As strange as it sounded, it felt good to slip back into my hunter self. The skintight black outfit was almost exactly the same, the weapon on my belt lighter but intertwined with Cedar’s magic. It would do.
Crouching, I watched as the vampire sighed and looked off into the distance, obviously not wanting to be here.
The moment he was distracted, I pounced. My hand covered his mouth while I grabbed the knife and shoved it right through his chest and into his heart.
The other vampires would hear the scuffle and be here in seconds. Steeling myself, I slowly placed him on the ground and listened.
Footsteps came from the right.
I only had a few seconds to prepare before a vampire appeared from the corner of the building. His eyes widenedwhen he saw me, and he reached for his dagger. Quick as lightning, I slammed it into his heart and twisted. His groan wasloud. Loud enough to call even more attention.
But there was nothing. Not even the sound of the wind.
I had the sinking feeling in my chest that something was off, and my mind had limited it to the general. But there was one other organization out there that wanted to be on top.
One I knew all too well.
An ear-piercing, horrible, nails-on-chalkboard sound reached my ears. I immediately covered them with my hands, but it didn’t help in the slightest.
The sound shot through my entire body, rendering me useless, and I crumpled to the ground, my mouth opened in a silent scream.
My vision was getting blurry, but I could make out the dark blobs that silently crossed the space. Two of them stopped by me, looking down. I could see the device in their hands, one that hunters only used on the rarest occasions due to how inhumane the effects were.
My eyes were turning red, blood pooling in them. Pain racked my entire body.
One of them kneeled down, getting close enough for me to register his face. He lowered the sound on the machine just enough for me to hear him talk, but not enough to stop the ringing pain.
A familiar snake ran up his throat. A face that looked so much like my own stared back at me—the only difference was that it had aged over the years.
“Look how far our savior has fallen,” my father said with a frown.
“You’re su-supposed to be…” I groaned as a wave of pain shot through me. “Retired.”
He gave me a twisted grin.
“Yes, well, when my child fucks up, I have to take responsibility, don’t I?” He grabbed my face and forced me to look at him, letting out a noise of disgust. “The organization has forsaken you. I am here to remove your title.”
He held out his hand, and the person next to him handed him a dagger. One whiff and I could tell it was magical.
No.Horror washed through me. I pushed myself up on unsteady legs, trying to put as much space between us as possible, but hunters surrounded me, five at least, all of them putting their hands on me and forcing me to the ground.
I thrashed, fighting them as hard as my weak body could handle. One of them grabbed my arm, and I snapped at them with my fangs, but another managed to hold my head down.
I should have let Cedar come.
The bond was roaring to life, letting me know they were both feeling what I was and worried about me.
My father came up, the knife aimed right at my throat, before he stuck it in and dragged it down the column of my throat, destroying the tattoo.
White-hot pain flashed up the entire left side of my body. The magic burned as it ate away at my skin. My scream was cut off, the pain too much for me to even make a sound.
Stop.I wanted to scream.Why me?
But I couldn’t. All I could do was stare at my father as he raised the knife again.
“Do it,” I forced out through the pain. My throat was on fire. My fangs were aching to bite into something, but the hunters had me trapped.
My father looked down on me. I couldn't decipher the look because I had never seen it before, but whatever it was, it had him dropping the blade to the ground.
