Token Vampire (Token Huntress Book 2) (2 page)

              “Only because Tythian asked me to. Esmore, with enough suggestive thoughts people can forget their darkest nightmares. I spared her that pain. It was Tythian’s familiar, and his call,” Chase gushed. He was trying to smile and I could sense that his mind was thinking of something funny to say, like he always did to dispel serious situations. I felt the rumble of darkness within me tap lightly in my stomach, like butterflies were trying to escape. Only Chase could create this feeling within me, and I hated it. But I was too weak for rage to sweep through. I hated how close I stood to him. I was able to feel the betrayal, lies, and pain he had caused.

              “I asked Chase to do so,” Tythian confirmed. “I found my love — my sweet, beautiful Whitney — abandoned beside her dead father at dusk. It is true sabers did attack her, which I didn’t lie about, and that her father died at their hands. But where they had come from was a secure place for humans … where technology remains highly advanced. They are trying to create stronger beings. The injection, according to our research, killed most; and in Whitney’s case the disease spread through her for many years. I was feeding her my blood every night without her knowing. I could have never turned her into a vampire because of the parasite disease, even if I tried. However, after so many years of my blood rejuvenating her, my blood no longer worked.”

              “It was her brother who injected them both,” Yolo spoke up now, allowing Tythian to slip into a subdued silence. Now I knew if he had the choice he wouldn’t have respected Whitney’s wishes. He would have turned her anyway. But if that were to happen to Chase, I would have done the same. I could not judge, yet I felt sick by the lie.

              “How do you know all this?” I said angrily.

              “Yolo here is a part of that human group,” Cesar interrupted. “He was the only one who could infiltrate them.”

              “How?” I demanded. How did the Guild have none of this information?

              Yolo stood up tall. I could see a lightly quivering mist surrounding him. Within seconds a human woman with long blonde hair in a tight skirt, shirt, and high heels approached me with a velvet voice. “Because I am Jenn Cadolwadt: engineer and specialist at the Human Activist and Regaining Existence Movement,” she said, holding out a hand for me to shake. Yolo even smelled like a human woman.

              “He can bypass all the scans. He comes up as human,” Connor spoke from the corner of the room.

              “Why a woman?” Dillian asked from behind me.

The woman gave a sheepish smile in response. One that made my whole body cringe. “Well, mostly because of these,” Yolo said, grabbing hold of his bountiful chest. “It is a pretty nice rack, if I do say so myself.”

              My stomach turned. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

              “She needs blood,” Chase growled, ending the conversation. “She has lost too much. She has to feed.”
              “Of course, sorry for having not noticed sooner,” Cesar roared. “Connor, if you would be so kind as to show those two to their room, and Tythian, can you show the two other hunters their room?”

              “No!” I said savagely, looking at Balzar. “They stay in the same room as us.” I would protect them no matter what.

After much hesitation Cesar agreed. “Very well, but you only have a day’s rest until you are to come out and meet the rest of my Coven.” He dispelled us within moments, and the others went their separate ways as Tythian escorted us silently through the rocky walls.

T
he rocky stone walls felt as if they were closing in around me. The subtle hint of stagnant air forced me to assume that we were well underground. Somewhere well hidden. There was a lingering smell of blood in the air. Old blood, that made my appetite stir but repulsed at thought of it not being fresh. More than likely they had been hiding here for a while now. I was used to underground tunnels, but the eeriness here of both being followed and watched, reminded me to keep on guard and prepare to slaughter a houseful of vampires if required. Feel, an understated and meaningless word to me; a symptom and only reflex.

              I looked to one of the walls trying to control my thirst. As Tythian led us further into the dark tunnels, all I could hear was a tiny droplet of water constantly dripping close by. I could smell the sweat that followed me on Dillian’s and Julia’s neck. I sensed Chase try to grab my hand beside me, but I couldn’t help but pull it closer to myself as I walked.

              My sensitive hearing focused on the saliva that mixed around in Julia’s parched mouth, the scratchiness of her tongue desperately trying to create saliva. Her whimpering small breaths which exerted heavily, seeming more like a pant enticed me. Julia was so fragile. Chase tugged on my hand, of where for a moment I had forgotten that we were walking. I looked at Chase with such hatred, it was not directed at him, but only the disgust I felt for myself. Julia, I thought her weak, and I realized that my bent up fingers which held such temptation wanted to grab her by the throat and dive deep into her, to quench my thirst. I had been fixating on her weak traits as easy prey.

              Chase raised his eyebrows at me as he forced his thoughts into my own, even when I tried to block him.
Stop frowning and pouting it ruins your features.

             
I looked away again, catching an interested side glance from Tythian.

              “Do you think me as a monster, little vampire?” Tythian asked, if I hadn’t known him in any other way, I would have thought he was almost teasing me. “Or are you simply pinpointing your hatred of yourself onto others at the moment. Let me guess, the thirst has really gotten to you now, and you now realize that having your edible friends in the same room as you, isn’t exactly what you wanted.”

              “I’m fine,” I hissed under my breath. There were many words of judgment I wanted to speak, but as my walk staggered I couldn’t find the energy to fight in mere words. Our distaste for one another was there and the tension that rose with that, made it a very uncomfortable walk.

              I focused my hearing on our surroundings, to inspect if anyone else were in the tunnels nearby, but my hearing faltered or they were all so quiet. Tythian stopped in front of a tilted door, which around the edges the wood began to chip away. Beneath the closed door, the shadow of a candle light flickered. Grabbing the handle and revealing it to us he spoke.

              “You may stay in this room, do keep it down, I am sure with delectable meals you won’t want to alarm the other vampires here. Although Cesar is giving them warning, which is punishable by death, nothing can be guaranteed,” Tythian evenly looked at Dillian. “My apologies.”

              “Do you have a supply?” Chase began asking, before Tythian cut him off.

              “If you would have noticed this isn’t a classy motel. But yes, there is a bottle of cold blood in there. It’s only recently been put there. You will have to excuse however there is only one bed.” With no more to say, Tythian dismissed himself and continued walking into the tunnels with adamant purpose. I had the urge to follow him; to discover and understand further my surroundings, but Chase grabbed my hand. I looked down at it, a shot of betrayal sweeping in. I was still so pained to learn of Whitney’s true death.

              “Esmore? I need to get Julia out from this place,” Dillian interrupted. I pulled my hand away from Chase and looked down the hall and behind them, to make sure no one was within hearing distance. I ushered them all in closing the door behind us. There was an uncomfortable bed which looked as if it could only fit two at most. One table with a bottle of blood as Tythian had guaranteed, how the thought of it made me thirst; and two chairs beside it.

              “I will get you out of here. All of us, I want nothing to do with a coven.” Shivers ran up my arms at my inability now to run further into the tunnels and kill every one of them. That is what I do, I tried to remind myself, or that is what I did.

              “Are you sure, Esmore, but now you are a. . .” Julia hid her face as she saw my daggered glare.

              “A vampire, I can assure you I am not,” my eyes instantly fixated on her neck and I regretted it as Dillian spooned Julia further into his arms, in a sense of warning towards me.

              “For now we just need to rest and we can sort this out tomorrow. We’ve all had a long day,” Chase reassured us all. I looked down at my shirt which still revealed part of my breast, from the blow out in my chest. That should have been my death. With all my might and resisting the urges, which I truly battled with, I placed my hand on Dillian’s shoulder. The thought of tenderness, and frailness in comparison to the strength I could unleash on him terrified me. My dear friend, Dillian, which now instinctually I marked like a predator. I took one large gulp and looked him dead in the eyes.

              “I will protect you both, no matter what. Rest easy. You know I will never be your enemy,” I said with even tone. With all my might I resisted the torture of the crisp feeling of my fangs ready to pierce. I could handle it no more. I dropped my hand and walked towards the table, to put distance between me and what my body screamed at as a meal. Chase followed me with his eyes. I looked down at the blood, disgusted at myself. I didn’t crave that cold red tainted gore in a bottle. I wanted it hot, fresh; and that disgusted me. I will not act or be a vampire, I insisted to myself.

              Grabbing the bottle, I offered it to Chase. “Hurry up and drink it,” I said with a slight exhausted stumble as I walked towards him.

              “Esmore, you must eat,” he said sternly.

              “I will not be told what I must and mustn’t do. I will not be this monster,” I paused recalling the same mimicked word that Tythian spoke.
Monster.

              “I know you thirst, you are weak,” Chase said trying to reach out to me.

              “You either drink this now, or I smash it. I will neither be weak in my physical state nor my temptation of this.” After much resistance, Chase grabbed the bottle and drank it, he knew I was not one to be forced into things once I have claimed I would not. I could not become what I hated most.

              “Esmore, I have an apple if you would like one,” Julia’s voice spoke from the darkness as only little light was emanated from the candle on the table. Obviously the small backpack she had under hooded attire was pre-packed with food. The sobbing Julia I had found in her room and thought to have rescued from the Guild; might have already been planning her own escape and rescue of Dillian, before my own intervention. She scurried through her bag before presenting it to me. I could see the slight pulse in her wrist as she offered it to me.

              “Please throw it to me,” I said casually, not daring to go any closer. I knew I was pushing a certain part of me that was too greatly tempted. Snatching the apple out of the air, I tore the empty bottle from Chase’s hand and smashed it over the table, so I was left with the remains of the shattered glass as a weapon. The shattering of pieces forced Dillian to jump. I had never seen him so rattled, especially because of me. What did I look like for him to be so alert against? What was it that he now saw?

              “I’ll watch over the door, you all get rest,” I instructed to Dillian and Julia, ignoring the promiscuous look Chase gave me.

             
You are so bossy,
Chase interjected in to my thoughts.
Yet, it turns me on.
I could sense the purr in his tone. I gave him a very stern glare. He always fooled around, no matter how serious the issue at hand. Already understanding my thoughts he replied.
Esmore we escaped death today, and yes we have a lot of problems at hand now, but just for today please show me one smile, in which I never thought I would see again.

             
You lied to me about Whitney’s conditioning. I am so damn thirsty, I am struggling to think. But I can’t be a monster anymore, a creature that defies death and normality. I am a Huntress, in a coven full of vampires, and yet I am hiding in the shadows uncertain of whether to kill them or not. I am not okay. Most certainly not okay with you lying to me.

             
He blew air from his cheeks dramatically. Dillian exchanged an odd glare between the two of us as he sat on the edge of the bed and watched over Julia as she sat in the corner eating a pear.

              Chase grabbed my attention once again as I sat on the wooden chair against the door.
An apple will not sustain you. You may be able to eat both human food and drink blood as a vampire, but let me assure you that the one and only thing that will sustain you now is quenching your thirst. No matter how arrogant you are to this Esmore, you are a new vampire. You can’t control it without being taught.

             
Again I felt that tender mixture of darkness and love for Chase torture me. Why could I only feel love or appreciation with Chase or Mum, why my emotions was, or what little emotions I had, so heightened? I wanted to kill him and kiss him all at once.

              I took a savage bite into my apple and looked to the dirty rocky walls, with the broken glass bottle still in hand. I thought in the distance and pain of memory; of two big white wings protruding from my back. I knew what that was, that surge of strength and dominance, it was the Descendant. And as my chest was blown into tiny pieces, and I felt my world and life dip into an unnatural darkness of what should have been death. I knew what that tainted color of black which tainted my right wing now was. I had been affected by darkness. As if my Hunter self was my purity, and now with my vampirism a very real and daring part of me, I had been tainted. What have I become?