by Martha Woods
Liam didn't say another word, only following him out the door after smiling slightly to their companions. A short car trip awaited him, the two men staring ahead at the road, not speaking a word to each other the entire time. They knew what they each needed to do, there was no use in going over the plan again, Cayden was a professional and Liam was a natural predator, they were born for situations like this.
They pulled up about four-hundred yards from the farm house that was their destination, confident that the remote location would give them a few days until people came knocking. More than enough time to get in and do what they needed to do. Given that it was three in the morning, the men they were after had long since fallen asleep, but they didn't take any chances on their approach, killing the lights on the car and shutting the doors slowly behind them.
"There's probably one around the back who isn't sleeping, probably betting that no one would be stupid enough to come around through the front. I trust that you can handle that one?"
Liam snarled, clenching his fist in anticipation. "Trust me, they won't even know what happened to him." His feet were silent as they padded through the grass, Cayden having to focus to be able to even catch a hint of noise. If he couldn't do that when he knew Liam was there, they had no chance.
The sound of the rear guard’s neck snapping rung through the silent night, Cayden wasting no time in planting his foot in the center of the front door and sending it flying off its hinges. He cocked the shotgun, firing through one of the doors when it started to swing open, the guard behind it collapsing back against the wall and laying motionless. He swung his head to the side when he heard a slide being drawn back, only looking in time to see an unfortunate hunter being dragged around the corner screaming, the screaming coming to a very abrupt halt. Liam walked around the corner, hand dripping blood and his eyes glowing in the darkness, cracking his neck when he came to a stop.
"Three down, three to go."
Panicked footsteps echoed above them, their targets clearly having no idea of who or what was attacking them. Cayden looked down the hallway, seeing that the only way up there was up a stairway which no doubt had at least three guns trained on it. If he went up there he would be shredded in no time at all, even Liam was likely to not make it considering how prepared Cayden knew these hunters used to be. Even if they were panicking now their guns were likely loaded with silver, it would only take one or two shots landing to bring everything to a quick halt.
Slowly, Cayden pointed his shotgun up, discharging a shot into the roof where he thought a hunter was sitting. The shout of panic told him that he didn't hit anything, but that wasn't completely his motive.
"Hey Liam," He smirked deviously, his tone dark, "I've got an idea."
* * *
Roger jumped back from where he had been sitting, buckshot tearing apart the floor and shooting splinters into his legs. His scream was one of alarm rather than pain, scrambling to pick his gun up off the ground and train it on the stairwell again. Whoever was attacking them might have smart ideas about trying to draw them out, but at the end of the day they had to come up here for a fight if they really wanted what they were protecting.
He nodded his head at Henry, the larger man taking slow steps towards the back, wood creaking below his feet each time he placed one down. He clicked the lock shut on the back room, the last thing they needed being him to get free. He was about to walk forward again when the floor exploded in front of him, another shot tearing its way through and embedding itself in the ceiling. Henry fell sideways, pushing up and throwing himself across a desk just as the intruder fired again, a corner of the desk disintegrating and throwing him aside again.
"Fuck you! You come up here you cowards!" Roger clicked the safety off on his pistol, looking around frantically. "I'm right here!"
"Roger shut the fuck up!" Keith slid along the wall, weapon shaking in his hands and his eyes darting back and forth. In any other situation Roger would have a lot of sympathy, given that this was his second month on the job, but as it was he was only a hindrance in this situation.
"Keep aiming at that stairwell, and don't even think about aiming anywhe-"
His words were cut off when the floor came alive once more, shots firing through seemingly at random, though three in quick succession weakened the floor in front of the back door. The three hunters jumped around, trying desperately not to be shredded by gunfire, stray pellets nicking their skin and splinters digging into their legs. In the midst of all the chaos, Roger noticed heavy footsteps falling below them, heading quickly towards the stairwell.
"The stairs! They're going for the stairs!" He yelled, the three of them pointing their guns forward just as the steps started creaking. Henry stepped to the side carefully, his feet perilously close to the edge of the weakened floor. It was his biggest and last mistake.
Liam slammed his way upwards, the destroyed floorboards giving way easily as the shifter wrapped a hand around Henry's ankle, yanking down as he rose up. The hunters leg snapped easily, his heavy form being swung effortlessly across the room, his back colliding with Roger just as he began to fire at the stairs. The impact made his shot go wild, firing blindly into the ceiling as he went down, Keith shouting out in alarm when the pellets came too close for comfort.
"Watch where you're-" A shotgun blast ended his statement, his body falling to the ground sans head while his two companions watched on in agony.
"Well, that worked just about perfect didn't it?" Cayden walked in, cocking his shotgun again while he looked down at the two survivors. "And what about you two? Do you have anything that you want to tell us?"
Roger grunted, wanting to shake Henry off him but not wanting to risk being shot. He looked up at Cayden with a look that radiated pure hatred, tone dripping with venom when he said, "Fuck you, and that thing that you're friends with."
Cayden hummed, nodding to himself. "Alright then." He placed the end of the barrel against Roger's head, giving him just enough time to realize what was going to happen, his eyes widening in sudden horror. "See ya."
Henry shouted in pain when the tremendous boom of the shotgun exploded next to his head, shattering his ear drum and shooting pure bolts of agony down his spine. "God!" He rolled over onto the floor, hands pressed over his ears and his teeth clenched to try and stem some of the pain, gasping suddenly when a boot forced its way into his stomach and forced him to roll over onto his back. He stared up at the man who had just murdered two of his friends in front of him, not able to even speak when Cayden reached up and swiped a hand across his face, wiping off a spatter of blood that had made its way up.
"I hope that you won't be rude to my friend like he was." He cocked the shotgun in warning. "I don't think I need to give you a warning about what'll happen otherwise."
"Alright, alright don't shoot me!" Henry put his hands up, wincing when Liam grabbed them and hauled him over to sit against the wall. "Jesus Christ, be gentle, would you?"
"Don't push your luck." Liam growled, "You remember us, don't you? From a month ago, I'm sure you wouldn't forget something like that so quickly."
"Shit." His head fell back against the wall. "I was at the back, so I didn't see much but... Shit, it's you."
"Yeah. It's me." The shifter wrapped a hand around his captive’s throat, squeezing down just enough that it was clear he could snap it like a twig. "You know what was taken from me that night, taken from my family. I could spend hours with each one of you explaining what it feels like, but I'm going to give you one chance to step away from that."
Henry looked between the two of them, seeing clearly that there was no mercy present in either of their faces, he'd seen that face many a time when he and his friends were preparing to go on a hunt, and it never meant anything good for who it was focused on. He never thought that he would be on the receiving end, but after the month that they had all been through it was hardly a surprise. He sighed in resignation, "What do you need me to do?"
"Tell me where Christia
n is going, tell me where it is that he plans to run to."
"Shit..." Henry closed his eyes, expecting to die right then and there. "I don't know where he's going, I really don't." The cold metal of the barrel pressed against his forehead, the hunter sucking in a breath that he was certain he was not going to release. "Please, I'm telling the truth! He doesn't tell people like us those sorts of things, it's probably only two or three people who know at this point!"
"What do you think?" Cayden looked over at Liam, not once taking his finger off the trigger.
Liam sniffed the air, seeing the beads of sweat sliding down Henry's temple. "He's not lying, if he is then he's better than anyone I've ever seen." He kicked Henry's broken leg, ignoring the yelp of pain. "What can you tell us? Now isn't the time to be coy, trust me."
"Alright, there's another place further west, we usually pass through there whenever we're making long range trip between coasts. If he's going the way we think he is, then there's no way that he hasn't passed through there. That's your best bet for finding out where he is." Henry backed up further against the wall, placing a shaking hand between the barrel of the shotgun and his head. "I know that it's a big ask, and I know that all you want right now is to see me dead... But come on man, I'm not a threat to either of you, not now, not like this! Just... Let me go, you'll never see me ever again, it'll be like I never existed in the first place!"
Liam was about to speak when he heard something shuffling behind the back door, some small disturbance that sounded suspiciously like whimpering. With the way Henry's eyes lit up in fear, it was clear that it was something of great value. Which meant that for the captive hunter, it was something of great consequence. He walked over to the door, hand clamping around the lock and tearing it off the door, the flimsy piece of wood swinging out on its hinges and revealing the contents of the room, and the sight hardened Liam's heart even further.
A young man, likely no more than twenty years old sat tied into a chair, face gaunt and dried blood plain on his shirt. The man looked up at Liam, and the way his eyes shone in the darkness told the shifter all he needed to know. "Cayden?" He said, eyes never leaving the prisoner in front of him. "Get it over with."
Neither Liam nor the prisoner flinched at the gunshot, the only movement made were cautious footsteps behind the chair, a quick claw slicing through the ropes keeping him contained and a gentle hand placed upon a bruised shoulder. "I know it's not much to think about right now, but you're safe. No one is going to hurt you anymore. We just saw to that."
"You're right, it's not much to think about." The young man stretched out his limbs, standing and making his way towards Henry's body. "He was one of the worst, apparently he had a real grudge with things like me. You're probably not going to want to see this next part, so I recommend going downstairs. They kept some pictures of other members, some receipts and junk like that, might be useful to you."
Cayden shuddered once he and Liam were halfway down the stairs. At Liam's questioning gaze, he answered, "Vampires. I'll never get used to that thing they do. It's a big no for me."
* * *
The closet downstairs had been a veritable treasure trove, pictures and details of members of the organization laid sorted into neat little boxes which were so easily filtered through. The two of them had their arms full as they loaded each box into the car, not wanting to waste such a golden opportunity to learn more about their enemy. With each box they loaded, each picture that Cayden caught a small glimpse of, he couldn't help the heavy feeling he got in his chest. Only a few years ago these men and women had been his comrades, he would have died for them, and they for him, even after a betrayal like the one he had experienced it was hard to completely shut himself off from his emotions. Maybe some of them would see reason, maybe they would lay their guns down and try and see that peace was the true way of the future.
Though it was highly likely that most of them would go to their grave happily cursing his name, that was just something he was going to have to live with.
"Alright, that's the last one." Cayden slammed the trunk closed, clapping his hands together. "Let's get out of here, no need to stick around."
Liam flicked his head at the house. "What about him?"
"Yes." A voice appeared right next to Cayden's head, the hunter leaping into the air and spinning around in shock, seeing the vampire leaning casually on the back of the car. "What about him?"
"Don't you have somewhere to go?" Liam asked, inclining his head. "Someone who's waiting for you?"
He shrugged. "Nope, no one and nowhere to go back to. I am free as a bird that's just been let out of jail." He wiped a drop of blood away from his mouth, holding his hand out. "Name's Iggy by the way, thanks for busting me out."
"I'm Liam, the one who looks nauseous is Cayden." Liam shook his hand, the practiced, cool handshake of a businessman. "Very nice to meet you."
"So what are you boys up to now? You just rolling around the country shooting down the self-righteous wherever it is they make their stand?" He threw his hands out, imitating a cowboy. "You two some sort of protectors then?"
"Not... In those exact words. But we are doing the first part." Cayden came forward, standing with his arms crossed. "Not exactly the nicest group of guys you'll ever meet."
"Yeah, tell me about it." Iggy scoffed, tapping the roof of the car. "You guys want some help?"
The offer caught them both off guard, though Liam recovered quickly. "We're not exactly in the market..."
"Oh come on, I can bring some things to the table and I want to see these guys go down just as much as you do." Iggy's eyes twinkled, his sharp teeth glinting in the night. "Besides, if you get sick of me you can always kill me."
"Do you know how to do that?" Liam asked Cayden, to which the hunter shrugged.
"Kill a vampire? Yeah I've done that a couple times."
"Alright then." He turned back to Iggy, nodding slowly and extending his hand. "Welcome aboard, don't make us regret this."
"Oh trust me..." Iggy said, "You're not the ones who have to worry about me."
Chapter 7
It was only a matter of time until Christian and Claire fell back into bed together. He knew it, she knew it, and unbeknownst to them half the members of the clan knew it, but they could hardly bring themselves to care much about that little detail right now. Not when his hands tugged roughly on her hair and her fingernails dug shallow channels in his chest, working feverishly to tear the shirt off his body, the two of them blind to anything else in the world at that moment that wasn't the person in from of them.
"You sure that you want this?" Christian asked, but he already knew the answer. The question was more of a formality, one that they both needed considering how fresh everything still was, the memory of Laura still one that brought a pang of regret into their hearts.
Claire nodded, teeth dragging over the exposed skin of his chest, buttons falling to the floor when she finally succeeded in tearing the fabric. "I want you, I have for so long. And tonight I'm going to do what I've always wanted to do to you."
"What's..." He grinned when she started to lower herself, not breaking eye contact with him for a second. "Oh. "
"Just relax..." Claire slid a finger over the rapidly growing tent in his pants, licking her lips in anticipation. "Let me take care of you, the way I know you want me to."
Christian sighed in relief when his fly was undone, his semi-hard length falling free and into her waiting hand. She worked back and forth, squeezing down at his base before sliding back up, gently twisting her hand as she went. He was almost fully hard within seconds, the head of his cock sticking out proudly and demanding her attention, precum already beading at the tip.
Claire flicked her tongue out, sweeping over his tip and making his entire body shudder, the young woman giggling at his reaction and blushing at his taste, wasting no time in putting her tongue back upon him. He looked down at her with wide eyes, not quite able to believe that this incredible woman, who he had
come to know as family, was on her knees in front of him, servicing him with a smile. She leaned down further, licking from the base of his shaft up to his twitching head, smile growing just as his moan did likewise, delighting in the choked gasp he gave her when she opened her mouth further and swallowed his first few inches.
Christian almost fell forward in shock, his hands placed on the top of her head to keep him balanced and to reassure him that he wasn't dreaming this, her skilled mouth reducing him to little more than putty quite literally in her hands. Each little moan, each giggle that left her throat vibrated up his spine, shooting spikes of pure pleasure into his brain and leaving him breathless, only able to limply guide her back and forth along his length, the strength that he normally had in encounters like this momentarily evading him. Once she swallowed down to the base, her nose brushing against the taut muscles of his stomach, he could swear that he saw god, visions of light exploding behind his closed eyelids and his mouth falling open in a pure declaration of bliss.
"Come on," She said, pulling off of him to tongue idly at his sac. "I know I said I'd take care of you, but it's not like you to hold yourself back. Go ahead, do your worst."
He took her request to heart, wrapping her hair around his hands and pressing against the back of her skull, pulling her up and back onto his hardness. She gagged when he forced it to the back of her throat, thighs rubbing together as arousal hit her like a freight train, tears welling up in her eyes from the pressure while her lips stretched in an open-mouthed smile.
"Is this what you want?" He growled, "Is this how you want me to treat you? Is this what you deserve?"
Her throat vibrated around him, he wasn't certain, but he could swear she was trying to say "Yes!", though it was hard to tell with the lack of coherent speech she was capable of. His pace was relentless, breath coming in short, gasping breaths that she was lucky to get, her throat plugging before she could get down more than a quick suck of air before his stiff length took its place. Even still, she placed her hands on the backs of his thighs, pulling him deeper into her even as he pulled her down onto him, the younger woman desperate to feel him even deeper, to have him ravage places that few had even managed to reach before.
