Prologue

Lycans, otherwise known as werewolves, and vampires have been at war for centuries. No one really knows anymore how the war got started; the ones who do know are Ancients and others just don't speak of it.

To become a vampire, one must give your blood to a vampire and, in return, the vampire exchanges some of their blood.

And I know you've heard the rumor that vampires can only go out after sunset. That's a load of crock. Silver can help or harm; for a vampire to be pierced by silver causes them to heal at human speed, but wearing silver on some part of a vampire's body protects them from burning under sunlight. Only the Ancients and very powerful vampires don't have to wear silver. Vampires are naturally more graceful and faster than the human eye, giving humans the impression that vampires are gliding when walking.

In our world a vampire stays to her, or his, parent. Jade is my parent, my mother; in other words, she changed me. Jade has long had conflicts with another master vampire by the name of Zane; Jade spawned me to take down Zane, who dates back to Egyptian times (probably farther). Jade is a female vampire about fifty years younger than Zane. I've trained my whole immortal life to take him down: a whopping two hundred years. I still look nineteen, the age I was when Jade found me. After she changed me, I dyed my hair black, changed the spelling of my name and left my past behind. My 5'6", hourglass figure didn't change and my slender form didn't gain or lose any weight; instead, I became stronger and more powerful in many ways. Some ways I haven't even discovered. Yet.

And out of the darkness they come and smite those who fear.

-Vampyr Kouncil

Chapter 1

My grey eyes gazed across the room as I now sat, crouched, in the corner, hidden behind a bed. I had just crawled in through the open window; a light breeze ruffled the curtains to hide my entrance. I slowly rose from the corner, noticing a small side table on the opposite side of the bed with a single red rose in a small, black vase on top: the only objects in the otherwise bare room. It was like a bloody tear on a pale cheek. I silently walked through the room, over to the door. There were no humans, at least none on this floor; I could sense a few downstairs, their auras extremely weak compared to the others around them. These other auras clung to the back of my throat, lingering on my tongue. These others were vampires.

I quietly walked down the stairs. I could feel the handles of my daggers beneath my trench coat, black leather pants, and knee-high boots; the perfect attire for a party, yet I hadn't been invited, and never would be.

I was searching for someone, someone I knew would be there; their master, Zane. He was one of the most powerful vampires. There are none who will stand up to him. That is, there were none, until I became a vampire.

I sensed Zane's think aura and could tell he was in the next room. I tightened my grip on the blade at my wrist, took a deep breath and kicked open the door, unsheathing my blade and posing in my oh-so-famous asskicking pose. My eyes searched the room; it was empty, but I could still feel Zane's aura. I hissed in frustration, exposing my fangs, and changed form to a black and white cat before strutting through the room. I sat down in the middle of the room and licked my paws clean while searching each dark corner. Nothing! I tilted my head in confusion and meowed. Then I realized…

I looked up at the ceiling, and hissed. There, clinging onto the ceiling, was Zane. His stunning, pale complexion, wavy black hair, and glass blue eyes didn't waiver my opinion of him. Not even his muscular perfectly in-shape body made me doubt. Well…maybe just a little. To me, he was nothing but slime.

Zane gracefully floated down to the ground and looked at me. I hissed, striking a paw out at him. He walked over to me and bent over, picking me off the ground by the scruff of my neck. "Well, well, well. If it's not another one of Jade's weakling spawns."

I growled at Zane and changed back into human form. At least as a human I'd be able to defend myself. "Zane," I spat, gripping my knife again. "What a surprise."

He ignored me. "So, Jade thinks you're different from the others?" He paused. "She did tell you about the others, didn't she?"

I smirked at him. "I'm not as stupid as the others."

Zane laughed, throwing his head back. "I could kill you right now and you'd be proven wrong."

"You could…" I admitted, quickly drawing my blade. Zane caught my wrist as I was about to plunge the dagger downwards.

"I could," he agreed tightening his grip.

I laughed, trying to fight the paid. "If you really wanted to kill me, you would have already done it."

Zane eyed my serious face. "Well, maybe you're not as stupid, just a smartass."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"It wasn't meant to be," Zane mumbled sourly.

"I'm not offended easily," I told him, pushing my body weight against him to force the knife down.

"Don't be feisty."

"I figured you liked it rough," I joked.

He smiled, revealing his fangs. "Possibly."

I glared at him, shoving him away. In surprise, Zane released my wrist and did a couple of back flips to put enough space between us. When he landed, Zane quickly grabbed his dagger from a sheath at his ankle and threw it at me. With a searing pain I felt the dagger pierce my shoulder. I bit my lip, drawing blood so as not to scream out.

"Rough enough for you?" Zane questioned.

"Not nearly," I choked out as blood ran down my coat.

A look of amusement crossed his face. Zane walked up to me and pushed the blade deeper into my shoulder. He took a deep breath through his nostrils and then leaned in, now only inches from my face. "I can smell your desire, Kathryn." He leaned in and gently latched on to my lips; his tongue brushed through my mouth and to my lips, wiping the blood off with his tongue.

I was momentarily transfixed as his aura swarmed over me and I breathed in the expensive cologne smell that lingered around him. I wanted to kiss him so bad, a feeling that both confused and excited me, but Zane's words broke the trance.

"Admit it," Zane breathed the words.

I cried out in laughter; Zane leaned back a little. "Good luck torturing me; you'll never get a plea, much less an ode of love, from me." I put a hand on the dagger handle and quickly pulled it out. I wiped my blood on to Zane's expensive looking black leather jacket. "I'll just keep this as a reminder of our lovely," I practically spat the word, "first encounter." I slipped down, crouching to put the blade in my boot when Zane spoke up.

"If you think that torturing you is what I want you for, then you don't know the 'enemy' as well as you think you do."

In response to those words, I turned back into my cat form, hissed at Zane and ran out of the room before he could stop me.