Prologue
I stalked quietly in closer toward my victims, the New York downtown rain plit-plating at my feet. My companions were waiting for the signal that means death. I came closer to the bar where the prey sat waiting. I sighed, clearing my mind and focusing on the task at hand. I walked casually into the bar. The intoxicating, yet addicting, smell of booze… burning my nose, making it crinkle up to my eyes. My reddish black hair hiding my glowing auburn crimson eyes like a veil of darkness. My pale skin, almost as white as the moon made the moon's light hitting my face cause an eerie glow. I scanned the area. There, the target sighted. I sighed again, slouched my back, and plopped down into the barstool.
"A pint of absinthe," I commanded while waving the bartender down. The bartender slid over a pint of absinthe, a slotted spoon, a sugar cube, and some cold water. While ignoring the look of astonishment on the bartenders face, I put the sugar cube into the slotted spoon and poured cold water over it into the pint of absinthe. While taking a drink of the green fairy, I leaned my head onto my hand, while pushing the button on my communicator.
"Kal, you there?" I murmured huskily.
" Affirmative, Kaine." came Kallin's soft, yet deadly voice.
"Target sighted, back corner of the bar." I replied quietly as not to be heard by the humanoids in the bar at this moment.
"Well, I guess Rei can't come in then, huh?" she questioned teasingly, knowing that Rei could hear us.
"Hey!" come Rei's loud whining voice. I winced almost visibly at the high pitched tone that came unwelcome into my ears silent sanctuary.
"That is not fair!I want to go in!" she whined again. I decided to let Kal handle Rei so I wouldn't become inconspicuous by talking to myself.
" No. You are under-age, and I know you would try and sneak some booze," stated Kal in her motherly voice.
"But-" started Rei.
"Targets moving," I interrupted.
"I'm moving in; come around the back, and I will lead them to you," I commanded, yet informed them, softly.
"You got it," chorused Kal and Rei, readying their weapons. I stood up and started walking toward the lycanthropes. Their heads snapped in my direction. Picking up my scent, they rushed to the bar's back door. I chuckled as I heard a gunshot and ear splitting screams of pain. Leaving the bar, I got to the cruel outside world. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath of the wondrous, metallically smell of the blood. I looked at the lycan. I saw that Kal went a bit… trigger happy, on helping kill her own kind. Kal, my half-vampire-half-lycan friend, had shot the five male lycans in the genitals, the knee caps, hands, stomach, and blew off their ears with her silver-bullet-loaded gold pistols. Incredibly, I heard a child's cry. I paused, then hurried over to the one female lycan in the group. Kal had shown a bit of mercy on the female lycan and only shot her in the main artery; the female lycan looked at my eyes and flinched. Everyone does, since the red glow of my eyes show that I'm a part vampire, part demon. The female held out a crying, female lycan pup, from the looks of it only seven months old.
"Please, take her and let her live," The lycan female pleaded, knowing that she wouldn't be able to live, but hopeful her child could. I nodded immediately and took the young one from her.
She smiled at me and said, " Thank you, evil one… thank you." then her heart stopped, and she died smiling. I turned to my companions and stared at them. Kallin's hard life made her blue eyes look older then her body's twenty-five years. Her eyes clashed with her high black ponytail. Her skin was pale, with a freckle or two here and there. Then there was her duel gold pistols, which Kal was currently sliding into her black leather holders near her hips. I locked eyes with her, and looked at the baby, then her again. Kal nodded; she approved of the baby staying in my care and wouldn't mind having another lycan around. I looked at Rei, the youngest at age 20. Her black eyes that reminded me of charcoal flashed vibrantly with disgust toward the babe. Her mid-back brownish-red hair swished over her fair complexion with freckles dotted places on her face. She obviously disapproved of the pup not being killed. I sighed though my nose.
" I have decided to keep and raise the child," I calmly stated looking at my friends dead in the eyes.
'What!" shouted Rei so loud that I thought that all of New York could have heard her. "No way! how can you keep that thing!" she blurted at me, somewhat stuttering.
" Calm down, Rei," Kal said impatiently, "It's not your decision to make, whether or not Kaine keeps that child or not."
Rei huffed indignantly. "Well, it's also not her decision to make either, it's the council's!" Rei said in a stuck up way. Rei admired Kal so much she often forgot her heritage.
I stared at Rei. "Then lets go back, and I will ask them, but just so you know: I will be keeping this baby even if it means that I am kicked out of the clan," I stated.
Rei eyes got bigger, "Why in gods name would you risk getting kicked out of the clan!" Rei exclaimed.
"Shut up, Rei. it's Kaine's decision on what she wants to do with her life," scolded an agitated Kal. Rei glared at both Kal and I. I look down at the baby. The babe had brown wisps of hair capping her head with chocolate. Her eyes were looking straight into mine. The babes eyes were a bright emerald green that seemed to glow. I smiled lovingly at the child, already bonded with her. Rei, Kal, and I started the long trek back to the clan's current place of rest. Which happened to be a mansion. I personally refused to call it home. Home is where you are welcomed back warmly, a place where you feel safe. The clan, no matter where they were residing, is no where near a home. The walk back seemed like five minutes, since my mind was occupied by what I should name the girl.
"Finally! We are home!" Rei rejoiced while throwing her hands in the air. Kal and I rolled our eyes. Rei ran up to the coven's door and swung it open.
She paused, then called out to us "Hurry up, slow pokes!" Kal and I chuckled. Unable to resist Rei's enthusiasm, we started to walk faster. I held the babe securely in my arms. When Kal and I got up to Rei, I noticed the weird smell emanating form the house.
'Guys," I started. I guess they didn't hear me, since they walked in anyway without pausing. I slowly walked in, to notice that it was very dark and unusually still.
Rei shrieked. "I touched something slimy." I took out my lighter and lit a flare that I had in case of emergencies. I threw the flare into the middle of the room. The flare let of a dim red light. I could make out a pool of blood next to a hand. Next to the hand was half a face. The half we could see had its eyeballs ripped out and flesh torn. I noticed that it was Rei's brother. Rei started to freak out when she saw what was left of her brothers face. My face scrunched up in confusion. What had happened here? Then the flares light went out. I lit my lighter and held it out in front of me. I started to walk forward, scanning the room the best I could.
Something quickly ran out of the darkness and out the door. Rei and Kal ran after the mysterious person. I started to follow when the door suddenly slammed shut. I heard a rustling noise somewhere in the room. I panicking, look around. I heard a gun shot and some screaming outside the door. The lighter started to flicker. On, off, on, off the lighter flicked. The started walking again, then "flick" out went the light. I started trying to restart the lighter. After a minute I gave up. My lighter was dead. I held the girl closer to me so I didn't lose her. I walked slowly to where the light switch was supposed to be. I felt hot breathe hit my neck. I froze, started to turn, slowly. It felt as if I was moving at a millimeter at a time. I felt the breathing continue at my neck. The baby smiled and made a happy gurgle. Focusing her glowing eyes somewhere over my shoulder. I gulped and closed my eyes. Arms snaked their way around my waist. They felt oddly protective, but so startling I held the baby close to me. Then I took out my dagger, twirled around, and stabbed. Nothing. There was nothing but air. I gasped from shock. I groped around, feeling for the light switch. I grabbed something else. It was round and had a cord leading form the back to something else. I tried the lighter again. It worked! I held it near my other hand that was grasping the round object. My eyes widened, I gasped. So shocked to see that the eyeball led to Kile's head. Kile was a person I could consider a friend. I saw the light switch. I turned on the light and, looked around. Blood, guts, and chaos was all that I saw. The clan's blood was spilled, their organs hanging on chandeliers. The whole floor was soaked in blood. The smell of blood was overwhelming. I turned and let my stomach contents bubble up and come out to the outside world, burning my throat while it was at it. I ran to the door and tried to open it. Locked, I ran to the windows locked also. I heard foot steps. I panicked looking for something to hide under. Closer I heard the steps becoming. I couldn't find anything. I picked up a chair pushed the dead corpse off it. Went to the window and threw the chair out the window. CRASH! The sound of the chair hitting the glass. The foot steps quickened as if the owner was rushing to get to where I was. I wrapped the girl-child in my arms and ran, then jumped out the broken window. I fell and rolled on the grass making sure the babe was safe. I ran about ten meters. I looked back and saw a silhouette of someone at the broken window. I looked to the door, but only saw signs of struggling that led onto the grass. Kal and Rei were no where to be seen. I sprinted down the street and into town, but not bouncing the baby too much. I hid in a deserted allyway. I slid down to sit on my butt. I looked down at the attentive baby that was staring up at me.
"Melanthe," I whispered, "Black rose. That is your name young one." then I walked off into a society that Melanthe and I would be shunned and hated because she was a lycan and I was her surrogate vampire demon mother. She started to cry. I started to sing a song for Melanthe. I smiled as she fell asleep. My future looked dim, but two things I knew for sure: I was going to keep and raise Melanthe, and find my friends, even if It cost me my life.