Chapter One

The Half-Vampire, Half-Werewolf Hybrid

The black SUV pulled up outside the backwater truck stop and biker bar within the state of Kentucky. The passenger door opened and a blonde haired woman in her early twenties stepped out. She glanced around and saw no one. They were all inside. This was both a good thing and a bad thing. She considered remaining in her car and waiting her prey out but she was in no mood to wait.

She turned and as she closed the passenger side door she walked towards the rear of the SUV. She opened the rear door and leaned inside the back of the SUV, which technically appeared empty until she opened a small hidden hatch. Inside the small hidden hole was a single switch and after she flicked the switch the rear of the SUV was no longer empty.

The carpeted floor rose slightly before it split in half and opened to reveal several hundred different types of weapons from several different countries. She held her chin as she considered her weapon of choice. She had no idea what she faced inside that bar so she had no idea what weapon to bring.

In the end she decided on a large hunting knife which she hid in the back of her jeans. She had no time to pull on the scabbard that held the hunting knife to her back. She quickly closed the hidden weapon's bay and adjusted her black leather jacket before pulling the rear door of the SUV shut.

Klaus gestured for another drink. Although he had succeeded in creating more hybrids he wasn't happy about the few werewolves he could find so he decided he needed a drink. The only problem was the fact this bar had a terrible selection of alcohol. Why did werewolves have to be so distant from large communities or cities?

Although Klaus hated where he currently was, that hadn't stop him from having a little fun with those surrounding him. Klaus compelled every member inside the bar to do everything he said but they still remained afraid and confused which brought a cruel smile to Klaus' face every time he had them do anything.

It was highly entertaining watching the bikers that had gathered play pool against their will and it was more entertaining watching a few of their friends who were forced to keep ordering drinks when they clearly had had enough. The last thing Klaus expected was someone breaking his rules. Klaus had compelled two bikers to stand guard outside because the last thing he wanted was someone coming after him, although he was invincible. So it was a shock when the front doors to the bar opened to reveal a blonde haired woman he hadn't met.

Klaus stared at the woman as she stood in the doorway glancing around the room as if she was looking for someone in particular. Klaus honestly wasn't in the mood to fight someone, whoever they were, for whatever reason they had to hate them. So he gestured to the bikers he had forced to play pool.

They instantly stopped playing pool and crossed the room so they could tower over the blonde haired woman. They demanded her name and her reason for being there but she refused to speak until one of the bikers attempted to grab her. She quickly grabbed their outstretched arm and snapped it backwards into a position no arm should bend.

"How about you all get out of my way?" she asked.

A biker turned and glanced towards Klaus. Klaus considered killing this woman or allowing them to kill her but he didn't recognise her at all and considering she hadn't recognised him he knew she wasn't there for him. Klaus nodded and the bikers stepped back allowing the blonde haired woman in the black leather jacket to step past them towards the bar.

She ordered a beer although it was clear she despised the drink. She stood facing the bartender who stood waiting for another order from the clearly drunk bikers at the other end of the bar. Klaus quickly became curious about the woman standing only a few feet from him.

"So," he started. "What brings a beautiful woman like you here?" Klaus asked.

She scoffed and turned away from him. She faced the doors she had just entered through as if she was waiting for someone. There was only determination on her face. Whoever she was here to meet with was important for some unknown reason.

"So," he started again. "What brings a vampire like you here?" Klaus asked to her shock.

She appeared a little surprised he figured out she was a vampire but in all honesty she was more shocked that he would just say it so openly in front of so many people. But she was yet to realise he had compelled all of them not to speak.

"You must be brave to speak so freely," she muttered as she turned back to face the front doors.

"I have compelled everyone in this bar, aside from you," Klaus informed. "They are in no position to talk, sweetheart," he added to her dislike.

"Damn," she whispered. "Why?" she demanded as she faced him.

"Because I can," Klaus replied. "I am the most powerful being of all time and…"

She scoffed and rolled her eyes as she glanced back to the front doors. Klaus fell silent. He didn't understand why she would scoff at his true statement, until he realised that she probably didn't know who he was. Although Klaus had hundreds, maybe even thousands of enemies, there were still millions of people he hadn't met. She clearly had to be one of the few that had never heard of him, of the half-vampire, half-werewolf hybrid.

"I'm The Hybrid," Klaus informed. "An Original…"

"And that's supposed to mean something to me," she asked as she stared at him.

"Have you even heard of An Original?" Klaus asked wondering how much this vampire didn't know.

"I managed to live this long not knowing you and I'd rather keep it that way," she replied as she pushed herself off the bar.

The front doors opened and the woman quickly turned to face them. Another blonde entered the bar. This time it was a young man, possibly only twenty years old. The blonde woman sighed and walked towards the man where they met halfway between the bar and the front doors.

"Has he turned up yet?" the blonde man asked.

"Not yet," the woman replied. "Some creepy vampire claiming to be a hybrid of something is just pissing me off," she added.

"I'm not creepy," Klaus said as he appeared beside them. "And I am The Hybrid, not a hybrid," he added.

"Well, you're pissing me off," she replied. "I'm here to speak with a very important person and I don't need, or want you hanging around pissing me off," she added.

"Unfortunately for you I don't take orders from anyone," Klaus replied.

"Look," the blonde man said as he grabbed Klaus' shoulder. "She already told you to back off, so…" he started while the woman sighed in regret.

It was clear she regretted letting her friend step up like that, especially since he was only a human. Klaus knocked the man's hand from his shoulder and placed his own hand on the man's shoulder. Klaus stared into the blonde man's eyes and finally learned his name and the blonde woman's name.

"Jason," Klaus said. "You will return to your car and shut up," Klaus ordered. "Have I made that clear?" he asked.

"Yes," Jason replied before Klaus let him go.

Klaus watched as Jason turned and exited the bar. He turned to face the woman beside him as she ran her hand over her face.

"I do not see the point in keeping weak humans around, Alexandra," Klaus said.

Alexandra sighed and rolled her eyes before making her way back towards the bar and her beer.

"It's just Alex," she informed. "And he's my tattoo guy, he does my tattoos," she added before taking a swig from her beer.

"Tattoos," Klaus questioned as he sat down beside her as she stood.

"Ta-da," she said as she pulled up the right sleeve of her leather jacket.

Klaus noticed how Alex's wrist and forearm was covered in black tally marks. Klaus had no doubt that her entire right arm was covered in tally marks.

"An interesting way to keep count," Klaus commented.

"I used to write it down," Alex replied. "But I found that this was much more fulfilling and it scares the shit out of people," Alex added.

"If you intention is to scare people why do you have them covered tonight?" Klaus asked as Alex pulled her sleeve down.

"They are sort of a giveaway," she honestly replied. "I'm trying to find a guy and the tattoos are a huge giveaway," Alex informed. "I was concerned that someone here would recognise me and call him. The last thing I needed was someone telling him to keep away, but I guess that's not a problem anymore."

"Yes," Klaus agreed.

Suddenly the front doors opened again. This time they revealed a dark haired man, who appeared middle age with his thick stubble. Klaus watched as Alex turned to face the man and as soon as her eyes met his all hell broke loose.

Caleb quickly turned and ran from the biker bar. But Alex was quicker. She pushed herself off the bar and raced after her target. Once outside she paused for a moment and searched the area for Caleb. Alex spotted him running towards his dark green pick-up truck. Alex had been hunting this man for a month so this was her only chance.

Alex raced after Caleb and reached him as he reached for the door handle to the driver's side door of his pick-up. Alex pushed him up against the pick-up before quickly turning him to face her. Alex allowed her human façade to fade to reveal the very distinctive dark red eyes that belonged to a vampire.

Alex hissed in Caleb's face as he cowered from her. Whether it was her presence now or another reason Caleb was sweating more than the average man would, but Alex didn't care about that. She was only here for one reason. She was here for him.

"Where is he?" Alex demanded. "You will tell me," she yelled. "Tell me!" she added as she slammed him into his pick-up truck causing the entire truck to slide sideways.

"I will not," Caleb replied. "I knew you would be here," he added.

"I don't care!" Alex replied. "Tell me where he is. Tell me what happened!" she demanded.

"So I came here instead of locking myself up," Caleb continued.

Alex froze.

He came here instead of locking himself up, she thought. Alex suddenly turned and stared up into the night's sky. Sitting high in the sky was a beautiful, but incredibly dangerous full moon. Alex cursed before she turned back to Caleb. His eyes changed from blue to gold as he growled at her.

Alex quickly let him go before turning and running as fast as she could towards her own car. Alex knew her SUV wouldn't protect her from a werewolf but if she managed to trap the werewolf inside her SUV then she would be able to give herself a few minutes to escape with.

Alex hated werewolves and she was sick of being chased by them. If she survived she was going to kill her informant and if she got bit then she was still going to kill him. But Alex's determination to flee and her very distracted mind caused her to make a mistake, one that could prove deadly.

Alex tripped on the soft gravel beneath her feet as soon as she stepped off the compacted gravel. Alex quickly found she was face down but she quickly found herself on her back even faster. But Caleb had already transformed into a wolf and was racing towards her. Alex tried to rise to her feet but the wolf was faster. He lunged towards her but just because he was a werewolf didn't mean she was weak.

As the wolf lunged Alex punched upwards catching the wolf off-guard as her fist broke several ribs. Although werewolves had a fast healing ability the wolf was still stunned and winded. While the wolf winced in pain it tried to distant itself from her. Alex quickly rose to her feet and faced the wolf. Alex kicked the wolf as hard as she could.

The wolf flew across the gravel parking area and into the side of semi-truck trailer. It fell to the ground and remained there as Alex stalked towards it. But as Alex walked towards the downed wolf and the semi-truck trailer she noticed her own car. But something was different.

Standing and leaning against her car was the self-called Hybrid. He stood watching with his arms crossed. Alex was unimpressed that this man would just stand there and watch. Then again Alex was glad because she could take care of one werewolf, even if he was in wolf form.

Alex placed her foot on the wolf's neck as it remained on the ground in pain. Alex considered capturing the wolf and waiting for the full moon to pass but Caleb had made it clear he wouldn't tell her where he was. So keeping him alive was not worth the time Alex would spend trying to keep him contained.

Alex quickly reached down and picked up the wounded wolf by the back of its neck. As Alex pulled her hunting knife from her jeans the wolf attempted to bite her but she kept it faced away from her up until she sliced its head from its neck.

The wolf's body fell to the ground before slowly transforming back into a human body. Alex was left holding Caleb's human head for a few moments before she heard clapping in the form of applause. Alex dropped Caleb's head and turned to face her SUV and The Hybrid.

"I thought you weren't going to win for a second," The Hybrid said as she started to walk towards him.

Jason sat in the driver's seat in a frozen state. Alex mentally sighed at that because this meant she would have to somehow explain all this to him later. Alex quickly shook her head and let her mind turn back to The Hybrid, which had watched her fight a werewolf that could have easily killed her.

"So I assume this means you get another tally mark," The Hybrid pointed out.

"Would you like to make it two?" Alex asked as she pointed her hunting knife towards him.

"You can't kill me," The Hybrid replied.

"I've heard that before," Alex replied before she threw her hunting knife at him.

The Hybrid easily caught the knife but that was the point. While he was distracted by the knife Alex quickly closed the gap between them and punched him in the face causing him to drop her hunting knife. Before he had a chance to return the punch she grabbed him and threw him away from her SUV.

Alex retrieved her hunting knife and turned to face The Hybrid as he lied on the ground waiting for her. Alex wasn't thinking clearly in that moment because she was still pissed off Caleb tried to kill her and that she would have to kill her informant for sending her on all these goose chases.

Alex crotched above The Hybrid and placed the tip of her hunting knife to his throat while her hand hovered above his chest and heart.

"Don't make me kill you," Alex said as her human façade fell again.

Alex felt her fangs grew in length piercing her gums, which only reminded her that she hadn't fed in a few days. Alex growled and waited for The Hybrid's answer. Although it would have been easier to kill him, Alex was sort of in the mood where she didn't know what she wanted to do. Alex had been searching for one person her entire vampire life and now she was nowhere. She needed him.

"Have your eyes always been that colour?" The Hybrid asked distracting Alex from her current task.

"What colour?" Alex slowly asked unsure where he was going with this.

Alex's human eyes had always been a mixture of grey and blue, sometimes they changed from a light grey-blue to a dark grey-blue but nothing noticeable to a stranger. Alex was left in a confused state and in that state she removed the hunting knife from his throat, although her hand was still position above his heart.

"This colour," he said before his human façade fell.

Alex watched as the whites of his human façade changed to the familiar dark red eyes of a vampire. But instead of his irises remaining the hazel colour they naturally were they changed into a golden colour. Alex had only ever seen this transformation once and she had never taken much notice.

Alex recalled the day she was forced to hunt a man through a mirror funhouse as she searched for answers about him. She remembered passing dozens of different mirrors as they changed her physical appearance but the only image she remembered from that day was her dark red and golden eyes as they reflected back at her.

"So what if my eyes are the same as yours," Alex said as she stood stepping away from The Hybrid.

"When were you turned?" The Hybrid demanded from the ground as he slowly sat up.

"Why should I tell you?" Alex asked as she crossed her arms.

"I could easily just kill you."

"You wouldn't dare," Alex replied. "I know enough about getting information out of people and you can't get information out of people if they are dead," Alex added before she turned away from him.

Alex returned to her SUV. She opened a backseat door and tossed her hunting knife onto the floor before climbing inside the SUV. But before she could close the door The Hybrid appeared and held the door open.

"Who are you looking for?" he asked.

Alex sighed and glanced over at the semi-truck trailer where she had killed Caleb. Alex didn't want to tell this man who she was looking for but if he knew her name than maybe telling him who she was looking for could work out in her favour. If he was so cocky to think that she couldn't kill him then maybe he had powerful contacts. Contacts Alex decided to exploit.

"My brother," Alex replied as she turned to face him. "William Collins."

"I am to guess that your brother is a werewolf?" he asked as he glanced towards Caleb's body.

"He was, the last time I saw him," Alex replied. "But he disappeared about eighty-three years ago…"

"Eighty-three…"

"I know he's dead by now, I just want to know what happened, where he died, where he went," Alex replied. "I need to know," she added as The Hybrid slowly nodded.

"Was your father a werewolf?" he asked.

"Yeah," Alex replied. "And his father and his father before him," she added.

"Very interesting," The Hybrid hummed.

"Look, I have places to be, people to kill…" Alex started.

"Well I should let you go then," he cut in. "I'm sure those people won't kill themselves," he added as he stepped away from her SUV.

"They will wish they did when I am through with them."

"I'll be seeing you around," The Hybrid replied.

"I hope not," Alex lied.

In truth she never wanted to meet him again but she was hoping he would contact her or something. She was hoping he would be able to find something about her brother since her informant would be dead soon and all her leads on her brother's last location or resting place would be lost.

Alex closed the door and leaned forward into the front seat. She quickly compelled Jason to drive and leave the backwater bar behind. Jason did what she asked without complaint. Although Alex could have turned Jason months ago she choose not to because she didn't want him to be around forever and if he remembered what she did to him on a daily basis he wouldn't want to stay.

Alex sat back and sighed. Although her informant was the only connection Alex had to her brother she was finished with him. She had spent the last decade taking orders from him and that had to end. Alex didn't take orders from anyone.

"Next stop: Charleston, West Virginia," Alex said both informing Jason and reminding herself of that city.