Someone spat at his feet and shouted at him as he ran by the small market,
where a Spanish woman was packing up for the night. Damion Bracken wasn't
surprised, what a powerful looking man was doing chasing an attractive
young woman late at night was sure to raise a few eyebrows.
The shadows crept along his chiselled face as he ran past lights from
houses. His grey eyes were alert and cold, giving a warning look to anyone
who decided to confront him.
Then someone stepped in front of him, Damion slammed into the wooden cart
and rolled over the fruit and fell over the other side. He jumped to his
feet and apologised in his bad Spanish to the man who was complaining
wildly. Damion was getting nowhere, so he pushed some money into the man's
hand and scanned the dark area in front of him. "Damn."
"Damion!" The tall, dark haired man turned round and looked down at the smaller man. "She got away." "Great, now what are the Group gonna think of ye?" the black-haired Irishman complained as he bent over and got his breath back. "Hey, this guy rammed his damn cart into me," Damion protested running a hand over his short, brown hair and messing it up in frustration. "Damn, damn, damn." "Nice to see ye beginning a new favourite word." "It's better than bugger, Liam," Damion smiled weakly and sighed as he looked around again. "How could she get away?" Liam stood up and looked around at the fallen cart behind Damion. "That was some fall, mate." "I didn't fall," Damion gritted his teeth. "At least you don't run faster than any land mammal."
"Oh yeah, I was gonna mention that," Liam wiped his jaw. "Stop running so damn fast. People will think yer the offspring of Satan." "That's the thing, Liam," Damion lowered his voice. "Maybe I am." Liam anxiously looked around. "Don't say stuff like that in civilisation."
"So you finally believe me, that I'm different from everyone else," Damion smirked. "I never said I didn't believe ye, it's just.well, yer made of something different from what the Group are gonna admit," Liam confessed. "I've been alive fer a long time and I ain't seen anything like ye, and me da' before me ain't either."
Damion shrugged. "Personally, I don't give a double damn about what the Group think of me. I do my job and then I go back to the life that I have."
"Ye were careful to miss out the word 'normal' there," Liam pointed out. "It's sinking in."
"That I'll never have a normal life," Damion finished. "I realised that when I could run faster at school, beat up guys three times my body weight and I began to get attacked by things that grew horns and were drippin in slime."
"Good to see ye adjusting," Liam said slowly and then he grinned. "There she is.pretty little thing." "Liam, that is not her," Damion sighed and kicked the cart's wheel away. "Damn!"
His tall body was scrunched into a ball in the chair as he slept. The breeze from the open balcony door blew the thin, white sheet from his body. A slender, female shadow crept along the floor, shadowing his face. She bent down beside the chair and angled her head to get a better look at his face. "Honey, they said you were attractive, but never did they brand you with a warning label," she muttered as she was overwhelmed by appearance of the striking man. Her brunette hair sweeped over her eye and she pushed it away again and quickly tied it up. "Just sleep like a good boy." She unhooked the handcuffs from her belt and slipped them onto his wrists, bound them to the chair and stood back, admiring her silent work and this handsome beauty. Glancing around the room, she looked in the open suitcase and picked up a golden locket necklace.priceless. The Group never said anything about what he was, or what he did, all they said was handcuff him and they'd collect him in the morning. They also warned her about his charm if he were to wake; she didn't need to hear his voice to be attracted to him. She softly kissed his cheek and stepped back to the balcony, she slipped backwards and disappeared into the shadows.
Damion awoke and immediately jumped in the chair. "What the hell?"
Liam burst in. "I hope yer awake, cause the whole building.what happened to ye?" Damion turned his wrists and felt the metal rub against his skin. "What happened to me?"
"Did ye get laid?" Liam arched an eyebrow at his friend and looked down at the handcuffs. "Are ye not tellin me somethin about the way ye have sex?" "Liam, get these things off me!" Damion demanded. "Alright, grumpy," Liam bent down and inspected the locks. "Sorry, mate, but they won't be broken into."
Damion groaned and then balled his fists and pulled his wrists apart; he clenched his teeth and the chains snapped. "Nothing better than a good get- out-of-the-handcuffs warm up in the morning." Damion stood up and flipped open the suitcase lying on the bed; he threw on an over-shirt over his vest and rubbed his wrists. "Someone's been in here."
"Yeah, I can tell," Liam groaned. "Damion, yer a twenty-five-year-old man who's not been in a relationship fer a good year, I understand."
"Liam, I didn't do this!" Damion insisted. "Go to hell if you can't believe me.shit." "Oh a new word."
"Shit," he repeated and slammed his palm against his forehead. "What is it?" Liam asked looking into the suitcase. "They took the locket," he told Liam. "They took the damned locket."
"As in your dead mother's locket?"
"Yeah!" Damion kicked the chair over. "I hate this place!" The door burst open and three; armed men charged in pointed their guns at Damion and loaded. Damion froze and held up his hands. "Mr Bracken?" an Englishman appeared and clasped his hands in front of his stomach. "Pleasure."
"I'm sure," Damion frowned and then nodded at Liam. He burst forwards, grabbed the gun and punched the man owning it while Liam slammed a kick into his chest. Liam headed to the balcony as they started firing. "Damion, get yer arse outta here!" Liam grabbed the washing line and swung down from the balcony, Damion shortly appeared after he just jumped two floors. The bullet hit the plant pot beside Liam's head and they dived behind a fountain in the square. "Why the hell do ye have people firin' at ye?" "I dunno," Damion yelled back. "I haven't done anything.recently." Liam rolled his eyes as they sheltered their heads as they ran into a nearby café.
Damion sat back in the seat and smiled at the waitress as she arrived with the two coffees. "Gracias."
She smiled seductively at him and walked off, Liam watched in utter awe. "What do ye do?"
"What do I do.what?" Damion frowned after his gaze moved from the sexy waitress. "How do ye get women to fall at yer feet?" Liam grinned. "Ye are who mother's warn their daughters about. Ye are why father's are protective over their daughters, scared they'll get pregnant." Damion laughed slightly and looked up again, a look of disbelief on his face. "Man, stop it, you're flattering me." "I mean it," Liam sighed and poured some whiskey into his coffee from the hip flask inside his jacket. "Nerds back in the States worship ye."
"Compliment," Damion assured himself. "So, any idea who those guys were?" Liam asked. "The guys shooting at ye?" "No idea," Damion leaned back and the waitress caught his eye again as she bent over to pick up a fallen spoon, Damion angled his head and got a full view up her skirt. "Hel-lo." "Damion," Liam sighed. "Hey, Bracken!" "Yep," Damion snapped his head round as she turned round to look at him. "Uh, yes.I agree with you about.apples."
Liam smiled and whispered. "Apples? Couldn't come up with anything better?" Damion quickly glanced back at her as she walked towards their table, a tray covering her low cut top that showed cleavage. She put the tray on the table and collected the empty mugs onto it, discreetly, she slipped a note of paper into Damion's hand as he passed her his mug, "Gracias," he grinned and nodded at her. "What is it?" Liam asked as Damion grinned back. "Ye got her phone number." Damion put his feet on the empty chair and put his hands behind his head. "Oh yeah."
Softly, Damion kissed her lips and smiled. "I had a great time."
"Me too," the Spanish waitress, Maria, smiled and glanced round at her door. "Here we are."
"Yeah," Damion took his hands out of his pockets. "Nice door." She laughed and gazed into his eyes. Maria awkwardly leaned forwards and Damion kissed her again. "Call me." Damion stepped back. "I will." Maria closed the door behind her and Damion wandered down the cobblestone street, slightly staggering. He was completely oblivious of the figure stalking him from behind; his senses were relaxed and happy. That made the whole, grabbing from behind and getting dragged into a dark alleyway seem surprising. "Hellfire!" A hand clasped over his mouth from behind shoved his face against a wall, tightly pressing him there. Damion heard a soft breathing in his ear and with a twist of his wrist and a swing of his arm, he easily swapped positions with the person. "Who have we here?" He pulled off the black hat and a casement of brown hair blew into his face. Damion swung her around and smiled. "You're a woman." "Got a problem?" the distinguishable English woman snapped. Her golden eyes gleamed in his eyes; her peach lips were thin and sexy. She had on a long black coat and black clothes underneath, including a very tight black vest top. "Not at all." "Want to get off me?" she demanded smugly. "No, I'm quite comfortable," he insisted. "Why are you trying to ambush me?" She pursed her lips and looked away from him. "Fine, if that's the way you want it," Damion dragged her out to the road where some market stalls where still open. She looked around nervously as a black car began to drive up the hill. "Work with me here." She cupped Damion's cheek and pulled his mouth to hers, Damion's eyes didn't close as the shock was sinking in. "Why the hell did you just do that?" he demanded as she pulled away. "That was bad, that was." Damion trailed off and put a hand to her lips. "Amazing," she finished for him and he nodded mutely. "So, what is your name?" he finally asked. "Um, Raven King," she muttered. Damion smiled weakly and then burst. "Gonna tell me why you're following me?" Her face fell from its grave position and turned nervous. "I wanted to ask you out," she lied. "Join the queue," Damion smirked. "Don't try lying again, I'll know when you do." Raven looked away from him and tried to duck out of his arm fence. She pushed his arm away. "Don't bother me." "Why not?" he pondered following her down the street. "Scared you'll do something you'll regret?" "Like what?" she demanded turning on him. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, you tell me." Raven smirked. "Goodbye, Damion, and you don't know me if anyone asks." Damion froze and stared her in the eye warily. "I never told you my name." He stepped back from her as she scrunched her face up in frustration. "Who the hell are you?" "You can't know," she whispered in his ear. She moved her head back so they were centimetres apart. "Ever," she gripped his jaw and kissed him again. Damion was ready this time and returned it. Raven pulled away and disappeared. Damion stood puzzled.
"Damion, we've gotta move," Liam warned as he threw his bag over his shoulder. "The Group have suspicions when Logan Chase didn't turn up for his testing." "Why didn't he go?" Damion asked. "Cause he's on life-support," Liam snapped. "The Group still think he's the Demon Hunter, it was because his heart stopped beating for a split-second." "Great," Damion muttered. "Do they have any idea that there's a new Demon Hunter?" Liam paused. "Yeah, they're sending a rep to each country to look for him." "Damn," Damion slung his bag over his chest. "Where we goin next?" "To visit an old friend of mine," Liam grinned. "Do I have to drink loads and get drunk?" Damion asked. "No," Liam shook his head. "Ye get to meet a nice woman." Damion's face lightened and he opened the door. "After you."
Logan Ethan Chase lay on the bed; he couldn't move his legs or his arms. He wasn't sure if it was because his back was broken or that the blankets on the bed were too tight. That night he had lost everything, Shauna had left him for the second time, Ethan died instead of Logan. "Stupid bastard," Logan muttered through pale, thin lips. "Good morning, Mr Chase," the nurse bustled in. "How are we feeling this morning?" Logan turned his head the tiniest bit and opened his eyes; the darkness of the bandage over his eyes welcomed him. "Great," he muttered sarcastically. "Good, good," she pressed the cover tighter and Logan groaned. "Sorry, should I raise your bed?" "Yeah," he nodded slowly and carefully. He still had the feeling that if he moved his head too violently it would fall off. The pillows propped up and the back of the bed moved upright into a sitting position. Logan leaned back on the pillows and silently thanked God that the covers were looser. "You have visitors, shall I show them in?" the nurse asked politely. "Bearing in mind that you still need to be fed." Logan ignored her. Some visitors coming to see him, how.common. Nodding slowly again, he closed his eyes and fingered the bandage covering them warily. Hopefully he'll be able to see again soon. "Mr. Chase," the English voice of Carter, his old mentor, strung into his head. "I would like to say that it is a pleasure to see you alive, but in this condition.I'm unable to say that." Logan heard someone else, a woman in high heels, walk over to the bed. He turned his head away and scrunched his eyes up to experience a new sort of pain. He groaned and put a hand to the bandage again to give a soft pat to the area where his eyes were. "Logan?" a soft voice asked warily. It was his sister, Leah. Only serious things made her voice get soft and shy like it was now. "Can you speak?" It was a nasty thing to ignore his sister, but pretending to be deaf was a good thing while Carter was here, therefor he would lose his post as the Demon Hunter.brilliant. "Mr. Chase, it is vital that you talk," Carter insisted. "What do you want?" he spat. "Ah, progress," he muttered. "You missed a test, the Group feel that someone else has taken your post." "Yeah right," Logan drawled. "If I didn't have the healing thing then they said I would be dead." Leah sniffed deeply and Logan felt her sobbing. He reached over with his arm that wasn't on a drip and God knows what else, and held her hand. "I'm fine." "Logan, Ethan died," she whispered. "Do you know?" "Yes, I was there," Logan swallowed back a lump in his throat. "I nearly did too." "Shh, don't say things like that," she muttered and then risked the big subject. "Shauna told me everything."
"What does that bitch want?" Logan demanded his tone sour and harsher than he wanted it to be. "She wants you," she snapped. "Don't ever take advantage of that." "Like I care, Leah," Logan drawled and fell backwards, his head sinking into the fluffy pillows. "Listen, I'm just awake and I'm tired.come back later."
Damion pushed back the door and appeared in the dark room, his shirt ripped across his chest, the sleeve dangling freely. "Why didn't anyone warn me about the demon population in L.A.?" "Didn't think ye'd care," Liam grinned as he looked up from the magazine. "Find anything."
"He's in General Hospital," Damion muttered. "Anything to drink?" "Water, in the freezer," Faith appeared, fresh from a shower, towel wrapped around her chest. "Thank you," Damion threw open the yellowing crate and grabbed the first bottle of water he could get and took a deep swig from it. "When you actin?" Faith asked as Damion fell into a seat. He looked up at the blonde haired witch. a beauty. "Tonight," he answered after looking her up and down with a predatory pair of eyes. She looked down at him and smirked. "Sorry, no goes," she shook her head. "Why?" "You're the Demon Hunter," she pointed out. "Witch? What will they say when I go around showing off that I've slept with the Demon Hunter?" "You tell me," his gaze fell to her chest, Faith bent down and put a finger under his chin. "Sweetheart, when you're outta this business, give me a call," she kissed him swiftly and stalked back into her room. Damion groaned and Liam laughed out loud at him. "What?" "Ye just got turned down," he slapped the table. "Never before have I seen that happen to ye." "Shut your face," Damion snapped.
The door burst open and Liam screamed loudly, Damion pulled on his shirt quickly as Faith pulled the sheet around her naked body. "It's the Group," she hissed. "Get your ass outta here, get him and get outta L.A." Damion heard Liam getting thrown down onto the floor, the reload of guns and the calls of the troops. He leaned on the window frame and kissed Faith a last goodbye. "I'll get you back, I promise." "I know, sweetheart," she muttered and pushed his bare chest. "Go." The door blew off its hinges and Damion stared at the gunned men. "Get him!" Damion swung out of the window and looked back, to see three guys coming out after him. He dived forwards and grabbed the overhead bar; he swung round it and slid down the ladder. The bullet hit the puddle by his foot as Damion ran down the back alley. He swerved round a wall and caught his breath. "Double damn." Damion began to button up his shirt as he ducked behind a passing van and jogged across the road.
Logan heard the window slid open and a person fall inside his room. Warily he slid his feet around the side of the bed and took a deep breath. Time to begin to walk again. Logan pushed his bed and stood on his feet, no pain or anything came up his body as it had done three days ago. He grinned to himself and quickly dressed. He felt around for his jacket and grabbed it, swung it on and turned to face where he thought the window was. "Are you Logan Chase?" a Canadian male asked. "Who's askin?" Logan demanded. "Damion Bracken, I'm the new Demon Hunter," he quickly explained. "The Group are coming after us."
"'Us'?" Logan arched an eyebrow but the bandage hid it. "Yeah, 'us'," Damion repeated. "We need to go now. Get outta L.A. and find a safe house to lay low for a while."
Logan's knees buckled but Damion caught him. "Come on."
"Wait," Logan felt his way to the chest of drawers beside his bed and pulled open the drawer, pocketed the 'Hook Scythe' and felt around for Damion's arm again. "Come on."
It took a while to get Logan out the window again but when they had finally managed it, they headed towards the pier. No car and no money meant that there was no food and no transport to get them nineteen miles to the pier. To make it worse, a mile from the pier came a nice surprise. "Demon Hunter's got a friend," hissed the demons. Logan and Damion both answered. "So?"
"Interesting," it hissed again. "Seems the Group have messed up again." The footsteps and clicks of talons alerted both of the Demon Hunters. "Ambush," Logan muttered under his breath. "Two Demon Hunters are better than one," Damion offered and Logan nodded. "Good, I always like a decent fight," Logan grinned. "Any takers?" Being blind or being so-called paralysed didn't stop Logan kicking demonic ass. Damion ducked under Logan's kick and spun kicked the orange demon and sent it flying into the wall. "Good shot," Logan commented. "I'm beginning to wonder whether you have more than one set of eyes," Damion grunted as he ripped the demon's arm off. "Or you've been trained without eyes."
"I trained with a blindfold on," Logan explained quickly. "Now I know why it would come in handy." Damion grabbed a crowbar and smacked the demon in the face and tripped up another as he swung round. "Bye," Damion muttered and slid to a halt beside Logan. "Locals?" "Complain all the time," Logan sighed and grabbed Damion's arm. "We'd better keep going." They reached the pier and Damion realised he was bleeding, his forearm had a long, thin gash bleeding furiously. "Look at that."
"Was that a blind joke?" Logan growled. "No, sorry," Damion apologised quickly and sat down on the concrete. "Anywhere near here that is safe to sleep?"
"There's always the slums," Logan suggested. "Down by the Pizza Parlour." Damion scanned the area and smiled. "We'd have to be soaked and injured to go there. It can't get any."
"Don't say it," Logan snapped and then the rain fell. "I hate people who say that." "Guess the slums doesn't seem like a bad idea now," Damion sighed. "Come on."
Damion threw another packet of cannabis onto the fire and took a deep breath of the smoke. "Shit, man you gotta try this." Logan bent forwards and breathed deeply. "That is good shit." Damion let out a whoop of delight and fell backwards off the seat. "Woah!"
Logan burst out laughing at him. "What the hell are you doing?" Damion appeared again and looked around confused. "I dunno." Logan grinned and breathed more in. "So, Mr. Chase," Damion slurred as he stumbled back onto the seat. "Got any love interests?" Logan swayed on the spot and thought for a second. "Her name was Shauna, we were together for three years.three fucking years." "What happened?" Damion asked. "She broke up with me," Logan sighed. "Ethan died that night too."
"How did you meet her?" "My friend, Merton was killed, murdered. She was his step-sister from Brazil," Logan was finished, why on earth was he telling him this? "What 'bout you?" Damion hesitated slightly. "No one. It's kinda hard to get a decent girlfriend when so many girls are superstitious and my name happens to be Damion and my birthday is the 6th of June and you're born in 1986." "I wasn't gonna ask you about your name," Logan was sobering up as was Damion. "At least you weren't born in '66." "Well, my Mom was pregnant and the baby was due on the 6th of June, 1966 and my sister was born," Damion answered. "A whole two decades and I'm born." "Who's your father?" Logan asked curiously. "I don't know," Damion muttered. "Which makes the whole situation a hell of a lot worse." Logan chuckled. "The offspring of Satan is the Demon Hunter." "Yeah," he muttered. "Pretty ironic." "If I could see you I'd be able to tell if you were Satan's son," Logan sighed.
"How?"
"I've met the guy," Logan answered. "He kicked my ass, but I've met him."
"Neat," Damion smiled. "That's what you have to put up with?" "What?"
"Getting your ass kicked," Damion laughed.
"And you'll be in for it too."
Albert Carter gripped his umbrella as he tried not to swear at the disappearance of Logan Chase. "Damn that boy," he muttered under his breath as the Group forensic team began to search for any evidence to where he went. Carter stamped his foot impatiently and marched out of the room and to the nurse's bay. "How did this happen?" "We kept a close eye on him, sir," the woman insisted. "He was gone in a matter of minutes."
"Minutes that you should have been watching," Carter hissed. "This is certainly getting reported to Jenkins."
"No, sir, he'll get me killed," she pleaded. "If you can't keep a man like Chase in here then what can you handle?"
"Chase was different," she gritted her teeth. "He is the Demon Hunter, Carter, powerful man.his healing rate is higher than expected. Soon enough his eyes will have healed and he'll be away from America."
"Then we'll just have to find him, won't we," Carter gripped her cheeks in his hand. "Or else."
"Yes sir," she pulled her head away. "Right away." "Good," Carter smirked. "If anything else happens Raven, I'll be keeping an extra close eye on you." "What shall I do with Bracken?"
"Ah, Damion Bracken," Carter drawled. "He'll have a very different fate from Chase, bring him directly to me. He's in for a surprise." Raven anxiously looked around. "I'll get right on it."
"You'd better."
Liam groaned and turned round onto his back. He stared up at the white, plastic ceiling and cursed silently. "Faith, ye awake?" he whispered into the darkness. A female groan was heard. "Yeah, you okay?"
"Well everything is here," he answered quickly checking he had every visible body part. "Me too," she stood up and dusted her white tank top down. "Damion got away."
"I know," Liam muttered. "Let's just hope he got Chase and got him away from Carter."
There was a slight pause. "Liam, about Damion."
"I know," he cut her off. "It's happening."
"How do we stop it?" "We don't," Liam answered. "We leave Carter to try and stop him and then we'll see his father kick some Group ass." Faith scrunched up her jacket and sighed. "Why did you befriend him?"
Liam sat up abruptly and turned to face her, his face-hardened. "He saved me life. 2006 in Scotland I'd been in a spot of bother with a few men, Damion came flying in from nowhere and knocked them out just as they turned on me with knives." "So he had it when he was younger?" "Yeah, can never get rid of it," Liam confirmed. "When ye look at him ye'd never guess it's so discreet."
Liam blinked as the lights flicked on in the white room. "Here we go again."
Damion sat up and found Logan already up and walking about. "Hey, how are your eyes?" he asked. Logan turned round and Damion saw the bruised eyelids close painfully. "I took off the bandage." "Why?" Damion stood up and gripped his temples as the pain in his head kicked in. "So people don't stare at me," he answered.
"You wouldn't see them anyway," Damion smiled and Logan managed a smile too. "I feel them," he answered. Damion looked around them. "We'd better move. You got any friends who'd hide us for a while?" Logan smiled thoughtfully. "Follow me." "How do you know where to go?" Damion asked as Logan began to walk. He reached his side and Logan turned to face him. "I can see vaguely."
Slowly and painfully he open his eyes, the bruises and cuts around the eye had cause the eyes to go bloodshot. His iris was the same, a bright green colour. "Does it hurt?"
"Every time I blink," Logan answered. Damion felt the pity grow in his head and shook it off quickly. "I don't need your pity, Bracken," Logan muttered as he limped ahead.
"Damion!" The tall, dark haired man turned round and looked down at the smaller man. "She got away." "Great, now what are the Group gonna think of ye?" the black-haired Irishman complained as he bent over and got his breath back. "Hey, this guy rammed his damn cart into me," Damion protested running a hand over his short, brown hair and messing it up in frustration. "Damn, damn, damn." "Nice to see ye beginning a new favourite word." "It's better than bugger, Liam," Damion smiled weakly and sighed as he looked around again. "How could she get away?" Liam stood up and looked around at the fallen cart behind Damion. "That was some fall, mate." "I didn't fall," Damion gritted his teeth. "At least you don't run faster than any land mammal."
"Oh yeah, I was gonna mention that," Liam wiped his jaw. "Stop running so damn fast. People will think yer the offspring of Satan." "That's the thing, Liam," Damion lowered his voice. "Maybe I am." Liam anxiously looked around. "Don't say stuff like that in civilisation."
"So you finally believe me, that I'm different from everyone else," Damion smirked. "I never said I didn't believe ye, it's just.well, yer made of something different from what the Group are gonna admit," Liam confessed. "I've been alive fer a long time and I ain't seen anything like ye, and me da' before me ain't either."
Damion shrugged. "Personally, I don't give a double damn about what the Group think of me. I do my job and then I go back to the life that I have."
"Ye were careful to miss out the word 'normal' there," Liam pointed out. "It's sinking in."
"That I'll never have a normal life," Damion finished. "I realised that when I could run faster at school, beat up guys three times my body weight and I began to get attacked by things that grew horns and were drippin in slime."
"Good to see ye adjusting," Liam said slowly and then he grinned. "There she is.pretty little thing." "Liam, that is not her," Damion sighed and kicked the cart's wheel away. "Damn!"
His tall body was scrunched into a ball in the chair as he slept. The breeze from the open balcony door blew the thin, white sheet from his body. A slender, female shadow crept along the floor, shadowing his face. She bent down beside the chair and angled her head to get a better look at his face. "Honey, they said you were attractive, but never did they brand you with a warning label," she muttered as she was overwhelmed by appearance of the striking man. Her brunette hair sweeped over her eye and she pushed it away again and quickly tied it up. "Just sleep like a good boy." She unhooked the handcuffs from her belt and slipped them onto his wrists, bound them to the chair and stood back, admiring her silent work and this handsome beauty. Glancing around the room, she looked in the open suitcase and picked up a golden locket necklace.priceless. The Group never said anything about what he was, or what he did, all they said was handcuff him and they'd collect him in the morning. They also warned her about his charm if he were to wake; she didn't need to hear his voice to be attracted to him. She softly kissed his cheek and stepped back to the balcony, she slipped backwards and disappeared into the shadows.
Damion awoke and immediately jumped in the chair. "What the hell?"
Liam burst in. "I hope yer awake, cause the whole building.what happened to ye?" Damion turned his wrists and felt the metal rub against his skin. "What happened to me?"
"Did ye get laid?" Liam arched an eyebrow at his friend and looked down at the handcuffs. "Are ye not tellin me somethin about the way ye have sex?" "Liam, get these things off me!" Damion demanded. "Alright, grumpy," Liam bent down and inspected the locks. "Sorry, mate, but they won't be broken into."
Damion groaned and then balled his fists and pulled his wrists apart; he clenched his teeth and the chains snapped. "Nothing better than a good get- out-of-the-handcuffs warm up in the morning." Damion stood up and flipped open the suitcase lying on the bed; he threw on an over-shirt over his vest and rubbed his wrists. "Someone's been in here."
"Yeah, I can tell," Liam groaned. "Damion, yer a twenty-five-year-old man who's not been in a relationship fer a good year, I understand."
"Liam, I didn't do this!" Damion insisted. "Go to hell if you can't believe me.shit." "Oh a new word."
"Shit," he repeated and slammed his palm against his forehead. "What is it?" Liam asked looking into the suitcase. "They took the locket," he told Liam. "They took the damned locket."
"As in your dead mother's locket?"
"Yeah!" Damion kicked the chair over. "I hate this place!" The door burst open and three; armed men charged in pointed their guns at Damion and loaded. Damion froze and held up his hands. "Mr Bracken?" an Englishman appeared and clasped his hands in front of his stomach. "Pleasure."
"I'm sure," Damion frowned and then nodded at Liam. He burst forwards, grabbed the gun and punched the man owning it while Liam slammed a kick into his chest. Liam headed to the balcony as they started firing. "Damion, get yer arse outta here!" Liam grabbed the washing line and swung down from the balcony, Damion shortly appeared after he just jumped two floors. The bullet hit the plant pot beside Liam's head and they dived behind a fountain in the square. "Why the hell do ye have people firin' at ye?" "I dunno," Damion yelled back. "I haven't done anything.recently." Liam rolled his eyes as they sheltered their heads as they ran into a nearby café.
Damion sat back in the seat and smiled at the waitress as she arrived with the two coffees. "Gracias."
She smiled seductively at him and walked off, Liam watched in utter awe. "What do ye do?"
"What do I do.what?" Damion frowned after his gaze moved from the sexy waitress. "How do ye get women to fall at yer feet?" Liam grinned. "Ye are who mother's warn their daughters about. Ye are why father's are protective over their daughters, scared they'll get pregnant." Damion laughed slightly and looked up again, a look of disbelief on his face. "Man, stop it, you're flattering me." "I mean it," Liam sighed and poured some whiskey into his coffee from the hip flask inside his jacket. "Nerds back in the States worship ye."
"Compliment," Damion assured himself. "So, any idea who those guys were?" Liam asked. "The guys shooting at ye?" "No idea," Damion leaned back and the waitress caught his eye again as she bent over to pick up a fallen spoon, Damion angled his head and got a full view up her skirt. "Hel-lo." "Damion," Liam sighed. "Hey, Bracken!" "Yep," Damion snapped his head round as she turned round to look at him. "Uh, yes.I agree with you about.apples."
Liam smiled and whispered. "Apples? Couldn't come up with anything better?" Damion quickly glanced back at her as she walked towards their table, a tray covering her low cut top that showed cleavage. She put the tray on the table and collected the empty mugs onto it, discreetly, she slipped a note of paper into Damion's hand as he passed her his mug, "Gracias," he grinned and nodded at her. "What is it?" Liam asked as Damion grinned back. "Ye got her phone number." Damion put his feet on the empty chair and put his hands behind his head. "Oh yeah."
Softly, Damion kissed her lips and smiled. "I had a great time."
"Me too," the Spanish waitress, Maria, smiled and glanced round at her door. "Here we are."
"Yeah," Damion took his hands out of his pockets. "Nice door." She laughed and gazed into his eyes. Maria awkwardly leaned forwards and Damion kissed her again. "Call me." Damion stepped back. "I will." Maria closed the door behind her and Damion wandered down the cobblestone street, slightly staggering. He was completely oblivious of the figure stalking him from behind; his senses were relaxed and happy. That made the whole, grabbing from behind and getting dragged into a dark alleyway seem surprising. "Hellfire!" A hand clasped over his mouth from behind shoved his face against a wall, tightly pressing him there. Damion heard a soft breathing in his ear and with a twist of his wrist and a swing of his arm, he easily swapped positions with the person. "Who have we here?" He pulled off the black hat and a casement of brown hair blew into his face. Damion swung her around and smiled. "You're a woman." "Got a problem?" the distinguishable English woman snapped. Her golden eyes gleamed in his eyes; her peach lips were thin and sexy. She had on a long black coat and black clothes underneath, including a very tight black vest top. "Not at all." "Want to get off me?" she demanded smugly. "No, I'm quite comfortable," he insisted. "Why are you trying to ambush me?" She pursed her lips and looked away from him. "Fine, if that's the way you want it," Damion dragged her out to the road where some market stalls where still open. She looked around nervously as a black car began to drive up the hill. "Work with me here." She cupped Damion's cheek and pulled his mouth to hers, Damion's eyes didn't close as the shock was sinking in. "Why the hell did you just do that?" he demanded as she pulled away. "That was bad, that was." Damion trailed off and put a hand to her lips. "Amazing," she finished for him and he nodded mutely. "So, what is your name?" he finally asked. "Um, Raven King," she muttered. Damion smiled weakly and then burst. "Gonna tell me why you're following me?" Her face fell from its grave position and turned nervous. "I wanted to ask you out," she lied. "Join the queue," Damion smirked. "Don't try lying again, I'll know when you do." Raven looked away from him and tried to duck out of his arm fence. She pushed his arm away. "Don't bother me." "Why not?" he pondered following her down the street. "Scared you'll do something you'll regret?" "Like what?" she demanded turning on him. He raised his eyebrows. "I don't know, you tell me." Raven smirked. "Goodbye, Damion, and you don't know me if anyone asks." Damion froze and stared her in the eye warily. "I never told you my name." He stepped back from her as she scrunched her face up in frustration. "Who the hell are you?" "You can't know," she whispered in his ear. She moved her head back so they were centimetres apart. "Ever," she gripped his jaw and kissed him again. Damion was ready this time and returned it. Raven pulled away and disappeared. Damion stood puzzled.
"Damion, we've gotta move," Liam warned as he threw his bag over his shoulder. "The Group have suspicions when Logan Chase didn't turn up for his testing." "Why didn't he go?" Damion asked. "Cause he's on life-support," Liam snapped. "The Group still think he's the Demon Hunter, it was because his heart stopped beating for a split-second." "Great," Damion muttered. "Do they have any idea that there's a new Demon Hunter?" Liam paused. "Yeah, they're sending a rep to each country to look for him." "Damn," Damion slung his bag over his chest. "Where we goin next?" "To visit an old friend of mine," Liam grinned. "Do I have to drink loads and get drunk?" Damion asked. "No," Liam shook his head. "Ye get to meet a nice woman." Damion's face lightened and he opened the door. "After you."
Logan Ethan Chase lay on the bed; he couldn't move his legs or his arms. He wasn't sure if it was because his back was broken or that the blankets on the bed were too tight. That night he had lost everything, Shauna had left him for the second time, Ethan died instead of Logan. "Stupid bastard," Logan muttered through pale, thin lips. "Good morning, Mr Chase," the nurse bustled in. "How are we feeling this morning?" Logan turned his head the tiniest bit and opened his eyes; the darkness of the bandage over his eyes welcomed him. "Great," he muttered sarcastically. "Good, good," she pressed the cover tighter and Logan groaned. "Sorry, should I raise your bed?" "Yeah," he nodded slowly and carefully. He still had the feeling that if he moved his head too violently it would fall off. The pillows propped up and the back of the bed moved upright into a sitting position. Logan leaned back on the pillows and silently thanked God that the covers were looser. "You have visitors, shall I show them in?" the nurse asked politely. "Bearing in mind that you still need to be fed." Logan ignored her. Some visitors coming to see him, how.common. Nodding slowly again, he closed his eyes and fingered the bandage covering them warily. Hopefully he'll be able to see again soon. "Mr. Chase," the English voice of Carter, his old mentor, strung into his head. "I would like to say that it is a pleasure to see you alive, but in this condition.I'm unable to say that." Logan heard someone else, a woman in high heels, walk over to the bed. He turned his head away and scrunched his eyes up to experience a new sort of pain. He groaned and put a hand to the bandage again to give a soft pat to the area where his eyes were. "Logan?" a soft voice asked warily. It was his sister, Leah. Only serious things made her voice get soft and shy like it was now. "Can you speak?" It was a nasty thing to ignore his sister, but pretending to be deaf was a good thing while Carter was here, therefor he would lose his post as the Demon Hunter.brilliant. "Mr. Chase, it is vital that you talk," Carter insisted. "What do you want?" he spat. "Ah, progress," he muttered. "You missed a test, the Group feel that someone else has taken your post." "Yeah right," Logan drawled. "If I didn't have the healing thing then they said I would be dead." Leah sniffed deeply and Logan felt her sobbing. He reached over with his arm that wasn't on a drip and God knows what else, and held her hand. "I'm fine." "Logan, Ethan died," she whispered. "Do you know?" "Yes, I was there," Logan swallowed back a lump in his throat. "I nearly did too." "Shh, don't say things like that," she muttered and then risked the big subject. "Shauna told me everything."
"What does that bitch want?" Logan demanded his tone sour and harsher than he wanted it to be. "She wants you," she snapped. "Don't ever take advantage of that." "Like I care, Leah," Logan drawled and fell backwards, his head sinking into the fluffy pillows. "Listen, I'm just awake and I'm tired.come back later."
Damion pushed back the door and appeared in the dark room, his shirt ripped across his chest, the sleeve dangling freely. "Why didn't anyone warn me about the demon population in L.A.?" "Didn't think ye'd care," Liam grinned as he looked up from the magazine. "Find anything."
"He's in General Hospital," Damion muttered. "Anything to drink?" "Water, in the freezer," Faith appeared, fresh from a shower, towel wrapped around her chest. "Thank you," Damion threw open the yellowing crate and grabbed the first bottle of water he could get and took a deep swig from it. "When you actin?" Faith asked as Damion fell into a seat. He looked up at the blonde haired witch. a beauty. "Tonight," he answered after looking her up and down with a predatory pair of eyes. She looked down at him and smirked. "Sorry, no goes," she shook her head. "Why?" "You're the Demon Hunter," she pointed out. "Witch? What will they say when I go around showing off that I've slept with the Demon Hunter?" "You tell me," his gaze fell to her chest, Faith bent down and put a finger under his chin. "Sweetheart, when you're outta this business, give me a call," she kissed him swiftly and stalked back into her room. Damion groaned and Liam laughed out loud at him. "What?" "Ye just got turned down," he slapped the table. "Never before have I seen that happen to ye." "Shut your face," Damion snapped.
The door burst open and Liam screamed loudly, Damion pulled on his shirt quickly as Faith pulled the sheet around her naked body. "It's the Group," she hissed. "Get your ass outta here, get him and get outta L.A." Damion heard Liam getting thrown down onto the floor, the reload of guns and the calls of the troops. He leaned on the window frame and kissed Faith a last goodbye. "I'll get you back, I promise." "I know, sweetheart," she muttered and pushed his bare chest. "Go." The door blew off its hinges and Damion stared at the gunned men. "Get him!" Damion swung out of the window and looked back, to see three guys coming out after him. He dived forwards and grabbed the overhead bar; he swung round it and slid down the ladder. The bullet hit the puddle by his foot as Damion ran down the back alley. He swerved round a wall and caught his breath. "Double damn." Damion began to button up his shirt as he ducked behind a passing van and jogged across the road.
Logan heard the window slid open and a person fall inside his room. Warily he slid his feet around the side of the bed and took a deep breath. Time to begin to walk again. Logan pushed his bed and stood on his feet, no pain or anything came up his body as it had done three days ago. He grinned to himself and quickly dressed. He felt around for his jacket and grabbed it, swung it on and turned to face where he thought the window was. "Are you Logan Chase?" a Canadian male asked. "Who's askin?" Logan demanded. "Damion Bracken, I'm the new Demon Hunter," he quickly explained. "The Group are coming after us."
"'Us'?" Logan arched an eyebrow but the bandage hid it. "Yeah, 'us'," Damion repeated. "We need to go now. Get outta L.A. and find a safe house to lay low for a while."
Logan's knees buckled but Damion caught him. "Come on."
"Wait," Logan felt his way to the chest of drawers beside his bed and pulled open the drawer, pocketed the 'Hook Scythe' and felt around for Damion's arm again. "Come on."
It took a while to get Logan out the window again but when they had finally managed it, they headed towards the pier. No car and no money meant that there was no food and no transport to get them nineteen miles to the pier. To make it worse, a mile from the pier came a nice surprise. "Demon Hunter's got a friend," hissed the demons. Logan and Damion both answered. "So?"
"Interesting," it hissed again. "Seems the Group have messed up again." The footsteps and clicks of talons alerted both of the Demon Hunters. "Ambush," Logan muttered under his breath. "Two Demon Hunters are better than one," Damion offered and Logan nodded. "Good, I always like a decent fight," Logan grinned. "Any takers?" Being blind or being so-called paralysed didn't stop Logan kicking demonic ass. Damion ducked under Logan's kick and spun kicked the orange demon and sent it flying into the wall. "Good shot," Logan commented. "I'm beginning to wonder whether you have more than one set of eyes," Damion grunted as he ripped the demon's arm off. "Or you've been trained without eyes."
"I trained with a blindfold on," Logan explained quickly. "Now I know why it would come in handy." Damion grabbed a crowbar and smacked the demon in the face and tripped up another as he swung round. "Bye," Damion muttered and slid to a halt beside Logan. "Locals?" "Complain all the time," Logan sighed and grabbed Damion's arm. "We'd better keep going." They reached the pier and Damion realised he was bleeding, his forearm had a long, thin gash bleeding furiously. "Look at that."
"Was that a blind joke?" Logan growled. "No, sorry," Damion apologised quickly and sat down on the concrete. "Anywhere near here that is safe to sleep?"
"There's always the slums," Logan suggested. "Down by the Pizza Parlour." Damion scanned the area and smiled. "We'd have to be soaked and injured to go there. It can't get any."
"Don't say it," Logan snapped and then the rain fell. "I hate people who say that." "Guess the slums doesn't seem like a bad idea now," Damion sighed. "Come on."
Damion threw another packet of cannabis onto the fire and took a deep breath of the smoke. "Shit, man you gotta try this." Logan bent forwards and breathed deeply. "That is good shit." Damion let out a whoop of delight and fell backwards off the seat. "Woah!"
Logan burst out laughing at him. "What the hell are you doing?" Damion appeared again and looked around confused. "I dunno." Logan grinned and breathed more in. "So, Mr. Chase," Damion slurred as he stumbled back onto the seat. "Got any love interests?" Logan swayed on the spot and thought for a second. "Her name was Shauna, we were together for three years.three fucking years." "What happened?" Damion asked. "She broke up with me," Logan sighed. "Ethan died that night too."
"How did you meet her?" "My friend, Merton was killed, murdered. She was his step-sister from Brazil," Logan was finished, why on earth was he telling him this? "What 'bout you?" Damion hesitated slightly. "No one. It's kinda hard to get a decent girlfriend when so many girls are superstitious and my name happens to be Damion and my birthday is the 6th of June and you're born in 1986." "I wasn't gonna ask you about your name," Logan was sobering up as was Damion. "At least you weren't born in '66." "Well, my Mom was pregnant and the baby was due on the 6th of June, 1966 and my sister was born," Damion answered. "A whole two decades and I'm born." "Who's your father?" Logan asked curiously. "I don't know," Damion muttered. "Which makes the whole situation a hell of a lot worse." Logan chuckled. "The offspring of Satan is the Demon Hunter." "Yeah," he muttered. "Pretty ironic." "If I could see you I'd be able to tell if you were Satan's son," Logan sighed.
"How?"
"I've met the guy," Logan answered. "He kicked my ass, but I've met him."
"Neat," Damion smiled. "That's what you have to put up with?" "What?"
"Getting your ass kicked," Damion laughed.
"And you'll be in for it too."
Albert Carter gripped his umbrella as he tried not to swear at the disappearance of Logan Chase. "Damn that boy," he muttered under his breath as the Group forensic team began to search for any evidence to where he went. Carter stamped his foot impatiently and marched out of the room and to the nurse's bay. "How did this happen?" "We kept a close eye on him, sir," the woman insisted. "He was gone in a matter of minutes."
"Minutes that you should have been watching," Carter hissed. "This is certainly getting reported to Jenkins."
"No, sir, he'll get me killed," she pleaded. "If you can't keep a man like Chase in here then what can you handle?"
"Chase was different," she gritted her teeth. "He is the Demon Hunter, Carter, powerful man.his healing rate is higher than expected. Soon enough his eyes will have healed and he'll be away from America."
"Then we'll just have to find him, won't we," Carter gripped her cheeks in his hand. "Or else."
"Yes sir," she pulled her head away. "Right away." "Good," Carter smirked. "If anything else happens Raven, I'll be keeping an extra close eye on you." "What shall I do with Bracken?"
"Ah, Damion Bracken," Carter drawled. "He'll have a very different fate from Chase, bring him directly to me. He's in for a surprise." Raven anxiously looked around. "I'll get right on it."
"You'd better."
Liam groaned and turned round onto his back. He stared up at the white, plastic ceiling and cursed silently. "Faith, ye awake?" he whispered into the darkness. A female groan was heard. "Yeah, you okay?"
"Well everything is here," he answered quickly checking he had every visible body part. "Me too," she stood up and dusted her white tank top down. "Damion got away."
"I know," Liam muttered. "Let's just hope he got Chase and got him away from Carter."
There was a slight pause. "Liam, about Damion."
"I know," he cut her off. "It's happening."
"How do we stop it?" "We don't," Liam answered. "We leave Carter to try and stop him and then we'll see his father kick some Group ass." Faith scrunched up her jacket and sighed. "Why did you befriend him?"
Liam sat up abruptly and turned to face her, his face-hardened. "He saved me life. 2006 in Scotland I'd been in a spot of bother with a few men, Damion came flying in from nowhere and knocked them out just as they turned on me with knives." "So he had it when he was younger?" "Yeah, can never get rid of it," Liam confirmed. "When ye look at him ye'd never guess it's so discreet."
Liam blinked as the lights flicked on in the white room. "Here we go again."
Damion sat up and found Logan already up and walking about. "Hey, how are your eyes?" he asked. Logan turned round and Damion saw the bruised eyelids close painfully. "I took off the bandage." "Why?" Damion stood up and gripped his temples as the pain in his head kicked in. "So people don't stare at me," he answered.
"You wouldn't see them anyway," Damion smiled and Logan managed a smile too. "I feel them," he answered. Damion looked around them. "We'd better move. You got any friends who'd hide us for a while?" Logan smiled thoughtfully. "Follow me." "How do you know where to go?" Damion asked as Logan began to walk. He reached his side and Logan turned to face him. "I can see vaguely."
Slowly and painfully he open his eyes, the bruises and cuts around the eye had cause the eyes to go bloodshot. His iris was the same, a bright green colour. "Does it hurt?"
"Every time I blink," Logan answered. Damion felt the pity grow in his head and shook it off quickly. "I don't need your pity, Bracken," Logan muttered as he limped ahead.