Night Hunt Ch. 07

As he spoke, Anya felt Tyrus reach under the table and grab her hand. She let him grasp it, interlacing his fingers with hers. Her heart was thudding in her chest now. Confusion clouded her head. She still feared him, but she now also had an overwhelming desire to turn around, reach up, and kiss him.

Before she could respond, though, she saw Karina lean over the candle, mutter, and blow out the flame.

"Well, I can't say I'm happy with the decision," Karina declared coldly, "Tyrus, you may live."

She paused, pursing her lips, "But, for your actions, you will owe the Governance a favor, which we will call in immediately. There have been some disturbances in a town two days' drive away from here. Our investigations show that a small group of vampires are forming a rebellion against the Governance. They seem to think that we should start a war against the humans and stop living in secret alongside them.

"They are gathering supporters to their cause. They have been flouting our rules, and have killed four of our enforcers. So far our people have been able to disguise their actions to the humans as petty crimes and animal attacks, but the humans are getting suspicious.

"You will go there and stop them. Do not come back until all four of them, and anyone else they have gathered, are killed. We will link you up with our people over there."

The punishment felt like a death sentence to Anya. Surely they didn't expect him to win a fight against four vampires. It sounded like they wanted to use him to do their dirty work, without caring if it cost him his life.

"I accept your punishment," Tyrus answered flatly.

"Oh, and one more thing..." Dimitri, who had been silent until then interjected, a corner of his mouth lifting in a smirk, "Kill your human. Don't let your mistake go any further."

Anya felt Tyrus' hand tighten around hers. He hadn't let go since he had taken it.

"She'll stay with me," He declared through gritted teeth.

The five of them looked stunned that Tyrus had answered back.

"You're already sending me on an impossibly dangerous task. Let me take her along with me. What do you have to lose? Check her records.

"There is only one person who might come looking for her, and that is her boss. A simple email tendering her resignation should take care of that. Apart from that, she has no friends or family who will notice that she is gone."

His voice was calm as he said his next sentence.

"I claim her as my slave."

Panic and fear rippled through Anya. Was this the vampire's twisted way of showing how he cared for her? Claiming her as if she was some sort of commodity to be owned? Had he been stalking her? He knew way to much about her personal life.

She pulled her hand away from his, pushing out of her chair and stumbling backward, trying to get as much distance between her and the vampire as possible.

"Stop right there, Anya," Maarav commanded.

Anya was stunned. He knew her name? She felt the familiar sensation of an invisible force holding her in place. She struggled against it for the second time that night.

This time, she found the edges of the barrier much faster than she did earlier. She didn't hesitate. She pushed against it with everything she had. To her amazement, she felt the barrier lift and Maarav take a step back, looking as if he'd just been slapped.

There was a collective gasp in the room.

She turned to the double doors, but Maarav was already in front of her. She knew she didn't stand a chance. He'd crossed the room in less than a second. He reached around her and grabbed her arms, twisting her to face the room again, gripping her hands behind her back. She stopped struggling, waiting to see what would come next.

"You smell like a human, you're weak like a human, yet you were able to break my hold. Only a supernatural being can do something like that! What are you?" Maarav asked gruffly, shaking her.

"Stop, Maarav," Joseph, the old man said, "you saw the report. She has a clean record. She's an orphan, she's not committed any crimes or caused any harm to anyone. She has not lived on the streets, has paid her own way through school, and scored average grades. She's had a stable job since graduating from community college, and pays her bills on time. Hardly sounds like a threat."

Anya trembled when she heard his words. Who were these people? They had dug up her past and summarized her life in a matter of a few sentences. How had they gotten all that information together so quickly?

Karina got up from her seat and walked over to Anya.

"Allow me."

She took one of Anya's wrists from Maarav, and opened up Anya's palm towards her. She placed her own palm over Anya's and closed her eyes, muttering in a foreign language.

Anya felt a warm heat start from her wrist and creep up her arm, until it seemed her whole body was heated from within. It didn't hurt, but wasn't a pleasant sensation either.

She felt the heat intensify, and then stop. Karina opened her eyes.

"She's under a cloaking spell. It's hiding her true nature. This spell is a very powerful one, elegantly written," she couldn't hide the admiration in her voice.

"I'm afraid only the one who cast the spell can break it. There's no use questioning her further, the spell hides the truth even from its wearer," Karina stated before she let go of Anya and moved away.

Every pair of eyes in the room stared at Anya. She had their full attention now.

Her mind was spinning. Her true nature? What could that possibly mean? A spell? Someone had cast a spell on her? How has she gone through her whole life and not known any of this?

She thought back to her earliest memories, her painful childhood, getting tossed from foster home to foster home, always feeling like she didn't belong. Was this the reason why? Did she actually come from this world? She'd been told that she was found on the doorstep of a social work facility when she was a baby. Whatever it was, she was pretty sure that she'd grown up her whole life feeling human.

Maarav and Karina exchanged a look.

"Take her with you Tyrus," Maarav said decisively, "and keep her alive. At least, until we can figure out what she is and where she came from."

Dimitri got up and walked over to Anya, circling her, sniffing as he did so.

"Mark her anyway, Tyrus. Human or not, she certainly smells mortal. Wouldn't want her causing any more... Mishaps," the demon looked at Tyrus as he drew out the last word.

He chuckled at the deep growl that emanated from Tyrus' throat, "Good luck doing it, she's a feisty one. Better make sure you mark her well... I'm sure you'll enjoy it."

Therese was at Tyrus' side in a second, her hand on his shoulder. No doubt she had anticipated what Tyrus wanted to do to Dimitri. His eyes flashed a bright amber as he bared his fangs at the demon.

"Let it go," she said quietly.

Maarav sighed, "Dimiri is right, Tyrus. You'll need to claim her. To anyone else, she is a human, and we can't account for any free humans walking amongst us."

Tyrus stood slowly, showing obvious restraint. He moved to Maarav, who silently released Anya over to him.

The vampire didn't need to say a word. Anya followed him on shaky legs as he stormed out of the room, bristling with anger.

They crossed over to the elevator. When they got in, instead of returning to the ground floor, Tyrus pressed the number "23". Anya wondered where they were going now, but didn't dare to ask the brooding vampire.

The ride up was silent. It gave Anya time to think, which was the last thing she needed right now. Questions buzzed through her head. Could she really not be human? Who had done this to her? Why did they need to use a spell to hide her for almost thirty years?

She was tired of surprises. She didn't think she could handle much more of tonight. Human or not, she was definitely defenseless in this world. She decided not to try to define herself right now. Whatever she was, she at least knew who she was, and she could leave it at that for now.

She needed to focus on what was going to come next, although she had no idea what it would be. She could only guess at what Tyrus was thinking. She knew there was no point trying to run away. However, dangerous as he seemed, it looked like he was still her safest option right now.

The vampire was lost in his own thoughts. His body was turned away from her, as if he didn't want to be reminded that she was there. She sensed that it wasn't a good time to ask him questions now.

Anya watched him warily, confused. He'd gone from declaring his feelings for her, to wanting to claim her as his slave. Now, he seemed angry at the thought of being stuck with her. Maybe it was something to do with what Dimitri had said.

Fear struck her as she thought about what marking her might entail. Her mind was spiralling now, wondering what dark acts these creatures had come up with to mark their slaves.

They reached the twenty-third floor. It looked like an apartment complex. There was a long corridor, with heavy doors spaced out at regular intervals with unit numbers on them. Based on the size of the entire building, Anya guessed that each unit was pretty large.

Tyrus walked past all the doors to the unit right at the end of the corridor. It was further apart from where the other doors were, in a corner of the building. Tyrus placed his right thumb against a pad just above the door handle. A light on the pad blinked green followed by a soft whirring sound and a click.

He let them both in. The door quietly swung shut behind Anya. A click told Anya that it had locked, trapping her here with the vampire.

A sigh escaped him. He turned around, gesturing to their surroundings, "Welcome to my home," he said softly, finally acknowledging her.

"As you can tell, this building houses a lot more than just a club. I've been living here under the protection of the Governance. Many of those like me prefer it. There's much less risk of exposure living away from prying eyes."

Anya looked around in astonishment. They were in a large loft, with floor-to-ceiling windows taking the place of one of the walls. The place was elegant. Tyrus had decorated it with dark walls and dark furniture, with silver and glass trimmings. Small sculptures and interesting artefacts decorated its surfaces.

They were standing in the living room, just in front of a luxurious black leather sofa with a rich textured rug stretched out in front of it. On their left was a small bar. Expensive-looking bottles lined its shelves. It looked like someone's dream bachelor pad.

Tyrus strode over to the bar and poured himself a drink. He gulped it down in one motion and seemed to relax a little.

He stared at the empty glass in his hand, lost in thought. It was as if he was wrestling with something within himself.

Finally, he grabbed another glass and placed it on the bar in front of him. To Anya's shock, he brought his wrist to his lips and bit it. As blood began to seep from the wound, he placed the glass under it, catching the dark liquid. He stopped when half the glass was filled.

He brought the glass over to Anya, placing it in her hands.

"Let me make one thing clear," he started, his eyes turning amber as they stared into hers, "You will not be my slave. At least not in any real sense of the word. I'm sorry I spoke of you like that in the boardroom. To the others, it is what they need to see and understand. A free human in our world is unheard of. This is the only way I can keep you here with me.

"I will mark you, but even though you are under my claim, you are free to do as you wish."

"I am sorry there is not much choice to our circumstance right now. I never imagined that I would ever see you again, much less see you stumble into my world. My mistake is something I will live with forever. But I promise to keep you safe and alive for as long as I am around.

"If you drink my blood, you are marked. Others will scent it and know you are mine. There are not that many who will dare to challenge me. It is how I intend to keep you safe.

"The mark will fade. You will have to keep drinking my blood every few days in order to stay marked. If you do not, you will be left vulnerable for anyone to claim."

Anya looked down at the glass she was holding. That was it? Drink it and she was 'marked'?

She lifted the glass to inspect it, but stopped when Tyrus cleared his throat. He seemed uneasy.

"Anya... There's something else I should tell you. Vampire's blood, it's like a drug to humans. Your body will start to crave sex with uh- with me. I will become irresistible to you."

His shifted his feet awkwardly, looking down.

"Humans eventually develop a tolerance towards it, but it takes about a month or so. We still don't know what you are. I don't know how you will react to my blood, but given how you've reacted to my venom before, I doubt you'd be immune."

As he spoke, Anya saw his fangs lengthen. His looked up at her, eyes blazing. She could see desire in them as he looked at her.

She recalled the intense pleasure she had felt when he had bitten her on their first night together. If a small bite had done that to her, what would drinking his blood do?

She shivered at the memory, feeling a slight twinge between her legs. Her stomach did a flip. No matter what she apprehension she felt towards the vampire, she was definitely attracted to him.

"It is my last intention to take you against your will, Anya. However, I do not know if I will be able to stop myself when my blood takes effect on you. Not with the way I feel about you."

Anya bit her lip, understanding fully what he was saying. Maybe it was how surreal the situation was, that it felt like it could only be a dream, or maybe it was the adrenaline coursing through her from surviving everything tonight, but suddenly she really, really wanted to take the drink and see what would happen.

A part of her still demanded some answers though. There were questions that her mind simply wouldn't let her forget.

"Tyrus... How did you know so much about me? Were you following me even before we met?"

He shook his head, "the first time I laid eyes on you was when you went into that bar alone. I go there from time to time when I... hunt.

"After I left you the next morning, I intended never to go back again. I didn't want to draw any unwanted attention to you. I told myself I had to forget you and never see you again.

"But I simply couldn't stay away, Anya. I went back a few times to see you, but each time, I forced myself to leave. I've learnt a lot about you this way. I saw that you didn't seem to go out to meet anyone.

"I must admit, it did occur to me that I could offer you an arrangement like this one, so I checked into your background to see if it were possible. It was not something that I thought I would really act on, though. I didn't want to take you away from your life.

"I was not given that choice with my own life, and I wanted to respect that with you. I've only just met you, yet staying away from you was the most difficult thing I've had to do."

Anya realised that she was no longer afraid of him. She wasn't sure what had changed in those few minutes, but she felt that she could trust him again. If she were honest with herself, she felt exactly the same way about him. She hadn't stopped thinking about him ever since he had entered her bedroom.

She felt lost and defenceless in this world, and she still had many questions she had left to be answered. However, one thing that she felt she couldn't deny any longer was her feelings for this vampire.

He watched her, waiting. She saw his uncertainty, and the hope in his eyes that she would take the drink willingly. She realised that he had no idea how she felt about him. It amazes her that she could have any effect on someone like him.

She swallowed hard, preparing herself for the words she was about to say before she could change her mind.

"I want you, Tyrus. I want you to know that before I take your blood."

He looked as if he couldn't comprehend what she was saying. She reached up on her tip toes and kissed him. Electricity sparked from where their lips touched. She let her lips linger for a moment, pressed against his.

She stepped back, and before he could speak, downed the contents of the glass in her hand.

It tasted like nothing she had ever tasted before. The liquid was warm and thick, pooling at the back of her throat. It was sweet and spicy at the same time. Its taste curled around her taste buds before shooting straight to her brain.

Her body came alive.