IX. HUNTED

Ever since I officially became Jade's mate I expected to be changed into a vampire, but here I was, still a human, waiting for Marcus and Mari to give us the okay. Jade was currently laying on my couch with her head in my lap and watching some random TV show that was on. My parents knew about Jade being my girlfriend, my mom saying that it was natural for a young woman to want to try something different, and they both just smiled as my dad gave Jade the 'I'm a cop' warning making me smile. Dating Jade was…different, not only because she was a vampire but also because she's a girl and I haven't ever been with a girl before the events that happened at her house.

"You okay Tori?" Jade asked looking up at me.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thinking," I replied smiling at her.

"Having second thoughts?"

I froze and looked down into her crimson red eyes that seemed to be looking straight into my soul and causing me to tremble slightly. However taking a closer look I could see that she was concerned about me and all I could do was smile at her in a hope that I could help her relax.

"No, it's just…weird," I said looking back at the TV, "I mean I've never dated a girl before and…"

"You don't know what to think about it do you?" Jade asked sitting up.

"Yeah pretty much."

Chuckling, Jade placed her hand on my cheek and kissed my forehead, then nose, then my left cheek, before kissing me on the lips and making me feel a tingling sensation in the pit of my stomach. This wasn't our first kiss, but it was our first lip to lip kiss that we had and I could feel my heart racing at a hundred miles per an hour as she broke the kiss and placed her forehead against mine.

"Don't worry Tori I promise I won' make you do anything that you feel uncomfortable with," She promised intertwining our fingers together.

I nodded and watched as she went back to laying down with her head in my lap and watching the television. We stayed like that for a good couple of hours when it started to get dark and she muttered something about homework and needing to head home. I felt my heart drop, which was weird for me, and nodded before walking out to her car with her. After a quick kiss on the cheek, Jade climbed into her car and drove off saying that she would be by to pick me up tomorrow so we could go on our 'date' after school let out. Heading back inside I groaned when I saw that the trash was over flowing and knew that I need to take it out before my mom threw a fit about it. Pulling out the bag, I tied it up and headed outside again to put it up when I swore I heard something in the bushes that caught my attention. Now one of the things that Jade place as a rule when we started dating was that I never go outside after dark alone, unless it was to take out the trash and even then I did that as fast as I could. But I was always an overly curious person and I couldn't say that I didn't want to know what was in our back yard that probably shouldn't have been there.

"Hello is someone there?" I asked frowning.

'Yeah that's intelligent Vega, like they're going to answer you,' I thought as I started over towards the bush.

I was about three feet away when I was suddenly at blade point with a, would you believe it, a Blade Hunter that appeared to be my age. I couldn't tell who it was, one of the things about Blade Hunters they always wore mask, and I started backing away but he keep up with me and I soon found my back against the wall of my house. Looking around out of the corner of my eyes, I tried to find something, anything that I could use as a weapon but the man chuckled and shook his head at my obvious attempt.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you Miss. Vega, or should I call you a future demon spawn?" he asked the blade of his katana getting ever closer to my throat, "Besides I don't think your family would take to kindly to that."

"What do you mean? WHERE IS MY FAMILY?" I yelled, more out of anger then of fear.

"We knew that you wouldn't stay away from your precious little vampires after we gave you the message so we waited, and when we got the orders we kidnapped your parents and annoying older sister," he said with a laugh, "now pull out your phone, call you girlfriend, and tell her to get come back, say anything about me being here and I'll cut you down and then wait to kill her when she comes for revenge."

"You're sick you know that?" I said pulling out my cell, "Why are you even after them anyway what have they ever done to you?"

"Vampires are blood sucking demons that should not exist Miss. Vega, and now that you are with them…well you became a part of our hunt," he explained as I glared at him, "we, the Blade Hunters, have been hunting down and destroying vampires for centuries, for generations of families we have done it and will continue until your kind is wiped out."

"To bad I'm not a vampire then," I challenged clenching my fist.

"Oh we know, and we're going to kill you before they even have a chance to change you into one of them," he retorted, "too bad really you would have been a wonderful wife to someone more…deserving."

"Why don't you take off your mask and let me know who it is I'm about to rack," I said making him laugh coldly.

"Fine, I guess I can grant you one last request before I kill you," he said reaching up and taking off his mask.

My eyes widened as I saw none other than Beck Oliver standing there with a sick and twisted smile as my phone fell from my hands. Motioning with his katana, he ordered me to pick it up and call Jade or he would cut me down and call her himself to make sure she knew what he did. Picking up my phone I was about to dial her number when I saw a pair of crimson eyes up in the tree of our neighbor's yard and smiled knowing in a second who it was.

"You know Beck, I'm surprised I didn't think you would be stupid enough to join the Blade Hunters, what did they promise you hm?" I said in my attempt to distract him.

"As I said before Miss. Vega the Blade Hunters go back many generations in certain families, my father and mother were Blade Hunters, so when I was born they knew that I would follow them," He said tightening his grip.

"But you're not a Blade Hunter are you Beck, not yet anyway," I challenged making him sneer.

"No I'm not, this is my test to see if I'm worthy," he explained, "how did you know?"

"Because if you were you would have realized that my back up is here."

Taking that as her cue, Jade darted out of the tree and flung Beck into and through the fence between mine and the neighbor's yard making him groan and realized that his face was now cut up from the wood. Standing up he, grabbed his blade and was about to attack, but Jade was faster than him and kicked the sword out of his hands before kicking him in the chest and back into the tree. Beck was starting to struggle and it didn't help when Jade stomped on his arm, making a sickening snap sound ring through the air as blood splattered on the ground from his bone poking out from his skin.

"Just so you know Oliver, the second Tori became my mate I made it my mission to keep her safe from the Blade Hunters," Jade hissed glaring at him, "the second I walked out of her house I could smell you."

"Damn it I knew I forgot to but on my masking scent," He growled backing away, "but how did Tori know I wasn't a full Blade Hunter?"

"Because Marcus explained to me that a FULL Blade Hunter was able to sense when a vampire snuck up on them," I explained glaring at them, "now tell me where my parents are!"

"WHAT?" Jade yelled her eyes widening before she picked Beck up and slamming him into the fence, "What did you bastards do to her family?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Beck said with a laugh, "but I wouldn't be surprised if my friends were having some fun torturing them."

I felt tears in my eyes as Beck laughed loudly before Jade snapped his neck and he fell to the ground as a lifeless corpse. Jade was soon next to me and wrapped her arms around me while I cried my eyes out, trying to even get a remote idea about what they were doing to my parents. Jade seemed to sense my distress, because she kissed the top of my head and allowed me to cry into her chest while I calmed down a little bit.

"Come on let's head to the house and tell Marcus what going on," she whispered as I finally stopped crying.

"Jade I want to, no I NEED to be changed into a vampire," I whispered not looking up, "I want revenge for anything they're going to do to my family."