10. Enemies

Christopher's face recoiled from the hit, blood dripping from his nose.

Strange, I thought. I could have swore I had hit a little lower. Well, I didn't have the amazing accuracy that I had two weeks ago.

He looked at me with those brown eyes, warm chocolate eyes, but I didn't have time to get lost in them like I did last time. He hadn't changed since the last time I had seen him. He still towered over me and his blonde hair was still straight. He looked tanner and his face was red, but that was just from the smeared blood.

"Who are you?" he asked, bewildered. He spat blood on the ground and looked around. The people around us had frozen. Everyone seemed to have our attention. He grabbed my arm and towed me into the shadows. I tried to fight his grip, but he was stronger than me.

When Christopher looked down at me again he seemed to relax. Of course I didn't look dangerous. I had blue eyes and blonde hair that went along with little girls having tea parties. Good thing I wasn't one of those wimps.

No offense.

"Don't you know who I am?" I retorted. Shouldn't he know me? He had hunted me for months after all. Trying to get another vampire to die. How many had he actually be successful with? Certainly not me. I was still here wasn't I?

"What's going on?" Jason jogged over here, putting his arm around my waist protectively. I was alarmed by the way Christopher looked at him. I could see his fingers twitched and I could almost read his mind. He was thinking how many ways he could kill him.

"Christopher, down here!" I snapped my fingers in his face, bringing his eyes down to mine once again. He put his fingers through his hair, still glaring.

"You know him?" Jason asked, trying to get my attention.

"I thought I told you to stay over there."

Jason chuckled. "That was until I saw you punch him, Claire." he leaned down by my ear. "Nice hook by the way." his warm breath made my skin tickle.

Christopher was awake then when Jason said my name. "Claire as in Claire Emerson?" I looked back at him as he studied my face. I watched his count the features that he recognized and then the ones that he didn't.

I nodded.

"But you're human." he gasped, taking my hand, feeling my pulse. I jerked my hand back to my side.

"Yes I am."

"But you were a vampire the last time…" Christopher didn't finish.

"You hunted me?" I finished for him.

Jason was in silence, still trying to figure out what was going on. I pushed a piece of hair behind my ear and looked around.

"Wait. Hunted you?" Jason growled, pushing me behind him.

"Oh relax, vamp. I wouldn't touch a human. No matter how many times I have tried to kill her. You were the one that got away…besides that other blonde haired one. Cody is it?" he shrugged his shoulders

"He's a vampire hunter." I clarified. "You ever watch Buffy the vampire slayer? Well picture him as Buffy and then us and the much cooler vampires. Well you I guess, sort of."

Jason stilled seem confused, but he stiffened, ready to fight. I tried to push myself between them, but Jason wouldn't let me. I watched Christopher who also seemed ready to strike. He was always a snake. He had the fastest reflexes I had ever seen in a human. Maybe that's why he was so good at his job.

"Now before we end up on Jerry Springer," I said, trying to get between them again. This time I was able to slide past Jason and put my hand on each of their chests. It felt awkward to put it on Christopher's, but I had a job to do. "Jason is not a full vampire, Christopher. He's past human so you can't touch him either."

Christopher rolled his eyes, but he relaxed. He let out the gust of air he had been holding. Jason did the same, but he was much slower.

"He's human. How can he kill vampires?" Jason questioned, pulling my behind him. Man I wish he would stop moving me.

"Oh not just vampires. I kill werewolves and witches and all of that good stuff." Christopher sounded like he was talking about the comics on the newspaper.

"Wait a minute. Witches exist?"

"Oh yah. But not Harry Potter. Sorry to disappoint you."

I rolled my eyes. Of course the ones who were supposed to be enemies would end up talking about Harry Potter. Besides I was sure Harry existed. I mean we exist don't we? Maybe he just wasn't looking at the right place.

"He's real." I muttered, they ignored me, still talking about creatures that Jason hadn't realized was walking around with him.

"So back to the original question." Jason said, clearing his throat. "How did you manage to kill all of those creatures?"

"Well not with stakes or silver bullets if that's what you're asking." Christopher said. He paused and watched a girl walk down the sidewalk. When she turned to look at him I saw her hiss and walk faster.

Great. People were starting to know him.

"I have just had so much experience. My dad passed on his knowledge and I will to my son…or daughter. When I have one."

"Your married?" I blurted out.

Christopher looked at me again, seeming to forget I was here. "No I haven't. Don't sound so surprised." when he looked at me he seemed to get the look that said he wished I would marry him, but Jason saw it too.

"Mine." he snarled.

Christopher put his hands up in defeat. "You're a lucky man. Even as a vampire she was something else." he winked at me. "Nicest one I had ever met. She could have killed me many times, but for some reason she didn't." he shrugged his shoulders again. I was starting to wonder if it was a habit. "I think it was just my good looks." he said smoothly, ruining the moment.

"What did you do to Sam?" I asked, punching him in the arm again.

"Jeez, would you stop doing that?"

"What did you do to Sam?" I asked again.

"Who's Sam?" he asked, running his shoulder, trying to not show his real pain.

"The white wolf. I felt you there so don't try to lie to me." I narrowed my eyes at him. The grin was gone as he looked away quickly.

"It's complicated." he said quietly. He rubbed his hands together. I could see his starting to sweat.

"Then explain."

Yes I was being harsh, but he did something. I knew he did. He even said he hunted werewolves and stuff. But what did Sam do? But the more important question was how she got away form Cody.

"At first when I saw that Cody guy I started to hunt him. Then I saw him killing that wolf. I could hear it's-her screams. When he saw me he smiled, blood glinting off of his teeth and then he ran off.

"When I made it over to her I knew I couldn't save her. I saw how much pain she was in so I pulled out a stake. I shoved it in her heart and then she died. I didn't like watching her suffer." his voice got softer at the end.

"How cliché." I said, waving my arm.

"I always had a soft side for dogs. No offense." he added when he saw my face. He stepped back. How did everybody know was going to hit them? Maybe it was just the guys.

"Nice to know." Jason said, his voice hard. There was something in his voice. Something that made the hair on the back of my neck rise. It was a threat, it was something harsh.

I had thought the tension had ceased between both of them, but maybe it was biding its time, waiting to blow. Maybe it just never went away and now Jason was acting on it.

"At least I'm not some kind of freak or monster." Christopher said, picking up on Jason's words.

"At least I can kill you."

"I'd like to see you try." Christopher said, motioning for Jason to bring it on. Jason edged closer, putting his hands up. When he barred his teeth I could see them getting larger. Now he looked like a vampire in the movies.

"Besides I bet you did that to her. I mean I couldn't do that to her if I was with her. You probably didn't care."

Now Christopher had crossed the line. Not mine, but Jason's. I could almost see his eyes go wide and his nostrils flare as he took in a large breath.

"Don't say that, you worthless human!"

Christopher stiffened and leaned back on his right leg, ready to lunge. I don't think Jason understood the danger he was in. the only reason I was still alive when he hunted me was because of my gift and my age. I knew enough to avoid these kinds of humans.

"Bring it on, hybrid." and the words that poured out of Christopher's mouth wasn't a compliment.

"Go to hell, blondie." Jason hissed. Christopher almost laughed.

"I'll meet you there, mutt."

Jason threw the first punch, which Christopher avoided somehow. He ducked under his arm and twisted it, trying to break it. Jason kicked Christopher's side, sending him to the ground.

"Stop it!" I yelled. Both of them ignored me.

Jason put a hand on his throat and cut off Christopher's breathing. I could hear his strangled gasps for breath. I saw him trying to break Jason's grip, but as his attempts got weaker, his face got more red. His eyes started to bug out and water as his veins bulged.

That's when I felt it.

I could feel his death. Not his life. I could feel the death creeping up on him and dragging him to the ground. I could hear his heart beats stutter as he took in his last breaths. I heard his pulse slow and his tries getting more feeble. Again this sensation felt right. I wanted it to go away, but at the same time I wanted it to never stop. Talk about your own worst enemy. My own body was tearing my apart.

Then Jason let go. As Christopher began to breathe, the feeling of death went away. It slipped from my very finger tips as I said goodbye. I knew it would be back. I could feel it waiting for my own death, but it didn't frighten me. This was my life now, and I was going to die sooner or later.

I was hoping later.

"This isn't over." Christopher said, getting up slowly.

"If I ever see you again, I will kill you. Stay away from us." Jason took my arm and he wiped something off of my face. That was when I realized I was crying a bit. It hurt to see Jason as the predator. It seemed like he had changed so much. Was he still the same?

"You still have to tell me why you were acting weird." I told him, walking away, leaving Christopher in the shadows.

Well wasn't this day interesting?

But for some odd reason I knew this wasn't going to be the last time we saw him.

I wish I wasn't right about it either.