Sighing, I bent down and grabbed the stake that used to be lodged in the frozen heart of a soulless nightwalker and secured it in the holster strapped around my left thigh. Knowing I couldn’t go to the party like this, I teleported home to shower and change. I could have done it in the blink of an eye with magic, but for the most part, my brothers and I lived a relatively human life. And I preferred to feel the hot water on my body rather than use a wave of my hand to be clean.
After readying myself, I realized I was starving and, since there were humans in attendance, it was unlikely they would be serving my necessary diet. On my way out, I detoured to my kitchen and gulped down a couple of glasses of cold blood. Feeding from anyone other than our consort made the blood taste repulsive, so we used a company that delivered bagged blood. The service was created specifically for this purpose.
Once I was full, I rinsed the glass and stowed it in the dishwasher. There was nothing else that I could feasibly use as an excuse to be even later, so I started the trek to my brother’s mansion. I could have teleported there, but it wasn’t far, and I was dragging my feet, decidedly unexcited to be subjected to another evening of being trotted out like a prized pig.
About five minutes into my journey, my phone pinged, and I pulled it from my pocket to glance at the message. Unsurprisingly, it was a request for a job. It was tempting, but the guilt from distancing myself from my family was eating away at me. I declined the offer and shoved my phone back into my pocket.
The air around me suddenly thinned, and it almost crackled with electricity. The most delicious smell assaulted my nose, and the thumping of a racing heartbeat tickled my ears. The sound of footsteps was gaining volume as they came closer. Someone was running, and I could sense the fear propelling them in my direction.
An overwhelming need to help the person pushed me into a jog. It was a different feeling than the ones I experienced while working, and I didn’t understand the change. But I didn’t have time to ponder it at the moment.
There was a full moon, but dark clouds had moved to cover the light, making it nearly black. But my eyes were their very sharpest in the darkness. So, when a woman came racing out from under a bridge, I was immediately struck by her beauty. Her skin was pale, even more so with the fear emanating from her. Dark, nearly black, hair was twisted up behind her head, but several strands had come loose and blew around her angelic face.
Dark brown eyes were filled with terror as she glanced behind, and her full, ruby lips were slightly open from her panting breaths. Her choppy breathing and fast pace caused her full, round breasts to bounce under her white, long-sleeved blouse, and her large black skirt flowed behind her.
If I had been human, I imagined I would have been having very inappropriate thoughts about this woman when my first instincts should have been to help her. Not ogle her. However, having never experienced any sexual response to a woman, I was guessing, which was why I was caught off guard at being struck by her appearance when I should have gone directly into attack mode. Not that I was worried. Whatever was chasing her wouldn’t stand a chance against me.
I stepped directly into her path, and her head swiveled back around just as she plowed into me. I planted myself on the ground, so I didn’t budge when her body barreled into mine. My arms wanted to close around her and keep her hidden in my embrace, but I needed to deal with the danger first. “I won’t hurt you, angel,” I assured her softly. “Get behind me, and I’ll keep you safe. I promise.” She stared up at me in confusion for a beat, then her fear receded a little, and she nodded.
I guided her around, so I was between her and the approaching threat. I could hear their footsteps as they ran through the tunnel under the bridge, and it didn’t take long for me to recognize my natural enemy. I’d certainly fought enough of them in the last five centuries. Considering their accelerated speed from being a vampire, I assumed they were playing with their prey, which only made me doubly annoyed with their interruption of my night.
The two nightwalkers emerged from the arched exit, and I was ready with a stake in each hand and a bored expression on my face. When they saw me, however, their gaits faltered for a second before they continued toward us. “I just changed into these clothes for a party, and I’d rather not have to do it again due to your messy ashes. So, I’m giving you one chance to turn around and leave.” I spoke no louder than I would have if they’d been standing right in front of me, knowing their vampiric hearing would pick it up.