Token Vampire (Token Huntress Book 2)

by Kia Carrington-Russell

  “Is this room not enough to hold them in? I created the door and dart system, specifically for gifted vampires down here,” Jenn said as she reassessed her work. I was intrigued that she had created this resource. I suppose that was her way to make herself valuable and gain the trust within the compound.

  “Amongst the various other set-ups we have in here, it can contain them. But I want another one implemented specifically for them,” Mr. Richard said. “Tell me how much man power you need and you will have it. I never want these two to escape. I have another team working on a project now as we speak, so we are capable of controlling them.”

  “Controlling them?” I asked intrigued. If he thought the Hunters were giving them attitude before, he had no idea what he was in for. With a lifetime of them being encaged, they would not go down easily, no matter what Hunter or Guild they were from.

  “Well yes, we want to use them for military purposes of course, to slowly gain back our world. To restore it, so humans can live comfortably and we can fight against the plague of vampires and sabers alike. But first, we must be in utter control, so we can create more and see to what extent we can push them. But first, they must be controlled.” The rounded stairs began to thin the further we ventured down. I could see that on this level of the stairs, there were large slits all around the room. I focused on a small droplet which hung there. This was another set-up. I could assume that the prisoners had weights on their feet and if they escaped, this water would release. By doing so, it encased them and drown them, until another plan could be initiated. I had studied such a tactic during my Guild years in only the first few years of my studies. This was no longer used by Hunters, only in the olden days, when we were studying vampires ourselves. The world couldn’t possibly afford to have such tactics anymore, we couldn’t waste such resources. Obviously what was contained in this room was deemed very important. I questioned where their resources came from. How did they feed, have water and sustainability. The world was damaged but the resources could still be found, if properly searched for. Perhaps, the founder had created such an ideal sanctuary for them, that they had all these resources unconditionally.

  “If you don’t mind me asking, sir,” Jenn interjected. “You said Sydney’s team captured them, how was that and what were his thoughts on this?”

  “Ah, yes, Sydney. He reported that, they were surveying them from the border for a while, one of them ensnared themselves in one of the traps and the other would not leave. It appeared they had some gift of some sort. However, as soon as the first one was darted and put to sleep, the other seemed ineffective. It took our team seven hours to capture them, but eventually they did. I must admit, Sydney, has gone above and beyond his measure. It’s a shame what happened to his father, but he is capable of helping this project so much more. The boy has a natural instinct like a Hunter himself. It wouldn’t surprise me if his mother were once one and he had some throwback gene. He wasn’t happy about the experiments, but some things have to be motioned to make progress.”

  “Of course,” Jenn agreed indifferently.

  Mr. Richard pressed his hand against a white button and the whole room lit up. There was a concealed square in the middle of the room, surrounded by thick silver box. He then pressed another button, which pulled the silver up and revealed see through glass. “Don’t worry they can’t get to us. This is the thickest and most impenetrable of glasses. Even bullets can’t seep through.

  The Hunters snarled at the bright light and hissed as we approached. I froze on the last step before my feet touched the cement. I recognized both of them.

  “We are planning to test a pair of twins next, that we have within the compound,” Mr. Richard began. “They are only fourteen; however the two Hunters here are twins, and were well receptive to the treatment, so perhaps something within the gene of twins is the answer we have been looking for.”

  Kora and Kasey, two of my Huntress’s from my Guild Team snarled at us. Their majestic coral eyes, shot up at me with recognition and shock. Large fangs hovered over their lips and nails that tipped as long as a sabers. Their usually clean cut pixie hair was now shoulder length. The collars that once bound their necks, to help our team decipher them were torn apart. The only way I was able to tell them apart, was because of the small scar on Kora’s chin.

  “Esmore,” Kasey whispered. I slammed a huge charge of intent and the word “Stop!” into both their minds. They both scrunched their faces, unsure of the sensation that would have swept over them. Mr. Richard and Jenn looked between me and the twins.

  “Do you recognize these creatures?” Mr. Richard asked.

  “No,” I said, keeping my eye contact with the both of them. I could not help them if they gave away my fake identity.

  “Do you know this girl?” Mr. Richard asked them. Kasey spat at the window, directly onto the glass in front of Mr. Richard’s face.

  “Ask me in here you filthy piece of shit!” Kasey spat. It now made sense to me as to why they would have been captured. They were a part of my team, and my team was not weak. Kora’s gift enabled her to take away mobility and Kasey’s ability was an enhancement of that, where she could have projected it further into a bubble to protect them both. If Kora was the one ensnared and knocked out, then Kasey could only use her combat skill. Depending on the extent of the human’s military equipment, there was only so many she could have fought off, even as a Huntress. By the time they woke, they were probably already chained, tortured and gassed. Eventually, they would have experimented, resulting in the fangs and claws. But they didn’t have the mindset of a saber, only part of the physical effects. They still had their Hunter eyes; and as Mr. Richard had previously mentioned, they couldn’t inject them anymore. The propelling of the syringes was probably the two projecting a protection around themselves.

  Mr. Richard began laughing, “As you can see, this is why we couldn’t reason with them. But I am so happy with the results. They can’t break through the glass and are still a bit drowsy until the next gassing. You should watch them for a while, look at the area and think what you might need. We have written records of their movement, so you can better study that. They are in my office, so come and see me once you are done,” Mr. Richard mused.

  “Of course,” Jenn said, watching the twins as I did. They stared at me, unimpressed and predatory like.

  “Before you come, please take Ellie to Sydney. I would like to discuss some things in private,” Mr. Richard commanded, before walking back up the stairs.

  Jenn glared at me as I watched Mr. Richard leave and waited to hear the click of the door close. I hurried over to the twins.

  “What are you doing in here?!” I asked.

  “Esmore, please get us out,” Kasey pleaded. These two girls were a pain in my ass the whole time while on my team. Although only twenty-two, they had an issue with taking command from me because I was younger. Kora had her arms crossed over awkwardly, trying to convey ignorance. But I knew these girls, they didn’t deserve this.

  “So you do know them,” Jenn said, her heels clacking towards us slowly. Kora snarled at her and Jenn only tsked.

  “Well aren’t you are broody bitch,” Jenn said. In her tone I could hear that Yolo’s façade had dropped for the moment. “Like don’t get me wrong, I feel bad for what has happened to you, but then oh wait, you’re a Hunter and I don’t give a shit.”

  “Yolo,” I snapped. Kasey clawed at the glass at Jenn’s face. Jenn’s face was smug and didn’t flinch. “They were on my team; I have to get them out.”

  “Who is this woman to you? And why are you even here in a human compound?!” Kora interrogated.

  “It’s a long story-”

  “Well lucky for you, it appears I have all day,” Kora snapped between a snarl. “And when did you turn into such a pleading girl, Kasey. She won’t help us; she turned her back on us a long time ago.”

  I snarled at Kora, the haze of my eyes flickering to purple as my Hunter eyes and my fangs appeared.
Jenn gave me a warning look, before I calmed myself. My body acted on its natural instinct. And insult and betrayal was not something I took lightly.

  “I never turned my back on you, and I will get you out. I highly doubt the Guild will take you back now with your deformities,” I simply stated. It was the truth, they would be killed instantly.

  Kora laughed, “Guild? What Guild, after the stunt you pulled with those sabers that ambushed us, everyone separated. How do you think we got into this mess in the first place?!”

  “I never started that! And you attacked my familiar!” I snarled.

  “Oh that’s right your vampire lover, because that doesn’t sing out Traitor?!” Kora scuffed. Jenn put her slender hand on my shoulder. These were the exact words that would fire me up and Jenn knew that.

  “I wonder if they over use our resources to gas you, so you shut up,” Jenn smiled only stirring further. Kasey again swiped at the glass as Kora lunged for him. Her shoulder smashed into the glass. The impact propelled her back. “Savage. I will write that on my notes as I create a dome for you both to live in for eternity. Maybe I will add sun. Oooh, I bet you haven’t seen sunlight in this form, it’s very cozy.”

  I pulled Jenn back, realizing that she wouldn’t help the situation at all, like I had thought she would. A small opening from the roof dropped and a circular object dispersed on the ground. Kasey and Kora cowered in a corner where they projected protection around themselves, so the gas couldn’t reach. They could only surround themselves for so long; eventually that gas would reach them.

  I placed my hand on the glass and grabbed Kasey’s attention. “I will get you out of here, I promise. No matter what you think of me, you know I never leave any of my team behind.”

  “We are not a part of your team any longer, Esmore,” Kora snarled. “Read and understand the new dynamics. Your role as a Token Huntress is dead. And I’d be rather dead too, than live as a human guinea pig for these disgusting humans, who we sacrificed our lives for upon every mission.”

  “Esmore,” Kasey interrupted, her majestic coral eyes pleading. She placed her hand against mine, a motion that Kora snarled at. “Please get us out. I have never feared anything in my life, not even death. But this is worse. What will they do with us?” her voice lowered in tone. This was the shattering moment, smelling fear on a Huntress. We were a breed that specialized in having no fear and to lack in emotion.

  “We should go now,” Jenn said. She began to walk back towards the stairs. “You have to meet with, Sydney, now.” I looked back at Kasey, whose long fangs spiked over her chin. Kora no longer would look at me in my eyes.

  “I don’t know. But I will get you out, I promise,” I said, before walking away. I had hated the Guild, ready to kill all those who opposed me and tried to kill Chase and me. But I could not pull away from the sense of duty and belonging I had to protect and save my previous comrades. It was a relief to have from the confused sensation of only wanting to be a leader so I could kill vampires. I now had a purpose beyond finding Dillian and Julia a safe place to be protected.

  J enn and I walked in silence. Whatever Yolo’s thoughts, he kept them to himself. I needed his help and involvement of their escape plan; somehow I had to convince him. We walked past the laboratory rooms where the blood was now cleaned up. The clean chemicals and smell covered the incident as if it had never happened. If I hadn’t looked up at the glass of the door where Sydney’s blade broke through, it would have looked like the evidence was entirely covered up.

  We walked past Mr. Richard’s office and continued to walk towards the intersection. Jenn led me towards the area that she had noted previously was for the residential, food, hygiene, and training sector. I could hear many voices and feet shuffle. The distinct noise of children’s laughter seemed eerie to me. I don’t think I had often heard a child laugh. I could hear and smell someone chopping meat, the fresh hint of blood made me feel as if I were starving. I contained the urge that wanted to come over me; I would not be affected so easily. I was in control.

  Jenn looked over her shoulder and past the blonde fringe that covered some of her eyes. She was obviously on edge by how much she continued to watch over me and see if I were okay. She took the first right, before we reached any of the civilization I could hear. She continued walking past the many rooms that were on either side. The structure of this compound had consistency and the tunnels didn’t change much. Jenn pressed the white button to open the door, where a large field of dead grass and rocky turf opened before us. My eyes squinted at the irritating sunlight that beamed down on me. I twisted my neck to the side, irritated. I then let the feeling go, as if I had never felt it and completely ignored it. I had to.

  This area was still within their wall, but unaffected by the dome. A group of twenty members various in sizes, both men and women, ran in a circle. At different marked sections, they would drop and do strenuous exercises, and then run again. One man watched over them and yelled at them to continue and to pick up there pace. The smell of endorphins and sweat bombarded my senses. This reminded me of my training days within my own Guild.

  Clatters of metal grabbed my attention. On my left, another ten members challenged one another with their swords. I couldn’t resist the smile as I saw four of them using fake ones. Within the Guild, we had such dummy weapons for only our first year of training as young children. After that we used very real weapons. If you were wounded by your opponent, then you were forced to only train harder because of your lack of focus and stamina.

  On my right was a long range archery field. My most preferred. As a young apprentice Huntress, it was the weapon I quickly honed in on and efficiently learnt to handle. There was a small fenced off arena, which had silver chains cemented into the ground, which had blood stains on it. The arena was attached to the main compound. I assumed that this was where they trained within the walls with real vampires. They more than likely chained them and forced new members to challenge them. The blood didn’t seem fresh- I could now distinguish what was old and fresh- and this had no smell to it at all. It was a mere memory, that training sector hadn’t been used for many years now.

  “Ellie?” Sydney said, interrupting my thoughts and drawing my attention to him. He eased his breathing from what looked like an intense run. Sweat dripped over his naked chest. His scar that started beneath his jawline continued down his neck and over his hard chest.

  “What about me?” Jenn teased. “As agreed, I brought her here. I have business with Mr. Richard, so if I can leave her in your capable hands, that would be great. I need a decision made within the day. I will be leaving again within a few hours before sundown, so you only have a few hours of assessment.”

  “Leaving so soon already?” Sydney asked as one of the members threw a towel at him and he wiped over himself. There was one drop of sweat that continued to stay on the tip of his eyebrow.

  “Mr. Richard has proposed a new project to me. With so much drama happening at the moment within the walls, I won’t be able to offer efficient planning unless I am within my own compound to think. I will bring Ellie with me every day, however. I will not leave her here.”

  “Well isn’t that a decision for Ellie to make?” Sydney asked, looking at me as he crossed his arms over his chest.

  “I will return with Jenn. I will go where she goes,” I said, sounding as if I were some lost human child.

  “I will leave her in your capable hands,” Jenn said. She rested her hand on my shoulder. “Ellie, if you need me, call me,” she said, the word ‘call’, stressing our previous agreement. “Go easy on them okay,” she winked.

  “Thank you Jenn,” I said and watched her walk back into the compound. I watched her pale complexion sink into the shadows, wishing I had the same luxury instead of straining in the sun.

  “I would like to thank you for this morning,” Sydney said. “But it doesn’t mean I am accepting you yet. My people here work hard. How you act today, will give me an inclination as to what departm
ent you will work best in. We have those who watch the wall; the collective team who gather resources, and then there is my team- you will only know what we do, if you are shortlisted onto the squad.”

  “Understood,” I mused. “So what do I need to do to prove myself to be on that delightful team?”

  “Ahhh, you have a sense of sarcasm. I don’t like it, give me fifty push-ups,” Sydney mused. I arched my eyebrows to him. It had been a long time since I had to take orders from another.

  “Just fifty push-ups?” I asked, not able to bite back the taste of sass. He raised his eyebrows as someone approached him, asking for permission to speak. Sydney stepped closer, the steam from his body radiated towards me. The pulse of his neck was tempting as the blood pumped effortlessly through his muscular, healthy frame. I gulped harshly, unable to now meet his eyes as he looked down on me.

  “Make it two hundred,” he breathed hastily on my face. “Your mind may not remember who you are, but muscle memory is a very real thing. We will see what you were capable of before you hit your head, Ellie.” I could smell the endorphins by being so close to him. It tempted me to grab the back of his neck and pull him in to feast.

  “Sydney?” The other man interrupted. It snapped both of our attention away from one another and my fixation of his neck, I looked to the ground, ready to do so.

  “Let me clap for the first fifty as well,” I mused unable to contain my confidence in my physical strength. Sydney’s lip slightly curled. He looked away so I couldn’t see the smile. He continued to watch me as I did my push-ups, while he spoke to the other member.