Chapter 3

ALLISON

"If you're going to kill me, just do it already." I spat the words through the blood bubbling at the back of my throat, biting back tears that threatened to spill. I'd rather chew on glass than let these bastards see me cry.

I could feel the warmth slowly leaving my body, life weeping from the wound in my abdomen. I guess I should be lucky he hadn't pulled the blade out yet. Or was that intentional?

"That would be too easy now, wouldn't it?" Man Bun murmured from behind me.

So it was intentional. Typical vampires. They didn't just kill; they played with their food.

"We have other plans for you. Remember, I said I have a crush on you," Trench Coat whispered, dipping his head toward my neck. His fangs grazed the sensitive skin there, and panic shot through me, cold and sharp, as memories I tried to keep buried resurfaced with a vengeance.

No. Anything but that.

I can't go through that again.

The world began to spin, tilting on its axis as panic clawed at my chest. I launched another desperate, thrashing attempt to free myself.

"You'll make the perfect little blood slave."

The words were a key turning in a lock I had sealed years ago.

"No... stop—"

He nicked my skin with a fang, a sharp sting followed by the wet, hot slide of his tongue over the cut. I struggled, kicking and twisting, but to no avail. They were marble statues and I was merely flesh and bone. My stomach twisted violently, bile rising in my throat at the feel of his tongue tasting my essence.

No. No. No. This can't be happening.

"What a peculiar taste," Trench Coat murmured, pulling away to meet my gaze. Surprise swirled in his dark eyes, a predator confused by its prey. "It would seem the little Hunter has some secrets untold. But fear not, that doesn't avert me from your charms. Quite the contrary. You fascinate me even more now."

"Let go of me!" I screamed, the dam breaking. My heart pounded so violently against my ribs that the rhythm rang in my ears like a war drum. Fear licked at the corners of my mind, eroding my sanity. Breathing became a chore. The air felt too thin, too hot. A panic attack was crashing over me like a tidal wave.

"Not a chance."

They both leaned down, flanking me, fangs bared and ready to pierce the major arteries of my neck.

"No, please... stop..."

My pride shattered. Tears streamed down my face, hot tracks of shame.

I saw myself back in that dark place. A child again. Pitiful, pathetic, unable to lift a finger while those fiends had their way with my body. I had vowed to never be in that position again. I had trained until my hands bled to ensure I would never be weak. But now…

'Make another move if you want me to rip your heads from your bodies.'

A voice; loud, resonant, and dripping with ancient power, detonated inside my skull. My ears rang from the sheer timbre of it.

The two vampires stilled instantly.

They heard it too.

It was as if my body had suddenly turned to acid, they released me instantly, recoiling as if burned. No longer held up by their iron grip, I crumpled to the ground, smacking my knees hard against the rough concrete.

I turned to the two men who had been seconds away from draining me dry. They looked like they'd seen a god, or a devil. Their bodies were frozen stiff, their already pallid faces draining to a translucent white I didn’t think possible. They didn't even blink. They stared, wide-eyed and trembling, at the roof of the warehouse.

They were the embodiment of terror.

My gaze followed theirs, climbing through the gloom until it landed on the figure standing atop the roof.

He was large, I could tell that much despite the distance. Like the twins currently paralyzed by fear, he was clad head-to-toe in midnight. A black dress shirt, the first two buttons undone to reveal a hint of pale chest, tucked into sharp black slacks. Though I couldn't see his feet, I knew he wore shoes that cost more than a house. His hair was as dark as the void, swaying gently with the wind fanning the rooftop.

His face, like all the other abominations, was unfairly beautiful. But this... this was different. Every feature was perfectly sculpted by a cruel deity, from the strong bridge of his nose to high cheekbones that could cut glass, down to a jawline carved from granite.

In all my years of hunting their kind, he was the most flawless abomination I had ever laid eyes on.

Was he also a vamp?

A chill shot down my spine, freezing my marrow, as I locked eyes with him.

Irises the colour of blood.

All too suddenly, the twins' terrified expressions made sense.

A Royal. A bloody Royal had appeared.

This is bad.

I looked around at my unconscious squad mates and a curse died on my lips.

No matter how skilled I was, I couldn't take on a Royal. Not abruptly like this. Not alone. I had struggled against two common vampires, I simply could not handle a Royal on my own. It would take a whole battalion of Hunters to go toe-to-toe with one, and even then, victory was a fantasy.

Why did one have to turn up now of all fucking times?

I glanced down at the dagger still sticking out from my abdomen. Was the wound healing? It didn't matter. I was pinned by pain and exhaustion.

The safest option would be to run, but I couldn't leave my teammates behind.

Fuck. This is the worst possible scenario.

What to do? How do we leave this situation alive?

Backup! Right! I could call the Leader to send reinforcements, but we had to survive until they arrived. How long would that take? ten minutes? An hour?

Could I protect these three on my own? could I hold off a monster of royal blood?

'You dare meet my gaze?'

The twins instantly lowered their heads, snapping their necks down the moment the Royal spoke. I could almost feel the terror wafting off them in waves. They’d been so confident moments ago, playing with me, their food. Now, they cowered. Even vampires knew to kneel before a power greater than their own. They weren't so different from humans in that sense.

Wait.

My breath hitched. Why could I hear the Royal's voice in my head?

This was obviously a mind-link, a telepathic channel reserved for their kind. I shouldn't be able to hear a whisper of it.

'Lay your hands on the Hunter again if you seek my wrath. Now begone from my sight.'

A gust of wind whipped past me as the pair vanished from the scene without so much as glancing back. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they teleported. They took the saying "gone with the wind" literally.

At least I didn't have to worry about them.

My attention shifted back to the predator glaring at me from the roof. My whole body tensed with awareness under the weight of his heated gaze. Was he going to attack now? My hand tightened around the hilt of my sword, slick with sweat and blood.

I was in no position to fight, but if it came down to it, I had no choice. I held his gaze, willing my body to stand. My muscles screamed, the fire in my abdomen roaring, but I fought it.

‘Never show weakness to the enemy.’

It was the golden rule taught to newbie Hunters. One I'd always lived by. If I was going to die here, I would die on my feet, head held high.

Big talk coming from the girl who was just bawling her eyes out because she thought she was going to get bitten.

The Royal remained unmoving on his perch. The only indication that he wasn't a marble statue was the wind catching his dark hair and those blood-red eyes slowly trailing down my body.

Never had I felt so self-conscious under a person's scrutiny. His gaze felt physical, like a touch. I felt naked, stripped down to my soul. I fought the urge to cross my arms over my chest, to hide from his rapt attention.

Suddenly, my enhanced ears picked up the thud of heavy boots hitting concrete.

Hunters.

A group approached us, and the Royal sensed it too. He lifted his chin toward the road leading to the warehouse. He lowered his eyes back to me, and for a second, the world narrowed to just the two of us.

Without a shift in his expression, his voice echoed in my mind one last time.

"I'll be back for you, Hunter."

With those parting words, he vanished into the night.