James leaned back in his chair as he watched the two Hunters on the security camera. Something changed their minds and they went back to the road. He never understood Hunters. His only worry was the two of them would go back and tell the Society, that could bring up some issues.
His phone rang and he picked up the device, flipping it open to answer it. “Hello?”
“I sent a Hunter your way. She’s smart, she won’t attack the first time.”
James looked at the screen. “Black hair? Tall? Slim?”
“Yeah, that sounds like her.”
“Were you aware that she was working with a partner?” James looked at the man with the female Hunter. He’d seen him before, he knew well who the bastard was. “Correction. She’s working with the human of an Original. What on earth did you send me?”
“I sent you Isadora Sidel. She’s on the list of families to take out. You should consider the other one a bonus. I’m sure he’s on the list if you know him on sight.” The man on the other line laughed.
That could be true. “If I kill him, Nuala dies. This could work to the Father’s advantage.”
“Yes, it seems to me that is the plan. Now, do what you want with her, but make sure she is not going to return here. I cannot have her telling people what she found there.”
James nodded. “I will make sure she joins us. One way or another.” He smirked and tapped his fingers against the desk. “The other one...if he shows back up, I will be killing him. I have a bone to pick with him and Nuala.”
Ayden stood outside the house and let out a frustrated growl. “What the hell, Isadora.” He knew her history, her family, but he didn’t think she’d be this rash. He assumed her parents had taught her better, but clearly the Hunting Society had brain washed her into believing that she always had to follow through with her mission. Or something about him tipped her off. Fuck.
His phone rang again and he looked down to see Tegan’s number, but somehow he highly doubted that it was her. “Ayden speaking.”
“Of course it is you speaking, who else would be answering your cellular phone.” Zaaren’s voice came across the receiver and all Ayden could do was shake his head.
“Tegan delivered your message. I’m doing what I can.” He sighed and started towards the SUV he had rented. “Isadora is stubborn.”
“I don’t care, you get her back here. If you do not, than I will make sure you suffer when you return.”
“Can you send Tegan for back up?”
“No, she told you the Circle has forbidden her to travel because of the investigation going on here.”
She hadn’t told him why, but Zaaren just did. Perfect. “I’m doing what I can. In the event that shit goes down here, what do you want me to do?”
“Stay within the laws and contact me. If I do not hear from you in three nights, then I will visit that location.”
Great. An Original on the loose in Florida, just what the territory needed. “Alright. I’ll do what I can.”
“You will bring her back here.” The line went dead and Ayden looked to the sky. “Really gods, this is what you give me to deal with? Can I at least have a clue?”
Nothing happened and Ayden climbed into his car. The first logical place to search was the mansion.
He drove and spotted her SUV. Ayden got out and followed the same path that they’d taken before. Sure enough, Isadora was crouched behind a bush, watching, waiting, like the Hunter she was.
He came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder. She spun around, breaking the contact with one arm and pulling her gun with the other hand. She met his gaze. “You better be here to help me.”
“Or what? You going to shoot me?” He laughed and shook his head. “I have orders to bring you back home. I was hoping I could do it without fighting you.”
“And who are you taking orders from Ayden? You’re hiding so much from me.” She put her gun away. “I can’t trust you.”
“You can’t trust your society.”
“If that’s true, then I can’t trust anyone.” She shook her head. “I’m going in there and then reporting back. In. Out. Simple.”
“Unless they snag you.” He snapped. “Orders are orders, Izzy. Come with me or I’ll have to knock you out and take you home.”
She laughed. “Do you think you can take me?”
“Without a doubt.” He stepped back. “I could just shoot you, but I’m pretty sure Zaaren wouldn’t be happy about that.” Of course the vampire would deal, but he really didn’t want to shoot her. He really just wanted her to listen to him.
“Goes back to the secrets you are keeping.” She snapped.
“We’ve known each other for two days, I’m betting you have your own secrets. Please, Izzy, just trust me on this?” He watched her hand hesitate over the gun and took a deep breath. “Your parents were killed by Markus’ orders. They are starting to cull the independent Hunters as well as the Hunters in the society. I wouldn’t be surprised if they are working with Isaac in exchange for something.”
Izzy gave a cynical laugh. “And what could the vampire actually offer a Hunter?”
“Protection. They just raised the Father of all Vampires, things are really going to start going downhill. The only people who can put those vampires back in their place are the Original Vampires. Please, Isadora.” It was the extent of the truth he could spill. Telling her more would go against Zaaren’s wishes and that’s the last thing he wanted to do.
She shook her head. “He is just a myth. The Originals are just a myth.”
“Oh honey, your parents hid a lot from you if you think that.” Ayden shook his head. With her lineage, she should have known the true history. “Either that or the Society has brain washed you.”
A shift in the air made him spin around and he heard the click of Isadora’s gun. James stood behind them. Tall, blond, but his eyes were currently black as a wicked smile crossed his face. A shot took Ayden by surprise. His ears were still ringing by the time the vampire recovered.
James touched his shoulder and laughed. “Oh little Hunter, it’s going to take a lot more than that.” He rushed Izzy, but Ayden stepped in his way.
He drove his shoulder into the vampire and threw him away from Izzy. There was no way he was letting the bloodsucker anywhere near her. It just wasn’t happening. He drew a blade and crouched. “Stay away from her, James. She’s not yours to take.”
“She’s not bound to anyone. I can take her if I wish. The rules don’t protect Unbound Humans anymore.”
Ayden frowned. “Since when? After the Father was put away the Originals revised the rules on humans.”
“Since we raised him.” James laughed and grabbed Ayden by the throat. Ayden snarled and slammed his blade into the vampire’s wrist. James snarled and threw Ayden against a tree.
A few gunshots later his head cleared and he knew he had to focus. Izzy would be out of ammo soon and he had to protect her. He stood and grabbed his own gun. He didn’t normally carry one, but instinct had told him that he’d need one on this mission.
He raised it up and something hit him from behind, taking him down. He turned under the massive paws and looked up into the face of a snarling werewolf. His jaw snapped in warning, drool dripping down onto Ayden. He scrambled for his gun, but even with his advantages of being a Bound Human he couldn’t shake the animal off.
Izzy discarded her empty gun and stared at the vampire in front of her. Only a few of her shots had hit their marks and he was still walking towards her. She heard Ayden grunt, but she couldn’t be distracted, not by him. Not right now. She waited. James moved more smoothly than most of the vampires she had faced. Right now she had to remind herself that he was old, hand to hand was a losing option. She crouched and pulled out a throwing knife from her boot and aimed for the heart. He caught it.
Holy shit, he caught it by the handle. He threw it back at her and she dodged. By the laughter that bubbled out of his throat she knew that he had just been playing with h
er. She was screwed.
He rushed her and took her to the ground, pinning her there with a hand around her throat. “Don’t worry, I won’t kill you. I have special plans for a Hunter of your pedigree.”
What the hell was he talking about? She kneed him in the stomach and he grunted. His grip loosened and she twisted, elbowing him in the face. Up on her feet again, she dove for Ayden’s discarded gun. But James caught her by the hair and pulled her back.
“Oh, Isadora, don’t you know when you’re done?” James snarled.
She saw Ayden trapped under the wolf. He met her gaze and she knew that she’d screwed everything up by not listening to him. Her only question was why did Ayden know that she was out of her league? Who was giving him orders?
“Kill him.”
“No!” Izzy shouted and sudden panic rose up inside her. “You can’t.”
Ayden laughed. “You’re right, and you know exactly why. I’m here under Zaaren’s orders. You can’t kill me without anyone knowing.”
James cursed and shook Izzy. “Then I guess you’ll be joining her in the trade.”
Izzy jerked in James’ arms, but the vampire used his grip to yank her head to the side. His fangs sunk into her, and suddenly she felt like she was floating. Gone were the woods of Florida, gone was Ayden and the wolf. There was only nothingness and it was bliss.
Another Hunter down. He’d gotten the call from James later that evening. The vampire had snagged an Independent Hunter as well. One that was tied to an Original, but the human had played his cards right. The one Original vampire who was awake knew where he was. Which meant that if he didn’t return, Zaaren would look for him, but he was at least out of the way for a little bit.
He crossed Sidel off the list. Isadora would not be so lucky to escape the place. The Society turned a blind eye to the human trade because it was too big of a problem. The communications between her and her commanding Hunter were few and far between. If anyone wanted to know where she was, they’d have to dig deeper. Everyone would assume she was missing for a few months and then presumed dead after a year. If she was to return...he’d make sure that her testimony would never be taken seriously.
Ayden leaned his back against the bars of his cell, a disgusting square with a chamber pot in the corner. He’d seen better environments in the Middle Ages. This was crap. His only condolence was that Izzy was in the cell next to him.
“Think you could tell me what exactly is going on now?” Izzy asked, her back against her own bars.
Ayden shook his head. “I can’t tell you any more than I know. Other than I hope Z can get us both out of this.”
“And if he can’t?”
For once Ayden heard fear in her voice. “I don’t know Izzy, but no matter what, if I leave, I’m going to come back for you. I won’t leave you to this life.”
“What happens here? Why do you know so much?”
Ayden’s heart fell. “I had to rescue my sister from a similar place. They take humans and train them. Some they keep for breeding. The harder the human is to break, the more expensive they are. They’re sold to the highest bidder or to a private client. Some end up being Bound Humans, others just food.” He closed his eyes, remembering what shape his sister had been in.
“What happened to her?”
“She died. She wasn’t strong enough to handle what she went through. I did everything I could for her, Nuala helped. Z...” He shook his head. “She was only twelve. She had lost too much blood.” He tried to stop the new wave of grief going through him.
“You speak like it wasn’t modern days. You said that there were rules to protect unbound humans—“
“Ayden, you’re one lucky bastard.” James’ voice cut through Izzy’s.
Ayden looked up and raised a brow. “I’m in a cage, how is that lucky?”
“Zaaren’s come to claim you.”
His heart jumped. “Isadora too.”
“No. She stays. He has no claim to her, no right. Got to love the laws.” James laughed and produced a key. He opened it and grabbed Ayden by the arm.
The Hunter knew he had two choices. Fight and ruin Zaaren’s negotiations, or go peacefully so he’d have a chance to return for Izzy.
He glanced at her and she nodded as if reading his mind. “I’m a Hunter, Ayden. I’ve been trained to deal with this.”
“Of course. Don’t forget what I said.” But he couldn’t help but feel like he was betraying her as James dragged him away.
Walking past the row of cages, Ayden couldn’t stop the pit of dread in his stomach. Each and every human in there deserved to be free. It was disgusting. James dragged him through a door at the end of the hallway and then into a ballroom. The only thing in the room was a stage and Zaaren.
James shoved him forward. “Keep him off these grounds and out of this territory. We have permission to be here and according to the Father we are not doing anything wrong.”
“The Father’s laws were overturned by the Originals.” Zaaren remained calm. “And they will be the laws again as soon as we all wake.”
James laughed. “It was clever to make sure you knew where Ayden was, or I could have killed him and his death would have killed Nuala as well. What would you have done then, Zaaren? With her gone?”
“Take my revenge in the only manner an Original can. Come, Ayden.”
Ayden bit his tongue at being beckoned like a dog, but he tried to be grateful for his freedom. Zaaren grabbed him and used his abilities to take him back to Lucius’ mansion.
Ayden growled. “Warnings, you stupid bloodsucker.”
“Watch your tone.” Zaaren snarled. “Between you and Tegan I wonder what the hell is wrong with Bound Humans now.”
Ayden raised a brow. “Need I remind you that you sent me out there on an impossible mission. That woman was not going to listen to a stranger.”
“Your mission was to bring her home, by any means. Now she’s in the trade.” Zaaren snarled. “Not where I wanted her. I don’t know how we’re going to get her back.”
“What is so important about her? Z, you act like she could be the one to save the world.” Ayden shook his head. “As soon as Nuala wakes, I’m going back there. I’m not leaving her there.”
Zaaren paused in his pacing. “Nuala would kill James...that could work in our advantage. If we do it before others realize she’s awake.”
“Are you going to answer my question?” Ayden asked with a sigh.
“My reasons are not your concern. Now go seek out Tegan, she needs to fill you in on what you missed.”
“How much could I have missed?” Ayden ran his hand through his hair.
Zaaren met his gaze. “A lot. Now go.”
Author’s Note
The Blood of Night is the first DWC: Origins story. It covers a lot of Zaaren’s past. It can be read as a standalone, but does contain some spoilers for Past Demons. I hope you enjoy this first look at a new path for DWC. Enjoy! –A.L. Kessler
The Blood of Night
DWC: Origins #1
Blood. I craved blood. Lifting my eyes I found my source and a wicked grin crossed my face. The woman was blindfolded and held by guards for me, she’d be an easy mark and I had to ease the pain flowing through me. Fire ran through my veins and demanded that I tear into the throat out of the woman. Yet...something in me warned me not to, that she was precious to me.
Her captor threw her forward and I rushed to her. Needing to sink my fangs into anything to ease my aching I latched to her collarbone and ignored her screams and pleas. Her cries died down to sobs and my mind cleared. Something pulsed through my body. Power took the place of the pain and aches, the want for blood disappeared as I pulled away from the woman.
My eyes flickered down to her face and I saw the black blindfold hiding her eyes, but the fabric was soaked with tears. My heart fell. “Amunet?” She didn’t respond, her chest rose and fell as I held her in my arms. Panic consumed me as my chest tightened. I had hurt my sister, the one thing I
had left in this horrible life and she lay in my arms unconscious. I brushed her now white hair and remembered rushing in when I heard her screams. I had been part of the guard that escorted her here. She’d been terrified because of the rumors.
Now we both knew they were true. I touched the gash at her collarbone, blood coating my fingers. Part of me wanted to lick the blood off my fingers, but I resisted. What had I done to her?
“Welcome to your new life.” The Father walked towards me and pulled my sister out of my arms, throwing her away from me. She landed with a thump and I stood to go to her, but he blocked my path. “She is not your concern now.”
I snarled at him and clenched my hands into fists. “She will always be my concern. She is my sister.” How could I have let this happen to her? What had he done to her?
“She is now my property and will be until I tire of her.”
Tire of her, like she was simply a plaything. I bared my teeth. “And then what? You leave her to die?”
“No, I kill her, like the others. Chop her head off and burn her body, the only way to kill a Blood Human.”
I looked to her and then to the Father. “And what have you done to me? Why do I want her blood?”
He looked to my sister and demanded a servant take her to her chamber. “I have turned you into a vampire. Consider it a gift from the gods. Immortality for the price of blood lust.”
I was now a monster and I had nearly torn my sister’s throat out. “You had no right to change me.”
“You are one of my soldiers, are you not?” Without waiting for me to answer he continued. “Than you are also my property. You are one of seven now.” He smiled and I had to resist all urges to attack him. “The others here can teach you about your new life.”
“And my sister?”
“She will learn her place in time.” The creature laughed and I knew that I would do anything to save my sister from this life.
***
“A lovely evening for an attack, is it not?” One of the human males stepped to my side. It had been merely months since my change and I was already becoming accustomed to my new abilities. I found that when I fed I could see the memories of my meals. The seven of us that the Father created called ourselves the Originals and we found we could create others, but we were forbidden. The Father did not want that. Not yet and he was keeping all his plans hidden until it suited him.
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