Still coming down from the fight, Harley nodded her head as she was too breathless to speak. If he had wanted to kill her, there was no doubt that she would be dead already. Unless he was playing mind games with her. In complete disbelief, all she could do was stand completely still and stare at the monster that had just saved her life. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks as found him even more dazzling the longer she stared. Though what caught her attention the most was his eyes. The jewel blue twinkled against the night sky, holding a warmth that she had never seen before in a vampire's eyes.
"I- I don't know. Can I?" She retorted.
"That's not for me to decide." He informed her.
Rolling her eyes, she was slowly beginning to regain herself and focus a little more on the conversation they were having and not his charming looks. Clearing her throat, she looked him up and down once more.
"Well, how can I trust someone who I've not only just met, but who also hasn't formally introduced themselves?" She challenged him.
"Touché." He said, with a nod of his head. "Oh, and it's Mason, by the way. Mason James." He finally introduced himself.
Harley couldn't help but smile. There was something about him that was less threatening compared to other blood suckers that she had encountered, and now she could finally put a name to the handsome face she'd been blatantly staring at.
"Pretty human name to me, I'm Harley but it seems that you already knew that." She responded.
"Why? What kind of name would you associate with a vampire?" He questioned.
"Hmm… I don't know. Dracula, Vladimir, Lorenzo, something along those lines." She listed all the names that popped into her head.
Mason burst out laughing at the ridiculous choices that she had thrown at him. He had to admit to himself that she wasn't exactly the kind of hunter he'd thought her to be. She seemed to be rather different to her father and those that came before her. If he wasn't dead, he could have sworn that he felt his heart skip a beat as he listened to her goofy list.
"Looks like someone has been watching too many movies." He teased her.
"Ha, ha. Really though, thank you for uh… saving my ass back there." She said, her tone becoming more serious and less comedic now.
Did she really just thank him? That was something that he didn't expect. Despite all the joking around, she was still a hunter and he was still a vampire. Two polar opposites, destined to be enemies. Yet here she was, not even trying to slice his head off. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but there was something about her that made him curious.
"Uh, yeah… It's no big deal or anything." He stammered, brushing off her gratitude. Though he felt awful having just lied to her.
The truth was that it was indeed a big deal. He knew there would be big trouble when he returned to Demitri before sunrise. It was among the top three rules of the clan that a member must not kill another. In fact, it was punishable by both expulsion from the clan and death. But neither was as frightening to him as the plans they had made for the city, and aside from that, he felt as though it was his duty to ensure that Harley was not part of the carnage.
"Maybe not to you, but to me it really puts things in perspective." She told him.
Mason felt a warmth in himself that he hadn't experienced since he was human. It was a feeling that he had forgotten about for a long time, but now that it had come back he didn't want to let go of it. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time for him to talk more as sunrise was in less than half an hour.
"I better be going now, but you should be careful out here. The day walkers are worse than the night walkers, you know." He warned her.
She opened her mouth to speak, but before she had the chance to form any words, he was gone in a gust of wind. As the sun began to rise from behind the hills, casting a million shadows over the park, Harley did not move. Part of her was questioning whether she had just dreamt the whole night, but deep down she knew that it was real. There was no waking up from this. Knowing that her father would blow a fuse if she wasn't back by breakfast, she slowly took her first few steps on the route home. She walked almost drunkenly as her mind zoned out on the present and in on the events of the night. Despite the haze, there was one choice she had already made from the moment Mason had saved her life; her father would never know about this.
____________________________________
Silently sneaking back into the den that Demitri had turned into a hideout for the clan, Mason half hoped that his leader wasn't there right now. But he knew that it was false hope, their leader was there ninety percent of the time and the only time that he wasn't was if he was out creating a blood bath with his closest vampires.
He had a choice. Stay silent about the attack in the hopes that Demitri would never find out; knowing that if he did, the punishment for withholding the information would be worse than death, or come clean and accept whatever fate his leader chose for him. Hanging his head, he continued through the tunnel until he reached the entrance to what Demitri had claimed as his office; really just a separate and smaller cave. Swallowing hard, he cleared his throat to announce his presence.
His leader looked up at him and smiled in a way that would have been unsettling if Mason hadn't been used to it. Though that smile wouldn't last long once he heard what he had to say.
"And so the wanderer returns…" Demitri greeted.
"Yeah, I guess he does." Mason said glumly.
"Come on, let's hear it. What is the scoop of the night?" Demitri prompted.
"Trust me, nothing you'll be proud of." He answered.
"Ha what, did you kill a hot girl? Save an orphan? Come on, brotha! Spill the beans." He pushed.
Mason sighed, knowing this was the right thing to do and that there was no turning back now. "Not exactly, look Dee, I have to tell you something." He began.
His grim tone caught Demitri's attention and the playful attitude disappeared immediately, only making Mason more nervous. He set his eyes upon the floor to avoid the cold stare that was being aimed at him.
"What did you do?" Demitri quizzed.
"Something happened tonight and I had no choice but to take down five of your vampires. I wouldn't have done it unless it was absolutely necessary though, I swear!" He admitted.
The cold stare turned into a fiery rage in a matter of seconds and in the blink of an eye, Demitri was holding Mason three feet in the air by his throat. He didn't struggle to get free, knowing full well that it would do no good. Not only was Demitri older than him, but also stronger.
"You dared to slaughter vampires from your own clan. From my clan! Recite to me the biggest rule we have!" He demanded.
"Never kill another vampire from the clan." Mason choked out.
"That's right! And yet you not only killed one, but five. Five! A crime this bad ought to bring you punishment far worse than expulsion, worse than a painful death even!" He growled.
Demitri dropped Mason back on his feet, though he quickly lost balance and fell to his knees. He knew better than to beg for his life, as that would only anger his leader further.
"But you don't understand, I didn't have a choice!" He defended himself.
"What kind of situation would leave you with no choice?" Demitri questioned, raising his voice.
"Th- They were breaking other rules." He fibbed, hoping that it would be believable.
"Oh really? So tell me then, Mason, what rule were they breaking?" He pushed.
"I- Well… They were… making plans to overthrow you." He stammered.
"Ha! Busted! Don't make me laugh, no one in this clan is stupid enough, or strong enough, to even dare to try that!" He scoffed. "Which means that you have something to hide… come on, don't be a fool. After everything that I have done for you… you would have been dead if it weren't for me!" Demitri roared.
"I know… and I'm sorry Dee, I really am…" Mason began, but was quickly interrupted.
"Quit apologising and tell me the truth! I wish that I could say your cooperation would minimize your punishment, but it won't." He snapped.
"Doesn't matter, I can take whatever punishment you hand to me." He stated, remaining calm. "The real reason why I killed them is because they were attacking a girl." He admitted.
Demitri stopped his pacing and shot Mason a look. His expression was a mix of annoyance, disappointment and rage. It was at this point that he knew he would be demonised by the entire clan, if they decided not to execute him.
"A girl?" Demitri repeated, sounding like he'd just put a sour sweet on just tongue. "Was she a vampire?" He quizzed.
"Erm… no." Mason answered honestly.
A low rumbling growl filled his ears and it quickly became obvious that Demitri had not liked the answer to his question. He backed away a little, expecting to be attacked.
"Let me get this straight, you slaughtered five of your own kind from this clan just to save a pathetic human girl?" He sneered.
"Ah- listen, this girl… she isn't just any normal human, you see she is also a hunter." He informed him.
Demitri's eyes widened and once again, he flew across the room gripping Mason, this time by his shirt, and snarling in his face.
"You saved the life of a hunter!" He roared. "By slaughtering members of this clan, I might add! Mason James, you didn't just break one rule, but several! This should mean a painful death, but that would be more of a blessing for you. I see the way you mope around. For you, my first prodigy, I will make it far worse than death. I hereby sentence you to a month of extreme torture! Every morning when you return here, you shall be taken to our prison and from there you will begin to receive your beatings." Demitri announced. "I saved your life! Gave you the gift of eternity, endless amounts of power and yet you go against me. Kill vampires that I had sent on a mission to assassinate the girl to eliminate the bigger threat to our kind! You should be ashamed of yourself!" He scolded.
Mason felt his heart drop at the decision, though he already knew that punishment was inevitable. Hanging his head, more out of respect than in shame, he bowed and exited Demitri's quarters. Clearly all the vampires lounging around the base had overheard the conversation as from every direction he looked, there were glares and cold stares. Feeling more like an outsider than he ever had before, he took off down one of the tunnels that led to his home; if you could even call it that. Mostly it was just the place he stayed when he wasn't called on for a hunt or heist. He was beginning to feel as though he did not belong among others of his kind, it was a nagging thought that hadn't left him since he had been informed of the plans for the uprising.
Being a vampire was lonely. It wasn't the path that he would have chosen for himself had he not been dying when Demitri had turned him. Now, humans saw him as a monster and even those like him seemed to believe that he was not like them. Maybe he wasn't, at least not mentally. Physically, he was exactly the same. What had bothered him the most in the base was not the looks he got from the rest of the clan, but the one he got from his best friend. He had no regrets at all about saving Harley from those vampires, aside from his being drawn to her, they weren't the nicest out of everyone and deserved what they'd gotten.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pendant with a silver cross charm that he had found in the park during the fight. He smiled at the thought that it gave him a reason to see Harley again, and hoped that he would be able to unravel some of the mystery behind her.
____________________________________
Tossing and turning, Harley threw back the covers with a frustrated sigh. Having returned home not so long ago, she had attempted to catch up on sleep but failed miserably as her mind kept wandering back to Mason and how he had saved her life. Growing up she had been taught by her father not to trust any of them. All of them were the same, bloodthirsty, savage monsters. But if that were true then why didn't he kill her when he had the chance?
Feeling confused, she dragged herself out of bed, slipped on some flat shoes and headed into the open plan kitchen. It seemed that her step-mother had already left to drive Kiara to school and her father had gone out for whatever reason, leaving her alone in the apartment with only her grandfather sitting in front of the television, not speaking a word. She sat patiently waiting for her father to return so that she could pass on the news of the uprising, without mentioning Mason. Fortunately, it wasn't a long wait as Zander swung the front door open and stepped inside the apartment, throwing a burlap sack on the floor.
"Harley?" He questioned.
"Dad!" She exclaimed.
"You're up early." He pointed out.
"Couldn't sleep." She informed him.
"Right." He shrugged.
"Uh- There's something we need to talk about." She stated.
Zander stopped what he was doing and turned to face her as soon as her words reached his ears. His expression was grim and Harley knew that he expected it to be news on her progress.
"Well go on, do proceed." He prompted.
"I learned something tonight." She began, hesitating as she thought over what she had learned. "I have reason to believe that the vampires are planning an uprising. Last night, there wasn't a single one roaming the streets which isn't normal for the city." She explained.
"Don't be ridiculous, Harley! Where on earth would you get an idea like that?" Zander scoffed.
"I'm not being ridiculous, this information came from a trustworthy source." She defended.
"Oh really? And what was that source?" He questioned.
"Uh…" Harley stammered. She refused to mention even a word about Mason, knowing that her father would hunt and kill him before nightfall. She searched her mind to come up with a cover story. "Me- I mean, I ran into Melody, you know the one who helps us out from time to time. This information came from her." She made up.
Lying felt awful. Especially when it was to her own father. She wasn't even sure why she was protecting Mason, except for the fact that he'd saved her life. But he was still a vampire, and as a hunter she should have killed him on the spot. It was strange, but she just couldn't bring herself to do it. Was she getting weaker? Shaking off the thought, she focused on her father's reaction.
"Her I can trust. Thank you for telling me, now be a good girl and go take over my shift, I would have stayed out longer but your sister needs me today." He instructed her.
"But dad… I only just got home. I need a break." She complained.
"Are you going to disobey me?" He questioned.
"No." She sighed in defeat.
Trailing off to her bedroom, muttering inaudible words under her breath, she proceeded to throw on some decent clothes, placing a dagger in her boot, a katana in the sheath strapped to her back and a silver gun in the holster hidden in her belt. She couldn't help but feel a little resentment towards the man. It always seemed that he favoured her half-sister over her, and when she called him out on it he always accused her of being jealous. Kiara got to live a normal life; go to school, make friends, have fun family days while she was forbidden from schooling, making friends and always had to take over her father's shift if there was a family fun day.
Making her way out, she didn't speak a word to Zander as she walked out of the apartment. Feeling void, she didn't bother to do her usual patrol and instead headed straight for the cemetery. Although she had visited only the night before, she felt the strong need to be there again. Upon arrival, she quickly located the headstone and knelt down in front of it. Closing her eyes, the picture of her mother's face crept through the darkness and Harley felt a pain she had buried for the past two years. She wished more than anything to hear her voice one last time, but she knew it was never going to happen. With no one around it was easier to let herself grieve and so she didn't bother to wipe away the few tears that fell.
She wished for many things. Friendship. Love. A path that she chose for herself. But there wasn't a place for any of those things in her messy life, and especially since her mother had passed away. It was always Marie, her mother, that had tried to give her a better life but Zander stood in the way.
"Hey mom, you may have noticed that these visits are getting more regular than before… I don't know, I can't exactly say these things to dad. He would freak out on me, no doubt about that. This is the only place I can really be myself, and recently I've been needing that a lot more than I ever used to. God, I miss you so much it hurts. I just need a little time away from all the hunting, it's suffocating me and I feel like I can't breathe… Well, I'll be honest, it's not exactly the lifestyle that's causing this crushing weight. I'm tired of lying to myself, I can't lie anymore, hunting isn't the problem… It's dad. Lately he's been putting so much pressure on me to do better and I can't take it. I've tried to talk to him but he doesn't listen to what I need. All he cares about is Kiara and Lydia, and that only makes me resent them too. Before they moved in he always did his best for me after you- no, I can't say that word. It's too grim. These days, I'm lucky if I even get a thank you from him." Harley stopped ranting, took a deep breath and exhaled sharply to prevent herself from falling apart. Finding the right words, she continued.
"These past two years without you have been the worst of my life. I still need you, mom. With you not here, everything is crumbling around me. Yet I'm the only one who seems to remember you. Dad doesn't even talk about you anymore. As soon as Lydia moved in, it's like you were never there in the first place. I don't even know if you can hear me right now, to be honest I don't know what to believe anymore, but I need to do this. You're the only one who I don't have to hide from. The truth is that I need a life outside of hunting. I long for many things that I know are impossible to have; a best friend, someone who I can share anything with and who would never stop caring just because new people enter their lives, and I need love because whenever I try to picture my future, it comes up blank. I want a love that I can lose myself in, that's going to last a lifetime so that I don't end up as the crazy old lady with a hundred cats." She managed a laugh at how ridiculous her last sentence sounded, especially saying it aloud. "I'm so lonely, mom. I just need someone to talk to, who understands me in the way that dad no longer does." She finished.
With a sigh she got up and headed towards the exit, stopping in her tracks as a whisper of her name filled her ears. Glancing around, she could see no one in the vicinity and frowned in confusion. It was not the day for unexplainable events. Moving forward, she stopped for a second time as she heard the whisper again.
"Over here. In the shadows by the church." The whisper informed her.
Hesitantly, she took out her gun and hid it behind her back as she walked up. Getting ready to shoot, she quickly lowered it as she found the source of the whispers.
"Mason! What are you doing here? It's broad daylight!" She exclaimed.
"I know, but the church has underground tunnels and as long as I stay I'm the shadows, I'll be fine." He informed her.
"Right. And you're here because…" She prompted.
"Because you dropped something last night, in the park. It must have happened during the fight and you didn't notice." He explained.
Stepping into the shadows, she waited expectantly for him to reveal what it was that she was supposed to have dropped. He held up a hand and as she took a closer look, she noticed that he was holding a silver cross pendant; something that her mother had gifted her to celebrate her thirteenth birthday. Before she could stop it, her hand flew to cover her mouth as she processed the thought of having almost lost it.
"Oh my- Thank you!" She said ecstatically as he handed it to her.
"No problem… So what exactly is the deal with it anyway? It's not like it offers any protection from us vampires or anything." He questioned curiously.
"It was a gift from my mom." She told him.
"Pretty neat gift… What is she travelling for work or something like that?" He asked.
"Something like that." She answered, not wanting to get into the subject. Turning her head to the side so that he couldn't see, she wiped at her eyes before turning back to face him. "Really though, thank you." She repeated.
"The pleasure is all mine." He smiled, the white of his fangs flashing for a brief second.
"You could have died returning this right now, why didn't you just wait until night?" She questioned, a thought that niggled at the back of her mind.
His smile turned back into a straight line, creating a neutral expression. He didn't quite understand why she was questioning a nice gesture, which only added more questions that he wanted to ask her. The truth was that he didn't even know why he'd risked it. Deciding against answering her question with another, he managed another smile.
"I don't know, it seemed like it was important to you, and I didn't want you to panic thinking you'd lost it for an entire day." He explained.
Harley fell silent. She was a tough girl and always had been, but his reasons behind not waiting cut right through that exterior causing her to feel a hint of softness towards him; something that she hadn't felt in a long time and never at all when it came to vampires. She never had any sympathy or had shown any mercy to them. Though no matter how she was feeling, she would never let him see it.
"Careful now, going soft on a hunter is a pretty dumb move, don't you think?" She retorted, not willing to show her sensitive side.
"Meh, it's worth the risk." He said with a smirk.
"I mean, you realize that I have a gun, a dagger and a katana hidden on me, right?" She questioned.
"Yeah, but I know you're not going to hurt me." He insisted.
"And how do you know that?" She asked.
"Because you would have done it already. A hunter doesn't hesitate." He answered.
"Okay, you got me there… But I don't hesitate." She gave in.
"Hmm… Then why am I still roaming the earth?" He quizzed.
"I…" She began, but trailed off.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with a truthful answer to his question. She didn't even know why she hadn't killed him. As a hunter it was her number one instinct, like when a lion saw a zebra and attacked without hesitating. So, why did she hesitate?
"Why? Because you saved my life." She answered, even though she couldn't say that it was the truth.
"But before that… When we were here in the cemetery, why didn't you?" He pushed.
"I don't- I don't know." She stammered.
The effects that he was having on her were truly confusing her. He was a vampire. She should have killed him on the spot. Yet here she was, not only in his presence, but making no move to take him down either. Opening her mouth to speak, she found that all words had escaped her and the only thing she could do was stare at him. Was he using his mind control on her? No vampire had been able to do that before to any hunter in her family. They were immune to it for unknown reasons. Was she susceptible to his vampire parlour tricks? But if he was really using his powers, why wouldn't he use them to kill her?
