New York City isn't the worst place for crimes. At least not according to the ratings of all cities in America. There are crimes committed, yes, but not nearly as many as others think. But that's only because most crimes take place in the eyes of the supernatural. Mortals can't see or hear what goes on in the hidden nature around them. That's a good thing though.
The supernatural isn't always fun and thrilling like "fantasy" claims it to be. There are symbols. And sometimes those who become part of the supernatural can't see it for themselves. Not right away at least. Sometimes that's the worst part. I watch people change into something that should be impossible. They are sucked into a life that's complicated. A life that has to be kept a secret. They completely become part of another world.
This is my world. My job is to protect mortals from invading... creatures. That's what I call them anyway. Even though I'm one of them. Yes, I fight against my own kind. Sometimes. As much as I hate to do it, my city and its citizens are far more important. That's what I've told myself over and over for the past few decades. Being immortal has its perks, yet I'd give anything to be a regular mortal once again.
Tonight I stood on the edge of a building in the cool night of New York City. But it was far from quiet. Sirens wailed, and I knew what they were after. My ears picked up every sound within a five mile radius. The dispatch from the police station said someone had called in to report a car shooting a few blocks away. They have the car's license plate number and were in pursuit. The sirens neared and I saw the shooter drive by in his car. The police vehicles soon followed, lights flashing on the street below.
However, I wasn't after the man on the run from the police. Tonight I was looking for someone much more dangerous, and unfortunately, much more sneaky. He was fast, quiet, and smart, but not too smart if he decided to invade and threatened my territory.
I crouched down trying to hide myself from any surrounding source of light. Not that it would make too much of a difference, but I had to concentrate. My body sat perfectly still. One by one I went through the many sounds in this part of the city. I told my mind to listen for fast, quiet steps. I heard sirens, car horns, subway trains, the footsteps of people walking home from a late day at work, people talking, dogs barking, stray cats trying to find shelter for the night, homeless people begging for money, music playing, TVs. Yes I heard all of this at once but was able to decipher each one in particular. It takes years of practice to separate all noises from one another, but it is possible. Once my mind processed and separated them, I was able to locate the sound of quiet running. I focused harder. It was coming from three blocks away.
I jumped off the roof and into the now quiet street below. Then my pursuit proceeded yet again. I'd been tracking the intruder for three days. For some reason, I can never catch him. He always made sure to keep out of the light and avoid me at all costs. Really, all I had to go on for tracking him was footsteps and his scent.
Once I reach the block where I had last heard him, my nose took over. His scent was fresh here. This would make it a little easier to track him. Running through streets and alleyways, I thought of the mortals that may be walking alone tonight. There had been mysterious murders the past few days. The police were baffled by the murderer because all they could find were bite marks on the victims' necks. The only logical explanation they could come up with was a large and dangerous stray dog, which was absurd, but it was better than the truth.
The truth was this: a vampire decided to invade my city and kill for the one thing we all desire most. But blood wasn't the only thing that could keep us alive. However, the vampire I was tracking didn't care if he was making national news. The only thing this guy seemed to care about was satisfying his desire for mortal blood: the one substance that made us stronger. I had to stop him.
Pursuits like this usually weren't done alone. For some reason, my clan didn't think it was a rogue vampire. They believed it was someone else we might know just passing through. We had friends from other places that were allowed to pass by on occasion, as long as they kept the killings to a minimum. Our friends usually targeted homeless people that were on the brink of death. We told ourselves it was a faster and less painful way to die, but the vampire I was tracking was killing at least five people a night. I tried to tell my clan but they insisted it was just a few of our friends. Yes, the unknown killer was killing off countless homeless people, but five each night? Usually one or two people per night satisfies our thirst.
I believe otherwise about this intruding vampire. Something felt off. Besides, this guys scent wasn't one I recognized, and the way he was avoiding me meant he was an outsider. He was a vampire who didn't care whose territory he invaded or threatened. I was also worried that he wasn't alone. Most rogue vampires are alone due to being kicked out of a clan. If he was kicked out it would have been for a good reason. Whatever the case, I knew I shouldn't be out here alone. But I have to follow my instincts. I had to track down this vampire.
His scent stayed fresh as I zigzagged through the city. I was getting close, but I just couldn't seem to catch him. Then I rounded a corner, more than happy when I actually saw him. He had stopped for some reason... probably to see how close I could come, but he quickly disappeared down an alleyway. We were now in a dark and quiet part of the city. If it came down to a one-on-one fight, I was thrilled that mortals wouldn't see or hear us.
I came to a stop at the edge of the alley. He wasn't inside anymore, but he was close. His scent was strong, and I couldn't hear his quiet steps anywhere. This was where I had to be careful. Just because I was immortal, didn't mean I couldn't still be killed. However, killing a vampire required an ancient sword with runes forged in magic. Unfortunately, I didn't have mine tonight, but I needed to know who this vampire was and why he was here.
Carefully making my way through the dark alley, I prepared for anything. My knee high, heeled boots didn't make a sound against the cracked pavement. In fact, my entire outfit of leather boots, tight blue jeans, low cut black shirt, and red leather jacket didn't make a single noise. My amber eyes had night-vision, of course, and my long, auburn hair hid the vampire symbol on the back of my neck. It glowed red to make me invisible to mortals tonight.
The thought of mortals made me look around for homeless people. Some of them preferred the dark part of the city, but on a cold winter night, I doubted they lingered here. Still, the vampire had come down here for a reason, and not just to get away from me. I didn't smell any blood. His scent was so strong that he could have been right on top of me.
The thought hit me too slowly. Before I could move, he spun my body and pinned me against an old, abandoned, brick building. At least I could still see him this way. The impact of my body made the cracks in the bricks split a little farther. Part of me wished I could take one of those bricks and hit this guy in the face.
"Well, well, what have we here?" he purred. His eyes lingered on mine for a moment before they traveled down to my slightly exposed cleavage.
Prick. I was fairly used to males looking at me like this, but I wanted to rip this guy's eyes out. Perhaps playing along with his game might help. "Too bad you don't have x-ray vision," I purred back.
He made a sensuous chuckle and looked back up, "What's a pretty little thing like you doing out here all alone, anyway?"
"I think you know the answer to that."
He clicked his tongue, "I think you aren't out here just to seek out some fun."
"The definitions of 'fun' can vary."
He grinned, "Indeed." His gaze traveled south again.
He still had me pinned against the wall. I could easily break free, but I wanted him to think he had the upper hand at the moment. I wanted to keep him distracted. "Who are you? Why are you here?" My voice was dangerously calm but he didn't seem to notice. Perhaps he had other things on his mind that kept him a little more distracted.
He gave a low laugh, "You've been tracking me for three days and now you want answers. Don't think for a second that you cornered me. I let you catch me."
Not really an answer but I'd play along, "Why?"
He pinned me even harder, his body now pressed against mine. The breath of his mouth tickled my ear as he whispered, "Can you keep a secret?"
I kept my calm, though I wanted so badly to knee this guy in the balls. Even though vampire bodies are as hard as stone, I found out that males are still quite sensitive down there. I forced my legs not to go into action, even though one straight shot up would have him on his hands and knees, groaning in pain. Still, I figured playing his game might buy some time. Time that I needed. So I whispered back, "I'm pretty good at keeping secrets," I maneuvered my body a little, "Amongst other things."
He chuckled again, his breath still tickling my ear. His hands tightens around my wrists, though it didn't hurt. Thankfully, it won't leave any bruises. I didn't want to have to explain anything to my brother.
The stranger looked me in the eyes again, "You know, it's still dangerous for a female vampire to wander the streets of New York City alone at night."
A few of the homeless people this guy had killed were females, and I doubted he drank their blood right away.
I batted my long eyelashes, "You don't think I can protect myself?"
He grinned, "You haven't even tried to push me away."
Oh, I was going to push, but not with my arms. Before I had my chance, a hand appeared on the guy's shoulder. The stranger was thrown to the other side of the alleyway, the impact of his body breaking a few more bricks. Clumps of broken brick clattered to the pavement.
The rogue vampire laughed, "So you weren't alone after all."
I tried not to look surprised as my brother, Eric, stood between me and the stranger. How had I not picked up his scent?
"Who are you?" Eric demanded.
"Wouldn't you like to know," the stranger replied. It was a statement, not a question.
Before Eric could move or say anything else, the stranger lunged and sent him flying from the force of impact. He crashed into me and the stranger took off, leaving me and my brother scrambling to get up.
"Damn it, Eric, I had him!" I hissed.
"More like he had you," Eric hissed back. "What the hell were you thinking, Aria?"
"I was thinking about buying myself some time to get the answers I needed!" I paused, still wondering why I hadn't caught Eric's scent. "Have you been following me?" My tone was deadly calm.
"You know you shouldn't venture off on your own when there is a rogue vampire in town."
My temper was now on a tight leash, "The rest of the clan knew it wasn't a friend passing through. Why did you keep insisting it was?"
"Because I thought you would stay out of this one."
"This one? What are to talking about? Why are you leaving me in the dark all of a sudden?"
He didn't answer.
"Fine, keep me in the dark, but either way, I'm not going to stay out of it."
"Aria, wait!"
I took off before Eric could grab my arm. As a vampire my senses and physical strength are enhanced. Everything went by in a blur when running at full speed. I zigzagged through the city, everything going by in slow motion.
I finally caught the rogue vampire's scent again, this time on a quiet street. But I soon lost it. It had just disappeared. How was that possible. Unless...
I looked down to see a grate that led into the city's sewer system. Silently cursing, I pondered what to do. There was no way in hell I was going down there. The stench of the sewage covered any vampire scent. This guy was smart, a little too smart now that I thought about it.
But I'd been tracking him for a few days, so I knew where he'd go at this time of night. The thought didn't settle well with me. I took off to what was probably the most busy place in the city at this time of night.
Within seconds, I spotted him. He turned into another dead end alley. I knew New York City like the back of my hand. I thought for sure I had him cornered this time, but when I reached the alleyway he was gone. He had disappeared. I lost him yet again.
Making a last-minute decision, I climbed up the side of one of the buildings. It would give me a better view and help make the surrounding noises more clear. I could focus better. It took me only seconds to get to the top. I quickly scanned the other rooftops to see if I could spot him. He was nowhere in sight, but I could definitely smell him. That meant he was close, but it was hard to pinpoint his location.
I tried to focus, but it was hard with the wind coming in from the North. A train whistled. I had somehow forgotten that the train station was nearby and a bad thought suddenly hit my mind. The train would be taking many people to the outskirts of the city soon enough. If that bloody vampire got too close to that place, he wouldn't be able to control himself. His thirst for blood would be overwhelming. The scents of all of those people would make him mad enough to kill someone who wasn't homeless. No. No, he wouldn't because he was smarter than that. I still had to do something.
I heard footsteps coming down one of the sidewalks, too loud for a vampire, but another creature, perhaps. I crouched down low enough to not be spotted, but still able to see everything below. The sound came from some college guy. He looked familiar. Very familiar.
A sudden movement in the corner of my eye caught my attention. I looked over to see the intruding vampire. His pace was casual, but he could easily drag that human into the alleyway without anyone noticing. This part of the city was crowded and noisy, but the human was alone.
"Foolish mortals," I muttered to myself. Then I did something I had done a few hundred times before. I jumped off a seven story building. Thankfully the stalking vampire didn't hear me and was knocked out cold when I landed on his back. Thank god for the symbols that kept us invisible to mortals. Now it would be easier to take the rogue vampire back to headquarters for questioning.
Before leaving, I looked at the human again. I guessed l he was heading for the train station to go home. Of course, he had his back to me but I caught his scent in the wind. Now I know why he looked familiar. I'd seen him in one of my classes and a few other places around campus. It was Ronan.
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A/N: Hey, ya'll! Kristine (stardragon98) here. This is the first time I've collaberated so it should be interesting. And this is also the first book I've written about vampires/werewolves.
Please pardon any errors i may have missed. The only source of Internet was my phone and it took me an hour to get this posted.
Hope you all enjoy!