Prologue
A lone figure glides effortlessly through the streets of Moscow, seemingly oblivious to the blizzard enveloping the landscape around her. She is an unusual sight to the other poor souls who have had the misfortune to find themselves at the mercy of the cruel winter. The woman's coat blows violently in the biting wind of the Russian winter, her cobalt blue eyes sparkling in dimly lit urban landscape. This woman is Selene, once a leader of the Death Dealers, a Vampire, but now she was something else, an immortal like no other, a Vampire able to walk in sunlight. She was weary after years of traveling, following the Death of Viktor and Markus the Vampire world had undergone some changes, however Selene and her companion Michael were still being hunted. They were constantly on the move, always moving East, away from the influence of the Vampire Empire. The Russian Federation had proved to be a safe haven of sorts, its cities had far less of a Vampire presence than Europe or the United States. Selene was relieved when the apartment building she and Michael had been living in came into sight; she entered the huge Stalin era block and instinctively shook the snow from her clothes. She paused for a moment, something was wrong, she ran up the dingy flight of stairs towards her apartment. When she reached her floor she stopped suddenly, there were holes in the wall and claw marks on a couple of the doors, there had been a struggle here. "Michael?" she called out as she instinctively un-holstered her weapon. She walked cautiously to the open door of her apartment, hesitating before entering the eerily quiet apartment.
"Michael are you in here?" she asked sternly, something was definitely wrong, Michael never went anywhere without telling her first. "Shit" she mumbled, her suspense was heightened as she smelt something, a scent that she had not smelt for fourteen years. Then it hit her, a terrible realization as if she had been kicked in the gut her uneasy feeling was increased when she heard something, a series of footsteps in the other room accompanied by the tap, tap, tap of a walking cane. "No" she whispered as the bedroom door creaked open "It can't be you" she choked in disbelief.
"Hello Selene" A cold, refined English accent greeted her
She turned round with a start to see a tall well dressed man standing in the doorway, he looked like something out of a Gothic novel, dressed all black, wearing a tail coat. His skin was deathly pale, his jet black hair spiked slightly, and his emerald green eyes stared a hole straight through Selene's soul. He stood before her expressionless, offering her no insight into what he thinking. "Where's Michael?" she whimpered
"Oh he's with some friends of mine" he said coldly, as he advanced on Selene, tapping his walking cane along the decaying wooden floor boards.
"I killed you" she said in disbelief
"Yes you did" the man smiled "But did you really expect a little thing like death to stop me."
Selene watched as the man tightened his grip around the angel shaped handle of his walking cane "How?" she asked him
"That's a long story" he began rather unenthusiastically "I'll tell you on the way"
"On the way where?" asked a nervous Selene
"New York" he stated coldly "You're going to be working for me for a while"
"What if I refuse?" she challenged
"Then you'll never see Michael again" he taunted her
"Then I don't have a choice" she sighed in defeat "I'll come with you… Malachi"