Chapter 46

The day was stretching along, as I look down at my phone, checking the weather. It was supposed to be rainy later on. This would be perfect. We would be able to leave for the University early and have a chance to talk with Professor Fullerman longer.

The large suite Nick had booked held us all. Nick was in the other room on the phone with members of his clan, learning what had been going on since his hiatus from his social ladder.

Ki was sipping at a cup of blood, looking at an old dusty book in the kitchen. All the curtains were tightly closed and I wanted nothing more than to throw them open and feel the burn of the sun on my skin. But now more than ever I was hiding myself, my mind always on defensive mode. My phone rings, making me jump and I see its Jerry. Answering, 'How's it going?'

'Good, have some news and more locations for you.'

'Ok, what of the ones you have found, we have been to the French town of Eguisheim and it was empty. It looked like people just went up in smoke, no disturbances, some even had food set out for dinner.'

Jerry gives out a low whistle before responding, 'Scary stuff. Yeah, I've been looking into Mart and Kita. So here's the thing, the McClennan county sheriff's department went out and said everything looked normal, but it felt off to me. So I decided to snoop it out myself.'

'Jerry...' I say in exasperation, putting my head in my hand.

'No, no I'm still in Costa Rica, I did some google mapping.'

This makes me sigh in relief, and then I look at my phone in confusion. Putting it back to my ear I say, 'Uh, Jerry... google mapping?!'

'Yeah, yeah, you see every few years they refresh the map, since roads are constantly shifting. Anyhow, I did a google map search of Mart. Let me tell you, if anyone lived there, they don't live there anymore.'

I am stunned by this and look at Ki, who has now looking at me, red eyes sharp and focused. Nodding, I say, 'And what about Kita?'

'Well trying to understand the polices English ain't easy since they aren't fluent. So its taking more time. But let me go ahead and give you the other locations I have found.'

'Of course.'

He rapid fires off five more towns and one big city, one in Italy, Spain, Montana, India, and Canada. This was becoming more complex. Jerry was showing himself to be a competent little detective. After a few more minutes of discussion and me writing down the cities, Jerry says, 'Oh and FYI Beck is helping. She snuck in and found me researching Kita. Sorry Nina.'

I let out a haggard sigh and I ask in a monotone, 'What did you tell her?'

'Well... it was a really spur of the moment lie, but I told her that you are helping the FBI with large groups of missing people. Got to tell you, Beck isn't an idiot and I'm not a hundred percent sure she believes me. She isn't asking questions right now, however it won't be long.'

'I understand. Lay low, you've done enough for now. Let things cool down and I'll call you in a few weeks.'

'Sure thing.'

Hanging up, I start up the google search on my map, typing in Mart first before the other cities and towns Jerry mentioned. Ki comes up and asks, 'Who was that?'

'My PA...' I say and then look up before continuing, 'He is a human and knows about us.'

For a few inscrutable moments, Ki just stares down at me, as if he is computing and deciding what to do. Finally he shrugs, flops onto the couch opposite me, and says, 'Who cares, there are quite a few humans that know what we are.'

This stuns me for a moment as I stare at him. He was changing all of my preconceived ideas of what a Night Hunter was. Finally I ask tentatively, 'I would think that the Night Hunter that you are would judge me, throw me into prison, kill me maybe. After all I'm just a bitten clanless.'

He waves his hand as he replies, 'And I'm a third son of a clan that usually kills off weak undesirables like myself. Believe me Nina, what you did, telling your human PA, you had a reason to do so.So who am I to judge? Lower ranked Nighter Hunter do hunt bitten just to maintain the delicate balance we maintain in the world. But if a bitten C rank makes it past a certain age and integrates into the human world, we generally leave them be. Though I am amazed you have made it so long without joining a clan. We may be antisocial, narcissistic paychopaths, but even we realize the need for a society.'

This relaxed me a bit as I let my shoulders drop. Frowning I ask, 'So your a third son of a Pureblood clan?'

'Yup.'

Now I was really confused as I murmur, 'But isn't it second sons of the Pureblood Royals that become Night Hunters?'

Ki sits up straight, setting his cup on the coffee table, his once playful words more serious, 'In most cases that is true, but due to the fact I am an undesirable in my family, they decided to send me instead.'

'But isn't that breaking a rule of the vampire society?'

Ki shrugs as he explains, 'In most cases yes, but due to the low birth rate of most Purebloods, it was jointly decided by the Royals and Seekers to allow it. They believed that due to my nature and looks, as well as natural affinity to a calm calculated mind, it fit well.'

'You don't seem cold or calculating, then again I don't know you that well.'

Chuckling, he gives me a sardonic look and continues, 'When I was young I knew I had to prove my worth. You can see from my appearance why they didn't particularly care for me. So I learned to listen, trained hard, and calculated my way through almost twelve assassination attempts by my family by the time I was two hundred. By then they realized I had a mind to fear, mostly due to their failed attempts I think they feared retribution. But I'm really a gentle soul and prefer fun over calculation.'

'But you are a Night Hunter?'

'Yes.'

'Your job is to be pretty much be a police officer of the vampire world.'

'Yes.'

'I don't suspect you enjoy it all that much.'

He shrugs with a sigh and says, 'It could be worse. I enjoy the complexity of the puzzles I have to solve now and again, such as this one. But I also enjoy the quiet solitude of it, the endless research, and so on. Of course there are things I hate about it, no chance of a family of my own, the burden of having to kill some vampures who lack the civility to survive in this world, and so on.'

'That almost sounds like what a human would want.'

Ki sobers at this, looking towards the kitchen, before picking up his glass and saying, 'True.'

The copper smell of the blood made my stomach clinch in hunger, but atter the Purebloods fight between Nick and Igor my hunger couldn't be sated. I had drank a lot once Nick and I returned to the hotel and it worried me. Something was happening to me the longer I was with the vampire and I was terrified to know what it could be.

Looking down at my phone, I continue my search and sure enough it was as Jerry said. My eyes slowly wide as I navigate down the town's streets. Ki seemed to notice my surprise and comes over, looking over my shoulder with a low whistle, 'Well isn't that something.'

'What is?' Nick asks, comibg out of his room, the heavy scent of his pheremones making me a but dizzy.

I could imagine things hadn't gone well, as I reply, 'Jerry has done us a big favor, he has used modern technology to locate cities that have missing populations.'

Ki says in a much more professional voice thab a moment ago, 'Do you have the other names?'

'Yes,' I murmur, continuing my bavigation of the small towns streets and show Nick.

Handing Ki the list of names he says, 'Im going to call these into head quarters and have other teams join the hunt.'

'Ki?' I say quickly, just as he pulls out his phone.

He looks back at me with a puzzled look as I say softly, 'Only those you trust the most.'

For a moment he frowns, then he seems to understand and a half smile comes to face with a nod as he dials his head quarters.