The Hunter's Den: Dead of Midnight Book 1

by Byron Thorne

  “No, not what I had in mind,” Morgan replied.

  “Of course not. We'll stick to the town. But if that's the case, nowhere stuffy, please. I'm feeling quite relaxed at the moment, and I really don't want to try too hard.”

  “I've got just the place; I haven't been in some time. It's a bit of an underground club, very dark inside, loud music. They call it Solstice. I think you'll fit right in. I should mention that it's open domain.”

  “Garrett, that doesn't sound like your type of place,” she smiled.

  “I did just say I haven't been there for some time. But since you'll be sticking around, I believed it would be a good idea for you to get acquainted with the local vampires. Or, perhaps more accurately, for them to know that you are here.”

  Solstice was an open domain club- a designated area that no vampire held rights over. Instead, it functioned as an establishment where any vampire could visit and feed on any humans they wished. Many of the humans that lurked within were known as blood junkies. They were the lowest rung of society in vampire eyes. Most of them were desperate for a taste of vampire blood, or simply desired the pleasure resulting from being fed upon. Some wished to be turned into vampires, although it was a near guarantee that any human that frequented that place would never have the privilege. Morgan didn't care for the taste of them at all and typically avoided the place whenever possible.

  “That sounds absolutely delicious. Is there a dress code?”

  “Yes, actually. Although blonde hair is typically frowned upon, the only real requirement is that you wear black.”

  “Oh, how provocative. You're already dressed for the occasion, but that's not much of a surprise. I suppose I'll just have to appeal to the doorman's sensibilities. I've been dying to wear this dress, and I painted my nails red just to match. I don't want to change now.”

  “I doubt they'll be able to resist your charms, Victoria. If that's what you want to call them.”

  “Don't forget your place, Garrett Morgan, and don't embarrass me when we get to the Solstice. I don't want to make an example out of you this evening, just to prove a point to everyone else.”

  “Frankly, I'm shocked you would have so little faith in me. Now then, ladies first,” he opened the door to a waiting cab. Victoria stepped inside and Morgan followed. “It's close to my neighborhood,” he continued, “but I know you don't like to walk far in heels.”

  “You might not have a car, but maybe you don't need one if you can keep being a gentleman,” she said.

  Was it so wrong to have a certain distaste for cars? It’s not as if he pined for the days of sail. Even if ships still worked effectively for distance vampire travel, he didn’t remember the original experience as being very pleasant. Carriages might have felt safer at the time, but perhaps it was only because there were fewer people on the road. The sidewalk didn’t seem so bad, especially when the night was infinite and his destination wasn’t going anywhere.

  They spent their short cab ride in silence, each staring out their own window. Part of Morgan wished he could crawl around inside of Victoria's head, if only so he could find out what her real intentions were. The other part of him wanted nothing to do with whatever was going on up there. The inner workings of his own mind were bad enough. Victoria's visions and memories had to be far worse.

  The club had multiple advantages. The likelihood of Jules or her hunter friend showing up there were slim to none. It was expertly hidden, with only a side entrance in an alleyway and no physical signs announcing the club's presence. On top of that, the doormen acted as the establishment's guards. They would spot any armed hunters from a mile away.

  They exited the cab together and Morgan led the way down the alley, Victoria slinking close behind. “Garrett, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you had very poor taste in nightlife. I hope the inside is more charming than the outside,” Victoria quipped.

  “I assure you it's by design. To keep the riffraff out, I presume,” he responded, then turned to the guards. “Good evening, gentlemen. I don't suppose you have a table for two available? I'm afraid I forgot to make a reservation.”

  “Standing room only,” the brawny vampire bellowed.

  “It would mean so much to my companion. You see, she's in from out of town. And she's been gone a long time,” Morgan said. He beckoned the bouncer to lean forward so he could speak more softly. The bouncer did so. “Believe me. She doesn't like to be kept waiting. It's best not to upset her. You understand, right?” he whispered.

  “Yes, sir. You can have the table on the balcony. Please, go on ahead,” the vampire said.

  They walked inside together and found the table overlooking the rest of the club.

  “I see you've been working on your powers, Garrett. Charming vampires? And a guard no less? I'm impressed. Although, I imagine you don't keep your skills with a sword or a gun quite so honed.”

  “Don't worry. I'd never dream of charming you, Victoria,” Morgan remarked.

  “Mm, don't tempt me. Not that it would work on me anyways. Now, those beautiful eyes of yours, on the other hand...” Victoria said, and Morgan shifted his gaze, out onto the rest of the action.

  “Well, what do you think?” he asked her.

  From their vantage point, they could see the mass of people gyrating on each other to the thump of the music. Morgan thought maybe he could recognize the bones of the song, but it had been morphed into a much longer, darker version, and perhaps dropped through a cement mixer along the way. Black, gossamer shirts obscured alabaster skin, and lace ran amok throughout the crowd. To the untrained eye, the dancers may have looked like vampires, but Morgan knew they all lurked around the walls of the room, watching.

  “It's dark, it's loud, and everyone looks like they are ready for a funeral. Although I suppose they are. I love it,” she said.

  “Don't kill anyone in here, Victoria. The other vampires have decided this is a tasting room only.”

  “Well, that's no fun. Although I suppose I could do with an assortment of treats. Let's start with her, she looks delicious.” Victoria pointed her finger toward one of the cages hanging from the arched ceiling. Within it was a young woman covered only by a few strips of strategically placed leather and lace. She was already staring at the two vampires, and Morgan could see the elation pouring out of the dancer when Victoria beckoned her towards them.

  “I see you've still got the same type,” Morgan said.

  “What? I think she's adorable. You don't think so?” she quipped.

  “She's fine, I suppose,” he muttered. Morgan was already growing tired of his time spent with Victoria. He didn't care about any of these women, especially when there was another girl in the city that intrigued him so much more. Perhaps after they fed, he could find an excuse to leave her. If he didn't drink there, she would only question him more. Besides, the sight of bare skin all around him was enough of a reminder that it had been long enough since his last drink.

  The girl came up the stairs and to the table, a shy, sheepish grin on her face. “Garrett, won't you please get up and let our guest sit down with us?” Victoria asked. He looked at her, knowing what she had in mind. Ultimately, he relented.

  “Yes, of course,” he said as he stood up from the booth.

  “Please, sit down,” Victoria said, and the girl sat down next to her. Morgan proceeded to move in next to her. He was close enough to feel the girl's body heat- some of it, the result of her time dancing, but most of it probably due to her current position seated in between two impossibly beautiful vampires.

  “You are just the tastiest little morsel I have seen all night,” Victoria purred. “Wouldn't you agree, Garrett?”

  Morgan rolled his eyes, then went along with it and said, “Enough to take your breath away.”

  Victoria ran her icy finger along the length of the girl's neck. She shivered. “What's your name, darling?”

  “M- Madison,” she stuttered.

  “Well, Madison, thank you for joining
us for dinner.”

  Victoria dropped the sultry act and bared her fangs before plunging them into the neck of the girl. She moaned in response, and whether it was one of pain or ecstasy Morgan couldn't be sure. Victoria was only gentle when the mood suited her, only the thing was, it never did. After a moment or so, she pulled away, a renewed and terrifying glimmer in her eyes.

  “Oh, that's magnificent,” Victoria moaned. “Garrett, you've got to try some of her.” She was anything but selfish, and Morgan could no longer help himself. The dancer girl flinched for a moment before going nearly limp at the sensation of a mouth on either side of her. The act brought back a lifetime of memories in only a second's time- he had shared plenty of women with Victoria before. Unfortunately, they were nearly all terrible. The pleasure he derived from the dancer only ended up making him feel worse.

  He left the embrace of the girl and found Victoria’s eyes fixated on him. “I could watch you all night,” she said.

  Her lecherous tone made Morgan uneasy. “Yes, well I don’t think we could take more from this poor girl without ending her life,” he said.

  “Hm. I suppose you’re right. Very well, onto the next one,” Victoria said. It didn’t matter how much she drank. Victoria would never be satisfied.

  18

  Better Plans

  Jules had never been more conflicted in her entire life. Since the love of her life had passed away, she thought she would never find anything close to the way he made her feel again. Then she proceeded to make out with her best friend. While that was confusing enough itself, it was nothing compared to what she shared with Morgan- who was, of all things, a vampire. She didn’t know if she wanted to drive a stake in his heart, or if she just wanted him to bite her again. Things might have been easier when she was just miserable and afraid of being alone.

  Whatever happened, Jules knew that Daniel was the biggest constant in her life, and she didn’t want to ruin that. She had to make things right with him- except that’s exactly what she tried to do last time and it only ended up with her on top of him. What was she supposed to do now? Pretend like it never happened? If only things could be that easy. That plan sounded fine to her but she knew that wasn’t going to fly with him.

  On top of that, she was practically flush with emotion over Morgan. Her attempts to control it were basically useless. The vampire had made her feel things that she hadn't in- well, maybe ever. She figured as the day went on the memory of him would have begun to fade. However, the visions in her head were as fresh as ever. It was looking less and less likely that the fervor inside of her was some leftover side effect of the vamp blood. Instead, she was worried it was a permanent affliction. She was also a little bit excited, and that worried her even more.

  Jules knew she needed to find Morgan. Only if she saw him in person could she understand whether the infatuation within her was real- or if it was completely fabricated by some vampire hex. She still hadn't decided what result was worse. At least if it was fake she'd probably have an easier time staking him. In any case, she still had some time before sundown, so she needed to get her priorities straight. Daniel first. Morgan second.

  She checked her phone, and it was sadly quiet. Usually, Daniel would have called her by then, but he hadn’t. She decided to be the bigger person and take the initiative. She would do whatever it took, offer any apology, get on her knees and beg for forgiveness… ok, maybe she wouldn’t go that far. How could she convey all of those emotions in a simple text? She thought about it for a few minutes, and then opted for:

  Hey

  It might not have been the most eloquent of letters, but at least she opened the dialogue. Plus, the ball was in his court. As far as she was concerned, she had done all she could do.

  Jules nervously wandered around her apartment, halfheartedly cleaning as a way to try and calm herself down. She definitely wasn't a neat freak, but she figured if she could organize her room then maybe she could get her mind in order, too. Ultimately, it just served as a temporary distraction.

  She also kept looking at her phone to see if Daniel had gotten back to her, but it just wasn’t happening. Instead, the only thing she accomplished was dreaming up increasingly bad scenarios in her head. Maybe this was the last straw for him. Maybe she crossed a line, and there was no coming back to the other side, and they couldn’t be friends anymore. Maybe he finally would leave town, he always told her she was the only thing keeping him in LA.

  She couldn’t just wait around any longer for something to happen- Jules had to find him before things got worse. For now, it was more important than taking a chance on Morgan. She threw on an outfit that would work all night. The possibility of her being gone until dawn again was very real. That seemed to be a common theme for Jules the past few days.

  The first place for her to check was Daniel's apartment. He wasn't typically one to just wait around, but maybe he was going through the same motions that she was. Besides, he most likely wouldn't go out hunting until nightfall anyways. When she arrived, his car was gone but she checked the door anyways. Nothing.

  The only other people that Daniel ever hung out with- if that was even the right way to put it- were at the Hunter's Den. There was a good chance he would be there. Even if he wasn't, maybe old man Levi would know what direction he was headed for the night. Then at least she could meet up with him before tracking down Morgan.

  Jules rushed to the Den as the sun began to hang lower and lower in the sky. She arrived and her spirits lifted. Daniel's car was in the parking lot. Then she realized she didn't know what she was going to tell him. Maybe she could just say she was in the neighborhood, and she wanted to pop in and say hi. That seemed innocent enough. “Oh, and by the way, can we have a serious discussion about the status of our relationship, except it's not really a relationship, in the middle of this dank bar full of crusty old vampire hunters?” That would go over well, she thought. At least it was something.

  Jules pushed open the door and stepped inside. “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she muttered under her breath as she walked past all the regulars. She figured sooner or later they'd get used to the sight of her, but apparently, they still hadn't. All she had to do was find Daniel...and she spotted him in the usual place, hiding in that dark corner with old man Levi. The two of them were with a few others she didn't recognize, older than Daniel but not nearly as old as Levi. The age gap didn't make them look any less grizzled.

  The group was in the midst of a deep conversation. So much so they didn't even look up when Jules approached the table. She didn't want to interrupt them, so she just sort of slowed the speed of her walk to a crawl. It was pretty awkward, but she figured it was either that or a fake cough, and that just seemed ridiculous. Daniel looked up, finally.

  “Jules? What are you doing here?” he asked, shock draped all over his face.

  The rest of the group turned their heads to her, and Levi laughed. “You're alive,” he said. “Good for you.”

  Jules tried to play it cool. “Uh, of course, I'm alive, why wouldn't I be? I'm here to help.”

  “Help? I don't think so, Jules, we're getting into some serious stuff right now. Let's talk later, alright? I'll meet you back at your place,” Daniel said.

  “Trouble with the missus,” one of the men grumbled behind the back of his hand.

  “No, no missus. No trouble. Whatever you guys are hunting, I want a piece of it,” Jules demanded.

  “Absolutely not, Jules, this is way out of your league,” Daniel told her.

  “Now, now, Daniel, don't be too hasty,” Levi said as he leaned back and rubbed his grey beard.

  “Yeah, Daniel, don't be too hasty,” Jules said. “Wait, you agree with me?”

  “Stay out of this, Levi. Go home, Jules,” Daniel snapped again.

  “I think it would be worth it to at least consider her as an option. You did say she's trained. She told me she's a deadeye with a crossbow herself,” the old man said. The other two men that Jules didn't recognize looked at eac
h other, shrugged their shoulders and nodded.

  “Alright, scoot over, and somebody tell me what you guys are talking about,” Jules said.

  Daniel let out a dramatic sigh. “Jules...” he groaned.

  “There's no harm in telling me,” she pleaded, “so, what's the story?”

  “My thoughts exactly,” Levi said.

  “Fine,” Daniel relented. “You can tell her.”

  “Alright, Jules, Daniel is right about one thing. What we've been discussing is, in fact, very risky. Until you walked up, we were almost ready to throw the whole plan out the window. We still might,” Levi paused for a sip of whiskey. If he was trying to intrigue her with the promise of danger, it was working. “Daniel has acquired some vital information concerning the location of a vamp stronghold. It's been right under our noses this entire time, although, to be fair, that part isn't all that surprising.”

  “OK, that sounds great. What do you want to do? If going in guns blazing is too dangerous then why don't we just torch the whole place?” Jules asked.

  “An assault would be a suicide mission. We can't simply burn the whole building, either, because we have reason to believe that it's full of humans as well as vampires.”

  “Those humans are disgusting- they deserve the same punishment the vampires do,” one of the strangers chimed in. Jules decided pretty quickly that she was going to keep her distance from that one.

  “Don't be ridiculous,” Levi waived him off. “We took a vow to save humans, not kill them.”

  “Maybe you did,” the man muttered.

  “We all did,” Levi snapped. “We are not fanatics. Now, where was I?”

  “You have a plan that doesn't involve burning or shooting,” Jules chirped.

  “Yes, thank you. The plan still might involve a shot- but only one. No second chances. What we need is someone to infiltrate the vamp compound.”

  “What, like a sneak attack?” Jules asked.

  “In a sense, but what we need is more of a spy. An assassin to walk right in the front door,” Levi explained.