Night Hunt Ch. 07

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What happens now?
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Part 7 of the 17 part series

Updated 06/07/2023
Created 06/26/2014
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Tyrus stared at the terrified woman in front of him. She was trembling, her eyes wide and rimmed with red. She had seen too much. Now she knew the monster that he really was. What was he thinking? She was a human, and belonged in the human world. All this was more than she could handle.

His gaze fell over the wound on her neck. It had stopped bleeding. The enzymes in the vampire's saliva had sealed off the worst of it, but it would take a while to heal. A nasty bruise was forming on her leg, but she hadn't seemed to notice it yet.

His chest squeezed as he remembered how he had found her, in the hands of the young vampire, so close to death. If he had just been a couple of minutes later...

If only he hadn't turned his back when he'd seen her in the club. He thought back to the moment, not even ten minutes ago. He had been making his way to her on the dance floor when she had turned around and spotted him.

The look on her face had stopped him in his tracks. For a second he couldn't remember who he was or what he was doing. The loss of composure was a first for him. The feeling was unsettling. He had never felt so unsure of himself since he had been turned.

He'd realised that he hadn't thought through what he was going to say or do. And it had occurred to him that she could reject him. The possibility was something that he hadn't been prepared to deal with, so he had turned around and walked away, if only to sift through his thoughts for a little while.

The next thing he knew, her scent had disappeared. He'd turned back to look for her but she was gone. It was impossible to track her with all the competing scents in the club.

He's gone back to find her friends but they were still dancing, unaware that Anya was missing. When he heard the scream, imperceptible to the human ear, it was enough for him to guess where she was, and to know she was in trouble. None of the other creatures in the club had reacted. They had long learned to ignore any signs of trouble.

He'd sauntered as unhurriedly as he could to the exit door, trying to mask the panic he was feeling inside.

The rage that he'd felt when he saw the other vampire had blinded him, catching him completely off-guard. The vampire had been no match for Tyrus. Given how quickly Tyrus had overpowered him, he was probably quite young into his vampire years and nowhere near skilled enough to defend himself from Tyrus' fury.

As soon as the vampire had realised that Tyrus had broken the rules, Tyrus knew that he would have to kill him. The past two centuries had taught him that nothing should be left to chance. If the Governance ever found out what he had done, Anya was dead and so was he.

Despite his rationalisation of his actions, Tyrus was unsure if he could ever erase the look from Anya's eyes as she regarded him now. His heart twisted when he saw the fear there. No doubt she thought he was a monster.

She was right, though. He was a fool to think that he could ever deserve love.

Love. There it was again. Was that really what he felt for Anya? It couldn't be. It was way too soon, and he didn't even know the first thing about love. Two centuries had taught him nothing but pain, violence, and self-preservation. He pushed the thought aside. He had a more pressing matter now, which was what to do with Anya, and how to account for a missing vampire.

He took a deep breath.

"Anya, I'm sorry you had to see that. I don't take it lightly, but it was a necessity. He knew about you and he would never have kept it a secret."

He tried to keep a soothing tone, "We have to go now. Before anyone finds us. Please, trust me. I would never hurt you. Anya you're safe now. Please, trust me."

He repeated the last line hoping that it would convince her, desperate for her to just reach out and take his hand. They really were running out of time. The club had ears, and cameras, and they needed to go.

To his relief, Anya finally spoke, "What happened to him... He's really gone, isn't he?"

Tyrus nodded. By the way she was looking at him, there were still many questions she wanted to ask. There were no more tears now. She was thinking, contemplative.

"Why do we have to go? Who will come looking for us?"

He paused for a second, thinking about how to explain the intricacies of the supernatural world to Anya.

"There are many creatures living amongst humans. We didn't always blend in. In the past we were seen as the enemy. We were hunted, whether or not we caused any harm to humans. We may have been strong, but we were always outnumbered. It became obvious that we could only survive alongside humans for as long as they remain oblivious to our existence.

"Centuries ago, a council called the Governance was formed to keep the order. They created certain rules to protect our community. Their strict enforcement of these rules have led to us becoming nothing but myths and stories in the eyes of humans.

"I broke the rules when I met you. You were never supposed to remember me after our night together. I never expected to see you again. I never thought you would ever come here, of all places.

"You were in danger the moment you stepped into this place. It is a hunting ground, owned by the Governance. If that vampire hadn't come after you, someone else would have. If they had killed you, it would have been against the rules, but not everyone knows what they are getting into when they break the rules.

"Or like me, not everyone uses their head when the temptation to break the rules arises.

"The Governance will see my 'crime' as worse than killing you. I risked the exposure of our world. They will not let you live, just like I could not leave any chance that that vampire would not speak."

He bowed his head, chagrined. He was in a mess now. He didn't know if anyone had seen them, and he knew they'd never be able to outrun the Governance. They had eyes everywhere.

"Wipe my memory then. I won't be able to tell anyone a thing if I can't remember it." There was a rustling and he knew she was on her feet.

He looked up, surprised. She was calm and resolute, despite her wounds and the obvious effort it took her to push herself off the ground.

Somehow, in the span of a few short minutes, she had overcome the fact that she had almost been killed, witnessed a vampire's heart being ripped out, and told that an old council of supernatural beings were about to hunt her down.

He could still hear her accelerated heartbeat, and smell her uncertainty, but her face was alert and her eyes were focused and ready. Her expression was calm as she weighed out her options.

He shook his head in disbelief. She was a lot stronger than he had thought.

No wonder he was falling for her.

His heart skipped a beat again, a feeling he was beginning to get used to. He might as well admit to himself that she had gotten under his skin.

"I'm sorry Anya, that is not going to work anymore. I don't have the skill to isolate your memories. It would mean wiping your memories for the whole week. It will take chunks of your mind with it, and I don't think you could survive it."

He thought back to the many stories he had heard of vampires who had done what he had done, and tried to correct their mistake. Not many humans survived. The 'lucky' ones that did ended up in various asylums and institutions, their minds changed forever. There was not one case of any human making a recovery from that.

"I'm never going back home, am I?"

She had come to the same conclusion that he had. There was no way that she could return to her old life. She would be out in the open, and too easily tracked.

"Anya, I am sorry I brought you into this. I promise, if you stay with me, I will protect you," he said, grimly.

Anya stood still, biting her lip, thinking.

He forced himself to wait and give her time to think. His demon was already on edge, riled up by the tumult of his feelings earlier and then the fight. It wanted to force her to make a decision.

Not just any decision, it wanted to claim her as his. The urge to grab her and take possession of her body then and there was nearly overwhelming. He felt his groin swell against his jeans. The rational part of him fought to control his demon. Now was not the time or place.

To his surprise, he sensed that his demon also had a strong desire to protect the human. He had never known his demon to feel protective over anything. He appealed to that part of the demon, placating it by reminding the other side of him that he needed to get her out of danger first. Although, he had no idea how he was going to stop his demon if he managed to get Anya alone in a safe place.

Finally, Anya's stance shifted, and her mouth was set in a tight line, determined, "Fine, where to?"

He almost smiled. Almost. They were not out of danger yet.

He reached out to take her hand but she flinched away. So, she hadn't made up her mind about him yet, just about what she needed to do. He understood her sentiment. He had not lived for centuries by trusting people easily.

A pang of emotion hit him. What would it take for her to accept him again?

Focus Tyrus. He chided himself. He needed to get his things, maybe some weapons, and then head to somewhere far away. Now the question was if he could do it without the Governance realizing what he had done and finding them.

He sniffed the air and listened. Nothing. It was a risk he had to take.

"This way", he said, walking back towards the door to the club. It was dangerous going back in, but he had no choice.

Anya followed.

****

Anya stayed close to Tyrus, trying to look as nonchalant as she could. She had covered her neck wound with her hair, hoping that the dark of the club would hide the rest. She tried to ignore the odd stare, realizing that those whose gaze lingered were probably not human, and could probably smell the blood on her as well. Most times, they took one look at Tyrus and glanced away, feigning distinterest.

Her mind was spinning. What sort of world was she in? Had she really put her life in the hands of the one who had gotten her into this mess in the first place?

She could never go back to her old life, although a part of her wondered if she would even miss it. She wasn't particularly attached to her boring job, or her lack of friends, but now that that life was taken away from her, she wasn't sure what she felt towards it.

She wished that she could have had a choice.

It was your choice to sleep with him. Twice. You felt the connection. You understood when he had said it was a night he didn't want you to forget. How many times did you hope that he would come back again for you?

She tried to keep the scowl off her face. It was true. Her actions had some part to play in where she was now. Had her heart already chosen Tyrus?

She shrugged her thoughts away, not ready to deal with them yet. That was too big a question to answer right now. On the one hand, he was sexy as hell, obviously powerful, and sure of himself. On the other, he was a killer, intruder, and someone who fed off humans.

She needed to know more before she could trust him. At the very least, she knew that he had saved her life. Right now, he was her only hope of survival, if things were really as he had said. She was used to fighting for herself. Her past had not been an easy one. She treated this as yet another situation she was going to get herself out of.

Whatever else, especially something as implausible as a relationship with a vampire, could wait.

Strobe lights continued to flash through the dark club. Anya could barely see where she was going. Up ahead, she could make out the bar. It seemed that Tyrus was headed to an opening at the end of the bar, towards another part of the club.

She had an okay sense of direction, but she wondered if right now she was wrong. He seemed to be leading them away from the club's exit and even deeper into the building.

Uh oh.

Luke and his friends were up ahead, sipping on drinks and laughing. She had forgotten about them. She tugged on Tyrus' arm, but it was too late, they had passed right in front of her friends.

She smiled at Luke, trying to remember what relaxed looked like. Next to her, Tyrus stiffened, realizing his mistake. He stood beside her, silent, waiting for her next move. Anya didn't dare look up at him, afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep up with her façade of control if she did.

To her puzzlement, Luke glanced at her with an awkward smile, as if they were strangers. There was no recognition in his eyes. She made eye contact with the other three. They too, returned the same looks of unfamiliarity.

"Hey Luke!" She said brightly, wondering what was going on.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

She was stunned by his reply. She struggled to come up with a response, but she was exhausted, frightened, and not ready for yet another surprise that night.

"I'm sorry, I was mistaken. Never mind," She mumbled. She turned sharply and moved away from the group, frowning.

A glance up at Tyrus got her even more worried. He had watched the whole exchange, and was now looking around the club, his whole body on alert.

He froze, his gaze fixated on a man in a suit coming towards him. The man looked like he couldn't be more than twenty-five, but had an air of authority that belonged to someone much older.

"Maarav," Tyrus greeted the man guardedly.

"Tyrus, please come with me. Bring your friend."

Even though his words were phrased as a request, his facial expression and tone carried the undercurrents of a threat if they did go with him.

Anya followed the men as they walked through the opening and into a large, carpeted tunnel. They didn't even turn around to see that she was behind them, but she wasn't fooled into thinking that they wouldn't know if she tried to run away. If Tyrus' speed was any indication, she didn't have any hope of escaping if she tried.

The tunnel twisted and turned a couple of times. They passed by a few closed doors. Anya wondered briefly what was behind them, but decided that she would rather not know.

There was an elevator at the end of the tunnel, guarded by two large men in smart black suits. They nodded at the man called Maarav, but eyed Tyrus and Anya suspiciously. One of them flared his nostrils briefly, and then raised an eyebrow when he spotted the blood on Anya's neck.

The elevator doors opened and they got in. There was a doorman inside, waiting. When Maarav gave him a silent nod, he pressed a button and they descended. The doors opened again, six floors below ground level.

They stepped out onto black marble floors, into a short corridor ending at a pair of large metal double doors. The doors were open, as if waiting for them. Maarav gestured for Tyrus and Anya to enter ahead of him. Tyrus protectively stepped in front of Anya, his hands balled up into fists, body tense. Maarav walked in behind them and the doors closed automatically after him.

They were in what looked like a boardroom. It was lavishly decorated, with a few expensive-looking, tasteful paintings on the wall, a large heavy ornate table in the middle, and a massive projector screen at one end. The table had nothing on it except for two thin folders on the far end. Four figures sat at the head of the table, facing them, ignoring a video playing on the screen, of what looked like a grid of nine different boxes.

The images were dark and grainy. Anya realized with a jolt that it was a security feed, showing different locations around the club. One of them was the area where the vampire had brought her, outside the club. Based on the time stamp on the feed, it was live, showing the empty area as they had left it from a while ago.

Maarav ushered them to the seats closest to the door, at the other end of the table. He moved to join the others at the head of the table.

Anya studied the faces across from her. There was a man with grey hair, looking significantly older than the rest in the room. However, despite his age, he had bright, intelligent eyes, and a lithe, muscular build. Next to him was a middle-aged woman with auburn hair, tied up in a tight bun. She looked elegant and proper, in a blouse with a high, buttoned collar, pearl earrings with a matching pearl necklace, immaculate red nails and matching red lips.

In contrast, the woman next to her wore a tight, low cut black leather dress that showed off her ample cleavage. She had dark smudgy makeup on and her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders in big loose waves. She was leaning on one elbow, studying her nails. Her beautiful features were arranged in an expression of boredom. She looked like the youngest in the group, but Anya figured she couldn't depend on appearances to tell her their age.

The fourth person was a man in a flamboyant white suit and a half-open navy shirt. He had light brown wavy hair and piercing blue eyes. He was leaning back slightly, an arm draped casually over the empty chair next to him. All five figures regarded the pair of them gravely as they entered. Anya had never felt so small.

"Tyrus, you know why you are here."

The blonde woman had broken the silence.

"Yes," Tyrus said simply. He gave nothing of his emotions away.

"You know the rules. Stealing another vampire's prey and killing him, we might have overlooked. But to knowingly risk the exposure of our community? I'm disappointed Tyrus. You've never caused trouble for us. I've known you for... how long now? Almost sixty years? You know that we don't take this lightly. Maarav here has known you for longer, and he has spoken in favor of you. If you have any explanation, we'd like to hear from you."

The other woman leaned forward then, looking sternly at Tyrus, "Choose your words carefully. You are only given this chance. If Maarav hadn't spoken up for you, you would be dust now."

Tyrus looked at them directly, shoulders squared.

"I regret my actions. I understand the gravity of what I have done. There is nothing that I can say to justify my actions. What I did was due to a moment of impulsivity and nothing more. I will accept the punishment that you give me, and I hope that you will spare my life in consideration of the work that I have done in the past for the Governance."

There was a pause. The auburn-haired woman spoke again.

"We have heard your defense. Now give us a moment to deliberate."

To Anya's astonishment, she drew a candle from her lap and placed it on the table. She lit it, murmuring as she did so. The candle's flame gave a little puff and turned green.

The five leaders began talking intensely, but Anya could not hear any of the words.

"The spell works both ways. They cannot hear us," Tyrus said, breaking the silence. He didn't turn to look at Anya, but kept his eyes steadily on the discussion at the end of the table.

In a low, hushed tone, the vampire continued, "They are a sub-council appointed by the Governance to watch over this city. Maarav and Therese, the blonde over there, are vampires and old friends of mine. I have done many favors for them and I know they will speak on my behalf. The old man, Joseph, is a werewolf. He is an elder who is much respected by the community and will decide fairly.

"Karina, the other woman, is a witch. She and I have crossed paths a few times, not always under friendly circumstances. The last one is Dimitri. He is a demon. I do not know much about him, except that he is from a wealthy demon clan that has been around a long time."

"Anya... I'm sorry to have brought you into this. But to be honest, if I were in the same situation again, I do not know if I could have done things differently. I... Fuck it. I might die, and so I must say this. In two hundred years, I have not met anyone like you. You have my heart, Anya."

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