The Hunted

by Heather McAlendin

  Set stopped and grinned broadly, revealing a mouth full of needle sharp fangs. “Very good Father...oh, it’s just Drake now isn’t it? Forgive me, as my mind is not what it used to be. I have been away for much too long.”

  As he spoke, I felt a warmth spread from the centre of my body to my limbs and then my face. It was as if my brain was on fire. The intense heat lasted for only a moment but it was enough to let me know that Set was in full control in this situation and he could have killed me if he had wanted to do so. He could likely kill us both with nothing more than a thought.

  “I find the psychic part of my abilities the most rewarding these days. Although I will say, I have developed a taste for modern human blood. It is so much more nutrient rich than those hateful, dirty creatures I had to depend on in the past. Humans have romanticized our kind for so long that they give themselves almost willingly...almost.”

  Set’s voice was low and menacing but he still had not moved. He seemed content to watch and see if Drake or I would make the first move. I was amazed Drake had kept decidedly silent for this long.

  I had enough of the silence and decided to speak. “What have you done with Hannah’s fledglings, Set? You have nothing to gain by dealing with them.”

  “On the contrary,” he replied. “They pave the way to the future.”

  “The future does not include half-bred mongrels. We made a deal.” Drake growled as he lunged forward only for Set to throw him back with nothing more than a flick of his wrist. A loud crackling sound filled my ears as Drake’s large body hit the staircase. I envisioned cracked ribs and a broken spine. I also knew that it would not keep Drake down or quiet for very long.

  “I find it quite ironic for you to be talking about mongrels, Drake. Silver is the closest thing to a pure blood outside of Yaqui and myself that you have ever come in contact with. You should be bowing before her.” Set’s voice was calm and steady as he spoke.

  “The future,” I started, “will be ensured by keeping the vampire line as close to pure as possible. By indiscriminately adding any and all humans, we will all become extinct just as the Toltecs. You of all must realize that!”

  The last word barely left my lips before I felt a pair of strong hands on my shoulders and a set of fangs dangerously close to my jugular. Bloody sweat beaded my forehead with the effort to keep control over my instinct to lash out and kill this creature. My life was literally in Set’s hands.

  “I realize now that you are a disappointment, Silver,” he said as spittle flung from his lips and trailed its way down my neck and chest. I cringed, waiting for the deathblow. “Have you spent so long in the security of the Clans that you fail to see what is going on in the world around you? Humans are a failed race at best. They kill, maim and spew hatred at one another for no other reason but financial gain. We could put them out of their misery.”

  Set’s hands tightened to a point where I was certain my clavicle would soon be shattered. “If all the humans are all turned or killed then vampires will die as well. We can’t feed on one another for long and without human blood we descend into madness. A leader of your capabilities should worry about his people!” I hissed as he slowly cut off the breath from my throat. I knew it was a desperate effort to save myself or at least hold off long enough until Drake could recover.

  Surprisingly, Set drew back and released me. I collapsed in a heap to the floor, but at least I was alive. A quick glance up revealed that something other than my plea was affecting Set’s frame of mind.

  Set clutched his head and reeled backward. “Not possible, not possible,” he muttered. He retreated into the darkness until finally only silence filled the room.

  “Drake?” I whispered. “Set is gone, but I don’t know for how long. Can you move?”

  Silence greeted my concern.

  I stood up and cautiously walked toward Drake’s body. I kept a hand on my dagger and kept looking back to the shadows. There was no way I was going to be caught unaware again by Set or anyone else.

  A low moan indicated that at least Drake was alive. How much time had passed since we entered the building? My thoughts were scattered between concern for Drake and trying to figure out what power had distracted Set long enough to save my life.

  Andrew. Drake’s voice once again invaded my brain. If not mobile, he was certainly well enough to know my thoughts.

  “How?” I asked. “I know Andrew has power that can rival even the Ancients—but to control one such as Set?” I shook my head in disbelief.

  I watched with interest as the giant, former priest rose from his injuries as if he had just had a simple slip and fall accident.

  “The world as you and I know it is changing. Although Set is insane enough to think humans are the saviors of the Vampire Clans, he does have some basis in reality. As the world becomes more modern we in turn need to modernize what we do and how we do it in order to survive. We can’t wait for humans to bond or come to us anymore. There is too much information out there to keep our worlds apart much longer.”

  His voice was tired and heavy but there was some truth in Drake’s words. Was it any wonder Hannah chose to separate herself from me? I was a proponent of the old ways but I could not allow Set to take complete control.

  “Andrew is a vampire of the new order. You created him, Silver, you and Queen Akita.”

  A sudden sadness clutched my chest as I thought of Andrew. How much danger was he in now with Set stalking him and us?

  “Give your creation some credit,” Drake said plainly. “It is his doing that your throat was not torn from that pretty neck of yours.”

  Unconsciously, I placed a slender hand on my throat and felt the pulse beating beneath my fingers. Human and vampire life was so fragile and somehow I had to stop Set from possibly destroying it all.

  Drake made a final inspection of himself and picked up the blade he had cast aside when he fell. “I am fine, thank you,” he said sarcastically. “I am fortunate Set was so distracted by you or I could have been torn apart.”

  I turned and attempted a smile at his levity. “He let you live for a reason. Are you now ready to tell me details about where the hell he came from and why?”

  In one fluid motion, Drake swung the blade and placed in into the holster he had strapped to his side. “It’s getting late and we have wasted precious hours while Set disappeared with Hannah’s minions. I don’t know about you but I am thirsty.”

  “You are avoiding the question like the plague,” I said. “Fine, we will quench your thirst but while we do, you will explain to me what is going on—and I want the whole truth!”

  Drake nodded silently as we headed down the staircase to the basement of the blood bank. I could smell the fear left behind by Hannah’s fledglings. I also smelled blood, freshly spilled vampire blood. It seemed that Set had to demonstrate his power before Hannah’s brood went willingly with him.

  As we reached the basement, I stood aghast at the shredded vampire flesh that hung from the walls and the drying, arterial blood that coated the stairs and floor. I hung my head in despair.

  “They deserved better than this.” I sighed.

  “Why?” Drake asked. “Our intention was to kill them and scatter their ashes to the wind. How is this different? They were all going to die.”

  It was a powerful statement to hear but it was the truth. If not Set, then Drake or I would have killed them.

  “I know,” I said uneasily. “They’re the result of a horrible mistake and a break in the Vampire Code. What Set plans to do with them is abhorrent and we have to stop him. These murders have nothing to do with justice; this was pure evil.”

  Drake shifted uncomfortably before he responded. “I assume that is how my actions so long ago must have been viewed. Hell, it’s the truth. I tortured and killed humans in God’s name. Now I am so far from that I can never redeem myself. I had thought that I could convince Set to join the Clans if Andrew was willing. The strength of the Toltecs and the Ancients would mix with m
odern vampires. We could have been invincible! Now we may be on the verge of a vampire war.”

  Just the thought of my beloved Clans at war with themselves and bringing humans into the mix was too much to bear. If Andrew and the Clans were not already aware, I had to return and see what we needed to do. This situation had gotten severely out of hand.

  Drake turned briskly and opened one of the large, glass coolers that held row upon row of life-giving blood. He tossed me a bag, tore open one of his own and with fangs extended, drank deeply.

  I hungrily drove my own fangs into the cooled blood. My eyes rolled back as the delicious elixir ran over my teeth and down my throat. I had not anticipated how thirsty I became in such a short time.

  By the time I had finished my blood bag, Drake had started and finished his third.

  “Done?” he asked as he wiped a small droplet of blood from the corner of his mouth. I nodded and tossed my bag to the floor.

  “It’s too late to go back to your hiding place. Any bright ideas on where to hide until dusk?” I asked.

  Drake grinned slyly and nodded, a locket of his dark hair dropped down over one eye. He brushed it aside and held out his hand to me. “I have an idea, if you are brave enough to follow?” he exclaimed loudly as if daring me to protest.

  “I don’t have a choice and you haven’t gotten me killed...yet.” The thought of once again following Drake into the night was unsettling but it was safer for the two of us to be together than separated while Set was roaming the city. What’s your plan?” I asked, almost dreading the answer.

  “Well, we can go into old fashioned vampire mode. There is a graveyard nearby here,” he said.

  “Sacred Heart,” I whispered. It was the same graveyard where I met Marie Saint Martin, the runaway nun I had turned into a fledgling vampire. “I know the place, let’s get going. We have wasted too much time here already and we can’t chance Set regaining his senses and coming back.”

  Chapter Ten

  The graveyard at Sacred Heart sat quietly in the moonlight. Age and neglect had taken its toll on the property. Broken and desecrated tombstones lay in shambles and the once well-manicured lawns were tangled and overgrown with weeds and shrubs. The Church itself, once a thriving parish, lay naked excepting the graffiti that covered the outside walls.

  Most humans stayed clear of the place, leaving it to the forest creatures and of course, vampires.

  Drake lifted a hand and put a finger to his lips. I raised my eyebrow in question to his demand for silence. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed something moving deep within the shadows.

  I crouched low and slipped my dagger from its holster, at the ready if I felt it was necessary. I watched as Drake quietly made his way toward the shadow. The sky was slowly turning from pitch to royal blue. The rising sun would soon expose us; we had to hide and soon.

  A deep, rumbling laughter shook me from my thoughts. “What is it?” I yelled. “What the hell is so damn funny?”

  I straightened up and walked over to where Drake stood. He was pointing at the ground and grinning like a Cheshire cat.

  Cowering in the shadows was a small, black puppy, not more than a few months old. He had pressed his body tightly against the cold marble of a tombstone. The puppy looked visibly shaken and his dark eyes pleaded for leniency.

  I could not but share in the laughter as I gently picked up the dog and placed him back on the path where he ran as fast as his unsteady legs could carry him.

  “Hopefully his mother is not too far away,” I said gently.

  “We have to get moving, Silver.”

  I nodded in Drake’s direction. He led me to a darkened mausoleum. It looked weathered by wind and rain and had most likely been the resting place for a wealthy individual or family. The ornate decoration was very elaborate and very beautiful. Someone had taken a lot of time, effort and expense. Tonight it would be my temporary resting place.

  I stamped impatiently as Drake carefully opened the heavy brass door at the entrance of the mausoleum. In mere moments, the sun would be rising and both of us needed to hide and rest.

  With an elaborate sweep of his hand and a deep bend at the waist, Drake bade me enter. “Ladies first,” he chided. “Not the most luxurious accommodations but...”

  “It’s fine,” I said, cutting him off. I was not in the mood for pleasantries. I wanted to rest and then get back to Andrew and the Clans. The longer we waited, the more opportunity Set had to complete his wish to take over the Vampire Clans and destroy humanity.

  I noticed what may have been a flicker of hurt in Drake’s eyes before he moved aside and watched as I carefully entered the mausoleum. I could not afford the drama of emotion right now. I had to apply cold vampire logic and action to this situation. My emotions are what caused the beginning of all of this. I didn’t expect Drake to understand that.

  “I understand that and so much more,” Drake said quietly. Without another word, he moved the large slab covering the tomb and cast aside the remnants of its former inhabitants.

  “How Hollywood can we get?” I stated, trying to add a bit of levity to the uncomfortable situation. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I’d be slumbering in an old used grave like some sort of ancient Nosferatu.

  “Ironic I suppose,” Drake replied as he lifted me and watched as I lay down on the cool, hard marble surface. In short order he was lying by my side and had pulled the cover slab as far over us as he could. Even with vampire strength, a full-sized, marble slab was a huge chore to move let alone lift.

  I listened to Drake’s breathing and felt the heaviness of his body as it pressed against me. I was not used to such close quarters but in an odd way it was comforting that I was not alone. Mindful that at any moment Set could find us and destroy us both, I finally settled into a restless, dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Eleven

  Dusk came sooner rather than later and I woke, stiff and achy from the hours spent lying in the cold, damp crypt.

  Drake’s eyes remained closed and his body motionless as I carefully and quietly lifted myself from the tomb and jumped cat-like to the floor. The air was still and the entrance was undisturbed. I felt a bit more at ease knowing no one had spied upon us during our slumber.

  When will you wake up? I wondered silently, hoping Drake tuned in to my thoughts. I was impatient and paced the floor over a dozen times before I heard a large yawn and a groan from within the crypt.

  “Today I definitely feel my years,” Drake said as he sat up and stretch his long arms. “This is definitely not a glamorous or comfortable way to sleep. I much prefer my bed. Have you been awake long?”

  “No,” I answered after a final pace in front of the entrance. “I just want to get out of here and back home. There is much to do and I doubt Set has just been resting while we have been stuck in here.”

  “Yes, yes I know. Can you blame me for wanting to delay the inevitable just a few more minutes? I hunger again and I feel the need to feed. We don’t have time to go back to the blood bank.”

  I swallowed the urge to scream. I was hungry as well but we, or at least I, had to concentrate on getting home. Once there, I was sure we could persuade one or two vampires to allow us to borrow their human hosts for a quick feed.

  “Can you stave off your hunger long enough to get to Andrew?” I asked quickly. I didn’t want to get into an argument and we were wasting time.

  “Yes, I suppose I can. We need to leave now or I may not be responsible as to what happens on the road.” Drake winced as he spoke and his face was pinched and a bit drawn. The blood bags we had consumed the day before had done very little to satiate his appetite. He needed a willing human host.

  After smoothing my hair and the wrinkles from my clothing, I motioned to Drake to follow me out of the tomb. The cemetery was dark and silent. We need to move as quickly as possible and remain undetected until I reached Andrew. In the state of hunger Drake was now in, I could not trust him to make rational decisions.


  “It will only take a quarter of an evening’s travel before we are deep in Clan Territory,” I said as I lead Drake out of Sacred Heart and toward the outskirts of the city. He remained silent but seemingly aware as we rushed down the narrow, dusty back roads.

  In short order, I was back in familiar territory. The air smelled sweeter the closer we got to the mark but I was ever aware that at any moment either the remainder of Hannah’s minions or Set himself could catch us if we were off our guard.

  Admittedly, I was worried about Drake and Andrew’s first meeting. The intimacies I shared with Drake had left me feeling guilty yet wondering why Andrew had pushed me subconsciously in this direction. Perhaps he was getting ready to let me go? Had he found another that I was unaware of?

  So many unanswered, yet selfish questions when the lifeblood of my beloved Clan was at stake. What had I become?

  “Sometimes the past is the past for a reason. Silver, you no longer have control or power over the Clan or Andrew. Concentrate on the now and what you need to accomplish. Concentrate on what you and I need to accomplish.”

  I thought for a brief moment on what Drake has just said. “Some of that is true. Right now, what you and I need to worry about is getting you fed and us safely to Andrew before Set returns. Enough talk! We are wasting time,” I replied forcefully, hoping it would quiet Drake. It did and we hurried together in an uneasy silence.

  Time passed, as did the rolling hills and dark shadows. When we finally arrived, I stopped suddenly.

  “What the hell?” Drake exclaimed as he crashed into me causing us both to tumble to the ground in a heap. He jumped to his feet and stood above me, glowering. His hair was dark and glistening like a halo against the midnight moon above him. He looked like some kind of dark angel. If I had been in any other frame of mind, I think he would have been broodingly handsome.

  “I’m sorry,” I said as I leapt up and backward, away from him and his burning eyes. “I need a moment to collect myself. We are here.”