A vampire walked lazily down a dark, squalid back alleyway in the heart New York city. He pursued a young girl of no more than 16 with the ease a cat would chase a mouse. She was fairly attractive for her young age. Dark, heavy lidded eyes were set in a pale, heart shaped face framed by long, curling, sable  hair. Her small, lithe body was light and swift, but not nearly swift enough. Jeans hugged her curving hips as she ran.  Not only was the girl loud, but she stunk  of fear.  It drenched her like a enveloping cloud and made her far easier to follow.  The stench seemed to fill the cool night air. He could’ve stalked her with his eyes shut. Following her in the dark of night, his playground, was no problem. This was his favorite part, the most gratifying apart from the kill. The hunt, which made the adrenaline rush through his veins, his heartbeat quicken, and the breath catch in his lungs. Or rather, it would if his heart still beat within his chest or breath still filled his lungs.

When he finally cornered her in a dead end she looked around much like the trapped rabbit she really was. Her eyes met with trashcans, overfilled with fetid garbage long forgotten instead of the escape she wished so desperately to see. If one listened closely you could hear the scratching of tiny, rat’s feet. Somewhere in the distance a cat yowled barely heard over the sound of cars rushing by. The walls, formed by buildings on either side of them, were grubby. The stones were coated with a mysterious substance that slithered beneath your fingertips almost like a living creature. The whole place gave off a sense of danger like one of the many screaming sirens so prevalent in this city. Overhead the sky was dark, like a thick velvet mantle draped over the entire city to hide the sins below. Clouds partially obscured the silvery crescent moon, hiding the primary source of light and creating a  sinister feeling. Shadows danced across the pavement, created by the moonlight filtering down through the clouds and the glow of a streetlamp some block away.

The vampire stepped into the dead end with an undeniable grace that the beautiful girl, nor any human  match. The long shadow that he cast fell across her in an array of dark patterns and swirling specters. His jet black hair was pulled back in a ponytail, keeping it out of his angled and purely feline face. Pale green eyes flashed in the dark, standing out stunningly against his whitish skin. Long fingers wove their way through the loops of his black jeans and the long sleeved, black shirt he wore was barely distinguishable from the shadows. He obviously belonged here, in this place of decay and creatures of the night,  far more than the girl did. He was at home with the screams of people in the street and gunshots pierced by a few lone police sirens that were the melody of the city. She  watched him with a growing and quite obvious fear. Her chest heaved up and down as her heartbeat raced. As if he could hear the quickened pace, the vampire smiled at her in what would’ve been a reassuring manner if long fangs had not hugged his lips.

“Good evening my dear,” he said in a sibilant hiss that was almost as betraying as his smile and as dangerous he was. It was soft and soothing in manner but the tone behind it was anything but inviting.  It was like honey that attracted flies then lead them to their death. The girl yelped in pure and animalistic terror, her eyes widening in fright at the sound of her pursuer‘s voice. A wide grin spread across the vampire’s face as if he were enjoying her apparent fear thoroughly. As if her terror alone could satiate his animalistic hunger, though of course it couldn‘t.  His smile was a slow, luxurious smile, something that would remind you of the innocent smile of a cat that had just finished with a bird, the feathers still hanging from it‘s mouth. With his lithe gait he moved closer to his petrified victim who was now shaking violently as if she were to break apart before she was to  be taken by such a creature. “Such a pretty face,” he mused softly. “and its even prettier when drawn in such fear.” A finger was placed under the girl’s chin and lifted it up slightly so she was looking directly into his entrancing eyes. She was like a mouse caught in the deadly gaze of a viper.

“Who are you?” asked the girl, forcing the words from her quivering lips. Her own voice sounded loud and boorish compared to the cultured and light English accent of the vampire’s. Like a sickening crash of fine china breaking compared to the sweet melodies of a violin. She seemed unable to pull away from his grasp even though her mind was screaming to run. His icy touch should of repelled her, caused her disgust but she could not help but wish those hands would hold hers in a loving embrace. Her captor laughed softly, a horrible and cold  sound that betrayed his true nature more than his eyes or voice.

“The knowledge of who I am will not save you. So it’s petty. Is it not?” he asked in a honeyed, yet dangerous, tone. His fingers wove themselves around her neck and lifted her high above him. The high heels that the girl had put on that morning dangled above the ground a few inches. The same heels she had begged her mother to allow her to wear. Now she wished that she had put on tennis shoes as her mother had suggested. After all, heels were difficult to run in, not that she could’ve outrun him anyway. The vampire licked his lips, as if in anticipation and lowered his mouth toward the girl’s neck.

Once his fangs pricked her smooth, sinuous flesh he allowed himself to be lost in the intoxicating taste of fresh blood. Much like a fine wine would, it consumed him. She struggled only for a few minutes before she went limp, her heart barely beating. Then he feasted like a king, losing himself in the warm taste of her lifeblood. After a few long minutes, the vampire pulled away and gently wiped his lips free of crimson drops. The girl was tossed aside ashen, hollow, and cold. Darkened tendrils of hair swirled around her once beautiful face and clung to the wet pavement. Her limbs twisted about her in odd ways creating the appearance of a rag doll.

The vampire smirked and yawned nonchalantly as if the atrocity  he had just committed was nothing more casual than an evening walk. To him, it was no more.  He turned to the mouth of the alleyway and made to leave. His footsteps had only just begun when they stopped abruptly. There, in the mouth of the alleyway stood another young man, just as formidable as he.

His soft black hair was short and slightly messy in the gentle breeze. The face that looked at back at the other vampire was fuller than his own, and kinder. Far more than the inhuman mask and predator like features of he. Gentle, forest green eyes stared at him, seemingly to search his very soul or lack thereof.  They were filled with a kindness not usually found in his species, a gentleness that he quite obviously  lacked. The clothes this man wore were average looking, on him they looked anything but.

“Tucker.” hissed the vampire venomously. The single word sounded more like a curse, rather than a name. Fury filled his handsome features making him, if possible, even more terrifyingly beautiful. The other vampire, Tucker stepped closer to him with a grace that matched his own.

“You are out of your territory, Seth,” he said softly,. Tucker’s voice was compassionate and compelling, unlike Seth’s hostile, mocking tone.  It was like comparing the sound of a gentle stream with the deafening crash of a waterfall. Seth held his head up a little higher.

“I will hunt where I please. It’s not like you make use of the trash scurrying around,” Seth snapped in clear irritation.

This man, Tucker, was his brother. Both of them were old vampires, their powers growing with age. Seth was the older sibling by only a few years, by
vampire standards. By human years he was at least five hundred years older. The brothers had used to be close, but had a falling out some years before. Tucker did not approve of  Seth drinking human blood and actively hunting. Tucker had loved human women before, deeply and truly. This resulted in his giving up of human blood, instead drinking cattle blood for the near entirety of his life. But like Seth had told him the humans would, they died and left Tucker forlorn and wounded. That hurt shone through those emerald eyes that had watched eons pass and empires crumble. Very different from Seth’s own eyes which were emotionless pools that ensnared and immersed you in their cold stare.

“Leave Seth,” said Tucker. His kind eyes became unyielding and aloof a feat in itself for his peace-loving brother. “Or I will make you.”

“Is that a threat? Don‘t make promises that you can‘t keep, dear brother. Empty threats do me no good.” replied Seth in a contemptuous growl. He glanced at the brother he, once, would have done anything for, and with a purposeful slothfulness, walked out of the alleyway. He left behind him one dissatisfied looking younger brother and a dead girl who would never again see the light of day nor the smile of her mother. Neither bothered him.

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Seth returned to his apartment after the small incident in the alleyway. He stared blankly around at the lavish, beautiful penthouse that was his home here in New York. A far better home than most people could boast.  All of this comfort and luxury he had surrounded himself with did nothing to heal his bleeding heart and shattered soul. Behind the thick and seemingly impenetrable mask of detachment, Seth was dying for the way things used to be. He longed for the companionship he and his brother once had. With every fiber of his being he detested how his brother looked at him now, how he viewed him as some out-of-control monster  that needed to be monitored every minute of every day lest it wreck havoc on the innocents. Many things he was, but a monster was not one of them. Was he not pursuing his natural prey as the world would have it? Was he not simply playing another part in the large circle of life? For everything in him, Seth could not imagine why Tucker should have a problem with his diet. Passing by a small mirror, he caught the sight of his hazy reflection and stopped in his tracks. The man that stared back at him was a total stranger, an unknown foreigner. His face was the same, his eyes the same playful green color and his hair the same raven black as it had always been. But there was something in his eyes, some way that he carried himself that was totally alien and unfamiliar.  Some bleakness and emptiness in his eyes that made him question who he really was.

‘What have I become?’ he questioned, staring at the stranger in the mirror. As this question entered into his already reeling mind, he turned away from the mirror with a snarl, clenching his hands into fists at his sides.

“What does Tucker want from me?! I can’t change who I am!” he snapped, growing angry in a flash and throwing his hands up in frustration. Only the silence of the apartment greeted him for an answer. That emptiness that kept him awake in the small hours of the night. He paced the room restlessly only glancing at the rising sun, regarding it with an annoyed look. Despite all of the myths surrounding his kind, he quite enjoyed the sun and had never been hurt by it except for the occasional sunburn.

Once he finally let his mind wander away from the tangled web of problems he had gotten himself into, he sat down on a velvet couch and observed the bookcase in front of him. On the shelves were countless books depicting vampires, fiction and some non-fiction. He was quite fond of these. The human perspective on vampires always amused him. For instance, garlic and wooden stakes held no special meaning to him nor did he sleep in a coffin. In fact,  he slept in a rather comfortable king-sized bed. Though humans had gotten  a few of the myths right, crucifix’s did burn his flesh at the touch. Then again he never had been very religious and the preaching of clergymen had never given him any solace.  He was damned for eternity and he doubted that their ‘God’ could do much about that.

When finally Seth was pulled out of his reverie, it was high noon and he was slightly sleepy.  He didn’t always sleep during the day, though it was an often occurrence. After all if he hunted in bright daylight he would be seen, no doubt and that would raise some panic to say the least.  Unfolding himself from the couch with an elegance any ballerina would turn green with envy over, he walked into his bedroom, collapsing onto the bed.  Beneath him, the black silk sheets were smooth and slippery to the touch. He quite liked the color black and silk was always his first choice of fabric. He could wear any color he chose, but black had always held a special place in his unbeating heart. Not even bothering to undress, Seth fell, the paleness of his skin standing out magnificently against the dark blankets. He did not dream, he rarely did. It was just another of the characteristics of his life he lived with everyday.

When he did awake, it was nearly dark again. Checking the clock on his nightstand, he saw it was already 6:00 p.m. He’d slept the day away without even knowing it. Muttering softly to himself, he got off the bed and walked into his closet, rummaging through the many clothes. He finally settled on another pair of black slacks and a wine colored, button up,  silk shirt.  Still slightly groggy, he walked over to a small chest on top of his dresser and opened it.

Inside lay a few silver necklaces and many silver rings, each set with a different precious stone. All of it was genuine silver and each of the stones was real. This alone was worth a fortune and he had quite a few bank accounts, each filled with large sums of money he’d accumulated over the years.  Due to this and the wealth he’d been born into, he had never had to work a single day in his life.

After a bit of debating with himself Seth finally put on two rings.  He didn’t like to go overboard and give off the sense that he was a high-class, Grade A,  snob. Though he did like to show off occasionally.  His fingers were raked quickly through his hair, tousling the already messy locks. It had come out of it’s ponytail while he was sleeping and fell around his face in gentle curls.  He stretched a bit more then set off downstairs and towards his sanctuary.

The place was a blood bar, run by, and for vampires.  Among the humans it was known as a high class, invitation-only place. But by the vampires it was known only by one name, Eternity.  He knew the owner of the club and quite liked the man, he wasn’t a very strong vampire nor very smart, but he was an overall friendly person. For their kind anyway, after all vampires were mostly solitary creatures. Another vampire was only a burden, a reason to watch your back, and a constant rival in the way of blood.  For this reason, not too many vampires stayed in groups. The one exception would be a mate couple, but even that was rare. Even lovers had a way of betraying you when it came right down to it. You quickly learned to trust no one, even those that should hold a dear place in your heart. Family was rarely kept together or trusted. He and his brother had been a slight oddity in the vampire community for that reason. Their bond had been so strong, stronger than any others. Though looking back on it now, it obviously hadn’t lasted. The club was situated not far from his apartment, only about 5 blocks.  So, instead of taking  his silver convertible out for a spin, he walked.

The night breeze was cool and welcome on his skin.  For New York, it was quiet.  He liked nights like this, were you could just walk and savor the ethereal glow of the moon. Though there was always the risk of the mugger or rapist wandering the streets, even the occasional murderer. But they never scared Seth, he was quite capable of taking care of himself in most situations. After all, not too many humans could stand up to a being with superhuman strength and senses. The odds just weren’t in their favor. He was the oldest vampire alive, his father had finally been killed some years before. Though that didn’t really bother him. He didn’t think of the man as he father, simply his sire. After all, fathers had a hand in raising their children did they not? Even if they were vampires that did not give their father the right to abandon them like he had. Seth quickly shook his head his father was dead along with any memories he had of the man. Thinking about it now would not change the past.

Without realizing it, Seth had reached the club, stopping just outside the door.  There were no bouncers  for this club, there was no need. The vampires inside could sense if a mortal was approaching and said mortal was usually taken care of before they even entered the bar, ending up as a tasty snack or an evening meal.  As he stepped inside a loud, pounding music reached his ears. The place was nearly pitch black, except for a few strobe and colored lights.  He had to cross the dance floor to reach the bar. It was located in the center of the place, on the far end was the bar then on the sides were booths. A stairway next to the bar led up to the second floor  which housed bedrooms. The bar doubled as a hotel for rogue vampires passing though.  Once he reached the bar he signaled someone over.

“What’ll ‘ya have?” the barkeep asked in a rough accent that Seth faintly recognized as Irish.

“Wine.” replied Seth shortly. Within a few short seconds, a small glass filled with a red tinged mixture appeared in front of him.  His attention was then turned to the dance floor and booths.

He wanted to see if there were any interesting vampires here tonight. More often than not it was the same old people.  After a quick look he decided that tonight was no different.  With a sardonic sigh he grabbed his drink and meandered over to one of the booths, plopping himself down and taking another long sip.  He wasted half the night there, simply watching the vampires on the dance floor. Then, at about midnight, he felt another presence enter the club.  A presence, he once thought gone forever.

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The girl that entered the bar was breathtakingly beautiful and her natural beauty was even more enhanced by her vampirism.  She had high cheekbones and pale skin. The latter common for all vampires.  Her fingers were long and delicate as she ran them through long and untamed russet hair. Butterscotch eyes stared back at him as she scanned the crowd and soon came to rest upon him. The black, halter top dress she was wearing left little, if nothing to the imagination and hugged her curvaceous form as she made her way across the dance floor.  As she neared him, Seth’s face hardened as he observed her coldly.  She smiled slowly, seductively, and finally reached him and sat down in the booth across him. Her movements seemed deliberate, pre-planned and she had a certain aura about her that only old vampires gave off.

“You don’t seem happy to see me, Seth.” she said with a faint laugh. Seth shrugged and blinked slowly.

“What can I say, Christiana? I can’t say that seeing someone that’s supposed to be dead improves my mood at all.” said Seth smiling sarcastically. Christiana frowned slightly, her mouth turning down at the corners.

“I meant to find you Seth I really did, that’s why I came here.” she said. Her voice had a note of urgency to it as she reached across the table and gently took his hand. At her touch, Seth jerked away as if burned by fire.

“It took you half a century to find me? I think not, I know when I’ve been ‘dumped’ Christiana. I’m not stupid you see,” he spat viciously. He then stood up glaring at the vampiress before him.  “I wish I could say it’s been a pleasure, but I make a point of not lying. ”

Without so much as a backward glance, Seth stormed out of the bar, his vision blurred by anger. Christiana only looked after him then back down at the table, making no move to go after him. Back out on the street and away from the throbbing music, Seth tried to clear his thoughts of Christiana.

They had been lovers, not only a century ago. He had met her whilst traveling the European countryside and they had made fast friends, for vampires at least.  Neither one of them liked the other at first, another vampire was always a threat to one’s existence. But with some prodding from his brother, Seth had allowed himself to trust her. He learned that she had been made in ancient Greece, while Zeus still held power over mortals that walked the earth. Her father had married her off to a rich man, only to find his daughter and the man missing. The man had in fact been a vampire who had, in turn, made Christiana into a vampire. His reason was he needed a companion, but he soon learned that she was nothing like he thought. So, without a word of help, he had left her to fend for herself in a world filled with humans wary of her kind. Since being made, she had not left but continued to watch her home change as only time can change things.  Seth had convinced her to return to the states with him and for a few years the two lived happily together. But one fateful night, as they were walking, a vampire hunter attacked them. Hunters were still common now a days, not as common as back in those old days, but still common enough to be fatal. More often that not, the skills were passed down through generations.  Christiana and Seth had split up, in hopes that the vampire hunter would take after only one of them. He did, and ran off after her. By that time, Seth was far away and did not hear from her since.  He had mourned her assumed death every day for about 20 years after the incident, finally giving up on emotions and forgetting her.

Now she was back, bringing back how much things had changed, how much he had changed. He remembered everything about her and how much he had loved her. Clearly in his mind, he could still picture the two of them roaming the streets of New York. He could still recall clearly what she had smelled like, the mix of rain and lavender. The feeling that she was only going to use him, then disappear like she had before wouldn‘t leave him. After all he hadn’t moved in the century she’d been gone and she knew where he lived. She had even lived with him, so she should’ve been back within a matter of days and not years.

Back at his apartment by now, Seth shook his head, trying in vain to shake off the thousands of memories and emotions whirling through his body. It seemed as if all of the work he put into being cold and detached from his emotions had been undone by that one, perfect smile. The walls he had so carefully arranged around himself had been leveled by those beautiful golden eyes. She had to come now, when things were at rock bottom, when already he was falling apart. Question upon question flashed through his mind and each time even began to answer one, another was brought up in it‘s place. Why now? Where did she go? Why did it take her so long to find him? He grabbed a bottle of wine off his kitchen table and flung it across the room in a rage where it hit the wall and shattered. The wine that dripped down was like the blood he now drank. Like the innocent, human blood that had ruined his life.  He walked over to the ruined shards of glass and picked one up, closing a tight fist over it. When he opened his hand once more, blood could be seen welling up from a long, jagged cut on his palm. It stopped within a few short minutes and the flesh soon knitted back together.  He stood there for a moment, looking at his hand with the same blank, dead eyes he had looked at her with. The eyes of an immortal lost to the endless pain the world had to offer. One profound though filled his mind. Why couldn’t he just die, like everyone else?

Seth shook his head gently and stalked over to his fridge, steps heavy with sorrow. He pulled out a clear, unmarked bottle. It contained alcohol of some sort, that’s all he knew. He kept no food in the house, there was no need. All that filled his fridge was alcohol and blood he’d stored in case of need to lay low. He poured himself a glass of the clear liquid, sitting down at his large, ornate, mahogany table complete with high-backed chairs and clawed legs. Maybe getting thoroughly drunk would help, after all nothing else was helping and thinking was certainly getting him nowhere. He doubted the booze would help much if at all, but it was always worth a try.  After all, he could drink all he wanted, get as drunk as he wanted, and never die from alcohol poisoning. Why not put that fact to good use? He did not remember falling asleep.

When he awoke, his head throbbed dully. Thankfully it wouldn’t last long, his vampirism prevented him from any illness or maladies of any kind. He sat up from the couch he found himself on and shakily put a hand to his forehead. Finally the short release came and the headache disappeared without a trace. Feeling the hangover disappear always made him smile, but not today.  It was almost as if a rain cloud hung over him, darkening his already sulky mood. The sun that shone through his high, French-windows hit him in the face, causing him to narrow his eyes. Already the day was turning out to be no better than yesterday. He stood up, yanking the curtains violently over the window, blocking out some sunlight. With a small stretch and the slightest hint of a yawn, he walked into the bathroom and climbed into the shower.

Once inside the large, marble shower he allowed the scalding water to run over his body and drench his hair. He stood there for awhile, mulling over a few things in his mind. What did he know? Well, Christiana was back and he had no idea how or why. She still said that she ‘cared’ for him, but vampires were never to be trusted. Even previous lovers. What would he do about Tucker? Immediately the answer came to his mind. There was nothing he could do. Nothing he could say would change Tucker’s feelings on his eating habits. The only thing to do was wait for  Tucker to either come around and accept Seth or continue to ignore him and possibly resort to more violent methods. His mind wandered back to Christiana. He couldn’t lie to himself and say that he didn’t love her anymore because he did. Deep in his heart, he still felt that deep caring for her that he’d reserved for only a few people that had earned his trust after a long period of time. But what to do about the feeling of impending doom? His instincts told him that she was not to be trusted and a vampires instincts were never to be ignored. More often than not they were right and far superior to those of humans. There was something fishy about her arrival.  

After unsuccessfully trying to sort out his problems in the shower, Seth climbed out and wrapped a towel around his waist.  Most likely the best thing for him to do would be to go back to bed, nothing was going on. But with all of his pent up and restless energy, he doubted that he could fall asleep. He didn’t have a TV in his house, everything on it was garbage in his opinion. Nothing but death, sex, drugs, and money. He lived in New York and could see that anywhere in the city if he wanted too.  Paying to see it acted out by people who probably had no idea what was really going on, wasn’t a very logical move in his mind.  There was always books, he turned his attention to the expansive bookcase then quickly dismissed it. He definitely wasn’t in the mood to read. Then again that shouldn’t have surprised him, he rarely was these days.

There came a soft, almost hesitant knock at his door.  With a loud yawn, Seth walked over to the door and quickly opened it, a scathing remark on the tip of his tongue. When he saw Christiana standing in the doorway, he bit it back.

“Can I help you?” he asked, a coolness behind his voice. Christiana looked down, almost meekly.

“May I come in?” she asked. Seth sighed and nodded.

“I’m going to go change. Hang tight,”  he muttered, walking into his room  and throwing on a pair of jeans and an old t-shirt. When he again, returned to the den, Christiana had seated herself on the velvet couch. Her hands had been folded neatly in her lap and she was looking around with curious eyes.

“You’ve remodeled I see,” she said conversationally.

“Cut the small talk Christiana, oddly enough I‘m not remotely in the mood to entertain a forced conversation. What do you want?” snapped Seth, leaning on the couch opposite from her. She sighed heavily and nodded.

“I just came to explain why it took me so long to come back to you,” she said softly. Here she paused and looked at the ground.

“I’m waiting Christi. In fact I’ve been waiting for more than 20 years.” replied Seth impatiently.  She nodded and took a deep breath before continuing.

“I was afraid to come back. You and I had gotten so close and I felt trapped in the relationship. I wanted to see the world and I knew you wouldn’t want to leave New York.  So I decided that I wasn’t coming back until I saw the world……,” she trailed off weakly. Seth looked at her incredulously.

“That’s why?” he asked, mouth agape. Christiana stood up quickly.

“I’m sorry. It’s a stupid reason to run away. It was stupid of me to think that you’d take me back after everything,” she said hurriedly. “I’m sorry I wasted your time.” She began to walk away, stopping only when Seth gently grabbed her arm. Their eyes met. “I missed you Seth….,”

“I missed you to Christi…..you have no idea how much,” laughed Seth, pulling her into a tight embrace.

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For the next two weeks, Christiana and Seth spent virtually every second of their time together. For the first time in a long time, Seth felt a sense of inner peace broken only by the occasional thought of Tucker. These thoughts were quickly dismissed or pushed to the back of his brain.  Seth tried to forget about him and focus on Christiana. He tried to persuade her to move in with him. It made sense, after all, they were back together now. Why shouldn’t they live together like old times? But Christiana flat out refused to live with him, saying that she liked to have ‘her own space’. Seth didn’t quite believe the reasons she gave him, but stayed silent about the matter.  One sunny afternoon the two were sitting in his apartment, on the couch.

Christiana was laying down, her head resting in Seth’s lap. Her hair fell in waves down the side of the couch. Absently, Seth was stroking her hair and gazing at her fondly. A few hours ago she had fallen asleep and he hadn’t bothered to wake her. After all she looked so beautiful with the sun hitting her peaceful face just right.  Somewhere in his apartment, a grandfather clock chimed 6 o’clock. As it did, Christiana sat up with a weary yawn and looked around.

“Did I fall asleep?” she asked, stretching. Seth nodded with a soft laugh. As the falling sun outside Christiana’s expression changed from that of serenity, to that of tension.  “What time is it?!” she demanded, looking at Seth. Her voice was uncharacteristically harsh and nothing like the soothing waves they had been a few moments ago.

“It just turned 6 o’clock. Why?” asked Seth, utterly bewildered by her odd behavior. Christiana cursed softly under her breath and jumped lightly to her feet.  In a few strides she had crossed the length of the apartment to the door, her hand rested on the knob.  

“I have to go,” she said, opening the door. Seth’s brow furrowed, still confused. When she offered no explanation as to why she was leaving he stood up and walked over to her.

“Why do you have to leave in such a hurry? We were having such a good time,” he said softly, taking her in his arms and kissing her neck. Christiana pulled away with a violent jerk and glared at him.

“I said I have to go, Seth. My life doesn’t revolve around you, you know,” she snapped throwing the door in  his face. Seth only blinked at the back of the door a few times, still wearing the same dazed expression. She had been doing this a lot lately. Each and every time she failed to give him a reason to why she was leaving at exactly 6 p.m. every day. She always seemed in such a rush to leave and never wanted to speak about it the next day.  A small voice in the back of his mind, the same one that kept bringing up Tucker, produced the
possibility that she was cheating on him. This was hastily pushed away.

After coming back to his senses after the whirlwind that had become his lover, he shook his head and looked around. What to do? Without Christiana, not much, he observed.

“I haven’t gone hunting for awhile and it’s suppertime I suppose,” he shrugged, walking out of the apartment. In the last two weeks, he hadn’t hunted as much as usual. Just enough to keep himself alive, after all, he hunted when he was bored and when he had someone he loved he was never bored.  Hunting was no longer a pastime to be enjoyed like a good book, or an interesting television program. It was simply a way of living.  It was a way for him to get by, but second nature. Much like breathing or talking. It was habit and a way to stay alive.

Tonight, he chose to hunt in Times Square. That’s where he started at least. After all, he couldn’t very well kill someone in view of a thousand other people. Even for him, that was a bit extreme. It was bound to either kill him, or have the police on him and he really didn’t like either situation. The prey was a woman in her late twenties. As usual, she was rather pretty. Seth was fond of pretty women as prey. They were rather easy to catch and more often than not they didn’t put up as much of a fight. Though he did get the occasional woman who was smart in the way of vampires, or a religious fanatic. Someone who wore a cross at all times. That always made things interesting and a tad more difficult. But he had no such luck in prey tonight, just an average woman. When he was finished it was only 8 o’clock so he decided to drop in on Christiana. He knew where she lived now. It was an apartment not to far from Times Square, located above a local grocery store. He always joked about the location. A vampire that lived above a grocery store didn‘t sound too threatening.  She always laughed at that and returned with the fact that he lived in a rather slum-like area. Which, in turn, ensued a battle of the wits.

When he entered the building he was immediately assaulted by a wave of bad feelings. But they were dismissed as he walked up the stairs, leading to her apartment. There was a curious sensation of foreboding that he nearly never got. It wasn’t a feeling of fear really, nearly nothing scared him, more of a feeling that puts you on edge.  More or less he ignored said feeling and opened the door to her apartment. When he saw who she was with however, it came crashing back like a tidal wave.

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Seth stood open mouthed in the doorway to the apartment. Not only was Christiana with another man, alone, in her apartment. The man was a well known vampire hunter.  In fact, on more than one occasion he had tried to kill Seth for the large bounty on his head.  Another surprise in a night that was turning out to be rather odd,  Christiana was not arguing nor fighting with the hunter. She was standing there, arms crossed in a stance that emanated annoyance and obviously boredom out of her mind. She was not on edge, nor did she look ill at ease with a vampire hunter standing next to her. When her eyes fell on Seth, her face split into a wicked grin that did not reach to her cold eyes. They were filled, not with fear for Seth, but a dark pleasure in seeing Seth’s shocked face.

“Hello love,” she cooed, taking a few slow steps towards Seth. “I see you’ve met my new guest. A little ahead of schedule I‘ll admit, but the sooner the better I always say.”

Seth involuntarily took a step away from her and the vampire hunter, maybe if he tried now he could flee. He turned to do just that, but Christiana was the faster of them and she slammed the door shut, face openly maniacal now.

“Christiana, you’ve lost it,” hissed Seth, moving away from her but at the same time keeping a careful watch on the vampire hunter who had not said a word nor moved in the short time Seth had been there. Christiana clucked her tongue and shook her head, eyeing Seth like a cat would a fat little bird that had wandered into it‘s path.

“Now is that any way to talk to me darling? After I came back and all,” she smiled in a playful, but somehow evil way. Seth growled softly as realization dawned on him, she’d been planning this all along. It all fit into place. Her absences at the same time every day, the feeling he got every time he was around her. She’d been planning with the hunter all along to kill him and he should‘ve seen it. Or rather, he should’ve acted on his instincts and kept his distance from her.

“You can come easy vampire or we can do this the hard way,” chuckled the hunter, holding up a silver stake. The tip was sharpened to a wicked point and it glinted slightly in the artificial light. Seth bared his fangs, a threatening show of power vampires often used on humans. It usually scared them pretty good, but the hunter was seasoned and knew better than to react. With two people closing in on him, Seth had no where to go but backwards and he soon ran out of floor. Once he felt the corner gently nudge his back, he fixed slightly glowing green eyes on them.

“You made a grave mistake in crossing me Christiana,” growled Seth. Christiana laughed childishly and with sick realization Seth saw she was enjoying this game of cat and mouse.

“How can you do a thing to stop me my dear? You’re against not only a vampire, but a vampire hunter. The odds are against you love. Face it you’ve lost,” she sneered. Her mouth opened as she began to say something more, but her face went oddly blank. With a soft thud she fell to the ground, a stake protruding out her back. Christiana had been so focused and blinded by blood lust, that she hadn’t sensed the hunter come up behind her nor remembered the cardinal rule: never trust hunters. Hunters were known to turn on any deal if it benefited them. Two bounties were far better than one.

“Wouldn’t it have been smarter to wait until after I had been killed to dispose of Christiana?” asked Seth, inching along the wall slowly. The hunter chortled and shook his head, pulling out another stake and advancing on Seth.

“I’m more than enough of a match for you demon spawn,” he snickered. As he walked, his boots made a soft ‘clunk’ on the wooden floor. Seth focused his attention on the sound and realized quickly that the hunter was favoring one foot. He had a slight limp in his left leg and therefore a weakness that Seth was free to exploit in any way he could.

In a movement nearly undetectable to the untrained eye, Seth made a swipe at the hunter’s leg with nails that had grown into claws. His hand caught nothing but air. The hunter had moved out of the way, just barely. The hunter guffawed and swung the stake at Seth, also missing by a far wider margin.

“You’ll have to do better than that!” he challenged, trying obviously to provoke Seth into a unfounded rage that would blind him from using his common sense in the fight. Seth growled softly and grabbed the man’s shoulders. His nails bit deep into the flesh, causing blood to well up and darken the cloth of his shirt. Seth opened his mouth and began to move towards the hunter’s neck in attempts to bite him, but the hunter had something planned. He pulled out a crucifix and quickly pressed it to Seth’s face. With a loud, inhuman screech of pain Seth pulled away holding his face where the crucifix had burned him. The skin was raised and raw looking though this healed over within a few minutes. Seth flew once again at the hunter in attempts to kill him. At the rate he was going, he realized that the hunter actually had the advantage. Seth had fed not too long ago and that made his movements more sluggish than normal. One of his hands wrapped around the hunter’s neck and just when he thought that the battle had been won, the hunter reached out with one hand. Seth quickly grabbed it and squeezed his wrist until the crucifix dropped to the floor.

“That won’t work twice you fool,” hissed Seth softly, squeezing the hunter’s neck tighter.

Slowly, the hunter’s breathing seemed to stop and he stopped moving all together within a few more minutes. Seth dropped him to the floor and turned to walk away, rubbing the place where he‘d been burned by the crucifix. He never saw the hunter stand up, a malicious grin on his face.  The hunter had been playing dead, very well in fact. It was one thing he did excellently and how he got most of his bounties. With a gasp of pain Seth barely registered the stake entering his back. He fell to the ground, the world slowly fading before his eyes and blood pooling around him.

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Seth sat in his apartment, bandage wrapped around his bare  chest. Across from him sat Tucker, smiling brightly. Seth looked thoroughly unimpressed, his arms crossed over his chest and a light frown on his face. The mood was one of definite relaxation, not the hostile and furious mood that had passed between the brothers of late. A brotherly love shone in each of their eyes, a look of almost relief detectable under Seth’s annoyance.

“What  made you change your mind?” he asked, somewhat sullenly. Tucker only shrugged in response before answering-

“I couldn’t very well stay mad at you forever for doing what you think is right,” he said simply. He seemed reluctant to say this, but obviously wanted to accept his brother for who he was and get back to the way things used to be. He seemed to miss Seth just as much as Seth had missed him. “Come on Seth, admit it. You missed me and I just saved your life.” he teased playfully. There was a small smile on his face, barely tugging at the corners of his lips. Seth shook his head and crossed his arms like a spoiled child who did not get the toy he had been promised and looked away.

“I could’ve taken care of him on my own.”

“And I’m sure you could’ve pulled the stake out, healed yourself and bandaged the wound yourself as well,” retorted Tucker with a soft laugh. Seth nodded, a slight gleam of challenge in his pale green eyes and a small smile playing on his mouth.

“You know it.”