Prologue

I didn’t know what to expect. Really, what could I expect? All of this was new to me. Being with someone, loving someone, seemed like such a foreign concept. That is, until I met her.

 

She was running in the forest with another human, running quickly, seeming like she was trying to avoid something or someone. I shrank back, seeing as she was carrying many weapons, along with her counterpart, who turned to her and whispered something frantically. Their words drifted across the breeze towards me as they spoke.

 

“We have to split up!” The male said to her.

 

She nodded vigorously in agreement, before they abruptly parted. She continued to sprint through the forest with amazing grace for a human, yes, she was human. I could smell it, the blood pumping through her veins.

 

I watched as she took long strides which carried her over the ground quickly. She moved closer and closer towards me, soon passing right by the tree I crouched behind.

 

When she ran by me, the wind blew her scent towards me, and I inhaled. Hmm, so sweet and so pure, like rain. Before I knew what I was doing I ran after her, following her trail easily. Why I was doing this I didn’t know, and I really didn’t care either.

Chapter One

“Where are you going?” Miramar asked me, leaning in the doorway to my room.

 

I had just slipped into a shirt and was about to leave when she had shown up. I shrugged.

 

 “Gonna get a bite to eat. Wanna come with?” I asked.

 

She shook her head. “No, I’m good.”

 

“But I’m not.” Carline popped up from behind Miramar, grinning and flashing her fangs at me.

 

I rolled my eyes at her. “Like hell I’m taking you with me. I already have a headache, and I don’t need you coming and making it worse.”

 

Carline smirked at me. “To hell with you then. I’ll just go with someone else.”

 

Spinning around, Carline glided off in search of some other pour soul to bother. Miramar gave me a small smile before following her, finally allowing me to leave.

 

I opened my window up all the way, hopping out and then shutting it behind me. I didn’t feel like walking through the house and being harassed by random vampires, so this was easier. I took off at a flat out run, breathing in the deep woodsy scents that were especially strong to me. Dark, leafy trees passed by me quickly, and small leaves and branched crunched under my feet.

 

 I could be more discrete about my running if I wanted to, but I was being careless, and was not in any mood to sacrifice my attention to being quiet, even though it might be the reason why there was no blood-filled creature within miles of where I was. I sprinted through the greenery for a few more minutes, coming up with nothing, no scent, no trail, nothing. I began to get frustrated.

 

“Goddammit”, I muttered, beginning to slow down while considering other spots for a meal.

 

Just as I was about to stop, I heard a voice. Actually, it was a few voices, coming from my left. They were shouting very loudly about someone spotting a vampire. I held my breath in surprise for a moment, wondering if I had really been that conspicuous that someone had spotted me.

 

I thought maybe I should keep going or at least speed up, because at the moment I was going at only a brisk walk. However, I didn’t have much time to ponder my decision any longer, for fast-paced footsteps began coming towards me, and gaining speed as they went.

Chapter Two

I picked up the pace, sprinting quickly and pushing my speed much faster than any human could ever manage. I still heard the people behind me, however their steps were beginning to slow. I figured it was safe to stop. Ducking behind a tree for cover, I stayed there, listening closely.

 

      More footsteps, coming closer, until they abruptly halted a few feet away from where I hid. I heard someone begin gasping and coughing, probably one of the humans out of breath from all the running. A few minutes of that, and then there was silence.

 

I swallowed, not daring to breathe (which was pretty easy considering I didn’t need to), and waited. Still, I heard no one. I wondered for a moment how the person could’ve gotten away without me hearing them. Humans were incredibly loud. Oh well, whether the person was still there or not, they wouldn’t stand a chance at catching me, that is, if they even saw me.

 

I caught sight of the two figures, a male and a female. Both trying to catch their breath as their oxygen starved lungs cried out to them, and both seeming to be terrified of what was behind them.

 

      I realized then why they simply brushed by me as if I wasn’t even there. It was because I was not what they were after. They were not running to something-that something being me-rather, they were running from something. Or someone.

 

 

      The voices. The ones calling out that they had spotted a vampire. It must’ve been their hunting party. They must’ve crossed the line somehow, since they were currently running for their lives.

 

      I then directed my attention back to them, jogging until I was once again ahead and under the cover of the trees.

 

      I saw the girl first and I shrank back, seeing as she was carrying many weapons, along with her counterpart, who turned to her and whispered something frantically. Their words drifted across the breeze towards me as they spoke.

 

      “We have to split up!” The male said to her.

 

      She nodded vigorously in agreement, before they abruptly parted.

 

      She continued to sprint through the forest with amazing grace for a human, yes, she was human. I hadn’t really had a doubt, but now I was positive. I could smell it, the blood pumping through her veins. I watched as she took long strides which carried her over the ground quickly. She moved closer and closer towards me, soon passing right by the tree I crouched behind. When she ran by me, the wind blew her scent towards me, and I inhaled. Hmm, so sweet and so pure, like sunshine or rain. The scent had avoided me prior to their first passing, but not this time. Before I knew what I was doing I ran after her, following her trail easily. Why I was doing this I didn’t know, and I really didn’t care either.

 

      All I knew was that I could be walking right into dinner, or a trap. Didn’t really matter now, my decision had already been made. Following her trail was easy, her scent was like blaring red paint leaving a crimson ribbon on the forest floor. That was how simple it was to continue on her path.

 

      I wondered if she knew this. She was a hunter after all, shouldn’t she know to cover her tracks a bit better than this? One would think.

 

      One thing for sure was that she was fast for a mortal. Very fast. She easily swerved in and out of the trees and avoided large objects in her way. I was impressed. Impressed enough to spare her life and lose a meal? Hmm, it was an interesting inquiry.

 

      I didn’t have much time to think. She ran for only a few more minutes before she stopped and abruptly halted over, retching and gasping.

 

      I hadn’t been paying proper attention to how close I was to her. I nearly tripped over my own feet stopping, and ducking behind a thick oak. But I knew it was no use, she had heard me.

 

      The hunter stood fully erect, suddenly able to walk a few paces before she was leaning against a tree just a few feet away from me. She strung an arrow in her bow held expertly in her hands, and I gritted my teeth. Such a stupid, stupid mistake on my part. If Carline were here right now she would be laughing in my face. So much for letting the girl live if I wanted to.

 

      I shut my eyes and it that second something moved. I immediately looked to where the hunter had been standing. She was no longer there. It took me no more than a second to spot her, closer to me than ever with just a few trees separating us. She was aiming right at me, one of her blue eyes shut in concentration. Her thick black hair flowed to her waist, and some of her bangs hung in her pale face. She was so pale one could mistake her for an immortal, if it weren’t for her loudly beating heart and the sweet scent of her blood in the air.

 

      I kept looking at her, practically a sitting duck, and when we locked gazes she froze for just a second. I took advantage of my opportunity.

 

      I sprang forward and landing on top of her, sending us both to the ground. Her bow went flying out of her hands, and she squirmed to get to her belt, where I knew she kept more weapons.

 

      “Oh no you don’t”, she had gotten ahold of a deadly wooden stake, which I quickly grabbed and threw as far as I could.

 

      I dug my knees against her thighs and kept her wrists locked and pinned firmly to the ground with my hands. Her head fell to the ground in defeat. My face was inches from hers, and my fangs throbbed to be released. Her pulse was fluttering quickly in her neck. It would take only a second.

 

      She bucked suddenly, surprising me but not enough to throw me off, before she stared accusingly at me, jagged pieces of black hair falling in front of her eyes.

 

      “Do it.” She said coldly.

 

      I cocked my head to the side. That definitely wasn’t what I was expecting. Begging, pleading for mercy, to live, but absolutely not that.

 

      “Just do it and get it over with.” She repeated, anger creeping in to her voice.

 

      I laughed, and for some reason smiled. I didn’t know why this girl was amusing me so much, considering she had just come very close to killing me. However there was just something about her that brought out a bit of interest.

 

      “Oh, but where’s the fun in that?” I toyed with her.

 

      She spat at me, it landed right on my face. This only caused me to laugh even more as I used the back of my hand to wipe off her spit.

 

      “Go to hell.” She ordered, trying once again to sound mean and nasty. It didn’t work.

 

      “Oh, I already am, and”, I leaned forward just a bit so that I could whisper in her ear. “I’ll see you there.”

 

      Well I pulled back I smiled, my fangs growing with a glorious release of pressure. It was going to feel so wonderful to sink my teeth into her neck, to have her blood flow into my mouth, to finally sate the hunger that would not stop nagging at me.

 

      Before I knew what was happening, I was soaring through the air and snapping a young pine in half before landing on my back. It took me a moment to realize that she had kicked me off of her in my lapse of attention, and in that moment she had gotten on top of me, with an arrow positioned over my heart. She was smiling, and the dumbest thought came to my mind. She has a nice smile.

 

      “Now, go to hell you demon.” She said, pulling back to release.

 

      I chuckled. I just couldn’t help it! She had actually called me a demon. I hadn’t been called that in years. I could see she was annoyed with my reaction. I wasn’t sure if she was expecting fear or begging like I had when our positions were reversed, but either way, her smile was gone.

 

      “What? That’s the best you got.” I challenged. Her eyes narrowed. “No, ‘you evil spawn of Satan’? No, ‘you devil incarnate’?” I sighed, my gaze shifting upwards. The sky was pitch black, barely any glittering stars up there tonight.

 

      I turned my attention back to the girl and said, “I must say, I’m disappointed. I expected more from you people.”

 

      Usually cat and mouse wasn’t my style when it came to hunting, but seeing as I had become the hunted in just a short amount of time, I deserved to have some fun with it.

 

      “Well go ahead love, do it and get it over with.” I mimicked her words and tone.

 

      She tensed, and I stiffened, readying for the end. I had been alive for a reasonable amount of time for an immortal. I had always thought my end would come by means of maybe a war or something of significance. Not from a woman hunter who accidently stumbled upon me, through fault of my own. If anything, I was disappointed in myself more than her people.

 

      She released, and the arrow whizzed past my shoulder to lodge itself in the soil next to me. I scowled at it, then looked at the peculiar girl.

 

      “Well, not what I was expecting, but alright.” I grinned at her, feeling that my fangs had gone back into hiding. And then in a move that I knew would surprise her, my foot connected with her gut and she went flying off of me.

 

      I didn’t stick around to see if she would be alright or not, I ran, not caring that I hadn’t gotten any dinner. I had my life, and that was all I wanted to leave with at the moment. I had my life, because the girl had decided not to kill me. Another interesting inquiry, one that actually bothered me, and continued to bother me all the way home.

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.02.2014

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