by K A Young
One day, there won't be any left.
I can't say that thought hasn't crossed my mind and made me smile. Everything I've worked for from when Enos and I had begun the notion of ending the one species to hold us back from taking what should be ours. The top of the food chain should not be hiding in the shadows but controlling the very ladder from which we sit atop.
Not to mention the family baggage that comes with those creatures...
Like I've laid out for Annika, this is all about revenge, and I know exactly what I was getting myself into capturing and imprisoning her here. "Emily."
She's a smart girl and observant, I'll give her that.
"Yes, Master?" Emily is quiet and appears to be more interested in the ground then questioning me with her eyes.
"Look at me when I am speaking to you," I gradually lift her chin to meet my gaze. She attempts to avert her somewhat skittish eyes, but quickly glances back, knowing better than to refuse an order from me. She may be Michael's property, but he is bound to me.
I smile at her, admiring how's she's such a beautiful little slave. I can understand why Michael chose her.
"Everyone is breakable. Everyone has their limit. It is only a matter of time before she submits to me," I smirk while thinking of all the ways she'll endure suffering before she finally falls. I do feel the need to remind her of when she first arrived, "If I am not mistaken, you were begging Michael not even two hours into your training."
Michael nods with agreement, walking much closer to her as he admires, "But, now she is a well-behaved slave," he pats her on the head with admiration.
With a light laugh, I release the grip I have on her chin. Emily makes him very happy, exactly what I would expect from an obedient slave like her.
I wonder if Annika will ever be like this? Respectful, submissive, well maintained and doing anything I ask of her without question. No, I believe I have a long journey ahead of myself with her.
A small grin tugs at the corners of my mouth.
I will savor every moment of it because if her roots really do run too deep for me to sever, I will have no choice but to end her life. That is...after I get what I want from her.
She'll be her family's undoing.
Michael wraps an arm around her waist, causing her tiny form to jump, startling her in the process as he whispers, "Shall we retire to my room?" He begins to nuzzle her neck, her cheeks tinted with bright pink color as she gasps at his actions.
He doesn't wait for Emily to answer, leading her away down the corridor from the dungeon hallway. The sound of her clicking heels resonating within the mansion is the last sound I hear before they are out of earshot.
I release a sigh, closing my eyes and rubbing them with my thumb and index finger. I finally have what I've wanted after all these years. Finding her was hard. I hadn't figured out she had been relocated up until a few months ago, causing any progress that I'd made to seem useless.
I run a hand through my hair and begin walking in the direction of my room, my boots echoing through the still halls. Rynn will be back soon with her hunting party, and we'll start the next phase...
After seeing her blood magic when we first met, I was skeptical that capturing her would be feasible. At such a young age, she'd managed to already show the deadly power that comes with the ability to control blood...
Enos had told me many stories about select few hunters who had this unique ability. It is a rare trait passed through the hunter bloodline, though it doesn't necessarily show within each generation. After all, neither of her parents show the trait. Otherwise, Jared wouldn't have killed his daughter and Ericka could have saved her without a second thought.
I never thought I would get to see a blood magic user in the flesh...
...however, her parents did end my brother's life, never able to share another story with him again.
I outstretch my arm while laying a hand on the doorknob, pushing the door inward before I enter my room. Walking over to my king size bed, I throw my button up shirt on the chair, kicking off my boots.
Annika's sister would have made an excellent vampire mistress. I could feel it when Enos bit her back then, that she had a considerably high possibility of being turned. My brother never found his beloved, convincing himself and me that maybe there's a chance in this world you'll never find that individual. Instead, he got the notion to create what you don't have, Alyssa could have possibly been that person to my brother, having such a powerful creature on this side...
...none would challenge him. Though, here I am in a similar spot, without the fire of other hunters keeping me under control. I do this of my own accord, the need to avenge my brother greater than his thoughts.
Hunters are more of a monster then we are. They would instead kill their own than let them be turned. If I wanted her dead, I would have killed her outside of the club I'd found her in.
What makes logical sense to them? Hate those that created you.
Such a pity.
Maybe if Gage hadn't killed our mother all those years ago, our species could have coexisted. Now, we stand at the brink of their demise, their need to protect those who cannot be the deciding factor in our disagreement. Leading to deaths of many on both sides, only one can honestly be the dominant species...
"Their race is about to become extinct," I fold my arms under the back of my head, "Soon, we will control the world, without anything to get in our way...as it should have been many years ago."
I haven't taken blood from a human directly in weeks.
Her blood...was so delicious.
I can't help myself from the way her hunter blood calls me, beckoning for me to devour her. My heart beats fast in my chest as I recall the way she brought out desires, urges that shouldn't come forth with what should be a subservient species. It's delectable, a human's coming nowhere in comparison with her...
I need to be careful not to kill her.
If her blood continues to call me so...I won't be able to stop myself, one bite possibly sealing her fate. Though, there is always the possibility of her turning, but would I want that?
No.
Apparently, I'm not getting any rest today...
After a knock sounds at my door, I stand from my bed and question, "What it is?"
"Locaine," I freeze at her words, wondering why Rynn is back so soon. It should have at least been another day.
Walking toward the door, I quickly draw it open, her emerald eyes meeting with mine, her red hair partially concealed by the dark hood she still has drawn up over her head. My gaze quickly diverts to not only her presence but her twin brother Flynn's, his own combat gear still adorned.
"We found another hunter family," Rynn draws my attention back, glancing to meet her gaze, "they may be in relation to one of Erebus' children, to the direct line of the very first hunters."
Erebus.
There's a name I haven't heard for a while.
One of the very first vampires to exist, his age the only power he holds over me, though I doubt his existence is still relevant. My father had said when he left all those years ago, he'd end up being killed by one of those he cared for the most.
"Where did you find them?" I ask, peaking my interest as the closer we come to destroying the very first lineage, the weaker the bloodline will dwindle down...
Flynn nods at his sister and states, "There's no physical form we found..."
"Rynn?" I ask while arching a brow.
"Rumors among the recognized coven leaders," Rynn admits. While removing her hood from her head, my commander mentions, "Lord Blaise, he's the source of this lead in Australia."
Rumors.
Again, that's all they ever are.
Without solid proof, I'm chasing a shadow of a ghost instead of using what I do have right in front of me.
"We'll proceed with eliminating the Larson line first," I can see the slight anger in Rynn's features rise at my decision. I know she wants to get to the source of the problem, but my brother's death won't be in v
ain. I remind her, "Enos' killers are still alive, and Annika is the source for finding them."
Jared.
Rynn offers me a quirky smirk before she states, "What of his daughter?"
"What of her?" I remark right back, noticing Flynn turning his gaze away from us, dismissing his very presence to change.
"You're going to kill her once Jared is dead...correct?" She tilts her head to the side, analyzing my actions before I've given her a response.
I think about it for a moment, but decide to leave her with, "We'll see."
"You know better than anyone not to get attached to your enemy," she scoffs at me, "if Erebus would have seen what his son was turning into..." her voice trails off while finishing with, "...maybe your mother would still be alive."
My hands lash out, and I grasp the front of her leather top, a slight gasp leaving her lips when I pull her toward me. Her hands grab at my wrists when she's forced to stare up into my now black rose irises. I growl lowly before I remind her, "Hunters were coined that name by the vampires...when in truth, they are a subspecies of our own..."
"Your father-"
"My father was stupid," I snarl right back, releasing hold of her while she takes a few steps away. Truly, if the hunters hadn't been obsessed with protecting humans and valuing their lives, we wouldn't be here right now...they would be aligned with us instead of working against us at every turn.
There's a reason my brother was crowned king over my father's name and now my own...
Chapter 4
-Annika
"You'll regret this day, bitch," the vampire snarls with venom laced into each word before he turns away from me and takes off in the opposite direction, two more falling in behind him, one with long fiery red hair that falls in curls down her back while the other's brown hair shields his eyes as they make their escape from the warehouse.
Perhaps a small part of me is holding onto the idea that this is all a dream, that everything around me is nothing more than a vivid hallucination. I want to wake to the smell of my grandmother's freshly baked cinnamon pancakes; the syrup is poured over the stack of three as I enter the kitchen with my stomach growling.
My stomach does growl, but it's not because of my grandmother's doing.
No, I'm living a nightmare now. The reality of the dangerous situation I find myself in causes me to second guess every choice I've made in my life up to this point in time.
My eyelids flutter open, waking slowly while my eyes quickly scan the dungeon around me. The cold of the still air seeps through my flesh and freezing my bones. The icy feeling that floods my arms is not from the dungeon's unforgiving temperature, lifting my gaze to see that my wrists are still bound together by the chains.
All of this is real...
The chain hardly gives when I give a quick tug. Regret floods my aching body from the punishment it has already endured. It wasn't much what Locaine had done to me, but I'm sure there is far worse planned for the future, and I need to find a way out of this situation before any violent actions escalate.
Wincing while a grimace spreads across my face, the faint sound of the chains clinking from the links rubbing together meets my ears. My stomach throbs with a dull pain, my hip sustaining a far worse injury, knowing the bone is slowly healing from within, but I can feel the deep bruising lingering behind.
Is he going to beat me every day until he decides to kill?
What's his true end goal if I'm to be abused like this, knowing I'm here because of my father and his actions against Enos along with also ending my sister's life.
When I glance at the cage, the one holding women like cattle, I notice that they have fallen fast asleep. They huddle together for warmth, clutching onto one another like a security blanket. In my same field of view, I notice two of the women who had previously been chained to the wall by their neck are no longer within the space of the dungeon. The one left behind is the young woman Adam had been assaulting earlier, repeating horribly nasty things to her, degrading and making her feel worthless.
Did they kill them?
Have they drained them dry?
These thoughts are no stranger to me, knowing humans are only usefully for few things for vampires. A few of those include: a light snack or a large meal, taking care of their home and let's not forget the apparent use as a sex slave because let's face it...apparently, they can't find many willing to sleep with them.
When I take a few steps to the right, it feels like I'm treading on pins and needles, my feet have fallen asleep as I had with the position I had been left in. My boots clicked softly against the stone flooring, attempting to pull the chain with me, however, it hardly budges, and my efforts are entirely wasted.
"Fuck..." I mutter under my breath in irritation.
My voice draws attention from the young woman chained to the wall across from my cell. She must have been asleep, the tired look in her eyes clear and the pain from what she's endured past and present surfacing.
She gasps at my sudden vocalization by asking, "Hello? Are you awake?"
No...I just mutter obscenities in my sleep.
The young woman is searching for me in the darkness, the lights having been turned off with little visibility for that of the normal naked human eye. Thankfully, my hunter sight places me right at home in the darkness, staring at the young woman while she turns her head in different directions attempting to find me.
"Who are you?" She questions me from the shadows, her voice a fearful quiver while I see a few unshed tears visible at the brim of her eyes.
My arms once again feel the numbness slowly returning, the amount of time I've been chained to the ceiling is beginning to take a toll on my limbs restrained above me. My legs are weak, relating to what gelatin must feel like from standing so long. Exhaustion clouds my body's judgment, wanting nothing more than to curl up on the ground and take a nice long nap to recuperate. The bed at my grandparents' house seems tempting at this moment, the covers pulled back and welcoming me to a blissful sleep as the sweet smell of lavender pillow spray consumes my senses.
I'll be lucky if I ever walk free from chains again, let alone take a catnap.
The thought of my grandparents suddenly terrifies me...
...do they know about my grandparents? Surely, they must...
"Hello?" Her voice breaks through the silence of the room, the only other sound is that of the rhythmic breathing coming from the women in the cage. The young woman's voice is slightly louder this time around, and a small amount of confidence follows behind it.
I whisper back to her, "My name is Annika."
In her sudden rush of excitement, finding it within me as her companion, she tries to rise to her feet. Her efforts are wasted though, forgetting about the chain that is locked securely around her neck while it forces her back to the ground with a vicious yank on her neck muscles. The force makes her groan when her ass hits the stone floor, furrowing my brows as she thinks about doing it one more time, but makes the better judgment to remain seated.
Instead, the young woman introduces herself, "My name is Carly," she pauses a moment, a noted hesitation in her voice when she asks, "What was the Master saying about you earlier?" It's almost like she's speaking from a myth when she asks, "Are you a hunter?" Her voice seems to lighten as the last word rolls off her tongue.
"No," I reply flatly back to her, and I glance up to the ceiling. Narrowing my eyes at the point where the chain embeds into the ceiling, I once again yank hard on my chains, watching at the way it gives ever so slightly before snapping me back into place. When I realize I won't be able to simply muscle my way through any of this I take a moment and sigh, "Alright...technically...yes, I am a hunter."
Admitting something is the first step to recovery...
"I didn't think there were any more vampire hunters left alive," she is almost starstruck and in awe at my very presence, something I am entirely not used to feeling as I love my quiet personal me time that involves no one staring at me in a m
anner such as she is, "Master Locaine has been killing off hunter families," she lowers her head, her eyes fixating on the ground in front of her. I can see the tears reaching maximum capacity, ready to fall down her cheeks at the thought of what Locaine has been doing. I would think she'd be more sympathetic to her own kind, but here she is about ready to shed tears for a species she has no association with.
She lets out a shaky and rattily breath when she admits, "That means...no one will save us. When all the bloodlines are killed, they will take over. The vampires will fear nothing..."
My heart skips a beat at the mere mention of Locaine's intentions. He isn't randomly striking down whoever he pleases, there is a method to his madness and the way he selects his targets.
Killing vampire hunter families...is this pureblood indeed that powerful to take on a task such as this?
"I know my family is alive...at least a couple of members anyways," my eyelids close shut, the image of my grandparents waving goodbye to me as I left with Susie to celebrate my twenty-first birthday comes flooding back like a slide show. They can take care of themselves...having been through more life experiences then I have, they know how to kill vampires with far superior knowledge then I possess.
"Are your eyes..." her voice trails off, a hesitation on the beat of the last word and she finishes, "...you know?" She questions me as if expecting me to tell her everything. I can't help the feeling I get when others speak of the difference in my irises, the judgment, the reactions...it's hard to live a healthy life among the humans I walk among.
A small smile makes its way onto my lips, understanding that she knows a lot more about hunters than I give her credit for. I answer her question with a continuation of her own question, "Are they white, do you mean?"
With a quick reply and a slight nod of her head she says quietly, "Yes."
When I take a moment to pause, collecting my thoughts before thinking through everything I am to tell this simple human woman, she continues, "Can you really see in the dark? Just like the vampires?"
To confirm her suspicions and lay to rest the rumors she has been told I reply simply, "Perfectly," letting that one-word roll right off my tongue, a twitch at the corners of her lips turning them up into a small smile of her own.
