The hunt master yelled at me, "Stop moving!" while pulling my hair to emphasize his point. "Or else I'll alter my mind and place you in the group with the dr*g addicts!"As soon as he completed threading the vividly colored ribbons, glow sticks, and little tinkling bells into my black hair, I immediately pushed myself to sit still so that I could watch him.He said that it was an improvement before reaching for a hypodermic needle.When he injected something into my shoulder, I did my best to remain silent."Remember, '' he continued as he wiped the injection site with alcohol, "if you survive until dawn, you will be granted your freedom and sent to live in the free zone." If you do survive until dawn, you will be allowed your freedom. If you are captured, you become the property of the vampire who captured you, and it is up to that vampire to decide whether or not to keep you alive or immediately put you to death."I said, "Yes, Sir," although I was already aware of everything.When
"Why did I keep going to this dumb hunt?" she asked. Aric questioned himself while taking another sip from his cup of spiced blood.When he looked around the room at the happy expressions on the other vampires' faces, he couldn't help but let out a sigh.He shook his head in disgust as he pushed a stray lock of his blonde hair out of his face and pushed it back behind his ear. Some hunters appeared to be dressed in the style of safari hunters from the human era, while others wore camouflage, and yet others wore shredded flannel shirts, jeans, and hiking boots. All of the hunters appeared to be in an absurd state of attire.The purpose of the hunt was to commemorate the anniversary of the vampires' victory over the human world with bloodshed.His hometown of Spokane, Washington, was one of the cities that hosted the hunt. Other cities' customs varied widely; for example, some cities openly slaughtered individuals in their city square, while others announced a public hunt in which any p
The moment the hunter blew his horn, the doors to our cages flew open, and we were let loose into the arena.The doors opened to reveal a pine forest blanketed in snow, and the limbs of the trees glistened like silver in the moonlight.When I looked at the ground, I realized it would be difficult to cover my footprints. There wasn't enough snow falling for it to cover my footprints.The drugged victims fell out of their cages and limped through the underbrush, making a mess of the freshly fallen snow while I was wasting time considering my alternatives.I took a few slow, deep breaths to settle my racing mind and formulate a strategy.Most of the others who hadn't been drugged had already escaped into the woods, leaving behind clear footprints that even a vampire who was blind could follow.I knew that if I followed one of the others into the forest and proceeded along the same path they had taken, I might conceal my escape. After I had traveled a sufficient distance into the bush, I
Aric sat on a high tree branch at the edge of the arena, observing the others as they participated in the hunt by locating and killing the prey one after another.A fool who thought hiding in the cages would trick the hunters was the first to be caught and killed. This was a very expensive mistake.Not much time had passed when the second of the poisoned prey was finally brought down. She was fixated on the moonlight reflecting off the ice as it glistened on pine needles covered in frost.The prey was brought down one at a time. Some were executed swiftly, and their blood was drunk on the spot. Others were restrained, branded, and fitted with collars before being led out of the woods by their new masters.Aric watched everything going on with a visceral revulsion, and he detested that others of his type enjoyed participating in the blood sport.His attention was drawn to some movement along the boundary fence. When he got a better look, he noticed that one of the female prey was grabb
I watched the vampire approach me, keeping my green eyes tightly shut and listening intently. As he moved, I could feel the force of his heavy tread cutting into the dirt.I worked hard to control my breathing and heartbeat, but I was frustrated that I couldn't burrow any further into the dirt. As things stood, all a vampire needed to do to identify me was staring at me from the appropriate perspective.When I heard the loud crash of something heavy through the trees above me, I didn't intend to make a sound, but I accidentally let out a gasp of surprise.I tried to slow down my suddenly quick breathing by covering my mouth with the dirt-covered hand I was holding, but the panic grew stronger.I was very certain that the vampire could hear my heart throbbing in my chest.After taking a chance and peeking over the corner, I noticed the shadow of the hunter approaching me.Another hunter suddenly materialized out of thin air and pulled me out of my hiding place by one arm. He lifted me
Healing Aric observed as the human's face became white in response to what he said.He ought to have been more mindful that she was not accustomed to following instructions, but this was a skill that she would need to acquire rapidly.He reiterated, pointing to the chair, "I said sit down and take off your top," but she did not budge from where she was sitting.As she moved to carry out his directions, she had a slight quiver in her bottom lip, and one of her shoulders hung lower than the other.While seated, she began a futile attempt to pull her shirt up over her head, gritting her teeth and biting her lip as she strained to move her damaged arm.Aric rushed to her aid after assessing the level of suffering she was experiencing, pleading with her to move quickly.Even though he could see the terror written all over her face as he approached, he didn't give a damn. Because time was of the essence, he had to determine the extent of her wounds as quickly as possible.He assisted her wi
As the vampire picked me off the ground and carried me into the bathroom with one arm over my back and the other around my knees, I tried to stifle the rising panic washing over me.It didn't even look like he was using much effort to carry me, which was very strange."Flip the switch," the vampire said while pointing his head in the direction of a switch that was gold-plated.To comply with what I was told, I had to immediately shut my eyes to protect them from the brilliance that had begun to flood the room. In reality, the light illuminated both of the rooms. It appeared as though the bathroom had a closet that was connected to it and that closet was only partly stocked with clothes.Every square centimeter of the side of the bathroom was covered in gold or marble that had been polished. It was so huge that even the bathtub could accommodate three to four people.My master walked across the room and positioned me in front of a shower with glass walls before I could see much more of
Aric had almost entirely forgotten about his new pet until he heard an unusual chattering sound. At that moment, he was drying himself off.Confused, he searched until he discovered his pet standing by herself in the shower, nude and shivering. She was attempting to rub some warmth into her arms while she stood dripping with water, her teeth chattering behind blue lips.Aric tucked his towel around his waist and walked to a cabinet across the room as he rolled his eyes and said under his breath about people's utter and complete idiocy. He wondered what he was going to do with a pet.Since he had just gotten rid of his previous pet, he had no desire or need for another animal companion.After pulling open one of the cabinet doors, he reached inside, grabbed a beautiful new towel, and then threw it to her before turning.He spat at her, "Dry yourself off before you catch a cold," as he felt the dawn approaching and realized that he was losing his strength. "The last thing I need is for