The Hunted Read online

  “How many more?” I yelped, grabbing my dagger from its hiding place.

  “Many. Get ready.” Just as Drake spoke, a mass of growling, young and very hungry vampires descended upon us.

  “May God damn you to eternal hell!” Drake shouted as he tore heads and limbs with a ferocity I had never experienced even at my most vicious.

  The young vampires seemed to pour out of every dark crevice and corner of the underbrush. I did not have any time to catch my breath or even think. All my thoughts and actions were on automatic; pure instinct and preservation kicked in as my dagger hit its mark in many a heart and throat.

  Hot, thick blood sprayed everywhere and on everyone within arm’s length. In short order, a blanket of mangled, torn limbs and heads lay at our feet. It was a horrific sight, even for one as old as I. The loss of life was incredible, and so shameful to the Vampire Code I held so dear for so long.

  The fact that Drake and I had destroyed the entire vampire nest in such a short period of time took me by surprise. I was thankful that the night covered most of what we had done with a dense, gray coat. The morning would reveal our bloody deeds to the human world. We...I had to get away from this place. My heart started to pound and my ears rang.

  I fell to my knees as a thick stream of bloody vomit escaped my throat and spewed from my lips onto the ground below me.

  I could feel a presence hovering over me as I continued to wretch. “What the hell do you want now, Drake? Haven’t you seen enough blood for one day?”

  “Get up.” He growled.

  I looked up expecting to see a fist but instead was surprised to see the giant man’s hand extended to grasp mine and help me to my feet. He was covered, head to toe, in dense, pungent vampire blood.

  Silently, I accepted his hand and rose up slowly, looking at the wreckage around us. I took a deep breath to settle myself and wiped my dagger clean on my pant leg.

  “We did what needed doing. There are more but I think it would be foolish to continue tonight. I need to rest.” Drake looked tired and suddenly very old as he shuffled off into the dark forest.

  “Where are you going?” I asked.

  “We need wood. We need to burn and scatter these bodies so the rest of Hannah’s brood cannot reclaim them.”

  I was startled to hear that he knew the ways of the vampire cleansing ritual. I shook my head and realized that Yaqui would have certainly told him of this. Her kind had chosen this manner so that the undead could not reanimate into something far worse than death could ever be.

  Thankfully, only a few reanimated vampires existed and The Clans had strict orders to put the wretched creatures out of their misery. Once the undead reanimated, they craved more than just blood for the sustenance they desired. They needed flesh and they inflicted as much pain as possible on both human and vampire alike in order to get it. Their impaired minds pushed all reason and judgment aside, driven by raw, animal instinct. It was horrible to watch anyone die at the hand of a reanimated vampire. I shuddered at the thought of Hannah’s bastards coming back in any form.

  Looking down at my clothes, I could see cracks in the rivers of blood that had poured down my chest and pant legs during the slaughter. It was now cracking and flaking with every movement; like old, dried paint.

  It wasn’t long before Drake had dragged out enough dry, weathered wood to start a large fire. We stacked the bodies like cords of lumber until even faces and body parts were indistinguishable from the burning timber.

  I clasped my arms close to my chest in a vain attempt to stop from shivering. My heart ached for the lost souls whose ashes would soon be scattered into the wind.

  “You are too sensitive,” Drake whispered. I felt his presence behind me and the weight of his large hand as it tenderly grasped my shoulder.

  “Somebody has to be.” The bitterness in my voice was evident and Drake recoiled as if I had struck him. He quickly withdrew his hand and pulled away.

  “I understand you may think me a greedy, self-centered monster but I am not. I have lived many years in anger and misguided faith. With the Toltecs, I thought I had found a place I belonged. I am just as alone as I ever was, except now I’ll live forever.” The anguish in Drake’s voice caught me off guard. In that moment, he seemed more human than he had when I first met him those hundreds of years earlier. He felt loss and sadness and he hurt just as much as anyone. I watched helplessly as he stared intently into the burning mass of vampire corpses.

  Go to him my love. Show him he was not misguided in his actions. He has done us a huge service in destroying a large part of Hannah’s fledglings.

  I closed my eyes as Andrew’s familiar voice filled my brain and the core of my being with an aching need. I missed him so much. I could feel his love but I could also feel a change in him. He took his duties as leader of the Clans very seriously, as he did in his nurturing of Marie. He did not need me as desperately as he once did.

  I miss you my love and I am tired. I just want to come home. Warmth and affection greeted my thoughts and then, once again, Andrew was gone from my mind. A brief touch just to remind me he was still there.

  I wiped more bloody tears from my cheeks. Life for vampires would never be the same; had not been the same for a long time. Instead of preparing them to move forward, I had kept them sheltered in the past by enforcing the Vampire Code. Even in death, Hannah was still making me pay.

  Taking a deep breath, I steeled my nerves and walked up to Drake lightly touching his shoulder with my fingers.

  “What is it?” He asked without flinching or even turning to look at me.

  “It will be dawn soon. We have accomplished all we are going to for today and I think we both need to clean up and rest. I need to think about where to go or what to do next.”

  Drake turned slowly and I was surprised to see a slight smile playing upon his burgundy-colored lips as he spoke. “For once you have made sense. I know where we can go if you trust me. Of course, if you’d rather, feel free to scout around on your own for a resting place. Either way we don’t have much time; maybe an hour or so.”

  I looked toward the horizon and saw a hint of burnt orange streaking through the navy blue of the night sky. It was beautiful. Even though it had been hundreds of years since I stood before a sunrise, today would not be the day that changed that.

  It is myth that the sun is a destroyer of vampires but we do have a sensitivity to light. Besides, when I chose to expose myself to the sunrise, I want to share that day with my one true love.

  “I’ll follow you Drake. Don’t make me regret it,” I said, as I quickly kept pace with his long stride through the dense forest. At that moment, I had no one left to trust and I needed him as much as I hated to admit it.

  Chapter Six

  With what seemed like seconds to spare before the sun rose in all its fiery glory, Drake led me to a thorny weave of brush and weeds. Where did he intend to hide?

  Drake cast an amused sideways glance at me and chuckled deep and low in his throat. “Do you always take appearances at such blatant face value?”

  I must have looked like a carp taking its last breath with my mouth open and my eyes round with surprise. As I watched, Drake placed his hand on an unnoticeable but apparently solid section of tangled brush. I could hear a discernible clicking sound and then took a step back as a solid, cement door swung open. Behind the weathered, graying cement was an iron gate that protected a lone stone staircase.

  “Amazing!” I exclaimed.

  “Save the compliments for a more appropriate time. Come inside before we are noticed in the daylight,” Drake said as he placed a large hand on the small of my back and propelled me forward into the dark.

  The air was cool and silent after the cement door shut behind us. I took a deep breath and smelled...roses?

  Small, dim, modern lights had been placed every five feet or so along the walls of this mausoleum. Although the lighting fixtures were new, I could tell someone had recently upgraded them. Dark p
atches still colored the walls where I assumed oil lanterns or candles had once flickered. This place existed well before the age of modern technology.

  The walls grew damp and the air got colder the farther down the staircase we went. A momentary feeling of dread twisted my guts as I began to wonder why I agreed to follow Drake.

  “To survive,” he said.

  I stopped abruptly as his voice jarred me out of my thoughts. “Damn it! Get out of my head. I don’t want you there.” My shouts echoed and bounced off of the bare, slick walls.

  Surprisingly, Drake stopped and turned to face me, his eyes downcast and shameful. “I apologize. Since inheriting this gift from Yaqui. I forget when I am using it. It has become a part of me and you are right, I have no right to invade your privacy. Please, Silver, come with me.”

  Extending his hand toward mine, I gingerly accepted his offering of peace and followed him through another open door. This time, the door was ornate, ancient and the decoration looked vaguely familiar. The timber was heavy and looked to be oiled oak. I could faintly smell the remains of ancient resin that must have seeped from the pores when the master originally carved the wood.

  What I saw in front of me took my breath away. It was a large, furnished room without windows. A modern gas fireplace added warmth and the sparse light revealed a brocade-covered settee and an overstuffed couch. Stacks of books added to the charm of the room and an oak writing desk with chair sat in the corner. Numerous leather bound diaries sat piled high against the wall. The only thing out of the ordinary was a small metal bar fridge that hummed quietly as I glanced around the room.

  “What is this place?” I wondered aloud, forgetting Drake was standing close behind me.

  “Welcome to my lair,” he answered ominously.

  A shiver ran down my spine as I thought of the prospect of being alone in this vampire’s domicile.

  Drake’s face broadened with laughter as he shook his head at my momentary terror. “Please,” he said in a soft, disarming voice. “I promise no harm will come to you here; especially from me. We need one another whether you want to admit it or not.”

  I moved slowly around the room, taking in the feel of the place. I closed my eyes and I could almost see Drake writing his memoirs at the old oak table. I could feel the slow and steady beat of his heart as he relaxed and hid here from the prying eyes of the world.

  “Perhaps I seem less of a monster now?” he asked.

  “Where can I sleep?” I answered flatly. I was not ready to concede.

  “You can avoid the question for now. Behind that door are two rooms. Take your pick. If you are hungry feel free to feed.”

  Drake pointed to the small silver fridge and turned his back to me. “I have to wash up, I feel incredibly grimy. Do what you will. We will talk in a few hours.”

  Before I could speak, I watched as Drake turned away and walked through an open door at the farthest end of the room. I assumed it was some kind of bathing area. I let him go in silence.

  My hunger got the best of me. It had been hours since I fed on the Toltec Queen’s blood and I could feel my thirst rising. I gingerly reached down and opened the small bar fridge, inside lay multiple bags of cooled, ruby-colored blood.

  I sat cross legged in front of the fridge and drank deeply from the first bag I could grab from the shelf. The blood within was cold, yet tasted almost sweet and although I was tired I could not help but feel renewed. It wasn’t an ideal feast but, for now, it would do.

  After drinking my fill, I closed the fridge and sat quietly in the dimly lit room. I could hear nothing; my mind was quiet, which was an odd sensation for a vampire of any age.

  I don’t know how long I sat before opening my eyes and stretching my arms and legs out in front of me. I felt as refreshed as if I had slept for days but I stank of dried blood and dirt. Has Drake finished bathing? I wondered as I stood up, yawned, and stretched again. I walked quietly toward the door I had witnessed Drake open and enter but I had yet to see or hear him return.

  I placed my hand on the door handle, my heart pounding with anticipation. What was behind the door? What would I find?

  After taking a deep breath, I slowly opened the door and looked quickly up and down the small hallway.

  Silence. I could not hear any movement, no running water not even breathing.

  “Drake?” I whispered nervously. “Are you still here? I...”

  A sudden, almost indefinable change in the air around me caused me to jump and turn.

  “Damn!” I shouted as I ran headlong into the man himself. He stood with his arms crossed; tall, dark and unmoved by either my physical proximity or my shrill voice. His ebony hair was damp and lay in waves around his neck and shoulders. I inhaled the scent of sandalwood that seemed to perfume his freshly washed skin and hair.

  I staggered back and quickly tried to compose myself.

  “I, I...” I felt like such a fool and could not even finish the sentence. The smell of this man turned vampire was so warm and inviting. I closed my eyes briefly and envisioned Andrew, clean and dripping wet from a shower. My heart and soul ached as I thought of his fair hair, blue eyes and full, luscious lips. It had been so long...

  “Did I startle you? I apologize,” he said.

  I expected to open my eyes and see Drake looking down at me, mocking me with his eyes and smile. His face was serene and serious. Not at all the man I knew and feared so many years before.

  “It’s alright Drake. It’s my fault. I should not have disturbed you. Thank you for...”

  My words died as one strong hand reached out and drew me close. I struggled against his chest for a moment then succumbed to the feeling of his arms around me. I missed this closeness with someone, a man, a fellow vampire.

  Drake’s chest rose and fell quickly with each breath and I could hear a strangled moan from deep within him.

  “This desire is so human and yet we as vampires cannot seem to control it.” He whispered into my hair.

  “It’s no different than the blood lust.” I answered, knowing full well how different it could become.

  “Look at me, Silver.” Drake moved me away from him and held me at arm’s length. “What do you see? How do you feel?”

  For the first time I had to admit that Drake was no different than I was. We both were struggling to find our way through life and disappointments. We were trying to cope with the human world and balance that with the vampire within.

  I clasped one of his hands in mine and held it to my chest so he could feel the beating of my heart.

  “I have lost as much as you have,” I said quietly. “We have both made good and bad choices in our lives for different reasons and now we need to help one another to survive and get our lives back in whatever capacity that may be. I see a man who has had to make hard decisions and I feel a kinship in our mutual sorrow.”

  “Is sorrow all you feel?” Electricity seemed to run down my arm as Drake stroked my hand and fingers. A burning sensation warmed by belly and thighs as I looked up and stared deeply into his dark, liquid eyes.

  I shook my head and looked down at my feet. “No, not just sorrow.”

  “Come with me. Let’s get you cleaned up.” Gently pulling on my arm, I allowed him to lead me down the dark hall.

  A mixed feeling of relief and disappointment twisted my gut as I followed Drake. Just what was I feeling?

  Chapter Seven

  My heart raced as we entered a small marble bathing room with a large, claw-footed tub and shower. The air was warm and a bit damp from Drake’s earlier bath. The room smelled strongly of sandalwood and roses.

  “You fed, now be refreshed, then rest. Hannah’s minions can wait a few more hours.” Drake said in a firm and gentle voice.

  I wanted so much to forget Hannah and her bastard vampires ever existed. I could not forget her nor could I forget what I had given up because of her.

  “Hush now.” Drake’s words filled my head and blocked out any other thoughts or m
isgivings that were flooding my subconscious. “Relax and let the world pass you by for just this one moment.”

  Before I could protest, Drake’s strong hands stripped me of my bloody clothes, removed my boots and even my undergarments. With one swift movement, he picked me up and lowered me into the warm, scented water that filled the bathtub almost to the brim. If I could ever imagine heaven, this would be it.

  I sighed heavily as a heated shower of water soaked my hair and ran down the back of my neck.

  Drake handed me a small bottle of shampoo and as I lathered the blood and gore from my hair I could feel the world slip away. I looked up and watched as a smile spread across his face. Then, as if in a dream-like state, he knelt down beside the tub and again used a large silver cup to rinse my hair.

  My eyes widened as he placed the cup on the floor and returned to my side. I could not move, did not want to move as he cupped my chin and drew my lips close to his face.

  “No words for the rest of the night. No words and no regrets,” he whispered as he breathed heavily and finally covered my lips with his own. Unfamiliar lust rose to the surface as the kiss continued.

  “Drake, I...”

  He nodded knowingly and averted his eyes, as if looking at me would break the spell of the moment.

  A sudden surge of desire caught me in its grip and I felt myself hungrily biting and suckling on Drake’s lips. Tiny droplets of blood welled to the surface and coated our lips with its familiar, salty-sweet taste.

  I watched in fascination as Drake’s eyes flew open wide in semi surprise. Had he never tasted blood during sex with a vampire? He must have, Yaqui would not have proceeded any other way.

  Drake wrapped one arm around my waist and lifted me effortlessly out of the bath water. With a driven frenzy, he kissed my lips, my cheeks and my breasts as he carried me out of the room and down the hall to where the bedchambers lay.

  I kept my eyes closed as I allowed every touch and hungry kiss to overload my senses. As he laid my body to rest on a large, overstuffed mattress, I lifted one finger to my lips and tasted a mixture of our blood. It was the ultimate aphrodisiac.