The Vampire Hunter's Academy: The Darkness (3 page)

“What happened to the priest?” Sanaya demanded.

Archer chuckled. “Well, the priest thought of himself to be up high enough to try to take advantage of an orphaned girl until he got more than what he bargained for.-She bit him and pretty much drained him. The Vatican then got involved, yada yada yada…and now she has become one of our most effective weapons.”

Sanaya swallowed thickly. “So she feeds off of humans and you are pairing us with her because…”

“She cannot pass the virus, so even if she does bite you, you wouldn’t turn... But if she were to get pissed off enough and bite, let’s say Maya, your friend wouldn’t turn. And she does not require blood to sustain herself either. She eats food just like every other human being, but garlic isn’t exactly her best friend either.”

Sanaya and Maya exchanged uneasy looks.

“Are there more like her?” Maya asked.

“Probably, but not more than likely, half -bloods are rare. The vampire virus is too strong for a fetus to survive the pregnancy. Chances are, Eve was fully developed and days away from coming into the world when her mother was bitten.”

“Oh,” was all Maya could say as she scanned the tiny room, anxiously anticipating Eve’s arrival at any moment.

“Any more questions?” Archer quipped.

When both girls shook their heads, Archer continued. “Good. And while I have your undivided attention Sanaya, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Maya will be selected as one of your Guardians when the time comes, which is fine, provided she continues to grow and develop her gifts and demonstrate her loyalty to you. But I would like for you to consider Eve. I’m not telling you to. It is your choice, but now is the time to start thinking about it. Four years will go by quickly and…“

“Stop trying to convince the girl who would be best suited for her team,” came a thick Hungarian accent from behind the door. Sanaya and Maya turned around to face the enchanting beauty of Eve as she closed the door behind her. She stood just a foot away from where the girls sat, dressed in all black from head to toe: black denim, knee high leather boots; black tank top layered with a black leather coat. The symbol of the cross hung from her neck, while she carried a crossbow in one hand. Thick coils of long, raven hair cascaded down to the center of her back. Eyes the color of the Mediterranean Sea stared back at all three of them from a face as delicate and fair as porcelain. Sanaya could sense Archer’s admiration of the Guardian and wondered if the two of them had something going…not that it mattered but still...

“Hello ladies,” Eve greeted warmly. “I know Archer has told you everything you need to know about me and it is a pleasure to meet both of you.”

Sanaya was the first on her feet with her hand extended. “My name is…“

“Sanaya,” Eve finished. “And you are strong. I can feel your energy. The Prophecy has done you no justice.”

Sanaya smiled, feeling every bit of proud to be recognized by someone such as Eve.

“And my name is Maya,” Maya added, extending her hand as well for Eve to shake.

“Ah, Maya I have heard of you as well…Voodoo roots, no? Use that to your advantage and do not be ashamed of your parentage. We cannot change the conditions under which we are born, but we can use them to our benefit. You will do well when we encounter demons.”

“These two will be under your charge throughout the remainder of their stay at The Academy,” Archer informed her. “I believe they will benefit the most from your teachings.”

“Will I be allowed to take them on live hunts?” Eve asked, turning her attention on to Archer.

“I am taking Sanaya on her first live hunt tonight and I am extending the invitation for you to come along… Maya on the other hand needs a little more sparring and physical conditioning before she will be ready for live combat.”

“I can condition her and get her ready. She has to be on the same level as our newest huntress in order to be selected as Guardian.”

“Well ladies, I am more than happy to have introduced you both to Eve. If you have any issues, especially when I am not around, she is your go to person. I will text you both her cell for you to immediately  save in your contact lists, and with that being said you both are dismissed. Sanaya, I will see you at midnight.” Archer redirected his attention to Eve, appearing to be oblivious to the fact Sanaya and Maya had made it out into the hall.

The two walked side by side in companionable silence until they made it into the courtyard before speaking.

“Do you think The Academy will expel Elizabeth?” Maya whispered to Sanaya.

“Shhh, talk to me in my head girl. You know there are students here that can hear a pin drop from a hundred miles away,” Sanaya scolded.

“My bad girl…”

But seriously, do you think the school will do it?
Maya continued telepathically.

Probably not. Elizabeth is a year away from graduating and if she has been here this long on a reign of terror, I doubt the school will do anything more than a slap on the wrist. Besides, now that I think of it, expelling Elizabeth may cause more problems than do good.
Sanaya exhaled sharply.
I think it is a no win situation to be honest.

I still think that bitch deserves it,
Maya huffed mentally.
She’s been tormenting new students for as long as I have been here and I have been dying to test my voodoo…

Don’t even go there Maya! We are on hallowed ground and it is bad enough we curse like sailors. But tampering with the dark arts is not going to get you or me anywhere and if you have any hope of becoming a Guardian one day in any capacity, using Voodoo will not cut it,
Sanaya thought sharply.
You will get kicked out of this place so fast you won’t have time to make your head spin-

I’m sorry Sanaya! Damn! It was just a thought,
Maya huffed.

Well thoughts become actions and that is what Elizabeth wants…
Sanaya stopped walking and turned round to face her friend. “Promise me you won’t tamper with that stuff Maya,” she pleaded after placing her hands on Maya shoulders and forcing her to look at her.  “Promise me.”

“I promise Sanaya,” Maya replied with a groan. “Besides, that stuff scares me anyways…I was just talking.”

“Good,” was all Sanaya could say before they reached Maya’s dormitory.

“Call me as soon as you get in,” Maya said with a wide, toothy grin.  “I mean it. I don’t care if it is four in the morning. I need all of the deets.”

“I will. Get some rest.” Sanaya gave Maya a quick hug before the two separated and Sanaya continued her stroll to her dorm which was another twenty minutes away. She thought about her best friend and her Creole roots and wondered if it was just in her blood to answer the call of the dark realms. Her mother was of Haitian and Spanish descent and her father was a regular Caucasian man who became enchanted by the spell of a Voodoo priestess seeking a sperm donor, which is where Maya got her exotic look from. Large, oval shaped eyes, lined with the thickest and longest natural eye lashes that would make Maybelline products jealous, butter cream skin as smooth as silk, a shapely body compared to Sanaya’s tall, thin frame; it was of pure wonder why Maya wasn’t the bell of the school. But then again, no, it wasn’t because it all boiled down to Elizabeth.

Sanaya continued her stroll, bypassing a few other students who eyed her with quiet curiosity but none dared to approach. When she made it to her building, she used hyper speed to dodge some of the senior members of the student body that hung around in the lobby. She didn’t stop until she was up the two flights of stairs and locked away in the privacy of her room. She kicked off of her shoes, climbed onto her bed and cut on the small flat screen Archer had snuck in for her to zone out for the next few hours before it was time for her to go out on her first hunt. Five minutes into The Real House Wives of Atlanta, she was out like a light, and her last fleeting thought was her hoping to wake up in time due to her lack of mental strength to set the alarm on her phone for midnight. Archer would just have to understand.

Chapter Three

Surprisingly Sanaya awoke just twenty minutes before midnight. She dashed to her closet, pulled out a pair of her black and white Juicy sweats with the matching hoodie, pulled back her shoulder length hair into a bun, jammed her feet into her Nikes, grabbed her keys, and raced to the courtyard where Archer was waiting. He stood idly underneath her favorite tree sporting a long trench coat, black leather pants, and steel toed boots. His auburn hair was no longer in the casual trim which kept his hair just above his ears; now, it was freshly shaved in a buzz cut, giving him a more rugged appearance. Off to his right she detected the presence of Eve and made it a point to acknowledge her to let them both know she was ready.

“Very good. You sensed me,” Eve grinned emerging from the shadows. “Had you not, I would have been concerned.”

“I think I have been sensing vampires all of my life,” Sanaya said quietly, instantly grabbing Archer’s attention. “But, I didn’t know that I was until I came here and now it is easy for me to identify.”

“I understand,” Eve said offering her a reassuring smile.

“ Now we begin,” Archer stated coolly. “First thing’s first though,every huntress must choose her weapon.” He opened his trench coat revealing a series of weapons for her to choose from. “Upon graduation, there will be a ceremony in which  you will be handed a very special weapon that has been used since the first huntress came into existence.Until then, pick one to use for tonight.”

Sanaya studied the options before her. She was pretty handy with a short blade, she wasn’t into the nun chucks,throwing stars-not even.Her eyes drifted to the silver tipped arrows and wondered where the rest of the weapon was.

“Eve has the bow in case you were wondering. You will have the opportunity to use it, however, the bow and arrow and the cross bow are better for long range combat. Tonight, you are going hand to hand.” Archer said as he reached into the trench and pulled out a wooden stake with a silver tip. “Here, this is what you will use tonight. We are going vampire hunting darling.”

Sanaya accepted the stake and gently raked her finger across the pointed silver tip. She appreciated its light density and wondered how many times the priests dunked this weapon in holy water to ensure its effectiveness.

“This stake is yours for the taking my dear,” Archer continued. “Made from Lebanese Cedar, which is supposed to contain its own natural spiritual properties, this is probably the most effective weapon in killing vamps.Hell, you can throw werewolves into the mix too because of the silver. Pierce the heart of a blood sucker, the bastard goes straight to ash upon contact.”

Sanaya felt herself tightening her grip on the weapon.

“Next, you have already experienced a run in with a vampire, your own father. So you know how strong they are, and how fast they move. As a matter of fact, huntress, you have in your possession the same abilities as vampires: heightened senses to sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. You can detect them just as they can detect their prey. You already know you have the ability to move in hyper speed but what you didn’t know is that I have clocked you going from zero to almost ninety miles in less than two seconds which is absolutely amazing. It makes me wonder what you will be able to do as a fully matured huntress.”  Archer paused to give her some time to let the information sink in. Eve crossed her arms and leaned against the Willow and waited for him to resume.

“Also,” he continued, “you are immune to all vampire and werewolf bites along with the negative forces that come from the Organization of Darkness…and most human diseases. However, that doesn’t mean you are invincible.” He gives Sanaya a hard look.  “You can still be killed like any other human caught in a car accident or the unsuspecting gunshot victim. In your body, not only do you have red and white blood cells, you have a shit load of natural silver that is pumped within you so if you ever find yourself separated from me or Eve and the fucker is quick enough to successfully bite you, your blood will incinerate it before your blood hits the back of its throat. And just in case we do get separated, I don’t know if you realize this or not, but  when you were brought here unconscious, members of the Vatican tattooed you on the back of your neck, right at the tip of your spine and between your shoulders. That symbol is our own personal GPS system and I will be able to find you anywhere in the world. Typically, the symbol is tattooed at birth, but some unfortunate things happened and we don’t have all night for me to explain. Just know that we will be with you and you can trust that we will have your back.”

Archer paused, allowing her time for the information to sink in. Eve checked her watch and tapped her foot anxiously as she leaned against the tree.

“Vatican City was built on hallowed and blessed ground which ultimately makes it the safest place on the planet. Evil cannot cross over the heavily prayed over threshold, which means we have to go outside of the city…Tonight, we are hitting the very busy streets of Rome.” And with that, Archer led the two of them from the courtyard to the parking lot where his black  2016 Maserati awaited them.

“You ladies should consider yourselves lucky,” Archer said jokingly as he
chirped, chirped
the unlocking mechanism to the expensive car. “Only the select few are fortunate enough to ride in the bat mobile.”

As Eve reached for the handle of the front passenger door, Archer beat her to the punch and opened the door for her with a grin. She offered a shy smile and got in without a word.

“And only the best get to ride shot gun.” He added with a wink to Sanaya.

Sanaya simply shook her head and slid into the backseat. Archer must have been in a rare moment because it was not often he displayed such playfulness. Normally, he was all no nonsense and straight business, but Sanaya assumed his obvious attraction to Eve had something to do with it.

The smooth jet black leathery interior was a dream and Sanaya pictured herself speeding off into the night in a car just like Archer’s Maserati. Fully loaded with automatic seat warmers, GPS monitoring, cruise control and the ability to shift gears to accelerate to a speed of 185 mph, Sanaya believed his car to be a vampire hunter’s dream. As Archer smoothly set the car in reverse and back out of the parking lot, she closed her eyes and stuck her head out of the window and welcomed the chill of the cool night air to brush against her face. Tonight, she would learn what it meant to be a huntress and she could not think of any better way to step into her destiny.

Meanwhile…

High above in a Manhattan tower overlooking the city, three entities masking themselves as prominent businessmen dressed in suits met in a boardroom. Sterile white walls stretched across the large meeting room before coming to an end where the clear glass windows provided a spectacular view of night sky and the city below illuminated with the contrasting neon colors along with the overall electric aura that surrounded the city. Manhattan for the last twenty or so years had not only been primary feeding grounds for the Organization of Darkness, but it’s ideal location for headquarters. The main office was in Washington, D.C. where all of the devil’s work was conducted above ground, but here in Manhattan was where just about every master vampire established his lair.

There was something undefinable about the state of New York. The humans were just as gritty, just as corrupt; filled with lies and greed like fattened sheep. And just like the wolves, the vampires swarmed in on the unsuspecting humans, gorging themselves in blood and living the lives of modern day gods. And for the lucky victims who were unfortunate to meet their end through the bite of a Master level vampire, were offered a choice: to live in leisure and pleasure for however long they existed in this earth realm as an immortal with the thirst for blood, or to die honorably with the hope that their choice permitted them entrance into heaven’s gates.

Petronius, the oldest of the three sat at the head of the table with his legs crossed, his hands forming a tent and his lap top open, exposing a particular webpage he left open for his colleague’s review. Dressed in a dark three piece Armani exclusive, the ancient vampire’s eyes met the curious stares of fellow masters, and cleared his throat before speaking.

“I called this meeting betwixt the three of us tonight because I have just received word that The Huntress is out on her first hunt…” He allowed the statement to hang in the air as the two younger vampires allowed the information to sink in.

“For seventeen years we searched for her,” came the sallow, wheezy voice of Alex, a former protégé of Petronius. He was the only vampire at the table to survive an attack from a Guardian using a blessed blade, and as a result his windpipe was no longer functioning as he took in labored breaths. Regardless of how much he fed, nothing seemed to heal the wound, but somehow he survived.

“Indeed we did,” Petronius added, his pale green eyes illuminating a soft neon glow.

“We even managed to locate and turn her own father and-“

“He was killed by a Guardian and she got away,” Daemon interrupted.

Petronius directed his gaze on the master vampire with the scar that ran down his face from his temple to his jawline. Daemon’s eyes illuminated a deep crimson but dared not openly challenge Petronius,at least not yet. Petronius took note of the subtle threat but maintained his focus on the task at hand: finding the slayer.

“Our spies have indicated that she is on Guardian land but tonight she is outside of the protective barrier,” Petronius continued.

“We have four years until she matures,” Alex added with a wheeze.

“We should send out everything we have now while she is young. We missed the opportunity once and it would be foolish if we miss it again,” Daemon replied with a scowl.

“Ah, but there is something you are missing Daemon. Instead of always being quick to use brute force, a much more shrewd and intellectual approach in times like these is needed,” Petronius coolly replied.

“And what is that?”

“You two are not old enough to understand why it has been two thousand years since the last slayer walked this earth…” Petronius began as he uncrossed his legs and faced forward, holding both vampires’ attention.  “All slayers are born female, which is a fatal weakness that our side of the horizon craves to exploit. Two thousand years ago, it was discovered by our kind that once every few years, her body’s resistance to our bite is lowered. She goes through a period of needing when she ovulates followed by the normal female menstrual cycle that flushes her system. During that time she will hunt less and fall under heavy guard by her guardians because she is weaker and unable to resist our…charms.” Petronius swallowed thickly before continuing. “Her scent during that time is intoxicating.So much so, that it will make you want to risk daylight just to get to her-“

“Tell us what happened two thousand years ago!” Alex demanded licking his own lips as his fangs crested.

“Patience my friend,” Petronius said fighting back a shudder that threatened to undo his cool façade. “Two thousand years ago, the huntress of that time actually fell in love with one of our own. She had forsaken her vow to the Vatican, to the Light, to her Guardians for a
vampire
which resulted in a pregnancy.”

The two other vampires hissed.

“You lie!” Daemon exclaimed.

“Do I?” Petronius challenged. “Smell me my brother, do I carry the scent of deceit?” He didn’t wait for Daemon to respond when he continued. “She carried his seed until the very end of the pregnancy until her guardians had found her, hidden in the deserts of the Fertile Crescent where she’d given birth to the very first day walker. The Guardians, heartbroken but committed to their mission, not only killed the infant believing it to be an abomination, but retrieved the slayer, holding her hostage behind the protective walls of the First Church until she died an old, broken woman. The vampire that impregnated her was killed by one of the guardians not soon after…but, think of it… we have another opportunity to appease the beast and create another day walker, one whose bite may change history and the future of all vampires.”

“And he would become the most powerful of us all and may decide to hold the gift unto himself and deliver it to those who decide to follow him,” Daemon scoffed.  “I say kill her and be done with it.”

“No, we will groom him to our ways and our goals,” Petronius replied with a grin.

“And what of the Slayer? She may refuse us access to her child. You know how human women are about their young…” Alex quizzed.

“A problem that can be remedied easily,” Petronius said dismissively. “We kill her as soon as the child is pulled from her womb.”

Petronius eased back into the office chair and allowed the plan to marinate deep into his colleague’s psyches. This would indeed please The Beast and position them into a seat of more power.

“And which vampire will we send on this dangerous mission? How will he infiltrate The Academy?” Daemon asked, appearing to be suddenly interested in the plan.

“For now, we will not send a vampire.That is obviously impossible. A seduction of this magnitude takes time and I am willing to invest four years before going in for the kill. We will send a compromised potential guardian, a ‘bad boy’ to entice her.”

“And just where the hell are we going to find a potential yet compromised guardian?” Daemon stood up impatiently and began pacing the room.

“Relax Daemon. I have already considered who it will be. There is a young man with various powerful gifts awaiting trial in a juvenile court. My workers, varying demons and succubae have been working on his family for generations, courtesy of a very sinful ancestor and now his future is bleak. He is our mole and doesn’t even know it yet. One of my workers has already sent word to retrieve this young potential to try to reverse his fate. Not only is he angry, but he is gifted and used his abilities for selfish purposes. He is handsome, charming and street smart…the perfect recipe for a teenaged heartbreak.”