The stories of:

Raven Blake

Vampire hunter

I opened my eyes to see nothing staring back at me. What I wouldn't give to see my face in the mirror again. I can barley remember what I look like. I want to see my flowing black hair and soft pale skin nearly ghost white against my black hair. To see my crystal blue eyes shine as I tried on a new outfit. How it looked when I twirled in a dress. That was over I could never see my face again. I belonged to the night. I could go out in daylight like any other vampire, but why would I want to see what I'm missing? To see girlfriends hugging their boyfriends and going into movies, it was too much to bear. Knowing I could never have that kind of a relationship made my heart ache with constant pain. I remember very little about my past. It plays in my head like a foggy dream. I have lived six hundred years and every one of them I have had remembered only one thing. I will kill Jeremy no matter what the cost. He had made me this way, had forced me to become an immortal monster. I had loved him once, had trusted him. I thought he had planned to ask me to marry him that night he changed me. That night was the only vivid memory I can picture down to the last detail. From the flower covered bed to the candle lit dresser. I had made all of this to be romantic. To show Jeremy how much I loved him. He came and was surprised when he entered the room. I was so happy then, so happy to have found my love. I shook my head to rid my thoughts. No point in bring up the past now. I walked from the bathroom into the shabby hotel room I had rented. How much things have advanced, from horses to cars, birds to telephones, and letters to e-mail. I sat on the bed and laid back. I couldn't sleep even if I tried to. My kind could never sleep, could never dream. Humans take dreaming for granted. To be able to escape from reality was euphoria in it self. Not having to deal with every day problems. I never really had a taste for T.V. I had been there during all the hard times. I knew things that no one knew, and that put me and anyone I knew in trouble. I and my clan are among the oldest and strongest vampire's alive. Well sort of alive. The stronger we get the less curtain things hurt us. First crosses have no effect on any vampire. I have one around my neck. Second holy water only burns a newly turned vampire and can only reverse the effects of being bitten. Third stakes do hurt and if you have only been alive for one or two hundred years it will kill you. For me it would just hurt like hell. Forth garlic has no affect just a bad smell. Most of the things humans hear about vampires now is that they suck blood and aren't real. I don't see how they could have misplaced the knowledge that we do indeed exist. Humans are forgetful and arrogant is the only answer I can come up with. How can you forget about human killing monsters that lurk around every corner? We chose to hide ourselves. Humans started killing off too many Vampires so we went into hiding. Not just hiding but deep hiding. We All went to America. I was easy to live there. People only just started arriving. Picking off a few humans a week was nothing compared to the way we starved back in England. The humans merely thought the native's got them. Our people and the natives have reached an agreement not to bother each other. I'm putting it nicely, the way they said it was we better or they will tell everyone. Not that they would believe them but that would require a police investigation and searches I really don't want to go through. Every now and then I get word from a young Indian girl I raised named Nadala. Me raising orphan Indian children is the only reason the Indian's trust me. They have come to me for help many times before. I am the only Vampire they will turn to for help. They told many others that they would rather die than except help from a vampire. I am the first and a Tribe friend. I have raised twenty daughters since I have been here. Twenty native girls I have found with their mothers dead. It pains me to see such a sight. Nadala is the youngest. Twenty-three she is now. Twenty three years and they seem like nothing to me. Nothing put a moment of time. I found her walking through the reservation one morning. Some idiots that I later tracked down and killed had murdered a middle-age woman. Nadala's mother. They must have forgotten about the baby or just didn't care. I walked into the house and saw her mother lying on the floor eyes wide with fear. She wasn't dead yet. I have long since controlled my urge for human blood. She reached a hand up to me. I took it and watched her die. The last thing she said was 'take care of my baby'. She knew me as well as the rest of the tribe. So now I have at least three or four people every hundred years to call me mother. I lost the ability to have children when Jeremy turned me. Now there are more people in America than you can count. It's harder now to find a good host and not kill it. It's funny the way we talk about humans. We talk about humans like humans talk about cattle. I have a few human friends. Though I barley see them I write letters from where ever I am. Humans think that this country is so fabulous. America is only fun for the first two-hundred years. By then you have done everything there is to do. Sometimes I go to school. Not vamp school or anything just school. I register myself and I go to school. I plan on doing that again soon. Maybe sometime in the next month, I have to find a school district that I'm not already registered at. I don't know. Being around people is fun. I still haven't found my soul mate and I have completely given up after six hundred years. I go to school for two years then search for five. It's a crappy cycle but there's nothing to do besides see how stupid the humans have become. Read their thoughts as they say different things than they are thinking. I look seventeen on the outside. If someone looked into my eyes and really looked they would give me away. Sure I could walk his or her mind and make them forget but I rather not it makes me so darn hungry after words. I sat up walked over to my over night bag. I pulled out an outfit I could hunt in. I am not even accepted by my own kind. They call me death. Nope no friends there. I do have one vampire who would love to help me at a price. The price was me. Zane would help me if I needed it. That is if I really needed it. At least I hoped he would. I know what you're saying. I am a very old vampire and should have no problem right? It's not like you read in story books kiddies. I risk my life to go after vampires. Not the ones that are killing a person or two on the street I mean the ones sending the vampires to kill in the streets. Masters. It's hard to swallow so I will give you a minute. I put on my short black shorts with my built in knife sheath. My black no name tennis and a black tank top. I have a belt buckle with the word death in big capital letters. It was a gift from Nadala. I'm not big on theatrics so I put the belt back into the bag. So how do you kill a master vampire? My way cut him to pieces and let him burn. Other way rip out the heart and either cut or blow its head off. Not the cleanest way but it makes sure I don't have to watch my back for that particular vampire. Even though I'm one of the good guys I still get hunted by the select few who know we exist. I Walked to the door and realized I hadn't put socks on. I sigh and walk back over to the bed. You have to realize my normal walk is faster than most humans run. I quickly put socks on. I may be a vampire but having your feet hurt and chafe is still no good. I start walking back to the door and stopped mid stride. The hairs on the back of my neck down to the small of my back prickled as they stood at attention. Some on is after me. Even when I was human I had the gift to tell if someone or something was after me. I guess the gift carried on through death. I didn't question I knew. It's like that feeling you get when something suddenly clicks and the result is dangerous. Well that's me just amplify that by like twenty times and those are the kinds of feelings I get. My room was on the third floor. I usually ask for the ground but high up seemed nice. Damn! I wouldn't hurt myself from the jump but I would leave a nasty dent in the asphalt. My run is close to that of light, though not as fast. I hurried to the window, opened it and jumped. Thankfully no one was under me but a Mazda got its roof caved in. I hoped off the car and ran. It was still following me. I could climb down the sewer drains? Yea-right! I may be a living dead but I'm still a girl! I swerved and it swerved with me. I might as well not waste my energy trying to loose it. It might as well be able to last longer than me and be stronger, this way I have at least a chance to fight. I could stop on a dime. I stopped so suddenly the thing almost knocked me over instead I stepped to the side and I did a clothes line. He fell to the ground with a whine.

"God Raven do ya have to be so damn paranoid all the time?" Richard asked picking himself off the ground. He stood so fast if a human saw him it would have looked like magic. We don't always move fast but we do on occasion like when you're being chased by the one person you never want to see. Richard gave me a look of displeasure before continuing to brush himself off. I hide a smile. I didn't like the news he brought me but he was good for a laugh. Richard was the dream of any Greek sculptor. Right I forgot they were all dead and buried. His whole body would be great for sports illustrated but he has too many scars. Richard is a half breed. He is half vampire and half shape-shifter. We hung out for two hundred years him and I. Then Zane came and everything changed. Damn Zane I hate him and everything he stands for.

"Did Zane Send you?" I asked cutting through the pleasantries.

"What no hug? No 'How are you doing' bit. You really have lost your manners." He said in his crisp Australian accent.

"Just answer my question."

"Sure did. Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?"

"Do you always have to be a smart ass?"

"You know me I don't get serious until death is involved."

"Oh? And what do you think I am pippy long stockings?" They both shared a laugh.

"So you're still working for Zane huh?"

"Yup!" He said cheerily.

"Don't sound so happy you make it sound like a good thing."

"And how is it not?" I glared at him. He was perfectly aware of mine and Zane's……relationship. Hell he was the one who introduced us. I just remembered I hate him.

"Whoa girl! Peace, peace." He said throwing his arms up to show he was unarmed. Not that it mattered.

"What does he want from me?"

"You of course."

"Men always desire what they can not have."

"Too true."

"No really what does he want of me?"

"To give you a job."

"On who? It better not be an official because last time they caught me and I had to kill a lot of people. Besides I gave up on that. I'm hunting my own."

"Assuming it's an assignation huh?" He asked rising his right eye brow slightly.

"What else would it be?"

"An undercover job."

"A what?"

"We want you to go undercover and keep an eye on Luca Freeman. He is the 'son' of the Cerian." Her eyes widened. Cerian was the oldest 'living' vampire around. Nine-hundred years old.

"Wait, wait. You want me to go after and spy on Cerian's 'kid'?"

"Yea."

"Sorry but I think you lost it somewhere on that fall because that's completely suicidal.

"I know and that why we need you."

6