Chapter One
Nights like these made her wish she was home with a hot cup of cocoa and a nice book, maybe nestled by a fireplace somewhere but she wasn't so lucky. Tonight was like every other night in Atlantic City, she was stalking prey but not the kind that people usually hunt. No this was much more..
It all began ten years ago when she was just fifteen years old. She had a normal life, a normal family and she had assumed she would have a normal future but there were other plans in store for her..
This particular night began like all the others. Dinner had been finished and Natalie was helping her mother Victoria with the dishes as her brother Rex and her father Clint cheered loudly at the football game on TV.
"So, I was wondering" Natalie began as she dried a plate in her hand and her mother smirked at her..
"Wondering what?" she smiled softly..
"Well homecoming is next week and um" Natalie began nervously..
"Homecoming,hmmm?" her mom said with a raised eyebrow..
"And I know dad said no dating but" Natalie began. She hated that at her age her father still wouldn't let her date. All of her friends had been dating for years now and she couldn't even go out at night if boys would be around.."It wouldn't be a date and Brian even said he would meet you guys" Natalie finished quickly..
Victoria looked back at the dishes in the sink and sighed..
"I wouldn't even be out late mom" Natalie added nervously..
"let me talk to your father" Victoria began as Natalie's eyes got wide.."i cant guarantee anything but" she continued..
"Oh my god mom, thank you, thank you" Natalie said as she jumped up and down, then she grabbed her mom and hugged her tight as they both laughed..
"Now this looks like mischief in the making" her father smirked as he came into the room. He was a well respected man of the community; he had been in the running for mayor and things were looking to change drastically for them all. Not that they really didn't have a privileged life as it was but this would make it very different.
"Just two girls sharing a laugh" Victoria grinned..
"so whose winning dad" Natalie said quickly to change the subject and if anything could change the subject it would be sports. He smiled for a moment but before he could answer, the door bell rang.
"Hold that thought" he grinned as he walked out of the kitchen as Natalie and her mother giggled some more..
"I will talk to him" Victoria said again.."You know he's just a big softee under all that rough exterior" she smiled..
The sound of something loud hitting the floor made them both jump as they spun and looked at the doorway of the kitchen. Within seconds Rex was running inside, a look of pure fear on his face..
"Go into the cellar, now...hide" Victoria said quickly as she grabbed a large knife..Another loud crashing sound was heard and Natalie jumped this time as Rex began running to the cellar.."Go..and don't come out until I get you" Victoria said quickly as she rushed past Natalie..
"Mom..." Natalie said with a shaken voice but it was too late her mother was already out of the room.. A loud yell was heard, something unlike anything Natalie had ever heard and she stumbled back and ran to the cellar door. Her body shaking horribly as she got down the stairs..
"Nat what the hell is happening" Rex said as she ran towards him..
"I don't know, what did you see" Natalie said as a loud crash was heard above them..
"Come on, we need to hide" Rex said as he ran to the back of the cellar. There was a hidden door there that he use to use all the time when they played hide and seek as kids..It was big enough to just fit two bodies and they squeezed inside and closed the small door that was hidden against the wood panels..Rex's frantic breathing was freaking out Natalie more then she already was..
"Rex what did you see" Natalie said as the cellar door was being opened and she quickly put her hand over her own mouth as she looked at Rex. He was only thirteen years old but right now looking at him seemed like he was so much younger. He looked absolutely frightened and that was a rare sight..
The sound of footsteps coming down the stairs made them squeeze tighter against one another as shadows and voices could be heard but the words were inaudible. Natalie looked through the crack of the wood panel and her eyes got wide as she saw the outline of a very tall person, at least seven and a half feet tall but what really got her was the glowing red eyes..The other figure looked almost like a half man, half wolf. It was a terrifying sight.. She immediately closed her eyes tight and tried not to breath heavy but as the shadows got closer, her breathing escalated..
"Look at what we have here" a male voice was heard now, it was deep and sinister and then the door swung open as both her and Rex let out a scream that would wake the dead.."Oh don't be frightened children" the man with the glowing red eyes said with a sick smile on his face and then he was reaching his clawed hands inside and grabbing at Natalie as she screamed even louder but it was futile as he pulled her from the wall.
The sight of the wolf man standing beside him made her let out another scream as Rex was pulled out next as he cried hysterically. For a moment she thought they had to be dreaming, this couldn't be real because monsters weren't real and these definitely were monsters unlike anything she had ever heard of..
"MOM! DAD!" Natalie let out a scream as the red eyed man pulled her up and he got close to her.."Please don't..please don't" she begged through tears..
"Oh sweet child, I wont hurt you" he smiled revealing fanged like teeth.."it will only hurt for a second" he grinned as she let out a scream once more and then within seconds she was being tossed across the room and against some boxes. Rex followed as she quickly looked at him and saw that he had passed out from fear..
"Rex...Rex" she began to say and then she heard a loud growl, as she looked up she saw that more people were now in the cellar. There were two men, both dressed in some sort of Scottish clothing. It looked like a Halloween costume but a really life like one and they had swords that shined bright as they swung them at the red eyed man and the wolf man."Rex, please, wake up" she shook him hard as she kept her eyes on the fight that was happening right before her eyes. Rex didn't budge..
The sounds emanating from the cellar filled her head. There were roars and growling as well as yelling in another language from the men with the swords..She pulled Rex's limp body against hers as she trembled almost violently.
Suddenly a blinding white light filled the cellar and Natalie had to put her hands over her face to block her eyes...
"Son of a bitch!" a man's voice was heard..
"We almost had those bastards" another one said as Natalie opened her eyes now and then she quickly scrambled backwards, dragging Rex with her..The sound of a box falling made the men look over at them.."Hey were not going to hurt you" one of the men with long black hair said. He was much taller then the other man who stood at a large six and half feet tall at least.
"Are you hurt?" the man with the shoulder length brown hair said as he stepped closer to them and Natalie scooted back more..
"Don't, don't come any closer" her voice trembled..She had no idea what was happening and she honestly felt like she would vomit..
"Is he hurt?" the brown haired man said as he continued to come closer. His eyes were such a deep blue that they seemed almost to sparkle.."I can help him" he added..
"No, stay back" Natalie yelled out..
"Your freaking the poor girl out Jonathan" the black haired man said with a shake of his head.."Were not gonna hurt you OK, the bad guys are gone"
"Stay back" Natalie said as her back hit the wall.."Wheres my mom and dad" she said with a trembling voice.."MOM, DAD!" she yelled out..
Natalie was snapped from her thoughts as the sound of crunching leaves were heard in the distance and she straightened her back up against the large pine tree..She held a large dagger in her hand as she tried to focus her hearing on the thing coming closer to her but suddenly everything became quiet. The only sound she could hear was her slow breathing and then out of no where an arrow buzzed by her head, landing merely inches from her as she huffed..
"And your dead" a male voice was heard as Trevor came walking out from behind a bunch of tall bushes and then lights flooded the area she was in..
"Damn it!" she huffed angrily as she shook her head..She hated losing especially when it came down to this. It had been ten years since she had moved in with her Uncle Bo and she had learned how evil the world really was. He had an enormous home on an equally enormous property and they were all there for one reason and one reason alone. To fight the things that went bump in the night, the same things that had killed her parents.
"Your too distracted" Trevor said with a smug grin..
"All right that's a wrap, Natalie in my office please" her uncle said over a loud speaker as she shook her head..
She stormed across the large yard as Trevor came over.."Distractions like that will get you killed" he began..
"I wasn't distracted!" she snapped angrily at him as she huffed loudly.
"Oh come on Nat, I was just messing around" Trevor called out but she kept walking. He was right, she was distracted though she wouldn't admit it.
The entire week had her distracted, it was the anniversary of her parents death and the beginning of living in a world that she didn't belong to. It always seemed to creep up on her when she least expected it. She tried not to think of it for most of the year. She would keep herself busy but then it would come back like being hit by a mac truck. Her parents killers were still out there, still killing innocent people. She felt sick when she thought of it.
Entering the large home, she immediately headed down to her Uncle's office. She knew exactly what he was going to say and she dreaded it as she tried to think of a response. The sound of laughter was heard as she walked past the large living room where her brother Rex played video games with some of the other guys and she shook her head. She wished that she could relax like that, even if only for a moment.
As she got to the large wooden door that lead to Bo's office, he called out before she even knocked.."Come in Natalie"
She sighed heavily as she turned the knob slowly and then took a deep breath as she opened the door.. Her Uncle wasn't alone though as she tried not to act so surprised as John sat in a nearby chair. To say she felt uncomfortable would be an understatement. She had hoped that John would just go away after their last interaction, one that she wished she could forget herself..
Ever since that day that John had saved her and Rex there had been a tension in the air. It was partly because he was unbelievably gorgeous and well he had saved her life. It wasn't even until a few years later that she realized that she was completely infatuated with him though she never acted on it. John wasn't just your ordinary guy. He was nearly 300 years old and was part of an elite team of Immortals that had been protecting humans from the evils of the world. There were about ten of these immortals in the world. Each were assigned to different regions of the world. John and another man Steele, the long black haired man from her childhood were assigned here and worked closely with her uncle.
It had been a week since the incident between her and John. She still felt mortified about it, even as her mind drifted to it..
She had just got back after a long mission that took her a few states away. It had been a victorious mission too. Three demons were dead and could no longer reek havoc among the living. It was a damn good victory and so she decided to celebrate with a drink, which lead into a few more and then maybe one too many.
John barely seemed affected by anything that happened around them. He was always so professional and calm. It was one of the things that would cause Natalie to pick on him and he always took it in stride. It was how their friendship was. It was much easier to joke around with him then to admit what she knew was buried deep inside her. Maybe it was the alcohol in her on this particular night or maybe it was just because she had hidden it for so long that it was bound to come out eventually but she had finally given in to her urges.
John had been sipping on the same glass of scotch for hours as a bunch of them enjoyed the victory. "Are you planning on babying that all night?" Natalie said with a raised eyebrow as she walked over to him and he looked up at her.. Lately he had been seeming different, at least different to her, more distant then usual and it was messing with her.
"Oh so now your the alcohol police?" he smirked at her..
"Well this is a great night" she smiled..
"Indeed" he nodded his head..
"So then we should have a shot" she smiled and then wobbled some as he reached his hand out to steady her. Even just the innocent act of his hand touching her arm did all kinds of things to her body. Things that made her blush..
"It looks like you have have had enough, don't you think Natalie" he said in that authoritative tone that made her roll her eyes..
"So now who is being the alcohol police, hmmm?" she smirked.."I'm not even drunk, see" she said as she tried to balance on one leg and nearly fell but he grabbed her waist before she fell down.."OK maybe a little" she said quietly..His strong hand stayed on her waist as he stood up in front of her.
"Yeah maybe a little" he smiled softly and there was that look again. The one he had been giving her lately, the one that made her want to fall into his arms and give herself to him.
It was at that moment that she decided to go for it. To lean into him and kiss him but as she stared at him in those deep blue eyes of his and her mouth moved close to his, he stopped her. The hand on her waist got tighter as he moved her back some as her eyes got wide with shock.
"No, Natalie" he said as he shook his head..
"Why?" she said breathlessly and then moved in closer to him.."I know you want to"
"I cant" he said as he let go of her waist and backed up some.."You should sleep it off" he said as he walked past her and left her standing there completely mortified..
Over the next few days he literally avoided her and it pissed her off as much as it hurt. There was no denying that they shared a sexual chemistry. She knew she felt it and she could see it in his eyes when he would look at her. She just didn't get it.
Natalie completely ignored John's presence as she walked up to her Uncle's desk.."Let me first explain what happened" she began with agitation. She could feel John looking at her but she refused to look at him..
"I'm not calling you in because of the practice" Bo began seriously and it made a lump form in her throat.."Please have a seat" he said quickly and she did just that as she stared at him.. "John has gotten some Intel on Mitch" he began as Natalie's eyes got wide.
Mitch Lawrence was infamous for heading his own elite team of immortals but his purpose was very different than what they worked towards. Mitch had been rumored to be making an army, one that could mean the end to all life on earth. There was also a strong inkling that he may have been involved in the murder of her parents.
It wasn't until after her Uncle had come to her house the day of the brutal murders, that she had learned the truth about her parents. They too had been working against evil and they had become targets especially since her father was in running to be mayor. Natalie had wished that her parents had warned them or even given them just a small bit of information as to what was going on in the world but they had kept silent and Natalie just knew that their silence is what had gotten them killed. It was that day that she vowed to get her revenge, that she vowed to never let another child go through what she did.
"What's the Intel, we need to jump on this" Natalie said anxiously..
"Natalie before you jump into" John began as she shot him a nasty look and then looked at Bo..
"Whats the Intel" she said again..
Bo looked between the two of them and then spoke.."It looks as though he is holding some kind of party" he began..
"A party? That smug son of a bitch" she snapped loudly..
"OK before we get ahead of ourselves here, he is a dangerous man" John interjected as she looked at him now..
"I think I can take of myself, thank you very much" she said sarcastically and then looked back at her Uncle.."Where's this party at? We can get him when he is vulnerable"
"Listen like John said we cant get ahead of ourselves" Bo began as she rolled her eyes at him..
"We've been tracking him for months now, we need to do something" Natalie said quickly..
"And we will" Bo began as he looked at John.."We still need to get a conformation"
"Well then let's do this" Natalie said as she stood up and looked at her Uncle.."Come on what are we waiting for?"
"I didn't call you in here for your help Natalie" Bo said seriously as her eyes got wide..
"Wait, what?" she said in shock..
"What Bo is trying to say is that, we called you in here because you could very much be in danger" John began as Natalie looked at him now..
"Danger? What kind of bullshit is that?" Natalie said sarcastically and then she looked at Bo.."I'm in danger every time I leave the house" she nearly laughed bitterly..
"This is different" John said seriously.."Bo and I have agreed that you shouldn't go out until we can get more information on Mitch" he finished..
"Your joking right?" Natalie snapped at him.."Bo your not seriously considering this are you?" she said in utter shock as Bo just looked at her without saying a word.."I'm damn good out there, if this is because of before" she began angrily.
Now Bo stood and so did John.." This has to do with your safety and Rex's" Bo said quickly..
"Oh so your just gonna lock me up in the house!" she snapped angrily.."Your out of your mind!"
"Now Natalie" John began as she spun and looked at him..
"Go to hell John, I really don't care what you have to say" she snapped and then looked at her uncle.."You cant prevent me from going out there" she finished in a serious tone. Her blood pressure was raising at a dangerous rate.
"You and your brother are all the family I have left and I'm not about to purposely put you in harms way, so yes your not leaving for any missions and thats final" Bo said sternly and she was honestly shocked by his tone. He was always so playful and down to earth with her. It was one of the things that reminded her of what a real family should be like.
"I'm sorry Natalie, it has to be this way" John said softly and she refused to look at him. She was so pissed..
"I cant believe your doing this" she said towards her uncle. She knew that when he stood his ground then there was no making him change his way.
"There are plenty of things you can do here to occupy your time" Bo began..
"Really? Like what? Laundry, cleaning" she said sarcastically as she shook her head.."I'm suppose to be out there, fighting those things!"
"And you will, just not right now" Bo said softly.."If anything ever happened to you I wouldn't be able to forgive myself".
"And keeping me locked away is going to stop that from happening" Natalie could barely take anymore as she spun around and stormed to the door..
"it wont be forever just until we find out what he is up to" Bo called out but Natalie was leaving as she slammed the door behind her..
"Let me talk to her" John said as he looked at Bo and then headed to the door..
"I don't think that is a good idea" Bo continued but John kept walking to the door.
Natalie was halfway down the hall, she literally wanted to punch a hole into the wall and then she heard Johns voice and it literally was the icing on the cake.."Natalie wait" he called out..
She spun around, absolutely livid as she looked at him.."How dare you go behind my back and make up some outrageous rule with my Uncle!" she snapped..
"Natalie I don't think you understand the complexity of the situation at hand, Mitch is dangerous" John said seriously..
"Oh and all of a sudden I cant handle myself, screw you John" she snapped and spun around. He had thought about saying something else to her but then thought better of it. He would give her time to let it soak in and settle down. If there was one thing he knew about Natalie it was that there was no talking to her when she was pissed or upset.
He still remembered the first time he had laid eyes on her. It was the day that her parents were murdered. He had gotten the Intel too late and by the time he had arrived to her parents house, her father had already been killed and her mother was barely hanging on from blood loss.
He still remembered the scream that shook him from the inside out. It was Natalie's scream when the beasts had got to her. He had rushed towards the screams and thats when he had found that demon that almost tore her throat out. He had acted on instinct when he rushed against the large demon, causing Natalie to be jolted across the room. Steele had already jumped at the Lycan that had teamed up with the demon and then the fight was on.
He had swung his sword and caught the demon a few times across the face but it only seemed to piss the damn thing off and then without warning they were both gone in a flash of light. It wasn't until the fighting was over that he had heard the crying and saw Natalie scooting back with her brother in her arms. She had looked so fragile, so vulnerable. He just wanted to help her, to some how make all of this better..
"I'm not going to hurt you" he said to her softly even though he knew that the sight of him had her horrified not to mention everything she had just witnessed..
"Stay back" she yelled out to him as she scooted further until her back hit the wall.. She looked so terrified at what had just occurred. He knew at that moment that he would never allow her to feel that way again, not if he had anything to do with it.
John watched as she walked down the hall. He had vowed to keep her safe and like it or not he was going to do just that but there was just one thing that was eating away at him. He had grown to care for her over these last ten years but not in a way that one cares for a friend, no it was definitely something more but it could never be anything. John knew that after all these years. Getting involved with anyone meant putting them at risk because he was being hunted everyday, he had been since his very existence and he wasn't about to put that on her. She deserved so much better than what he had to offer.
