Chapter one – The Assistant.
Stefan's POV.
The Morning sun dawned just below the crescent of mountains, I could taste the heat at the back of my mouth, and my skin tingled with its impending presence.
Although we had lived a century without all of the typical 'labels' I still chose the night to un leash my bloody and violent hunting, there was something about a woman's skin as it bathed in the moonlight.
I could still taste the young red head; her blood held a sickly, sweetness... quite the satisfying end to my night.
Please don't get the wrong impression of me though, I don't feed to kill, I also don't play with my food... my parents had raised a son with impeccable table manners! Leaving a bloody trail of death would only draw unwanted attention to me, I had however learned a trick from my brother, and it was the only faction of our time together that he had actually proven his worth.
"Feel her heartbeat slow, the taste changes slightly brother, that change is her life slowly slipping away, can you taste it?" I had nodded, my teeth still impaled into the woman's neck, my eyes fixed upon my brother's face as I awaited his next instruction.
"Now slow the flow of blood... don't rush it! Contract your teeth as you feel the pressure lessen, that's it brother, like that"
I had proven to be the perfect student, before Damon and I had found each other again, my feeding had continued in a frenzy of thoughtless lust, my lust for blood.
Damon had tracked me down to LA, I had earned myself quite the reputation amongst those of my kind "The Hunter" they had called me.
My brother had trained me in the art of reserving my victims lives, however the one area he couldn't train me in was to take away that desire to drain them until all that was left was an empty shell, that was something I had to battle against every second of every day, it was who I really was.
I hadn't seen Damon for 5 years, our reunions only ever short lived, I worked better alone, I didn't have time for his self loving, vein, arrogance... but then, I didn't have time for anything lately.
I kicked the door shut behind me, I didn't know what to address this place as, it certainly wasn't a home, I'd lost that the day "He" had turned us, our loving and respected father, the man we had trusted, the man we looked up to and admired.
Shrugging off my worn leather jacket I walked over to one of the only pieces of furniture (apart from me bed) that my dank room housed, sweeping my fingers over the ornate necklace, it was all I had left of my mother, I'm not sure now why I felt the need to keep it, material things were never an importance to me, perhaps it was my anchor to my human nature, what little of it there was left.
I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the cracked mirror that stood upon the dresser, my hair seemed darker than normal, and I'd experimented with many styles over the years, The 80's era really not agreeing with me.
My skin looked healthy, my eyes deep pools of darkness, my jaw prominent and chiselled, catching my glance I titled my head, human blood certainly agreed with me.
I had attempted to deprive myself once, when our father had first turned Damon and I, the thought of sinking my teeth into a actual person disgusted me, and the powerful and uncontrollable hunger I had for that blood disgusted me even more.
The corner of my mouth turning into a smirk as I kicked off my boots and stretched out on the hard mattress that covered the single bed I occasionally slept on. I could still remember my first human victim, of course I'd had human blood in my first few weeks of human to vampire transition; however Damon had brought that to me, complete with a cup or glass, anything he could collect it in. I'd always known what it was, but I closed my eyes and imagined it was the one thing that I had continued to survive on for the following 3 years... animal blood.
I had turned against Damon 5 months into our 'new' lives, He grew increasingly possessive and controlling, trying to tame me as my hunger and thirst had gotten out of control, of course I couldn't survive on the blood of mere animals, it wasn't enough for me and my human nature had slipped further and further away with each day, until one day... I snapped.
Her name was Rachel, she resided with her brothers in the next town on from Mystic Falls, Her brothers – Calum and Daniel both worked as farm hands and left Rachel at home carrying out all of the normal chores a woman would back then, cleaning, washing, making sure a hot meal lay in wait upon the 'men's' return each evening.
Her hair cascaded down her back, wrapping about her waist as she moved, her complexion hypnotised me, her skin creamy and young, especially that tight area to the side of her neck, best of all... Rachel was untainted, her virginity still intact and that had only excited me even further.
It was so dark, my eyes only the sharper for it, I'd made sure that Calum and Daniel were still at the farm; they usually worked later on Thursdays.
Rachel had just finished bathing, I bid my time... almost teasing myself as I'd stood in the shadows, so far back so that she couldn't see me. I watched with a deep stirring as she had placed her foot on the edge of the bath, patting her skin dry... I waited, patiently... choosing my 'perfect' moment.
I felt a surge of satisfaction flow through me as I lay now, savouring my last victim whilst remembering my first ever.
Rachel didn't scream I'm not sure if it had been because she was paralyzed by fear or if she didn't want to risk making it more pleasurable for me.
My teeth slide into her skin like butter, the days of patience, watching and waiting, choosing the best moment to make my move had come down to this one moment and it had been worth the starvation I had forced myself through, it had been worth all of the pain.
I had made this a frequent thing, I become a 'hunter' choosing my prey, not just any victim would do, the feeding only became more intense if I forced myself to wait, if I stalked them, biding my time and it had become a way of life for me now.
I had always been a loaner, even the time I spent with my brother was trying, but then that was Damon, it took a certain type of person to withstand his overbearing personality.
He had always been this way, even before we had turned, Damon always had to be the centre of attention, a spoiled and selfish brat, and this had only increased over time.
I unbuttoned my shirt and took pleasure in the air as it hit against my stomach, I had been left feeling satisfied after tonight's hunting, Kelly had tasted just as glorious as I'd predicted she would, her vein had pumped wildly as I drained her, leaving her weak and disorientated as I left her.
I'd become quite the collector over the years, a piece of jewellery from each victim, my obsession with these trinkets had begun with Rachel, I'd always admired the opal locket that had hung around her neck, nestling between her breasts just as my hand had whilst I tasted her.
Bending my arm behind my head I propped myself up slightly, my eyes roaming over the shelf on the opposing wall to my bed, Rachel's necklace lay, the chain hanging over the edge, Kelly's emerald ring now a new addition to my collection.
Sighing lightly I closed my eyes and enjoyed my satisfaction, I felt no remorse for my actions, there was something empowering about it, the control and power I had, I felt like some kind of god.
The instant I closed my eyes, the room felt different and I knew I wasn't alone, opening my eyes I sat up slowly, my gaze ahead once more as I sighed.
"Hello brother"
The response came with an air of arrogance "that, brother... would make you correct" I smirked and turned towards my left, I first caught sight of his expensive looking 'Italian' leather shoes, followed by the equally expensive looking suit trousers, white dress shirt and the loose slim black tie.
"Going somewhere nice brother?"
He swung his arm around, taking a slug of whisky from the glass bottle clutched in his hand, flicking his head lightly to adjust a strand of jet black hair that had fallen over his eye.
It was at that moment I saw 'her', Swinging my legs off the bed as I stood slowly, my shirt open and slightly hanging from my shoulder, I could feel my mouth open slightly, my lips became dry and my eyes struggled to take in the vision before them.
Her silky hair cascading down over slender shoulders, warm tones of chestnut and auburn snaking through it, enchanting chocolaty warm eyes, framed by long lashes that swept across her structured cheeks with each blink.
My gaze then fell upon her lips, plump and juicy as she lifted the whisky bottle to them, I watched her tongue flick out and catch a trickle of the liquid as it threatened to fall from the corner of her mouth, her smile confident and teasing.
I could memorise the curves of her body, the little black dress she wore, clung to her in all the right places, her legs seemed to go on forever.
I took the bottle of whisky from Damon, swigging a mouthful back as I nodded towards her "so, Damon... who's your friend?"
He shot me a cocky grin and rested his arm over her shoulders, his fingers slipping beneath the straps of her dress "This here is Katherine, she's one of us, Brother... we're stopping with you for a while, I hope you've got the room!"