Hunters

Chapter 14

For a moment her latest failure in jumping came to mind, but it was quickly replaced by her determination to pull this off. She propelled herself backward, high, over the flames and landed on the other side. The vampire followed, his claws out and ready to slash. While he was still airborne, Rachel aimed the crossbow and sent an arrow straight through his heart. A choking sound escaped the monster's throat before he landed in the bonfire.

"Booyah!" She threw her fist in the air. What a clean kill!

"Rach, let's go." Daniel materialized by her side. He picked her up with one arm and slung her over his shoulder. He sprinted off, running so fast, it made her dizzy. She turned her head and her heart skipped a beat. Hanging over his other shoulder was the remaining vampire, only he appeared to be knocked out.

"What's this monster still doing here? Why didn't you throw him in the fire?"

Don't talk. We're amongst humans. They can still hear you even if they can't see.

He navigated through streets so dark, they would've probably gone unseen even if Daniel moved at normal speed. They came out onto a street showered in light, but before she could tell exactly where they were, Daniel jumped. Her stomach sank as air rushed around her. The three of them landed on the roof of a really tall building. He set her down gently the dropped the vampire as though he were a sack of potatoes.

"Daniel, what's going on?" she asked, watching the unconscious vampire. "How did you knock him out?"

He pulled out a gun with a silencer mounted on the barrel. "The darts the Hunters used on you in the Vatican. I still had two left, and I wanted to see how they affect vampires ever since I got my hands on them." He holstered the gun and brushed his jeans. "So far, it knocked him out."

"Good idea." She came closer to the body and nudged it with her boot. "Do you think it's gonna kill him?"

"I hope so. If it does, we're going back to Italy and raiding the Hunters' storage. This could finally put burning out of practice." He walked to the edge of the building and looked down.

She joined him and gasped. They were on top of the Intercontinental Hotel, right across the street from the University. In a very populated area. Rachel cringed. They'd left a huge bonfire in the park. Good thing vampires didn't leave any trace once they burned. "Why are we here?"

"Closest and safest place I could think of." He turned back, walked to the vampire and pulled the stake out of his leg. "I can't believe they don't sense you."

"It's happened before, but I just thought those particular vampires were idiots. I didn't think it was a general thing." She crouched next to the vampire. "It's a good thing, right?"

"It's awesome. Imagine always having the element of surprise on your side." He smiled. "Told you there's something special about you. Your powers did evolve, just not the way mine did."

"Glad we got that out of the way." She grinned back then looked at the vampire. She fought the instinct to take his pulse. Even if he were perfectly fine, he didn't have a heartbeat. Something else flowed on the outskirts of her mind, a question which threatened to make all the difference. "If this thing kills him, do you think it will work on Vlad?"

Daniel sighed. "Hope so. I only have one left, anyway, and it's all Vlad's."

They watched the monster in silence, but he remained motionless. Daniel wiped the stake on the vamp's shirt and put it back in its compartment on his belt. Rachel dropped on her butt, her legs almost asleep.

"Rach, you did a really good job tonight." Daniel sat, too. "I was wrong to ever think you were helpless or in danger."

"I'm the master of danger." She giggled. "But it's nice to have you around. You know, just in case."