Drawn to Darkness

 

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Chapter One

“Maggie!” a voice called from downstairs. “Phone!”

I skipped and then hopped into my sweat pants, shimming them up the full length of my legs, and over the jut of my hips. I swiftly tied the string into a tight, secure knot, before I ambled out of my bedroom and down the steps towards the only phone in the house.

My foot connected with the wood banister just as I was rounding the corner, and I stumbled forward holding my injured toe and hissing. Recovering, I ran and slid into place, picking the phone up from where it was laid down, and brought it to my ear.

“Yello.” I twirled the phone cord around my fingers and leaned up against the wall.

“Hey, Maggie,” my friend Amy greeted. “Can you hang out today?”

I glanced back towards my mom, who had already begun her usual prep for dinner and was humming a soft tune to herself.

“Hey mom!” I yelled, jerking towards her and twisting the cord around my torso in the process. “Amy wants to hang out. Can I go? Please, please, please!”

My mother sighed with deep resignation. “Margaret, you’re seventeen years old—not five.”

“Eighteen tomorrow,” I pouted, blinking my eyes imploringly at her.

“Fine,” she conceded with a small giggle. “But you had better not bother Amy’s mother, and I expect you home at a decent hour.”

Decent. Amy and I didn’t do decent, and my mother knew it.

“And by decent, you mean tomorrow, right?” I asked with my cutest smile.

My mother’s eyes narrowed and her lips thinned, indicating she didn’t find me cute at all. “No,” she said. “I mean before ten.”

“That’s so early!” I complained, hearing Amy’s laughter through the receiver. I prostrated myself against the wall of the stairs. “How ‘bout one?” I negotiated with a smug smile.

“No,” she rejected immediately.

“Twelve then.”

My mom’s hands went straight to her hips. “This is not a negotiation, Margaret.”

To me it was. “Eleven-thirty, and that’s my final offer.”

My mother’s hands went up in the air in surrender as she grumbled and headed back into the kitchen. I fist-pumped into the air in a short celebration and immediately brought the phone—and Amy—back to my ear.  

“Let’s meet at your place.”

Amy laughed. “Of course. I’ll see you soon.”

I immediately hung up the phone, put it back on the receiver, and jolted up the stairs, taking the steps two by two all the way to the top. I dashed into my closet and pulled out a few of my favorite outfits, before deciding on my favorite t-shirt and skirt. I dressed as quickly as my clumsy body would allow and headed back down stairs, half falling down the last two steps in my haste.

“Jesus, Margaret. Do you always insist on trampling around the house like an elephant?” my mother asked with a look of pure defeat.

“Depends on the day,” I said with a smile and grabbed my bag.

My mother followed me to the door, bringing me a coat and the family cellphone. “Call me when you’re heading home,” she instructed, handing the coat and phone to me. “I will expect you here promptly before eleven-thirty, or I will call Amy’s mother and embarrass you wherever you are. Understood?”

“Yeah, yeah,” I said, slipping my arms into the coat and pocketing the phone into my purse. “Okay, see you later,” I said, pecking my mother quickly on her cheek and leaving through the front door an instant later.

<<<>>> 

I met up with Amy at her house, and then we headed straight for town. I was putting on lip gloss, smacking my lips together, and smothering the goo all over them when she finally pulled into the parking lot of the local shopping center.

“Who are you trying to impress?” she asked with a smile, turning off the ignition and opening the door.

“My next boyfriend,” I said before doing the same. I exited the car and glanced around. “I’m sure he’s around here somewhere.” I glanced at her and waggled my eyebrows.

Amy laughed, shaking her head. “You never change, do you?”

“Nope,” I replied with confidence and immediately slipped my arm into hers. “Shall we go inside, milady?”

Amy sighed with another smile. “Lead the way!”

And so I did.

We went to our favorite shops first, buying nothing since we were poor and didn’t have jobs. My mother had insisted that I go to college and nothing else. She thought a job would distract me from my schoolwork, and she was probably right. I was prone to losing my focus; I liked to fantasize and boy obsess lately. She thought if I got a job, I’d be exposed to boys and then where would my life lead? Seventeen and pregnant.

We leisurely scoped out a few of the shops as we finished up our usual excursion—well, Amy did anyway. I was more interested in seeing if any nearby hotties were eyeballing us. And if they were, I planned to proposition them with candy. To my dismay, none of them were. All the boys were passing me by as if I wasn’t even on their radar. Most of the ones that were interested were looking straight at Amy—no surprise.

Jerks.

I sighed with dejection, trailing beside Amy as she pointed out a few shops along the way. I wasn’t really paying much attention until she was punching me in the arm.

That got my attention. “Ouch! Did you have to hit me so hard?!”

“Yes.”

Fair enough. “Well maybe you should try getting my attention in a normal way, like, I don’t know, calling out my name.”

She smirked devilishly at me. “Or you could just pay attention like a normal friend would when out with her bestie.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I mumbled, rubbing my arm where it hurt. “So what did you see that required physically beating your nearest, dearest friend of so many years that I’ve lost count.”

“Fifteen years. And I was pointing out the hottie over there,” she said, pointing to said hottie.

Well, hello there, Mr. Sexy Bad Boy.

He was leaning up against one of the walls, as if preparing for a photo shoot. His tall form was wrapped in delicious muscle and leather, skin the color of pale moonlight, and a face sculpted by God himself. He was the sheer definition of gorgeous; someone that Amy and I could easily ruin a friendship over in our battle to win his affections.

Pale eyes watched us from his place against the wall. His face lacked expression, and from the intensity of his stare, I could tell there probably another reason for his looking—aside from Amy and me. I glanced behind me curiously. There was no one intriguing enough to get Mr. Sexy Bad Boy’s face to look like that. When I glanced back, he was gone. The disappearance startled both me and Amy, stalling us midstride.

“Where’d he go?” she asked, glancing around.

I did a quick glance about myself, but I found nothing to explain how a man of his size could just disappear. “Maybe he went that way.” I pointed to one of the hallways near where he had been just seconds before.

There were a few hallways that ran the length of shops for the employees to gain access through the back. Without a code, you wouldn’t be able to get inside, but I was starting to wonder if maybe he worked at one of the shops. Probably designer. He was well-dressed and seemed acquainted with that sort of world.

I shrugged. So much for scoping out a major hottie.

“You want to go to the club tonight?” I asked, veering Amy away from the scene. No sense in staying any longer now that the hottie was gone.

“I had hoped you would suggest that,” she replied with a smirk.

“Oh you did, did you?”

Amy nodded quickly. “You’re eighteen tomorrow! We have to celebrate the Amaggie way!”

Amaggie was the joining of our names—obviously—and the way we referred to something that was done in the spirit of both of us.

The club in downtown was one of our favorite places to go when we felt like living free and dancing body to body with random strangers, which was surprisingly more frequent than I would care to admit.

Thankfully, the club offered teen nights so that we could, but after I turned eighteen—Amy had turned eighteen three months before—I would have ultimate access to the floor. Gone were the days of waiting for the dreaded every other Thursday for teen night; now I would be able to visit when I wanted, however I wanted, and for as long as I wanted.

We wasted our time at the nearby café, eating and chatting about everything summer. Thankfully, we had graduated two months prior, and I was forbidden from working, leaving most of my time open to partying with my bestie, Amy. Although, my mother had forced me earlier that morning to enroll at the local community college, saying that I needed to pick my classes as soon as I could to get as many of my prerequisites for my nursing license out of the way.

Amy drove into the bustling nightclub parking lot, double parking, and switching her high beams on accidently, blinding innocent club-goers in the process, before managing to turn the car off and throw her door open.

“Smooth.” I laughed, kicking the door open and jumping out of the car.

Unfortunately, my skirt snagged on something, and I was nearly sent flying out of it. I pulled at the fabric, rescuing it from the car, and breathed a sigh of silent relief when nothing was torn. I really, really liked this skirt. It landed me into the laps of several hot guys--for long, memorable make-out sessions—and I used it for nights I was hoping to score.

Amy was a beautiful blonde, sun-kissed bombshell; she easily got any guy she wanted, and she also tossed them aside just as easily. Her track record was endless for guys, but I, on the other hand, was a little less proactive with men. While I could fantasize all day long, very naughty thoughts plaguing me at all hours, I was less than adept when it came to actually putting forth any seduction measures.

Amy helped me often. She always found that one guy with a friend, or a brother, or even a second cousin. Every guy that was offered to me—like charity—seemed less than enthused by my red hair, blue eyes, and normal, lackluster body. The only saving factor was my larger-than-average bust size. Dates usually consisted of a lot of eye dropping towards my cleavage, but I would take it. Anything to get my kicks and a free dinner out of the deal.

I was a tomboy growing up. I preferred mud to Barbie dolls, video games to shopping, and LAN parties to keggers. So, suffice to say, with my sudden interest in boys, I was lacking a lot of experience. Don’t get me wrong—I had a boyfriend or two in the past. But most of those were by association in either art club or video game playing, and they never worked out.

I managed to free my skirt just in time to stumble over my heels and land knees and palms to the unforgiving asphalt. The burn from scraping them had me internally cursing as I did my best to stand up like I hadn’t just fallen over in the middle of a busy and very public parking lot.

“Are you okay?!” Amy rounded the car and helped me gently to my feet.

The heat flushed instantly to my cheeks as I glanced around. “Fine,” I said, stalling on a form bathed in shadows just across the street.

Wait a second.

I narrowed my eyes, hoping to adjust to the low light as the figure leaned up against a parked car, one leg crossed over the other and arms tightly bound against his chest. It looked almost like Mr. Sexy Bad Boy, but I knew that it couldn’t be. It was probably some dude waiting on his date.

I shook my thoughts away and glanced at my best friend. “Should we head inside?”

“Yeah.” She looped her arm through mine and led the way to the entrance.

There were several couples kissing against cars, poles, and by the curbside. We liked to call it the Love Lot since it was almost always filled with couples just too drunk to make it much farther, or so gone with their passion that they hardly cared that everything was public to the strangers nearby. There was even a girl wrapped bodily around her partner, rubbing and rutting against him, and seconds away from becoming a public porn star.

I pulled out my phone and looked at the screen. My mother’s name was blinking like a warning as I keyed the password.

“I should call my mom first. Tell her where we are.” I dialed home while Amy nodded and headed for the line. My mom picked up on the second ring. “Hey, Amy and I are at Club Sync,” I told her quickly. “I’ll remember to be home by the appointed hour.”

“I knew you would go.” She was sighing in defeat again.

She hated it when we went to the club but had conceded on us going under the promise that I would tell her when we were there and when we were heading home. This was a big step for my mother who believed that a shelter life was the only life. She had been lucky all those years that I was a tomboy and uninterested in the opposite sex—or the same sex, for that matter.

For a long time, my mother was convinced that I was a lesbian and had become involved with Amy. It was the funniest few months of my life. Amy had even acted the part when I told her my mother’s theory.

My father had passed away a few years ago due to heart failure. It was a very difficult time for my mother and I. When she thought that I was a lesbian, it was shortly after my father had passed. She assumed that the reason I had never come out was because my father would have disapproved. She couldn’t have been more wrong. However, it was the only time in months that she and I had laughed so hard that we cried.

When I had managed to convince her it wasn’t the case, she had said: “If you ever feel any inclination, I will support you. I will love you no matter who you choose to love.”

So despite not being a lesbian, I had gained a new level of respect and love for my mom. So since then, I was dutiful towards her; I never argued—well, seriously that is—and I always kept my promises.

“Be careful,” she finally said after a moment of silence. “If you need anything, you call. I will come right away.”

“Thanks, mom. I’ll call you when we’re done,” I promised.

“Maggie.” Her voice sounded tight through the phone. “Whatever happens tonight, just know that I love you.”

There was something peculiar about the way she said those words; it sounded as if she was saying goodbye rather than see you later. I tightened my hold on the phone and glanced about.

“I love you, too.” I didn’t know why those words made me feel like crying, but I hung up the phone and pocketed it anyway.

Amy was waiting for me when I found her in the line; she was already chatting up some guys in the line, who looked to already be aiming for a skin-to-skin with her later by their sparkling eyes and drooling mouths. I sighed and took my place beside her.

“Everything okay?” she asked, peering at my face with worry.

I guess my face was showing my upset over my mother’s uncharacteristic goodbye, so I quickly smiled at her. “Everything’s fine. Mom said to call her when we’re heading back.”

“That’s your mom for you,” she joked and then turned back to the two men vying for her attention.

I glanced away from the three and instead looked back towards the parking lot. I was surprised when I saw a form of the guy from earlier nearer now. His dark hair fed into the black night, and his build was wiry, tall, and lithe. It was definitely the model from the mall earlier. His eyes were almost as pale as the moon—which was by far his most striking feature—and were watching me intently from where he stood a hundred or so feet from me.

The parking lot light illuminated his body in a way that almost encouraged a small gasp of awe from my mouth. His dark tank top and denim clad legs were so alluring that I very nearly walked the hundred feet to introduce myself. However, I wasn’t really sure who he was. I had never seen a guy half as striking in our town. The only men I had seen that were even half as gorgeous were only ever interested in my best friend—and rightfully so.

I wasn’t really much to look at, and until recently, I wasn’t really interested either. I only just started to become interested in boys when one of the popular guys in our class started hinting towards a possible crush on me. Unfortunately, it turned out that he needed assistance in his math class, and he thought I could tutor him. Even still, I tutored, drooled, and fantasized about him at length during those amazing few weeks.

I turned away, ignoring him as best as I could until it was our turn to be let inside the club. The music was pounding in steady, jolting rhythm. Bodies swam, danced, gyrated, and rubbed in a heavily crowded circle on the floor. There was very little breathing room as we twisted and turned through the labyrinth of bodies.

Finally, we managed to get a fairly open spot on the dance floor. Amy was tailed by the two guys from the line and was already grinding into them with her skintight dress and six-inch heels. She had her long, luminescent blonde hair down and swaying to the beat. Both men were eying each other, obviously battling over who got what. I couldn’t be bothered. I moved to my own beat without the company of another body.

Every jolt and sway of my body aligned with the heavy pulses of the music. My eyes closed, hands moved over my sensitive body as I felt the music with my entire being. It was an incredible feeling that couldn’t be compared. I was alive when my body moved. Everything inside me was sensitive to those trembles in the air, of the humid heaviness of dancers nearby, of the pure eroticism around me as each couple fed off the rhythmic beats.

I felt a body line with my own. Hands cradled my hips, pulling me flush against a strong body and grinding into me. I didn’t glance back, didn’t want to ruin the fantasy as I gave myself over to his lead. Our bodies swayed and undulated, thrusted and rutted in unison to the staggered thumps and beats of music. Strong hands slid over my thighs, tasted my naked flesh with fingertips and skimmed the sensitive flesh with intent, before trailing seductively up and over my skirt to tickle my exposed waistline.

I stiffened. This stranger was getting a bit too hands on for my liking. I glanced back and was almost sent reeling backwards by the gorgeous and entirely too tall man behind me. Pale blue eyes, glowing with brief bursts of light regarded me silently, and then he was smiling, twisting me back around, and bringing our bodies back together.

“Don’t stop,” he whispered into the shell of my ear. “Your body feels amazing.”

Something inside me snapped, and I almost fell to the floor in shock. My cheeks had never felt so hot, as I was led back into our previous pace. His body was pressed firmly against my backside, triggering a deep, overwhelming urge to slide up and down the length of him and arouse his body with my own. I allowed myself a brief moment of indulgence, feeling his strong muscle tensing against my backside before I pulled away.

The gorgeous stranger watched me briefly before nodding and working his way out from the dance floor. I was surprised by his quick surrender and internally berated myself for pulling away in the first place. He was probably the most attractive man I have ever encountered—and he was probably the last.

I turned around and saw that Amy was smiling at me. She came over and shook my shoulders in mock anger. “He was so hot! Why did you turn him down? Are you crazy? Go get him back!”

“But—“

“Go,” she ordered, pointing her finger. “Come find me when you convince him to come back.”

“Are you sure?” I was hesitant to leave her with two guys that we didn’t know.

Amy had no sense of self-preservation. She would willingly go with any guy that gave her pretty compliments, especially with two guys as good looking as the ones she found.

One of the guys, who looked like he surfed every day of his life, pulled her backwards and into his body. She giggled and gave me a small, reproachful glare. “Go already.”

I nodded before heading towards where the mysteriously gorgeous stranger had gone. I squeezed through hot and heavy couples, between girl trains and grouped orgies, and into the heavily congested bar crowd. Finally, I managed to break free of the dance floor but was immediately blocked by two extremely large men wearing suits, ties, and professional smiles. Bouncers maybe? I attempted to go around them but they sidestepped to block my path.

“Sorry, I need to get through.” I tried the other side, but one of the big men blocked the other side. “Hey, jerks, out of the way.”

“Margaret?”

My head jerked towards them in surprise. “Yeah? Who the hell are you?”

“Your mother has sent for us,” one of them said in a deep, penetrating voice. It triggered warning jolts to travel the length of my spine. “We need you to come with us.”

Like I was stupid enough to believe that crap. “No.”

I attempted to run back towards Amy, but the large sea of bodies blocked me in and made it nearly impossible to find an opening. My arm was jerked backwards, and I was dragged away from the dance floor and towards a back exit. I fought their hold on me.

“Let me the go!” I screamed, struggling to get out of his hold.

It was hard and unyielding, bruising my arm as he barely stalled with my struggles. His partner came to my side, pressed a dark cloth to my mouth and nose, and forced the overwhelming sweet smell of chloroform into my nostrils. I fought it, pulling and fighting his vice grip on me but getting only as far as I could before the effects of the chloroform took hold of me.

<<<>>> 

“Maggie.”

My eyes jerked open, and a blurry face hovered above me, startling a small scream from my throat. I knocked my head in my fright and groaned when it pounded with spite.

“You’re safe,” the voice said, helping me into a sitting position.

I scooted away from the stranger, still seeing only the shadow of his form. I blinked rapidly with a fear as my stomach hardened and sent my pulse racing into overdrive. I felt around me, hands skimming over the soft material beneath me, and was suddenly terrified to conclude I was on top of a bed. My eyes widened with the insinuation.

Oh god. He’d—

“I saved you,” he said as I began to think the worst.

“Bullshit,” I said, throat feeling dry and swollen.

I painted myself against the headboard and put as much distance as I could between the stranger and myself. He was finally becoming clearer, and after a few minutes of blinking, I recognized the pale blue eyes and tremendously good looking face.

“You,” I said accusingly.

His eyes grew serious. “So you can remember me?”

“You’re sort of hard to forget. I knew I shouldn’t have gone after you.” I cursed internally before glancing away.

The room was unfurnished aside from the bed. The walls of the bedroom were cracked and peeling, and there was a definitive smell of mold and decay around me as I assessed my surroundings. The bedroom looked unlived in aside from the bed, which was covered in freshly washed sheets.

I looked down and was relieved to see that I was still in my clothes from the club. I pulled down the length of my skirt before eying my captor curiously. I wasn’t bound, so I wondered what he could possibly want from me. From every book I read on the subject, normally you tie, cuff, tape, or chain your captives to ensure they don’t get away.

“Who are you?” I asked.

The gorgeous man regarded me for a moment, peering at my face, lips, cleavage, and then finally my eyes. “I’m Stefan.”

Stefan? After the long assessment from his eyes, I felt like his name was better served as Mr. Pervert. I decided to keep the conversation as professional as possible as I looked for possible escapes.

“And what do you want with me, Stefan?”

I glanced towards the only door in the room. It was opened to a small hallway, just as decayed and just as decrepit as the room we were in. If I managed to get him to look away for a second, I might be able to jolt for the door and flag down the nearby people on the street. I relaxed into the bedding, deciding to bide my time until the perfect moment.

“I was sent to protect you.” His face was removed of every emotion but a pure intensity.

So he was some sort of self-imposed superhero or guardian?

It was too bad. He was gorgeous with those pale eyes and powerful physique but being crazy made him a definite no-no.  I might be desperate, but I wasn’t stupid. Crazy guys always led to bad things. You couldn’t have a relationship with crazies. Not to mention that this dude had kidnapped me.

I idly wondered about the two ginormous, suit-wearing men that had attempted to kidnap me from the club. Where were they? Had this beautiful man hired them to kidnap me?

I crossed my arms tightly against my chest, covering as much of it as was physically possible, and kept Mr. Pervert’s eyes strictly to my own. “Protect me? Why?”

“That’s strictly classified,” he replied instantly.

I scoffed with a small roll of my eyes. “Sure. Classified, my ass.”

“You weren’t so disagreeable last night,” he commented, mirroring my arm cross and leaning fully back into his chair. The legs creaked precariously beneath his weight as it shift.

I glanced down, catching another full view of his beautiful body and swallowing around the desire to eat it up with my eyes and fantasize about the many things he could do to me with it.

I had managed to stay a virgin all these years, so my perverseness was in an overabundance as of late. Amy described sex like she described a movie—scene by scene and in way too much detail. She was extremely experienced with everything sex, and I was only educated as far as my computer and sex-education classes went. Suffice to say, I only knew what my erotic novels, movie sex scenes, and brief porn excursions had afforded me.

So I could fantasize only so far, and with my current kidnapping, fantasizing was dangerous and could lead to my possible death. I couldn’t risk it, even though the sheer allure of his body was drawing my eyes every time I had managed to get them to refocus on his face.

“Last night you hadn’t kidnapped me.”

His face morphed with amusement. “Nor have I today. You are very quick to distrust me.”

“I wonder why. It’s not a normal practice for women to trust some stranger who stole them away to some run-down building, held them hostage, and proclaimed themselves their protector. Excuse me for being the slightest bit suspicious,” I replied sarcastically.

Ringing suddenly erupted within the room, coming from my purse that sat near the door, and startling me stiff. I sat straighter and eyeballed the small, black bag from where I sat on the bed.

“Answer it,” my captor said, looking bored as he did.

My eyebrow rose in confusion. “You’re going to let me?”

“I suspect it will clear up some of this misunderstanding,” he replied, motioning for me to get to it.

Still confused, I crawled off the bed, fell clumsily to the floor, and stumbled over to my purse. I ignored the deep laughter from behind me, growling a bit as I yanked the cell phone from my purse, and answered it immediately.

“Hello?”

“Margaret?” My mother’s voice instantly calmed my frantic nerves.

I bit my lip, eyes burning with sudden emotion. “Mom,” I croaked.

“Oh, honey. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she apologized softly. “I had hoped that what your father told me all those years ago was some sort of joke. However, it would seem that the joke was on me. I was promised that you would never become fully involved.”

“Involved in what?” I wiped the forming tears angrily from my eyes.

“Your bloodline,” she said shortly. “Its…well, you’re special, Margaret.”

“You always say that.” I laughed and leaned back on the balls of my feel. “Who is this dude that says he’s my protector?”

“He will protect you. Trust him. I can’t do much more than let them do their job and keep you safe.” Her voice was strained again, and there was a sudden crash in the background. My mother gasped softly. “I don’t have time to explain, but you must stay with him. He will keep you safe. I love you.” Her voice cut out, and the call ended abruptly.

“Mom?” My body shook as I held the phone in trembling hands. “Mom? Hello?! Mom!” I was jabbing buttons, attempting to call her back, before the phone was taken from my violently shaking hands.

“We’ve got to go,” Stefan said, pulling me up by the arm and leading us towards the door. He discarded my phone into a small bin near the door.

“My mom—“

“Will be fine,” he assured me, jerking me hard towards the entrance and leading me out of the dilapidated old building. “We have protective detail on both your mother and your friend, so they will both be taken care of. However, we’ve got to move fast. They will more than likely scent you out after they ransack your room.”

Gross. “With, like, dogs?” I was confused, stumbling after him, shoeless and trembling.

“Something like that.”

He helped me into a sports car with tinted windows, brand new and completely expensive like everything he wore. He lugged a large back of something into the back seat before climbing into the driver’s seat, belting me and himself, and skidding us out of the abandoned parking lot and onto the main road.

His speed increased well beyond the limit, forcing my hands to hold tightly to the “oh-shit” handles on the door. Despite the incredible speed, he navigated traffic with ease, turned corners with the skill of a professional driver, and got us to the highway in no time at all. Once we’d cleared the city by ten miles or so, he finally addressed me.

“We’re heading to a safe house to gather a few things before we head for one of the main headquarters in the area,” he relayed, glancing towards me with a small tilt of his lips.

It was a very sexy and very unwelcomed look because it made my body react in a treacherous way. I studied his face, admiring the proportionate shape of his nose and strong, square jaw that was rough with a five-o’clock shadow. Smooth cheekbones and slightly upwards slanted eyes added a foreign look to his overall gorgeous features. I was suddenly very interested in this man that drove with very little thought of anyone else on the road and mocked me with every uttered reply I gave him.

“So Stefan,” I started, clasping my hands tightly in my lap. “Who are you protecting me from?”

My mother’s words echoed inside of me. I trusted my mother; I trusted that even under duress she wouldn’t tell me something that was untrue and endanger me. So despite my apprehension, I decided to trust this man, even if it meant that I would be going against every warning inside my body.

“Classified,” he retorted, grinning.

He was a real jerk. “Isn’t it kind of important for me to know?”

“If it was, I would’ve told you by now.” He merged onto another highway, passing it too quickly for me to read the sign and know where we were headed.

I sighed deeply, cradling my chin in my palm and looking out of the glass of the window. “It’s just really difficult to believe that I’m something so special that I need a protector to keep me safe. Why now?”

“What is today?” He glanced towards me, his face mirrored in the glass.

“My birthday,” I replied almost absently.

“Exactly.” He smirked, self-satisfied for whatever reason.

I let out a deep resigned breath. “And?”

“Until today, you were of little consequence,” he said, veering us into the fast lane and jerking the clutch. “However, today your inheritance was confirmed. You are now the most sought after woman on this Earth.”

I chuckled deeply, turning towards him and shaking my head. “Okay, tell me the real reason now.”

He gazed at me, perplexity darkening his expression. “I was.”

Flabbergasted, I watched him. When he didn’t elaborate, I let out another defeated sigh. “Alright. What about this inheritance activated on my eighteenth birthday?”

“Classified.” His face morphed with amusement.

“Jerk,” I growled, turning away and back to the window angrily.

Before I realized, I had nodded off and drooled quite impressively down my hands before I was jerking away to the sudden halt of the car. I looked around me in a daze, noticing a row of square, unassuming buildings with neither sign nor number to identify them.

“We’re here.” Stefan got out of the car with a grace that I envied, easily recovering his large pack and throwing it over his shoulder.

I climbed out of the car, tripping over my own foot, and saving myself from a fall by clutching the open door. I steadied myself, hissing as the asphalt bit into the soles of my feet, and glanced around the area with interest.

Aside from the buildings, there was nothing else to really hint at where we were. Large fields of golden grass swayed in the late afternoon breeze. The sun was high in the sky, indicating it was well into the day, and the humid air and chirp of insects was the only sound for miles.

“Does this safe house of yours have shoes?” I asked while following Stefan towards one of the buildings.

He peered back at me with a small, entertained expression. “Yes, among other things.” His eyes raked down the length of my body, and then he was smiling again.

I sped up towards him, finally managing to walk beside his long-legged strides. “Are you insinuating something, mister?”

“Only that I’m sure you would like to take a shower and wear some fresh clothes.” His smile only widened, which caused a bubbling of anger inside me.

“Yeah, well, I was kidnapped by huge men and then woke up to a strange pervert the next morning. I’ve been too busy to worry about the state of my clothes,” I said defensively.

He said nothing, but he didn’t have to. With his face permanently mocking me, I knew that he found my response humorous. It was infuriating to say the least, being the butt of his every joke. He knew the reason I was being sought after, chose not to share it, and treated me like a child.

I was not a child. I even counted myself among the more sensible teens in the area. I had to grow up fast when my father passed away and my mother was forced to start working two jobs to support our household. I worked hard a school, maintained a high grade point average, and stayed relatively out of trouble.

So when I was treated with very little consideration, it made me angry. Normally, it was very hard to make me upset; being upset wasn’t worthwhile when I had so much to be thankful for, but I knew that right now, my mother was in danger, my friend confused and probably worried that I had disappeared, and I was at the will of some handsome stranger that was a tad too arrogant for his own good.

He may be beautiful—godlike even—but that didn’t give him reason to treat me as though I was simply some little child in need of babysitting.

We entered the building through a door that was only accessed by a fingerprint handle. The door clicked as soon as Stefan’s fingertips cleared. He jerked the door open, and for the first time since we had met, held it open for me to enter first like a gentleman. I was actually pretty surprised at first; I didn’t move towards the door right away until he motioned for me to go first. I hesitantly walked inside and then into the dimly lit corridor slowly until I heard the door click close. I felt the sudden closeness of Stefan’s form, momentarily stalling my steps.

“Planning to take all day? We need to get moving.” His hand pushed gently onto the small of my back, leading me forward faster, and towards the door at the end of the long hallway.

“Some of us don’t know where we’re going,” I said bitterly as he squeezed around me and put a key into the door.

Glancing down and me and smirking, Stefan unlocked the door and held it open for me. “Don’t you mean one of us?”

I glared at him before entering the dark room apprehensively but walking inside quickly to avoid too much close proximity with Stefan. The lights blinked on, shuttering briefly before the entire room lit up and exposed a white-walled, well-furnished entry room. Weapons of all variations lined the walls; a table packed with equipment, laptops, walkie-talkies, cell phones, recording devices, and a many other things of a high-tech nature sat atop the glass surface.

The sight was startling enough that I took a step back unconsciously and was suddenly body to body with Stefan—a situation that was an unfortunate reminder of the dance we shared.

“What the hell are you?”

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Chapter Two

Stefan ignored me, maneuvering around my form and walking forward. He dropped his large black bag onto the table, the loud thump echoing off the walls, and immediately began pulling out his own weapons and placing them gently onto the table. He retrieved a laptop, opened it, keyed in a code, and immediately, the screen flickered and went black.

He discarded the laptop into a tall trash bin nearby before grabbing the laptop on the glass top and quickly keying in a password. His fingers moved so quickly, it looked as if he never truly touched the keyboard, but I could see screens popping up one by one. As quickly as they came, they went.

I glanced over towards the back of the room, noticing a long, modern-style couch with red fabric and stylish decorative pillows. There was a huge screen television mounted to the wall, hooked up to an assortment of devices. A small kitchen was tucked away in the back corner of the room with an open bar, perfectly kept and organized. The hallway just beyond harbored a few doors that I imagine led to a bathroom at two rooms.

All-in-all, the small room was decent enough, if not for the walls of incredibly dangerous weapons mounted to it. I eased away from Stefan, who was still occupied with his laptop, and peered further into the small apartment-like room.

There was a small bag in the corner, clothes that were obviously meant for a female falling out of it as it was packed to the brim. There were three pairs of women’s shoes next to the bag and an assortment of women’s necessities. There was even a small bag of makeup. I knelt down and looked through the small bag to find all designer brand clothing. The makeup and shoes were also high-end.

I glanced back at Stefan curiously. He was still glued to his laptop, ignoring me as if I didn’t even exist in the room. I grabbed the small bag, left towards the hallway, and searched for the bathroom.

After a quick shower, brief makeup application, and a fresh outfit, I felt a whole lot better. I was actually most surprised that everything was obviously meant for me. Everything was my size or color; it was all chosen with me in mind as each item accentuated the clear assets I did have. I almost felt insulted that whoever chose these clothes knew what I liked better than I did.

The denim jeans hugged my every curve. The shirt dipped low, exposing my chest in all its gloriousness while still maintaining enough cover to be comfortable. The shoes were thankfully not high heels. I laced and tied the converse, admiring their cute design, before I headed back into the living room.

Stefan was still glued to his laptop, so I went in search of food. The refrigerator was well stocked, which made me wonder idly who had prepared this place. It was as if they were ready all along to take me here.

“You look much better.”

I startled, jerking around to find that Stefan had finally pulled away from the laptop. “Thanks,” I said, turning back to the refrigerator and attempting to ignore the slight elevation in my pulse. “So what is it that you actually do?”

“Mostly? I guess I do a little bit of everything. Currently, I’m your protection detail, which was reserved for only the best. Due to the nature of your detail, I’ve spent a year preparing.” He looked like a proud little boy as he spoke quickly and precisely to me about every step taken to make this a smooth process.

“So you’ve been preparing for this? Didn’t you say that I was of little consequence until I turned eighteen?”

I was kidnapped before I turned eighteen. Which begged the question why, if my inheritance activated at the age of eighteen, did they kidnap me beforehand?

“Sort of. There was speculation that you would carry the blood, but it wasn’t solidified until you turned eighteen. We suspected that you’d be kidnapped just beforehand, and if you weren’t the one, discarded with the next day’s trash.” He leaned onto the bar top, preening his nails and talking as if the subject matter wasn’t the most life altering information of my existence.

I swallowed around the growing lump in my throat and attempted to settle the unconscious trembling of my hands and body. “How long have you been watching me?”

“A year,” came his instant reply, hurdling me right into further confusion.

A year? So this entire time I was party-going and dance-thrashing at Club Sync, he was watching me, and I had no idea.

I ignored the real question plaguing me: by next day’s trash, did he mean murdered and discarded? The very idea that whatever was special about my blood was essentially going to get me killed or worse. Since it was evident that I had this special blood, I was now being sought after to such a degree that I needed someone to protect me.

It was baffling. And if I was honest, completely surreal. However, my mother’s words continued to circulate inside my head. She had said that dad had told her years ago and that she hadn’t believed him until recently. So dad knew? Why?

I glanced over to the table of weapons. There was a few that caused my eyebrow to raise in confusion—mostly the long, pointed silver spikes with a rubber grip. I wasn’t exactly sure what could be done with a spike that wouldn’t be served with a gun or knife but asking Stefan, who was currently gazing at me with interest, seemed like a bad idea. I was especially interested in the small vials of clear liquid. What those served, I could only guess.

Instead, I turned back to the refrigerator, took a peach yogurt, and closed the door. I headed towards the small bar, uncomfortable with the prospects of sitting next to the very tall, very handsome Stefan but determining sitting and eating with weapons was the greater of the two evils.

I set the yogurt down, sat and then slipped off the slippery, smooth surface, before recovering and steading myself on the small, rounded barstool.

“You’re terribly clumsy,” Stefan remarked offhandedly.

I glared at him, unsealed my yogurt, and stuffed my mouth full of the sweet, creamy goodness.

“I meant no insult.” He cradled the side of his face on his awaiting palm, smiling boyishly, and causing a dramatic stirring in my heart. “It’s rather endearing, actually.”

I was utterly and irrevocably insulted, but I decided to keep my mouth shut and finish my yogurt in silence. I was still trying to comprehend the information he had given me thus far. A lot of it didn’t quite make sense. Mostly, I wondered what about my inheritance made me so desirable. Did I come into a great deal of money? Was I a long lost relative of someone famous or political? Was there something about my lineage that made me a commodity?

My thoughts trailed to my mother and best friend. I was really hoping that wherever they were, they were safe and well taken care of. My mother had had enough tragedy in her life, and the very idea that I would become another one made my stomach harden and chest feel tight.

The only thing I ever wanted for my mother was happiness. She hadn’t even so much as dated or flirted with any man after dad died. She said that she was perfectly happy keeping him as her first and very last love. Despite my assurance that I would be perfectly fine with her finding someone, my mother never tried, never cared to. She was a beautiful woman, easily one of the most beautiful people I had known over all my years, so I knew that it wasn’t from lack of conquests.

“You seem down,” Stefan said, peering at my face curiously.

Every little nuance and shift of his body was attractive to me. Despite his horrible attitude, which was as arrogant and as self-assured as his gorgeous body, he was interesting and compelling. I wanted to know more about him. I wanted to ask questions about how he came into the job of whatever he did. By the sheer volume of weapons, he had to be talented at whatever it was. And from his earlier statement, it was certain that my protection was some sort of high honor where he worked.

Still, I kept my questions to myself and didn’t feed into his curiosity. The more I involved myself with him, the less I would be able to return to my life. Assuming that there was an end in sight, I just finished my yogurt in silence and then headed for the couch to idle away until Stefan figured out our next move and when.

“You’re a hard shell to crack,” he said, sitting himself way too close as he dropped down onto the couch next to me. “I’ve watched you for a long time, Maggie. I know what you’re really like. You don’t have to be so guarded.”

I bit my lip, nibbling the bottom one as I scooted away slightly to give myself space. Stefan threw his arm around the back of the couch and slipped into the space I had created, tilting his head and forcing me to look at his beautiful pale eyes.

“If I tell you a bit more, are you willing to trust me?” he posed.

I glanced at him, holding myself, and making my body as small as I could with my five-foot-six frame. “Depends on the information.”

“You’re a hard sell,” he said, admiration clear in his gaze. “I like that. Okay, so what do you want to know?”

“Who’s after me and why? The full explanation instead of this clipped ‘your inheritance’ bit.”

Stefan ran a hand through his dark locks, pulling them up and away from his handsome face as he pondered his next response. “I’m afraid that you won’t believe me even if I did.”

My lips grew thin as I gazed narrowly at him. “Try me.”

“Have it your way,” he said, leaning back into the couch and keeping uncomfortably close to me. “Your blood—rather—your lineage is part of one of very few that trails all the way back to a clan of pure vampires over four millennia ago.”

My mouth loosened, and I gazed at the crazy man before me.

“See, you won’t believe me even if I tell you.” He shifted, scratching his cheek absently. “It’s a farfetched concept for humans.”

“Humans?” I pulled away from him, angling fully towards him. “You really expect me to believe that my blood is from sort of pureblood vampire lineage?” I laughed deeply, standing up from the couch as I did. “You’re just as crazy as I thought you were.”

I walked towards the door, but before I could reach it, his body materialized in the space between me and the door within a single blink. I startled backwards, foot catching on the leg of a barstool, and hurling towards the floor. My body was saved from a meet and greet with the ground, held strongly within Stefan’s arms as he helped me back to my feet and steadied me.

“How did you do that?” I asked breathlessly.

“Will you sit down and listen to me all the way through now?” Stefan’s clear eyes peered at me seriously, and I found that I couldn’t deny them. I nodded and followed him back over to the couch. “You’re part of a lineage of pureblood vampires that were referred to as Light Walkers. Their ability to walk in daylight made them both sought after and feared. Their clan was consequently wiped out by Dark Stalkers—vampires that you’re more familiar with.”

My heart was pounding in my chest. “Light Walkers? Dark Stalkers? Was it rhyming time when they decided on the names?”

Stefan chuckled briefly. “Sort of. I agree that the names lack imagination but that’s what they’re called.”

“Good to know,” I said, cradling my torso as I attempted to listen to him seriously.

This was all very hard to believe, though. I enjoyed vampire novels and movies but believing it had never been the case. I was logical and sensible. I never believed in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, and I certainly never believed that there could be vampires walking amongst us.

“There was a foretelling that a Light Walker would come into her inheritance on her eighteenth birthday, but until now, none of the supposed women that it could’ve been came into it. Over the last several hundred years, my group of Dark Hunters have hunted and disposed of Dark Stalkers.” Stefan’s face grew serious. “However, it was our hope that you would never be borne into your inheritance; that you, like the rest, would be human and nothing else.”

“So this inheritance,” I said, reeling with the information. “What’s so special about it?”

“Once you are turned, you can create Light Walkers.” I gazed at him with a dumbfounded expression. “Meaning that you would create the first full-blooded vampire clan that could be used as an advantage against Dark Hunters.”

“Why?” I leaned forward unconsciously in my interest.

“Dark Hunters are half-vampire. We are vampires with most of the enhanced senses as vampires without the uncontrollable bloodlust and inability to walk in the daylight. We are highly trained from a young age, integrated into this world through our desire to rid it of Dark Stalkers,” he responded earnestly, eyes boring into my own and looking for any brief sign of disbelief.

I was surprisingly engrossed in his story. I had even for a moment believed it to a degree, but I finally snapped out of it and shook my head. “That would mean you’re a half-vampire, and I don’t believe that for a second.”

“I am.” His body straightened to full height, and his eyes glowed a brilliant blue briefly, causing my breath to hitch. “I have been charged with your protection for the last year as a result of my invaluable service to the Dark Hunters.”

And he was so modest about it, too.

I shifted, breathing deeply and refocusing on his beautiful face once more. “Say that I believe you. What now?”

“We move. It’s my job to bring you back to the Dark Hunters so that we can train and protect you,” he replied, standing up and grabbing a few items from the wall to stuff into his bag.

At least the silver spikes and clear liquid made sense if my vampire novels were true, which by the two items it would seem that they were. I followed him, tripping over the rug, and half falling into his backside. He easily pivoted and cradled me against his body with a smug grin.

“Like I said. Endearing.” His eyes sparkled with mirth as I collected my jaw from the floor.

Did he have to be so incredibly good looking? Why couldn’t the ugly Dark Hunter protect me? Why did I have to get stuck with the Abercrombie and Fitch model with the devilishly handsome bad boy vibe?

“Thanks.” I pulled away, collecting myself momentarily before grabbing the items he had apparently bought for me.

If what he said was true, then the person who dressed me better than I dressed myself was him. That realization was unnerving to say the least. Even Amy didn’t have such a good eye for what would look good on me; everything we ever bought looked passable. However, the clothes I currently wore made my entire body look smoking hot. The blouse was even a shade of green that I liked, which was hard to come by. I didn’t like to pair any green clothing with my red hair.

Stefan packed his large bag expertly, managing to fit an assortment of weapons and devices that I wouldn’t have been successful in packing without having to use several large packs.

He threw the large bag over his shoulder as if it weighed nothing and glanced my direction. “Ready?”

“I don’t have any choice,” came my bitter response as I followed him outside of the safe house and to our next location.

<<<>>> 

Stefan had been talking on the phone for a little while now as he drove at top speed on a lightly traveled highway. His chuckling and long-winded responses clued me into the fact that he was probably speaking with someone he liked. And by the mentioned name the few times he uttered it, it was a woman.

Despite my distaste for our current circumstances and his horribly conceited attitude, I was the slightest bit miffed that he already had a girlfriend and was so hands on with me since he entered my life only a day ago. If it was one thing I did despise about good looking men, it was that most—if not all—of them were players, usually stringing several love-sick woman along with little care to the imminent future of the relationship.

My distaste for him had grown tenfold. He might be the most attractive man I have ever met, but he was also the worst. I crossed my arms against my chest and tilted my head to look out the window. The barren, lifeless landscape passed us so quickly that watching it made my eyes lazy. I swallowed around another bitter utterance when Stefan laughed long and hard at something Victoria had said.

“Well, I better go,” he finally said, ending the conversation to my relief. “We’ll be there in about twenty minutes, and I need to speak with her a little beforehand.” He glanced towards me, but I pretended not to notice and kept my eyes firmly on the passing landscape. “You better not,” he laughed deeply. “Okay. Okay, bye.”

Finally, he ended the call and discarded his phone out the window with little care. My head jerked towards it, watching the phone break into pieces as it hit the asphalt.

“What the hell?” I looked at him angrily. “Do you have to discard everything you own? Are you that rich?”

“Safety precaution.” His eyes focused on the long, endless road ahead of us. “Everything can be traced and the information found on those phones are invaluable. I take every precaution necessary to ensure your utmost safety,” he said with a wide grin, sexily eyeing me from the driver’s seat.

“You’re so—“

“Handsome? Smart? Talented? Thoughtful?” he supplied with his amused smirk.

“Annoying,” I corrected, leaning back into my seat with a huff. “So who is Victoria?”

“Another Dark Hunter.”

“Well at least there will be a woman I can talk to there,” I replied bitterly.

He glanced at me, grin falling momentarily before he returned his gaze to the road. I had to internally congratulate myself over the small win. It was important that a guy of his caliber was knocked down a peg or two every once and a while. Not every girl was going to prostrate herself at his feet merely because he was gorgeous to look at. Certainly not me.

“And what did you need to talk to me about?”

Stefan shifted absently before giving me a sideways look. “It is my sole responsibility to train you, and I’ve also be charged with your protection for anywhere we might go. As you are now in our care, it is vital that you follow my every direction. Since there are not many of us Dark Hunters, I’ll have other responsibilities and can’t worry about you doing something you shouldn’t.”

“I’m not a child, Stefan,” I bit out. “I’m also not someone you can order around. I’m capable of taking care of myself, and I’m sure you’re not the only one invested in my protection.”

“But I’m the one held responsible should anything occur.”

I glared his direction. “So practice a little bit of what you asked of and trust me.”

The smile returned to his face, blue eyes flashing as the gazed momentarily at me. “You’re really sassy, Maggie. Although, after watching you the last year, I shouldn’t be surprised.”

“Every time you say that, you sounded creepier and creepier.” I laughed despite myself, offering Stefan a small smirk of my own.

“You’re finally smiling,” he said. “Did you know, Maggie, that when you smile, you make my heart go pitter-patter?”

I rolled my eyes, effectively put out with his jokes. “Sure, Casanova. I’m sure your little heart goes pitter-patter for any girl that pays you any attention.”

“Not entirely true.”

I couldn’t help the small smile on my lips. “But not completely untrue either, hm?”

Stefan shrugged sheepishly, beaming boyishly at me. “I’m a living, breathing man.”

“I thought you said you were a half-vampire,” I corrected.

“That, too,” he agreed, eyes sparkling with the challenge.

I sighed deeply, rubbing my clammy palms on my denim-clad thighs. “Even still, none of those moves are going to work on me, and I would appreciate you not trying. I have enough on my plate to deal with, so adding a perverted protector to the mix seems a little unfair.”

“How am I a pervert?” he asked, hand sliding from the wheel and into the space between us.

I shifted away absently. “Attractive men always are.”

“So you think I’m attractive.” His eyebrows waggled.

I groaned, palming my forward lightly. “You know you are. We both do. Just because you’re attractive, doesn’t mean that I’m proclaiming my love. Actually, it’s quite the opposite.”

“So to be a pervert, you must first be an attractive man,” he said with a sideways grin. “That hardly seems fair to the unfortunate looking men out there. You would think it was the other way around.”

I was uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation. I peered out of the window and ignored him again. I needed to keep myself together. It was enough to have to somehow wrap my head around a blood inheritance that connected me with a supposed clan of pureblood vampires. I was still not entirely convinced. And it was even more daunting to think I might be attracted to this horrible Casanova Dark Hunter. That very prospect made me want to distance myself as much as possible from him.

“Are you ignoring me again?”

I bit my lip as a smile threatened to break out. “Yes.”

“Just checking.” He chuckled briefly before his hand, to both my internal relief and startling disappointment, returned to the steering wheel.

The landscape finally showed signs of life. Grass began to green in small patches, and the distinct shape of buildings erected into view the closer we drew. The late afternoon was feeding into dusk by the time we arrived at the large city that was unrecognizable aside from the few signs we passed on our way in.

“San Francisco? Your base is in one of the biggest California cities?”

“We like to hide in plain sight,” came his quick reply as he veered into a tunneling road that drove well beneath the surface.

The lights blinked alive as we drove, lighting the eerie path for several minutes before Stefan was parking and turning off the ignition. He pulled out his bag from the back, lugged it once more over his shoulder, and waited for me in front of the car while I struggled to get out of my seatbelt. The damn thing was caught, and I ended up with Stefan leaning inside the car, easily unbuckling it, and wrapping a large, muscled arm around my waist to help me safely out of the car.

“I could’ve done it myself,” I grumbled.

Stefan threw the black bag over his shoulder after he retrieved it from the spot he had dropped it. “And we would have been here all night as a result.”

“Jerk,” I breathed. “I’m not that clumsy.”

“Could’ve fooled me.” He led the way to a gray, metal door sitting by itself along the cement wall.

There was a keypad next to it, which lifted to a fingerprint recognition surface that Stefan immediately pressed his hand against. The red lit surface went green after a brief scan, before the door clicked and Stefan led the way inside. There was another long, unfurnished hallway behind the door leading to a singular door at the end. Our footfalls echoed as Stefan picked up his pace and grabbed the long handle of the door. Pulling it open, a world beyond appeared before me.

There were several bodies that instantly pivoted as soon as he entered. Three women, to be exact, came clamoring over as soon as they saw him. Several of the men along the vast wall came forward, and Stefan greeted them one by one before introducing me.

“This is Maggie,” he motioned for me to come forward.

Their eyes glowed briefly with interest, and I was startled slightly by the luminescent gazes. Stefan forced me forward with a small hand to my back, causing me to stumble and nearly surge into the floor.

“And she’s a bit clumsy, if you hadn’t noticed,” he added, receiving a glare from me at his tactless introduction.

A woman, dressed in reds, golds, and blacks came forward. Her soft blonde hair, emerald-green eyes, and beautiful smile already had me green with envy. She was a few inches taller than me, but her long legs made it seem a great deal more. She held out her hand and offered me a brilliant, green-eyed welcome.

“I’m Victoria,” she said. “We’ve waited a long time to meet you.”

I took the proffered hand and shook it gently. “Yeah, nice to meet you.” I was just the slightest bit disappointed that the same Victoria that Stefan had spoken to earlier was as gorgeous as she was.

“I’m Ned,” another said, a tall, heavily muscled blonde beauty coming forward.

His gentle smile and demeanor were incredibly welcomed after spending an entire day with the arrogant jerk beside me. He pressed a small kiss to my hand, causing a flush to erupt over my cheeks before he pulled away fully.

“Hi!” a girl cried as she took the liberty to squeezing the life from my very lungs. “I’m Stephanie!”

Stephanie was just as gorgeous as Victoria—unfortunately. She was a brunette, long-legged beauty with chocolate eyes and rose-red, plump lips. Her soft, beige complexion made her look exotic as she pulled away and readjusted the length of her dress, which was worn at her high-thighs—a length I would never have the guts to wear.

The other girl was named Lilly. She was the smallest of the bunch, standing at five-foot-two, and was more of my style than the rest. She didn’t bother with makeup or stylish clothes. She merely wore a t-shirt and comfortable jeans with combat boots. Her brown hair was pulled up into a messy bun as she smiled and offered me a brief greeting.

There were two other men that introduced themselves as Ben and Terry. These two were apparently brothers, though they had different hair colors, eye colors, and builds. Ben was large, about six-foot and just an inch shy of Stefan, sculpted with hard-earned muscle tone and a tan I was envious of. He had blue eyes, dark hair, and an expressionless face. He was dressed in a tank that was practically painted to his body and comfortable sweats. When he introduced himself, it was short, sweet, and without elaboration.

Terry, on the other hand, reminded me of all those big-brother types in the teen films that every unpopular girl sought after. He was undeniably charming by the way he moved towards me, hugged me snugly, and gently patted my head affectionately. His hair was sandy blonde, gelled to the side and away from his face, and his deep brown eyes were entrancing as he pulled away. He wasn’t as heavily muscled as his brother, but he was strong nonetheless.

“Well, that’s everyone,” Stefan finally said at the conclusion of all the introductions.

“Am I not of any importance then?” a man asked as he weaved through the bodies.

Long, shoulder-length hair glistened, framing entrancing silver-blue eyes that immediately glanced my direction with intense intrigue. I was pinned to the spot as the large, imposing man clad in a dark, three-piece suit and tie came forward.

Stefan nodded his head in greeting. “Maggie, this is our boss, Eldric.”

Eldric came forward, offering me the palm of his hand and swiftly kissing the top of mine when I hesitantly offered it to him. “A real pleasure to finally have you with us. I’m sure you have questions, but first, let me show you to your room so that you can settle in a bit beforehand.”

“Um, sir,” I started, following after him as he led me past the group that had collected around me. “My mother and friend…”

“They’re safe,” he stated with a gentle smile. “I will reunite you once we have ensured that you are in a state to be traveling. Until then, I ask that you trust me.”

“I don’t really have a choice.” I followed him dutifully towards a long hallway hidden at the back of the large room that I had first been greeted.

There were a collection of doors along the hallway, each one numbered and offering very little evidence of what was beyond. He led me to door number eight, opened it for me, and motioned for me to go first. I was surprised by the size of the room. It had a large bed draped with soft, beige sheets. There was a desk with a laptop and a door leading to a bathroom just to the far left corner. Essentially, the entire room was welcoming, appropriately stocked, and pleasantly appealing as I entered and glanced about.

“It is for your use only,” Eldric said from behind me. “I realize that you’ve been given very little time to adjust to your current circumstances, but I assure you that it is our utmost concern that you remain as little affected by it as possible. Your mother has agreed that, for the time being, your care is best served in our protection.”

“My mother?”

Eldric nodded. “Your father was an old friend of mine. It was his hope that you would not be the one foretold, but it was an unfortunate reality, the older you grew.”

“Wait, what do you mean?” I was suddenly very interested in how this long-haired, gorgeous man knew my grumpy, introverted father.

“There was a foretelling of a female child born of the Light Walker clan with hair the color of flames, eyes the vision of an ocean, and the blood of her ancestors. There is a scent that is unique to only you, the Light Walker descendent; one that draws any vampire to your side. As half-vampires, we are immune to its affects. The lust felt would only affect a pure vampire and not the variations of them.” He finished his explanation with very calm, unaffected expression.

“So, Dark Stalkers?” I asked.

He smiled proudly. “Exactly. Very good deduction, Maggie.”

I beamed with the compliment. “So, I’m curious, why didn’t my dad tell me sooner?”

“It was his hope, as I’ve said, that you were not the carrier. He refused to expose you to our world unless it was absolutely necessary. His death came abruptly and made it difficult for us to get in contact with your mother until a few months ago,” he stalled, pressing a hand to my shoulder and offering me a sincere gaze. “I am truly sorry for your loss. He was a good friend and even better father, and I can only imagine how alarming all of this must be.”

Alarming didn’t even cover it.

I sat down on top of the bed and peered up at Eldric. “So how long until I can return to my normal life?”

“I’m afraid that you may never return,” Eldric said, sobering me instantly.

My heart thudded harshly within my chest. “Never?”

“Vampires are immortal, and so are you, the Light Walker descendent,” he began. “However, if you were to be turned, your blood would activate, and you could be used to create a clan of Light Walkers that are controlled by Dark Stalkers. As you can imagine, this sort of clan would become a very dangerous situation for humans. It is our job to ensure that it never happens.”

Immortal? Did he just say I was immortal? I had grown up normally until now.

“I can’t be immortal,” I said, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the very idea that I could be.

“The aging process ceases in your early twenties,” he explained, taking a seat beside me. “I’m sure you were confused when I was introduced, being as young in appearance as I am.”

That was true. He was incredibly young for leading the Dark Hunters. He couldn’t be more than twenty-five. Although, his overall demeanor expressed a very wise age that didn’t match his appearance.

“How old are you?” I asked abashedly.

“I stopped counting after I turned a thousand years old,” he remarked nonchalantly.

Holy moly!

My mouth dropped open and eyes widened in sheer astonishment. I gazed at him in this way for long minutes before I managed to regain control of my body and mind.

“A thousand? That long?” I turned to look at him with an openly surprised expression.

His steel-blue eyes sparked with amusement. “I said simply that I stopped counting at a millennium,” he said, grinning.

“Wow,” I breathed. “So half-vampires are immortal, too? Was my dad a half-vampire?”

“Your genes never manifested until now. It was the very reason you were able to remain hidden for so long from the Dark Stalkers. However, that will no longer be the case,” he said with a sad smile.

It made sense, though. My dad had passed away due to heart disease and heart failure. I assumed that if he had been a half-vampire, he wouldn’t have gotten sick in the first place. Despite myself, I became slightly bitter over the realization that my blood might have saved him in some small way.

“How does someone become half of a vampire?” I asked, wondering if that was a little rude to ask.

“The way that an interracial baby results of two races.” Blue eyes connected with mine.

So they…“You mean that a vampire and human did that?”

“Sex,” Stefan offered from the open doorway, leaning against it with a smug smile. “You said you weren’t a child, but you can’t even talk about sex, can you?”

This jerk looked really proud of himself, and I was only given enough time to glare minutely at his face before his boss was speaking next to me.

“Stefan,” Eldric warned, causing the smile to drop from the arrogant half-vampire’s face. “Yes, Maggie. When a vampire has relations with a human, it can and will result in the conception of a half-vampire. Although, many never make farther than infancy. The few of us that did have taken it upon ourselves to ensure that humans are protected from Dark Stalkers and a similar fate as the many before us that didn’t live past infancy.”

“So you go against your parents to do it?” I was confused by the information.

If they were half-vampires, wouldn’t they want to protect vampires? Why did they fight against them?

“We were not parented by our vampire parents. The few of us that survived, survived only by our human mothers, relatives, or friends. The vampires that conceived us have never been present in our lives, never cared to be. Dark Stalkers are an especially selfish and brutal race that only cares for their own self-interests.” Eldric’s face morphed with distaste.

That was a real bummer.

“Oh,” I breathed, suddenly uncomfortable.

Stefan pulled away from his position against the doorway and took a seat on the open side of me, effectively sandwiching me between the two men. “You don’t have to look so crestfallen. We’re stronger for it. We’ve created our own bonds with each other and used it to protect those that can’t protect themselves.”

I nodded briefly before glancing towards him. “So the Dark Stalkers want me to build an army, is what I’m figuring from what you’ve told me so far.”

“That’s a fair assessment,” Eldric said, causing me to glance back towards him. “However, we aren’t entirely certain what they desire you for—only that they desire you enough to challenge our group openly.”

I looked down at my clasped hands, seeing the two men’s much larger thighs paired with my smaller ones. I was so small, so unknowledgeable compared to them. I couldn’t fight highly skilled vampires, nor could I even hope to defend myself against them should they attack me or my loved ones. I was suddenly very motivated to learn everything I could to protect myself. I wanted to keep the world safe from what could happen should I be taken hostage by the Dark Stalkers.

I looked up, steeling myself in my silent resolve. “When can I start training?”

Stefan’s lips quirked upwards, and his eyes sparkled with admiration and pride. “As soon as you get dressed.”

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Chapter Three

I dressed in a simple, unrestrictive top and sports leggings when I finally emerged from my room. I never wore anything half as sporty as this. Most of my clothes before I had discovered my interest in hotties were large t-shirts, featuring my favorite bands or video games, and loosely-fitted jeans.

I never bothered with doing more than brushing and throwing my red hair up into a messy bun, and I hadn’t started to learn about the world of makeup until the night I asked Amy to help me do it. That was the night before I started to tutor Derek, the popular guy I had hoped I could seduce. It hadn’t worked, but I learned a great deal about makeup that night from Amy.

Today, I bothered. Actually, despite my constant reassurance that it wasn’t the case, the new crowd of good looking men was making me a lot more motivated to put a little extra effort in my appearance. I had even blown my hair dry, the red length of it waving and curling around my shoulders as I headed towards the room I had first come through.

As was my usual way, I stumbled, fell, and recovered in the sequence of two to three steps into the room. I had managed to do it gracefully enough—well for me—and gone relatively unnoticed by the others in the room.

I didn’t immediately see Stefan or Eldric, but Ned, Terry, and Ben were sitting around a table, all occupied with either a tablet, phone, or computer. Victoria was leaning over Ned, hair cascading like a golden waterfall over his shoulders, and she was pointing to the laptop screen, motioning to a few things before their eyes jerked upwards.

I smiled and waved hesitantly at her. “Hi.”

Victoria stood up and made her way towards me, smiling and greeting me. “We’ve been waiting for you. Come sit with us.” She led me immediately to an open chair next to Ned and offered me a cup. “Coffee? Tea? Soda?”

“Uh, coffee works,” I said, still hesitant.

She disappeared, causing my mouth to fall open, and a second later, materialized with a pot of hot coffee and some cream and sugar. “So I’m sure you’re very confused right now. It was a lot for me to take in when I started with the Dark Hunters.”

“Oh? You all didn’t grow up together?” I peered around, noticing all the men had discarded their previous activities to watch our interaction.

“Us?” She laughed in a musical way. “Not in the slightest. Eldric found all of us at one time or another. I’m the youngest of the Dark Hunters—well, I was until you came.”

I glanced at her with curiosity. “You consider me a Dark Hunter? I thought I was just part of your protection detail.”

Her forehead drew down with confusion. “Didn’t Stefan tell you?” She looked around and sighed. “That jerk…well, I guess I’ll tell you then. You’re not here for protection, not entirely anyway. We want you to become one of us.”

“One of you?”

“Those boys, seriously. I thought they had already explained this by now,” she growled with frustration. “Listen, Maggie, you’re special, and you’re not entirely helpless. Don’t let these boys fool you. With a little training, you could easily kick all their asses.”

Ned, Terry, and Ben all comically nodded their heads in agreement, causing me to smile despite the heaviness of knowledge I was getting pounded with currently.

“That’s not possible,” I denied. “I don’t have any special abilities. And as you were told earlier, I’m incredibly clumsy.” As if to prove my point, I missed my mouth and spilt a large bit of coffee down my shirt.

I hissed, dropping the cup heavily to the table, and pulled the hot shirt from my skin. I noticed that the three men were already laughing, attempting to hide it by either turning away or covering their mouths. I cursed internally as I scooted out of the chair with the help of Victoria and was given several towels to blot down the hot coffee soaking into my shirt and skin.

“There is a way to activate your abilities without activating your blood, Maggie. I’m sure Eldric will talk to you about it shortly. I’m surprised that Stefan didn’t tell you earlier,” she remarked, leading me back towards my room and pulling out a fresh shirt for me to wear.

“He told me it was all classified and that he was solely responsible for protecting me,” I told her as he removed the soiled shirt. Despite not knowing her, I figured that she’d seen a sports bra a time or two, so I didn’t bother with pleasantries.

I watched her eyes assess me minutely before she was speaking again in her soft, curious voice. “He did, did he?”

I pulled on the fresh shirt. “Yeah, why? Isn’t he supposed to be watching over me?”

She pressed her finger to her lips thoughtfully. “Yeah…he is,” she said slowly, deciding something by the expression she made, before continuing. “Well, anyway, he’ll be done with Eldric soon and help you with your training, so you can sit with us until then.”

When we returned, the three men attempted to hide their interest as they quickly went back to their activities. Victoria helped me back into my chair and eyed the trio skeptically. Then without saying anything else, she took a seat on the open side of me and brought a laptop over to rest between us.

“She’s already got her claws in,” I heard Terry say.

Ben grunted with disinterest. “She’s quicker than I imagined. It’s probably because the girl is her type.”

“I can hear you all very clearly,” Victoria hissed, startling the three large men with the sound. It was incredibly funny to see three men their size slightly frightened of a blonde beauty easily a third their weight. “And so can Maggie, so shut it.”

“You’re already pulling out all the moves, Vicky?” Stefan walked out from a room with Eldric, eyes intently on us from where he stood.

What did they mean?

A sudden realization hit me as I pieced together their meaning. “You’re into girls?” I asked rudely.

Stefan barked out in laughter, cradling his stomach as he double over.

Victoria clicked her tongue at him but turned towards me with a gentle smile the next instant. “I hope it doesn’t bother you.”

So Victoria wasn’t ever aiming for Stefan—and now she was supposedly aiming for me. Well that wasn’t ironic.

My mouth had dropped open, sending the four men deeper into their laughter. And while I tried to control my reaction, I was still pretty speechless a few minutes later.

So Victoria was a lesbian. I didn’t want to acknowledge my sudden elation that it meant she couldn’t be involved with Stefan, but there was still two other possibilities, Stephanie and Lilly.

My eyes immediately found their way to Stefan, who was still battling his amusement over the situation. I’m not sure why it bothered me so much, the very idea that he may be involved with someone, but I decided that dwelling on it would probably lead to truths I didn’t want to acknowledge right now.

I turned back towards Victoria with a smile. “It doesn’t bother me.”

“I’m happy to hear it,” she said, punching Ned, who had grunted in an effort to keep from laughing. “Now that we’ve all had our fun, it’s time you told Maggie exactly what she’s here for. No more evading the subject.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Stefan was wiping tears from his eyes as he finally managed to control his laughter. “Maggie, come with me,” he said after gathering himself.

I trailed after him towards the hallway on our left, and where he had just surfaced from with Eldric. There was a large room just beyond the door that was obviously used for training by the many weapons lining the wall, dummies and targets posted against one side, and training mirrors on the other side.

Stefan grabbed a wooden sword from its mount and tossed it at my feet, the loud thump of wood bouncing off the soft tarp flooring. He slipped his hands quickly beneath the hem of his shirt, jerking it up and over his head, and exposing the raw muscle rippling beneath. I was momentarily speechless as he grabbed another sword from the wall and swiftly twirled it with amazing skill around his form; in practiced swishes he cut through the air with a rapid, powerful sound. I was drooling by now, surely.

His strong physique was the most distracting out of everything in the room. I was eating him up with my eyes, taking in every small detail I could while I watched him move gracefully over the floor. Hard, curved pectorals with moonlight pale flesh and dusty nipples clenched with every movement. His eight pack was something that none of my high school boys could ever accomplish, and certainly not to the Stefan’s degree. The triangular shaped torso curved and dipped in all the right places, covered in pale, smooth flesh, harboring no imperfection.

I was once more reminded that Stefan had a very good reason to be conceited. His body, face, and irrefutable skill were all reasons for his exceptionally swollen ego—and against my better judgment, I found it incredibly alluring.

Maybe it was because I’d never really met anyone like him. All the boys I had met were just that, boys. So it wouldn’t seem so crazy that I would be taken with him. I was a normal, eighteen-year-old girl. Actually, I was far from normal. I hadn’t even lost my virginity like ninety-percent of my senior year class had. And the one time I had been ready to, the guy turned out not to be interested, leaving my virginity right where it was.

With my dire circumstances and a new world—crazy to the degree that I was still having a difficult time digesting it—opening to me, it wasn’t so unrealistic that I would grow fond of the one guy who had protected me through all of it. Even if that guy was a real jerk with absolutely no sense of modesty or tact. Still, I couldn’t entirely berate myself for staring a little too long at his body as he moved around the floor, modeling the perfect martial artist.

His movements were fluid, dance-like as he twirled the wood weapon around his hands, arms, and body in a showmanship of his skill. It sort of reminded me of the few martial arts movies I had seen. His skill was unrivaled by those fictitious characters, however, because of the sheer speed he moved. I was actually having a difficult time following; it looked like the air around him was distorted fleetingly by something rather than a weapon slicing through it.

“Do I have to take off my shirt, too, because I’m really okay with keeping it on,” I joked, picking up the surprisingly heavy wooden weapon from the floor.

Stefan’s eyes sparked with delight. “I wouldn’t mind it. Quite the opposite. I welcome a little skin to skin contact.”

“No, thanks,” I said, walking towards him. “Victoria says that I’m here to become one of you guys. What does she mean by that?”

“Your blood is special,” he repeated.

“You’ve said that.” The heavy sword was hard to keep hoisted in the air, so I dropped it to my side.

Stefan closed the small space between us, discarding his sword to the side, and immediately pressing his hot palm to the exposed flesh of my arm. His hand ran the length of it, triggering surprising jolts through my flesh, and resurfacing the desire I felt the night we danced. Clasping my wrist with his hand, he pulled, lifting the wooden sword with it.

“There is a way to activate your skills that could make you invaluable to us,” he said softly, his hot breath bathing my face with the close proximity. “Light Walkers were the strongest vampire clan; their abilities were complex and variant. And with a little training, you could harness those abilities and rival even me.”

Modesty yet again eluding him.

“How is that possible?” My voice was much softer than I intended. I was entranced by the ice-blue eyes that watched me sexily from their position several inches above me. “I’m not even a vampire.”

“Not in the sense you’re thinking of, no,” he agreed. “But you have somewhere, dormant inside you, the blood of your ancestors.”

All of these people spoke like a version of Yoda from Star Wars.

“And how would you go about activating the skills without activating my blood?” It was a weird question to pose, considering that only a day ago none of this would have been believable.

Stefan’s eyes had begun to glow softly during the course of our conversation and close proximity. His hand skimmed over my lower arm, tickling the sensitive flesh, and sending a series of shivers to course through me at the sensation of his soft yet calloused hand. If not for the sensations, I might have forgotten he was touching me.

“There are a few ways,” he said, continuing to trace the subtle blue veins of my arm. His eyes intensified the longer he traced. “One of the most effective and easiest ways is to awaken your blood without transforming it.”

I licked my lips, their surface suddenly feeling dry. “How do you do that?” I managed to ask in a low whisper.

The air around me felt heavily intoxicating—erotic even. I was swimming in the deeply penetrating sensations of arousal the longer he touched me, tasted the flesh of my arm with his inquisitive fingers. I never imagined that I could feel so much arousal from a simple act of someone caressing my arm. My arm was hardly the most sensitive part of me; I could think of a number of others areas that would be ten—no—a hundred times more sensitive.

I finally snapped out of the sudden sexual haze and jerked my arm out of his grasp. “And how do you awaken it? I would prefer if you answered my question completely, instead of leaving me with these cryptic one-sentence answers.”

Stefan crossed his arms tightly against his chest, slightly miffed by my easy withdrawal from his obvious charms. Even I was surprised by my willpower. I wasn’t as practiced with hotties as Amy was, but maybe that gave me the advantage when they made advances towards me.

And now that I had shaken the weird atmosphere his half-naked form, weird martial arts moves, and caress had produced, I was able to recover the reason for my not pursuing this gorgeous man in the first place; he was not only my protector for the time being, but he was by far the most conceited man I had ever met. And no doubt, he was a heartbreaker that caught them as easily as he discarded them.

“You’re surprisingly tenacious,” he remarked. “Very well. The easiest, and best way in my opinion, is to share blood. The simple act will awaken your dormant blood enough to institute the latent talents.”

I stared blatantly at him, not even bothering to hide the effect his statement had on me. If I was understanding him correctly, he was suggesting that I let him bite me, drink my blood, and after he had his fill, take some of his blood in exchange.

“Hell no.” I rejected the statement with my entire body as I closed my arms, narrowed my eyes, and tightened my jaw. “What are the other ways?”

I very nearly beat him with the wooden sword I held in my hand. It had taken every bit of my willpower not to. Not that it would have managed to hit him. As I witnessed earlier, he was well-trained and would no doubt block any attempt I made at doing so.

“We find a witch,” he said simply.

I scoffed momentarily before I realized he was being serious. “A witch?”

“Their magic could awaken your latent skills without triggering your blood. At least we presume they could,” he replied nonchalantly.

“And do you know any witches?”

“In this century? Not really.” He shrugged as if it didn’t bother him.

This century? This was growing more muddled by the second. If he was suggesting it, didn’t it mean that he had a way to accomplish it, or was this all some sort of attempt to persuade me to agree to his first suggestion?

“Any other options?” I asked, growing frustrated and dropping the large wooden sword.

Stefan picked up the sword and mounted it back onto the wall. “Since you are the first of their kind in nearly four millennia, there is very little we know about your blood. There is a belief that under duress, your abilities would activate, but there is no evidence to suggest that this method could actually work.”

“How do you know the other two would?” I asked.

“Honestly? We don’t. We’ve only surmised ways that could help activate your latent powers, but there is no real true way to be sure until we try. Eldric believes that what I suggested first would be the most effective,” Stefan explained simply.

“So let me get this straight,” I said, seething internally from his nonchalant attitude. This was a life-altering conversation for me, and yet he looked almost bored. “You guys aren’t actually sure if any of this will work? What would happen if it didn’t go your way? Would it activate my blood?”

Stefan shook his head. “The only way to fully activate your blood is by your complete transformation into a vampire. So no, there is very little risk with our attempting what we can to activate your dormant abilities.”

I was slightly relieved with this statement and calmed considerably. “Well, we’re not doing the first one, so I suggest we start looking for a witch.”

“Or warlock,” he amended. “Any person of a magical inheritance would do. Are you sure you don’t want to attempt a blood exchange? I think you might like it in the end. I would happily volunteer.” His eyes sparkled as he stepped forward.

I immediately took a step back. “No, thanks. I’d rather look for a witch, or warlock, or whatever.”

“Your loss,” he said arrogantly, easing around me and heading for the door.  

No training today it would seem. Until we could awaken these powers inside me, I was just another ordinary human with a need to be protected by this arrogant jerk leading the way.

We returned to the main room only moments later. I was several paces behind Stefan when I noticed a new man speaking with Eldric near the front door. He was just as tall as Stefan, about six-foot-three with strawberry-blonde locks and emerald-green eyes. His body was encased in black leather everything with calf-high combat boots. There was a crossbow positioned snuggly against his back and several long daggers sheathed at his sides. He looked like he had either gotten back from battle or was heading into it.

I peered from behind Stefan—who had stalled in front of me at the sight of the newcomer—and attempted to figure out who he was and what he might be to the Dark Hunters. From the welcoming air, I gathered he was friend and not foe, concluding that most likely he was another Dark Hunter I had yet to be introduced to.

The redheaded man glanced back at us, smiling widely almost immediately after seeing Stefan. “Kid!” he said, clamoring over and enveloping Stefan in a bear hug. “You look good.”

“Kieran,” Stefan greeted, patting the large man’s back in welcome. “You look a little worse for wear. How did it go out there?”

“Oh, about what you’d expect of a hidden coven,” the man, Kieran, remarked offhandedly before glancing towards me. “Who’s this little cutie?”

I stepped forward and held out my hand, deciding to take the initiative with this one. “I’m Maggie. The protective detail,” I greeted with a small grin.

“Oh! You’re Maggie?” he shook my hand with a little too much strength, and before I could react, was drawing me forward into a soul-crushing embrace. “You’re so adorable! I can’t believe they didn’t tell me you’d be here!”

“You better let go of that one,” Stefan said with a small chuckle. “She’s a real firecracker.”

Kieran pulled away with a downwards glance. “Is she now?” His eyes sparked with amusement. “Just my type.”

“I saw her first,” Stefan said, pulling me away from the large, overly friendly giant.

The others had gathered around, silently watching the amusing exchange that even I didn’t have the willpower not to laugh to. I was unfortunately already fond of this overly enthused redheaded giant, as he and Stefan joked back and forth about who had dibs.

I didn’t even mind that they were essentially treating me like an object to be won. If I was being honest, it was sort of flattering. And after they had their fun, we all sat at the large table together. I had Stefan on one side of me while Kieran sat on the other. I was once more sandwiched between two extremely large and uniquely attractive men.

Eldric took his position at the head of the table before addressing me. “Has Stefan explained your options?”

“Yes. I would like to see if there is a witch we might be able to employ to do it,” I said, sounding as professional as I could manage.

I might have come into this position by force, but I was hardworking and diligent in everything I did. This circumstance would be no different. I intended to make sure that while I was here, I did whatever I could to ensure my mother’s and Amy’s safety.

“Very well,” he said, addressing Stefan. “I might know of one in Los Angeles. I have not spoken with her in many years, but I suspect with her tendency to foresee the future, she wouldn’t have gone far.”

Thank god Eldric knew someone. I was starting to get worried that we might have to look on craigslist for a witch. I absently wondered how one went about employing a witch through the classifieds. It couldn’t be much different than any normal job, I suppose. And assuming that most people would consider it a hoax, you could call for them in plain sight and everyone would just assume you were some crazy poster.

I tipped my coffee mug a bit too much and gasped in surprise when coffee once more poured down the length of my shirt. “Dammit,” I cursed, taking the proffered towel from Kieran and blotting my shirt for the second time that day.

“See. Clumsy,” Stefan remarked with a self-satisfied smile.

Kieran knocked Stefan upside the head and helped me clean up the coffee from the table. “Sorry about this kid. He gets stupid around pretty girls,” he offered with a small, gentle expression. “I’ll beat him later for you.”

I glanced at Kieran, laughing. “Be sure that you do. That’s the least he’s said so far.”

“Hey,” Stefan cut in with mock anger. “Don’t get me in trouble with Kieran. His beatings hurt.”

“Serves you right.” I offered him an unsympathetic grin. “It’s about time someone put you in your place.”

“Oh, that’s a daily endeavor for all of us,” Victoria interjected, gazing directly at Stefan with an exhausted expression.

Stefan leaned back into his chair and shrugged his shoulders shamelessly. “I can’t help that I’m good at everything I do.”

“So this witch,” I said, veering us back to the main subject matter. “When can we leave?”

“As soon as you are ready, I suppose. Stefan can take you down there, and if I am correct in my assumption, she should be rather easy to find.” Eldric leaned forward, resting his chin on his clasped hands.

“And if she’s not?” I asked.

Eldric smiled empathetically. “Then we will attempt to either locate her or another. Although, finding anyone of a magical inheritance in this day and age is quite complicated. With so many claiming to be in either play or otherwise, it is very difficult to find those of true magical inheritance.”

My hope deflated with his statement. “Well, that’s comforting,” I replied sarcastically. “So I guess I’m stuck with you for a while?” I asked Stefan.

He was smiling almost happily until Eldric spoke, “Unless you would prefer another? We are all available to you should you prefer someone else.”

“Eldric,” Stefan cut in, but Eldric was silencing him with a hand.

I glanced around the table, unsure how to answer. I didn’t exactly want to be alone for a prolonged period of time with Stefan, but I also didn’t know any of the other Dark Hunters the way I knew him.

“I could accompany you,” Kieran offered sweetly.

“Or I,” Victoria added.

“I’m happy to protect you,” Ned said.

“Or even I could be your companion,” Eldric offered his own hand.

I was suddenly very overwhelmed. It was flattering that all of them were so willing to help me without knowing me very well, and I knew that despite it being their job, they were sincere in their offers. Even the two brothers nodded to put themselves forward, and Stephanie and Lilly smiled in agreement that they, too, would be happy to accompany me.

Hands slammed down on the surface of the table, startling me. “I will be the one to go with her,” Stefan said, standing at full height. “I have been charged with her protection, so it’s only natural that I take her to L.A.”

There was a subtle sparkle of mirth in Eldric eyes before he was nodding towards me. “Is that acceptable to you, Maggie?”

I looked up to the surprisingly unhinged Stefan, seeing his usual nonchalant exterior cracking, and I found that I couldn’t further agitate him by saying no. “I’m fine with it,” I finally said, after long minutes of pondering. “He may be a jerk, but he’s done his job so far.”

“Wow,” Kieran uttered. “A high compliment that will go straight to his head, little cutie.”

I glanced over to him with a shy smile. “I know. I hope I don’t regret it later.”

“You will,” Victoria said.

“Definitely will,” the two brothers said in unison.

“Most definitely,” Stephanie and Lilly said, nodding.

“It might not,” Ned offered with a sideways glance towards Stefan. The rest of the group gave him skeptical brows, to which he smiled bashfully. “Well, probably.”

“You guys are real jerks sometimes,” Stefan huffed, easing back into his chair as his good humor returned to his expression.

“That’s settled, then.” Eldric stood from the table, and I followed him, easing over to the large man.

“Eldric,” I said hesitantly. He looked at me, welcoming me to continue. “My mother…where is she?”

“With a friend,” he said, pressing a hand to my shoulder. “And safe. If you wish to speak with her, I have a line you can use.”

My expression brightened. “Really? Can I?”

“Of course,” he said, leading me out of the main room and into a small office in the far right corner. He grabbed the phone from an encumbered desk and held it out to me. “Hit the number two, and it will call my friend directly.”

I took the phone, looking at it briefly, before I dialed as instructed. The phone rang a couple of times before a voice greeted me.

“Eldric?”

“Um,” I said shortly. “Is my mother there?”

“This must be Maggie,” a woman’s voice said with a small chuckle. “Give me a minute.”

There was a long pause, then my mother’s voice came through the receiver. I was immediately weakening with relief. “Margaret?”

“Mom,” I said, fighting tears. “Are you okay?”

“I should be asking you,” her voice said softly through the phone, and I knew she was crying. “Have you been okay? I know it’s a lot to take in. I never really believed your father. I honestly thought it was the only flaw he had, that he believed some strange fantasy story. And look at you now…”

“Mom,” I croaked. “I’m so out of my element here.”

“Margaret,” she said firmly, “you are a fighter like your father. You are strong, diligent, and capable. Anything thrown your way, you easily conquer. This won’t be any different.” She breathed a soft sigh. “I wished I could do this for you, take your place, but I can’t. So at least for now, don’t worry about me. Do whatever you have to do to stay safe. Amy and I will be just fine.”

I held the phone tightly, attempting to keep my emotion at bay. “What if it doesn’t work? What if this all goes to hell?”

She laughed. “That doesn’t sound like my Margaret at all.” I scoffed slightly, causing her to laugh further. “It will. You have to trust that your father was right to entrust your protection to these people. Eldric assured me a year ago that they would do everything in their power to support you if you were the one foretold,” she laughed minutely. “I thought he was just as crazy as your father, but even I can’t deny it now.”

“You can’t?” I was suddenly very interested in why.

“I’ve seen these people—rather—these creatures after you. I was protected by the ones now protecting you. If not for them—well, it’s better not to dwell on it. You need to do something that I didn’t do at first; you need to trust them.” Her voice softened even further by the end of her lecture.

“They want me to become one of them,” I said, glancing towards Eldric. He smiled at me, motioning for me to say whatever I needed to. I offered him a smile in return. “And I really want to. I want to make sure that whoever these people are that they don’t continue to hurt others.”

“And I love you for that.” Her voice croaked softly, and I could hear her soft, stilted breaths. “I don’t want to say goodbye to you, sweetie. I don’t want you to be in danger. But I know from what your father told me, you need to do this, and I support you.” She cleared her throat. “Now go. We’re going to be just fine here. Call me when you have settled in a bit more.”

“I love you, mom.” My heart thudded violently in my chest, and I was crying unabashedly as I whispered those heartfelt words. “I love you so much.”

My mother was crying, too, unable to keep it in anymore. “And I love you, my sweet Margaret. Stay safe and call me soon.”

After I had ended the call, I returned the phone to Eldric and watched as he set it back onto the desk. He turned towards me, and without prompting, wrapped his arms around me and offered what I needed most—an embrace.

“You are very brave for one so young,” he cooed. “Even I am astonished by your courage going forward and lack of deterrence. Others would not be so bold.”

“I don’t feel very bold right now.” I laughed, feeling slightly uncomfortable to be hugging a strange man but refusing to pull away.

“Well, as Mark Twain once said: ‘Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear—not absence of fear.’ A good reminder that fear takes hold of all of us, but it is what we do with that fear that differentiates the courageous and the weak.” Eldric pulled away, wiping a stray tear from my cheek.

I found myself laughing. “Had that quote lined up, did ya?”

“It serves to have a ‘quote of the day’ for over a millennia,” he returned with an amused tilt to his lips. “Shall we return to the rest of the group so that you may gather your things and be on your way?”

“Onwards to my destiny!” I postured heroically, pointing towards the door.

“That’s much more like the girl your father and Stefan described,” Eldric commented, heading towards the door.

It was a simple comment, but it resonated with me. I was starting to feel more like myself now. My heartfelt conversation with my mother, her encouragement to do whatever I had to do, the welcoming I had received by every Dark Hunter here, had settled the apprehension clouding my head. Now I felt lighter, almost hopeful as we headed back into the area where everyone waited. 

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Chapter Four

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