Hunting the Hunter (Second in Lone Wolf series)

Chapter Four

Brendon waited until well after dark and the streets were mostly empty, but no one left the ramshackle house. A male vampire had entered shortly after the female but neither of them had shown their faces since.

Brendon was beginning to believe that he may have made a mistake in thinking that this vampire was the one responsible for the deaths. If he wasn’t wrong than maybe she had just decided to take a night off from her killing spree.

Brendon pushed himself away from the wall, his muscles stiff after so much time spent immobile. He stretched out his arms and legs slowly and then was working on getting his back stretched out when movement caught his eyes from the house he’d been watching all day.

A flash of red hair was illuminated in the moonlight before being covered by the hood of a dark black cloak. He took a breath and felt that strange stirring inside of him that he had felt earlier today when he had first caught her scent of herbs and sweetness.

The stirring was new, something he didn’t understand or like. He stood up, moving like a shadow in the darkness as he adjusted his guns and knives in preparation for battle. He had a job to do.

A job he’d spent his entire lifetime doing.

He moved unseen, unheard, unnoticed through the shadows, leaping from the brick building, his black boots landing silently on the dirt alley below. He quickly rounded the corner, his long coat whipping around legs, and saw her walking through the side door of the nearest saloon as if she belonged there.

Brendon scented the air for the male vampire that lived in the home with the red haired vampire but he was still back at their house. He was awake but based on the scent coming from inside, he was otherwise occupied with at least three guests, female guests.

Brendon just shook his head. It was clear from the scent that the women were willing pets. They weren’t chained or forced to stay. They stayed with the vampires because they enjoyed being bitten and being slaves to the male vampires carnal desires. Some women would do anything for the temporary euphoria a vampire could show them.

Brendon headed for front door of the saloon. Though he didn’t much care for mortals, especially mortals who chose to spend their lives drinking, gambling and laying with any willing body, it was his sworn duty to protect them.

Some drunk man was being hunted tonight and Brendon was all that was standing between he and a pain filled death at the hands, or make that fangs, of a feisty red haired, haunted eyed, herb smelling, issue filled female vampire.

***

Ella sat at the back table, unseen in the shadows, her figure and face hidden by her dark oversized cloak.

She scanned the crowded saloon, full of drunken men lewdly calling out to the women serving them drink after drink. Touching, fondling, acting as if they had some sort of right to touch what was not truly theirs to touch.

Sure these women were here willingly but they did not truly have a choice. What other way was there for a woman to earn money? Men refused to take them seriously, refused to acknowledge that a woman could be good for something other than fulfilling their own selfish urges.

Men disgusted her. Each was more evil than the next. Even knowing that they were in danger from a killer who was murdering them in dark alleys, they still came, they still drank, they still laid with women who were forced to be whores.

Ella took a sip of the whiskey she had stolen from a side table and let the burning liquid light up a fire in her veins. Heating her blood and working to numb her senses. Remove any doubt or hint of guilt about what she was preparing to do.