You need someone in your life. Hope she¡¯s a beauty.¡± David rolled his eyes and calmly finished his breakfast. Jacob ate the remains of his toast and looked and David. ¡°You know, I thought that you and Anna had something going on. I mean, weren¡¯t your parents planning to¡ª¡° ¡°Anna and I are friends. That¡¯s all I¡¯m going to say on the matter, Jacob. I¡¯ll be grateful if you left the matter alone.¡± David said crossly. Seeing that he touched a nerve, Jacob wisely did not pursue the topic further. They finished their breakfast in silence and left the hotel together. ¡°Since you¡¯re not with your lady friend, do you have any plans for today?¡± Jacob asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything planned, as usual.¡± David muttered. ¡°And I assume you¡¯re free as well?¡± ¡°For now. I¡¯ve got the rest of the week free before I have to go back. For a port town, Rosemary is sorely lacking in anything interesting aside from the gambling halls and the brothels.¡± Jacob sighed and put his hands into his pockets. ¡°Why don¡¯t we head over to Brunswick for the weekend? Have some real fun before reality kicks us in the balls, eh?¡± ¡°And do what?¡± David asked. Jacob shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I reckon that the city has better attractions than this place.¡± David was about to refuse Jacob¡¯s offer when he heard shouting coming from inside the building they were walking past. He and Jacob looked at the door where the shouting was loudest and they looked at each other in confusion. Their confusion turned into surprise when the door suddenly exploded into splinters, and a woman came stumbling out. The woman looked no different from any other regular person out on the street. She wore a dark brown dress that had a tear in the right sleeve, and David noticed the deep cut on her right arm. Her hair was wild and her clothes were disheveled. But what caught David¡¯s attention was her face. Her eyes were pitch black with deep red irises and her mouth was open wider than the human jaw should open, her canine and lateral teeth sharp and elongated. A vampire. ¡°My god.¡± David whispered in shock. He had never seen a vampire before, but seeing one in person was absolutely mind boggling. Someone else came charging out of the store after the vampire. A man wearing a black and silver uniform with a bird-like emblem on his chest. He was dressed like a knight of old, but his shaggy brown hair and growing beard made him look like some bum trying to emulate Lancelot. In his right hand was a crossbow loaded with what looked like metal stakes, and in his other hand was a short sword coated with blood, probably the vampire¡¯s. ¡°Where do you think you¡¯re going, freak?¡± The hunter grinned. ¡°You¡¯re not escaping the judgement of the Order, monster!¡± The vampire hissed back at him in response and sprinted forward at speeds David had trouble following with his eyes. She ran faster than a male athlete and was upon the hunter in seconds. But the hunter didn¡¯t look very concerned as he leaned back and dodged a swipe from her claws. David and the other onlookers watched entranced as the vampire tried to cut him to bloody ribbons but could not touch him (but just barely, for David noted that she was close to touching him several times). The hunter sidestepped a punch from her and slashed his sword upwards, the silver blade cleanly cutting through flesh and bone and severing her right arm completely. The vampire gave a high-pitched shriek that hurt David¡¯s ears and lashed out with a kick that caught the hunter in the middle of his chest, sending him flying back into a group of men. Clutching her bleeding stump, the vampire turned and ran, easily lengthening the distance between her and the hunter in seconds, like a cheetah in full sprint. Before David could process the sudden turn of events that were happening before him, he realized that the vampire was getting close to him. Very, very, very close! As in she was running right at him! ¡°Shit!¡± He scrambled to get out of the way, but the vampire was already running at him, and at the speed she was running, getting rammed into by her would break him in half. But he was so preoccupied with the vampire charging at him that he didn¡¯t see the hunter raising his crossbow to fire a stake at her from behind. ¡°David, move!¡± David had no idea what happened next, but several things happened at once. The first was that Jacob had pushed David out of the vampire¡¯s path, sending him to the ground on the side. The second was that the hunter fired his stake at the vampire, thinking it would get her. To the surprise of many the vampire easily jumped to the side to avoid the stake, which missed her completely and hit another target. It all happened in slow motion for David, as his eyes watched unblinkingly as that metal stake, a weapon clearly meant for a supernatural enemy, bury itself into the chest of his best friend. It pierced his vest, his skin and dug right into his lung. Jacob stumbled back, his expression shocked as if he couldn¡¯t believe what just happened. And then he fell back, his hands clutching the stake in his chest. ¡°Jacob!¡± David screamed. He scrambled over to his friend on his hands and knees, crawling through the dirt like a wounded animal to get to his friend. Jacob fell onto his back, his chest heaving. There was no doubt that a lung was punctured and he was suffering from serious internal damage. ¡°No, no, stay with me, Jacob!¡± David yelled, hovering over his friend but not knowing what to do. He looked up at the people around him panicked and scared. ¡°Someone get a doctor! Help him!¡± ¡°David¡­¡± Jacob rasped, blood leaking from his lips. He coughed and his chin was coated in red. ¡°Don¡¯t talk, save your strength. Where the hell is that doctor?¡± David roared. Jacob weakly reached out and David grasped his hand. Tears were falling down his face and he felt on the verge of passing out from the intense emotions he was feeling. ¡°Stay with me, Jacob. Don¡¯t go.¡± David begged. Jacob gave him a weak, barely noticeable smile. Somehow he mustered the strength to smile even as he was dying. David stared into his eyes as they slowly turned blank. David cried and pleaded and begged for him to hold on, but by the seventh time he called out his name, Jacob¡¯s body had went still and he took his last, gasping breath. ¡°Jacob? Jacob, look at me!¡± David screamed. ¡°Jacob! JACOB!!!¡± First Death Chapter 2-First Death David felt as if he were reliving a nightmare. He stood alongside his parents and Anna, all dressed in black and standing next to Jacob¡¯s little sister and mother. Jacob¡¯s father had died in the War of the Lions when he started college, so all Jacob had were his little ladies. The two women were crying heavily, holding onto each other as they tried to hold themselves together. David wouldn¡¯t blame them for being hysterical right now. The endless droning of the priest¡¯s sermon rang in David¡¯s ears as he stared at Jacob¡¯s body. He looked peaceful, as if he were sleeping. A complete opposite of the loud and boisterous man who did his best to get David to enjoy life just a little more every day. It wasn¡¯t him. The Jacob he knew would always laugh and smile and cheer like he had something to be happy about. Seeing him lying still like that was strange and disturbing. Soon the priest said his final prayers for Jacob¡¯s soul to find peace with the light goddess Hemera and they began to lower the coffin into the ground. David watched the coffin settle in the ground and the men began to fill in the grave. David¡¯s hands were clenched so tight his skin was pulled tight across his knuckles. He barely noticed Anna wrap her hand around his until he laced her fingers with his. He needed something to hold onto. Soon the guests all left the graveyard one by one. First Jacob¡¯s friends, then David¡¯s parents, and the last ones to leave were Jacob¡¯s mother and sister, who said their final goodbyes to Jacob and gave David their gratitude. David and Anna were the only ones left at the grave, silent and grieving as they stood before the lone tombstone with Jacob¡¯s name on it. Anna glanced at David, who continued to stare at the tombstone. His grip on her hand hurt but she endured it. Leaving him alone line this was probably more dangerous than a sore hand. And he needed her support right now. They needed each other. Losing Jacob was hard on both of them. Anna didn¡¯t know how long they stood there under the cold grey sky, the sound of thunder rumbling in the distance. She was about to suggest that they leave before it rained when David began to speak. ¡°Anna, could you give me a moment?¡± He asked softly. Anna looked up at him. His expression was blank but his eyes still showed the pain of this tragic loss. ¡°David?¡± ¡°Please, Anna,¡± He pleaded. ¡°Just give me some time alone.¡± David glanced down at her and squeezed her hand a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll be fine. Promise.¡± Anna frowned but nodded and gave him a hug before walking away, hugging the thick shawl around her shoulders to keep herself warm. David watched her go before turning back to the grave. Now that Anna was gone, he could let himself truly grieve, feeling his throat tighten and his eyes burn. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly. His chest heaved with short, gasping sobs and he fell to his knees, trying not to scream in pure rage. ¡°Damn it, damn it, damn it¡­¡± He growled over and over. He didn¡¯t know what else to do but curse and scream and wail. At least for now. He¡¯ll bring that bastard to justice, he¡¯ll make sure of that. Jacob will not die in vain because of one half-baked vampire hunter¡¯s need for glory! The sound of soft footsteps sounded beside him and he turned to his left to see the flowing skirt of a white dress. He looked up and saw that the beautiful but somber looking dress belonged to none other than Danica. ¡°Hello, David.¡± Danica greeted him, her expression sympathetic. ¡°Danica? What are you doing here?¡± He asked. ¡°I heard what happened to your friend. I knew you were probably in great pain so I came to see how you were doing. I didn¡¯t want to intrude until the funeral was over.¡± She said. She took a step closer and bent down to talk to him. ¡°David, how are you feeling?¡± ¡°How am I feeling? Angry, sad, every damn emotion under the fucking sun, that¡¯s what I¡¯m feeling.¡± He growled. ¡°My friend was just murdered before my very eyes. Another damn casualty between this stupid war between humans and vampires.¡± David shook his head at the audacity of it all. ¡°And you know the worst part? It was a hunter that killed him, not a vampire. A hunter who couldn¡¯t be bothered not to at least watch himself while fighting a vampire in the middle of the street!¡± ¡°Oh, David.¡± Danica knelt down next to him, uncaring if her dress got dirty as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him. David couldn¡¯t hold it back any longer. He let go and cried as hard as he could. There in Danica¡¯s arms he cried as if everything was taken from him once again and two years¡¯ worth of suppressed grief came rushing out all at once. Danica said nothing to him, all she did was hold him close and let him cry. For now David needed to let his grief run free, not keep it buried under a fa?ade of happiness. But once his grief ran its course, another emotion would take over. Anger. XXXXXX About a day after the funeral, David got down to business. He went to his father and together they headed to the constable to have the hunter arrested for murder. David wasn¡¯t going to let that man get away with this crime no matter what. But unfortunately a new development in the case had come up in a manner that David wasn¡¯t expecting¡­or liked. ¡°What do you mean you can¡¯t press charges?!¡± The maid passing by Peter Talbot¡¯s office jumped from the sudden shout from within and quickened her pace. She¡¯s never heard the master¡¯s son sound so angry before. This wasn¡¯t going to end well. Inside his father¡¯s study, David paced angrily in front of Peter, completely livid at the news his father just gave to him. ¡°That bastard killed Jacob in broad daylight. How the hell can we not accuse him of murder?¡± ¡°The Order passes judgement on their own members. They¡¯re an international organization, which means that the local authorities can¡¯t arrest him as it is not within their jurisdiction.¡± Peter said calmly, though he too wasn¡¯t happy about this anymore than his son. ¡°The Order.¡± David spat hatefully. ¡°Those second rate inquisitors only care about satisfying their urge to kill. We can¡¯t touch them but I¡¯ll swear on my brother and sister¡¯s graves that they¡¯ll come down on us in a heartbeat if we did anything to them!¡± ¡°David, the fact that there are so many witnesses of the killing means that the Order will not let this incident slide. They¡¯re already getting enough bad publicity from the mess in Araluen. But just keep in mind that this was not intentional man slaughter. It was an accident, and at best the man will be exiled from the Order and¡ª¡° ¡°I don¡¯t care! Hang the bastard, shoot him, I don¡¯t care!¡± David roared. ¡°He needs to pay for his crime!¡± ¡°That¡¯s enough!¡± Peter yelled. ¡°Calm yourself, David, ranting and raving like a madman won¡¯t get anything done. I¡¯m sorry that this is not satisfactory to you, but this is ow things are. But rest assured, that hunter will be getting punished for killing an innocent man.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good enough.¡± David growled and marched out of the room before his father could say anything, slamming the door behind him. The servants gave David a wide berth as he stomped down the hall and down the stairs, his expression one of the purest anger he ever felt in a long time. His father and mother had told him to repeatedly let it go, saying that spending so much energy on the matter was futile. The Order would take care of it, they would have to considering one of their own just killed a man. But David knew how things really worked with these people. The Order was a vampire hunting organization that found its roots in the religious inquisitors of the Holy Lumen Church. They were founded in the City of Light in the Kingdom of Bretonnia, but branched out to other lands on the continent of Eura, hunting vampires wherever they went. Many of their warriors were solitary hunters unless dealing with large covens and it was only until recently that the Queen of Bretonnia worked together with the head of the organization to reform the Order into a more organized society. Many vampire hunters in the Order were reckless and brash, attacking vampires without much care for collateral damage or worrying about bystanders caught in the crossfire. The inferno that killed David¡¯s sister was caused by a hunter whose powers went out of control while exterminating a coven. Numerous accounts of hunters fighting vampires in the streets of Araluen, Bretonnia¡¯s capital city, filled the newspapers. The worst ones were hunters who were little more than mercenaries. Fighting without a care for human life. David knew that there were many vampire hunters in the Order who had committed crimes but the worst punishments they got were exile or imprisonment. They considered the work they did to be doing Hemera¡¯s wishes, the Order did their best to deal justice onto their own members while trying to keep their numbers from getting too low. Wouldn¡¯t want their best hunters behind bars, would they? Severe punishments like executions were reserved for the ones who went against the Order¡¯s doctrine¡ªtraitors, spies, vampire sympathizers. Hurt the Order and they¡¯ll hurt you. ¡®But hurt us and they¡¯ll turn the other way.¡¯ David angrily thought. He got into his carriage and had the driver take him into town. ¡®I don¡¯t care if those pompous bounty hunters get angry. This was murder and I¡¯ll see that bastard hanged!¡¯ His simmering rage had somehow made the carriage ride into town feel shorter than it usually was. Before the carriage came to a stop in front of the tavern David usually frequented, he hopped out and told the driver to get himself and the horses something to eat. He was going to be a while. He was already making his way towards the constables¡¯ station to get the department head to do something, anything about this mess. The people in his way made sure to steer clear of him, a bit disturbed by his frightening expression, not that David cared. But as he came upon the station, he spotted a group of men standing outside of it. Three of them were wearing the same uniform that hunter was wearing, the silver and black colors of the Order. One of them, a tall muscular man with long black hair and three pink scars running down the right side of his face, was talking to a slightly shorter man. It was him. ¡°You can¡¯t do this to me! I¡¯m the best hunter you have in this part of this backwards country!¡± The man raged. ¡°William, stop shouting. You¡¯re embarrassing yourself.¡± The scarred hunter said, glaring down at his partner. ¡°You¡¯ve killed a man in front of half the damn town, William. You¡¯re lucky we¡¯re only exiling you.¡± Said the stout man standing next to his leader. ¡°This is the best we can do to appease the commoners.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re gonna kowtow to those sword swallowing bastards? I thought you guys had some balls!¡± William shouted. ¡°I¡¯m really surprised as you, James!¡± ¡°The Order has come under intense scrutiny by the public since the battle in Araluen. We can¡¯t have wild cards running around without proper training and restraint. Be glad we aren¡¯t putting you in imprison.¡± The scarred man, James, said. ¡®William.¡¯ David thought with a burning fury raging within his chest. ¡®That¡¯s the man¡¯s name.¡¯ He marched down the street, and as he got closer one of the hunters noticed him and nudged his leader. ¡°Sir, we have a visitor.¡± James turned his gaze away from the still angry William and turned to David. ¡°Hello, good sir. And you are?¡± David paid him no attention. When he was close enough, he ran forward and leapt off the ground, slamming a fist into William¡¯s face. The man fell onto his ass and David right on top of him, punching him over and over. ¡°You killed him! I¡¯ll rip you to shreds you good for nothing bastard!¡± David shouted with each punch. He got a few good hits in before someone grabbed his arms and threw him back farther than an ordinary man should be able to. ¡°Attacking a hunter out of nowhere is a good way to get yourself hurt, boy.¡± James said sternly, a hand on the pommel of his sword. ¡°I don¡¯t give a shit about you.¡± David snarled, getting to his feet. ¡°I¡¯m after the bastard that killed him!¡± James narrowed his eyes at David. ¡°You¡¯re the friend of the man William killed.¡± ¡°I¡¯m a friend of the man one of your so-called hunters murdered! Did you think I¡¯d be satisfied with him getting off like this?¡± David growled. ¡°He¡¯ll pay for killing Jacob!¡± ¡°You have some balls coming after me, asshole.¡± William sat up, his nose and lip bleeding. ¡°Don¡¯t you know what I went through to protect your spoon-fed ass from those leeches?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t owe you shit, you murderer. You shouldn¡¯t even be alive let alone allowed to walk free like that. Do those frauds in the Order teach you to fight a vampire in a populated area or how to shoot a stake into a group of people?¡± David spat. ¡°You people are nothing but glory hounds using the name of the goddess to justify your greed!¡± David charged at William again, but skidded to a stop when James not only got between them, but he raised his arm and summoned some kind of blue energy blade from his hand that he pointed at David, its tip at his neck. Gasps rose up from the onlookers and someone started calling for the constables to stop the altercation. ¡°I understand that you are grieving, young man, but I will not have you debase the work of our holy order. There are many men who have risked or given their lives to fight the monsters that threaten people like you. William is not the example of our Order¡¯s work. He has been justly punished for his mistake. Let it go.¡± David glared at the older man with all the hate he could muster. ¡°Do you use that excuse to every poor sod you hurt? I don¡¯t care if the Holy Mother herself sanctioned your cause, you people are as much of a danger to the world as the vampires!¡± James¡¯s expression darkened but before he could say anything else, the constables came rushing out of the station, batons in hand.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°What is the meaning of this? Sir James, lower your weapon at once!¡± James nodded and dispelled his energy blade, not taking his eyes off David. ¡°It seems we¡¯ve overstayed our welcome, comrades. It¡¯s best we leave.¡± ¡°You¡¯re running away?!¡± William said shocked. He flinched at the look James gave him. ¡°You¡¯re coming with us so you don¡¯t cause any more trouble, William. I¡¯m not in the mood for your attitude right now.¡± The hunters left the courtyard, their exile in tow, under the scathing glares of the public and the constables. David in particular didn¡¯t take his eyes off William, who glared back at him with the silent promise of murder. David was happy to return the favor when he got the chance. ¡°Mr. Talbot,¡± The chief walked up to him, his brow furrowed and well-groomed mustache twitching. ¡°I believe it would be best if you leave too. You¡¯ve caused quite the commotion today.¡± ¡°Tell that to someone who gives a damn.¡± David replied, still glaring at the hunters. At least he was able to properly see the face and know the name of the man who killed his friend. XXXXXX As if repeating the previous days¡¯ events, David was once again sitting in the back of the tavern nursing a couple of drinks, though his beer intake was substantially larger than yesterday. He couldn¡¯t just go back to the estate, he wasn¡¯t in the mood to listen to his father harping on him for lashing out at a man in public. He reckoned that justice had been shat upon enough already today. ¡°As much as I like a good drink, I¡¯d rather we not keep meeting in a place like this.¡± David looked up and saw Danica walking over to him, her appearance once again drawing stars from the other patrons, though none of the men dared approached her. She sat down across from David and looked at him, her face concerned. "How are you, David?¡± ¡°I take it you heard about my altercation with the hunters?¡± David asked, ignoring her question. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s quite the talk of the town.¡± Danica said. ¡°Then you know how I am feeling.¡± He said. ¡°I saw that bastard standing there, free and unpunished as if he didn¡¯t just kill a man in broad daylight. They talk about his exile from the Order as if that¡¯s punishment enough, like it¡¯s something worse than death, but he¡¯ll just go back to being a free agent killing for money. The ugly fuck didn¡¯t even show any remorse for killing Jacob. He acted like it was Jacob¡¯s fault for standing there, for saving¡­¡± David scowled and raised the bottle to his lips and guzzled down as much beer he could handle. His repulsive drinking habits did not disgust Danica, who looked at him with an unreadable expression. ¡°I wanted hurt him so badly, like he hurt me. I¡¯ve never felt so angry before." ¡°Do you want to kill him?¡± Danica¡¯s question caught him off guard and he looked up at her. Her expression was unreadable, stone cold in a way that few could pull off correctly, even in the courts of the nobility. ¡°What was that?¡± ¡°Do you want to kill him?¡± She asked again. ¡°Snuff him out the same way he killed your friend?¡± David thought about it. He remembered that burning pain brought about by seeing one of his only friends get killed in front of him. What made it worse was that if Jacob hadn¡¯t pushed him out of the way, he would have been killed. Jacob died so he could live. And knowing that the man who killed him was supposed to be some hero that fights monsters enraged him. ¡°Yes. I want¡­I want to kill him. I want him to be punished in the way he deserves.¡± He said softly, his low voice in stark contrast to the feelings of hate and anger that burned like an inferno within him. He lost Mary to a disaster caused by the negligence of a hunter. Now another hunter took someone close to him and he was in a position to ensure that justice could be done. ¡®But can I really do it?¡¯ David thought, but then he shook his head. ¡°Wait, why am I even thinking about this? I can¡¯t kill a man!¡± ¡°Even though he killed your friend and showed no remorse for a mistake he made?¡± Danica tilted her head. "There¡¯s nothing wrong about these feelings, David. You are perfectly in your right to feel this way. No one who truly understands how you feel will reprimand you.¡± David said nothing and Danica sighed, reaching over to grasp his hand. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, David, I didn¡¯t meant to make you uncomfortable. It¡¯s just that what you¡¯ve gone through isn¡¯t as rare as you might think. Sometimes people deal with their grief in different ways.¡± ¡°¡­I know.¡± David breathed. He was a bit distracted by her rubbing her fingers along his knuckles and he tightened his hold on her hand. She smiled and stood up, once again easily pulling him out of the chair as if he weighed nothing. ¡°Come with me. I think I know a more¡­positive way to vent your frustrations.¡± Danica said, pulling out of the tavern and down the street. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± David asked. Danica looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk. ¡°Stress relief.¡± XXXXXX James Barbatos, veteran hunter commander of the Order¡¯s Rozzarian Branch, watched former hunter William Harker stomp off like an angry child after the intense tongue lashing that James just gave him. That man had caused enough trouble for them, and they didn¡¯t need the bad publicity that his very presence brought upon him. ¡°Well that could¡¯ve gone better.¡± Sighed Johnathan Brisby, his second in command. His appearance was the definition of a Bretonnian gentleman, with well-groomed black hair and a small mustache coupled with a fine black suit. You¡¯d never think he was one of the most experienced hunters in the Rozzarian branch. Hell, you¡¯d never think he¡¯d be willing to get his hands dirty fighting vampires. ¡°It was the expected reaction given William¡¯s temperament.¡± James said, walking over to his desk and picking up a few files. ¡°His actions have reflected poorly on the Order as a whole and I won¡¯t have his childish attitude cause any more problems for us.¡± ¡°Why haven¡¯t we imprisoned him anyway? He¡¯d cause less trouble if we did that,¡± Johnathan said. ¡°Not to mention put us in a better light with the commoners.¡± ¡°As moronic William is, his skills as a hunter are top notch. This accident was just one of the few times that anyone¡¯s been able to see him screw up. Imprisoning him now would lessen our manpower and given the state of Rozzaria¡¯s vampire situation, we cannot afford that.¡± James replied. ¡°Yes, I see that, but the commoners¡ª¡° ¡°Are of no consequence to us. Whether they love us or hate us, we must continue doing our job, no matter how harder those fools in Araluen are making it for us.¡± He said with a frown. ¡°Those people don¡¯t know how much we¡¯re sacrificing fighting these monsters, so they have no right to criticize us. They¡¯ll feed themselves to a vampire in a heartbeat if they didn¡¯t have us.¡± Johnathan sighed and went back to reading his book. There was no getting through that man. James was a stubborn old fool who was a bit too good at his job and thought that just hunting vampires in the name of the Mother was enough to absolve them of sin. ¡®Times are changing, James. Calling yourself a holy warrior of Hemera won¡¯t fix things between us and the public. Especially with the local authorities.¡¯ He thought. The image of that young man from earlier crossed his mind. Such visible hatred coming from one so young. All because of them. ¡®No wonder Bretonnia is trying to reform the Order. Incidents like this are becoming too common.¡¯ Dark days were ahead, and Johnathan wasn¡¯t sure that the Order he fought and bled for would survive the coming storm unscathed. XXXXXX The rest of the evening was a blur for David as Danica pushed him onto the bed and got on top of him, shedding her coat and lifting her skirt so that she could straddle him. David opened his mouth but she pressed her lips to his to block his words. Eventually David just gave up and gave himself to her, wrapping his arms around her as they kissed. As their kiss became more heated, she suddenly pulled away and gave him a pout. ¡°I can¡¯t be the only one getting naked here, David.¡± She said coyly. David smiled and reluctantly pulled away from her before unbuttoning his white shirt. David had undressed himself at record speed, tossing his shirt and jacket to the floor before Danica¡¯s eyes. She hummed and ran one of her hands up and down his body. He wasn¡¯t very muscular, but his body had a slender quality to it, like the athletic runners who took part in those athletic events in Elladas. Her nails found his abs and ran down the outline of his muscles with hunger. ¡°You¡¯re so lean.¡± Danica commented. ¡°Is that bad?¡± David asked. ¡°No, it¡¯s a nice chance from those muscle heads who walk around like a peacock in mating season thinking they¡¯re Adam looking for his Eve.¡± She leaned in close and put her dark lips to his ear. ¡°I like my men smaller, easier to catch.¡± She gave his earlobe a gentle nibble as her hand slid further down his stomach to tickle around his navel. David felt himself grow hard underneath her and she smirked, feeling his erection as well. He forced himself to remain focused and undid his pants. Danica only sat down beside him as he slid his pants off, followed by his underwear. Danica licked her lips at the sight of his erection, bare to her hungry gaze, and her hand went further down, inching closer but not quite touching him. David quaked at the hunger in her stare, but it quickly turned into a moan when her grip, tender and gentle, wrapped around the base of his shaft. What little growing it had left to do finished in an instant, now as hard as possible in her hand. He had no idea what Danica meant by stress relief when she dragged him back to her hotel room, but now he knew what she was referring to. He never pegged her as one for pre-marital sex, as it was very uncommon for a woman to be having such relations, but he knew some women loved to have sex just for the pleasure, much like men. Danica was probably one of those people, and he wouldn¡¯t be surprised if she was well-experienced in these matters compared to him. Whatever the case, she knew a hell of a lot more than him. Before he could get too lost in the sensation of her stroking him, Danica stopped her ministrations and stood up, a smile on her lips. Both her hands reached back and swiftly unlaced her corset, letting it fall off her slender torso. In the same movement, she slid off her skirt and undergarments as well, letting them fall down her legs to pool at her feet. It was all done so seamlessly that David would have marveled at the swiftness had he not been struck dead by her nakedness. ¡®Holy¡­¡¯ David¡¯s mouth fell open. Her body was just unbelievable. Her legs were toned and curvy, her stomach flat, her waist thin and her hips wide. Her ass was plentiful and her breasts were soft and plump, with large dark nipples of the same tint as her dark lips. Her fair skin was smooth and her long blonde hair reached down to her hip. When she saw that her nudity had struck him dumb, Danica giggled and crawled back onto the bed with him. She pushed him back so that he was laying against the pillows and straddled his waist, pressing his cock against her stomach slightly. His eyes continued moving up her body, but came to a standstill at the sight of her breasts. David would be lying if he said that he didn¡¯t sneak a peek at a few noblewomen¡¯s chests at his family¡¯s parties when he had the chance, but Danica was probably one of the largest he¡¯d ever seen. ¡°I see you¡¯re quite enchanted with my breasts.¡± She said softly. Her hand grabbed his and guided them up her body to cup the underside of her breasts. David froze. ¡°Don¡¯t be afraid. Enjoy yourself, just for tonight. I know I will.¡± ¡°D-Danica¡­I¡­¡± He could barely talk, half his brain focused on the feeling of her soft chest in his hands and the feeling of her lightly grinding on his cock as she let him fondle her. ¡°Hush, David, enjoy yourself. You¡¯ve been through a lot this week and you need a proper outlet for your frustrations. Use me to vent those negative feelings.¡± She licked her lips and slid his right hand higher until his palm was pressed against her engorged nipple. ¡°Enjoy my body tonight and just let go.¡± With that, she let go of his hands and placed her hand on the back of his neck to rest there. She waited. David was sure he died and gone to heaven. With her gentle grip on his neck, he lifted himself up so he was sitting upright and finally brought his face to her breasts. Moving on instinct at this point, David kissed along her chest, getting more intense as he found his courage for go further. Moving his lips down he wrapped his mouth around her large nipple, earning a gentle mewl from Danica. She pulled his head closer to her breast, enough that much of it overwhelmed his lips, chin and nose with its softness. Despite this, he didn¡¯t care if he couldn¡¯t breathe. He was enjoying himself too much. His left hand reached up to cradle her other breast, while his right hand caressed her side, tightening on her hip as she ground herself against him. Danica¡¯s strong but feminine arms wrapped around his head and she moaned as he lavished her breasts with licks, kisses and bites along her soft flesh. Both man and woman were getting hotter and more aroused as they continued to press themselves closer to each other. As she felt herself get close to her climax, Danica lightly pulled David away from her chest. She smiled when she saw how red his face was. ¡°You look like you¡¯re having fun.¡± David panted in her arms and held her close to him, making her smile bigger. ¡°I know you can¡¯t get enough of me, and as much as I¡¯m eager for you to worship my body more, I think it¡¯s time to get down to business.¡± ¡°Already?¡± He breathed. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Danica said, caressing the side of his face with her hand. ¡°We¡¯ll have more fun in the days to come. But tonight is a special night for the both of us.¡± She pushed him back so that he was lying down on his back and backed up, her weight now on her knees around him and her pelvis hovering just over his. The gorgeous woman reached down and wrapped her hand around his cock. Danica aimed the member up towards herself and began to lower her weight onto him. The hot, soaked folds of her cunt found his cock¡¯s head, and he groaned with the powerful sparks of pleasure her squeezing muscles coaxed out of him. ¡°Watch.¡± She said. David forced his eyes to open and just drank in the sight of her. She lowered herself slowly, with a light rocking of her hips from side to side, complete with a hard squeeze of her muscles around him whenever she dipped from left to right. Danica put her hands on his shoulders, pinning him down so he was helpless to escape her as she worked her body to devour him to the hilt. When her folds found the base of him, she squeezed him again, so hard and tight it made his jaw drop and a low moan escape him. She leaned forward and raised her ass higher, squeezing tight the whole way up, before lowering herself back down with a slowness that had him almost whimpering. Danica smirked and studied his expressions as she sat up, letting the weight of her body bury him inside her. Then, as if performing art, she reached up to comb her fingers back through her hair, arched her back to jut out her breasts, all while easing her hips back and forth against him. Her juices were soaking him, coating him, as if showing him that she too was in the thrall of lust. Then she leaned forward again, took his shoulders, pinned him down and started to work her hips. His eyes rolled back as she massaged and caressed his cock with her lower muscles alone. Her heavy, beautiful breasts hung over him, swaying back and forth with their weight, but it was the glorious movement of her hips he couldn¡¯t look away from. ¡°Tell me, David,¡± She whispered, rolling her hips harder now. ¡°If you had the chance¡­would you kill that hunter?¡± She raised her ass, dragging her soaked lips along his length, and slammed her hips back down. The bed creaked and he struggled to not push his hips up to meet her. David wasn¡¯t in the right mind to realize what she was asking, too deep in the throes of lust to properly process her question. Still, he answered, ¡°Yes.¡± Danica smiled and eased herself back and forth along his body. Her hips were pushing into him as just the right angle to massage the length of him while milking the swollen head of his member. She was edging him closer and closer, and each time he made a little groan or whimper, she let out a satisfied sigh. ¡°Do you want the power to kill him?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± He hissed, his grip on her hips tightening. Danica¡¯s pace increased, bouncing on harder and harder on his cock. She bit her lip hard enough to bleed, feeling herself rise towards a climax as well. Just before they reached that blissful threshold, Laura asked her final question. ¡°Are you willing to give up anything,¡± She panted. ¡°Even your humanity to make those hunters pay?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± David groaned, on the verge of his release right then and there. He was almost there! ¡°Good, and I shall ensure that you will have the power to make your enemies pay!¡± Danica opened her mouth with a gasp as she hit her climax, her cunt squeezing tightly on his shaft as she coated it with her release. David followed right after her, his eyes sliding shut and his cock pulsating as he shot his cum into her. What he did not see was Danica¡¯s mouth opening wider than a human jaw should, and her canine teeth lengthening and sharpening into sharp points. As David reached his orgasm, her head shot down and she sank her fangs into the soft flesh of his neck, the sharp teeth sinking into his skin with the ease of a scalpel. David felt the sharp pain in the side of his throat, but it was gone almost as soon as it appeared. In fact, her bite made his orgasm all the more intense and he thrust up into her, wrapping his arms around her back as he continued to cum inside her. Danica continued to move her hips as she drank his blood, taking down huge mouthfuls of the crimson liquid that made the sex so much more euphoric. She moaned in his ear and struggled to keep her head still, lest she tear out his throat with her teeth. She drank and drank, the suction of her mouth on his skin making him cum harder into her. This sinful cycle continued until David¡¯s orgasm finally tapered off, but his arousal had increased his blood flow, quickening his descent into oblivion. Danica drank until she heard his heartbeat start to slow down, and lessened her feast until she was sure that he was on the verge. She had to be careful not to drain him, or the change will never happen. When his orgasm faded away, David felt tired and weak. His hold on Danica¡¯s waist weakened and his hands slid off her sweaty skin to fall upon the sheets. His mind was in a daze and he could barely think straight, not to mention his vision was a bit blurry. He really pushed himself hard there. ¡®What a night for my first time, huh?¡¯ He thought to himself. Danica took a few more hard sucks on his bleeding neck before finally pulling away. She sat up, blood coating her mouth and chin, red streams dripping down onto her breasts and trailing down her toned abdomen. She licked the bleeding holes on his neck to heal the wounds and sat back on his lap to look down at him, his cock still buried inside her, though he was soft now. ¡°Danica¡­?¡± David weakly said, his consciousness fading. ¡°Hush, David. Rest now.¡± She said. His heartbeat was barely there. ¡°Sleep for now. When you wake up, you will be a different man. A stronger man.¡± David barely heard her, the blood loss causing him to slip into unconsciousness, his face pale and sweaty, and not just from the sex. Danica smiled, running her hands along his chest, looking like a beautiful blood soaked succubus who just got done with her meal. ¡°Welcome to the world of darkness, David,¡± Danica whispered. ¡°I look forward to spending it together with you.¡± Second Birth Chapter 3-Second Birth David woke up gasping. ¡°Goddess! What¡ª¡° He coughed from the sheer dryness of his throat. It took him a couple of minutes to regain his breath, and he wheezed a bit as he calmed down. David groaned and slowly sat up against the pillows, looking around the room. It took him a moment to recognize the lamp on the bedside table and the lavish red carpeting and dark drapes drawn over the window. This was the hotel room. Laura¡¯s hotel room. ¡®How long was I asleep? What time is it?¡¯ He thought. He coughed a bit and rubbed his sore throat. ¡®And why do I feel so thirsty?¡¯ The door opened up and Laura entered the room wearing a bright green dress that hugged her form. Her hair was down and she almost looked to be glowing for some reason. In her hand was a crystal glass filled with red wine. ¡°Good evening, David. I trust you had a wonderful sleep.¡± Laura smiled. ¡°Danica, what¡­what happened?¡± David rasped. He held a hand to his head and winced. Why did everything he did sound so loud? ¡°Damn, was everything a¡ª¡° ¡°A dream? No, it wasn¡¯t. We had sex, David, and my you were a vigorous lover.¡± Danica smirked. David looked at her with wide eyes. ¡°Wait, evening? How did it get to evening, it was night when we had sex.¡± David said. He tried to stand, but a stumbled back onto the sheets, clutching at his stomach. There was a weird mixture of pain, and something similar to hunger pangs. A deep hunger pang that was well into the pain field as well. ¡°Here. Drink this.¡± Danica came over to him and sat on the bed with the glass of wine in hand. ¡°Wine? Danica, it¡¯s too early to have wine.¡± He told her, but she pressed the glass into his hand. The red liquid was oddly alluring. It made his dry throat flare up and his stomach grumble a bit louder. ¡°Hush and drink. You¡¯ll need your strength.¡± David reached out with pale, clammy hands to grasp the glass and lifted it to his lips with Laura¡¯s assistance. The first sip tasted strange. It was a bit metallic, not like wine at all, though regular wine wasn¡¯t something to marvel at even though high society people drank it all the time. But as the drink poured over his tongue, that metallic aftertaste went away and the most wonderful flavor washed over his tongue. Sips soon turned into gulps, and he drank down the glass entirely. It was euphoric. He could feel the warm liquid slide down his throat and pool in his stomach, making him feel warm. ¡°Wow, this is really.¡± David hummed, now sounding and feeling a lot better. Danica took the glass from him and placed it on the table. ¡°What kind of wine is this?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later. How are you feeling?¡± She asked. ¡°L-Like hell. I feel a little better after that drink, but I still feel so weak.¡± He said. ¡°You¡¯ve been sleep since last night. You¡¯ve had a bit of a fever, but it¡¯s passed now. Not exactly the way I wanted to end off our wonderful night, but it¡¯s to be expected.¡± She shrugged. ¡°Do you remember anything?¡± David shrugged. ¡°I do remember us having sex, which was amazing by the way. Then near the end I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I don¡¯t know what it was exactly¡­¡± ¡°That was me biting you.¡± ¡°Oh, okay.¡± David nodded. Then he paused. ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°That pain was me biting you when we climaxed. I thought the best moment to bite you was at that moment. You climaxing made the blood flow faster.¡± Danica said calmly, as if her words made sense. David looked at her shocked and disturbed. ¡°Why¡ªwhy did you bite me?¡± ¡°Oh David,¡± Danica sighed, though her red lips wore a smirk that looked far too sinister to be teasing. ¡°You know why.¡± ¡°B-But¡­¡± David reached up to where she bit him, but only felt smooth skin. Acting on a hunch, he pressed a thumb to his wrist and felt for his pulse. He felt one heartbeat, but after a few seconds he felt nothing. His eyes widened as his pulse beat a second time after a solid minute and looked up at Laura. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°It¡¯s exactly as it appears, David. I¡¯m not just a pretty face here to see the sights.¡± Danica walked around the bed over to the window, where the curtains were still drawn. David watched with growing horror as her amber eyes slowly turned into a deep shade of red, the sclera of her eyes turning pitch black and her irises blood red. The eyes of a monster. ¡°You¡¯re a vampire!¡± David exclaimed. Danica nodded, smiling wide enough to show off her fangs. ¡°Correct. And now you¡¯re one too.¡± She said. ¡°What?!¡± David shouted. ¡°Yup. I turned you into a vampire while you were deep in throes of lust.¡± Danica rolled back and forth on her heels like a little girl telling a juicy secret. ¡°You¡¯ve spent the past twenty four hours in a coma undergoing the transformation. I¡¯ve spent all that time making sure you didn¡¯t die from dehydration. It was a pain changing your clothes and the sheets.¡± ¡°You¡­you turned me into a monster!¡± David roared. He shot out of the bed to lunge at her. ¡°I¡¯ll kill¡ª¡° Danica drew back the curtains to allow the sunlight to spill into the room and David caught the full force of it. It was as if the light of Hemera herself were shining down on him. His vision went white and he felt his body reel back in vertigo, falling back onto the bed. He tried to scramble away, but he was too disoriented and dazed. ¡°Rule number one: the sun is your enemy. It will sap your strength and weaken you to the point that a dainty noblewoman could lob off your head if she really tried.¡± Danica said. She stood over him, her shadow blocking the sun from his body, allowing him to recover somewhat. ¡°One of the fundamental rules about our kind. Please remember it in the future.¡± Then in a flash she was upon him, pinning his hands to bed and bending over him. David struggled against her hold, but her grip was iron clad and she didn¡¯t even seem to be straining to hold him down. She leaned over him so that they were staring each other in the eyes, his fearful blue eyes gazing up into her blood red orbs. Even with her fangs bared and her eyes in their vampiric state she looked beautiful. ¡°I¡¯m sorry I sprang this up on you, David, but I¡¯m only fulfilling your wish. You want to hurt the hunter who killed your friend. Well, you won¡¯t be able to touch him the way you were as a human. The only way to kill a hunter is with another hunter¡ªus.¡± Once she was sure he calmed down, she let go of one of his hands and cradled his face. ¡°I gave you the power to kill him, but you must learn how to control your new abilities and you need me to do that.¡± David looked at the glass of ¡°wine¡± she gave him and paled. ¡°That was blood. You gave me blood!¡± He muttered disbelievingly. ¡°Yes, and it soothed your pain, didn¡¯t it? You must drink soon after your turning or you¡¯ll go mad from the thirst. And we can¡¯t have that happening, can we?¡± David realized that he wasn¡¯t getting out of this by kicking and screaming. He was duped by this beautiful minx and now his whole life just took a turn for the worst. Danica smiled and got off him to close the curtains. He sighed in relief but remain guarded against her in case she decided to get rough again. ¡°Oh relax, David, you¡¯ve made it through the hard part. I understand you¡¯re mad at me now, but you¡¯ll be thanking me once you rip that man¡¯s head from his shoulders.¡± She said. ¡°I¡¯m not killing anyone.¡± He said. ¡°Not even Jacob¡¯s killer?¡± Her question made him pause and he remembered her line of questioning from last night. How badly did he want that hunter dead? How far was he willing to go to get justice for Jacob? Laura saw she had his attention and walked up to him. ¡°I know this is hard for you, David, but we can take it slow. I will teach you how to live as a vampire, and you will learn how to hunt, how to fight, and how to survive. After all, I¡¯ve managed it for over 400 years, haven¡¯t I?¡± She grinned. David glared at her, but he knew she was right. He wouldn¡¯t last an hour outside in the state he was in now, and with a team of vampire hunters stationed in the next city over, he couldn¡¯t act stupid right now. As for the hunter, William, if this allowed him a chance to even the score, then he could stomach the thought of drinking blood for the rest of his life¡­for the time being. Danica saw the grudging acceptance on his face and smiled. ¡°Good. I knew you were a reasonable man. Now, first things first, I have to get you back home. But before we do that, you must feed. Newborns are notoriously ravenous in their first month, and we can¡¯t have you going berserk in the middle of a crowd of people, can we?¡± ¡°Just give me a few more glassfuls and I¡¯ll be fine.¡± He said. Danica gave him a look and snorted. ¡°Oh where¡¯s the fun in that? Bottled blood is fine, but blood is at its best when it¡¯s fresh.¡± Danica walked over to the closet and threw open the door before pulling something out. No, it was someone. ¡°Goddess,¡± David hissed as Danica dragged out a young woman wearing a black and white maid¡¯s dress. She was one of the servant girls working in the hotel. The girl¡¯s face was wet with tears as she struggled in Laura¡¯s iron grip, her mouth gagged and her hands tied together at the wrists with rope. ¡°What did you¡ª¡° ¡°I procured you a proper source of food, David. You¡¯re going to have to hunt humans sooner or later, so you might as well start now before you accidentally kill someone.¡± Danica threw the girl onto the bed and held her before David, ripping apart the collar of her dress to expose her neck and shoulders. ¡°Now go ahead, drink. You still need to feed before we leave this room.¡± ¡°No.¡± He growled. ¡°Do it!¡± She hissed. ¡°No!¡± He shouted at her. Danica glared at him as if he were an unruly child and lifted her hand. Her index finger lengthened into a claw and she slashed a deep cut into the girl¡¯s shoulder. Blood welled up from the wound, and David¡¯s senses went crazy. He groaned, swaying a bit as his eyes rolled from the lovely scent that filled his nostrils. His eyes flared and he felt his teeth sharpen into long fangs. A low growl emerged from his throat and he stared at the crimson liquid dripping down the woman¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Go ahead, David. Feed and be at peace.¡± Danica whispered. ¡°Only then can you walk among humans again.¡± David¡¯s now blood red eyes glared scathingly at her before his head shot forward and buried his fangs into the girl¡¯s throat. Her pained squeals were muffled by the David¡¯s moan of pure bliss. His fangs easily sank into her flesh and as blood gushed into his mouth he drank it down greedily. He pressed his face deeper into her neck and gorged himself like a man dying of thirst. The world around him faded away as his taste buds flared up with a flavor that was nothing like he had ever tasted before. He felt the maid¡¯s body sag against him, her breath becoming labored as she gave quiet, muffled moans. He held her body close as he drank and drank without pause. David felt his stomach slowly fill up with the blood he drank, and though he felt close to bursting, he still wanted more. But after a few more minutes he regained his senses enough to force himself to pull away from her. ¡°No!¡± David gasped, blood coating his mouth and teeth. ¡°I will not kill her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve already done it for you.¡± Danica, who had been feeding on the girl from the other side of her neck, pulled away from the now dead maid with a breathy sigh, licking her lips with a satisfied expression. ¡°I needed that after last night.¡± David looked at the still, pale body of the maid that hung limply in Laura¡¯s arms. The girl¡¯s eyes were open and blank, and there was not a drop of blood in her body, most of it devoured by David himself. The vampire ran her tongue over the bleeding holes on the girl¡¯s neck and the bite marks healed up in seconds. ¡°Remember to always lick the wounds. Our saliva will heal them and hide any evidence that we¡¯ve fed. And just to make the illusion more convincing¡­¡± Danica took her claw and slashed it across the maid¡¯s neck, easily cutting through her flesh but not blood came out. David gagged and almost fell off the bed. ¡°If you¡¯re going to stage a murder, we have to make it look convincing.¡± David just stared at her as if she were a two headed monster. He didn¡¯t dare move from his spot as Danica lifted the corpse onto her back and made her way to the door. ¡°I¡¯m going to plant the body in one of the other rooms. While I¡¯m gone, please get dressed and wait for me. I¡¯ll escort you to my real home here in the province so I can give you a proper explanation.¡± Danica smiled at him from the doorway as if she didn¡¯t have a rapidly cooling corpse hanging off her shoulder. ¡°Please don¡¯t do anything stupid, okay?¡± With that, Danica was gone, out the door before David could say anything. He sat on the bed covered in blood and panting heavily as he struggled to process everything that just happened. David slowly lied back down on the bed and put his hands over his face, trying and failing to stop himself from trembling. ¡°Oh goddess, what the hell is happening to me?¡± He whispered forlornly. XXXXXX Danica returned to the room and David quickly changed clothes, wanting to leave as soon as possible. She escorted him out of the hotel with a firm grip on his arm, and as soon as he stepped out into the fading sunlight, he was assaulted by a strong wave of dizziness and vertigo that nearly made him collapse had Danica not been holding him. It was only for a few minutes, as the sun was starting to go down in the evening sky, but it was enough to throw David for a loop. ¡°How the hell can you stand the sun?¡± David whispered to her. ¡°I¡¯m old enough that the sun doesn¡¯t bother me. It¡¯ll get better as you grow older, trust me. Right now, the sun is and will always be your worst enemy, so try to steer clear of it whenever possible.¡± Danica said. As they walked, David struggled to deal with the overwhelming assault on his senses. He could practically hear everything around him, from the people talking to the sound of carriages moving through the street and every beating heart within a foot of him. His nose caught the smell of cologne and perfume and various baked goods and tea and so many other things¡­but the most prevalent scent was blood running through the veins of the unsuspecting people around him. And his eyesight felt clearer than it had ever been before. It was as if he spent his entire life looking at the world through foggy glasses and had taken them off for the first time in ages. The colors seemed so vibrant and if he really focused he could see small details in the wood of the passing buildings and the clothes of the people who walked past him. ¡°Come on, David, don¡¯t drag behind. It¡¯s not nice to hold a lady back.¡± Laura said. He looked over at her and was once against struck dumb by her appearance. If she was beautiful to his human eyes, then she was twice as much to his enhanced vampire sight. Her skin somehow looked clearer, her eyes more vibrant, and her hair luscious and clean. Her body was slender, womanly, but he noted how she walked with the grace of a lioness, a hunter on guard at all times, her muscles ready to move at a moment¡¯s notice. Always alert and ready. ¡®Is this how a vampire sees the world?¡¯ He thought. ¡°I take it your new senses are starting to kick in?¡± Danica asked, leaning her head on his shoulder. ¡°My senses?¡± He said stiffly. ¡°Yes, your body is still adjusting to your new senses. Sight, smell, hearing, it¡¯s all enhanced beyond human capabilities.¡± Danica said. ¡°How do you think we¡¯re able to hunt so efficiently?¡± ¡°I¡­¡± David had no answer to that. Honestly he didn¡¯t really know all that much about vampires aside from the common stuff, like they drank blood and were very strong. Not many people aside from the rare scientist or biologist bothered to know anything about vampires, considering they were mainly seen as unholy monsters forsaken by Hemera. Now that he was a vampire, David realized just how out of his element he was. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I promised to teach you everything, didn¡¯t I?¡± Danica smiled up at him. ¡°But let¡¯s do it away from prying eyes, yes?¡± ¡°Wait, my parents¡­what did you tell them?¡± He asked. ¡°I sent a letter saying that you were a little sick and needed to rest over at my residence. The letter also included a length introduction of myself and a detailed description of our relationship.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I figured they deserve a little warning that they¡¯ll be seeing me with you a lot in the coming days.¡± David froze at the thought of this¡­monster being anywhere near his family. He didn¡¯t know what Laura was truly capable of, but he knew well enough that she was dangerous to some level. Danica patted his arm but said nothing, as if wordlessly saying that she¡¯d never do anything to his friends and family after what they¡¯ve gone through. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me if I don¡¯t entirely trust you.¡± David told her. ¡°I don¡¯t blame you. Just keep in mind that I¡¯m here to help.¡± ¡°You have a funny way of helping people.¡± He replied. Danica grinned. ¡°Oh you have no idea.¡± The sun had completely set when they reached their destination¡ª Danica¡¯s manor in the heart of the wealthy quarter of the town¡¯s residential area. It looked no different than the other manors that lined the cobblestone street; made of white stone with a black gate leading up to it. Honestly the manor looked to be one of the more modest homes compared to some of the larger buildings. David could only wonder how much Danica had to pay to buy it. As it turns out, Danica had moved to Rozzaria a month ago from Araluen, not to escape the growing violence between vampire hunters and vampire covens, but to gain some solitude from the covens that harassed her in Araluen. According to Danica, the high class vampires of Arcadian high society couldn¡¯t fathom a female vampire being more powerful than them, and tried to either make her subservient or kill her. They began resorting to throwing large covens under their control at her but she slaughtered them all. It wasn¡¯t until she leaked the location of their headquarters to the Order that she really pissed them off and decided to high tail it out of the country.This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°I suppose you didn¡¯t just steal this from some wealthy couple you¡¯ve fed upon and murdered?¡± David asked, looking up at the nice looking house. ¡°I bought this place with my own money, thank you very much.¡± Danica said, though she looked more amused than insulted. ¡°I¡¯ve saved more than enough money to afford a place like this. Did you think I lived in a cave, or some incredibly ostentatious dark castle in the countryside?¡± David did not want to say that some part of him did expect that, and felt incredibly embarrassed that he even entertained such a notion. Danica sent him a grin that said she knew exactly what he was thinking. She unlocked the gate and walked up to her door, opening it and letting it swing open to reveal a dark doorway. ¡°Welcome to my humble abode, lover.¡± Danica smirked. ¡°You¡¯ll be spending a lot of time here.¡± David gave her a look and followed her inside. There was no turning back now, not that he had a choice. XXXXXX Like many of the houses in Rosemary, Danica¡¯s house was just as pretty on the inside as it was on the outside. It had a dining room and kitchen, a living room, and a second floor where the bathroom and bedroom were located. It was simple yet in typical Bretonnian fashion fancy enough to look opulent to the common man. And knowing Danica, there was only one bedroom and there were two vampires residing here now. ¡°What do you think?¡± Danica asked him as they entered her living room. It was a quaint little space with a plush couch and a fireplace with a bookcase adjacent to it. Very warm and safe, and it lessened David¡¯s anxiety somewhat. ¡°Your home is certainly impressive. You have good taste in real estate.¡± He said, sitting in a chair across from her. He didn¡¯t think he could think properly sitting next to her after last night. ¡°But I didn¡¯t come here to talk d¨¦cor.¡± ¡°No, you didn¡¯t.¡± Danica smoothed out her dress and looked at him expectantly. ¡°Ask anything you want and I will do my best to answer your questions.¡± ¡°I think my first question would be the most obvious. Why me?¡± He asked, staring her in the eyes. ¡°Why choose to turn me? Did you spend all that time with me luring me into some sense of false security or something?¡± ¡°I wasn¡¯t lying when I said that I took a liking to you, or that I¡¯ve been through the same tragic circumstances as you. You¡¯ve lost people close to you and it¡¯s made you become tired of life itself. You live day after day as if it were a dream, and it¡¯s honestly painful to let such a brilliant man such as you waste away because of your grief.¡± ¡°So you just decide to turn me based on that? I don¡¯t know if you realized this, but being a vampire isn¡¯t an attractive prospect right now with all the fighting going on in this country alone.¡± David said. ¡°I know, but as I said, it¡¯d be a tragedy to let yourself slowly wilt like a dying rose from the weight of your grief. I wanted you and I got you.¡± Danica¡¯s pink lips spread in a smirk, her hair covering one eye. ¡°That¡¯s how things usually go for me.¡± David scowled but let that remark go. ¡°So what now? You basically turned me into a monster. How am I supposed to live with my family now?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not that hard, David. So long as you regularly feed, you won¡¯t suffer from any serious urges. And I¡¯ll teach you everything I know so you can blend in with humans. It¡¯s not as hard as it sounds.¡± Feed. David really didn¡¯t like how she said that word. The way she said it made it sound like she was talking about pork or chicken instead of another human being. Just the sheer callousness in her tone made him shiver. He remembered that maid he fed upon back in the hotel. He remembered how wonderful her blood tasted, and how much he drank before he stopped himself. That girl would have been alive had Danica not killed her. Or worse yet, he could have killed her himself had he not stopped himself. ¡®Gods above, I¡¯m a monster.¡¯ He thought in despair. ¡°As a newborn, you will have to feed a bit more than the average vampire for a while until your body adjusts to the changes. It won¡¯t be like this for long, but you¡¯ll get used to it.¡± Danica said. ¡°Get used to feeding on people?¡± He frowned. Danica rolled her eyes. ¡°Yes, David, get used to it. We are predators, and humans are our natural prey. You are my progeny and I will not have you trying to sustain yourself on animals like some common bloodsucker living in the gutter.¡± She said firmly. ¡°We can feed on animals?¡± ¡°Blood is blood. So long as it¡¯s not another vampire, we can feed on any kind of blood. I would not advise feeding on animals, David. It lacks the nutritional value human blood has. Not to mention many high class vampires like me consider it to be rather savage.¡± She replied. ¡°Now, until your diet stabilizes, you will be staying here with me. Your parents have already been informed that you are recovering from a fever, which means more time for us to get to know each other better.¡± ¡°Wonderful.¡± He drawled. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get on my knees and beg for forgiveness from you, David. Unless it pertains to sex of course, then I¡¯m all for it.¡± Danica grinned at David¡¯s blush. ¡°But this arrangement goes two ways. I¡¯ve turned you to be my mate, and in return I teach you how to kill a human, or more specifically, a hunter.¡± David¡¯s expression hardened and he straightened up in his seat. Danica barely withheld her smirk, knowing that she definitely had his attention. Revenge was such a great motivator to cooperate. ¡°Hunters are trained to kill vampires, and they¡¯ve perfected their craft over the centuries. Even that piece of human trash you¡¯re going after is a highly trained warrior. The only reason he screwed up that day is because like many hunters these days, he didn¡¯t take the job seriously.¡± She shook her head and walked over to a cabinet. ¡°Humanity¡¯s first defense my garter straps.¡± ¡°Even still, it shouldn¡¯t be too hard to kill him, right?¡± He asked. He knew hunters were not just men who knew some fancy tricks with a sword, but William looked like he¡¯d been out of practice for some time. ¡°Depends on how we go about it. Even a retired hunter can still fall back on old habits and skills. Never underestimate a foe, human or vampire. You¡¯ll live longer if you keep that in mind.¡± Danica said seriously. David nodded and took a deep breath. This was something he never saw himself doing, but knowing that the man was still out there alive while his friend died for his mistake¡­he couldn¡¯t rest. This was going to grant him a solid spot in hell but right now justice needed to be upheld. Something cool tapped his face and he looked up to see Danica holding a clear glass of ice cold blood (he still couldn¡¯t wrap his head around that) out to him. ¡°Drink. We will start your training soon, but first you need to rest.¡± She said. ¡°I just woke up almost an hour ago.¡± He said. ¡°Don¡¯t argue, David, you won¡¯t win.¡± Danica warned him like a scolding mother. ¡°Tomorrow once your body has fully completed its transition, we will get started on preparing you for your first kill.¡± David swallowed hard at that, but steeled himself and took the glass from her. That lovely smell that came from the blood filled his senses and he almost eagerly drank it all down. Danica placed a hand on his shoulder and rubbed it lovingly. ¡°Do not worry yourself with the details. Come with me,¡± She took his arm and pulled him from the chair, guiding him to the stairs. ¡°A newborn needs his rest as much as he needs his sustenance.¡± David bristled a bit at her relating him to a child, but considering he was still struggling not to look at the swell of her breasts with his enhanced vision, he conceded the point to her. He just needed to hang on until he killed that hunter. After that¡­it was up to fate to decide. XXXXXX ¡°He hasn¡¯t come back?¡± Edward shook his head, giving the sweet Anna a sympathetic look. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, madam, but Master David had come down with a fever while in town yesterday and is staying with a friend while he recovers. She was kind enough to send us a letter to inform us of his situation.¡± ¡°Her?¡± Anna frowned. When did David meet a woman? A small pool of jealousy blossomed in her breast and she was quick to stamp it out. ¡°Do you know who wrote it?¡± ¡°A Danica Acerola. She¡¯s been meeting with Master David shortly before Mister Jacob¡¯s untimely passing.¡± Edward said. ¡°I see.¡± Anna said softly. She left early in the morning right after breakfast to speak to check up on David. She knew grief could be heavy on the heart and David looked like he was at his breaking point. ¡°When he comes back, could you tell him I¡¯d like to speak to him please? I just want to see how he is doing.¡± ¡°I will do that, Miss Anna.¡± Edward smiled. ¡°Do you want to come in?¡± ¡°No thank you. I have a few errands of my own to get done.¡± Anna said and walked back down the pathway to her carriage. Thinking about this mysterious woman that caught David¡¯s attention caused a frown to form on Anna¡¯s face, and though she tried her best, she started to feel a small ember of jealously spark in her chest. Part of her hoped that their relationship was just one of acquaintances, but she knew it wasn¡¯t so simple. A woman could dream, right? XXXXXX Despite the previous night¡¯s revelations, David slept like the dead until morning. Even though Danica clung to his body like he was a teddy bear, he slept soundly and woke up feeling surprisingly refreshed. What was more curious was that his senses didn¡¯t feel so out of control like it did last night. A sign that his body¡¯s changes were probably done or close to it at least. When Danica woke up, the first thing she did after having a quick morning romp (apparently she really enjoyed having sex with him. It was hard not to let that get to his head) she pulled him out of bed and took a quick bath with him before hailing a carriage to take them to the western path that led to the city a few miles from Rosemary. Danica was cryptic about where they were going, only telling him that they were going to head into the forest to properly display their ¡°full vampiric might¡± away from mortal eyes. David would have preferred it not be bright and sunny (it took every ounce of self-control not to flinch every time sunlight touched his body) but Danica was not a woman to be kept waiting. They took the carriage as far as the gates before getting off and entering the forest. Danica easily traversed the uneven terrain despite the dress and heeled boots she wore, while David was struggling to keep up as he avoided the sunlight that was already giving him a headache. ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, can you please tell me why the hell we¡¯re in the forest? This isn¡¯t exactly a place for a well-dressed lady such as yourself.¡± David said, wincing as sunlight hit his face. When he opened his eyes in the shade of a tree, he yelped when he found Danica¡¯s face right in front of his and jumped back. He barely heard her move! ¡°You¡¯d be right, except I¡¯m not just an ordinary lady. I am Danica Acerola, a vampire of 400 years who has seen and done things that even the greatest explorers could only dream of. A little dirt on my shoes is nothing.¡± She said. She took a step back and raised her arms to motion to their surroundings. ¡°We are here so I can train you in private. My home is far from spacey and we need to have room to practice to our full capabilities without alerting the mortals.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re going to school me. I understand that,¡± David nodded. ¡°But what I don¡¯t understand is why we¡¯re doing this in the daytime.¡± ¡°The sun won¡¯t kill you, sweetheart. At least, not yet. It hurts now because you are a newborn, but eventually you¡¯ll grow somewhat resistant to its effects as you grow older. Just don¡¯t stay out in the sunlight for too long or you¡¯ll grow too weak to move. I¡¯ve seen many vampires suffer a slow death from exhaustion and dehydration from staying out in the sun too long.¡± ¡°Why do I get the feeling some of those deaths were caused by you?¡± David said, crossing his arms. Danica had the audacity to give him a sweet little grin. ¡°Now you¡¯re starting to understand me.¡± She said. ¡°But flattery will get you nowhere today. I am a strict teacher, and if you want to kill that hunter before he leaves town, then you will listen to everything I tell you, do you understand?¡± David nodded. ¡°I understand.¡± He said seriously. ¡°So, what¡¯s my first lesson?¡± ¡°Your first lesson is a simple one.¡± She said. Danica crouched low before sprinting at David. He was caught off guard and had no time to react as Danica punched him hard in the chest and sent him flying back two feet into a tree. He slid to the ground, coughing and trying to breathe. A punch that strong would have killed a regular human. Laura walked up to him, looking down at him with a disappointed look on her face. ¡°Lesson one: always be on guard, even among friends. Vampires didn¡¯t last as long as they did by being lax in personal security.¡± Tilting her head, she added, ¡°And let¡¯s work on your reaction time and defense. If I were another vampire, you¡¯d be torn in half by now.¡± David groaned and slumped against the tree. XXXXXX For the next few hours Danica relentlessly trained David in his new abilities, and he absolutely loathed it. She was a strict teacher, pummeling him with blows that could shatter stone (and had already tore holes in the trunks of the surrounding trees) and having no experience in fighting in general David was unprepared for how much it would hurt. Or maybe that was just because Danica was more of a hands on teacher. While she spent most of the day kicking his ass, she schooled him on the strengths and weaknesses of his new race. Vampires were stronger, faster and had more acute senses than humans. They were literally born to be better than humans so they could hunt them, in a way a lion hunts gazelle. Normally a vampire could rely on their natural instincts to get them through a hunt, but for humans like vampire hunters who knew how to fight vampires, one must not just rely on instinct, but also experience and intelligence to survive in a fight against a hunter. Yes, vampires were stronger and faster than humans, but most vampires lacked the discipline and experience needed to fight off dangerous threats like hunters and other seasoned vampires. In terms of weaknesses, aside from other members of their kind, vampires were weak to sunlight, fire and silver. Unlike the legends and myths, sunlight did not kill them on contact, but rather it weakened them. Depending on how long a vampire stayed in the sunlight, the detrimental effects could range from mild irritation and blurry vision to severe exhaustion and dehydration, eventually leading to death. As Danica said, they grow resistant to sunlight as they get older, but it was still a serious weakness. Fire was another powerful weapon due to its ability to negate a vampire¡¯s regenerative powers. Silver was another weakness that left wounds that could scar, but Danica had no idea why that was. Things like garlic and holy items were useless despite Order propaganda. These tales were born from a time when the Order was more religious minded and saw vampires as unholy creatures of the dark that were repelled by the forces of light and the divine power of Hemera. ¡°This is nothing new, David. Many of the old stories and legends about our kind were born from the belief that we were unholy creatures born from darkness. You know, the usual ¡°undead monster¡± crap and all that nonsense. Many stories about garlic and crosses were supported by vampire hunters and holy priests, but there are some stories that we vampires invented too.¡± She said. ¡°Why do that?¡± He asked. ¡°Why do you think? To lure our prey into a false sense of security.¡± Danica smirked. ¡°I once slaughtered an entire town with my lady friends by herding them into a church. They thought they were safe under the crosses and statues of the Day Goddess, but you should have seen their faces when we smashed through the windows using the cross as a landing pad. Mmm, their terror still gets me a bit hot even now.¡± She moaned. ¡®She¡¯s fucking mad.¡¯ David thought in complete awe. Danica spent most of the morning and afternoon training David. His training consisted mostly of running away from Danica as she chased after him like a raging bull, her punches leaving craters in the ground or tearing chunks out of tree trunks. David was forced to rely on his newfound speed to escape her powerful blows, and while leaping through the trees was terrifying to him at first, he began to get acclimated to moving as fast as a cheetah. The feeling that he felt as he leapt from tree to tree like a bird was indescribable. He felt free, unrestrained, and for just a moment he forgot about everything else and just let his senses run free. The wind on his face, the smell of trees and leaves and foliage, the vibrant colors illuminated by the sunlight shining through the trees. The world seemed so much clearer to him now. Did vampires experience this all the time? David¡¯s sensory euphoria was interrupted when he took a hard punch to the back of the head and was sent tumbling to the ground, landing face first in the dirt. He groaned in pain and slowly pushed himself up, ignoring the sharp pain in his skull as he leaned against the tree. ¡°I know running at full speed is fun, dear, but be mindful of your surroundings.¡± Danica said as she landed beside him. Her dress only looked a little wrinkled and her hair was as smooth and well-kempt as it had been when they started. She didn¡¯t even look out of breath. ¡°Though you¡¯ve certainly acclimated to your newfound speed.¡± ¡°I got a bit carried away.¡± David grunted. The pain in his head was easing away but he still had a small throb in the back of his head. ¡°Did you have to hit me so hard, though?¡± ¡°Those punches are strong enough to kill a human. Be thankful your skeleton is denser than the average human¡¯s. but seeing as you don¡¯t seem to have a problem dodging and running, we¡¯ll focus on another skill,¡± Danica¡¯s grin showed her fangs as her eyes turned red and slightly crazed. ¡°Close combat.¡± XXXXXX A few days later William glared hatefully out the window at the heavy rain pouring outside. It was a sudden downpour that came out of nowhere, though anyone who knew the signs knew it was coming. Just his luck that it would rain this hard just as it was raining. The world seemed hellbent on shitting on him today, wasn¡¯t it? ¡°Stupid fucking kid.¡± He grumbled, chugging down the rest of his whisky before slamming the glass down. The other patrons of the tavern avoided him, both for his unruly appearance and the reputation that hovered over him. The hunter that killed an innocent man. ¡®Those backwater fucks don¡¯t even understand that it was an accident!¡¯ William thought angrily. He was making a name for himself in the Order and was gaining ground with his growing kill count of vampires. Then he had it all ripped away from him just because some two spoiled rich kids were stupid enough to stand in the way of his shot. That vamp wasn¡¯t even that strong! Now he couldn¡¯t go anywhere without people glaring at him like he meant to kill that boy. It was enough of a hassle just trying to get a drink at the tavern without worrying about the barkeep pulling a rifle on him. Luckily for him, they wouldn¡¯t dare touch him thanks to his connections to the Order. They were a holy organization, and if you didn¡¯t want to be publicly shamed, you didn¡¯t fuck with the people who protected mankind from the leeches who hide in the dark. William was pissed at his exile, but he knew that he could still be discreetly hired by the Order for jobs as an independent hunter. Not to mention there were plenty of towns and villages that needed a good cleansing, even in this day and age. Glaring at the other patrons giving him dirty looks, William finally got sick of it and stood up, grabbing his coat and trudging past the other men to head outside. Why did he care about these good for nothing rose-sniffing bums when there was a good whorehouse just waiting for him? ¡°Bet the town¡¯s whores will treat me better than those cunts.¡± He muttered. Pulling his coat tight around his shoulders, he stepped out into the rain and made his way down the street. Unseen by the hunter, a lone figure watched him from afar. A pair of red eyes followed the man down the street and waited until he turned the corner before following after him. Despite the heavy rain coming down on his head, the figure was not deterred and could easily track William with no problem. William had made it to the marketplace when he sensed that he was being followed. When you hunt vampires for so long you developed a sixth sense for being hunted by your prey. That tingly feeling at the back of your neck you get when you feel someone watching you, the instinctive shudder that signaled you were being followed. Things only a veteran could tell for sure. William looked over his shoulder but saw nothing. Looks like he might get his second chance after all. A grin formed on his face and he calmly walked into a small alley between two shops. Once he was deep enough, he turned around and faced the mouth of the alley. ¡°I know you¡¯re there, asshole. You¡¯re not fooling me.¡± William called out, his hand reaching for his crossbow. "It¡¯ll take more than that to get the drop on me!¡± He waited for a few minutes before a figure appeared in the mouth of the alleyway. William¡¯s keen eyes noticed that it was a woman, most of her features covered by a dark cloak save for her face. William didn¡¯t relax his stance as he drew his crossbow and aimed it at her. ¡°What¡¯re you doin¡¯ out here, girl? And following me around at that?¡± He demanded. ¡°And before you say it, I know you ain¡¯t no whore. I¡¯m not that lucky.¡± The nameless woman took a step forward, but William grunted and shook his crossbow. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it! Who are you and why are you following me?¡± He asked. He couldn¡¯t see her face so he had no idea if she were a vampire or not. ¡°Get lost, girl, I¡¯m not in the mood for your shit tonight!¡± The woman smirked at him as if she heard something funny. ¡°If you are what counts for a hunter these days, then humanity is in deeper shit than I thought.¡± ¡°What the hell did you say? Who the hell do you think you are, you dumb bitch! Don¡¯t go talking to me like that unless you want to end up with a black eye!¡± William yelled. ¡°Now beat it before I toss you out at the whorehouse where you belong!¡± The woman sniffed at his attitude, scrunching up her face. ¡°On second thought, this distraction isn¡¯t nearly as fun as I thought it would be. You may have him now, David.¡± William blinked. ¡°Huh? What are you¡ª¡° A large body slammed into him from behind and William was pushed forward off balance. William tried to throw the person off, but what he got was a perfect view of a large mouth and two fangs before they sank into his collarbone. He screamed as the fangs sank into his flesh and pierced his collarbone, blood spurting like a broken fountain as his vampire assailant gnawed on his flesh before pulling his head back. There was a sickening crunch that was followed by a searing pain as the vampire pulled his head back and ripped a large chunk of flesh from William¡¯s shoulder. William screamed and tried to raise his crossbow, but the rapid loss of blood had made him dizzy and he fell to his knees. Blood spurted from the open wound in his shoulder, the bite having taken not just a chunk of his flesh but also a piece of bone underneath. Pain blinded William for a moment and he couldn¡¯t keep his hold on his weapon, and it fell from his grasp. A hand gripped his hair and yanked his head back, forcing him to look up at his attacker. It was the noble boy that was friends with the man he killed last week. He looked different from the weak young man that broke his nose in their last encounter. His eyes were black with red irises that burned like twin suns and his mouth was unhinged and wide open, exposing his bloody fangs. He looked demonic. ¡°Y-You¡­?¡± William rasped. He coughed and blood welled up in his throat. ¡°Yes,¡± David hissed, his eyes burning with rage. ¡°Me.¡± William tried to speak, but he was steadily losing strength by the second. Any longer and he would lose consciousness. David wouldn¡¯t give him the pleasure. ¡°I told you I¡¯d kill you.¡± David said. ¡°You thought you¡¯d escape justice with those band of killers, but you were wrong. If the justice system couldn¡¯t give you the punishment you deserve, then it falls to me to do it for them.¡± ¡°You¡­you fucking d-dumbass.¡± William coughed. He was deathly pale now and his vision was getting blurry. He didn¡¯t have much time left. ¡°You sold your soul just to get me? Big mistake. The Order¡¯s gonna kill ya and leave you out to d-dry, leech!¡± ¡°They¡¯re welcome to try. I could honestly care less at this point.¡± David heard William¡¯s heartbeat fading and decided enough was enough. ¡°Might as well finish this while you¡¯re still conscious. I want you to feel everything before you die.¡± David hissed and opened his mouth wider than was humanly possible before his head shot forward and he sank his fangs into William¡¯s throat. He didn¡¯t drink any blood, no this was for the pure satisfaction of killing the man. Like a rabid dog he thrashed his head and dug his fangs as deep as they could go into the man¡¯s neck before pulling back with all his might. William¡¯s screams choked off into a wet gurgle as the front of his throat, along with his windpipe, was brutally torn out. Blood splattered onto David¡¯s face and chest, but he didn¡¯t stop there. He raised his claws and dug them into William¡¯s chest, ripping through skin and bone to get to his juicy innards. Danica smiled as she watched her progeny tear apart the hunter with savage glee. It was a little arousing to see the usually mild mannered man act this way, and she hoped to draw more of that side out in the future. This was going to be the start of a wonderful relationship. XXXXXX The next morning the town of Rosemary was in yet another uproar. Another murder had taken place not even a week after the death of Jacob Hawkins. But this murder was even more gruesome. The victim was William Burkins, former vampire hunter of the Order. It was hard to learn his identity considering his dismembered body parts were impaled on stakes in the town square for all to see. Five large wooden stakes shoved deep into solid cobblestone and had each of William¡¯s body parts impaled on them. His head and torso were side by side, with the torso looking like a bear had ripped into it. The townspeople were of course horrified of this act, regardless of William¡¯s crimes, but curiously, the only two people who weren¡¯t appalled at the gory display was David Talbot and his young lover Danica Acerola. Hunters in the Night Chapter 4-Hunters in the Night James Barbatos watched stoically with his partner Johnathan as the medical officer of the Order ranch studied William¡¯s remains. They had been standing in the morgue watching the coroner, an expert in vampire attacks and how to spot them, poke around at the pieces of William¡¯s body. ¡°I knew that reckless bastard was going to get himself killed with that attitude one day, but I wasn¡¯t expecting it to be like this.¡± Johnathan said. ¡°In this line of work, nothing is certain, Johnathan. However this incident cannot be overlooked given recent events.¡± James said. ¡°This was a deliberate attack on a former Order agent and we cannot sign this off as William getting involved with the wrong crowd.¡± ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree, sir.¡± The coroner said, studying the joints of the severed limbs. ¡°This isn¡¯t some case of the man being decapitated with a sharp blade or some kind. His limbs were torn off, not cut, and it would require immense strength to be able to rip off a man¡¯s arms and legs.¡± Johnathan frowned. ¡°I take it we¡¯re not so lucky as to rule it out as an animal attack?¡± ¡°No, sir. I¡¯ve looked at the torso and I¡¯ve noticed evidence of what appears to be claw marks. They¡¯re not as clean cut or smooth as cuts done by that of a blade, and his throat was torn out by something similar, like claws or¡ª¡° ¡°Fangs.¡± James¡¯s statement made the two men go silent, the implications clear. ¡°So a vampire attack, Wilson?¡± ¡°It would appear so, though most of William¡¯s blood spilled out through his wounds, if it was drunk at all. This attack wasn¡¯t done for a feeding, it was purely an act of brutality.¡± ¡°Vampires aren¡¯t known to waste perfectly good blood like that unless they have good reason.¡± Johnathan said, rubbing his chin. He still kept his eyes off of the mutilated corpse of his former comrade though. ¡°Unless it was an attack of a personal nature.¡± ¡°So the vampire has an alibi, interesting.¡± James muttered. ¡°I¡¯m ordering an official investigation of Rosemary. If there are vampires remaining here, and they¡¯re bold enough to make a show out of killing a hunter, then I¡¯m going to eradicate them personally.¡± ¡°Shall I call for reinforcements from headquarters?¡± Johnathan asked. ¡°That won¡¯t be necessary. Our team here is good enough. Quality over quantity as they say.¡± James said and walked out of the morgue with Johnathan. ¡°But if those leeches think they¡¯ve accomplished something, then they¡¯re going to learn how wrong they are.¡± XXXXXX Ceta was a grand city located a few miles from Rosemary. It was a beautiful and very scenic city, something common in most Rozzarian cities and towns. The city sat on top of a river that flowed from the Kalik Mountains in the distance and that river cut through the city and through the forest before reaching the coast. The city was comprised of modest buildings located close together and narrow streets barely big enough for a carriage to go through (if even that). David had only been to the city once with his sister Mary. Ceta had a large entertainment district that catered to theatres and opera houses, and even a miniature colosseum modeled after the ancient Roma colosseum. He remembered how awestruck he was as a child seeing the city for the first time. Everything looked bigger and brighter than his (once) humble little town that he grew up in. David also remembered clinging to his sister¡¯s skirts whenever they strolled around the city because he was nervous at being around so many people. Ceta was also the place where his sister died. Mary and hundreds of other people had been killed in an out of control inferno that ravaged much of the city¡¯s residential area. No one knows what exactly caused it, but it took an entire day to extinguish the blaze, and by that time, any poor soul who was caught up in it were nothing but ashes. When David heard that they couldn¡¯t even retrieve Mary¡¯s remains because they were just ashes among many, it broke him inside. That began his descent into the shadow he was now. Or used to be as a human. Danica had arranged for them to stay a week in Ceta on what she called a ¡°training excursion¡±. In addition to needing to lay low after butchering that hunter, Danica also wanted to teach her young lover how to hunt humans in a densely populated area without causing a commotion. Cities were the best places for vampire to reside, for they can safely hunt without anyone noticing. Danica told him that vampires didn¡¯t need that much blood to survive in the first place. The average amount of blood a vampire needs to survive was nowhere near enough to kill a human, but most vampires overfeed anyway so they don¡¯t have to hunt for longer periods of time, similar to an animal stocking up food for long migrations or hibernation. David never understood the reason, but Danica told him that he¡¯ll understand when he needs to go off on long journeys far from human habitation. One must do what they can to survive after all. XXXXXX Danica and David rented a room at a hotel and quickly got themselves situated before heading back out once the sun went down. Danica dragged David over to the canal where small boats sailed through the city carrying goods to their destination. David once again found himself a bit overwhelmed at the scale of the city and the number of people here. Everything looked so familiar yet also different. ¡°I haven¡¯t been here in six, no, seven years.¡± David muttered, leaning against the banister and looking down at the water under the bridge he stood on. ¡°It feels like the city is getting bigger.¡± ¡°That¡¯s only because the buildings are getting taller. I guess Rozzaria is taken some inspiration from Arcadia in terms of architecture. Costs less money to do that than expand the city.¡± Danica said, slouched against the bridge lazily watching the people walk past them. ¡°When was the last time you were here?¡± ¡°With my sister. She wanted to be an actress and would always take me here to see the plays. Mary knew all of the classics and could recite most of them by heart.¡± David smiled at the memories. ¡°It would drive Philip crazy, but I loved her over the top performances. They were almost spot on with how the actors performed on stage.¡± He sighed and rested his chin on his crossed arms. ¡°She was already making a name for herself in her acting school when the fire¡­¡± Danica frowned at his darkening expression and reached over to pat his hand. ¡°Enough. Do not speak any more of it. Heal at your own pace, David. You have centuries to do so.¡± ¡°Centuries, huh? I¡¯ll never get used to hearing that in regards to my lifespan.¡± David chuckled. ¡°I guess with something like immortality you have all the time in the world.¡± ¡°We are far from immortal, David. We age slower than humans, but time does catch up with us sooner or later. Doesn¡¯t mean we can¡¯t have fun in the meantime.¡± She said. ¡°You definition of fun is definitely different from mine.¡± David commented. ¡°Hush, boy.¡± Danica laughed, smacking him on the arm. ¡°Now come, the night is still young and we have a party to attend to.¡± ¡°A party? What party?¡± David asked. Danica didn¡¯t answer him as she walked off the bridge and he ran after her. ¡°What party, Danica?¡± ¡°Nothing extravagant, just a haughty get-together between upper class snobs who want to flaunt their wealth and status. Men and women of Ceta¡¯s old money who act like they¡¯re the reason the city is still standing today.¡± Danica huffed. ¡°I got an invitation thanks to an acquaintance of mine, and I¡¯m allowed to bring my partner.¡± ¡°You sound like you hate these kinds of parties.¡± David noted. ¡°I do. They bring up unpleasant memories that are best left buried. But it also provides the perfect opportunity to teach you how to hunt discreetly.¡± She smiled at him and took his hand. ¡°Come with me, these parties are slightly more enjoyable with someone to suffer them along with you.¡± ¡°Oh joy.¡± David sighed. XXXXXX It was all too common for people of high society to host and attend parties on an almost monthly basis. David knew from personal experience that while some parties were merely meetings between businessmen and old time nobles to make deals or just to assert their dominance over lesser creatures, most of them were just so that rich people could get together, make connections, maybe sleep together if you were lucky, or just to dance around in fancy clothes and show off your jewelry. David didn¡¯t blame Danica for hating them, it was dull and boring and torture. Danica had plenty of contacts and agents who helped her out in the city. David had no idea if they were mortal or vampire, as she was tight lipped about her network. One of her contacts enabled her to get an invitation to a party being held by Countess Griselda Rumple, an old yet still beautiful woman who was a member of one of Rozzaria¡¯s oldest noble families. There were plenty of other nobles or celebrities attending the party in the latest fashions, and Danica didn¡¯t want to be the odd one out. They returned to their hotel room as fast as they could (which was pretty face. David ended up racing Danica back to the hotel along the rooftops. It was fun) and they changed into more formal attire and took a carriage to the countess¡¯s mansion. David wore a black suit that didn¡¯t really stand out, but Danica wore a beautiful dark blue gown that left her shoulders bare and her hair done up in an elegant bun. David couldn¡¯t keep the look of awe off his face and Danica smirked at him. ¡°Enchanted by my beauty?¡± She asked as they entered the carriage. ¡°I would say yes, but I¡¯m afraid of stroking your already massive ego more.¡± David said. ¡°But yes, you definitely look beautiful. That goes without saying.¡± Danica smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder. ¡°You truly know how to charm a woman, David Talbot.¡± David chuckled and leaned back in his seat, looking out the window at the lamps lining the street that bathed the darkening streets in bright light. He exhaled softly and let himself enjoy the sights. He had a feeling that he wouldn¡¯t get the chance to feel like this for a while when he returned to Rosemary. XXXXXX The countess¡¯s party was just a step below a ball. There was dancing, mingling, and, of course, flirting. Men and women who had some influence in the imperial court or had a well-earned spot among the nobility were scattered about the ballroom of the countess¡¯s mansion talking and dancing. For the most part, the men were gathered in one side of the room, and the women in the other. There were a few couples here and there, but for the most part, to David, the whole thing looked like an adult version of a schoolyard playground; boys on one side, girls on the other. When he and Danica entered the mansion, they drew more than a few stares, though that was mostly for Danica. This didn¡¯t pay much attention to David aside from average curiosity, but that was fine with him. He¡¯d rather be invisible and avoid getting involved with any political bullshit that¡¯s common in these environments. Danica smiled and took a deep breath. ¡°Take it all in, David,¡± She whispered. ¡°That lovely scent. It just makes you feel alive again, doesn¡¯t it?¡± David agreed, but he wasn¡¯t going to admit it. He instinctively inhaled and the scent of fresh blood coursing through the veins of dozens of people filled the air. The ballroom was large enough for dozens of people to mingle and dance, but to a vampire they might as well have been all pressed together, the scent of their blood forming one large invisible cloud that David was in the middle of. Gods, he found it hard to concentrate. ¡°Focus, David,¡± Danica said, guiding him through the throng of people along the side of the dance floor. ¡°This is your true test, maintaining your composure while surrounded by food.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t call them that.¡± He hissed. ¡°So you would rather see them as people with lives and families who we just happen to feast upon, then?¡± Danica said. ¡°Get over your human sentimentality and accept that these people are our food. It doesn¡¯t mean you have to revel in their pain or anything, just know that without them, you¡¯ll starve to death.¡± She straightened up and pulled him into a corner. ¡°Now shut up and pay attention.¡± David sighed but stood beside her. In their spot, they had a perfect view of the other people around them. A flock of sheep unaware of the two wolves hiding among them. ¡°When you¡¯re hunting, you have other abilities besides your strength and speed that enable you to catch your prey. These abilities develop as you grow older, with time and practice.¡± Danica pointed to a mature women in her fifties, one of those rare ladies who managed to hold a certain grace and beauty at her age while most women would still try to look young. ¡°That lovely lady is Alicia Sinclair. She moved here a few years ago after the death of her husband under¡­mysterious circumstances.¡± Danica sent him a smirk. ¡°Obviously she inherited his estate and fortune and never married again. In fact, she moved here not even a week after the man¡¯s funeral.¡± David caught the meaning in her words. ¡°I take it his death wasn¡¯t as random as it seemed?¡± ¡°Oh yes, the woman had her manservant murder the old bastard using poison you wouldn¡¯t find in some dusty old apothecary in Bretonnia. See there?¡± She nodded toward the old woman as she talked to a man offering his condolences on her loss. ¡°While she¡¯s saying that it broke her heart to lose him, she¡¯s celebrating her freedom and hoping her former husband is rubbing noses with the devil in hell.¡± ¡°How do you know that?¡± He asked. ¡°Her facial features. The way her muscles twitch, the slight increase in her heart beat, subtle things a human wouldn¡¯t catch but a vampire can if you know where to look. That, and I had a friend of mine read her mind.¡± Danica said it so casually that it took David a moment to realize what she said. ¡°Read her mind?¡± He look at her with wide eyes. ¡°We can do that?¡± ¡°Only a chosen few. These abilities of ours manifest differently, and only in those who¡¯ve reached an advanced age. Telepathy, telekinesis, control over the elements, even shapeshifting. Those myths you here about turning into mist and bats come from rare encounters with those powerful individuals.¡± Danica explained. ¡°And what can you do?¡± David inquired. He knew something was different about Danica, and now he had an idea. ¡°What makes you think I¡¯ll tell you?¡± She grinned. ¡°An artist never gives away all of their secrets.¡± David allowed her that one, considering she just revealed something he had no idea was true about vampires. Funny how he never thought to ask her where those stories about mist and bats came from. Well, at least he had something to look forward to further down the line. After a few minutes of standing around and making small talk with the other couples (and David watching Danica emasculate the suitors who thought they had a chance with her) Danica had finally picked out a target for him.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. ¡°There, by the window.¡± Danica pointed to the far side of the room at a young woman with short black hair and a dark blue dress that hugged her figure nicely. Despite her beautiful appearance though she looked a bit nervous and out of place. ¡°Fresh meat. One look at her and you can tell that this is her first time at one of these gatherings.¡± ¡°What do I do?¡± David whispered. ¡°You¡¯ll know what to do. Talk to her, lower her defenses before going in to strike.¡± Danica said. ¡°Just trust your instincts.¡± ¡°My instincts. Right.¡± David muttered. He took a deep breath and walked along the side of the room, avoiding the dancers as he made his way over to the lone woman on the couch. Even as he got closer to her, the girl was too distracted to notice his approach and apparently didn¡¯t even see him until he cleared his throat and greeted her. ¡°Hello.¡± The girl jumped and looked up at him before blushing in embarrassment. ¡°Oh, h-hello. I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t see you there.¡± ¡°No worries. I just wanted to see if you were feeling alright. You look a bit pale.¡± David said. ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you. I am just a little bit nervous. This is my first time attending a party like this, and my nerves are a bit frayed.¡± She said. ¡°That¡¯s alright, I¡¯m not particularly fond of these parties either. It doesn¡¯t help that most of the people here are older than me to some degree.¡± He said and smiled at her. ¡°I¡¯m David Talbot.¡± ¡°Eliza Dubois.¡± She said, also smiling. When she gave him her hand to kiss, David knew that he had her; and not a second after her thought that, guilt filled his heart for thinking such a thing. When did he start equating other human beings as prey animals in relation to himself? XXXXXX Danica watched her progeny from afar, ignoring the pompous little boys who thought they had a chance with her. These fancy young fops thought that just because they were rich and handsome that they deserved to talk to someone like her. While that may have worked on another woman, she was fa from some simpering girl looking for a fairy tale romance. ¡®I wonder if they¡¯d be as attracted to me if they knew I could easily kill everyone in this room?¡¯ Danica thought with a smile. Her smile widened when she saw that David was starting to get past the girl¡¯s defenses and was earning her trust. ¡®I must say, he¡¯s doing very well for his first true hunt.¡¯ Newborn vampires were just as their name implied; they were similar to newborn lion cubs, weak and confused about the new world hey were thrust into. They needed to be taught how to use their teeth and claws, how to fight and hunt with them, and how to harness their abilities to capitalize on their prey¡¯s weaknesses. Newborn vampires were tricky, for if you don¡¯t teach them to control their instincts in the first few days after the change, they¡¯ll never be able to properly assimilate with humans. Very few newborns could teach themselves self-control and how to be subtle, though it wasn¡¯t impossible. In between their furious bouts of sex and the quiet moments they spent together, Danica would drill these lessons into David¡¯s head. She needed him to learn that he was at the bottom of the pyramid in regards to vampire threat levels, and he needed to learn how to hunt and survive as fast as possible. This was especially true for him, being a noble and thus a highly public figure in the eyes of Rozzarian high society. This wasn¡¯t like the old days where vampire nobility ruled large swaths of human lands like kings and queens. Now humans were catching up with their technology and weapons, even though some nobles like to ignore that fact at their peril. It was fortunate for her that David was a smart man who knew that might wasn¡¯t always right. His personal tragedies had broken him apart, and she resolved to put him back together as a new man, a hunter like her. It was just a shame that he had reservations about hunting humans. Newborns always were hesitant about feeding on humans, but eventually they¡¯ll get used to it. So long as David didn¡¯t start feeding on rats and chickens, she was fine with waiting. Danica¡¯s focused returned to the pair when she saw that David and Eliza had gotten up and were heading towards the stairs. He sent her a very discreet glance and she nodded to him. As they disappeared out of sight, Danica waited a few minutes before following after them, smoothly weaving her way through the throng of people as she reached the stairs and headed up to the second floor. No one really batted an eye at a man and a woman disappearing to be alone together. Few knew that it was common for couples to find someplace private at Rozzarian parties to ¡°get to know each other¡± better. No one said anything so long as nothing lewd was done in public. Rozzarians were rather liberal in their interests after all. She followed their scents up to the end of the hall on the second floor, where David and Eliza were sitting on a small white bench out on the balcony overlooking the mansion¡¯s garden (yes, it had a garden. The countess spared no expense for luxury, even for a vacation home). Her footsteps were silent as she approached the balcony, her movements slow and methodical to make the absolute minimum amount of noise. She was sure that David heard her with his enhanced hearing, but Eliza was totally unaware of her presence. She felt the cool night air on her skin as she neared the balcony, but stopped just a foot away from it. David and Eliza were still chatting, but she noticed that David was slowly getting himself into a position where he could strike without causing too much alarm. A cold smile spread across her red lips and she hung back to watch the memorable moment unfold. Was this what a mother lion felt when helping her children on the hunt for the first time? XXXXXX David struggled to focus on what Eliza was saying as his primal instincts were focusing on the smell of her blood through her soft skin. He could smell that lovely crimson liquid coursing through her veins beneath her skin, and the breeze blowing past them blew her lovely smell right into his face. It made his stomach grumble and a low growl rumble deep in his throat, though too soft for her to hear. ¡®Settle down, you damn fool.¡¯ David scolded himself. ¡®There¡¯s nothing to get excited about.¡¯ But his body thought otherwise. His stomach was rumbling, and his eyes were already zeroing in on the bare skin of Eliza¡¯s neck and shoulders. His fangs were lengthening, cutting into his bottom lip. He heard Danica behind them, hidden out of sight, ready to intervene if necessary, though David was sure he wouldn¡¯t need it. ¡°It¡¯s just a shame that Araluen is in such turmoil. It¡¯s a beautiful city with a lot of history, and just thinking about all the damage being done with all the fighting is painful.¡± Eliza said. ¡°I¡¯m sure the Order wouldn¡¯t let too much collateral damage happen to the city.¡± He doubted it, but not need to let her know about his views on vampire hunters. ¡°And I hear some vampires love their ancient history. Probably brings back good memories of the old days.¡± They shared a chuckle at that before David asked, ¡°Do you want something to drink? I¡¯m sure you¡¯re feeling a bit chilly out here.¡± ¡°Yes, a drink would be fine. Nothing too alcoholic, please.¡± Eliza said. David nodded and turned around to walk back into the hall way. He only took a few steps onto the carpeted floor before stopping and glancing at Danica, who nodded to him. David inhaled and let his instincts take over, and felt his fangs lengthen. Hissing through his teeth, he turned back to Eliza and struck. David sprinted forward and wrapped his arms around the girl, trapping her arms to her sides as he bent his head to her neck and opened his mouth. His fangs pierced her skin with all the resistance of a scalpel through soft flesh. Eliza almost screamed, but David¡¯s narcotic saliva quickly sedated her as soon as it was in her system. Blood leaked from the wounds, and he slowly began to suck up every drop. Eliza¡¯s body sagged against him as the full force of his narcotic saliva hit her and he held her up as he drank from her. She moaned and gasped, not really knowing what was going on, and barely able to move. David could not believe the sensation of it. He could literally feel her heartbeat pumping tiny flows of that hot, heavy liquid up from her neck and into his mouth. He noticed things he didn¡¯t notice before in his newborn bloodlust, and he let the pleasure wash over him. Eliza began to moan from the gentle sucking on her neck and squirmed a bit in his arms, completely paralyzed at this point. From this to the warm liquid slipping down his throat, David found himself in a trance, unable to give up this wonderful, wonderful feeding. ¡°You may want to stop,¡± Danica said. ¡°If you keep drinking, she¡¯ll pass out. Wouldn¡¯t want to give her anemia, would you?¡± David reluctantly lifted his head from Eliza¡¯s throat and looked down at her. Her eyes were closed and her weight rested against him, though he held her as easily as one would a baby. Her breathing was shallow, more like panting little moans, and she looked like she had just swooned instead of just being a vampire¡¯s snack. His bite marks were still on her throat, bleeding slightly. ¡°Lick the bite to heal the wound.¡± Danica gave his shoulder a reassuring squeeze. Not that he¡¯d need encouraging, with more blood leaking from the girl¡¯s neck. He put his lips to her delicate skin, and with an almost loving touch, licked the blood off her throat and let his tongue press to the holes. He felt her wounds closing underneath his touch, quick and clean without so much as a blemish left behind. David lifted his head, only for Danica to grip his chin and mash her lips against his. They shared a bloody kiss with Eliza¡¯s body pressed between them, their tongues swirling around each other, sharing the taste of the girl¡¯s blood between them. Danica held his head in place long enough to practically clean his mouth out with her tongue before pulling away, a strand of blood still connecting their lips together before she licked it up with a swirl of her tongue. ¡°Mmm,¡± Danica moaned sensually. ¡°The only thing better than the taste of blood is sharing it with someone you love.¡± ¡°Yes, well¡­¡± David cleared his throat, blushing a bit as he tried to get his arousal under control. ¡°That was something.¡± ¡°It was.¡± Danica nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll give you top grades on your stealth and attack, but you were going a bit slow, and you should remain constant of your surroundings even when feeding. Other than that, you did pretty well.¡± ¡°Yeah, great.¡± David looked down at the paralyzed girl in his arms. She was a bit dizzy from the narcotics in her system, and her face looked a bit flushed, but aside from a bit of blood on her neck she looked fine. ¡°Don¡¯t go getting sympathetic, David, this is how we survive. We feed on people like her to survive, though some of the more haughty vampires would like to romanticize it.¡± Danica said, reaching over to take Eliza from his arms. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of her, you head back down to the party and wait for me.¡± ¡°Right.¡± He nodded and headed into the hallway, feeling a bit full and livelier than he was when the night began. The taste of her blood was fresh in his mouth and his mind felt clearer than it had ever been before. ¡®This is what vampires experience every time they feed? No wonder some go to such lengths to get it.¡¯ David thought. He ran his tongue over his teeth, noting that his fangs were retracted again. He experimentally extended them again. It was surprisingly easy, like moving his tongue or blinking. David walked past a glass cabinet and paused when he saw his reflection. His eyes were burning red surrounded by black, and his top and bottom fangs were fully extended. Looking at himself now, he looked like a devil, or at best an animal after a hunt. Hell, he could even see blood on his teeth! ¡°Oh my god.¡± David gasped, stumbling back with wide eyes. The red glow faded and his fangs retracted back into his gums, but his reflection was still fresh in his mind. He didn¡¯t look like himself, nor did he feel like himself either. This was the very first time he saw himself like that, what he truly looked like when his instincts took over. He looked like a demon. ¡®Gods, what am I turning into?¡¯ David lamented. XXXXXX ¡°Mmmm, yes!¡± Danica cooed as she sank down David¡¯s length all the way down to the hilt. Her head tilted back and she bit her lip, her fangs fully extended and eyes bright red in her aroused state. ¡°It¡¯s been far too long since I¡¯ve had a man!¡± David grit his teeth, resisting the urge to cum right then and there. To him it was pleasurable agony having his member snug tight inside her cunt. He was still new to sex and Danica had no trouble taking advantage of that to drive him mad while in the throes of lust. Nevertheless, David rested his head on the pillows and closed his eyes as wave upon wave of carnal bliss flooded his senses. Danica was tight, amazingly so, and she made sure to tighten her vaginal muscles on his length each time she went back down making him that much closer to losing it. His fingers gripped her slender hips, his sharp claws digging into her skin and drawing blood as she pulled and pushed her pussy onto his length. Back and forth she went, pressing her hips against his body. Danica was the dominant one in this and she made sure he knew it, but she wasn¡¯t cruel. She rewarded him for his submissiveness, unwilling as it was. Danica was like this since they got back from the party, apparently aroused from seeing David succeed in his first hunt. They barely got through the door before she pounced on him, and that little oral session she gave in on the carriage ride back didn¡¯t help matters. Her hips picked up speed. Danica was now feverishly humping him against the wall while he was pinned to the bed, like a horny animal she continued rutting onto him, savoring the deep filling sensation his dick was giving her. She closed her eyes with her mouth agape, wordless moaning in hot pants as she raised her hips to the edge of his dick and slam them all the way back down filling her up with his shaft. David¡¯s cock had reached deep within her, and the feeling of the head of his dick pressing against her sensitive places had Danica very close to cumming. ¡°Come on, fill me with all you have, boy! I¡¯ll make sure you feel this for the next two weeks!¡± Danica howled, arching her back as she continued furiously grinding herself onto his body. David was slowly reaching his climax alongside her, though he wished she was quieter about it as he grunted in exertion, thrusting up into her. Again and again she came down on him and his body couldn¡¯t help but ebb closer to his release. After countless minutes had passed Danica felt her orgasm surge as she slammed her body all the way down onto his cock before squeezing down on him. David grimaced as he felt the tight convulsions of her pussy push him over the edge, leading to him letting out a loud moan as his member throbbed and released its load. Danica¡¯s eyes went wide when she felt the first thick blast of his semen erupt into her womb. Her whole body shuddered and she gave the loudest moan that night, rolling her hips on his as he filled her up. She sat there on his pulsating cock, not letting him go for a moment until she was sure that he pumped every last drop of his seed into her. When he did finally stop cumming, Danica let out a deep breath and fell forward onto his sweaty chest, her long hair cascading around his upper body. David noted with some awe that even after sex her hair was still perfect. ¡°That was wonderful, David. You did great.¡± She praised. ¡°How? You had me lie here while you rode me like a stallion.¡± David said. ¡°I meant you lasted longer than the last time. It¡¯s an improvement.¡± She grinned. David rolled his eyes. ¡°Happy to please.¡± Danica smacked his chest. ¡°Hush, boy, you should be happy you even had the chance to sleep with me. You¡¯re one of a lucky few to get the chance.¡± ¡°I¡¯m afraid to ask, but how many other men have you been with before me?¡± David asked. Danica shrugged. ¡°Not many, actually. I¡¯m a very picky woman, and though I¡¯ve had many lovers in the past, most of them were just mobile snacks. Only two of them were decent.¡± She said, and then added, ¡°And no, I will not go into detail about them.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t thinking of it.¡± He lied. They lied together in silence for a few blissful moments before David asked, ¡°So what¡¯s next on the list?¡± ¡°More combat training.¡± Danica said happily, earning a groan from him. ¡°Don¡¯t pout, this is important for you if you want to blend in with the humans. You can¡¯t disguise your unwillingness to eat food for too long before people start asking questions.¡± ¡°I suppose you have a solution to that?¡± David inquired. Vampires were unable to eat and digest physical food, as their bodies could only process liquids. Drinking tea and juice was fine, but David tried eating a cookie at the party and nearly spat it back out. Food tasted¡­not exactly atrocious, but lacked the flavor it once had when he was human. It was just another grim reminder of how much he¡¯s changed on the inside. That was when he realized something. ¡°Danica, I saw you eating food back at the party, and you didn¡¯t even wince at the taste.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll get used to the taste. It does take some getting used to, but it¡¯s a necessary evil.¡± Danica replied. ¡°But you can¡¯t spit out every piece of food you ingest without causing a scene. This is where another ability of ours comes into play.¡± Danica sat up and straddled his waist. David was about to ask wat she was doing when he felt her body slowly heat up. Then he saw a faint glowing outline surround her body, a barely visible wisp of dark red energy that cloaked her body like a flame. Danica smiled at David¡¯s shocked silence and ran her hands down his chest. ¡°This power is a power that exists in all forms of life, from vampires and humans to the smallest animals and plants. It is called aura, and for centuries our kind has used it to increase our already exceptional abilities and help us blend in with humans. It is also what vampire hunters use to fight us on even ground.¡± Danica held up an arm encased in that flickering energy. ¡°We vampires also use it to ¡°digest¡± physical food in a way. Using our aura, we can turn our stomachs into miniature furnaces and basically dissolve the food before our bodies can even process it.¡± ¡°That¡¯s¡­incredible, but also very weird.¡± David whispered. ¡°It¡¯s strange at first, but you¡¯ll get used to it. In our world, there are plenty of strange things that you wouldn¡¯t believe exist in the shadows. And I¡¯m not just talking about vampires.¡± Danica leaned back down and rested her head on his chest. ¡°But that¡¯s for another day. Just relax for now, we¡¯ve got a long journey ahead of us tomorrow.¡± David sighed but nodded. He relaxed his body and closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep, but all he could see were his blood red eyes and terrifying visage. XXXXXX The next morning, David and Danica were back in Rosemary, and honestly David couldn¡¯t be happier to be back home. This was a first for him, for the town brought nothing but bad memories to him, but with everything that¡¯s happened, he needed to be on familiar grounds. After seeing Danica off at her house, David took a carriage back to his estate. It¡¯d be good to see his mother and father again, and he was sure they were worried about him. And he didn¡¯t want to spend any time in town where he was sure that the gruesome murder of the vampire hunter was still being talked about. But as he arrived at the mansion, he noticed another carriage parked in front of the mansion. David hopped out of his carriage and walked up to the doors, where his butler Edward was waiting for him. ¡°Good afternoon, Master David. It is good to see you are in full health again.¡± Edward said sincerely. David smiled at him. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Edward. Sorry I¡¯ve been avoiding everyone here. Things have been¡­hard on me lately.¡± David said. ¡°Do you know who¡¯s visiting today? Mother never said she was having anyone over in her letter. Is it Anna?¡± ¡°No, Master David, it¡¯s someone new.¡± Edward began, but before he could say more, the door opened behind him and he stepped to the side. David¡¯s heart went cold when he saw Senior Hunter James Barbatos walk out of the mansion with his hat and coat in hand. James was saying goodbye to his father, but paused when he noticed David in the doorway. ¡°Ah, Mr. David Talbot. I wasn¡¯t expecting to run into you here.¡± James said. ¡°Neither was I.¡± David said warily. ¡°Do you need something, sir?¡± ¡°I do need something actually¡ªyour cooperation.¡± James placed his hat on his greying hair and strolled up to David with an inquisitive stare. ¡°I want to ask you some questions about where you were around the time former Order hunter William Bronson was murdered. Is that alright with you?¡± David tried to keep his expression even as he replied, ¡°That¡¯s fine, Sir James. I¡¯m happy to provide any assistance you may need.¡± Thus began David¡¯s first true test as a vampire¡ªhealing with the slayers to hunt the hunters. A Game of Hunters Chapter 5-A Game of Hunters The last thing David wanted was to speak to a vampire hunter of all people, but if he refused, it¡¯d look suspicious to the man. James Barbatos had an intimidating air about him that made others wary of him, and with good reason given his long experience in vampire hunting. He was a man who knew how to fight, how to kill. And what¡¯s worse was that when it came to the feelings and opinions of the common folk, they took second place to his duties as a slayer of humanity¡¯s enemy. David showed James to his father¡¯s study, where they had their private talk. James refused any drinks and got right down to business, asking where David had been on the night of the murder. It was fortunate that Danica had thought ahead about this in case something like this happened. Granted, David didn¡¯t really feel very nervous about talking to the man. His fear was overridden by his natural loathing of the hunter in general. ¡°So you were out of town with a lady friend visiting Ceta.¡± James said, leaning back in the large chair like he owned it. David idly wondered if James came from a wealthy family before he became a vampire hunter. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be against me talking to her to confirm your story, would you, Mr. Talbot?¡± ¡°Go right ahead. You¡¯ve already talked to my parents anyway, so it¡¯s not going to make a difference.¡± David said. In truth, he and Danica had taken a carriage out of town on the same day as the murder, making sure that his parents knew that he was leaving town that very day. But what wasn¡¯t known was that they returned to Rosemary under the cover of darkness and stalked William until the right opportunity. No one was the wiser of their efforts. James stared at him with those cold grey eyes before saying, ¡°Mr. Talbot, do you understand why I came here first?¡± ¡°I have an idea why, but I¡¯m sure you¡¯re going to tell me.¡± He replied. James narrowed his eyes at him. ¡°Mr. Talbot, have you forgotten that you assaulted the hunter just a few days before his death? It¡¯s no secret of the loathing you feel for him for killing your friend¡ª¡° ¡°Loathing? No, you¡¯ve got it wrong, Barbatos, it¡¯s not loathing I felt. It was hatred. Hatred for the so-called professional hunter who killed an innocent man because he was so damn gung ho about killing a vampire.¡± David said, not looking away from the hunter¡¯s hard gaze. ¡°That man had what¡¯s coming to him, and I¡¯m glad he¡¯s suffered a punishment that you can¡¯t weasel him out of.¡± ¡°Your feelings towards the Order will get you in trouble one day, Mr. Talbot.¡± James¡¯s voice had taken a hard tone, showing that he was starting to lose his patience. That was fine with David. He was starting to feel out of place being the only angry person between them. ¡°I understand your anger given the circumstances, but remember that we hunters are what¡¯s keeping those leeches from preying upon innocent men, women and children. We were founded to protect the people from humanity¡¯s sole predator, and the least you could do is show some respect.¡± ¡°Respect? Respect?¡± David growled. ¡°You people are a bunch of bounty hunters and inquisitors who run around acting like you¡¯re going the goddess¡¯s work. You aren¡¯t. I know about the accidents in Araluen between hunters and civilians. I know about the massive amounts of property damage caused by your battles. And I know about the growing number of nations seeking to reform the Order into a proper organization because of these incidents. Don¡¯t think that calling yourselves holy warriors is going to work with me, because I know the stark majority of you Order folk are little more than bounty hunters who care more about coin than the safety of the people. Case in point, your deceased friend.¡± ¡°Hmm, you talk boldly for a noble.¡± James noted. ¡°I like to be blunt every once in a while to get my point across.¡± David said. ¡°And what is your point, Mr. Talbot?¡± He asked. ¡°My point is that for how dangerous vampires are to humans, it will always be humans who will be a danger to themselves. And I¡¯ve learned that humans are a hell of a lot more threatening than any vampire hiding in the shadows.¡± David stood up and walked over to the door. ¡°Now if you don¡¯t mind, Mr. Barbatos¡­kindly get the hell out of my house.¡± James nodded, knowing he overstayed his welcome, and followed David to the front door. As he walked past David to exit, however, James gave the young man some parting words. ¡°One day you will need the aid of the Order, David Talbot. When the vampires take someone close to you, you will need the assistance of warriors who know how to fight this menace. I¡¯d rethink my views on the Order and their values if I were you.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t really give a damn.¡± David said with a blank expression. ¡°Have a nice day, good sir.¡± To his credit, James took the insults with a straight face without any visible sign of agitation. He bade David goodbye and finally left the house. David watched him go to his carriage before closing the door. ¡°Master David, are you sure it was wise to antagonize the hunter like that?¡± Edward asked cautiously. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Edward. I¡¯m sure that man already dislikes me because I don¡¯t adhere to his view on the world. You can¡¯t talk to people like him unless you agree with their world view.¡± David said tiredly. ¡°Since that left a bad taste in my mouth, I¡¯m heading out. Could you tell mother I said hi, Edward?¡± ¡°Yes, Master David.¡± Edward said. XXXXXX Vampire hunting was a profession that was both dangerous and complex. First and foremost because vampires were naturally stronger and faster than humans, and their power and skill grew with age. A regular human had no chance of squaring up against a vampire unless they were sufficiently prepared for a battle or were trained to fight them. For the average human though, vampires, even newborns, were dangerous creatures. The Order trained apprentice hunters in various techniques before sending them out into the field. Aside from the extensive physical and mental training they went through, they also had to learn the weak points in a vampire¡¯s body, as well as how to manipulate their Aura so as to better protect themselves and increase their abilities. There were no shortage of people seeking to be hunters for personal or professional reasons, but the turnout was just as fast given that vampires often killed one or two people before being killed themselves. Johnathan Brisby was not the type of man to become a vampire hunter. He was born and raised in a moderately wealthy family who had a position in finance, and he was being raised to be a banker just like his father. He was engaged to be married to a beautiful woman whom he admired, though his feelings weren¡¯t as mutual as he would have liked, considering the engagement was arranged. But he would have given her the world if he could just earn her love. Sadly, life has a way of reminding you how cruel it can be. ¡°Sir Brisby?¡± Johnathan blinked and returned to the present, focusing on the young man with dirty blond hair and a leather armor strapped to his torso and arms was addressing him. ¡°My apologies, Timothy, my mind was in the clouds. What¡¯s the status of the building?¡± ¡°Jacob and I detected about five vamps in all. Three in the basement and two on the second floor. We¡¯ve tried to get a visual through the windows, but they¡¯re covered.¡± Timothy said. ¡°Do we have confirmation that they¡¯re all vampires? Are you sure there are no humans inside the building with them?¡± He asked. It didn¡¯t hurt to be sure. Heaven knows the Order doesn¡¯t need any more bad publicity in this country than it already has. ¡°No humans were sensed inside the building. All the occupants inside are vampires.¡± Timothy confirmed. Johnathan nodded. Timothy was a member of the sensory team of hunters who had trained themselves to sense the aura of other living beings, humans and vampires. Metaphysical studies into aura had shown that vampires had denser auras than humans, which can be sensed if you know what you¡¯re looking for. The Order made it a task to train anybody with an aptitude for aura sensing so they could easily detect vampires within a crowd of people. ¡®A shame William neglected to inform us of his operation before this mess started.¡¯ Johnathan thought before nodding to Timothy. ¡°Very good, Timothy. Keep an eye on the building while I lead the team inside.¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Johnathan checked his gear. All he had on was a black leather armor suit with a silver laced sword and two silver daggers and a high quality crossbow that fired silver stakes at high speed and accuracy. His arsenal was simple yet effective. When going up against vampires, their strength and speed can make most armor close to useless, and you can only use so many weapons that don¡¯t wear you down. Coupled with his Aura manipulation, Johnathan was as equipped as he could be. Once he was ready, Johnathan walked over to the entrance of the house, where the rest of his team were waiting. They were all moderately experienced hunters and fighters, but Johnathan still wasn¡¯t completely comfortable working with them. Not because they were bad people, but rather he felt a bit uneasy at the absence of his comrade, James. Ever since William¡¯s murder, Johnathan had noticed that James was oddly fixated on solving this case. It wasn¡¯t out of revenge, William wasn¡¯t worth avenging, but out of a need to save face. A vampire had killed one of their own right under their noses and made a show out of it. This was a blatant insult against the hunters of the Order and James, ever the traditionalist, is probably taking this more seriously than he should. James was not an emotional man, but he had a one track mind and could cause some damage if he wasn¡¯t guided (not persuaded, Johnathan had no chance in hell at achieving that) onto another course of action. But that was then and this was now. Before he could deal with his own problems, he had to handle this one first. After checking his gear, Johnathan turned to his team. ¡°All right, men, our sensors report that there are five vampires in the building. Three in the basement and two on the second floor. No humans detected, so I¡¯m authorizing excessive force to destroy all vampires present. Do what you have to but we cannot let even a single vampire out of the building.¡± He said to them. ¡°Burkins, Andrea, you two are with me. Hodge, Jenkins, you two handle the vamps on the second floor. Is everyone ready?¡± The men nodded and got into their groups. Johnathan nodded to Jenkins, a large man who specialized in fast and heavy attacks designed to cause as much damage as possible to his target. He stepped forward and pulled his fist back, channeling his Aura through his arm and into his hand. After charging up a sufficient amount of energy, he shot his arm forward and released a burst of energy that blew the door in. The hunters flooded into the house, two heading upstairs while Johnathan led his group to the basement. Johnathan headed for the door leading to the basement, but just before he could open it, the door was smashed apart as a vampire burst through it, an average if a bit slender man who¡¯d you easily bypass on the street without a second glance. Jenkins pushed Johnathan aside and crossed his arms, taking the vampire¡¯s punch head on to the Aura shield he was just barely able to shape. Jenkins was thrown back by the punch, but was still unharmed and Hodge rushed in, swinging his axe at the vampire¡¯s head. The vampire hissed, mouth wide open to bare his fangs and lunged at Hodge, pushing the man into the other room. This left Johnathan to deal with the second vampire, a woman, who was already charging at him. Jenkins tried to intercept her, but she diverted his enhanced punch and spun around him, slamming her elbow into the back of his head. That blow would¡¯ve broken the neck of a normal person, but for a hunter protected by his Aura skin like Jenkins, it only severely dazed him. But it still put him out of commission and she turned her enraged sights to Johnathan next. ¡°I¡¯m not one to fight a lady, but I¡¯ll make an exception in this case.¡± Johnathan remarked, drawing his sword. The female vampire merely hissed in response and leapt at him, swiping at his head with her claws. He backpedaled and thrust his sword forward, scoring a deep gasp on the left side of her torso. The wound didn¡¯t slow her down much though and she leapt off the wall to gain some height on him. Johnathan used his sword to divert her right hand and got in behind her guard, punching her in the throat and making her gag.This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. She landed unsteadily on her feet, coughing from the unexpected strike and he pressed his advantage, running her through the chest with his sword. Blood splattered against the couch and carpet, staining the ironically pure white d¨¦cor red. The vampire thrashed against him in pain and he gripped her left arm to keep her from breaking his jaw with her thrashing. He reached into his belt and drew a silver knife, which he swiftly ran across her throat. He quickly moved back as blood spurted from her ruptured throat and she stumbled back, gurgling blood as her skin slowly turned pale from blood loss. Johnathan didn¡¯t even wait for her to finally die before running into the living room just in time to see Hodge grappling with the male vampire. The man put up a surprisingly good fight against his opponent¡¯s strength, but it wasn¡¯t enough to fully overpower him. Johnathan decided to give him a hand by throwing his sword and impaling the vampire from behind, stunning him long enough for Hodge to take his axe and behead the monster in a single swing. Hodge panted as the headless body fell over, blood spurting from where the head used to be. ¡°I had that under control.¡± Johnathan shook his head and looked up at the ceiling. ¡°I think Burkins and Andrea are still fighting the two upstairs.¡± ¡°Wait, where¡¯s Jenkins?¡± ¡°I¡¯m here.¡± Jenkins slowly entered the living room, rubbing the back of his head. ¡°That bitch hit a nerve and paralyzed me for several minutes. I¡¯m good to go.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t there supposed to be three vamps in the basement?¡± Hodge asked. Johnathan and Jenkins realized this and were instantly on guard. Johnathan turned his gaze to the open basement staircase, but the surprise attack did not come from there¡ªit came from behind. The vampire that lunged at him from his hiding place from behind the couch was little more than eight years old, a child. And Johnathan could tell from one look at the boy¡¯s blood red eyes and rabid demeanor that he was newly turned as well. As if vampires couldn¡¯t get any more depraved. Johnathan spun around but took the vampire¡¯s charge right to his chest, and his lack of leverage caused him to get pushed back and sent crashing through the window. Startled shouts and screams filled the air as Johnathan landed on his back with the child vampire clawing at his chest, though he was fortunately unable to tear through the man¡¯s leather armor. Johnathan reached up and stabbed his dagger right into the boy¡¯s ear, digging straight into his brain. Stunned, the vampire was open to the hunter¡¯s counterattack, and Johnathan dug the knife in as deep as he could. Once he felt the vampire go still, he pushed the boy off and snapped his neck, before yanking his knife free and running the bloody blade along his throat, sawing through skin and sinew. The blade was coated in his aura, so it sliced through flesh and bone faster. Johnathan didn¡¯t stop until the head was fully severed, and only then did he stop and relax. Jenkins and Hodge ran out of the house, weapons out. ¡°Johnathan, you alright?¡± Hodge asked. Johnathan nodded tiredly. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m fine.¡± He panted, sitting on his knees, his muscles aching and burning with exertion. ¡°Burkins and Andrea?¡± ¡°They¡¯re safe. Had some trouble fighting in the hallway, but nothing serious.¡± Jenkins said. ¡°Good.¡± Johnathan sighed and went to stand up¡ªonly to notice that there was a crowd assembled just a few feet away from him. Bystanders staring at him in horror and shock. It took him to moment to realize that they had all just seen him brutally murder and behead a child in full public in the goriest way possible. Vampire or not, it was not something you wanted people to see you doing. Johnathan merely sighed and resigned himself to the headache this was going to cause later. ¡°Damn it.¡± XXXXXX One of the things David loathed doing with Danica was combat training. She was relentless in teaching him the basics of vampire combat, coming at him with her eyes red, fangs and claws bared like a lioness on the hunt, tossing him around like a ragdoll as if he didn¡¯t weigh more than her. David already had no fighting experience, so getting his ass kicked by a woman a hundred times his age was only marginally embarrassing instead of hugely embarrassing. No one can say a thing after trying to fight a woman who¡¯s probably learned from a lot of seasoned fighters throughout her long life. Still, even his vampiric resilience couldn¡¯t dampen the pain of getting punched in the face and getting sent headfirst through a tree trunk. Nor did it get the taste of dirt out of his mouth as he landed on his front in the damp earth, his jaw broken and hanging open. Goddess above, how the hell have humans lasted against these creatures for so long? ¡°You¡¯re getting better with your defense, but your counterattacking needs work.¡± Danica walked up to him, clad in a dark magenta blouse and very tight leather riding pants that even through his haze of pain David found himself staring at as she knelt down beside him. ¡°And we also need to work on your reaction time. It¡¯s garbage and if we don¡¯t get you up to speed, you¡¯re just going to end up as a punching bag for the rest of your life.¡± David winced and grunted when Danica reached out and smoothly snapped his jaw back into place. Glaring up at her, he said, ¡°I¡¯m already a punching bag. Your punching bag.¡± ¡°And don¡¯t you forget it.¡± Danica smiled. ¡°Now, tell me what¡¯s bothering you.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± He looked up at her puzzled. ¡°What do you mean? I¡¯m not worried about anything.¡± ¡°You may be listening to my words, but I can tell by how unfocused your eyes are and from the small creases in your eyebrows that your mind is focused on something completely different.¡± She said. It was another reminder of how she was able to discern his expressions with just the smallest details to go on. ¡°Is it those vampire hunters prowling around town?¡± ¡°Was I that obvious?¡± David said sarcastically and sat back against the tree. ¡°I¡¯ve been on edge ever since talking to Barbatos. That man¡¯s intimidating enough without being his target.¡± ¡°I have to admit, having so many hunters walking around makes getting around a bit difficult, but it¡¯s nothing to worry about. They¡¯ll probably take out the less careful vampires first and be satisfied with that instead.¡± Danica said. ¡°Don¡¯t you care about the vampires that they kill?¡± ¡°Personally? No. I don¡¯t know them, and if they¡¯re too reckless to keep themselves hidden from the hunters, then that¡¯s on them. Do you care about every human that is killed either by a vampire or another human?¡± She smiled down at him and patted his cheek with a gloved hand. ¡°Here¡¯s some advice, David, try to worry about yourself first before stressing out about every soul around you. You¡¯ll live longer that way.¡± ¡°If that¡¯s the case, then why did you help me?¡± David asked. He heard enough of her speeches about only caring about yourself to survive that he was starting to get a bit sick of hearing it. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to turn me that night. You could¡¯ve just fed off me after we were finished and left me to wallow in my sorrow.¡± Danica stared down at him for a minute or two, and for a second David thought that she wouldn¡¯t answer him, but she had a way of surprising him even in quiet moments like these. ¡°David, I have already told you this before. Your hate drew you to me, like a moth to a flame. You displayed such emotion over the death of your friend that it reminded me of myself in my early years as a vampire. You being cute also helped reinforce my decision.¡± David thought there was more to it than that, but he knew he wasn¡¯t going to get a straight answer from her anytime soon. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me, just say so. Don¡¯t waste my time saying lies.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no lie, David. But that¡¯s for another time. Right now, let¡¯s focus on the growing number of vampire hunters currently skulking about our territory like the rats they are.¡± She said. XXXXXX Anna walked down the street with her basket of food from the marketplace. It was the middle of the day and while the marketplace was full of people, the air felt tense and nervous. Everywhere she looked, there were fake smiles and small-time gossip being thrown around as if to hide the fact that everyone was nervous and afraid. The growing number of vampire hunters in town had every on edge, wondering what was going on. Then the two raids that were done within the town only made people edgier. This being so close to the death of the hunter had everyone looking over their shoulder, wondering who was a vampire or if the hunters would come after them next. ¡®This is ridiculous. People shouldn¡¯t fear vampire hunters of all people like this. All those men are doing are setting the seeds for a panic.¡¯ Anna thought with a frown. What rankled her was how the hunters barely put any effort into reassuring the people that they were safe. Even the police were getting annoyed at their presence. ¡°Anna!¡± Someone called out to her. Anna looked across the street and spotted a pretty olive skinned woman jogging up to her. ¡°Harriet, good afternoon.¡± ¡°Afternoon to you too, Anna, though I can see it¡¯s anything but good.¡± Harriet Bolivar said, huffing at a pair of Order men who were sending the two women winks and grins. Harriet gave them an obscene hand gesture and pulled Anna down the street. ¡°Worthless pigs.¡± ¡°Harriet, you shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± Anna scolded. ¡°Why not? What are they going to do, arrest me for acting unladylike?¡± The woman snorted. ¡°Please, those yahoos wouldn¡¯t dare touch me after that murder.¡± ¡°Isabella, just watch yourself at least. Things aren¡¯t exactly safe around here anymore.¡± Anna warned her friend. Isabella was a sweet Rosemary native who lived across the street from Anna¡¯s flat. She became fast friends with Anna, who felt out of place after returning to her hometown after being away for so long. The woman was a bit outspoken, but she meant well. ¡°I know, I heard about that raid on that vampire nest. Terrible to hear, though I¡¯m sure it was exciting to see for the vultures harping about it nonstop.¡± Isabella huffed. ¡°I have no idea why so many vampires ae here in town, but I hope they go away so we don¡¯t have to deal with these insufferable hunters anymore.¡± ¡°Same here, but I doubt they¡¯ll leave until they find out who killed that hunter.¡± Anna said. Isabella looked at her curiously. ¡°I heard that the man was decapitated and his body parts skewered in front of the police station. Is that true?¡± She asked. ¡°Yes, and it has everyone on edge. Not just because a vampire was involved, but because people are afraid of getting caught in a fight between vampires and hunters.¡± Anna explained. ¡°Never mind the fact that the hunters hardly seem concerned about keeping the peace.¡± ¡°Ah screw them. I know former convicts and outlaws with better morals than these mercenaries.¡± Isabella snorted. ¡°Now I know that¡¯s not true.¡± Anne replied. ¡°Are you sure?¡± Isabella grinned. Anna laughed as they came to a stop in front of her house. ¡°Look, Anna, it¡¯ll be fine. Just stay out of their way and they¡¯ll stay out of yours.¡± ¡°I feel that is easy to say than to do.¡± Anna replied. ¡°You just worry about that plantation boy you¡¯re so smitten with. I hear he¡¯s been spending a lot of time with some Araluen beauty, so you better hurry before she gobbles him up.¡± Isabella teased. ¡°Isabella, please!¡± Anna blushed. Isabella laughed and waved goodbye to Anna before crossing the street to enter her house. She paused in the doorway to glance back at Anna, who had already gone into her house. Isabella closed the door behind her and entered the dining room. ¡°Boys, I¡¯m home!¡± She called out. There was the sound of footsteps before she felt a pair of arms wrap around her from behind. ¡°Welcome back, Isabella. You took a bit longer than usual.¡± ¡°I ran into a friend on the way home.¡± She said, turning her head to give the man behind her a kiss on the cheek. ¡°How were things while I was gone?¡± ¡°Boring as always. Felix ranted about the historical inaccuracies of some novel he was reading as if he were actually there.¡± He said. ¡°Because I was there, Ethan. That bearded bastard Vlad Dracul had nothing on the mighty Dracula! I¡¯m surprised that loathsome cur was impaled for taking the good Count¡¯s name!¡± Felix ranted. Ethan and Felix were fraternal twin brothers who were living with Isabella. Now while it was considered improper for an unmarried woman to be living with two men, but Isabella wasn¡¯t one to care all that much for what other people thought of her. The people of Rozzaria were more liberal than fancy nations like Bretonnia and Araluen, and what she did in her private time was her business. However the brothers she was harboring were a pair that even the accepting Rozzarians would have a problem with. Mainly because they were vampires. The brothers were as different as night and day. Ethan was a broad shouldered, athletic looking young man with short dark hair and a handsome face that made Isabella¡¯s knees weak when she first met him. Felix was more slender, with longer blond hair. ¡°I highly doubt that you actually met Dracula himself. You don¡¯t even look that old, even by vampire standards.¡± She said. ¡°I just take good care of myself. Unlike some people.¡± Felix replied, sending his brother a glare. ¡°So who was your pretty friend? Is she single? Does she like blonds?¡± ¡°Felix, please. Anna is just visiting for a few weeks before she heads back to Araluen. Yes, she¡¯s technically single, but she has her eyes on the heir to the plantation just outside of town.¡± Isabella said. ¡°And now she doesn¡¯t like blonds, so don¡¯t even try.¡± ¡°You mean she¡¯s in love with Danica¡¯s new boy toy? That¡¯s rich!¡± Ethan laughed. Felix straightened up. ¡°Wait, you mean that little boy is Danica¡¯s new progeny? That bastard is the reason this town is crawling with those filthy hunters!¡± He growled. ¡°Now, now, Felix, no need to burst a blood vessel.¡± Isabella said calmly. ¡°The hunters will eventually clean out the decoys and everything will return back to normal.¡± ¡°Until that fledgling screws something up again.¡± Felix grumbled. He never saw Danica in such high regard like most other vampires in the area, and the recklessness of her progeny showed her lack of restraint. ¡°Let it go, brother. It¡¯s too early to be riled up so.¡± Ethan said. ¡°Besides, I think it¡¯s time for lunch, isn¡¯t it, Isabella?¡± Isabella felt his eyes focus on her neck, bare along with her shoulders thanks for the bright yellow and red dress she wore. Thank goodness this was one of her less favorite ones, because it was going to be unwearable in just a few moments. ¡°Go ahead and feed, but please try not to make a mess this time. It was a pain cleaning blood off the carpet last time.¡± She said calmly, as if she was used to being fed off by two vampires¡ªwhich she was. Felix¡¯s gaze hardened and he was off the couch and in front of her almost in a flash. Ethan stood on Isabella¡¯s right side across from his brother, brushing her hair away from her neck. Her heartbeat sped up as they both leaned in and began kissing and licking both sides of her neck. Their mouths on her throat felt so good that Isabella closed her eyes and her mouth hung open in bliss. After a few minutes of kissing and sucking on her throat, Ethan and Felix paused only to let their fangs lengthen to their maximum length before snapping back down to bite into her flesh. Isabella hissed as she suddenly felt a sharp pain on both sides of her neck, followed by the familiar numbness of the paralytic saliva working into her bloodstream. Ethan and Felix bit deep into her throat to let her blood flow into their mouths, and once it touched their tongues, the brothers groaned into her flesh. The pain only lasted a few seconds before the brothers began sucking on the wounds they made, swallowing her blood greedily. As they fed off her, Isabella gasped and moaned even as her body went limp against her two lovers, held up only by their strength alone. Nevertheless, she could still feel the pleasure from their feeding of her and felt herself grow wet as they bit and sucked at her throat. As he fed on his young lover, Felix¡¯s thoughts were still on that young upstart newborn who attracted far too much attention to their lovely community here in Rosemary. Ethan may not be too concerned, but Felix loved living with Isabella and wasn¡¯t going to risk her safety or the life they had because a hunter got lucky. If Danica wasn¡¯t going to keep a tight leash on her progeny, then he was going to have to do it himself. But after he and Ethan had their way with Isabella. The sweet girl was in for a good fucking to relieve some stress. Abandon All Hope Chapter 6-Abandon All Hope David felt warm, which was a rarity for vampires considering their lower body temperature. It wasn¡¯t a biological function that granted him warmth, but the power that flowed inside him. A power that he was learning to control. Danica had been quick to teach him how to manipulate his aura. She put him through his paces when they weren¡¯t doing combat training or spending the night out on the town doing frivolous things that preluded an hour long fuck session (she liked to call their romantic coupling that, as she still riled him up just like their first night). They would sit in the forest for hours, their hands clasped and fingers laced, Danica channeling her energy into David¡¯s hands to help him bring out his own power. It was a simple exercise for a beginner, the teacher helps the student draw out their energy to manifest. David had done this a couple of times and he found it easier each time he did it. ¡°Try not to go around firing energy blasts until your body fully acclimates to using this energy. Use too much and you¡¯ll tire yourself. Not a situation you want to find yourself in a battle.¡± Danica told him. ¡°For now, focus on just drawing it out, then we¡¯ll focus on the fun stuff.¡± David did just that, working hard every morning, afternoon and night to manifest his aura. It was odd to see, as his keen eyes could spot faint waves of energy flowing off his hands as he channeled his aura into them. The energy appeared as invisible waves of heat emanating off his hands to his keen eyesight, yet it enfolded his hands like a second skin. Danica was adamant about having him learn how to manipulate his aura as fast as possible. Her reasons for this were not only to lessen the sun¡¯s effects on their bodies but also to help him live among humans better. ¡°By focusing your aura into your stomach, you can turn it into a sort of furnace. I and many older vampires use this technique to fake eating and digesting physical food to appear more human.¡± Danica said. ¡°As soon as we swallow the food it¡¯ll go to our stomach, where our aura will basically burn anything we eat up until nothing¡¯s left.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how you do it.¡± Daniel muttered. ¡°You have to make sure you¡¯re keeping all your energy focused into your stomach, because if you lose concentration, then your body will reject the food and force you to cough it up. That¡¯s not something you want to go through.¡± ¡°Speaking from experience?¡± David said cheekily. Danica punched his arm hard enough to make him wince. ¡°Ow.¡± ¡°Focus. This is important if you want to live among humans. These days people are getting more aware of certain quirks and habits, and people begin to notice if someone doesn¡¯t eat food on a daily basis in public places. Hunters especially pick up on these kinds of things.¡± Danica said. David nodded. ¡°Well, it¡¯ll make having dinner with my parents somewhat easier.¡± At the mention of his parents, a look came across Danica¡¯s face. David frowned and asked, ¡°What? Did I say something?¡± ¡°David, there¡¯s something we need to make clear.¡± Danica said slowly. ¡°While you may live with your family right now, it is too risky for you to remain in Rosemary.¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± David said confused. ¡°I¡¯m getting better at controlling my urges and your fighting lessons¡ª¡° ¡°It¡¯s not that. You are a vampire, David. You age slower than a human, and that alone will be something that people will begin to notice, especially in a town that has a closely knit community like Rosemary.¡± She said. ¡°You¡¯ll put yourself and by extension me in danger by staying here and you should consider leaving after a while.¡± ¡°Leaving? How do you expect me to do that? I¡¯m all my parents have.¡± He said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. Once they notice that you aren¡¯t aging, do you think that they¡¯ll still want you around?¡± She asked coldly. ¡°Even the most caring parents will be wary of having a vampire in their home, especially a newborn.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± David had no reply to that. ¡°Or would you rather have that little wench you¡¯re so enamored with find out your secret?¡± David glared at her for the insult. ¡°Forget about her, David. It¡¯ll make the transition easier. Never form lasting connections with humans unless they¡¯re loyal to you, the real you, in some way. No one short of our human servants should see even a glint of your fangs, do you understand?¡± David huffed and went to stand up, but Danica¡¯s hand shot out to grab his arm in a tight grip. He winced from the force of her grip and glared at her. ¡°I didn¡¯t say we were done.¡± Danica said in a tight voice. ¡°Not until you understand what¡¯s at risk. If you fail to heed my warnings, then you¡¯ll only invite disaster upon yourself, and I refuse to allow my progeny to get himself killed from his own stupidity!¡± ¡°Stupidity? In case you¡¯ve forgotten, I never had a choice in the matter. You may have given me a chance for revenge, but now I¡¯m stuck as a fucking predator living among sheep, constantly worrying if Anna or my parents find out about me.¡± David growled. ¡°And no amount of whining will change that. Unless, of course, you¡¯re planning on ending your oh so terrible existence¡± Danica raised a delicate eyebrow. ¡°If you are, then go ahead. It¡¯ll save me the embarrassment of having a coward for a progeny!¡± David snarled and ripped his hand out of her grasp, but then she shot up and slammed a palm into his chest. He went flying back into a tree and she was in his face in a flash, nose to nose with him. ¡°Let me make one thing clear. This is your life now. You are no longer human. You are a vampire, and thus you are man¡¯s natural enemy. Your parents, that girl, Barbatos, they¡¯ll all try to kill you as soon as they see your fangs, and the sooner you understand that, the sooner you¡¯ll move on with your life!¡± She let go of him and threw him to the ground. David got back up to his feet, but when he looked up, she was gone. XXXXXX David walked home in a bad mood. That was probably the first real argument he had with Danica, and he was sure it wouldn¡¯t be the last regarding that subject. What was worse was that she was partly right. Humans and vampires rarely got along, especially when it came to living in small communities like Rosemary. Would his parents really disown him if they knew what he really was? Would Anna, the sweetest woman he knew, really run from him in fear and shun him? David wanted to think not, but fear can make people do things they wouldn¡¯t normally do. Vampires had a bad reputation in Rozzaria, and many were raised to fear the predators who could be living among them. He didn¡¯t want to think about what his parents would do if they learned about what he was now. ¡°I¡¯ll cross that bridge when I get to it.¡± He told himself. He stopped in front of a house and took a moment to realize that it was Anna¡¯s flat. ¡°Wait, how did I get here?¡± He must have been so caught up in his thoughts that he didn¡¯t realize he walked all the way to Anna¡¯s house unconsciously. David sighed and decided to pay Anna a visit. He did walk all the way here after all. ¡°Hopefully she¡¯s free with all this shit going on.¡± David muttered to himself before knocking on the door. But as he tapped the door, it swung open, completely unlocked. ¡°Huh?¡± David knew Anna to know better than to leave her door unlocked for any reason, especially if she was at home. Looking down at the doorknob, David saw that the lock had been broken in a discreet manner so that no one would notice it from the outside at a glance. It was a break-in. ¡°Shit.¡± He hissed and pushed his way inside the house. ¡°Anna? Anna, are you in here?¡± David looked around, sniffing for her scent. He recognized Anna¡¯s sweet scent immediately, but there was also a second scent, one he did not recognize. David growled, his fangs lengthening and eyes slightly turning red. ¡°She¡¯s not here.¡± David spun around and threw a punch at whoever spoke to him. His fist was caught in the hand of another man, one taller and stronger looking than him. ¡°Who the hell are you and where did you take Anna?¡± David snarled. Ethan frowned when he felt his hand slowly being pushed back. ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything, fledgling. That is the truth. But I do know who did it.¡± ¡°Who?¡± He snarled. ¡°My brother, Felix. He mentioned his displeasure about your actions against the hunters, but I didn¡¯t think he¡¯d be foolish enough to go this far.¡± Ethan said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing he kidnapped your girl to lure you into a trap or something.¡± David narrowed his eyes and took a step back. ¡°Why the hell would he do that?¡± ¡°I guess to teach a rowdy newborn a lesson or something. Regardless, your girl¡¯s a good friend of my woman, so we can¡¯t exactly have that, can we? I take it you have his scent?¡± David nodded. ¡°Already have it.¡± ¡°Then you better get going. I don¡¯t know how long Felix will be cordial.¡± Ethan said. ¡°Why are you telling me all this?¡± David asked. ¡°He¡¯s your brother, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the business of kidnapping innocent women or keeping hostages. This is not the kind of thing we need with all these hunters sniffing about.¡± Ethan sighed and rubbed the back of his head. ¡°Look, just go already. I know your sire will be out for my brother¡¯s head and I¡¯d rather not get in her way if I can handle it.¡± David looked at Ethan for a moment before nodding his thanks and running out the door, sprinting down the street on the trail of Anna¡¯s scent. This was exactly what he was worried about. XXXXXX David tracked Anna¡¯s scent to the far edge of town near the warehouse district where cargo was stored for the ships coming into port. With night already here, the place was devoid of people who might get caught in the crossfire or witness the coming confrontation. It was the perfect area for a fight between two vampires. Anger surpassed David¡¯s natural avoidance of violence. He was driven not only by his need to save Anna, but also to kill the bastard who thought to put her in this situation. All this because he sought justice? Apparently humans don¡¯t have a monopoly on reckless behavior. David paused a moment at the front doors to the warehouse, listening quietly to hear anything coming his way. Anna¡¯s scent was strongest here, and though his eyes were capable of seeing in total darkness, he could find her anywhere in the main storage area. He walked deeper into the warehouse, walking between towering stacks of crates and large barrels while trying to keep the sound of his footsteps light. The kidnapper already knew he was here, but David wanted some form of surprise on his side. ¡°Welcome, newborn!¡± The sudden sound of someone speaking almost made David jump and he spun around, looking for the speaker. ¡°I¡¯m glad you came. You didn¡¯t waste any time did you?¡± A man walked out of the shadows, a blank look on his face. It was Felix, and though his posture appeared calm and collected, David could see the muscles in his shoulders tensed in case he decided to get violent. ¡°You kidnapped a good friend of mine. Where is she?¡± Felix wordlessly pointed to one of the shipping crates a few feet away from them. David looked over there and saw Anna sitting lying on top of it, unconscious. He could smell no blood on her, and her breathing was normal, though a bit slow as if she were asleep. ¡°What did you do to her?¡± He growled. ¡°I simply knocked her out. Wouldn¡¯t do to feed on her seeing as I already have my own blood donor.¡± Felix said shrugging. ¡°She was just bait to lure you here.¡± ¡°Your brother told me about that.¡± David said. ¡°He said you¡¯re out for my head because of what I did to that hunter.¡± ¡°Correct. Your reckless actions have put all of us in danger. There are more hunters in this town than there have been in decades. All because of your impulsiveness!¡± Felix sneered. ¡°So the reason you¡¯re doing all of this is to teach me a lesson? You¡¯re one for a little flare aren¡¯t you?¡± David said, taking off his jacket. ¡°I¡¯m only doing this because no one else is willing to. They¡¯re all too damn afraid of your sire. But she¡¯ll understand that no one is above vampire law, not even her or her progeny!¡± Felix hissed, his eyes turning red and his fangs extending. David had enough of his talking and crouched low before lunging at Felix, his claws heading toward the man¡¯s face. Felix easily dodged his opening strike and spun around faster than David could process, kicking him in the face. David was sent crashing straight through a pile of crates and slammed into another pile. ¡°Damn.¡± David grunted, his cheek throbbing in pain. He quickly got to his feet and rolled away to avoid a downward kick that left a crater in the wooden floor. David jumped back and threw a series of punches at Felix, making sure to watch out for any counterattacks. Danica taught him that vampire battles were often quick yet destructive. A battle between two seasoned vampires is short, due to both combatants knowing how to utilize the full extent of their powers and exploiting even the smallest opening available. In a battle like this, where one of the fighters is still getting used to their abilities, the battle could be one-sided. Like it was right now. David attacked Felix with everything he had, but Felix was clearly no pushover despite his posh appearance. By studying how David¡¯s muscles tensed and which limb twitched before making a movement, Felix could basically predict what David¡¯s moves were. David was able to almost do the same, but his form was sloppy and many of his movements were practically telegraphed to the man. Sparring was one thing, real fighting was another. ¡°Your form is atrocious.¡± Felix smacked aside David¡¯s fist and kicked him in the chest. ¡°Clearly Danica¡¯s fighting skills didn¡¯t pass on to you!¡± Felix shot forward and punched David straight into a pile of crates. David tumbled through the debris and got to his feet, his foot hitting something metal. He glanced down and saw that it was a crowbar. Obviously it wasn¡¯t silver, but it¡¯d still cause enough damage if used right. David knelt down and discreetly snapped the crowbar in half with his foot, leaving a pointed, jagged edge sharp enough to pierce flesh. When Felix charged at him again, he lashed out with a right hook that Felix easily batted away. Though this was just a distraction to take his eyes off David¡¯s left hand, which shot up and buried the crowbar right into his ribs. Felix gasped in pain as the sharp point stabbed right between his ribcage and into his intestines. With David¡¯s strength, he was able to bury half of the crowbar into his side before jumping away from Felix¡¯s flailing arms. Felix coughed up blood before reaching down and slowly pulling the crowbar out of his stomach, grimacing at the pain. ¡°You¡­bastard!¡± Felix snarled, his face looking less and less human by the minute. His lips pulled back to reveal his teeth, fangs fully extended, and he was letting out inhuman hisses that only made his monstrous visage more menacing. David shot to his feet just as Felix lunged at him. They threw punches at each other, but caught each other¡¯s fists, and were set in a deadlock. They glared hatefully at each other, their muscles bulging as they tried to overpower one another. ¡°Maybe I did screw up. But neither of us can change that, even though I wouldn¡¯t change it for the world!¡± David growled. David tried pushing back against Felix, but as he pushed his opponent a few inches backward, he heard a faint click from above them. Instinctively he broke the deadlock and leapt away from Felix just as something silver flashed across his vision. Then he saw Felix take a long silver stake right into his head, stabbing through his skull and into his brain. Felix froze, his pupils dilated as he tried to process what happened. Then another stake flew from the shadows and caught him in the back of the neck, severing his spinal cord and Felix¡¯s eyes went blank as he collapsed to the ground. David looked around him and saw several men hidden in the shadows, all wielding crossbows that were pointed at him. He took a step back and had a silver stake shot at him that nearly hit his foot. David hissed at the shooter and prepared to make a run for it. ¡°I knew you had fallen.¡± David froze and turned back to see Barbatos walking toward him, a broadsword in one hand, and Anna¡¯s unconscious body in his other. David gritted his teeth and faced the veteran vampire hunter. ¡°We¡¯ve been tracking this elusive one for some time now. A womanizer of proper wives and mothers, going from house to house feeding on innocent women and ruining lives.¡± Barbatos shook his head at the dying Felix, whose wounds were struggling to heal with the presence of silver within his body. ¡°It took us a while to corner him, but we have you to thank for that, don¡¯t we?¡± ¡°Let her go.¡± He growled. ¡°I¡¯m disappointed in you, David. I wanted to believe that your heart was not so weak as to be coerced into giving your soul to live as an unholy creature, but people have a habit of disappointing me.¡± Barbatos continued, shaking his head. ¡°Pathetic.¡± Barbatos swung his sword and swiftly cut into Felix¡¯s neck, severing the man¡¯s head and killing him instantly. The hunter did the execution with such speed and nonchalance that it deeply unnerved David. ¡°This is the fate of all vampires, David. You know this, and yet you still turned to the other side anyway. Such a shame, for you had potential.¡± Barbatos remarked. ¡°Though you¡¯ve squandered it for a measly attempt at petty revenge.¡± ¡°My actions were justified considering your dog killed my friend!¡± David snarled. He made to lunge at Barbatos, but froze when he held the sword to Anna¡¯s unprotected neck. ¡°Don¡¯t even try it. My men will shoot you down before you get the chance, and I don¡¯t want to have to hurt this young woman to make you heel.¡± The hunter said darkly. ¡°You bastard. You call yourself a protector of man but you¡¯ll threaten an innocent woman like that?¡± David sneered. ¡°Don¡¯t lecture me about innocence, vampire. I¡¯m sure your sire has taught you how to hunt and kill unsuspecting people to feed on.¡± Barbatos replied. ¡°And what¡¯s one woman compared to the hundreds of people living in this town, at the mercy of vampires who hide in plain sight.¡± ¡°You like to talk all that shit about us, but hunters¡­no, people like you are more a danger to humans than us.¡± David said. ¡°Now I won¡¯t tell you again. Let. Her. Go!¡± Barbatos lifted his sword to point it at David. ¡°Make me.¡± Before David could even think, he crouched low and sprinted forward, moving too fast for the archers to follow. Stakes stabbed into the ground behind him, not even grazing his feet as he charged at Barbatos full force with the intent to rip his face off and retrieve Anna. Unfortunately, no plan survives contact with the enemy. Johnathan Brisby descended from the upper scaffolding with two silver blades in hand. He landed on David¡¯s back and stabbed the two blades into his shoulders. David fell forward to the ground and Barbatos used this moment to summon two energy blades with his aura to impale David¡¯s arms to the ground, keeping him in place. ¡°No!¡± David roared, struggling to break free, but winced when Johnathan pressed the blades harder into his flesh. ¡°Be still, leech. Make any more noise and I¡¯ll cut out your tongue.¡± Johnathan said. He looked up at Barbatos. ¡°The area¡¯s secure. No sign of any other vampires in the district.¡± ¡°Good. We¡¯ll leave this one alive and see if his sire will come to save him. In the meantime, Johnathan, take this girl to the carriage. We¡¯ll interrogate her to see if she knows anything else.¡± Barbatos said. Johnathan sent him a concerned look. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Barbatos, we¡¯ve already caught the vampire. We don¡¯t need to involve the girl in this.¡± He said. Barbatos frowned. ¡°She may have had prior knowledge of this man being a vampire ahead of time. Anyone associated with him is a potential suspect and will be dealt with accordingly. If she¡¯s innocent, then that¡¯s fine. If not¡­then she¡¯ll suffer the punishment all traitors face.¡± Hearing this, David struggled harder, but Johnathan struggled to hold him down. Barbatos laid Anna to the ground and nodded to his partner. ¡°Go get the carriage. I watch over him.¡± He said before looking up at the other hunters on the upper levels. ¡°As for the rest of you, I¡ª¡° Barbatos was cut off when something fell from the upper scaffolding. It was a head, ripped screaming from its body. The head of one of the other hunters. Barbatos and Johnathan were quickly on guard, looking up to the shadows as more heads and even headless bodies fell down from their hiding places. ¡°We have another one.¡± Barbatos announced. ¡°His sire?¡± Johnathan whispered. ¡°Probably. All of our hunters are dead. The ones outside most likely as well.¡± Barbatos kept his eyes on the shadows as they talked. There was no light, not even from the moonlight. And with their only sensor possibly dead, they were walking blind here. Of the two, the pair thought that Johnathan would be the one most likely to be targeted, as vampires often go after the weakest of the bunch, and of the two of them he was weaker than Barbatos. So it came as a great surprise when a beautiful woman with long golden hair slammed into Barbatos with enough strength to send him crashing through several crates. It was Danica. Johnathan cursed and pulled his swords from David¡¯s shoulders to attack, but Danica lashed out with a dark purple energy whip that slammed into his chest and knocked him back. This took him off David, and Danica easily shattered the aura spikes impaling his arms before leaping at Johnathan, who was quickly put on the defensive. David stumbled to his feet and ran over to Anna, looking her over. He gave a relieved sigh when he saw that she was unharmed, just sleeping. Whatever Felix had given her had put her out like a light. David¡¯s relief vanished when he felt something behind him and he spun around with lightning fast reflexes just in time to block the sword thrust at his chest with his hands. Barbatos stared into his eyes, a bleeding cut above his brow that was slowly healing over thanks to his aura. ¡°I¡¯m going to make you pay!¡± David snarled. ¡°You can certainly try.¡± Barbatos replied and slashed at David¡¯s head, forcing the vampire back. XXXXXX Johnathan had once been looking forward to spending the rest of his life with the beautiful Mina. She was an intelligent, outspoken and beautiful woman who was not afraid to speak her mind when given the chance, which unfortunately meant that she was rather against their arranged marriage. Johnathan took it in stride, aiming to win her over slowly so that she¡¯d love him back, or at least didn¡¯t hate him entirely. He was willing to give her the entire world for her affection. Too bad Mina felt differently. There was another reason that Mina was so against their marriage¡ªshe was in love with another man. And now just any man, a vampire noble. Johnathan did not know the noble¡¯s name, nor did he care, but he later learned that Mina had no only had Mina slept with the noble but she also allowed him to feed off her several times as well. When Johnathan had caught them in the act, he tried to kill the noble, but failed miserably and was soundly beaten before the noble vanished into the darkness along with his beloved Mina. That was three years ago, and Johnathan had yet to find them both since becoming a hunter. He trained hard to get to where he was now. Hunting and killing hundreds of vampires and searching all of Eura for the slim sign of his former fianc¨¦ and her vampiric lover. He found no sign of them anyway, but he had forged some close bonds with the men of the Order. Barbatos was a good man, though he tended to go too far if not restrained. Johnathan had come too far to fall now to some nameless leech in a backwater town in Rozzaria. Johnathan flooded his body with auric energy to increase his movements, slashing away with his short swords at Danica, who easily dodged and evaded his strikes. The vampire only made small movement, tilting her body just enough to let his blades sail past her. It was clear that she wasn¡¯t expending much energy fighting him, and he knew that he was likely outmatched fighting her like this. ¡°I don¡¯t have time for this. You¡¯re just toying with me.¡± Johnathan grunted. ¡°You¡¯re just figuring that out?¡± Danica said calmly, weaving around his forward thrust and slashing her arm down on his outstretched arm. Johnathan was just barely able to avoid losing his arm by jumping back away from her. Danica leapt forward to pursue him, but she was suddenly surrounded by a large coffin made of auric energy, with several dozen blades sticking out of the box. Johnathan clenched his hands and all the swords stabbed into the coffin at once, impaling the vampire within. He didn¡¯t let up on his assault, not stopping until there was nothing left of the vampire but blood and tissue. But unfortunately for Johnathan, he underestimated the abilities of a centuries¡¯ old vampire more acquainted with her powers than most of the vampires he¡¯s hunted in the past. ¡°Boo.¡± Came a whisper in his ear. Johnathan¡¯s eyes widened but it was too late, as six black tendrils pierced his torso, causing blood to spray everywhere. He gurgled as blood came up his throat, and he fell forward when the tendrils were pulled from his back. Johnathan fell to his knees and blood pooled underneath him as the vampire he thought he mortally wounded calmly walked up to him. ¡°My you hunters are really an arrogant bunch.¡± Danica said idly. ¡°Did you really think you had me there? I¡¯ve fought stronger hunters than you who¡¯ve died fighting me, so what made you think that I could be bested by someone like you?¡± Her leg shot out and kicked Johnathan in the face, throwing him onto his back. Two teeth fell from his bloodied mouth and he wheezed as he struggled to remain conscious. ¡°You, a man who was abandoned by his fianc¨¦ for another, stronger man?¡± Danica smiled cruelly. At his shocked looked, she nodded. ¡°Yes, I know who took your lover, and let me tell you that she¡¯s spending her married life as happy as a woman can be. She just gave birth to her second son two months ago in fact.¡±Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Half dead from losing so much blood, Johnathan could barely comprehend her, but he knew what she was talking about. The woman he loved, the woman he would have given everything for¡­the woman who betrayed her kind and abandoned him for a demon, was happily living her life with a family of her own. All while he spent his days chasing after monsters and risking his life with men who were barely any better than the creatures they hunted. Was he being punished for something? What did he do to deserve this? ¡°Normally, I¡¯d sit back and watch you agonize over the news while the light leaves your eyes, but I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry at the moment.¡± Danica walked over to him and grasped his head in her hands. ¡°Here¡¯s a quick death for a poor bastard like yourself. Be glad I already fed earlier to make this less humiliating.¡± With a quick twist of his head, Danica broke Johnathan¡¯s neck in a single motion and let his body drop before strolling away without another care. She paid him no mind once he was dead, and left his body there to collect dust, waiting for someone to collect it, if at all. Such was the horrible life of a vampire hunter. XXXXXX David snarled as he pressed his attack against Barbatos, slashing away with his claws only for his attacks to be deflected. He knew that his moves were painfully obvious to the experienced hunter, and his superhuman powers were of little help if they weren¡¯t used properly. It was only his fury that kept Barbatos from countering him with a fatal move of some kind, though he¡¯d gladly seek an opening to deliver the final blow. Like right now. Barbatos¡¯s right hand shot up and tried to sink a silver stake into the area just under his ribcage to strike his heart. David¡¯s arm moved and batted his hand aside, hitting it with enough force to fracture the bones in the hunter¡¯s hand. Barbatos grunted and leapt back, slashing at David¡¯s head with an aura blade he formed around his other arm, narrowly missing David by inches. ¡°You¡¯re a pretty skilled fighter, David. Not very experienced, but good enough for a newborn.¡± Barbatos commented. ¡°Your teacher must have been thorough with you.¡± David wasn¡¯t in the mood for talking. He leapt at Barbatos, avoiding the aura blade before trying to grapple the man. Barbatos easily avoiding his grasping claws and delivered a quick slash that left a shallow cut in David¡¯s shirt. It was hardly a serious wound but enough to make David pause and give Barbatos an opening. He thrust his palm into the vampire¡¯s chest and released an aura blast that sent David flying back into a pile of crates. David coughed as air returned to his lungs and jumped back to his feet, only to see Barbatos on top of him with another silver stake in his hand. David angled his body so that it only stabbed into his right shoulder, but the pain was enough to make him hiss angrily. David grabbed Barbatos¡¯s arm and squeezed it tightly, earning a pained grunt from the man. Barbatos went to draw another stake, but David moved faster, delivering the same palm thrust to the hunter¡¯s chest that knocked him back into a crate, shattering it. Barbatos coughed up blood, wheezing a bit as a sharp pain flared in his right side. His left arm hung limply at his side, dislocated from David gripping it so hard. He looked around the warehouse and spotted his sword lying just a few feet from him. Not wasting even a second, Barbatos pumped auric energy into his legs and sprinted for the sword, pushing his body to its limits. Even a newborn was dangerous to fight in close quarters and he needed to gain some distance. Barbatos reached out to grab the sword, but David was just a few seconds faster. As soon as the hunter¡¯s fingers closed around the sword, David leapt on Barbatos¡¯s back and sank his fangs deep into the man¡¯s shoulder. Barbatos howled in pain but pushed back to stab his sword backwards. The blade sank right into David¡¯s stomach, but David did not relent. His sank his teeth in deeper into the man¡¯s flesh before pulling his head back and tearing off a huge chunk of flesh and clothing along with him. Blood spurted everywhere, and Barbatos knew that this was a fatal wound. He fell forward and spun around, swinging his sword at David¡¯s head, hoping to behead the vampire. Riddled with bloodlust and rage, David raised his arm and channeled aura into it to further protect himself. The sword only managed to sink a few inches into his arm before he reached down and snapped the tip of the blade off, and stabbed Barbatos in the shoulder. ¡°Not so intimidating now that you¡¯re hurt, are you?¡± David growled. The wound in his stomach stung but he ignored it. He was too angry right now. ¡°It feels different when it¡¯s your blood being spilled, isn¡¯t it?¡± Barbatos sent an energy blade shooting at David¡¯s head, but he sidestepped it and kicked Barbatos in the ribs, shattering two with that single kick. The hunter coughed and groaned, blood still spurting from his wounded shoulder. ¡°I don¡¯t care if you call me a demon, or a monster, or whatever the fuck you inquisitors call people different from you. I could care less what other hunters do in the rest of the world, but when you threaten the people I care for, your life is forfeit!¡± David snarled. He stomped down on Barbatos¡¯s other arm, smashing the bone and rendering the hunter defenseless. ¡°Well, nothing witty or scary to say to the newborn?¡± David bared his fangs and began slashing his claws across Barbatos¡¯s chest, his claws ripping and tearing away at the man¡¯s flesh. Blood splattered across his body but he paid no attention to it as he unleashed all his rage on the hunter. Bestial growls emerged from his throat as he completely disemboweled Barbatos, hollowing his entire torso out right down to his spine. Everything was a red haze to him, and when he came back to his senses, David found himself crouched over the brutalized corpse of Barbatos, his final expression one of pure horror and agony. David¡¯s eyes slowly went down to his bloodied hands, the blood still slightly wet, and pieces of bone marrow and entrails stuck under his fingernails. And the smell¡­it actually made him gag. ¡°Wow. I was going to step in if he got off a serious blow on you but you killed him more inventively than I thought you would. ¡± Danica stepped up next to him, inspecting the ravaged corpse with a proud smile. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly proven yourself as a true hunter, David. I expected no less from my progeny.¡± David abruptly turned and vomited at her shoes. XXXXXX One Week Later The sky was a dark grey hue and the air smelled moist with condensation, a sign that rain was on the way. A thick cover of mist had fallen over Rosemary and the surrounding forest. The town was unusually subdued because of the weather, with the only people walking the streets being those who had something to do. The grass and trees were damp against David¡¯s fingers as he stalked through the brush, trying to be as silent as possible. The forest was quiet, but to him he could still hear the faint sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing about, though he focused his senses on the massive brown bear just a few feet in front of him. He was starting to get the hang of hunting animals. They were different from humans, more acute with their hearing and a bit more slippery too. David mainly focused on the predators like bears and mountain lions, they were more filling. It was trial and error learning to hunt them without taking a few hits himself, but he felt he was getting the hang of it. David crouched low, his eyes focused on the brown bear before him. It hadn¡¯t caught his scent yet. He waited until the bear¡¯s back was turned before sprinting forward in a burst of speed, flying for the first two feet before running the rest of the way. When the bear finally sensed him, he was already on top of it, wrapping his arms around the animal in a tight hug that was strong enough to crush its ribs and lifted the bear off its feet. He slammed the bear to the ground, ignoring its vicious growls and violent thrashing before he sank his fangs into its side. His teeth sank into its flesh like a knife through butter. Hot, warm blood flooded into his mouth and went down his throat to pool in his stomach. He growled and hugged the bear tighter as he drank greedily, ignoring the sound of snapping ones as his arms tightened around the bear. David drank and drank until the bear¡¯s veins ran dry, and only then did he stop. He dropped the big furry body of the animal and took a deep breath, panting a bit. He always got a bit of a rush handling large predators like that. There was something a little invigorating about fighting animals that would have torn him to pieces as a human. Maybe it was his own predatory instincts acting up, he didn¡¯t know. But at least it was better than taking out those instincts on a human. David walked over to the tree branch where he hung his coat and reached inside to take out his pocket watch. It was almost sunrise. Time to head back home. ¡°Back to cold reality.¡± David sighed, throwing his jacket on and giving the dead bear a pat on its cold body. ¡°Thanks for the meal. Your sacrifice wasn¡¯t in vain.¡± XXXXXX The sun rose but the skies remain full of dark grey clouds. It was as if a dreary haze had fallen over the town of Rosemary since the harrowing events that struck a week ago. The people were noticeably subdued and even depressed, but one couldn¡¯t blame them considering the circumstances. The day after David and Danica¡¯s fight against the vampire hunters brought about the discovery of their mutilated bodies. It was a horrific sight, as Danica was very thorough in her slaughter of Barbatos¡¯s men. The less said about David¡¯s complete butchering of Barbatos himself the better. Obviously the deaths of so many hunters in a single town definitely brought about the attention and intensive investigation of the Order. But Danica had taken measures to take the heat off them. She and David, who was still weary from his ordeal, had planted false evidence of the ¡°murderers¡± having skipped town to hide out in the wider city far from Rosemary to escape the hunters. Danica was an old pro at this, and thus her smoke trail worked well enough that the Order sent dozens of hunters to the nearest cities in search of vampires that weren¡¯t even there. It allowed them a chance to breath. As for David, he was coping the best he could, though not as well as he liked. He had nightmares about what he did to Barbatos after that night, and would remember his awful butchering of the man¡¯s corpse every time he tried to drink blood. It got to the point where David resorted to drinking animal blood to keep healthy, swearing off human blood entirely. He may be a monster biologically, but he will not be one socially. David was afraid of his power, and of losing control like that. Even now he still felt as if he could feel bits of human flesh under his fingernails. The only bright side to this mess was that Anna was safe. At Danica¡¯s insistence, he brought Anna back to her friend Harriet¡¯s place, where she was taken care of by her and Felix¡¯s brother, Ethan (who wasn¡¯t mad that his brother died fighting David. His actions warranted punishment for pulling a stunt like that in an Order hot spot like Rosemary). Anna made a full recovery, told by Harriet that she had a fainting spell and was out for most of the evening. The girl accepted the explanation and was staying with Harriet for the time being under the pretense of being watched over for her health, and not to protect her from vampires with grudges. Which brought up another point; David and Danica¡¯s actions were bringing too much heat upon the vampire population of Rosemary. David hadn¡¯t noticed it until Felix brought it up, but there had been a rise in vampire killings by hunters since he was turned. Barbatos was very thorough and efficient in his annihilation of any and all vampires he found, and he took out half of the major nests in the area already. ¡°Your sire may not have told you this, but you killing that hunter had attracted too much attention to us.¡± Ethan told him the night he returned with Anna. ¡°I¡¯m sure Danica never had you meet the other vampires in town, has she?¡± ¡°No, she hasn¡¯t.¡± David said, just realizing it. He had been too enamored with training and reveling in killing his friend¡¯s murderer to notice that. ¡°What does this mean? Am I a pariah?¡± ¡°In a way. Remote communities like this are perfect for our kind because they afford a certain level of privacy and protection from the Order and its hunters. Many of the vamps here don¡¯t even know how to fight properly, only hunt. You kill one hunter, and more will come looking for the killer, which means that you started a chain reaction that led that hunter team to his.¡± Ethan explained. ¡°And now with his death, more will come, and it¡¯ll be even harder for us to live here.¡± ¡°I¡­I hadn¡¯t thought of that.¡± He said, a bit at a loss for words. ¡°But Danica¡¯s working on a way to lead the hunters away from Rosemary.¡± ¡°Which is all well and good, but keep in mind that Barbatos had killed lot of vampires while he was alive. Those lucky enough to escape his gaze had already left town. Even if the Order leaves Rosemary alone now, no one will feel that the town is safe anymore.¡± David didn¡¯t realize any of this. He sat on the couch in silence, processing the fact that he essentially drove dozens of vampires from their homes, however indirectly. Ethan saw his growing remorse and patted him on the shoulder. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s not your fault, at least not intentionally. Your sire should¡¯ve taught you to restrain yourself when it came to your emotions. Vampires are easy to anger, especially ones with unfinished business.¡± He said. Since then David had avoided Anna, not wanting anymore vampires seeking to vent their rage upon him to use as a hostage against him. He knew the only reason he wasn¡¯t being attacked at almost every moment was because of Danica, who was probably the most powerful vampire in the town. Still, he couldn¡¯t risk Anna getting hurt because of him. He had to distance himself from her, less some other nutjob make a go at her. As for Danica¡­he hadn¡¯t talked to her since the incident. He kept his distance from her once he was done dry heaving at her feet and retrieved Anna. He moved back into his family estate, ignored and avoided her at every turn, pushed her away. He knew she wasn¡¯t hurt by his refusal to be near her, no Danica was stronger than that, but he knew she was probably extremely irritated, which was dangerous. Still, he could barely sleep well after what he did to Barbatos. Drinking blood was one thing, but to carve up another human being like that¡­it made him dizzy just thinking about it. So he holed himself up from the world, ignoring Danica and Anna equally, going out early in the morning to hunt in the forest, and spending the rest of the day indoors to avoid the sun, and then returning home to rest. He continued this pattern for the entire week, and he felt that he was managing on his own just fine. Fighting bears and mountain lions was a surprisingly good past time to hone his combat skills, though he was sure that Danica had something to say about that. The only downside, aside from treating Anna like she didn¡¯t exist, was that he needed to feed more often on animals now that he was abstaining from human blood. Vampires could essentially drink all kinds of blood if need be, but their bodies processed human blood best, as it made them healthy. Animal blood, primarily blood from non-human mammals, also did the trick, but only for a short while. After seven days of drinking animal blood he was already starting to feel the effects. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter.¡± David told himself as he headed back home. ¡°I¡¯m already a danger to everyone I know and love, so it can¡¯t get any worse than this. At the very least I¡¯m keeping myself in check.¡± That what he often told himself to sleep easier at night. It didn¡¯t. XXXXXX It was a cloudy Tuesday morning when he left his estate to visit the town. He was heading to the newly built library that just opened up and wanted to see what they had in store. Probably wouldn¡¯t be as vast as the library in the next city over, but he needed something to occupy his time that wasn¡¯t hunting or seeing how many drinks it¡¯ll take to get drunk (it took a lot, he found out thanks to his body breaking down the alcohol faster than he could drink). Thankfully the library was mostly empty, and David quickly made his way to the second floor away from any prying eyes to a section he wanted to check out. In the shadow of the bookcase and away from the sunlight shining through the window, David felt like he could finally relax. ¡°David.¡± ¡°Shit!¡± David hissed, jumping at the unexpected sound of his name. He looked to the side and saw Anna standing there, her arms crossed over her chest. ¡°Anna.¡± ¡°David.¡± Anna said frowning. ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡± David said while thinking, ¡®How did I not hear her coming? I can¡¯t be that out of it.¡¯ ¡°What is going on with you, David?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that you¡¯ve been avoiding me this entire week? You¡¯ve been acting strange ever since¡­ever since that incident.¡± David looked away. He knew from Isabella that Anna sometimes had nightmares about the attack. ¡°I¡¯m¡­I¡¯m¡­¡± ¡°Ever since the death of John¡¯s murderer, you¡¯ve been acting really weird. In fact, everything started taking a turn as soon as you met that strange woman.¡± Anna said, still glaring at him. ¡°What¡¯s going on that you refuse to tell me? Why are you avoiding me, David?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not because of you!¡± It partly was, but she didn¡¯t need to know that. ¡°It¡¯s¡­complicated, Anna. That¡¯s all I can say.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not good enough. I want to know what¡¯s making you distance yourself from me.¡± Anna demanded. ¡°I¡¯m sick of dancing around this issue and I want an answer.¡± ¡°Anna,¡± He tried to say, but Anna cut him off. ¡°Is it that woman? Is she making you do this?¡± When David spun around to face her, Anna nodded. ¡°I know about that woman you¡¯re spending time with. Has she done something to you?¡± ¡°It¡¯s none of your business, Anna. Leave it alone.¡± David growled and pushed past her. Anna¡¯s hand reached out and snatched his wrist. ¡°Of course it¡¯s my business, David!¡± She said loudly. Frustration bubbled up within David¡¯s chest and he spun around to glare at her. ¡°NO IT¡¯S NOT!¡± It came out louder and rougher than he intended, and Anna flinched from the harsh look in his eyes. David¡¯s anger simmered down like a dying flame and he took a step back. He tried to say something, but no words could form, so instead he turned and quickly made his way downstairs and out of the bookstore. XXXXXX ¡°So this is where you¡¯ve been.¡± David could tell smell Danica a mile away, her scent a combination of lavender with faint hints of blood. He didn¡¯t look at her, even as she sat next to him on the bench, making sure she sat in the shade. The park wasn¡¯t full today, though there were people here and there walking past them on leisurely strolls. ¡°How¡¯d you find me?¡± He asked. ¡°You¡¯d know if you stopped trying to avoid me. In fact, you¡¯d know a lot of things if you stopped acting like some tragic protagonist in a novel.¡± Danica said, staring at him with her usual enchanting gaze. ¡°Sitting in the middle of a park out in the sunlight? If I didn¡¯t know any better, I¡¯d say you were trying to kill yourself.¡± ¡°Give it time.¡± Danica¡¯s hand shot up and wrapped around his throat in the blink of an eye. Her pale blue eyes glared into his though her expression never changed. David gritted his teeth as he felt her fingers put the slightest amount of pressure on his windpipe, ready to crush it if she had to. ¡°IIs that what you want then? To die? Because that¡¯s easier said than done for most people.¡± Danica hissed. ¡°They¡¯ll bitch and moan about life being too hard for them and beg for death, until someone finally grants their wish and they have second thoughts. There are only a handful of people at a time who truly mean it, and you are not one of them. So kindly stop with this embarrassing self-loathing phase like you¡¯re some gothic vampire from a Penny Dreadful and get your shit together!¡± David¡¯s hand shot up and gripped Danica¡¯s wrist, snapping it at the joint with a faint but audible crack. Danica didn¡¯t even wince as her hand went limp and pulled her arm back to her. ¡°Unlike you, I still have a conscious.¡± David replied. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with my issues my own way. You deal with yours in your own way. Leave it at that.¡± David and Danica stared at each other for an unknown amount of time before Danica huffed and stood up. Then before his very eyes, she made motion with her broken wrist and her hand reattached itself with a sickening crack, her hand returning to normal in just a few seconds. Another reminder of just how old and dangerous she was. ¡°Very well. Continue your delusions.¡± She said and nodded to him. ¡°I won¡¯t be too far away. I want to see your little glass palace shatter around you when you finally accept your new reality.¡± Danica briskly walked away, leaving David alone on the bench. Frustrated and angry, he sat on his bench stewing from Danica¡¯s little intimidation tactic. His exhaustion from sitting out in sunlight for so long didn¡¯t help, but in his stubbornness David refused to move to a shadier place. This was his favorite spot in the park to sit. He¡¯d be damned if he was going to let a few rays of sunlight chase him away from his personal pleasures. XXXXXX David sat in that park for the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening. It wasn¡¯t until the sun had gone down and the park was nearly deserted that David awoke, realizing that he had fallen asleep sometime earlier. ¡°Nighttime,¡± David muttered, looking up at the moon. ¡°Maybe I should leave. I can¡¯t keep this up forever.¡± ¡°Keep what up?¡± It was only thanks to Danica¡¯s intensive training that David didn¡¯t hiss when he shot up off the bench in surprise. Anna stood there, hands raised as if to calm a startled animal. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to startle you.¡± Anna said softly. David calmed his breathing and straightened his overcoat. ¡°What¡­what do you want?¡± He asked, looking away from her. ¡°Do I really need to explain why I¡¯m here to talk to a good friend of mine?¡± Anna replied. She sat down and took his hand to pull him back onto the bench with her. ¡°Sit with me.¡± David wasn¡¯t in any state to refuse her. They sat together on the bench in the empty park, the only sounds being that of the nocturnal animal life that roamed the park at night. After a while, David opened his mouth to speak, but Anna beat him to it. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I was being too forward back at the library. I know you¡¯re stressed and me imposing myself upon you isn¡¯t helping at all.¡± Anna said. Her hand was still gripping his and he shivered as he felt the soft skin of her fingers caressing his hand. ¡°I¡¯m just worried about you, David. So many things are happening right now, and I¡¯m afraid that you¡¯ll get yourself hurt or worse. I¡¯m sure people have already told you this, but you haven¡¯t been the same since your siblings¡¯ deaths, and losing Jacob has only made your pain worse.¡± ¡®You have no idea.¡¯ David thought with a barely audible snort. ¡°Anna,¡± David began, unsure of how to give this news lightly. Deciding that it was best to just tell her, he steeled himself and said, ¡°I¡¯m leaving Rosemary.¡± Anna froze and she felt her grip on his hand tighten. ¡°W-What?¡± ¡°I¡¯m leaving. I¡¯m not sure when, but I¡¯m planning on leaving town with Danica.¡± He said. ¡°You were right earlier. I am in trouble, but not the kind you¡¯re thinking of. Ever since I got involved with Danica things have been spiraling out of control for me and I just need a change in scenery to¡­I don¡¯t know. Recover or something.¡± ¡°If she¡¯s the reason, then why don¡¯t you leave her?¡± Anna asked. David shook his head. ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Anna.¡± ¡°Is she threatening you or your parents? There¡¯s no shortage of gangs in this part of the country, and they¡¯ll often prey on the nobility.¡± Anna pressed on. ¡°I can get the police to investigate¡ª¡° ¡°No!¡± David exclaimed. ¡°It¡¯s not that.¡± ¡°Then what¡¯s going on? This mess clearly has something to do everything that¡¯s plaguing you.¡± Anna pleaded. ¡°Please, I just want to help.¡± David looked to her and grasped her shoulders. ¡°You¡¯re helping me just by being here. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t tell you more Anna, but it isn¡¯t that I don¡¯t trust you. I just want to keep you safe, especially after you were just attacked. I need you to trust me on this.¡± Anna¡¯s eyes started to water and she tried to speak, though no words could form as her emotions choked her up. She and David had known each other since childhood, and even when Anna left to work as a private tutor they still kept in touch. There had been no final goodbyes between them, as they knew they would see each other again. But something in David¡¯s tone told her that he was leaving her for good, and after everything that happened, she couldn¡¯t handle that. David gave a little grunt of surprise when Anna pulled on his arm and wrapped him in a tight hug. David sat in her embrace frozen, before he let out a breath and hugged her back. Neither of them said anything, they just sat there hugging each other. This might be the last time they can have a real talk in private. Over time, David allowed his shoulders to loosen up and let the tenseness fade from his body. He inhaled and sighed. He never noticed it before, but Anna smelled nice. Really nice. Her scent certainly made him feel calmer. David moved his nose to her bare neck and inhaled deeply, his arms tightening around her. Losing himself to his feelings of serenity, he took in more of that heavenly smell, his mind slowly going blank. David didn¡¯t even realize what he was doing until his fangs pierced the skin of Anna¡¯s neck and the first drops of her blood touched his tongue. XXXXXX When David came to his senses, he recognized the taste of blood in his mouth. He quickly made a realization and pulled his head back, his breath coming out in panicked gasps when he saw the bleeding marks on Anna¡¯s throat. ¡°No, no, no, no, no¡­¡± He muttered over and over as he looked Anna over. She was pale, her eyes was closed, as if she were asleep, and she wasn¡¯t breathing. He couldn¡¯t hear her heart beat. ¡°No, no, NO, NO!!!¡± ¡°Oh, David¡­¡± He heard a sigh behind him, but ignored it. ¡°Anna, wake up.¡± David whispered, laying her body across the bench. ¡°Please, Anna, wake up.¡± ¡°I told you the consequences.¡± Danica said mockingly. ¡°I warned you the folly of feeding only on animals.¡± ¡°Anna, don¡¯t do this to me.¡± David cried. He heard Danica walking up to him from behind. She placed a delicate hand on his shoulder. ¡°David, this is what happens when you refuse my help¡­¡± ¡°SHUT UP!¡± David spun around and backhanded Danica across the jaw, though she barely flinched from the blow. ¡°This is all your fault!¡± ¡°My fault?¡± Danica smirked. ¡°Are we going back to that topic again?¡± ¡°You¡­you made me into this!¡± David snarled, his eyes turning red and bloodstained fangs emerging to full length. ¡°I only gave you the power to gain your vengeance. Everything that happened after is your fault.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for this. I didn¡¯t ask to be a fucking monster!¡± He replied. He punched her in the face, and again she barely moved. ¡°You forced this curse upon me, you whore!¡± ¡°You weren¡¯t complaining when I was riding your cock a day later.¡± Danica sneered. David landed another punch to his face and was about to hit her again when he found his fist caught in her iron grip. The small cut on Danica¡¯s lip sealed up and she gave him a dry, almost bored glare. ¡°I see you still aren¡¯t willing to listen. Very well, we¡¯ll go the tough love route.¡± Danica pulled her fist back and slammed it into David¡¯s chest hard enough to knock him off his feet and send him flying back several feet before landing on his back. He coughed and wheezed, feeling a sharp pain in his chest as his chest cavity healed from the powerful blow. He opened his eyes and saw Danica descending upon his position and rolled aside just as her heeled boot slammed into the spot where his head just was. He rolled to his feet with a snarl, baring his fangs and readying his claws. ¡°So now you¡¯re going to fight?¡± Danica sniffed. ¡°Fine, let¡¯s get this done before sunrise.¡± David hissed and charged at Danica, throwing a barrage of punches and swipes at her upper body that she easily blocked or redirected. Danica didn¡¯t even put that much effort into fighting him, and that only made him angrier. He faked overextending himself to draw her in, and Danica did just that with the intent to punish him for his arrogance. Instead he gripped her arm tight enough to break man¡¯s elbow and uppercutted her in the chin. Danica slammed back into a tree and David grabbed her leg, spinning around to throw her right into a nearby bench, making it bend almost in half. Danica hissed, finally showing some emotion and dodged his next attack, slamming her body into him and sending them both landing atop a tool shed. David crossed his arms to block her barrage of punches before twisting his legs to hook around her own and flipping her around so that he was on top and slammed a punch into her jaw. There was an audible crack, a broken jaw for sure, and Danica spat out blood before scowling at him. ¡°Is that the best you can do?¡± David responded by delivering a two handed strike to Danica¡¯s chest that sent them both crashing down through the roof of the toolshed. He went to rip out her throat, but Danica delivered a kick to his chest that sent him through the thin metal wall of the shed and back outside. He tumbled along the ground before managing to regain his senses and come to a stop, only for Danica to suddenly launch another powerful strike to his nose that sent him crashing into the tree behind him. If the difference in strength had been a river between him and Felix, then it was a gaping canyon between him and Danica. She was somehow stronger and faster than him and he just barely managed to fight her on even ground, if you could call it that. A lesser vampire would have been killed by Danica earlier in the fight, but David¡¯s rage gave him the adrenaline rush he needed to handle this woman. This monster. When Danica charged at him, David spun around her and slammed her face into the trunk multiple times before unleashing a barrage of bone breaking punches to her face. Danica took several of them head on before flickering from his sight and elbowing him in the spine with enough force to send him smashing through the trunk. The tree shuddered and tilted, but miraculously did not fall. ¡°You¡¯re centuries too late to fight me in a head on fight, boy!¡± Danica snarled. ¡°Though I must admit, you¡¯ve lasted longer than some of the other worthless brutes who thought they could handle me!¡± She walked around the tree and gripped his head to lift his head, but a flash of silver caught her eye before she felt a sharp pain in her knee¡ªa sharp piece of wood. David stabbed the wood shard into her leg and used her brief stagger to break free and land a solid blow to her jaw that dazed her. Circling around Danica, he dug his claws into the tree trunk and heaved, using every ounce of his strength to topple the tree right on top of her with a tremendous crash. ¡°Shit!¡± David grunted, stumbling back in pain. Though his wounds had healed, David¡¯s whole body ached with lingering pain from Danica¡¯s relentless blows. He recent feeding had provided him some strength, but compared to Danica, he was just getting by on luck alone. ¡®I can¡¯t do this.¡¯ He thought weakly. ¡®I have to get out of here!¡¯ Just as he thought that, he heard the sound of wood shattering behind him and spun around just in time to see Danica¡¯s demonic grin staring back at him. She leapt at him with her claws fully exposed and he caught her hands in his, lacing their fingers together and pushing against her. The two vampires grappled in a deadlock in the midst of the ravaged park area. ¡°Very good. You¡¯re actually doing very well for your second vampire battle.¡± Danica praised, easily pushing against David¡¯s strength with no visible sign of effort. ¡°As expected of my progeny!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± David growled. The ground under their feet began to crack and deform as they pushed against each other. The area around them looked like a battleground, with trees uprooted or torn apart, a tool shed smashed to pieces, and several patches of grass completely torn up by the constant fighting. It was only a matter of time before someone heard their fighting and acme to investigate. Danica knew this and decided to get this fight over with. ¡°You may want to kill me right now, Darren, but rest assured that you¡¯ll only embarrass yourself in trying.¡± She told him, staring into his blood red eyes. What a lovely color they were. ¡°But as fun as this fight has been, we need to wrap this up!¡± Danica yanked one of her hands free and launched an uppercut to David¡¯s chin, throwing him up into the air. She jumped up and rammed her shoulder into his gut before throwing him back into the ground headfirst. He crashed into the ground with tremendous force, and his skull actually cracked from the force of the impact. Dazed and hurt while his head began to heal, Danica landed behind him and gripped his head in her hands. ¡°You will thank me when you wake up.¡± She said softly. ¡°That girl was just one attachment you needed to cut in order to be truly alive.¡± With that, Danica put some pressure on his neck and twisted his head sharply to the side, snapping his neck completely. XXXXXX Darren didn¡¯t know how long he was stuck in darkness. For a moment, he thought he was dead, but when his consciousness slowly returned, he realized that he wasn¡¯t dead, just¡­immobile. His mind was a dark haze as he was cast in a dreamless sleep, and it was hard to do anything really. But soon that darkness began to fade, and as his senses slowly came back to him one by one, he found that he still couldn¡¯t move. And he noted that he was encased in a small space. When his hearing returned, he heard the sounds of scratching and digging above him. Then he felt shaking and grunting, muffled as if he were hearing it through a wall. After a few minutes, the darkness above him was suddenly broken by the pale light of the moon above, and suddenly he saw a face hovering over his. ¡°Welcome back to the waking world, lover.¡± Danica smiled. David tried to speak, but couldn¡¯t. She sighed and grabbed the front of his shirt, lifting him up with one hand and gripping his neck with the other. A simple twist of her wrist she snapped his neck back in place and realigned his spine. ¡°Ah!¡± David gasped, his body shuddering from the sudden surge of feeling returning to his body. He grunted and fell to the side, gritting his teeth in pain. ¡°Oh relax, your nervous system will heal in just a few seconds. Best get used to the feeling, because you¡¯ll find yourself doing this when you¡¯re really desperate.¡± Danica said. ¡°What¡­¡± David rasped, his throat dry. ¡°What did you do to me?¡± ¡°I broke your neck. Injuries like that won¡¯t kill you, beheading does just the job, though it takes longer to regenerate from that than a cracked skull.¡± Danica said, brushing her hands off and standing up. She was wearing a tight white blouse that clung to her ample chest and black riding pants with heeled boots. Not exactly the type of outfit for digging, but Danica wasn¡¯t one to worry about such things. David looked around and saw that they were surrounded by tombstones. His heart, which was still beating rapidly, turned cold when he spun around and spotted his name on a tombstone, along with his date of birth¡­and death. ¡°No¡­¡± He muttered. ¡°No, no, NO! What did you do?¡± ¡°Covering our tracks. Killing that girl was the last straw, David. We¡¯ve drawn too much attention to that this town already. Another vampire killing would have led to another Order team rolling in and we don¡¯t need that right now.¡± She said coldly. David flinched when he remembered what he did to Anna, and the violent battle he had against Danica. ¡°Anna, where is she?¡± ¡°Dead, that¡¯s all you need to know.¡± Danica replied. David shot up and gripped the front of her blouse. ¡°Where is she?¡± He shouted in her face. Danica calmly backhanded him and sent him crashing into another tombstone. ¡°She is to no more concern to you. You made sure of that.¡± She said. ¡°As for your earlier question, I faked your death and reported it to the authorities. Your parents were quite broken up over your false death, but I made sure they were compensated for their troubles. The funeral was lovely, and a few kind words from me helped your parents find some closure in losing you.¡± Through his pain, David felt his anger rising at how she made herself seem like a benevolent benefactor for helping his parents. She saw his scowl and shook her head. ¡°Let it go, David. You made a mistake that was caused by you ignoring my warnings. It would have been avoided if you just listened to me.¡± She walked over to him and helped him to his feet. ¡°Help me put the coffin back and we¡¯ll get started on moving. Your old life is over now. Deal with it and move on. A vampire¡¯s life is never easy, and this is hardly the worst thing you¡¯ll see or do in this life.¡± They shared a look, and for a moment David thought he saw some sympathy, or at least pity, in Danica¡¯s eyes before she let stand on his own. She gently took his hand and led him back over to the grave (calling it his grave was still too unsettling to consider) and together they put the coffin back into the earth and refilled the hole. Neither of them said a word to each other as they made their way to the docks. As Danica had already moved her things onto the ship, all they had to do was sneak through town to reach the boat, which was easy as they leapt across the buildings and houses unseen and unheard by the humans. David never got the chance to see his home one last time, or say his final goodbyes to his parents. And Danica said nothing about what she did with Anna¡¯s body, only knowing that she was being labeled as a missing person by the police. As he boarded the ship leaving Rosemary with Danica, David gave his home town one last look as they sailed from the docks. He muttered a prayer for his parents and for Anna¡¯s soul, hoping she¡¯d forgive him for his sins in the next life. When the ship was far enough away from the town to where he could barely see it, David knew that this was a closing chapter for his old life. His human life. The sheep had died, and the wolf had taken its place.