by Reba Taylor
After The Moonset
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 1
It’s snowing again. I’m not quite sure why I’m even upset about it. It always snows here in Detroit, Michigan. It’s another typical winter, however many of the townsfolk seem to believe that this weather is much worse than normal.
Winter doesn’t bother me much. In fact, I happen to enjoy the crisp cold air against my pale skin while I’m patrolling. Winter means more work for me, and I enjoy what I do. All work and no play has become a bit of a lifestyle for me. I can’t see myself enjoying anything other than my profession.
I’m a Vampire Hunter. It’s a strange line of work, I know it, but Vampires have played a major role in my life. They are the reason I am what I am today. Vampires, were the vicious murderers of my parents, leaving me to witness the aftermath of their crimes. It was stupid of them to do, especially since they have a sworn enemy for many years to come now.
Once your eyes are open to the danger and madness of these ruthless and selfish killers, you’ll never be able to close them again. Killing Vampires is what fuels me. It’s an exhilarating feeling destroying these creatures. As I stare out the window watching the sunset, I know that my home has now become a target for them. Vampires love winter, simply because the days are shorter and the nights are longer. More time for them to hunt and feed on us.
Ten years ago, humans were exposed to the truth that Vampires and Werewolves exist. They have walked among us for centuries. For a few years, humans tried to co-exist with the two species, dominance was nothing short of human nature. Our political leaders wanted to control them, but the creatures would not be controlled. They had been at the top of the food chain for centuries and they liked it there. Therefore, a war that broke out, it lasted three years and thanks to science—we won. We discovered a biological weapon that remained harmful to both Vampires and Werewolves while also being completely harmless to humans.
I still remember vividly the day it was announced. Some of the hunters and I returned to one of the strongholds after a routine patrol. As we walked through the door a thick musk of copper invaded our nostrils. Blood.
Somehow the vampires had gotten into the stronghold and killed everyone. Blood covered everything. They didn’t even bother to feed off us anymore, they already had enough from the hundreds of thousands of human casualties during the war. We were losing the war badly at the time. It was in the bleakness of that room that the message of a new weapon was blasted over the radio. A weapon that would change everything and put us on level ground with both vampires and werewolves had been created. This weapon in its liquid form, was injected into bullets, making Vampires and Werewolves an easy kill.
Politics are not my thing, but our leaders are working with the Vampire and Werewolf communities to work out a treaty. Until then, the extermination of those who’s cross human boundaries nothing more than pest that need to be terminated.
Vampires and Werewolves now claim our local state parks and forests. It’s safer that way, and as long as they stay there they get to live.
After watching the sun set from the apartment window of my loft, I knew that it was time to get to work. It’s only 5:00pm, but the moon had risen, shining brightly over my damaged city. I don’t know why, but I felt slightly uneasy about today. I had butterflies in my stomach, but no reason to have them. It was just meant to be another normal day. I should’ve trusted my gut instincts.
Chapter 2
My name is Hanah, and most would see me as an average causation female. I’m attractive, but not beautiful enough to call myself model material. I stand five feet six inches tall, which is actually considered short in my city. I’m petite and curvy, but you’ll never know it because I keep my figure buried in my combat gear.
Work starts at nightfall, and there is no set time for my job. Whenever the sun sets, that’s when you come in. I work for a private agency known as Magna Security, a corporation that masks its source of funding by offering security to popular events around the city. No one knows its main source of income comes from the Vampires that we kill. I suppose you could call us the secret service for Vampires Hunters. The agency has locations all over the world, and I’m often required to travel from time to time. The travel doesn’t bother me at all though, just another part of the job.
Once we begin our shift, it’s customary that we gather for a briefing in the main hall. It’s a large room with a classroom desks, a podium, and a white board. I hate this room actually, simply because it’s the room where I’ll be paired with a partner, typically a male. I personally don’t think that the male hunters measure up to me, and I suppose that’s why I never date them. I don’t date civilians either, simply because I find them too weak to stand with me. I would break a typical man in half.
Once we are all gathered, most hunters help themselves to the refreshments of donuts and coffee, proving themselves worthless and no better than the weak police on the streets. Eventually, the captain enters. Captain Julian Banks, one of the lead hunters of the agency is also my personal mentor. He rescued me from those vicious Vampires that fateful night, and took me under his wing. He tends to give me the most challenging jobs, only because he knows that I love the thrill of the kill.
Once Julian stands before the podium, the room immediately falls silent. It’s the moment I’m waiting for; the moment when we get our assignments.
“As you all know, our president is coming close to a treaty with the Vampire and Werewolf communities. However, there are still a few stragglers that don’t agree with the new laws. It’s your job to make certain that these laws are enforced for the sake of human safety.” I rolled my eyes. It is the same exact speech he gives night after night. No one is in the mood to hear this crap. I slammed my fist on my desk, not realizing that I had let my frustration become public knowledge.
I have a bit of a temper and it’s not something that I can help. There’s a rage burning deep inside of me, a fire that will continue to burn until ever Vampire in existence is dead. I don’t agree with our president, but that doesn’t matter because by majority vote of the human race, we must learn to coexist with these creatures.
“Do we have a problem Hanah?” Julian asked in an authoritative voice. He stared at me with stern eyes, as if he were disappointed that I had interrupted him.
“No, Sir.” I answered humbly. Although, I could slowly feel my temper rising again from the low snickers of my peers. Julian took his eyes off me and continued with his speech. Once he finished, he paired off everyone into groups, handing out assignments. There was only one problem… Every hunter had a job except for me.
Stunned, I made my way to Julian immediately. How could he publically shame me like this? I wanted to work, I needed to work. This job was my life.
“What the hell are you doing?” I complained, grabbing his arm roughly. In an industry like this, that was surely a punishable offense. I was being down right disrespectful questioning his authority and especially in that manner. But I knew Julian had a soft spot for me and I wasn’t afraid to exploit it. Julian snatched his arm from my grasp and pulled me aside.
“Have you gone mad Hanah?”
“Have you?” I countered. I should have been afraid of him, but I wasn’t. I was too upset to be afraid of anything at the moment. The memory of what the vampires had done to my parents was constantly playing in my mind. Psychologists had tried and failed to help me. The only relie
f I got was killing vampires and I wasn’t going to let Julian get in the way of that.
Frustration was evident on his face and he pulled me roughly into his office, slamming the door behind him.
“I love you Hanah,” he said with strong conviction “I love you deeply, but if you ever undermine my authority, I will have you reassigned and I promise you that you won’t like it.”
I didn’t believe him. Julian loved and treated me as if I were his own daughter. It was that reason alone that I was able to get away with the antics that I pulled in the agency. I nodded, reaming silent. Now was not the time to test his threats, he may decide to go through with them. Julian took a breath and walked over to his desk, tossing a thick file in front of me.
“There is a reason why you weren’t paired tonight,” he gestured his hand towards the file for me to take it, “I have a much bigger assignment for you tonight.”
Chapter 3
Shocked and excited, I picked up the file. This meant something—something big. I was finally up for promotion. Only the most lethal hunters worked alone. Julian was finally considering me as a lone hunter.
At least, I hoped.
I took a seat in one of the guest chairs by his desk and quickly skimmed the file. A frown fell upon my face once I realized what the mission was and what it required.
“Werewolves?” I looked up at him, my expression obviously displayed my disapproval. “You want me to work with Werewolves?”
This was high treason. When did the enemy suddenly become my friend? Julian nodded, confirming my suspicions.
“The agency have their reasons,” Julian defended, pointing at the picture in the open file, “a Vampire exists in their world, a Vampire that could prove to be extremely harmful to both humans and Werewolves.”
“And you are trusting me with this job?” I didn’t mean to sound so dubious about such a great position, but this seemed more relevant for a more experienced hunter. Julian smiled. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him so amused.
“I never thought I would see the day when Hanah would doubt her skills for an assignment.” His mocking tone was enough to send me over the roof, but instead I drew in a deep breath and looked down at the image as he instructed.
Sometimes, staring in the face of these creatures made it very difficult for me to believe that they weren’t human. They held such a striking resemblance to humans, leaving few physical traits that they weren’t what they seemed.
The man in the photograph was strikingly handsome. I don’t think I found such a raw physical attraction in anyone until I looked at the photograph. His name was Aiden, the Alpha male of the very large Werewolf pack of Detroit. I knew of him, I have a tendency to spend my free time studying on my enemies. I knew of Aiden very well.
Aiden is a 350 year old Werewolf who has migrated from the main Werewolf community, where they are better known as lou-garou. Aiden and his pack have been very cooperative, only feeding off the animals on their land. He’s much more handsome than depicted in my study guides I noted. I’d never had the opportunity of meeting him. Someone of my stature wouldn’t be caught within five feet of his presence. Aiden may be an Alpha male, but he is also considered royalty among his kind.
Even though I was staring at a mere portrait of him, there was something about his eyes that spoke to me. Dark chocolate, with a silver glow around the pupil, something that was a dead giveaway that you were in the company of a Werewolf. I immediately got the impression that he was gentle, but even though I was strangely attracted to him, I knew that I had to remember who and what he was.
“I’ll take it,” I said, closing the file, “when do I meet him?”
“Tonight.” Julian answered, gesturing to the file.
“His location is in the file. You’ll receive more information on the mission when you meet with him. Good luck Hanah.” That was all. I left his office holding the file in my hand.
Chapter 4
Aiden may try to prove to the humans that he was leaving his old Alpha male traditions behind, but he wasn’t fooling me. As I made my way cautiously through the forest; it was obvious he was living in a den, nothing conservative at all. Vampire’s lived in the opposite fashion. They held a strong taste for the finer things in life and it was always obvious. Their castle was the largest building in the city, sitting on Belle Isle, a large Island that sits on the Detroit River between the city and Windsor Canada. No matter how far away you are, you can always see the turrets of the castle.
Aiden’s pack also resides on the Island and I wasn’t sure if the land was big enough for the two species. They were both very territorial species and I knew any kind of territory breach would not be taken lightly. The skies were very cloudy, and the winds were strong as I made my way to the highly protected Den. If it wasn’t for the large pendant that I was instructed to wear around my neck, I would be a dead woman. Only privileged humans were allowed to be so close to the Alpha’s Den and I knew that I was only welcome simply because of the mission.
The Wolves guarding the entrance were already shifted into their wolf form. They knew immediately who and what I was and their hairy bodies tensed, defending their Alpha’s home. I froze at the entrance. The wind chill was well below zero, my hands were so numb that I could barely hold up the pendant for them to view.
“Believe me, I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here, but I’ve been summoned.”
Even in wolf form, their eyes remained the same; chocolate brown with a silver glow around the pupil. They were large, hair creatures with claws as big as bowling balls. They growled, baring their large teeth, remaining in their positions. For a moment, I thought that they were going to attack me and I was surprised when they didn’t move as I ducked my head to enter.
Surprisingly, the Den was not as typical as it appeared to be. The large cave had been turned into a beautiful and comfortable living space. Luxurious pieces of furniture, exquisite rugs and beautiful mahogany cabinets littered the cave. Large chandeliers hung from the ceiling and cast shadows along the cave walls. The extravagance of it would match any wealthy mansion.
Once my scent entered the foyer, the vibrant living area seemed to fall silent. They definitely weren’t fans of me.
One of the specific reasons for my annoyed scent was the wolfs-bane perfume I applied before I made my way onto Island. One whiff could kill a Werewolves appetite for hours on end. It was like food poisoning for Werewolves, nothing that they wanted to be in close proximity with, especially in their own home.
“I’m looking for Aiden, your Alpha.” I announced to the crowd of lounging Werewolves. They ignored me. So my little perfume stint wasn’t the best idea. I was only following basic protocol, but I regretted it immediately.
“Wolfs-bane, what a bright idea hunter,” A beautiful young woman spoke as she approached me. I could tell immediately that she was human. No Werewolf would be so bold to approach me. I gently grabbed her arm and pulled her aside.
“You’re human. What are you doing here?” The woman pulled her arm away from me.
“Just because Werewolves are forbidden from human land, doesn’t mean that we can’t come to them. Did you really believe that all humans felt that Werewolves were the problem?” I wanted to argue with her, but I kept my mouth shut. One thing that I noticed was that the Den was intensely warm. I could not help myself when I took off my jacket and began to fan my face.
This was something to be expected. Werewolves tend to carry a lot of body heat, making their environments warmer than usual.
“You need to watch your attitude around here. You’re not at home anymore hunter. You are on their land that means you need to follow their rules.”
“Got it,” I answered with a hint of sarcasm in my voice, “I’m Hanah.” She shrugged, holding out her hand for my jacket.
“Sarah,” she said, “now stopped standing around ruining everyone’s appetite. Follow me.”
Sarah led the way down a long hallway that took us to a
very large lounge area. Sarah tossed my coat on one of the nearby sofas and began to fan her face as well. The way she was dressed made it difficult for me to believe that she was even bothering to fan herself from the ever present heat. She was wearing nothing but a skimpy cloth that covered her most intimate parts.
Sarah was very lovely. She had beautifully tanned caramel skin and long dark brown hair. She was definitely considered an exotic beauty. She walked over to me and grabbed my hand causally, gesturing toward the man standing by the fireplace, his bare back turned to me, only wearing a pair of blue fitted jeans. His body was sculpted perfectly, it was as if I were merely admiring a statue of perfection.
“You asked for Aiden, and here he is.” Sarah offered. Aiden still hadn’t acknowledged me, and I was starting to believe that it was because of my strong and unbearable perfume.
“Before you go, will you please explain to me why you are here?” I asked her. I was dying to know why she would choose such a life. She would never be considered one of them and if they were using her, it was merely for breeding what they called mutts. Half-breeds that were never generally accepted into their society, and they spend their entire lives playing both sides of which neither species would accept them. If Sarah was hoping to become one of them, she could forget about it. The process didn’t work as it did with Vampires. You couldn’t just turn into a Werewolf. You were born into their world or not at all. Sarah still didn’t answer. Instead, she stared at Aiden as if he were a piece of meat.
“Maybe we’ll talk after your mission.” She suggested. “I’ll leave you alone now.” Sarah walked out of the lounge, closing the large double doors behind her. Slowly, I made my way over to Aiden. He held his hand up and I stopped dead in my tracks.
Chapter 5
“Must you be so rude? I extend a hand of help to you, and you enter my home with such an unwelcoming stench.” He complained. The annoyance in his tone was blatantly obvious.
