Chapter 1

I could smell it from the moment I opened the car door. The intoxicating scent of his blood calling me to the motel’s slightly ajar door, his sandy blonde hair was matted to his head with splatter, it’s circular patterns dancing on the walls welcoming me into the room.

And I let it welcome me.

Let it pull me in.

The sweetness smothered my senses, seeping into my skin. I consumed myself in it, pulling the limp body into my arms, drinking every last drop from his no longer beating heart. My eyes began to focus on the body cradled in my lap. The blue lifeless eyes staring up at me from the face of someone I loved. I pulled him up tighter, clutching his limp form to me as salty tears began to trickle down my cheeks. These eyes that had always looked at me so lovingly were now empty.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around me trying to pull me away from the still warm corpse. I struggled with all my might, desperately trying to get free.

“Cali,” Jace’s warm voice filled my ears, his hand tangling in my hair, brushing it back gently. Tears fell down my blood stained cheeks.

“What have I done?”

“Someone’s called the police, we need to go.”

“No,” I gripped David’s body tighter, “please, I can’t leave him here.”

Jace’s hands grasped me, pulling me up into his comforting arms, “You have to.”

I hugged him to me, pressing my warm face into his cold neck. “Please Jace?”

Breathe.

Warm blood trickled into my mouth, mingling with the hot sand and fresh chilled water that crashed over me. Coughing up washed out blood, I pushed myself up and tried to look around. The sun shone brightly in my eyes while it’s rays burned into my bruised skin.

My hands shook beneath my weight, arms buckling, coming out from under me. I tried to brace myself as my face plummeted back to the sand, but strong hands caught me just under each arm pulling me back into the safety of his lap.

“Cali, next time you decide to take on Cain and be left in the middle of nowhere… leave some bread crumbs.”

Jace? He wrapped his arms tighter around me, pulling me up out of the still damp sand. I tried straighten my legs, fighting desperately against the darkness threatening to pull me back under. I was dreaming.

“Yes, and pretty loudly at that.” He pulled me slowly across the beach, “We really don’t have time to talk about this now.” He stopped causing me to topple forward, I could feel the anger emanating from his very core.

“I can feel your anger.” He lifted me a little higher, feet barely touching ground. “Jace, you know you must stay with Angie. There is no need for her to be harmed on account of me reclaiming my mortality.”

He propped me against his hip as he opened the red gleaming door of the very pricey birthday present from a very loving sister. “I’m not angry at you for that.” He helped settle me into the front seat of his BMW, “We couldn’t find you Cali. You ignored everything Angie told you and went after him again knowing full well that we could lose you too.” He slammed car door on me, and it shook me to the bone.

“Jace, I would never let him take me from you,” pressing my forehead on the cool glass and closing my eyes.

Cali, you don’t know that.

“But I know me,” I gripped his fingers in mine, “and I would never let him take me from you.” Reassured in his safety I let myself slip back into the desperate nightmares of my past.

…

Fresh, clean, wooded.

The crisp smell of broken leaves all around me.

Blood pumping through my veins.

Completely invigorating.

I reveled in the feel of the blood as I listened to his footsteps racing through the woods. The smell of his open wound leaving a tantalizing trail behind, dancing through my senses as I waited for the harsh sound of the buzzer to tell us the time had passed.

Finn’s hand tightened in mine, fingers laced.

Buzz…

“Time to play boys, I’ll give you a head start.”

I watched Finn bite his lip hard enough to draw blood before coming in for a kiss. He glared at me accusingly as his head came up from mine, leaving behind his blood and his taste before turning to the woods and following our team after the prey.

I waited calmly, Finn’s blood tingling in my mouth as I listened to the deep cracking in the earth. Crouching, hands touching the calm as I heard the prey stop, he turned back, circling my team and moving back toward me. The clever ones were always the most fun.

I started into the woods quietly, his pace was slow and steady. He was so close I could smell his blood in the air. I ached to taste every last drop of him as he drew near.

My fangs forced down hungrily into my lip.

He was so close…

I could almost feel him beneath me. Laughing, I let it ring through the woods before settling in on the kill.

I twisted my face out of the comforts of the worn pillow feeling flecks of sun grazing my face from the partially open vinyl curtains hanging next to the red chipped door. My stomach clenched as I push up, red curls falling heavily into my eyes as I rolled over onto my back to gaze at brown stained popcorn ceiling tiles. I groaned, Jace had left me in a cheap motel, the rough cotton and polyester blended fabrics were starting to make my skin crawl. This was definitely his idea of sweet revenge on me after having to look for me all night.

I reached for the night stand, hand fumbling over the phone to find the clock which read 2:47pm in annoying little red dotted digits. Sitting up I leaned down to pull open the drawer and peek inside, rummaging for the note pad I know to be there. Printed clearly across the top of every page was the address.

I grabbed the phone from its cradle and dialed the front desk, “I need you to call me a cab.”

“Yes ma’am, and will you be checking out today?” inquired the soft feminine voice on the other end of the line.

“Yes,” softly massaging my temple trying to push remnants of a dream away. “I’ll be about thirty minutes. Can you have it here by then?”

“Yes ma’am, I will call up when it arrives.”

“Thank you.”

Sprawled out on the second double bed was a pair of red matching undergarments, a deep red tank top, a pair of black close fitting skinny jeans, my leather jacket, and my favorite knee high hunting boots. Cleaned and polished so lovingly that I could feel the saliva dripping from the corners of my mouth at the thought of sliding them on and lacing them into place. I dug my teeth into my lower lip in anticipation.

Grabbing the jacket I quickly rummaged through the pockets to find a Black American Express card with my name printed perfectly along the bottom, a couple of hundred dollar bills, and a small black flip phone. I slid them both back in, perfect. “Jace, you’re outdone yourself this time.”

The sink, like in all motel rooms, was nestled between the bathroom and the closet. I pressed my hands down on the counter, cold laminate pressed back. The face in the mirror was tired and blood stained. Bright green eyes were dulled by impending decisions, darkness circling the skin beneath them. My skin was paler than normal, cheeks not even able to hold a blush. Turning to the side I realized my face was slightly swollen, the bruising visible to even mortal eyes. This was a killer’s face.

Jingle.

I was just putting my boots on to lace, pulling the cords tightly I grabbed the phone.

“Ma’am your cab is here.”

“Thank you, I will be right down.”

I wrapped the ties, securing them before grabbing my jacket and slipping soundlessly from the room. The front office was at the end of the long hallway on the first floor, I could see the cab from the top of the stairs. I smiled sweetly at the driver as I opened the office door and threw the keys onto the front desk to the older woman on the other side. The swiftness of the motion with the sound of the keys hitting the desk startled her. The smell of her momentary fear caused the predatory smile of the killer to spread across sweet pink lips at her.

She smiled voice shaking slightly, “You’re all set ma’am, the room was paid up through today.”

“Thank you,” I smiled back to show sharp teeth.

She stepped back, and gasp escaping her thin lips but recomposing herself quickly. “You are very welcome ma’am. I’m glad we were able to accommodate you.”

I looked her over one more time, letting the hungry predator play a little before returning her to sleep. “Yes, thank you,” flashing fangs one more time before sliding back out the door.

The drivers dark palms sweat slightly on the door as he held it open for me, his eyes giving me the once over as I slid into the back seat. They were dark and warmed by the sun, the eyes of a parent seeing something in me most saw at first glance.

“Where to ma’am?”

“Are you familiar with this area?”

“Yes ma’am.”

I turned up to meet his gaze and smiled warmly, “I need to purchase a new vehicle. Can you take me to a good place?”

He returned the smile ignoring my prolonged canines, “Yes ma’am. There are a few good dealerships right along the main strip in town, I can take you there.”

“That would be wonderful, thank you.”

…

The cab slowly made its way down Main Street, the pleasant driver had been speaking nonstop since he had picked me up at the motel. He asked about my family, and then talked at length about his. And though his English was nearly perfect, he couldn’t hide the roll of the words off his tongue.

Just when I was about to switch up my game plan and request a different venue, I saw it. The sun was catching on the lime color and reflecting back off into my eyes, calling to me like the taste of chocolate satiating that never ending thirst. It was one of the most beautiful pieces of muscle I had ever seen. I could feel the beat in my heart quicken at the mere thought of getting behind the wheel of that green monster.

“There please, that one.”

His gaze followed mine to the car, “American Muscle eh?”

“It has always been a passion of mine.” He slowed, pulling into the lot parking in front of the car while I dug through my pocket pulling out one of the hundreds and passed it over the seat to him before opening the door to get out.

“Ma’am? Do you want your change?”

“No, please keep it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Do you need me to wait?” Concern paled his dark face.

“No, I am actually going to be leaving with that lovely piece of American history.”

He took a card from a holder mounted to the dash, “Here, in case you need me to come back. It has my cell number on it.”

“Thank you kindly for your generosity, I greatly appreciate it.” I shut the door and watched him pull back out into the street before returning my full attention to the car. The new paint gleaming in the sun, my skin pale in comparison as I placed my cold hand upon it, and began to walk around it slowly.

“That’s a fine vehicle if I do say so myself,” the older gentleman said approaching me slowly.

I studied him carefully, his beige suit as worn as the forced smile upon his face which caused his balding forehead to wrinkle right up into his widow's peak. Stress lines surrounded the soft blue eyes which appeared dull under the light. “How can I help you today?”

I slowly let a perfectly honed fake smile spread across my lips at him, “I'd like to purchase this car.”

He perked instantly at the idea of a sale, I'm sure the young and innocent appearance of the killer before him added some sense of false certainty and gullibility. “Well, let me go get those keys for you. We can take her for a test drive.”

“Yes,” forcing my smile to soften, “please do.”

Thump. Thump. Thump.

I paced the car slowly, trying to force myself to just act like an insecure buyer even though I was itching to get as far away as I could because the urge in my gut was building with every beat of their eager hearts.

“Ma'am?” Gasping at the sound of his voice, I turn slowly forcing the hunger back down and trying to smile without scaring him by the sight of sharp pointed teeth.

“Yes, I'm ready.” I smile awkwardly, trying to instill a false comfort. There was no need to scare a human when the hunger was so close to the surface, we were going for a test drive after all. I took the keys from him and slid in behind the wheel, she purred to life like a playful kitten ready for adventure and the open road. “Is there some place near by where I can open her up?”

…

He was still clutching the seat when I pulled her back into the lot. His voice shaking, “What did you think?”

“Where do I pay?”

“Well if you would like to come inside, we can discuss the price.”

I pulled the sparkly black card out of my back pocket and handed it over the center consul at him. “How about you just give me the best possible price out the door and put it on this.”

I smiled as his shaking hand extended to take the card. “Yes ma'am, I will see what I can do for you.”

“Please do.”

The burning in my chest and throat woke me. It was still dark, moonlight washing over the cold woof floors. Hunger burning through my veins, making me topple from the bed. My bare toes hit the cold floor, and I forced my legs to move, stumbling, carrying me closer to the stomach clenching scent.

Something was wrong.

I pushed the feeling down deep, fighting the urge that threatened to make me something less than human. Bracing myself against the door at the end of the hall, hand pealing off blood stained. I didn't have to open the door to know what was behind it. This blood could only belong to them, and still I turned the knob pressing it open before letting the weight of scene drop me to my knees. His body had been split from the waist to the throat and splayed open on display like someone had already been searching for a cause of death. She was on the floor, her throat had been ripped open blood pooling on the floor beneath her.

Looking at my crimson stained hands, I could feel them drawing me in. the urge was frightening in itself, my finger almost finding lips when gentle hands stopped them, wrapping tightly around me.

“No child, I would never let you do that.” Tears streaming down my face he pulled me into his arms cradling my head to his chest and stroking my hair lovingly like a father. “It's okay Calista, I'm here now.”

Screech.

The high pitched sound of a semi slamming on its brakes woke me. The sky was deep, a heavy black empty of moonlight. I gripped the steering wheel in my hands, wrenching the leather. Sweat covered my sticky pale skin, blood dripping down my chin from punctures I had made in my lip. There were some things you could bury deep enough but they'd always return...

The dull florescent lights lit the rest stop just off the ____ perfectly for a predator. I made a quick glance over to the truck parking. There were only a couple in the lot. Stepping out of the car I removed my jacket and laid it across the seat and putting the key in my pocket. Creeping quietly through the truck lot I peered into each of the cabins to find two sleeping men between three trucks.

Following his scent from the truck around the building to the men's room door, I stopped to right myself and put on a practiced seductive smile. I pressed the door open quietly, letting it close slowly behind me.

His brown greasy hair was shaved up closely under an oil stained hat. He hadn't shaved or even bathed recently, and I could smell the stench of old rotting human food stuck somewhere to his skin. The jeans around his waist were too tight, and his bulging belly was spilling out over the waist band as he fastened them back up.

I approached slowly as he was finally turning to face me. “Hello there.”

His dark eyes turned to look me up and down, eyes lingering on my legs sending a filthy feeling though me. “Well, hello to you sweet thang, what you doin' in the mens room?”

I fidgeted slightly with my clothing putting on my best innocent mask. “My car won't start, could you help me?”

“Where's your car sweetheart?” He moved toward me trying to place his large grubby hands on my clean hips. I skirted just out of reach, being careful not to move too quickly.

“Well it's just outside there in the car lot.”

I slid quickly past him as he reached for the door and pinned him against the wall. He struggled he struggled soundlessly because my hand was already firmly over his throat cutting off the air flow. His legs thrashed violently as I forced his eyes to meet mine.

“Be still...”

He relaxed limply unto my hand and I slowly released him to the floor. “This won't hurt...” Mouth parting I dragged my tongue over sharp teeth and tilted his head to the side exposing his meaty throat, digging my teeth into his flesh. Blood trickled down into my mouth, his heart beat slowing beneath my lips.

The warmth was intoxicating.

I drew back slowly, fangs dripping slightly, licking the blood from my warmed face. It's not often someone as practiced as I would make such a large mess, but sometimes it was just fun. Biting my tongue, I gently ran it over the punctures in his neck and watched them heal.

“Now I will need you to sleep.”

“Yes..” he slumped over in front of the door. I checked myself in the mirror, making sure to clean my face before pushing him to the side and walking around him.

I smiled to myself as the door shut behind me and I found my way back to the car. My jacket was now cold to the touch as I slid it back on, but hugged my frame like a long lost friend. I slid back behind the wheel and reached across the passenger seat to the glove box and pulled out the small black flip phone. I dialed the familiar number, one of few I had memorized, and waited for the pick up.

“Isidore here.”

“Isi, I need you to send someone to the last job. Shadow is there.”

“Cali? Where the hell have you been?”