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This is a new story so I would love to hear what you think. Here is a longer summary: Julian McCaffery is one of the best vampire hunters from one of the deadliest vampire hunting families. Hunting vampires is his past present and future. Generations before him were hunters and that is what he was destined to be. Everything is going just the way he planned. He gets to train his little brother to be a hunter and he gets to hunt with the girl of his dreams. Everything is perfect, but with an old grudge between the McCaffreys and a malicious vampire, tensions are high. Neither Julian, nor his family could have predicted what happened next.

. . .

Prologue:

Julian felt it in every bone in his body. He felt dirty. Disgusting. Revolting. He felt like a monster. "Do it." He fumed. His father didn't, couldn't respond. Julian yelled this time. "Do it!" He clenched his father's shoulders and saw fear in his father's eyes. It was one of the only times Julian saw fear in his father's eyes, but the fear wasn't over Julian's yelling, it was over what Julian was asking him to do. "Jules," His father sounded wounded.

Cupping his father's neck Julian tenderly pulled his father close and rested his forehead against his father's. Whispering now, tears streaming, Julian pleaded. "Kill me."

. . .

Chapter 1:

"Your turn," Jules sat crosses-legged on the floor as he assessed the cards in his hand.

While sticking his tongue out, Cody eagerly leaned forward and drew from the deck of cards. He gave an exasperated sigh of defeat. "Nothin'. Your turn," Cody nodded at Lexi who was sitting to his right. She gave a sly smile and drew from the deck. Picking a pair of cards from her hand, she placed two eight of hearts on the floor. Both Cody and Jules groaned in brotherly unison.

"How are you good so good at this game. There's no strategy to it; it's just luck." Jules threw his cards in the center of them, laughing slightly.

Lexi shrugged her shoulders, "I'm just a lucky person. Want more punch?" She grabbed Cody and Jules's cups and went over to the kitchen.

"I think she cheated," Jules whispered to Cody.

"I'm also extraordinarily good at hearing things," Lexi called from the kitchen. Cody burst out in childish laughter then.

Jules and Lexi opted out of hunting for the night to watch Cody, so they decided on playing cards for the night. Cody always hated when he was left behind, but he hadn't been trained yet, plus he was too young to do any real hunting.

Besides, tonight's hunt was easy. Jules's father and Lexi's parents were only after one imprudent vampire. Having five hunters go after one vampire seemed a little excessive.

Julian Lucas McCaffrey—as his father yells when he is angry—always felt protective over his little brother, so when his father asked for Jules to take care of Cody for the night, Jules didn't mind being left behind. And ever since their mother died two years ago Jules's father has been particularly apprehensive about protecting the two boys.

The night Julian's mother died was a night just like any other. Both families—the McCaffrey's and the Astaire's—had gone out hunting (except for Cody, for he was six at the time). They were after one of their long time enemies, a vampire who was extremely old and extremely bloodthirsty. Harrison Cross. One thing Harrison loved to do was kidnap humans and keep them in cages so his clan could feed and torture and kill. Jules and Lexi, both sixteen at the time, were sent to free the humans while the adults went after Harrison. The McCaffery's and Astaire's (Lexi's family) had been hunting this particular vampire for years before Lexi, Jules or Cody had been born, so the hatred between the two was high, making this hunt even more dangerous. At the end of the night, Jules and Lexi freed the imprisoned humans and Harrison was killed, but so was Jules's mother, Lucille.

There had been a stand off between Julian's father and Harrison. Harrison had Lucille in a headlock while Jules's father held Harrison at gunpoint. He fired the gun. All hunters knew not to take the risk since vampires had quicker reflexes, but John was desperate. Harrison's reaction was quicker than the bullet. One quick motion was all it took; her neck was snapped. Immediately after her death, Jules's father, John, attacked the wounded Harrison. In the end, Harrison was the one with the stake through his chest and John was the one without a wife.

However, even thought Harrison is dead his legacy lives on. He only turned one person, a ruthless man named Silas and ever since the death of his maker he has been looking for revenge. This fact makes Jules's father extra cautious around vampires. He couldn't lose another member of his family.

"Jules?" Cody called softly.

"Mmm?" Jules had lain down on his back with his hand resting on his chest; he was tired and it was late. The adults should be back by now, but Jules wasn't afraid something had happened. It's not that he was overly confident, it's that he would know if something was wrong. When his mother died he had not been there; he was still helping the humans escape, but he could feel it. He could feel it in every bone in his body. When she died a sort of thickness came in the air. It was hard to breathe. The same way the air changes before a storm; he knew something was wrong.

Jules didn't feel that now. That's how he knew they were all alive.

"What time did Dad say he was going to be home?" Cody's eyebrows pinched in concern.

Jules looked at his watch, "They're only an hour late. Sometimes it takes longer to catch the bad ones, remember?"

Cody crawled over and rested his head on Jules's chest. Any stranger wouldn't think the two of them were related based on their looks, Cody had dark blonde hair and brown eyes, like their mother, while Jules had dark brown hair and green eyes, like their father. But the two of them could not have been any more like brothers.

"I wish I could be out there with them. I wish you and Lexi didn't have to say behind because of me." Cody mumbled.

"You know why you can't go out yet." As Jules spoke, Cody could feel the vibrations on his ear.

Cody sat up now. "Then train me. You started training when you were six. I'm eight! If I were trained, I could be out there soon helping you guys."

The same time Cody turned six, his mother died. The whole family was so shaken up by the whole ordeal that they put off training Cody. But that was two years ago, and Cody still needed to be trained to hunt vampires. Jules secretly thought his father was putting it off on purpose because he didn't want to put Cody's life at risk, but Jules never confronted his father about it.

"I want to be a good hunter like you, Jules." Cody said very quietly. It broke Jules's heart to hear him say that. Jules truly was good at hunting, probably the best. He was agile, strong, and fearless; a true master of his craft, but all of the McCaffrey's were. The McCaffrey family was known for being the best vampire hunters in the business.

Lexi's family, the Astaires, however, were extremely traditional. They killed every vampire. No excuses. It didn't matter if the vampire was trying to live an alternative lifestyle they were monsters and a threat to humanity. The vampire they were hunting tonight fit all their standards. The vampire killed three girls, and wasn't going to stop killing either.

Tonight's hunt was easy. One vampire. So what was taking so long?

One hour and twelve minutes after they said they would, the adults arrived. Blood was splattered on some of their clothing, but none of it (thankfully) seemed to be their own.

"That bastard knew we were coming," John mumbled as he threw his duffle of weapons on the tile in the entryway. Both Cody and Jules got up and the sound of their father's voice. Cody hugged him and John cupped his son's head.

"Did he have backup?" Jules asked and put his hands in his jean pockets.

"No, but he was ready for the fight." John seemed like he was still frustrated.

"But we got him. That's all that matters." Lexi's father spoke now. Hank Astaire and John McCaffrey had been hunting together their entire lives and were practically as close as brothers. "The monster is dead." Hank said finally.

"Good," Lexi said, smiling and hugging her mother.

"Maybe next time you can have more help." Jules hinted at training Cody by smiling at him. Cody was still too young to actually join the hunt, but he could start training and this was Jules's attempt to ask his father permission.

Cody's grin stretched from ear to ear as he looked up at his father. John sighed and said "Maybe." Tired, their father went into the basement to get cleaned up and put away his weapons. This happened sometimes after a hunt. John would isolate himself. Sometimes during the hunt there was moment that would take him back to the night that Lucille died.

"I guess we will see you later," Lexi said, knowing that they should leave.

"Yeah," Jules gave Lexi a hug and a quick kiss on her cheek before she and her parents left.

Before Jules could close the door completely, Cody beamed, "Did you hear that?! 'Maybe!' That's more than we've ever gotten before." He was nearly vibrating with excitement. Their father usually shrugged, mumbled or ignored them completely when they asked.

Jules smiled, "Well then you better get a good nights rest for your big day tomorrow."

Cody turned on his heels and began to run upstairs to his room. "I don't know if I'll even be able to sleep; I'm so excited!"

Jules could hear the door slam and he chuckled softly. If he was going to start training his little brother then he was going to need weapons, which is one reason why he headed downstairs, the other was to check on his father.

Most fathers took their children fishing, or boating, or camping, sometimes even hunting. When they did go hunting, it was for deer or other animals; Jules and his father hunted vampires. Jules grew up sharpening knives and learning exactly where the heart was so he could either stab the vamp or make it suffer. All of his years growing up were in this basement with his father.

"Hey," Jules said as he made his way down the cement steps. The basement of their house also doubled as a safe shelter, which is why it was made out of concrete laced with silver. Concrete keeps it strong and silver keeps the vampires away. On two of the wall were weapons hanging from hooks, below that were drawers full of silver bullets and silver arrows. In the back corner was a steel (silver enforced) cage where a vampire could be held for questioning and/or tortured. Julian's father was at the island table taking apart his gun and cleaning it. He looked up from it to look at his eldest son.

"Should I take the bow, or should I take the gun. He should learn how to shoot both, but I can't remember what's easier to learn first." Jules talked to himself, but also to his father. Technically John McCaffrey should be training Cody, but Jules offered to do it.

"Take the bow. It's harder to learn, but once he knows how to aim everything else will come easily." John paused for a moment. "Are you taking him out into the woods?" John had always been a good hunter. He would stalk the target, figure out its patterns and would strike, unsuspected. John was lethal to any vampire, but he had one exception, he would never kill an innocent, even if he or she were a vampire. It didn't happen often, but every once and a while they would run into a vampire that didn't kill humans. In that case they didn't deserve to die (which is where the McCaffreys and the Astaires disagreed). John lived by that code and so did Julian. In almost everyway, Jules and his father were the same hunter; it was just another thing that made the McCaffrey's so deadly.

"That was the plan. I was also thinking about taking him out around dusk so he can get used to using his night vision. He has a lot to catch up on."

"I know," John set down the gun's parts. "You really think he's ready for this?"

"He's been ready." Jules looked at his father's tired face and added, "It will be okay. I was taught from the best, remember?"

Jules's father nodded his head and smiled, "You two be careful, okay?"

"You know I would never let anything happen to Cody,"

"I know, just be careful."

"We will, dad." Jules grabbed the bag he packed of gear and slung it over his shoulder. "I always am."

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! I hope the little prologue got you wanting to read more and this first chapter was just to help you understand this world. The next chapter starts the action, but i nedd to make sure you all like this enough for me to continue.

REVIEW. PLEASE!