The moment we stepped into the hotel office, the man at the front desk stiffened. His gaze went nervously from my dad to Trey, and then stopped on me and stayed there as he took in my weapons. “Who are you?” he whispered, raking a hand through his greasy, shoulder-length hair
The hilt of my sword was visible at my back, my daggers in plain sight. I didn’t try to hide anything from him. I wanted him to see. Wanted him to know we were there to help him.
Can it be? Is she what I think she is?
All it took was that one thought of his to slip into my mind. He was aware of what was stalking his town, of what they were all up against, and they needed help. I stepped forward, holding my arm out so the mark of the dragon was visible. “We know what you are going through here, sir. We know about,” I paused, wondering how to say it, then decided I didn’t have time to sugarcoat anything, “we know about the vampire who is threatening this town. We are here to help.”
His eyes glued to my arm, he whispered, “You’re a hunter, aren’t you?”
“You know about hunters?”
He nodded slowly, raising his head to meet my gaze. “I’ve heard of them. My grandfather used to tell me stories about vampires and hunters, and the war they have going on. I thought that was all they were. Made up stories. But then, a real vampire showed up here in our town.” His eyes were so full of hope when he rasped, “Others know the stories, too. We’ve been praying someone would come to help us. We’d almost lost hope, but you’re here. You’re really here.”
“We’re here,” I said softly, “and we need your help.”
“Anything.”
“I need to find the vampire now. It’s urgent. He has more victims. Two young boys.”
“The Jensen boys went missing a couple of days ago. Seth is six and Parker four. We had a search party out looking for them, but were unable to find them before nightfall hit. We are all going to meet up at the Jensen place in an hour and head out again.”
“Someone decided to start without you,” I said softly. “A girl about my age. Long brown hair, brown eyes. A small scar on her chin.”
The man sighed, shaking his head. “That would be Skye Lacey. She lost her family last month. Her father, mother, and little sister. Lives on her own now, in a big ole rambling house about five miles from town. We’ve tried to get her to stay with one of us, but she refuses.” His eyes clouded with worry as he said, “That girl is on a mission. She goes looking for the vampire every day. She wants retribution for what happened to her family, and I can’t say that I blame her.”
“Well, it looks like she found him,” Trey muttered, leaning up against the grungy counter. “And if we don’t find her soon, she isn’t going to survive.”
“But… vampires sleep during the day,” the man countered. “Surely, she will be fine if you can get to her soon.”
“That’s a myth,” I stated, resting my hands lightly on my hips as I held his gaze. “They do not need to sleep during the day. Their bodies are not leaden. They are perfectly capable of moving around as long as it is in the dark. They cannot be in sunlight. Garlic does nothing to them. Neither do crosses, or anything else you may have conjured up from the movies. The only things that can kill them is a dagger to the heart, the sun, or cutting off their heads.”
“That young girl is in a lot of trouble right now, isn’t she?”
“Yes.”
“And… the boys?”
“They are alive, for now. He’s playing with them.”
The man’s eyes narrowed on me, as if for the first time wondering how I knew all of this. I had been waiting to see when it would hit him, and was surprised it had taken this long. Unfortunately, for him, I wasn’t there to talk about me and my abilities. Skye and the Jensen boys needed us. “Do you know where she might have gone to look for the vampire? It’s in the middle of a bunch of trees somewhere, and there’s a cave.”
He frowned in contemplation, leaning forward to rest his elbows on the counter in front of him. “I know she spends a lot of time looking in the woods near her house. I’m not sure if there is a cave back there. It’s been years since I’ve explored that area. Skye’s father owned thousands of acres out by them, and he put up No Trespassing signs all over. Didn’t want anyone hunting on his land.”
“How do we get there?” Dad asked, turning toward the door. “Just point us in the right direction. We’ll find her.”
“I’ll come with.”
I shook my head. “We hunt alone.” When he would have argued, I held up a hand. “I’m sorry, but it has to be this way. I can’t be worrying about you when I need to be focusing on Skye and those children.”
He hesitated, and even though I could tell he didn’t want to, he finally gave us quick directions, but stopped us when we went to leave. “What can I do to help?”
Dad glanced back at him. “Pray.”
Trey stopped the car in front of a huge farmhouse that looked like it had seen better days. The paint was coming off the sides, the front porch sagged, and it looked like it needed a new roof. “Are you sure this is it?”
“It is,” I said, opening my door and stepping out of the Mustang. “The house may need work, but there was a lot of love in it at one time.” Before the attack. Then there was horror, pain, despair, sadness. And now, emptiness and loneliness.
“How can you tell?”
I shrugged as I surveyed the area. “I can feel it.”
“You can feel the love in the air?” Trey looked at me in confusion.
“I can feel a lot of things,” I said evasively.
“You never told me that before.”
“You never asked,” I shot back, the conversation making me uncomfortable. There was a lot of things I never told everyone in my life. How I could read their minds if I wanted to, feel their emotions, sense the things they ultimately wanted out of life. It all felt like an intrusion to them, and I hated that, but there was nothing I could do about it. Even though I’d been able to block their thoughts for the most part, there was no blocking all of their feelings.
“You feel things like an empath does. Maybe we can work with that,” Dad said, climbing out of the car and slamming the door shut.
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t know much about this kind of thing, but if you can feel all of us, it could stand to reason that you could tune into Skye if she were near enough.”
“Or maybe you could connect with her thoughts like you did everyone at the theater,” Trey suggested as his eyes wandered around the farm, taking in the large barn with a fenced in corral, the chicken coop next to it, and near that was a smaller building that I somehow knew used to hold pigs. “Lots of buildings with no animals,” he said absently.
“There used to be,” I murmured. “Horses, pigs, chickens, a dog. The vampire got them.”
“How do you know?”
“I just do.” It was the truth. I had no idea how I knew the things that I was saying to them, but I did. And there was no doubt in my mind that I was right.
“Bel?”
“Let’s worry about that later,” Dad interjected. “Right now, we need to find Skye and those boys before the vamp gets tired of them and kills them.”
I nodded in agreement and took a deep breath, closing my eyes, trusting my father and Trey to guard me as I concentrated on trying to find the teenage girl. Everything seemed to slow down as if on pause, the world muted as I focused on Skye Lacey, bringing her image to mind. The unruly hair that framed her pale features. The small scar on her chin, the anger and resolve in her eyes. Even the clothes she wore — dark blue jeans with a thick brown, long-sleeved sweater, and brown boots. I pictured it all, and then held that image in place, reaching for her.
It seemed as if several minutes went by before I finally felt Skye. I sensed her fear first, and then her deep determination. The girl was terrified but was planning to do whatever it took to get those children free, even if it meant giving her life for theirs. With her family gone, she had no one, and only one goal left in life. To learn to hunt and kill the evil creatures who took her loved ones from her. I admired her passion to slay rogues, but what she was doing was going to get her killed. She didn’t have the training she needed. Yet.
I’m going to get them out of here. I’m going to find the stake I dropped and shove it right through the devil’s eye.
His heart.
What?
I froze, my eyes slamming open in shock, but I somehow managed to hold onto the tenuous connection I had with Skye. She’d heard me. How had she heard me?
“Bellame?”
Shaking my head, I held up a hand as I glanced around, looking at the trees we were near in the back of her house. A forest of them that seemed to go on forever.
Trey said my name again, and I hesitated, looking back at them. “She heard me.”
“What do you mean?” Dad asked in confusion.
“I think I’m linked to her somehow,” I whispered, moving into the trees, grateful for the shade that somewhat hid the sun above. Even though I could tolerate it now, I’d been without it all of my life, and the brightness was starting to give me a headache. “I can feel what she’s feeling, hear what she’s thinking. She wanted to kill the vampire with a stake to his eye. I automatically thought it needed to be in his heart, not his eye. She heard me.”
“Your powers are developing,” Dad said quietly. “We can use this to our advantage. Try to talk to her. Find out where she is.”
“Finding her isn’t going to be a problem,” I replied, moving quickly through the trees. Soon, I was jogging, but not so fast that Dad and Trey couldn’t keep up with me. “The link I have with her is strong. There’s a connection that is pulling me in her direction.”
“Can you tell how close we are?” Trey asked, right on my heels as I leaped over a log, and then skirted around a huge tree.
“She’s near. Probably a mile or so.”
Are you there? Or was I dreaming? I wish this was all a dream. I wish I never knew these creatures existed. I just want my family back.
My heart hurt for her. She was so strong, but at that moment, her sadness was almost suffocating me.
I’m here, Skye. I prayed she would hear me. I had no idea how I had managed to talk to her the first time. I’m here, and we are coming for you.
There was a long moment of silence while she tried to decide if I was real, or if she’d conjured my voice in the middle of her waking nightmare. Who are you?
I slowed down when I came to a small stream, jumping lightly over it. The Jackson mark on my arm began to burn, and I knew it would be glowing brightly soon. “We’re almost there.”
I was aware of Dad and Trey retrieving their daggers, preparing for the fight that was coming soon. Grabbing the hilt of my sword, I slid it from its scabbard in anticipation. I was ready this time. Prepared. This was what I was born to do. Save people — both humans and vampires — from the rogues of the world. It was my calling. My destiny.
Please, tell me who you are.
My name is Bellame Rose Jackson Christoph. I am Princess to the vampires, huntress of all vampire rogues who threaten my people, both vampire and human. The vampire with you is not one of mine. He is a rogue, and he will die today for what he has done to you and those boys.
You’re a vampire?
I heard the fear in her voice, but I refused to lie. I had plans for this girl, if she chose to be a part of this life, and she needed the full truth to make her decision. Not now, though. Now, she just needed to be rescued.
Yes, Skye, but there is a difference between a vampire and a rogue vampire. I would never harm another being. Never kill an innocent. I will not hurt you.
The cropping of rock from my vision earlier came into view, and I held up a hand, motioning toward it. Dad and Trey knew to be silent now. The vampire would notice us soon, if he hadn’t already. My mark was going off like a Christmas tree, shining brightly, and burning in warning. Just as I knew the rogue was near, I was sure he could sense me.
He’s coming toward the cage. He’s angry. Upset.
He senses that I’m near.
You are?
I heard the nervousness in her voice, but also the hope. She didn’t know what to think about the vampire part of me, but she was trusting that I would save them. Praying to God, one that she was having trouble believing in after everything she’d been through, that I was telling her the truth.
We are coming into the cave now.
“Hunter!” I heard the vampire screech loudly, the sound rumbling throughout the cavern.
I picked up the pace, somehow knowing if I didn’t move quickly, Skye and the boys weren’t going to make it out of there alive. He would kill them first, and then come after me. I wasn’t going to give him the chance.
“Bellame,” Trey snapped, but I was already gone, lightning fast, using my vampire speed. It was a straight shot down into the area where the vamp was holding his prey. I knew Dad and Trey would be able to find me, but I had to get to the rogue before he took any more lives.
I was in the same area as the cage within moments, making it there before the rogue could get the lock undone. He turned to me, glaring as he snarled, “Huntress. I will drain you dry, and then feed on your flesh.”
I stood in front of him, shoulders back, head held high. I knew the moment his eyes landed on the crown I wore. A long howl of rage tore from his throat, and he shook his head in denial, even as he inhaled my scent in deeply. “No! It can’t be!”
His gaze went to the brightly glowing mark on my arm, and he hissed loudly, his eyes going a deep, dark red in the dimly lit cave. The rogue didn’t need the light, but he had several lanterns lit around the room. He liked to keep his prey terrified, and he’d learned over the years that it seemed to work best when they could see him. He fed on their fear, and then on their blood.
“It can be, Drago, and it is.” I’d pulled his name from his mind. Names had power, and I could tell they hated it when I used theirs.
“No!”
“Yes!” I moved closer to him, a small smile playing on the corners of my lips when my dad and cousin stepped through the large opening of the cavern room, coming to stand just behind me, one on either side. “I am a Jackson, huntress of rogue vampires. I am also a Christoph, daughter of Prince Alexander, which not only makes me royalty, but also your princess. You will pay for your crimes today, Drago. We do not prey on the innocent. We do not kill when we feed. I will not allow it.”
“King Aldric will find you. He will kill you!”
“My uncle is no king. He forfeited that right when he went rogue. Like you, he will die at my sword.”
“No!” he growled angrily. “It is you who will die. You are nothing more than a child, playing make believe with a bunch of humans. You have no idea what you are up against.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
Actually, he’s right in a way. You do seem to like to play with them before you kill them.
Ignoring the thought that slipped into my mind from my cousin, I went on, “I know exactly what I’m up against, but I choose to fight. For my family, my people, and myself.”
His eyes became calculating, and he began to move slowly closer to me. “I am your people.”
Seriously, less talking, more fighting. This is getting boring.
Shut up, Trey.
I felt his surprise, and then heard, And weird. So weird.
I was so focused on Trey and the vampire in front of me, that I almost missed the noise to my left, back in the shadows of the cavern. There was something there. A presence I hadn’t sensed when I came into the cave.
My eyes narrowed on Drago, and I grinned, showing the tips of my fangs. “You have a friend with you, Drago. Why don’t you have them come out and say hi?”
“I don’t have friends,” he snarled, baring his own fangs at me, his eyes going even a darker red, if that were possible.
“No? Does he know that?”
Before he could respond, I made my move, taking the rogue by surprise as I let the dagger fly that I’d slipped from a sheath at my hip while talking to him. It struck him just inches from his heart. Drago threw his head back and let out a loud roar, yanking the blade from his chest and sending it back my way. I moved quickly, but not quite fast enough. It grazed my arm, drawing blood.
“You will not win, huntress. I will kill your humans first, then I will take my time with you.” Licking his lips, he grinned. “I will dine well today.”
“So, it’s all vamps that like to talk a lot, not just you, cuz?”
I laughed, unable to hold it back. “I guess so.”
Let’s see if she’s laughing when I rip her friend’s throat out.
“Awe, that wasn’t nice, Ander.”
What? How does she know who I am?
“Why don’t you come out and play? Unless, you’re afraid?”
He’s a younger vamp, but skilled. It will take both of you to kill him. I pushed the thought to both my dad and Trey, praying whatever this new ability I had that seemed to be growing worked with Dad, too. He’s planning on going for Trey first, thinking he is less experienced.
That will be his first mistake.
There was a hard edge in my cousin’s voice now. All joking was gone. He was ready to fight.
We will handle him, Daughter. You concentrate on the one in front of you.
“I am afraid of no one,” Ander said, stepping out of the shadows.
He couldn’t have been more than twenty-five. Light blond hair, topaz-colored eyes, and a calm demeanor. One that I knew wouldn’t last long. He was beautiful, if a guy could be considered that, but I didn’t give him more than a quick glance. My main target was in front of me, moving closer, thinking I was caught off guard by Ander and his looks. Unfortunately for him, I had never been one to get sucked in by a gorgeous face.
Although, there was something off about the situation. Drago was crazed at the thought of draining me dry, but Ander was still. Quiet. It was almost as if he was patiently waiting for something to happen. It didn’t make sense.
Unless… maybe Drago wasn’t the biggest threat in the room like I’d originally thought. Maybe it was Ander. I only had a split second to make a decision that could cost my family their lives. If I chose the wrong rogue to battle, it could mean death for them both. But my instincts were telling me I’d chosen incorrectly, and I’d learned to rely on them over the years.
Change of plans. You get Drago.
They didn’t question me. I felt their acceptance in my mind right before I sprang forward, right passed Drago, my sword whirling in the air. I brought it down swiftly, but wasn’t quite fast enough. Ander was directly in front of me one second, and gone the next, vanishing into thin air.
Behind you!
I heard Skye’s scream in my mind at the same time I felt Ander’s hand around my throat. He yanked me back against him, his fingers tightening, making me gasp for breath as he hissed, “You’re going to have to do better than that.”
I heard the fighting going on behind us, knew my dad and Trey were struggling against Drago, but I shut it out. I had to focus on Ander, or I wasn’t going to make it. Sliding my hand down, I slipped my fingers into one of the pockets in my pants. My fingers wrapped around the hilt of a small knife as I fought to breathe.
I felt the scrape of Ander’s lengthening nails against my skin as he growled, “You are a huntress? One of those we are supposed to fear? I’ve never heard of a hunter losing so quickly against a vampire.”
No sooner had the words left his mouth than I took a page out of Skye’s book, swinging my arm up behind me and plunging the knife directly into Ander’s eye. He howled loudly, a long hideous noise wrenched from deep within his chest. His hand left my throat, his nails leaving deep scratches in their wake. It hurt like hell, but I blocked out the pain as I retrieved another dagger and slammed it into his chest, just barely missing his heart. Jumping back, I raised my sword.
Right before I could bring it down, Ander whirled away, running from the room. I was about to give chase, when I heard Trey shout my dad’s name. I hesitated, turning toward them just in time to see Dad stumble to the ground, blood pouring from a wound in his shoulder. Drago laughed, catching Trey by the arm and flinging him into the cavern wall.
I made the decision to let Ander go, quickly crossing to where Drago stood over Trey, a murderous look in his eye as he yelled, “You will die now, boy! I will feast on your blood!”
Trey looked up at him, blood trickling down the side of his face from where his head had hit the wall as a short laugh left him. “You’ve watched too many cheesy vampire movies.” My eyes widened as Trey jumped to his feet in a blur, slamming a dagger into Drago’s heart, twisting the blade in deeply. “You forget, though. The bad guy never wins.”
“Got that right!” I agreed, letting my sword fly, wincing when Drago’s head went flying from his shoulders. I wasn’t sure I would ever get used to that.
Trey grinned at me before turning to where Dad was slowly rising. “You okay, Uncle?”
Dad grunted, wiping some blood from his lip before spitting more out onto the floor. “Fine. Guess I’m not as young as I used to be.” He looked around the room before asking, “Where’s the other one?”
I grimaced, shrugging my shoulders as I walked over to where Skye was staring at us through thick steel bars. Bending down, I retrieved the key from where Drago had dropped it after I arrived and unlocked the cage. Pulling open the doors, I stepped back so that she could walk through, the two small boys clinging to her hands. “He got away.”
“He didn’t get far. It’s daylight out.”
Skye shook her head, her eyes on me. “This place is full of underground tunnels. You won’t find him.”
“I will find him,” I decreed, kneeling down in front of the boys. “He won’t be bothering anyone in this town again.”
“How do you know?” Skye asked, and I heard the hope in her voice.
“He’s going to be struggling a bit with the dagger in his eye,” I teased, reaching out to run a hand over the youngest boy’s head. “It won’t kill him, but it will slow him down long enough for me to catch up with him.”
“You aren’t staying to protect us?” one of the boys whispered, his voice shaking with fear.
Sending him a smile, I shook my head. “You won’t need me to. He’s focused on me now. This town isn’t even on his radar anymore.” Giving him a hug, I promised, “I’m going hunting, and I will find him. You and your brother are both safe.” Standing, I held my hand out to him. “How about my dad and Skye take you all home now?”
The boy’s chin trembled as he nodded, and I leaned down and picked him up, holding him close. “Don’t worry, sweetheart. That man is long gone. He can’t hurt you anymore.” He wouldn’t be able to after I caught up with him. I was going to find him, and then I was going to dispense the justice on him that he deserved. He wouldn’t be hurting anyone ever again.
“I’m going with you,” Trey growled, and I could tell by the look on his face that he wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Nodding, I headed toward the cave entrance, the child still in my arms. “Let’s get them to daylight, and then we go hunting.”