Vampire Hunters, #1

by Trudie Collins

  “No. I do not drink from people’s necks.” He tried to keep the anger he was feeling out of his voice and he somehow managed to succeed.

  “You do from Sarah. I’ve seen the marks on her neck. That’s why she wears those scarves all the time.” JD did not care for her tone.

  “And that is exactly why I won’t do that with anyone else. Now you can offer me your wrist or you can get out. The choice is yours.”

  “She really does have you wrapped around her little finger doesn’t she,” she said as she held out her arm.

  JD laughed. “You really don’t have a clue about anything, do you?” Before she could reply, he sank his fangs into her vein, making her cry out. He was purposely rough, hoping she would hate the experience enough to never offer herself to him again, but he was disappointed to see that she was almost enjoying it.

  The following day he drank from Natalie. She was shaking when she entered his office and he told her she didn’t have to go through with it. She bravely placed her arm in his hand and braced herself. He was as gentle with her as he could be and thanked her afterward, making sure the experience was as comfortable as he could possibly make it. The fact that she went ahead with it showed she was making great progress and he told her so, which made her smile for the first time since being rescued.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A few days later, a nervous Craig knocked on JD’s office door. “Are you busy?” he asked as he entered.

  “I can spare you some time. What can I do for you?”

  Craig swallowed before replying. “I’m just here to inform you that I’m taking Sarah out next Saturday night.”

  JD smiled, hoping this would put Craig a little more at ease. “Am I allowed to ask where and why?” He already knew the answer as Sarah had spoken to him about it, but he didn’t need to let Craig know that.

  “It’s Alex’s birthday. The three of us always used to go to his favourite restaurant and Sarah and I have kept up the tradition.”

  “I would say have fun, but under the circumstances that doesn’t seem appropriate.”

  “It will probably be a late night and we plan to crash at Sarah’s place, so don’t wait up.”

  “I won’t.” He waited until Craig stood up to leave before continuing. “Craig. Thank you for telling me rather than asking me. I can appreciate how uncomfortable that must have felt.”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “Trust me. It will get easier.”

  As soon as Craig left, Christina walked in. “That was interesting,” she said as she took a seat.

  JD didn’t bother to look up at her as he replied. “Listening in on private conversations is a very nasty habit that I suggest you get out of if you wish to remain living here.”

  “You can’t throw me out.”

  This caused JD to raise his head and look at her. She was smirking. His face was cold as he said, “Watch me.”

  The smile dropped from her face. She rapidly changed the subject. “Why does everyone do as you say? You don’t run this place.”

  “Only the hunters obey me. They have to. I’m their trainer and a trainer is always obeyed. They don’t like the consequences if they cross me so usually they do what I tell them to.”

  “Except for Sarah.”

  “Including Sarah. If she does anything wrong in regard to me being her trainer, she suffers the same punishments as the others. Have a chat with them all sometime if you don’t believe me.”

  Christina’s smile was back. “You really are forceful, aren’t you.”

  JD didn’t return it. “No Christina, I’m not forceful, I’m deadly. Now unless you want something important, get out of my office and don’t come in again unless you are invited.”

  His voice was hard and cold. He felt a sense of satisfaction when he saw her flinch. Without another word, she walked out of the room.

  Christina did her best to avoid JD for the next few days, much to his relief. It did not last long enough for him, however. All too soon she was back to being almost overfriendly toward him whenever nobody else was around, which, thankfully, was not very often.

  The first time she tried to watch him train on his own in the arena, he told her that she was not permitted even onto the balcony without his permission, which he would not give, unless she wanted to fight him. She did the wise thing and left. The second time he threw a sword up to her and told her if she didn’t come down and fight, he would go up to her. She fled. There wasn’t a third time.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  Saturday arrived and JD could not relax. He kissed Sarah goodbye and watched her drive off with Craig. Then he changed into his training gear and went into the arena. He tried going through some of his harder routines, but found he couldn’t concentrate and kept making mistakes.

  He heard someone enter and when he glanced up at the balcony he was surprised to find his brother watching him.

  “Your mind is on other things,” he called down when JD made yet another mistake.

  “You think?” he called back sarcastically.

  “So what’s the problem? The fact that Sarah is on a date with another man or the fact that she’s celebrating her dead fiancé’s birthday?”

  JD stopped what he was doing and looked up at Jonathon, trying to read the meaning behind his words. Deciding that the question was real and Jonathon truly wanted to know the answer rather than just try to wind him up, he opted for honesty.

  “Neither. I have no problem with her being out with Craig, or the reason why. I have a problem with her not being here. This is the first Saturday evening since we became an item that we have not been together. It just feels wrong.”

  “You need something to occupy you.”

  “Why do you think I’m training?”

  “Trying to train you mean. You need to do something different. Remember when you used to kick my butt at Mario Kart?”

  “That was a long time ago.”

  “Think you can still do it?”

  “I’m out of practice. I haven’t played that game in years. Come to think of it, I haven’t played any game in a very long time.”

  “Then I might stand a chance. Get changed and I’ll kick the others out of the room. I think some brother bonding time is called for.”

  Ignoring the fact that he was being ordered around, JD put his sword away. On his way to the games room, he almost walked into Christina as she stepped out of the dining room.

  “I’m surprised to see you here,” she said.

  JD frowned in confusion. “Why?” He turned his eyes away from the sly smile that crossed her face.

  “Your girlfriend is on a hot date with another man. I would have thought you would be out spying on them.”

  JD took a deep breath to prevent his anger rising to the surface. “Firstly, Sarah is not out on a hot date. Secondly, why would I need to spy on her? I trust her completely.”

  Instead of waiting for Christina to respond, he turned his back on her and walked away.

  When he entered the games room, Jonathon was still setting up the games consol. “Scott and Katie complained when I kicked them out, but as soon as I said you would be in here they went quiet and fled the room. It must be fun being you sometimes.”

  “It has its moments,” JD said. “But the drawbacks far outweigh the advantages.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” Jonathon asked as he handed over a controller. JD nodded. “Is Christina always like that with you when she thinks nobody else is around? Everyone knows she has a crush on you, but it sounded like she’s trying to cause trouble between you and Sarah.”

  “Yes, she is, but don’t worry about it. There’s nothing she can say or do that will affect my relationship with Sarah and she’s having the good sense not to say anything when Sarah is around. Christina is coming very close to crossing the line and when she does I will deal with it. Until th
en, I can ignore her.”

  “Alright. Just let me know if you want me to take any action.”

  “I will. Now choose a circuit. I have a feeling it’s going to be an interesting evening.”

  It was nearly midnight by the time the two brothers stopped playing. They both had a good time and for once they could forget that they were student and trainer. Jonathon easily beat JD on the first race, but it didn’t take long for JD to remember how to play well and by the end of the evening he was winning every time.

  “You’ve gotten better baby brother,” he said when they eventually switched the machine off.

  “And you were very rusty. We should do this more often.”

  “Yes, we should.”

  “If I can actually manage to prise you away from Sarah, that is.”

  JD smacked him round the back of the head, but not hard. “Don’t be cheeky.” He then looked at his watch. “Jesus. I didn’t realise it was that late. I’m off to bed.” Before leaving the room, he paused in the doorway. “Thank you for this evening Jonathon. I needed it.”

  “No problem. You know you can show your gratitude by letting me off training in the morning.”

  JD smiled at him. “No chance.”

  Despite being tired, JD found he was unable to sleep. He hated not having Sarah beside him. Whenever she worked so late he was in bed before she got home, sleep always eluded him until she arrived, but usually he had no problem dropping off when he knew she was staying at her house. Eventually he gave up trying and picked up his book, in the hope that reading a chapter or two would make his eyes close.

  He had only read a few pages when he heard someone at the front door, followed by two sets of footsteps on the stairs. “This is a nice surprise,” he said as Sarah walked into the bedroom. “I thought you said you were staying at your place tonight.”

  She walked over to the bed, sat down on the edge and took her boots off. “I couldn’t keep away.”

  “So how did you convince Craig to come back here? I think he was looking forward to a lay in.”

  Dropping her boots on the floor, she lay down on the bed, rested her head on JD’s chest and slipped her arm around him. “That was easy; I just didn’t tell him. I was driving so he had no say in the matter. I think he’s sulking at the moment.”

  “I could be nice and tell him he doesn’t need to attend training in the morning,” JD said.

  “You could, but we both know you won’t. It will be bad for your reputation.”

  “True,” he said and kissed her forehead. “Did you have a good time tonight?”

  “Yes, we did. Maybe you should join us next year.”

  “No, this is something you and Craig need to do alone. It’s not something I should interfere in.” He rolled her away from him. “Now get out of your clothes and under the covers. Now you are here I may actually get some sleep.”

  She slid off the bed and headed toward the bathroom. “Did you miss me?”

  “Let me put it this way. I was doing such an appalling attempt at training that Jonathon took pity on me and dragged me into the games room for the evening.”

  “Good. I’m glad you two are bonding at last. I’m going to take a quick shower. I promise I won’t be long.”

  By the time she returned, JD was fast asleep.

  ————————————-∞————————————-

  A few weeks later, JD and Sarah were training alone in the arena when Craig ran onto the balcony.

  “One of the hunters from 11 has been seriously injured. They’re bringing him here. Doc asked me to let you know.”

  “Why are they bringing him here?” JD asked. “Surely their own Sanctuary would have been closer and I know 11 has their own doctor.”

  Craig shrugged his shoulders. “No idea. Maybe she isn’t there at the moment.”

  “Then their trainer wouldn’t have let them go hunting.” That was one rule that all trainers followed, unless a Sanctuary was under attack.

  JD and Sarah quickly got changed and were waiting for their visitors when they arrived. A dark haired man in his early thirties walked in carrying a slightly younger man in his arms. The smell of blood assaulted JD’s nostrils and he had to step back quickly.

  Jonathon took them immediately to the medical unit, where Doc was waiting for them. A middle aged woman followed them into the house, but JD grabbed her arm as she passed.

  “Marion isn’t it?” he asked. She nodded her head, the movement causing her light brown hair to fall across her face. “Come with me,” he said. “You have some explaining to do.”

  “But−” she started to protest, but JD did not let go of her arm and he dragged her into his office, closing the door behind him.

  “He’s in good hands,” he assured her. “You will only be in Doc’s way if you go after them. Now take a seat.”

  Marion knew better than to argue with a trainer, especially JD. She had only ever met him a couple of times before, but she was aware of his reputation in regard to discipline before he became a vampire and was aware that this hadn’t changed now he had been turned; if anything he was even more strict.

  “Why did you bring him here instead of 11?”

  She refused to look at him as she answered. “Because of you.”

  “What?” JD asked in surprise. “I don’t understand.”

  Marion raised her head so he could see how close she was to breaking down. “Kirk is my son. His injuries are very serious. I don’t want to lose him.”

  “And what has this to do with me?”

  “If Frank can’t save him, I want you to turn him.”

  JD was shocked. “You want me to what?”

  “You have not let being a vampire affect you. I’m sure Kirk would be able to cope with it almost as well. Will you do it?”

  Tears were forming in Marion’s eyes, indicating how hard it had been for her to make the request, but it was a request that JD wasn’t sure he could grant.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never thought about turning anyone before. I’m not sure it would be the right thing to do. I never asked to become a vampire and, had I been given a choice, it is not the option I would have chosen.”

  “Yet you didn’t insist on anyone killing you,” Marion said.

  “Actually I did, but I was ignored. You haven’t met Sarah yet have you?” He ran his fingers through his hair. He didn’t like what Marion was asking him to do, but he could understand her reasons. “Let me think about it. Hopefully it won’t be a decision I will have to make.”

  He led her from the office to the lounge, where the hunter who had been carrying the injured Kirk was drinking coffee. Katie and Jonathon were both with him.

  “Frank threw me out,” he said when he saw Marion.

  “You may be in for a long night,” JD said. “Can I get you anything?” They both shook their heads.

  Less than an hour later, Silvia found them all still in the lounge. Sarah had joined them and they were discussing her determination that JD wouldn’t die when he was turned.

  “I have some good news,” Silvia said. “The injuries weren’t as bad as they first appeared. Frank has finished operating and is expecting Kirk to make a full recovery. He’ll have to stay here for a few days and it will be a long while before he can hunt again, but he will be able to, eventually.”

  Tears flowed down Marion’s face as she thanked her.

  Once Silvia had left, JD smiled at Marion and the other hunter from 11, who had been introduced as Todd. “I suggest you both get some sleep. There are a few spare rooms. Choose any of them. You have an early start in the morning.”

  “What do you mean?” Todd asked.

  Jonathon couldn’t keep the grin off his face. “Here we train for an hour each morning, starting at five. It sounds like JD is expecting you to join us.”

  “You can’t be serious,” Marion exclaimed.

  “I’m always serious,” JD said. “Look at it as punishment for coming here instead of y
our own Sanctuary. I don’t appreciate being used, even if you did have a good reason.”

  “We’d better find you both something to wear,” Katie said and she and Jonathon led their visitors from the room.

  “What was that about?” Sarah asked once they were alone.

  “Marion brought her son here so I could turn him into a vampire if Doc couldn’t save him.”

  “Oh. I see. And how do you feel about that?”

  “I’m not really sure. It’s not something I ever considered.”

  Sarah took his hand. “Let me ask you a question. If it was me on that operating table instead of Kirk, would you turn me if it was the only way to keep me alive?”

  “Of course,” he said without hesitation.

  “What if it was Jonathon, or Craig, or one of the others?”

  This one was harder. “I don’t know. I would have to be sure it was what they would want. You I have no doubt about, but the others?” He shrugged his shoulders.

  “Then I suggest you have that conversation with them. You could also recommend every hunter discusses this with their trainer. Now we know that a hunter can live an almost normal life after being turned, it’s something everyone should think about.”

  Sarah was right, but JD was still not happy. He brought the subject up with Doc the next morning. He agreed with Sarah and contacted Sanctuary 7, who spread the word.

  JD and Sarah called a family meeting later in the day and talked to the rest of the team, with mixed results. While Jonathon and Katie instantly said they would want to be saved, even if it meant spending the rest of their lives craving blood, Simon and Scott both said no; they would rather die. Craig needed more time to think about it and it took him a few days to opt for being turned.

  The subject was never brought up with Natalie or Christina. They weren’t hunters and JD refused to even think about turning either of them, should the need arise. Sarah noticed the look on Craig’s face when JD stated this and quietly smiled to herself.

  Kirren killed himself this morning

  One Friday night, a month or so later, Sarah was pleased to find that Christina had gone out when she arrived home. Silvia had let her borrow her car and she had already been provided with a fake driving licence. Sarah’s dislike for Christina was growing on a daily basis. While she had never said or done anything in front of Sarah, JD kept her informed about everything the other woman had been up to. She didn’t see her as a threat, but she wasn’t happy about the way she was treating JD and was close to taking action, with or without his approval.