Hunters

Chapter 1

She sighed, her mind back on Chris. How would he feel when he aged and she didn't? Maybe it was better to break up with him after all. But she couldn't. She loved him; they'd been together for three years, and until three months ago, when she'd told him what she really was, they'd been so happy.

"How did Cheryl react when you told her what you are?" she asked before she could help herself.

Daniel put his crossbow away and skidded on the roof to reach her level. His eyes were a little unfocused and she knew this to mean his senses were spiked.

"First of all, I didn't pour it all on her at once. I told her I was a Hunter on our third date." He smirked, and Rachel guessed her expression looked pretty stupid. But seriously, the third date?

"On the sixth date she asked how I could kill vamps. That's when I told her I'm part filth myself." Daniel's eyes darted toward the bridge again. "There's still a lot of stuff I haven't told her. She's a complete idiot, this one." The way he said 'idiot' sounded more tender than 'love of my life'. 

"What did you tell her when she asked about food?"

Daniel groaned and ran his hand through his thick, messy, black hair. "God, Rach. You told him about the blood thing, didn't you?"
"I just wanted it all out there." She avoided his gaze. Of course she shouldn't have told him they occasionally needed blood.

"That's one thing I haven't mentioned to Cheryl." He scrambled back up the roof and grabbed his crossbow. "But the fact that Chris knows this and is still here... that says something about how much he cares for you."

Rachel raised her weapon, her heart thumping unevenly. Daniel was very straightforward. If he said 'care' instead of 'love', it was because he didn't think Chris loved her. She wanted to stand up for her boyfriend, but she wasn't sure how Chris felt anymore. She suddenly longed for a ring around her finger. That might clue her in.

A shiver ran down her spine and it had nothing to do with wedding thoughts. Bile rose to her mouth and she leaned against the railing of the tower top, her eyes zooming from left to right so fast she got dizzy. Their target had finally arrived, except she couldn't see it.

"Cover me," Daniel said.

"Where is it?" Rachel yelled after him, but he'd already thrown his crossbow aside and leaped off the tower.

The sense of nausea heightened. Rachel focused her vision and zoomed in on the dark statue of John of Nepomuk. A cloaked shadow drifted from behind it and glided through the mist, down the bridge, toward the exit marked by her tower. Before the vampire could make it halfway there, Daniel landed in front of him.

Rachel aimed her crossbow at the vampire. He'd frozen in the middle of the path.

"Good evening, scum." Daniel straightened, brushing his jeans. "Fancy meeting you here."

The vampire growled and threw his cloak aside, revealing a bloodstained shirt. He'd obviously already fed. Rachel's finger twitched on the trigger. He could pass for human even with the pale skin, bloodshot eyes and fangs, but that didn't fool her senses. His mere presence made her skin crawl.

Daniel crouched slightly. The vampire attacked with speed hard to perceive for the human eye. Daniel dodged just in time and sunk a punch into the vampire's back. He tumbled to the ground. Daniel stepped backwards and looked up at her, frowning. The monster had moved under the tower, beyond her range and he knew it. 

The vampire growled again, much louder, bared his fangs and went straight for Daniel's neck. They were a blur of movement as Daniel blocked the attack and tried to bring him out in the open to give her the chance to shoot. Rachel's heart went into hyper-drive. She only had one shot and knew she mustn't shoot to kill. They needed the bastard alive.