Token Vampire (Token Huntress Book 2) (3 page)

M
y vision continuously faded in and out as my mouth became dryer as the hours ticked by. Julia had fallen asleep but Dillian still watched me from a far silently. They were not safe here, and I had to find a place where I could take and protect them, and find a way to manage my burning sensation to label them as food.

              Chase often flicked a stone in my direction or scraped his chair along the ground heavily. I snapped him an evil glare, it was the response he anticipated as he gave me a very sensual grin. Would he never stop playing around?

              I wanted to be mad with him, so mad I could hardly think. But my body ached for his lingering touch, the sweet taste of his blood to fill me and consume me into an erotic haze. Having him merely a meter away was too tempting.

              After hours of awkward silence, there were only a few steps outside the door to distract us from this lingering tension. Dillian was the first to break the silence and spoke.

              “Why don’t you get that teleporting vampire, Tythian to take us to the human camp near the Guild? We can live amongst the humans for a while until we figure something else out,” he said tucking back a part of his long black hair and then continuing to stroke Julia’s brunette locks.

              “We don’t know if they were attacked when Fier led the Saber’s to the Guild. They might have continued through and found their camp. They might all be wiped out,” I responded thinking of the massacre that might’ve occurred if the Saber’s had found them. Their camp was situated days away from our own, and there was no guarantee Fier didn’t know of their location as well.

              “But maybe they didn’t; we don’t know until we inspect it,” Dillian counteracted.

              “Even if the human camp is safe, what is to say that your fellow Guild members- who wanted you both dead, haven’t thought of the same thing?” Chase said as he swung on the back of his chair.

              We sat there for a moment in silence.

              “Esmore, you know we are not safe here, please let us at least check it out,” Dillian pleaded. “Have Tythian take us to the Guild. From there we will walk so they don’t find the human camp.”

              Chase whistled drawing attention to himself. “After everything that Guild put you through and you still want to make sure the human camp is safe.” Dillian frowned at Chase’s statement, insulted.

              “I spent my entire life contributing to the survival of that human camp. I won’t simply lead a vampire which is a part of a coven to that very exact location.”

              “We can do that Dillian, but please think of what Campture and James did to you. . .-“ Dillian cut me off with a bewildered smile.

              “I know too well what they did to me and that they would do it all again. But I have no purpose; we have no purpose, if not for sustaining the human camps.” I starred at Dillian for a moment and then Chase to see if it were plausible that Tythian would help us. Already knowing my thoughts, Chase sighed.

              “You can try Tythian, but there is no promise. He’s not a train.” Chase looked between both Dillian’s and my bewildered expression as I tried to scan my memory and education of the human world, and what he referred to as a train.

              “Never mind,” Chase continued. “Tythian’s teleportation exhausts him, he needs a lot of blood to restore him every time. Esmore, am I the only one here recalling that right now, Tythian hates our guts; and for whatever reason brought you two towards some kind of bargain, that you won’t tell me about- he will expect something more out of this. Tythian does not waste his time nor energy for free. He will want something for this.”

              Dillian wavered an interesting glance my way as Chase wavered his hands dramatically about the bargain between Tythian and me. It was our agreement that I would help him bait and kill Fier- Chase’s step-father.

              “Then I will talk and barter with Tythian. Are you able to call him here?” I asked Chase, feeling too exhausted myself to try and reach his mind. Chase reflected a cheesy grin.

              “Well darling, if I do something for you, so he can do something for you, then what will you do for me?” Chase tapped one of his fingers on the table in anticipation.

              “Has he always been like this?” Dillian asked, looking between us in bewilderment.

              “Trust me when I say, you should be thankful you didn’t have to live with it in the Council,” I said rolling my eyes almost. Dillian would have only ever seen Chase’s serious side, whenever that might come out to play.

              “My agreement is, I will contact Tythian right now and call him to this room. But afterwards, you have to drink from a human.”

              “Absolutely not,” I snapped.

              “Then there is no way I can contact him. It pains me to see my familiar in such a way. I just can’t escape these theatrics and my uncertain mind,” Chase gasped suddenly, and snapped straight into his chair seriously. “What if you turn into some mutant vampire, because you won’t eat?”

              “Wouldn’t I already be considered as a mutant vampire?” I growled testily under my breath. “Chase this is serious, I need to protect Dillian and Julia above all else.”

              After a long moment, Chase looked to Dillian and then the resting Julia. “Fine. Tythian is on his way now.”

              The light patter of two sets of feet motioned towards the door that I guarded. I was alerted instantly, as it was not only Tythian, but someone else as well. I opened the door to greet Tythian and the stranger. Chase was behind me, both his hands holding my arms as his hot breath stroked down the back of my neck. I could feel his strength behind me, in comparison to my weakened state.

              I opened the door, and looked down the left of the narrow corridor. Out of the dark crept the figures of Tythian and Yolo. Yolo waved with an upbeat bounce to his steps.

              “Sissy,” he said childishly.

              “Please mature within the instant,” Tythian directed as he approached me. He looked taller than usual, or perhaps it was the difference I felt in our power because of my weakened state. Yolo looked Chase up and down, disapprovingly.

              “Remind me why Cesar has allowed him to stay?” Yolo asked Tythian.

              “Why wouldn’t he, he’s my familiar,” I spat, defending Chase quickly.

              “That my little sis, would be the only reason why he is here,” Yolo said, arching a very feline smile. But his eyes still stalked Chase’s every movement and narrowed on his lingering fingers that held me protectively.

              “Let’s talk in private little vampire,” Tythian said, pointing into a certain direction.

              “I am not leaving him anywhere near my companions,” I said indicating Yolo. Yolo smiled and began toying with the large wooden cross on his bare chest, simply evaluating me.

              “Let me assure you that out of all the vampires here, I am the least of your concern. I am here to guard them, while you and Tythian talk in private. My gift of being able to transition into a human body, also gives me the ability to greatly suppress my appetite of thirst. Let me assure you that this was a gift that many fought to acquire. I don’t sink my fangs into hunters, unless I really want to. And with Cesar’s one gift policy for his own sons, well it would appear I’m all filled up,” he purred. I remembered them discussing that they were all only allowed to acquire one gift. Chase’s hands tightened on my arms, awakening me to his touch once again.

              “I can protect them Esmore,” he purred and stroked part of my unbound braid.

              “You summoned me little vampire,” Tythian said with great impatience. He began walking away. With a moment of hesitation, I followed Tythian. I watched behind me as Chase and Yolo walked into the room. Tythian grabbed my arm. I was surrounded by darkness as the nauseous feeling of being teleported elsewhere had its effect on me. My eyes adjusted from the darkness of the tunnels, that they were now used to, to the resurfacing of a different place. We were now standing under a pale moon, that fought against the darkness of consuming clouds. Dead leaves, swayed in the light breeze of night. The cracked ground beneath me, swept a coolness up my legs. The mist swirled around our sudden appearance, slowly settled and consumed up to our ankles.

              “Where are we?” I demanded. I was not settled that I was now so far away from Dillian and Julia. I could not protect them from here.

              “We can now talk in private. Don’t waste my time, what do you want?” Tythian demanded. He crossed his arms and stared into my eyes intensely.

              “I need you to take us back to the Guild. I need to make sure Dillian and Julia are somewhere else, safe.”

              “Are you daft and don’t recall that your old Guild had been over swept by sabers?” Tythian studied me for a moment. “Unless of course that isn’t the destination you have in mind. Being a Hunter Guild, you surely would have a human camp nearby. How utterly predictable.”

              “Can you do it or not?” I put bluntly.

              “Firstly, let me be the one to explain to you the predicament you have yourself in. You are worrying and fleecing about your hunter friends, but have you considered where your familiar might be on the scale?”

              “Chase is fine,” I said, not understanding his hidden question.

              “Chase is not fine where you are and within the coven. I took you there in the mere moment, because we were safe there against the blastings and sabers. But let me assure you, that under those tunnels, he is not safe.”

              “Why wouldn’t he be?” I understood that I was missing something of great importance, and felt that it was something of vampire logic that I didn’t understand.

              “Chase has told you himself once I am sure; about his mother and the vampire who was leader to his coven. The very vampire Chase killed. The smell lingers on Chase. To become a coven leader, you must kill the current one. Other vampires can smell Chase’s stench from a mile away. His smell is different to that of our own covens; whether Chase took the leadership of his role or not, he is a threat in our own coven. He is by far, considered an enemy. The fact that his stench still lingers, encounters the issue that his coven is still alive. So he has vampires at his disposable. Granted in Chase’s situation, they are hunting him to kill him; but this is coven law. Cesar has allowed him into the tunnels for protection, for a short time, but others will lash out and try to kill him. Chase won’t leave your side, which is what endangers him. He has indefinitely risked his own life, as any familiar would.”

              I stood there for a moment, enjoying the cool sweeping wind over my face. Chase hadn’t mentioned any of this to me, how was I to know? “Well then, if you can teleport Dillian, Julia, Chase, my mother and I away; he will no longer be in risk.”

              “Whether your mother wants to go or not, is not of your choosing. I can however, teleport you to your Guild, but I have my conditions.”

              “What are they,” I hurried, already conscious of the time away we had spent.

              “Firstly, you are to come back to me, you are obliged to help me kill Fier. This is already a promise made between us. Secondly, for this next favor you ask of me, I want you to kill a vampire within the coven for me.”

              I looked at him for a moment, before I felt the creeping of a smile dance across the corner of my mouth. He wanted me to kill one of the vampires within that coven? I never thought that would be his request.

              “Why do you want this vampire killed?” I asked, not needing any real reason to want and be able to kill it.
It,
that vampire being what I am. I let the confusion subside. Killing vampires was what I loved and did best.

              “He is one of the older vampires within the coven. He challenges Cesar a lot. Cesar simply won’t kill him. But I think it’s time for him to go. Myself, and Cesar’s fellow three sons have agreed. You, Esmore, will be the one to do the dirty work.”

              “I feel like there is something you are leaving out,” I felt the hint of a lingering ambition amongst it.