A Hunt Among Vampires (The Angel Series)

by M. Cheykota

  A Hunt Among Vampires

  By M. Cheykota

  Copyright M. Cheykota 2012

  Acknowledgements

  Thank God for my brother and his wife! Once again, they have both outdone themselves with their support of my dreams and their overwhelming willingness to help me in whatever way possible. I keep wishing there was a way I could repay them for their support, but nothing ever seems to be enough, in my eyes. I’m glad I believe in karma, because I know a way will present itself that will allow me to return the favor ten-fold.

  I also want to thank all the readers that took the chance to read my book and enjoy the story.

  Once again, I must thank my brother for his time and effort in creating this remarkable book cover that I love!

  I dedicate this book to my brother and his wife!

  Prologue

  Being half angel, half vampire has its benefits, for sure. My vampire half allows me to have phenomenal eyesight, hearing, speed, strength and some mind control abilities like reading thoughts, manipulating minds, or speaking telepathically. My angel half gives me some of those same gifts along with the ability to shift my shape into any animal and walk in the daylight. Oh yeah, did I forget to mention that I am truly immortal? I am not long-lived like a vampire, but truly immortal. If someone chops off my head, I will transform into my corporeal form, like my mother. Lilly, my mother, is an honest to God angel. She decided to live as a mortal for a while and entered the world through birth, rather than share a human’s body as some angels do. She and her human sister Maddy grew up together.

  My mom fell in love with my vampire dad, Jacob, and less than a year later, I was born, due to the angel’s ability to procreate with any species. Hours after my birth, a powerful tête de ligne, and my father’s sire, Hassan, killed my parents. He and two other vampires, Demetri and Jacques, drained my mother’s body of her precious angel blood after killing my father. They intended to do the same to me, but my mother’s quick thinking prevented them from finding me as a helpless infant. At the last moment, she telepathically commanded the nurse to take me to her human sister, my Aunt Maddy.

  For seventeen years, I lived in Aunt Maddy’s basement, hidden away from the world until one night Hassan returned to finish what he didn’t the day I was born. Luckily, I managed to escape, running into the night, leaving the dead body of my Aunt Maddy on her living room floor.

  Since then, I’ve managed to find my place in the world. With no formal education or identification, I moved towards a more dangerous lifestyle. My years of martial arts training and my desire to remain non-existent pushed me towards my current occupation. I am a mercenary. If you can afford my fee, I will get it done.

  As much as I enjoy being half vampire, half angel, there are some downsides. For one, angel blood is very desired and addicting to vampires. One whiff of my blood and a vampire is likely going to want to drain me dry. Angel blood never changes its properties outside of our bodies. It will never cool or break down as human blood does. Also, the blood of an angel can increase a vampire’s power. These unique attributes of my blood make me a target for all vampires. Another disadvantage, or more like a minor inconvenience, is when an angel shifts their shape their animal will always be white, regardless of the creature’s natural color. Fortunately, for me, the color has not been too much of a hindrance.

  As half-angel, I am unable to control the mind of a vampire. I can create long lasting effects, but complete control, as I can control a human, is not possible. On the bright side, vampires are unable to control me either. Supposedly, I’m an anomaly that vampires want to drain and other beings don’t want to exist.

  Many may think that the pros outweigh the cons. For me, they don’t. All I’ve ever wanted was to be a normal human being. Most vampires may not know that I exist, but a simple paper cut in a room full of vampires could change that in an instant. Who would have guessed that I would follow my mother’s example and fall for a vampire? I certainly did not, but once I saw the handsome Christien Aleran at my favorite nightclub, Blixen, I knew I was in trouble. The handsome, French, over 1500 year old vampire swept me off my feet and we’ve been together ever since, despite any lingering protests I may have.

  Not long ago, Christien and I worked together, along with my best friend and werewolf, Roman, to stave off an attack by Hassan’s get. Unfortunately, the fight was a successful distraction, meant to allow Hassan time to get away. Since then, Hassan has been in hiding. As long as Hassan lives, Christien and I feel the secret of what I am, may never be safe.

  So, our hunt for Hassan continues.

  Chapter 1

  It has been over a week and there has been no sign of Christien’s sire, and tête de ligne de sang, Hassan, since the fight in the warehouse.

  My best friend Tyler has been locked away downstairs recuperating from his recent change from human to vampire, so I decide to pay him a visit since Christien and Roman are at the warehouse dealing with his new vampires he acquired from what is left of Hassan’s get.

  I get dressed and on my way to visit Tyler downstairs, I run into Kayle in the hallway.

  “Are you feeling better?” I am happy to see him up and moving easier since receiving a knife to the heart during the fight protecting me.

  “I am feeling much better, thank you Jess.” He responds sincerely.

  “I never got a chance to thank you for saving my life. Thank you Kayle.”

  “You have quickly returned the favor and have saved mine in allowing me to feed from you to heal my wound.”

  Awkward silence fills the air around us for several moments.

  “I don’t like to be in debt to anyone.” I joke with him to ease the tension of our, so far, strained friendship.

  He snorts, continuing down the hallway to go downstairs. “Obviously, you do not.”

  As we are walking down the stairs, the front doorbell rings. Kayle answers the door and freezes.

  I can feel someone powerful radiating from the doorway out of my view. I think it is Hassan so I grab my daggers and run to the door, then pause beside Kayle.

  A petite woman with blood red hair, pale skin, bluish eyes, and freckles is standing at the door. She looks at me. Her blue-grey eyes flash with curiosity, but return to normal quickly. She looks back at Kayle. “I am Jolene from the Vampire Council. I am here to deliver a message to your master.”

  Kayle blocks the doorway with his body and stares at the petite woman standing on the porch. “My master is not here.”

  Stubbornly, the woman raises her chin in defiance. “The Council has sent me here to deliver a message to Christien Aleran. He must come forth now.”

  “I told you, my master is not here. I will inform him of the Council’s request when he returns.” Kayle repeats inflexibly.

  He moves to shut the door when the woman announces, “I will wait for his return.”

  “Very well.” He almost has the door shut when the woman speaks up again. “Surely you do not intend on making me wait here outside alone until your master returns. Where are your manners? I am a representative sent from the Vampire Council. Are you going to invite me inside as your guest?”

  Kayle frowns and looks at me, giving me a pleading ‘Help me!’ look. He blanks his face before looking back at the petite woman. “I am under my master’s strict orders not to invite anyone into his home without his expressed permission. You may return to the estate when he is here.”

  “As a representative of the Vampire Council, you will acknowledge my authority and invite me inside.” She demands capturing Kayle’s eyes with hers.

  Kayle opens his mouth to follow her command, but I reach up, grab his head with my left
hand and twist it hard to the left. His neck breaks and he crumbles to the floor. I step over Kayle, pushing his body away from the door with my foot. Standing in front of the pale, freckled faced, red-haired woman, I look her up and down appraisingly.

  The woman stares back at me with a disbelieving and uncertain look on her face. “Who are you?”

  Rolling my eyes at the woman, I shut the door in her face and lock it without answering.

  Kayle’s broken neck heals quickly. He gets back to his feet rubbing his neck. “Thank you for that. It seems now I am in your debt once again.”

  “I broke your neck so you could not invite her inside. I would hardly call you owing me anything for that.” I explain sheepishly.

  “It does not matter the reason. That vampire cannot enter this house. We would all be vulnerable to her if she comes inside. No one should answer the door until Christien returns, especially no humans.” Kayle demands.

  Kayle and I go through the house giving orders to everyone not to open any doors leading outside until further notice. No one is to go near any windows or answer any knocks coming from outside the house. We confine the humans inside the house to their living quarters. The vampires are to stay in the basement. The house feels empty as Kayle and I stroll through the hallways looking for anyone we might have missed. After dealing with the attack from Hassan’s vampires last week, we are being extremely cautious, especially because we have not found Hassan yet. With Christien away dealing with his newly acquired vampires, we don’t want to take any unnecessary risks.

  Worried, I grab my cell phone and call my best friend, Roman, since he is at the warehouse with Christien. He answers on the third ring.

  “Hey Jess, what’s up?” Roman answers cheerfully.

  “I need to talk to Christien right away. We have a problem here and he needs to come back.” I tell him animatedly.

  Humor gone, he asks. “What’s wrong?”

  Speaking fast, I inform him about the woman from the Vampire Council showing up at the door. I explain what the woman tried to do with Kayle and how I had to break Kayle’s neck to keep him from inviting the woman inside. Finishing, I inform him that we have locked the humans in their bedrooms and vampires in the basement until Christien gets back to the estate.

  Roman listens patiently and agrees to talk to Christien about the developments at the house as soon as he can get to him. As I hang up, the doorbell rings again. Looking out the peephole, I see the top of red hair belonging to the woman from the Vampire Council.

  I call out through the closed door. “What do you want? Christien is not here.”

  “My name is Jolene. I am from the Vampire Council. I am here to deliver a message to Christien. Open the door.” Jolene orders.

  “No.”

  “You will do what I say! I am not going anywhere. The Council needs to speak to Christien right away.” She demands in a shrill tone.

  “What does the Vampire Council want to talk to Christien about? I can give him the message when he gets back.” I offer pleasantly.

  “That is none of your concern. I will discuss that with Christien. If he refuses to see me, I will have to report his refusal back to the Council.”

  “He’s not here!” I shout out frustrated with Jolene’s stubbornness.

  “If you truly want me to believe that, let me come in and check for myself.”

  “I cannot allow you inside without his permission. Seeing that he’s not here, I don’t know what you expect me to do.” I stall.

  “So be it.” Jolene snarls at me before turning away from the door.

  “Let me call him.” I offer in a panic.

  “You admit he is inside now?” Jolene asks shrewdly.

  “No he’s not here. I am going to use a device called a telephone. Something you should have used before showing up here, unannounced.”

  “Fine, then I shall report back to the Vampire Council that Christien’s get would not allow me inside to see him.” She starts walking towards her car.

  In a panic, I open the door and call out to her as she is walking towards the driveway. “Wait! He really isn’t here.”

  Out of nowhere, Christien floats from the sky and lands silently in front of me. I breathe a sigh in relief as I watch him land awestruck.

  I didn’t know vampires could fly. I wonder if I can fly.

  I watch as Christien approaches Jolene from behind.

  Jolene spins around when she detects his presence and looks just as startled as I am by his sudden appearance and unexpected entrance.

  “Who are you?” Christien asks with anger in his voice. “Why are you bothering my vampires?”

  Jolene frowns before blanking her facial expression. “You must be Christien Aleran. Your vampires wanted me to believe that you were not here.”

  “I have only just arrived. Again, I am asking, who are you?” Anger creeps into Christien’s tone.

  “I am Jolene. I am a representative from the Vampire Council. I have been sent here to summon you before the Council.” She replies in an arrogant manner.

  “Why does the Vampire Council wish to see me?”

  “A complaint has been filed by your sire, Hassan, stating that you have become a rogue vampire. He also states that you are unmanageable and dangerous.” She answers arrogantly.

  “I am not a rogue vampire. I only choose not to follow in my sire’s chosen path.”

  “That is not for me to decide. The Council expects you to appear before them for judgment immediately. If you refuse to appear, the council will take that as an act of defiance and have you executed.” Jolene announces, daring Christien to defy their summons.

  “I cannot appear before the Council immediately. I have a new fledgling that I have sired less than a week ago. I require at least 6 weeks for his transition into vampirism as demanded by vampire law. It would not be safe to move him in his condition.”

  The woman considers his request for a moment. “If you show me this new vampire, I could return to the Council with your response.”

  Christien nods while he telepathically communicates with Kayle to bring Tyler outside.

  I am still standing on the porch watching Jolene and Christien stare at each other in the driveway.

  A few minutes later, Kayle appears escorting Tyler to Christien. As they pass, Tyler’s eyes flash silver and he smiles at me. Tyler tries to move closer to me, but Kayle grabs him by the back of the neck and leads him towards Christien.

  Jolene reads Tyler’s surface thoughts then looks back at Christien. “I will inform the Council that you have a new fledgling. The Council will expect you to appear before them within 6 weeks. If you do not appear, you will have an execution order issued on you for turning rogue.”

  “I will attend the meeting as the Council requests.” Christien replies diplomatically.

  Jolene nods in satisfaction and starts walking towards her waiting car.

  Christien interrupts her retreat issuing a threat. “If you ever threaten another one of my vampires again when you know they are telling the truth, you will answer to me.”

  Jolene lashes out at Christien using her power, but he easily brushes off the attack. Her eyes widen in fear and surprise.

  Christien looks back at Tyler and Kayle. He telepathically tells Kayle to take Tyler inside and back into solitary confinement to keep everyone safe from Tyler’s blood thirst.

  Kayle’s eyes lock with mine for a brief moment before he escorts Tyler inside. I am not sure what the hidden message he is trying to convey to me might be, but his expression sends my defenses up and puts me on guard.

  Jolene watches them return to the house.

  “Is there something else you would like to discuss with me before you return to the Council, Jolene?” Christien begins circling her slowly.

  A cold drop of sweat snakes its way down my back. I am getting the feeling that something is very wrong. Looking around anxiously, my hands itch to pull out my dual daggers that are snug in their sheaths against
my ribs under my arms. I can feel the hilts brushing the waistband of my pants as I shift my stance.

  “I don’t know what you are talking about.” Jolene replies, turning her head around to keep her eyes on Christien.

  “If you are done with your tests, I would like you…” Christien’s gaze flicks over the trees near the front wall surrounding the property. “And the Governors you have brought with you, to leave my property and return to the Council.”

  “I … how did you know?” Jolene asks with wide eyes and a shocked expression.

  “I have a security system.” He shrugs, dismissing her question. “The question I have for you is… why would the Vampire Council send this many Governors with you to inform me of their request?” Christien asks Jolene in a curious tone and looks back at me. His face is completely void of any emotion.

  As I start moving closer to Christien, his eyes flash to concern so I stop moving. Only a slight nodding motion confirms that he does not want me to come closer, but I cannot figure out why.

  Vampires drop from hiding in the trees all around the property. I grab the daggers from under my arms instinctively.

  “That will not be necessary, ma chatte petite. They are only revealing themselves to me. They cannot attack me without the expressed permission of the Vampire Council.” He smiles knowingly towards Jolene.

  Jolene’s face tightens in anger. “The Governors were only brought as a precautionary measure to secure my safety.” She says smugly.

  “No one here will attack you without just cause. If you are looking for a fight Jolene, it will not be with me unless you are the one to start it.”

  “I did have reason to believe you would be the one starting a fight.” Jolene murmurs.