by C. M. Steele
Hunting Allegra
A Hauntingly Romantic Halloween Novella
C.M. Steele
To Audrey, Evelyn, and Yvette
Acknowledgements:
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Epilogue
Acknowledgements:
To my husband and best friend who tries to help me stay off the internet but fails miserably. I love you to pieces.
My betas and therapists: You all rock. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t get to freak out and you pat my head, telling me it’ll be alright.
And to my readers…without you all I wouldn’t be living the dream.
HUNTING ALLEGRA
A job opportunity across the country changes Alaric Jager’s life forever. Rumors of the supernatural, but he never thought it would touch his life. Moving to Manchester, NY came with a world of interesting surprises and Allegra was one of them—a pretty girl with a bad attitude and a crossbow. She’s the last in her family of vampire hunters on a mission to find her father’s killer a powerful vampire.
Can they fight the evil of the vampire world to find their happily ever after? Or will evil win?
*This has no relation to any of C.M. Steele’s other vampire stories.
Copyrighted © 2018
All Rights Reserved
No part of this book may be reproduced, copied or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system without written expressed permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is purely coincidental.
Cover design: KL Fast
Cover Image: Adobe stock
The use of actors, artists, movies, TV shows and song titles/lyrics throughout this book are done so for storytelling purposes and should in no way be seen as advertisement. Trademark names are used in an editorial fashion with no intention of infringement of the respective owner’s trademark.
This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment. This book may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you are reading this book and did not purchase it, or if it was not purchased for your use only, then you should return it to the seller and please purchase your own copy.
Prologue
Halloween 2014
Alaric
“Thank you for traveling the long distance to be here,” Mr. Graf says, standing and shaking my hand. He’s strong, and it’s almost as if he’s testing my strength. From the look on his face, I don’t disappoint. Strangely, despite growing up with very little to eat, I still had an unnatural strength and size.
“Thank you for the opportunity, Mr. Graf. I aged out of the group home and they didn’t have any work for me. I really needed something. You saved me from the streets.” The fear of being left without hope is devasting. I should second guess the generosity, but I won’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
As if reading my mind, he answers my internal thoughts, “Once a year, I find candidates that come from less than desirable backgrounds and give them an opportunity to prove their worth. I have a feeling you will do just that. Are the accommodations at the complex sufficient?”
“More than I’ve ever had, sir. Thank you.”
“Enough, you need not thank me yet. The job will be rigorous, but you seem to be built for just that. Now, go along and enjoy the festival.” He sends me out with a handful of cash to spend, so I reluctantly leave and enjoy the day. I don’t know anybody and don’t feel like meeting anyone new just yet, so I pay more attention to the people in the booths selling stuff than those passing around me.
I spot a teenage girl who glares at me. Her long black hair braided and hanging over her shoulder contrasting her pale skin. She can’t be more than sixteen, but she’s lovely, stunning in fact. Well except for the staring at me like I kicked her cat or some shit. I should ask her what I did to make her upset. Instead, I decide it’s better to not even address her, so I walk around with my food and sit in the grass under a tree. Two women come by, and both of them take a seat. “Hello, I’m Tammy, and this is my best friend, Trish.”
“Hello, I’m Alaric,” I answer, putting down my plate on my lap and shake their hands.
“Wow, what a cool name. We’ve never seen you around here before. Are you visiting?”
“I’m new here, just got a job in town.”
“Well, that’s great to hear that you’re going to be hanging around town.” They smile flirtatiously. I’m a good-looking guy, and these girls are cute. I suppose, but I’m not interested. My life needs to be a little stable before I look for a girl. We make small talk, and I see the girl who gave me the death stare. She’s watching the women with suspicion. I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I excuse myself from the women and head over to find out what the girl’s problem is, but she dashes off. It’s just getting dark when I spot her again. She’s in line for the Ferris wheel, so I cut in line to stand at her side. “I’m Alaric Jager. You are?”
“Allegra and annoyed. Don’t you have some bimbos to talk to?”
“Don’t sound jealous. I’ve been looking for you for an hour,” I tell her.
“Why?” She doesn’t look appreciative, but more apprehensive.
“Why? Honestly…I don’t really know. I know you’re probably too young for me, but I had to make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine. Now you can go.”
The attendant gives us a wave to come along and get on, so I take her hand which she doesn’t pull away from, but gives me a dirty scowl, so I add, “It looks like it’s our turn.” I lead her onto the next car for the ride. She gets on and takes a seat close to the other side, to keep her distance. I’m not into her like that. I don’t even know how old she is. And if she knew the truth about me, she’d probably be a little more comfortable around me. I just get this feeling that there’s something happening that I’m missing.
“How old are you?” I ask her.
She plays with the hem of her sweater, then admits, “Sixteen, you?”
“Eighteen.” Wow, we’re only two years apart, but in the eyes of the law, it’s a lifetime apart. I guess it’s best if I stay away from her.
“Wow, you don’t look eighteen.”
“Well, I guess so. I tend to hear that a lot. So, are you going to tell me what made you mad earlier?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She continues to stare out the side looking at the row of trees. I can’t help but admire her face. If things were different, I’d want to spend more time with her.
“So you weren’t staring at me with murder in your eyes?”
“Sorry, just a case of R.B.F.” I quirk my brow and stare. Then she adds, “Resting Bitch Face.” I broke out laughing, catching her off guard. After a second of looking at me like I was nuts, she cracked a smile before getting the giggles too.
“Sorry, I just really took it like you were ready to stab me or something. Can we be friends?”
“I’m not sure that�
�s possible, but the ride’s over.” The attendant opens the door to let us off, and Allegra makes a run for it, causing it to sway and for me to stumble to the other side of the seat. I finally get out, but I can’t find her anywhere.
The rest of the night, I look around hoping to see what’s going on with Allegra. It’s strange that I feel this need to make sure she’s okay. I don’t see her again, but I guess it’s probably past her bedtime. I continue to roam with nothing to do for the next two hours until the party has died down.
I hear nothing but the sound of the wind as the town dispersed after the celebrations. I’ve only been here two days, but I’m already feeling uneasy. How can a town that seems so damn peaceful make me want to run back to my life in Springfield as a ward of the state? I’ve never been afraid of the dark, and still, I’m not truly afraid, but rather I feel a bit apprehensive. The little apartment I’ve been given is just past the alley, so I decide to take a shortcut.
Halfway down the longest damn alley, I’ve ever seen, I see a large man step out of a corridor. He doesn’t face me until I’m much closer—a little too close for my liking. When he turns, I see the brightest red eyes, inhuman like. It’s as if the vampire movies and shows came to life in front of me. His gaze is menacing. Then it hits me that this must be some punk ass guys playing a last-minute Halloween prank on me.
I move to step past him, but he’s in my way again. I turn slightly to go around him, but he’s in my space. “Enough with the fucking games. I’m tired, and I have a full work day ahead of me.”
“No, you do not,” he remarks, and that’s when the moonlight strikes his face. It’s the bastard that hired me. Slowly his stare becomes disturbingly frightening. I want to scream as his lips part, and he smirks sinisterly at me with his white teeth. That is when I know that there was a reason I felt it was unsafe in this town. And why the job was too good to be true.
Allegra
I couldn’t hide the way Alaric made me feel. At the ripe age of sixteen, I’ve never liked a boy before, let alone one who isn’t a boy anymore. He’s only two years older, but he acts like he’s ten years older the way he said that I was too young for him.
I hunt vampires, I don’t date, but it’s hard to pull my attention away from him, and that makes me mad. I should’ve ignored him and ran away before we shared that small space together, but I couldn’t. Something in me drags my gaze back to him. He caught the attention of two hot ladies probably closer to him in age, and I wanted to stab them. It’s nuts because I’ve seen them around town and didn’t think twice about them, but now I hate those chicks.
I have to forget about him and remember why I’m here in Manchester, New York. For the past few years, there have been rumors of missing people, and that’s a curious thing for a small town.
Since there’s a lot of paranormal activity in this area, I thought it was best to find the vampire who murdered my father. It’s been a full year without him. He’d been missing for a month before the word got around that the remains of a man had been found in the woods unrecognizable. Since then I’ve been on the hunt for his killer. Vlad Graf, a vampire with skill and cunning, but not as strong as the others. I’ve hunted them down, but I have yet to kill a single one. I wasn’t old enough for it, my father insisted. I doubted that to be true. Now, more than ever, I was ready.
The eerie feeling that a blood-sucking beast was in the area grew in me as the day had given way to the night. I patrolled the town square where the festivities were in full swing until ten minutes ago, now it has died down and the crowd returning to their homes. It’s the stillness in the air that screams to me. As I make my way to the little apartment I have conned myself into, a large gust of wind catches my attention. Someone has swooped in for a visit. I spin around and see a shadow enter the alley just across from me. I pull my crossbow out of my backpack and make my way into hell’s path.
A pained scream hits my ears and I know I’m too late. The cry is guttural. Usually, they don’t make much noise, but he’s fighting to get away. I don’t hesitate. I call out my target’s name as I release an arrow directly hitting Vlad in the eye. He disappears into the night, leaving his victim scrambling to stand as blood drips down from his neck.
I want to kill him, but I cannot. It’s wrong to kill another human even if he isn't one for long. Besides, when our eyes connect, I know that I can never take his life because my heart won’t allow it.
Instead, I sigh painfully, “Shit, he bit you?”
“Yes,” he groans, grasping at the brick wall as he stumbles onto his feet. He may be weak now, but in a few days, he will be stronger than any man.
“May this be the last time we ever meet. Next time, I will have no choice.” A lone tear falls from my face as I turn away and flee into the night. I must seek shelter because vampires are more dangerous at night, but in the morning, I will hunt down Vlad again.
Alaric
I saw the dilemma in Allegra’s eyes. She fought her urge to shoot me. The choice was hard for her, that was clear. I wanted to tell her to kill me because I don’t want to turn into a fucking monster like that bastard if that was what happens, but at the same time, I didn’t want to die. I only turned eighteen today, and I was a damn virgin.
She runs away before I can stop her, but I will find her again if I live through the night. I move to my apartment and gingerly strip my clothes off to wash the blood away and bandage myself up. As I shower, the wound seems to have stopped bleeding and looks smaller than it had been.
I use some duct tape and some paper towels because I don’t have a damn supersized first aid kit, and I fashion up a makeshift bandage. By the time I’m done, I pass out on the bed. Only to wake up to the sound of someone standing at the foot of my bed. My eyes dart open to see a man almost my size standing with his arms crossed staring at me.
“I’m Lord Alessandro Vitale. And you just met Allegra, the last in a long line of vampire hunters. She spared you last night, and now you must become one of us.”
“What are you?”
“We are vampires.”
I squint twice as I look toward the window where the sun is coming through. “But the sunlight?”
He chuckles and says, “Some of the superstitions are very untrue. We are less dangerous in the day, but we will not burn in the light. Come we must get you out of here before nightfall.” I have nothing that ties me here, but suddenly, I don’t want to go. All I can picture is the fierce young lady. One day, I hope we meet again.
Chapter 1
Halloween 2018
Allegra
I am back here again. I’ve sworn to stay away, but every year I find myself right outside this town. My heart aches to see the beast, I let fall into Vlad’s hands, but he’s the enemy. And yet, the pull to him grows stronger. I thought I could fight the urge to see him by hunting him down and destroying him, but there are no signs of a dangerous vampire killing humans indiscriminately. Heavens, I can’t even utter his name without a longing so powerful it defies all logic. My family has been hunting vampires since the seventeenth century, and I’m the last of my family.
“Allegra, my pet. Come to me,” I hear in my head. The voice grows stronger, but it’s not him. I know who the devil is that calls me. “Vlad,” I whisper.
A shadow moves around my room, then I feel his presence, I have my stake ready, but he’s too strong for me. He’s been too strong for my entire family including my beloved father. “Yes, my princess. You will be mine. I have waited until you are ripe to claim you. You will be my bride.”
“When Hell freezes over,” I state, standing my ground. He can’t bite me until the moon is high in the sky. I will fight him.
“Oh, my pet. You can fight it if you must, but by tonight you will be mine, and dear Alaric and your father can’t save you.”
“Please remind me that you’ve killed my father as if that would warm me up enough to not rip your heart out.”
“Come now, I did not kill him. It is not my fault he
has refused to confess that he is one of us. Soon, you will join our world, ready to breed the new vampires.”
“He’s not one of you. He couldn’t be one of you.”
“Oh, but he is. Who do you think rescued your dear Alaric? Ugh, I am disgusted with your insane bond to him. I will destroy it once I make you mine.”
“Has old age seeped in Vlad? Bond? Leave me be.”
“Amusing, my pet.” He runs his fingers through my hair, making me wish I had tied it up. “I’ve had the help of some warlocks to put you under my spell. Nothing and no one can stop me from taking you tonight. Now go and dress for me. It’s all been prepared.” Unbeknownst to myself, I do as he commanded. My body involuntarily complies with his demands. A lone tear falls as I’m forced into compliance.
Chapter 2
Alaric
He’s found her. She came back here. Why did she come back? His power is most active during Halloween, and she walked into his trap. I can’t let him take her. She’s mine. She has been mine from the moment my transformation took place. I felt it in my soul that she belonged to me. I won’t let him have her. Alessandro has taught me everything he knows over the years, but he left one thing out. One thing I learned on my own—Allegra is his daughter. The photo he carries along with him and the fact that he likes to keep track of her whereabouts was a telltale given. But it’s the pain etched on his face when she visits his grave that let me in on the truth.
I will kill Vlad before I let him take my mate. Alessandro has to stay out of it tonight for fear that she will be too distracted, and he is right. Besides, I cannot claim my mate with him around. What I plan to do to her will unite us completely. Breeding her and making her mine must be done in private. I’ve already set up our estate away from here up further north in the Canadian wild, warming our bodies with the heated hunger of mating.