Chapter 1

ALLISON'S POV

Focus Allison.

I took a deep breath in and sighed, hoping it would help ease the pounding that rang in my overly sensitive ears.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

It didn’t.

Sirens blared at a distance which I supposed wasn’t a rare sound in an area like this. Vampires always seemed to love hanging around in slums like these, where their crimes could easily be masked as nothing more than a pitiful yet common occurrence.

The sun had long made its descent from the sky, plaguing the area in a darkness that was only slightly alleviated by the faint glow of the half-moon above us. The streetlights that lined the area didn’t help. All were dead save for one that gave a consistent flicker.

The sudden sound of a gunshot made me jolt.

“Are you okay?” Lacey, our sniper asked from my side. We were both sprawled out on the roof of the old abandoned warehouse with our fronts pressed to the edge of the surprisingly sturdy zinc. Lacey had her rifle positioned and set slightly to the right of her, waiting for our targets to make an appearance.

Her blonde hair was strung back tight in a ballet-style bun and the black half-face mask she wore hid all but her vibrant green eyes. We’d known each other for years, but those greens never failed to stun me with how clear they were. Undeniably, Lacey was a beauty. The jaw-dropping, head-turning, stumble over your words kind of beauty. Even with half of her face covered, her beauty was unmistakable.

“I’m fine.” I answered, not quite believing my own words. My eyes searched the area below the warehouse but no figures could be seen. Talk less of anyone with a gun.

Yet that gunshot had sounded like it had gone off right beside my ear. If this hadn’t already been happening for a while, I would have feared I was going mental.

Suddenly, the blaring of sirens grew louder, making me clutch my ears in discomfort at the loud sound.

Dammit.

Voices speaking Spanish, the scream of a woman, laughter, music, a car door slamming shut, all these sounds rang loud and clear in my ears all at once, engulfing me, threatening to overwhelm me. No matter how hard I tried, they just wouldn’t stop.

“You don’t seem okay.” Lacey’s voice had almost been drowned out by all the other sounds. I didn’t miss the hint of worry that swirled behind her grassy orbs. It was getting so bad that people were beginning to notice something was off with me.

Dammit!

Focus Allison.

Now wasn’t the time. Get your head back in the game.

Yet I couldn’t make the noises stop. For the past couple of weeks, this had been my struggle. My ears had suddenly gained the ability to pick up sounds miles and miles away from me. At first, I thought I was losing my mind and hearing things that didn’t exist, but it didn’t take long for me to realise what I heard was real. Distant, but real. Seemingly overnight, I developed super hearing.

And that wasn’t the only thing that changed. The stupid organ in my chest seemed to pound harder than it ever had in all my twenty-four years on this earth.

And the thirst. . .

That unquenchable thirst for something metallic that threatened to drive me mad. No matter how much water I drank, the thirst only seemed to grow.

It was unbearable.

My body was changing and deep down, I feared I knew exactly what was happening.

No one could know of this.

Especially not the leader.

A woman’s giggle suddenly reached my ears, paired with the sound of heavy booted footsteps. When I glanced down again though, there was still no one in sight.

“They’re here.” A male’s voice rang moments later through the receiver attached to our ears. The voice had both Lacey and I tensing in alert. Glancing down again, I caught sight of two large males clad head to toe in black and with a single glance, I could instantly tell what they were.

One donned a long black trench coat which I was almost positive concealed secret weapons while the other had on a simple black leather jacket which also probably concealed a stash of weapons.

The area around the warehouse was dark yet I could make out their features clearly like it was daytime. They were jaw droopingly handsome, as all the other abominations were. I’ve always chosen to believe their beauty was an evolutionary feature to help them lure unsuspecting humans into their vile clutches. Because what was a better lure than a beautiful creature?

These two shared a face just as the reports had said. Twin vampires. Both blonde, both brown-eyed although the lengths of their hair varied. The one with the long trench coat had shorter hair while his brother had his slicked back in a man bun.

Between them was what looked like a drunken hooker. Her exaggerated giggles letting everyone know she’d had more than her fair share of spirits for one evening. And if that wasn’t enough of a sign, she swayed carelessly on her feet, nearly twisting her ankle as she lurched, only able to stand because of the two large vamps acting as her crutches. I sighed at her pathetic visage.

Oh to be as nonchalant as a girl who didn’t know she was about to become food. Looking at the wide smile on her smudged red lips, she must’ve thought she was in for a treat with the two handsome males at her side. Ignorance truly was bliss.

She wore a tight little red skirt that barely covered her backside and a matching crop top that made me wonder how her nips hadn’t already slipped out with all her tumbling. Kudos to the top! The real MVP.

“Easy there.” The vamp with the man bun had spoken just as he’d stopped her from toppling over. He ran a finger along her chin, tilting it up so her eyes met his. “We wouldn’t want a pretty thing like you to get hurt.”

She bit her lips, smudging her red lipstick further, seeming transfixed as she gazed up at him. I couldn’t help but wonder if he was compelling her with that devious ability some of them possessed.

“I don’t mind a little pain.” As she said that, she pressed her front; those breasts that seemed too large for their container, into his chest.

“Oh really?” The vamp smirked at her. “My brother and I don’t mind dishing out a little pain.”

Of course, they didn’t. They killed humans as a hobby.

The brother, the one in the trench coat took that as his cue to press his front into her backside. The hooker was instantly sandwiched between the two vamps but she didn’t seem the least displeased about the situation. She smiled up at man bun, most likely believing his words were a promise of a depraved type of pleasure. Possibly one that involved chains and whips. Little did she know.

Watching them in that strangely provocative position, I couldn’t help but wonder if the brothers tended to share their bedmates like this. I briefly wondered what it would be like to be trapped between the two of them as they thoroughly ravished my body, filling me up to extents I didn’t know were possible.

Vamps were notorious for being good in bed. What kind of pleasure could these two give?

The sudden heat that spread to my core at the thought was almost mortifying. I had to suck in a breath in an attempt to quell the dizzying sensations that washed over me.

Man bun pressed his lips to the hooker’s and she let out a moan as she melted into his embrace. At the same time, trench coat dipped his head to her neck, trailing kisses and sucking on her exposed skin.

The sight was. . . erotic? Am I really that backed up that watching vampires is turning me on?

My body seemed to have a mind of its own because, despite my better judgment knowing what those two were, I grew tremulously hot watching them. The little sounds of pleasure that slid past the hooker’s lips didn’t help matters.

What is wrong with me?

“Damn, that’s hot.” Lacey whispered at my side and It irked me that I couldn’t disagree. Not when I was here secretly wishing I was in the hooker’s place.

Man bun left her gasping for air as he slid away from her lips and down her slender neck, trailing his lips down a path. He stopped just before her shoulder, sucking on the skin there.

Beneath his lips a vein in her neck ticked, catching my attention. The annoying sounds I’d been trying to ignore all these weeks seemed to fade away in that instant. I could only focus on that one ticking vein.

I gulped, that unbearable thirst returning. My gums suddenly ached and instead of the vamps, I pictured myself pinning the hooker in place.

Focus Allison.

I swallowed the saliva that formed in my mouth, clutching the hilt of my blade as I usually did when I sought comfort. Today, however, my trusty blade didn’t ease my discomfort.

Between the open-mouth kisses man bun feathered on the hooker’s neck, I caught a glint of pointy fangs skimming over the hooker’s skin. It was an instant reminder of what I came here to do. My grip tightened on my blade as I took a slow, steady breath.

Focus on the task at hand. I couldn’t afford to be distracted at a time like this. Any slip-up I make can put everyone in danger.

“Get ready,” I whispered to Lacey who nodded in response. She set her eyes on the ocular housing and her slender fingers tightened around the rifle. Her index finger hovered over the trigger, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. “Aim for the head.”

The two vamps simultaneously sunk their teeth into the hooker's skin and her eyes shot wide as a loud scream tore from her throat.

“Show time.” A voice called from the receiver and in the span of a second, a loud bang sounded in the air followed by a wet crushing sound as the bullet pierced through the skull of man bun.

He was forced to release the hooker, stumbling backwards from the force exerted by the bullet.

My turn.

Focus Allison.

I eased the tight grip I had on my sword and unsheathed it just as I leapt down from the roof of the warehouse. I landed in a crouch with a dull thump, my eyes trained on my prey.

Two more thumps landed behind me and I didn’t need to turn back to know who stood behind me.

“We’ll back you up.” The male voice said through my receiver and I heard a gun cock. My trusty sidekicks. Too bad they wouldn’t get to do much.

I wasn’t the best hunter our sector had for no reason. Backup wouldn’t be needed but still, it was assuring to know someone had my back.

I didn’t spare even a second to recover from the jump before launching myself at man bun. With the bullet lodged in his skull, he was disoriented. An easy prey.

His brother had no plans of letting me have my way though, because he threw the hooker to the side and stepped forward, blocking my view of his brother.

“Damned hunters!” He cursed before lunging for me with his fangs bared.