As if on cue, a guy walked up to us, rendering me speechless. He was about six feet three inches tall, with longish black hair that fell into his left eye. Speaking of his eyes... they were turquoise. Truly turquoise, just like the stone. They stood out, especially with his pale, snow white coloring. I had to keep myself from gaping as he turned his impossibly handsome face to me. He looked about twenty-one.
His eyes only went over me for a second before he turned to Kylie, leaning to brush his lips briefly against her jaw. Oh, I see. Of course he had a girlfriend.
Kylie gave another perfect smile, perching her hands on her lips. "Feeling friendly tonight, huh Zane?"
"I always feel friendly when I'm around you, Kylie," he informed her with a wry smirk, touching her hair. His eyes darted to me again, briefly. "And she is?"
Immediately, his words turned me off. Annoyance was laced in my words as I snapped, "Alex. I'm not deaf, you know."
"Apparently not," Zane muttered, ignoring me and locking gazes with Kylie. I held back the urge to fold my arms over my chest. What was that my mom said? Oh, yeah. "The hot ones are always jerks." How true.
"Be nice," Kylie said fondly, narrowing her eyes at him. "She's new."
"Clearly," Zane grinned, sending me a glance. Like Kylie's look, it seemed to analyze me, but from a guy's perspective. I tried not to blush. You see, while Kylie was clad in her form-fitting, skimpy clothes, I wore jeans and a t-shirt. Now Zane continued, "Or else she'd be dancing."
He tilted his head towards the dance floor. Sure enough, many girls were weaving around, performing complicated-looking choreography. It embarrassed me to even think of myself doing that. All of these girls were beautiful, as well, just like Kylie. Except... Some of them were pale like Zane, and some were tan like her. Weird.
Of course, these girls were accompanied by guys with the same varying skin tones. A lot were handsome as well—beauty seemed to be a trait at The Half Moon. But a few seemed like normal guys, some not even passably cute. All of them gravitated towards the pale girls. Odd.
Now I was getting a little nervous, and I cast a few glances at my "companions". They were silent, just staring at each other. Oh, gosh. I felt like I was intruding upon something.
"OK," I said, making my voice overly bright. "Then I will go and dance." That's when I began to turn around. And that's when I felt a strong, icy grip on my wrist. There was a slight tug, and I found myself spun around, ending up face to face with Zane.
All right, then. He was gorgeous. But I also had the feeling that something was up. Still, his eyes...
They were looking right into me, I could feel it. As if they were searching for my soul, as corny as that sounds. But as they locked onto my eyes-just as they'd locked onto Kylie's-there was confusion in them. And... guilt?
"P-please let me go," I stammered, inwardly cursing myself for stumbling over my words. "Seriously. I don't want to have to call the cops, or anything."
"No," Zane said in a low, smooth voice. He pulled me a bit closer to him, and I avoided his gaze, searching for Ty with my eyes. However, avoiding said gaze seemed to be nearly impossible, and Ty was nowhere in sight. Soon, I found myself sucked in again. That cold touch skimmed ever so briefly against my cheek, and I heard Zane's dangerous-but alluring-voice. "Come now. Come with Kylie and I. You look like you need to calm down."
"Yeah..." I heard myself mumble in an almost out-of-body experience. "I'm looking for someone, but I can't find him."
"Are you?" It was Kylie who was speaking now, and she didn't sound surprised. "Well, I think we'll be able to find him. Why don't you come with Zane and I?"
"OK..."
Zane was gently pulling me along towards a door at the corner of The Half Moon. Kylie followed in a bouncy way. However, her pale boy toy seemed a bit more reluctant than she did.
That should have sent up a red flag.
But I was in a daze, and everything seemed foggy, even as Kylie knocked on the door. It slowly opened, revealing an extremely bulky guy, tan like Kylie. His gaze passed over her, then Zane, then finally me, and a frown came across his lips, but he moved out of the way, letting us in.
The room wasn't that big, and had only a few pieces of furniture decorating it, a couple chairs here and there, a dresser. In the middle, there was a desk, an office desk, covered with paperwork. Sitting in a chair, his arms spread over the papers, was another pale guy.
Like Zane, he was beautiful, but in a different way. Brown-blond hair was cropped short, adorning his head, and he had hazel eyes that seemed to be stuck in a perpetual, hungry stare. I could tell that his body was long and lean. Muscular, but less muscular than Zane.
As I met his eyes, it dawned on me. I was going to die.
Chapter 3
"What's... What's going on?" I spun my head around, preparing to jump for the door. But when I tried, it was impossible to pull loose from Zane's grip. He was eerily calm, his eyes and face devoid of all emotion.
"'Bye, Alex," Kylie smirked, walking towards the door. "Nice meeting you." Easily, she walked out the door, leaving the bulky tan man to block it like a bodyguard.
"Hold on—wait!" I could feel the panic rising up in me, and I darted a glance at the guy at the desk, who was beginning to stand up.
"Sssh," Zane told me, gently pulling me towards the desk. His voice was oddly soothing, and there seemed to be an odd sense of decision in it.
He'd decided to be a part of this. He'd decided to let me die.
How were they going to kill me? A knife in my heart? A bullet in my head? What? And why were they killing me? Was Lulu right—was Ty involved in something that put me in danger?
Now the other guy was leaning over the desk, that oddly hungry look still in his eyes. A smile curved his lips, which were closed until he spoke. "Hello. My name is George."
I had to suppress a scream. His canines were lengthened into sharp fangs, and his eyes had darkened, like something out of legend. That one word cam to mind: Vampire.
Beginning to struggle, I tried to get loose. But I was absolutely no match for Zane, who didn't even seemed phased by the fact that I was pounding on his shoulders. He simply gave me a gentle push, and I was suddenly in George's arms, my stomach pressing against the desktop.
"You smell different." George gave me a leering smile. The tips of his fangs touched his lower lip. "But, of course, there's that other scent. The whole reason why you're here... You've been hanging around the wrong people, my dear. Too bad." His breath was icy cold against my exposed throat.
BAM.
My eyes darted to the side to see what was going on. The door had boomed open, and the tan guy was giving a yell. Blood pumped out of his arm, and someone stood in front of him, holding a bloody silver dagger. The identity of the person made me even more shocked.
Ty.
"Get out of my way!" He yelled, running into the room and slamming the door behind him. He brandished the dagger threateningly to the bodyguard, who seemed to be changing... Fur was covering his body, and he seemed to be hunching over.
A werewolf. Go figure. And I was willing to bet that Kylie was one as well. I was also willing to bet that Mr. Gorgeous Eyes had the hobby of drinking blood. Great. What the heck was happening to me?
Suddenly, George jerked me back towards him, and his fangs began to get closer to my throat. This was it.
"No!" I could hear Ty cry, but he was clearly blocked by the werewolf. He couldn't save me. And I'd never know how he knew how to fight supernatural creatures.
In a movement so fast I didn't know what was happening, something shoved George away from me. The vampire stumbled backwards, and lost his grip on me—right as another vampire snatched me up.
It was like I was flying, and landed in the leg space under the desk, pulled up close to Zane's chest. His arms were like chains around me, and I couldn't break his grip. We were curled up in a tiny space together, as well, so not only was I terrified, but it was freezing.
"Let go of me, you-"
I began, but he clamped a hand over my mouth.
"George is weakened by thirst," he hissed in my ear. "So he's going to be stunned for a few seconds. Be quiet." His voice was irritated, as if he was the one in mortal peril.
"What are you doing?" I snapped, still lowering my voice. "Trying to go and save me for yourself?"
"No," he muttered, rolling his eyes. "Actually, I'm trying to save your life, along with your Hunter out there."
"Hunter?" I asked.
He narrowed his eyes. "You really have no idea what's going on, don't you?"
Just as I was opening my mouth, there was a heavy thud, and Ty was crouched in front of us, a worried but energized look on his face. He suddenly reached into the jacket he was wearing and pulled out a stake, brandishing it in Zane's face. "Get away from her, vampire."
Zane bared fangs, giving a chilling snarl. "I'm trying to save your girlfriend here. Give me a little gratitude."
"Save her?" Ty gave a laugh. "Looks like you're about to bite her."
"Unfortunately, that isn't the case. But now isn't really the time to explain things, is it?" Zane looked up, and I followed his gaze, gasping. George was standing over Ty, preparing to attack.
"Look out!" I yelled.
"Must I do everything for you inexperienced brats?" Zane growled, suddenly letting go of me and charging the other vampire. Ty came under the space with me, checking me over.
"Does this hurt?" He bended my wrist a little bit.
"No." My eyes were following the vampires. They moved with inhuman grace, fighting with their bare hands and fangs only. It was clear that their strength was incredible, but George had been weakened. He slashed his fangs down the side of Zane's face, and the other vampire's eyes flashed. George had to lean over to attempt that move, and he was at a good angle for-
Zane leaped forward, pinning George to the ground. The other vampire struggled, and Zane suddenly took a butcher knife out of his own jacket. Which, unlike Ty's, was leather. What was it with guys with jackets with weapons in them? Gosh.
"Look away," Ty whispered in my ear, attempting to make me look away. But I was fascinated. Zane raised the knife over George's neck.
"You don't understand," Ty began quickly. "One of the only ways you can destroy a vampire is by-"
The was a slamming sound as the knife cut through flesh and bone, hitting the wooden floor.
"Beheading them."
I flinched, and my mouth dropped open a bit. How could Zane get a simple knife through someone's neck? Bone was pretty thick... But still, I'd seen the vampiric strength he had before...
Vampires. It all came rushing back. Werewolves. Ty had probably just killed the bodyguard werewolf.
Oh my gosh.
I crawled out from under the leg space, and Ty came after me. "What the heck is going on, Ty?" I glared at Zane for a moment. "And... what about you?"
"I'm just a genuinely good human being inside," Zane shrugged, his mouth twisting into a smirk. The cut George had given him was already healed. "Besides the human being part."
Ty lunged at him with the stake, and Zane dodged, grabbing him by the throat and pinning him up to the wall. "I don't think so, newbie. I'm not going to get myself killed by an inexperienced Hunter. How humiliating, especially considering that I just saved his life, not to mention the life of his girlfriend."
Giving a groan of frustration, I rushed over to Zane and began hitting him again. Stupid, considering that I'd just watched him behead another vampire.
He turned his head to look at me with an annoyed glance. "OK, OK. I'll let the Hunter go—as long as he swears not to stake me."
"I swear," Ty said coldly, though it seemed like he had to wrench the words out of himself.
"I'll hold you to that." Zane flashed his fangs briefly, then let Ty go.
"Oh my gosh." I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, breathing hard. "You... Why was he calling you a Hunter? And I repeat: what's going on?"
"She doesn't know?" Zane folded his arms over his chest. "Looks like you just got busted, Hunter."
Ty gave me a pleading look, then slipped out of my grasp, stake still in hand. "Zane Cliffe, I'm guessing."
"I really should change my last name again," Zane said calmly. "Had to fall back on the original one this time, since I ran out of ideas."
"You are an extremely wanted vampire, so I have no choice but to arrest you," Ty said slowly, taking a step towards the vampire.
"Ty, don't," I warned. I was beginning to worry for my friend's life.
"Alex, trust me," Ty muttered. "I've got this under control."
"I was a wanted vampire," Zane said smoothly, taking a few steps backwards, his eyes calculating. "That was then, this is now. When was my last crime, exactly? And I believe that I've spoken to your leaders before. You really have no reason to arrest me. Not only did I just stop George from drinking the girl's blood, but I did your dirty work for you." He glanced at where George had been lying, and I did the same.
Only a pile of ashes was left, and I gave a little jump. "OK, then!" That was so... weird. Moments ago, those ashes had been someone-a vampire-who wanted to kill me. Now they were like... dust. I guess the stories were true.
Zane gave an amused laugh. "She's very pure, isn't she?"
"I have a name, you know," I snapped. "Ty mentioned it, as well. It's Alex."
"Ty and Alex." Zane glanced between us. "The Hunter who's completely new to the job, and the human girl who's tagging along because she actually has a brain. Interesting."
"Don't mess with her," Ty warned, shooting me a disparaging glance. Apparently, I wasn't supposed to reveal my name. He gave a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "OK. I won't arrest you."
"You mean, you won't try arrest me. I highly doubt you'd actually be able to do the job." Zane looked confident.
"Sure, whatever," Ty said quietly, glaring at him. "I suppose I have no reason, but I'd like to know exactly what's going on."
"You will," Zane assured him. "Trust me: I'll be the best ally you could have, considering that you're so new to everything-"
"I'm not that new," Ty insisted.
"You're new." Zane gave him a direct look. "Rick Sanders is dead, and your scent is telling me that you're his son, so you're taking his place."
OK. So Ty's dad had been into this freaky stuff too. Big surprise, there. I walked over to Ty's side, worried. Something was flickering through his eyes.
"How did you know my father was dead?" Ty asked, his voice taking the oddly emotionless tone again.
"News travels fasts with we supernaturals," Zane informed us. "I can't say I'm sorry for your loss, because I'm not sorry for Rick Sanders's death. But I'll say you look like him. Besides your eyes."
Ty dipped his head. "So, how do we contact you if we want to speak to you about where you stand on the issue?"
What 'issue'?
"I'll find you," Zane promised, winking at me. He suddenly was at my side, his face near my hair. He breathed in, then nodded, as I was frozen in place. "Yep, got her scent. See you soon." He gave me smirk, then ran out of the room, leaving Ty and I alone with a dead werewolf-who I couldn't see, since the desk blocked him-and a pile of ashes.
"Ty," I whispered. "He calls you a Hunter. Does he mean-"
"We've got to get out of here," Ty interrupted, taking my hand. "It's dangerous. I don't think there are any more of them in this place that want to attack, you just never know." He began leading me out of the room, and that's when I saw the dead werewolf.
He was in his wolf form. Not like a werewolf from your imagination—half human and half beast. No, he looked like a normal wolf, but twice the normal size. A dagger was stuck between his ribs, and to my disgust, Ty leaned down and slipped it out, putting it back in his jacket.
OK. I'd just seen two creatures die. Or... had they really died? Vampires were supposed to be dead already, and I wasn't sure about werewolves. Interesting. Never in my life had I thought that I would be at the scene of a murder
. Multiple murders. Sort of.
The people out in The Half Moon were still dancing, and talking, as if nothing was wrong. But I didn't see them as humans now.
Kylie's eyes widened as she watched me walk past her, hand in hand with Ty. She gave a low, wolfish growl. "Your Hunter boy isn't going to be able save you again if you come back, spy," she warned.
"I can take care of myself," I muttered, but was inwardly scared of her. How could I not have seen the strange, wolf-shape to her eyes? Or the way-
How can anyone tell if someone is a creature that's not supposed to exist?
Ty led me out into his car, and I called my parents, telling them that I was out with him. He then drove us to Tammy's, which was only an hour away from closing. We took our regular table, and he began to explain in a low voice.
"You've seen things now, Alex," he murmured. "And there is a way of blocking it out of your mind... But it's risky, and I don't want you to go through it." He ran a hand through his hair again. "Vampires and werewolves-along with other supernatural creatures-exist, but they're mainly in hiding, save a few select humans and my kind."
"Your kind?" I asked softly.
"Hunters," Ty said softly. "You see, thousands of years ago, the human race was almost wiped out by supernaturals. So, new humans were born. They were stronger and hardier than others, and had a special sense for supernaturals. The Hunters. So, we've been keeping the supernaturals under control ever since. That's what SCA is for. Supernatural Control Agency. It's made up almost entirely out of Hunters, but it has a few normal human spies... And that's what got you in trouble."
I raised my eyebrows. This was a lot to take in, so I was trying to listen carefully and remain calm. But still—my best friend being a specially advanced human? "I don't get it. I had no idea that... Well, what is The Half Moon for, anyway?"
"It's specially made for supernaturals to hang out in, discuss things," Ty explained. "One of the few hideouts they have that we know about. You see, they also occasionally take humans with them—at least, the vampires do. For... you know."
Meeting: Vampire Hunter Saga Book 1 Page 4