Chapter 1

Los Angeles, August 2, 2002

The sun shone an eerie red as it fell behind the horizon, painting the city of angels with blood for a few short moments before it was devoured by the blackness, and for the span of a heart beat it seemed that the blackness would keep its prize. Until a miracle happened, one by one they began to blaze, mimicking the starry sky, a million lights clicked on and the city of angels once again claimed its freedom from the blackness of the night. Well not the entire city, because at that moment the Nexus night club was still clothed in that blackness, but with the music blaring and a colored strobe periodically prancing across the dance floor no one seemed to really care. Especially, one Reshard Blackheart.

Actually Reshard did care, not that he was bothered by the dark, and in fact he loved it. Always had, and now after living primarily in it for eons he had developed a strange ease when standing as in the shadows. As he was at that moment, his attention focused on the dance floor, well actually a figure on the dance floor. A figure, that just happened to be a beautiful woman.

"Excuse me miss, but can I be so bold as to ask you to dance?" Reshard asked in what he hoped was a casual tone, as he finally reached woman after hustling across the dance floor.

The woman didn't reply though with anything more than a slight "hum" and began giving him a once over with her frozen baby blues, which gave Reshard the chance to do the same to her. After giving her that once over, Reshard gave himself a slight smile, secure his analysis of her was completely correct. She was beautiful. Raven black hair; soft features, dark exotic complexion, and the most entrancing blue eyes he had ever seen.

A woman he would never have talked to if it weren't for the circumstances. Not that he couldn't, because he was sure he could talk to another girl of her physical caliber, but he had never been attracted to a girls that were all beauty.

"How about we go to my place instead?" the woman said finally, apparently done taking his measure.

"Your place?" Reshard asked in spurious puzzlement.

"That was what I said wasn't it?"

With that said, the woman headed out of the club fire escape, followed shortly by Reshard. Both of course giving no heed to the howling siren that they had set off. Just like the other patrons of the Nexus.

After driving for a few short minutes Reshard pulled into the parking lot of an old apartment complex, just down the street from the Nexus. Parking the car, both he and his female companion started up the complex stairs, stopping at a door that with the number 221 crudely painted on it. Shuffling briefly through her purse the woman came up with a key which fit into and, opened the tattered semblance of a door before them. Immediately, Reshard was gagged with the smell of unwashed bodies, cigarette smoke, and another odor that was worse than the other two. The woman didn't seem to notice, and pulled him in by the black trench coat he wore.

"What a dump." Reshard mumbled under his breath as he looked around, spotting several old pizza boxes, discarded beer cans, the peeling paint of the shoddy walls, and last but not least several slumbering forms populating trash that was the remnant of a sofa. Still the woman didn't notice, or care. Reshard wasn't sure which, but bet on the latter, as she pulled him on until they stumbled through a shamble that had once been a kitchen and stopped in front of a door that looked a bit better than the rest of the house. Better, in that it was clean. This didn't matter after about three seconds, because that was how long it took the woman to draw back and slam a fist through the door, just beside the knob.

"Damn it get the hell out!" the woman roared, after jiggling the door knob open from the inside, through the hole she punched.

The recipients of this bad language did just that, a man and woman, both leaving their clothes where they had dropped out of them. Reshard couldn't help watching as they scurried away like frightened rats, but when he returned his gaze back to its original path he found himself looking in to burning baby blues.

Yes burning, because the frozen glare that had only moments ago resided in those eyes was gone, replaced by something Reshard couldn't describe as anything other than lust.

She grabbed him once again, but this time by his black vest rather than his trench coat, and lifted him with a single arm. For a moment Reshard thought about gasping, but didn't have the time as she slung him a good four feet, onto the only piece of furniture in the room. The bed was a big one, Old English styled, with four spire bed posts, large pillows, and a curtain around the whole thing. For a moment Reshard thought about getting up, but wasn't able as he tried. That was when he realized the woman was on his back, and he felt her delicate fingers sliding down his leather clad back. Then he felt more contact as she pressed her chest against him and kissed just behind his left ear.

"How's that?" she whispered seductively into his ear.

"Just great!" he replied.

Then he felt the kisses slowly move down his neck, until she stopped halfway and he heard the sound he had hoped he wouldn't, but knew he would. A small sound, one that remarkably mimicked a blade being drawn, the sound of fangs extending.

Suddenly the woman found herself launched airborne. Completely unprepared, she slammed face first into the ceiling. Landing with a hard thud, she was back on her feet in a millisecond, with all her attention focused on what had moments ago been her prey. Her prey however was now a bit different; the mild mannered twenty-something boy with dreaded hair, coffee n cream skin, and soulful brown eyes was gone. Replaced by a blazing doppelganger that had apparently left dreads, and soulful brown behind. Replacing them with black hair spikes, and twin spirals of oblivion.

"I guess the tips I got about man-eaters at the Nexus were legit." The new Reshard said, in a voice a few octaves lower than his other.

By this time the woman had dropped back into a fighting stance, her blue eyes a shade of deep crimson, and her fangs full extended.

"What are you? You smelled human." She hissed.

"Nope, haven't been human for a long long long time!" he growled, and gave her a slight smile, showing off his own set of fangs.

"You see I'm a Shadow. Reshard Blackheart at your service!"

That was when the woman's face when blank, at the mention of his name. They always did that.

"You can't be!"

"Why can't I?"

"Because you only hunt the demons and devils."

"Do I now? Because I thought I hunted all the scum that preyed on my friends."

The woman then stepped back as Reshard stepped forward, holding his clenched fist upward and gripping his forearm with his free hand. Then the pools of oblivion seemed to flicker for a moment, until the smallest point of light could be seen on the tip of his knuckle.

"Shadow Reaver!" he roared, and like a fire blazing to life the point of light exploded. Like a fire, it spread an energy that resembled it, only black. Then this black fire danced and writhed, until it took on a shape. The shape of a blade, broadsword to be exact.

"Shall we get started?" he asked pointing the energy blade at the vampire.