CHAPTER ONE
Darkness was freedom.
And she took a deep breath of it.
A new city- after the she had caused a storm in the last, she decided it was time to move on. She had every vampire, lamia or made, after her. And no, she wasn't scared of leeches. She would flick them off with her little finger, then smile at the pathetic expression on their faces as she stamped on their bloated bodies- she could almost hear the last, satisfying crunch.
But she was a sympathetic girl, really. But sympathizing with a leech? Cuddling up to a blood sucking earthworm? She didn't think so. Calm, collected, poised, if not cold- these very words defined who she was. Her every move was planned out, her path was clear as crystal.
She had heard the rumors which had so stirred up her world- no, their world.
The Soulmate Principal.
It declared that there was one person you were destined for, one person to go googly eyed at, one person who would be able to ruin you. And when you met that person, you would know. Personally, she thought of that absurd theory in the same way she thought about vampires.
And it must be said that she didn't think very highly of vampires.
But anyway, it seemed that recently, humans appeared to be getting Night World soulmates; the vampires in the Redfern family were especially prone to this- disease. She wrinkled her nose distastefully, in a manner that was not at all suited to her current position. Well, if she had a soulmate, and he was a vampire- she would kill him, she thought matter-of-factly.
So ironically, her mission was to find her soulmate.
But even if he wasn't a vampire, she would kill him. She was a hunter- and hunters couldn't afford to have burdens. Especially as death was practically behind her.
Hei fingered the hilt of her sword, a thin elegant piece of wood, short enough to be concealed at her waist, but sharp enough to pierce flesh, or rather, melt through it. If that flesh was viable to wood.
She snapped her sword from its sheath and spun, her body a graceful arch, long limbs in a practiced move not definable by eye. A black blur of sheer darkness.
And her sword sliced through flesh like a knife through butter.
And through this practiced, slightly monotonous action, she thought with a rather dark sense of humor- death, behind her. Well, the vampire wasn't really alive in the first place. If it weren't that they were so rosy cheeked and round tummied from human blood, they would be shriveling half woken zombies. But worse than zombies- they would be able to think. And choke in their own stench.
She sighed, yes, death was behind her.
But she never mentioned who did the killing.
Another wry smile as she brushed her sword on her pants, then slipped it back into its sheath with a leathery whisper.
Hei was Chinese for darkness.
But no one ever said darkness couldn't have a sense of humor.
She headed down the hill, her breath barely altered after her little "run-in".
First she had to find the local slayer clan.
The sky was streaked gold and orange with the fading sun, and her shadow stretched long behind her as she glanced up at the sign.
As she pushed open the door, two piercing blue eyes reflected her own amber ones.
She smiled.
Coldly.
The blue eyes narrowed as they took in the lithe figure, but the piercing gaze remained frozen at her waist.
"You-"
She didn't wait for the old woman to continue.
"The night is mine..."
"And yours to enjoy."
The old lady hobbled from behind the bench, her surprisingly strong hands gripping her wrist. Hei forced back the natural instinct to send whoever touched her flying to the other side of the room, and looked into crisp blue eyes. Slightly questioning.
"Are you-"
Hei cut in again. "I am a simple hunter. All I need is information. You tell me, and I'll do it."
The old woman, with a strange air of dignity, replied, "There isn't much here, and not much I can give you." Her clear eyes turned to the cabinet. "We don't give out missions that kill our members, especially new ones." She looked at her with emphasis.
Hei returned the grip on her wrist, deftly changing her hand into a position where she wielded the control.
She leaned in closer to those piercing blue eyes. "You are smart. You must know by now."
She paused as the blue eyes widened.
"You're-"
"I'm not afraid of the dark."
Hei let go, her hand dropping to her side. Shaking her head, the old woman hobbled back to the bench, and turned slowly to the cabinet. With trembling fingers, she pulled out a file.
"Are you sure?" her blue eyes wavered then refocused on the young girl in front of her.
"This file was left for me...was it not? I'm always sure." She spoke quietly, with cold authority.
The lady sighed, and half mumbled to herself, "Be safe."
And perhaps, as an afterthought, "We can't afford to lose any more."
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