Dimitri noticed my unusual silence, and the
fact that I was not accosting innocent bystanders, with my witty
and snarky attitude.
He loved that about me I think, the way I
could get attention and divert it immediately, and the way I could
put fear into any man. The way I was strong, smart, and acted
mature. Of course, I could be immature just like anyone.
I also had curves, because of the way my
body was. I was built to be fast, strong, and lethal. This meant I
was shaped leanly for the speed, but muscled for the strength. I
was lethal with only one hand, and of course my mouth. When I say
mouth I don’t mean sexually, err, well not exactly. I could out
talk any person that had the balls to approach me. Although I’m
sure that it was good the other way, I just had not tested it.
Most didn’t have the balls to approach me,
though.
I left my ex, Ash, because we’re just not
compatible. I needed a strong man that could give me a run for my
money. Someone who could throw me around and not get themselves
hurt. I needed Dimitri and all his god-like glory.
I think he also loved my fiery-red hair. In
the sun it was literally fire red. In the moonlight it was almost a
strawberry blond with reddish highlights, or in complete darkness
it was blood red and faded to black.
It was long and wavy down to my lower back.
When the wind blew, or I grew agitated or furious, it would fly
around and look very wickedly scary. When I sat down, and it was
not tied up, I’d sit on it.
I heard Santos hollering, at some young and
wild boys, to go clean something. I smiled. I didn’t think there
was anything to clean, but if there was, Santos would find it. He
was in charge of the younger male trainees/new hunters.
He was a lean, mean machine kind of warrior,
for a human. He was ex-military, and although he didn’t look like
it, he was thirty-five.
Santos had taken down over twenty baby
vamps, all alone. He was not my usual partner either, but we’d
partied hard together when we were. He preferred a fire thrower,
one he’d built himself, compared to any other weapon. He was only
allowed to use it under special authorized and usually emergency
situations. Like if the camp was under attack and definitely not
inside a building.
We had a new justice system in place. You
messed up three times, or your crime was serious, we enlisted you
as a pseudo-hunter. At dusk they were given ammo and a gun and sent
out to hunt. When they came back at dawn, IF they came back, the
gun was retrieved and they were given guarded shelter and a
meal.
Why waste such a fine opportunity. There was
no death sentence when there were monsters to contend with.
Dimitri was smiling, which was a rare but
genuine thing. He was probably thinking along the same lines as I
was, like we usually did. It was as if we were part of the same
brain. We finished each other’s sentences, moved together as if it
were synchronized and planned, and always agreed on
everything.
Well almost everything, there was only one
thing we didn’t. I was not to go on solo missions. He refused to
issue the order or allow anyone to grant me permission for anything
solo. He claimed I was not ready. We both knew the truth, and he
hated it.
Dimitri was only a few years older than me.
He was my trainer, since I came in, only because he was the only
one like me and understood me.
I think he understood better than anyone
ever would. That was because we were both what I mentioned earlier,
hybrids. We had enough animalistic tendencies to be dangerous, and
enough humanity to be of use to the Hunters, for now.
I glanced at him sideways from behind a
strand of hair, and once again, was struck by how gorgeous he was.
He was the epitome of gorgeous. What he saw in me was a mind
boggler.
His long, dark cinnamon colored hair,
reached his shoulders, and was just pushed back from his face so
that it looked unkempt. He usually had it in a black leather tie
but not today. His bright, nearly golden eyes glowed, so brightly
you could see them in the dark.
My own were a brightly glowing burnt amber
color, and sometimes darkened so much, they were a fiery,
reddish-black. There was hardly any amber at all in them, when they
changed, but then they would have the thin outline of red to
them.
We finally reached our rooms and gave each
other meaningful looks. We would see each other soon. It gave me a
deliciously twisted feeling.
I had guard duty on the gate tonight while
the supply truck returned. We had to make sure nothing got in. Only
Dimitri and I could detect the vamps at night. He’d watched last
time.
I changed, donned a flak jacket, grabbed a
handful of throwing knives and headed out.
It was barely dark, yet dark enough for the
monsters to come out and play.
I heard thunder and knew it was either
raining or about to. I could smell it. The crisp yet rancid smell
and taste of ozone left one wishing for the good old days.
Dimitri had insisted on joining me, but
Commander Ian claimed we had it covered.
I walked over to the wall, next to the gate,
and as I looked up the first bitter drops of rain hit my upturned
face. I relished in it despite how much it had changed.
I heard the truck somewhere in the distance,
making itself up the cliff next to the ravine. It was flying which
meant we had company. At this distance I was the only one who could
hear it, but not for long at the rate of speed the truck was
moving.
My first thought was, why didn’t they radio
us? That’s when I realized it was a trap. It had to be, and in a
twisted sort of way, thankfully not our first one.
The rain began as a fine cooling mist and
then began to drizzle, warming as it did so. Which would make
things hard, very hard for the humans, to see in.
I jumped lithely to the top of the wall,
startling the nearby and unconcerned soldiers, and looked out into
the silent night. The waxing moon gave me just enough light,
despite the passing clouds that were dark and heavy behind us, to
let me see quite a distance. Clouds would drift by and cast shadows
but I was able to see clearly enough.
A guy named Marcus was the wheel man this
time, and he drove professionally, so when I saw how erratically
the driver was moving I knew we were screwed or they were hurt and
in need of immediate aid.
Tonight was going to be a chaotic one it
seemed.
I looked over at Commander Ian, who shook
his head at me. He knew what I planned to do, just not why. I
hissed at him much like a panther or tiger, and then made the
twelve foot drop, landing as easily as one.
The rain had softened the ground, but even
had it not I’d have landed just as well.
Ian shouted orders. He trusted my instincts,
but he would not send anyone else out here with me. He ordered them
to watch my back. Of course that was impossible.
As the moonlight hit me, and my hunting
instincts kicked in, my eyes began to shift to the red and black,
and I became an ethereal shadow.
Ian cursed. He either had forgotten or was
hoping I could finally control it. Even if I could have, I
wouldn’t.
Not a millisecond after I landed the truck
barreled up and around, coming into the base’s outer gates. I
shifted into a pouncing stance. I was nearly invisible so even if a
vamp was driving, he wouldn’t see me until it was too late.
In the brief moments the truck got closer I
could tell Marcus was definitely not behind the wheel. I saw no one
but a stranger.
As three seconds had barely passed I readied
myself for the leap. I prayed to Selene and hoped I landed
perfectly.
Less then three seconds later it was almost
ten feet directly in front of me, moments from running me down, I
lithely leapt right on top of the hood. I slid only a little
because it was slick from the rain. As I landed I swirled, and
kicked out the windshield, nearly losing my balance. I quickly
righted myself and I threw two, instantaneously, knives directly at
the stranger. The woman had jumped and leaned far to the right as I
had kicked the windshield in, so my daggers slid into the
seat.
“
Shit!”
I could not get a good look at her eyes. She
was not invisible, but that meant nothing, not when the vamps could
control their visibility.
I reached in and managed to drag her out,
with her kicking and clawing. She screamed and fought back like a
maniac but not a vampire or shifter.
Instantly I could tell she was human… but
the vamp that landed on the back of the hummer was not. The moving
hummer buckled a little under the impact but was reinforced for
this. I shuffled precariously, and had it not been for my grip on
the woman, could have easily fallen off the truck.
I was taken by surprise by the vamp, and
paid the price.
He dove at me, clearly aware of my
strengths, and we both flew to the ground hard. I tried to roll as
we were midair but found it very difficult.
The woman threw the brakes on, slid
sideways, and barrel rolled into the gate. The whole time screaming
like banshee on fire.
I could pay the strange fickle woman no more
attention, not with Helter Skelter in my face, and while trying not
to land on my back.
As we landed I twisted and allowed the full
force of my fall and weight to propel me the direction I wanted, so
that I was not pinned underneath.
It was a waste of energy and time because he
immediately righted himself, bringing his full weight down on me.
We landed with me crying out pathetically, ‘oof’, and gasping for
oxygen. I was dead if I didn’t do something soon.
I felt his putrid and rank breath as he
inhaled and exhaled my scent. Was I as much a freak to him as he
was to humans? He salivated, purely enthralled it seemed, the
spittle merely centimeters from the right side of my face. I would
puke if his noxious dripping saliva found its way into my
mouth.
I jerked my head from side to side, just as
he tried desperately to get a bite in. The fine hairs on my neck
were at attention and I could feel my insides began to quiver and
burn. One of us would die tonight, and hopefully it would be his
roasted carcass.
Before I knew it, the vamp was suddenly and
violently torn off me, and had been tossed into a nearby tree. The
loud echoing crack was as mind numbing as was seeing Dimitri, who
stood protectively between me and the vamp, who was still knocked a
little silly.
I quickly leapt to my feet and rushed, only
slightly dazed, to his side. He snarled at me, warning me to let
him handle it. I refused and like the well-known snarky brat I was,
I stuck out my tongue. He was my mentor, lover, friend, and much…
so much more. Dimitri only rolled his eyes.
Commander Ian’s orders rang out, but we were
moving just a bit too fast for them.
The vamp untangled himself within a second
of being spanked by a tree and gave us a seriously wicked, pissed
off look.
He feigned as if he was going to run off and
just as we followed, he turned and flipped. He pounced directly on
top of me, again, seeing me as the weaker link.
“
Dammit!” I cried,
involuntarily.
I was prepared for him though this time and
flipped him right over me, with Dimitri already shifting so he
could take on the vamp, instead of me.
I managed to stop my momentum and turn
around, but not before Dimitri had the vamp in a desperate and what
seemed like a vicious headlock. Dimitri planned to decapitate him.
I saw the vamps face as he turned, and his arms lock around
Dimitri’s waist.
We were all moving so fast at this point,
that none of the humans could get a lock on us, or the freak about
to crush Dimitri into several pieces.
I knew I had only a moment to react, and the
rain helped me none whatsoever.
I felt my element engulf me, still on the
verge of my senses, taking me over and replacing my anger and fear.
It was the burning and soulless fire, deep within me, spelled so in
times of danger I could call upon it. My tricky aunts had tampered
a little with it. Had taught me not only how to summon and control
it, but to use it at its max, when in heart-wrenching moments like
this.
The hungry fire consumed me, raging from my
inner core. My fangs were obvious, as was my now fully pissed look.
The vamp stopped and gave me a very odd look, one of terror and
curiosity. It was as if he sensed the change within me, the power
that could very well end his miserable and ungodly existence.
I struck the vampire with everything I had,
managing to only singe Dimitri, which was better than being hurt. I
focused all of myself into lighting his ass up, envisioning my
parents murderer. I saw that bastards face encompass the one before
me, and I lost all self control.
My scream of rage got everyone’s attention,
which slowed the vamp and Dimitri just enough for Commander Ian to
get a few shots into the vamp. Dimitri shifted, twisted, and I
watched as the vamp’s head rolled to my feet. He was very much
decapitated.
I took my boot clad foot and used the silver
coated spiked heel to crush the vamps skull. I could see the mush
of brain matter emerge mixed with black blood. It was nauseating to
say the least. The unholy piece of shit was dead after losing his
head, forgive the pun, but I was unable to stop myself.
I sensed Dimitri emerge from his half
crouch, cautiously inching closer to me. He was not so much afraid
of me, as for me, but knew I was reliving my past and was in
another world altogether.
Dimitri slowly reached for my hand, taking
it ever so gently, and led me inside. Ian ignored us and had
several other hunters patrol and soldiers remove the remains. They
would be burned immediately.