Collin was sitting behind his desk in a massive black leather chair. It was the middle of the night, but Valefar didn’t sleep at night—they hunted—and he was disrupting their hunt. The Valefar he had called looked tensely around the room. Meetings weren’t the norm, but Collin didn’t care. He looked up at the door as a Valefar with dark hair and dark skin walked into the room. Collin nodded and Jake pushed the door closed.
There were five of them in the room including Collin. Jake stood tall and lean next to the door, barring it so no one else would enter. Nicole had slid onto Collin’s desk and crossed her legs making her short skirt even shorter. Her blonde hair slid down her back just past her shoulder blades. The way she sat accentuated her tiny waist, curvy hips, and endless legs. Nicole looked over her shoulder and flashed Collin a smile that he didn’t return. She was accustomed to him disregarding her advances. He seemed uninterested in her. She didn’t understand why, and Collin wanted to keep it that way. If she understood the changes within him, then she could manipulate him. Collin straightened his back and leaned forward as he gazed around the room.
In front of Nicole sat two Valefar who were no more than two-hundred years old. They’d lived long enough to not fall victim to the follies of youth, but they weren’t old enough to be of concern. The young didn’t plot to attain more power. Centuries of boredom played a part in that, and they were too young to have that issue. Yet. Tony sat in front of Collin with tanned skin and dark silky hair. Tony’s black eyes were razor sharp. Mandor sat next to him, his dark gaze avoiding Collin’s eye.
Most of them had no idea why Collin had called them, but they had no choice but to come. Directly defying an order was the same as challenging Collin, and no one dared.
Jake moved next to Collin and addressed them, “We’ll go hunting as soon as this matter is resolved. I know some of you can’t wait much longer, so we won’t make you.” Jake looked at Collin from the corner of his eye. Collin nodded, as he folded his hands together on the desk. He watched every single one of them as Jake spoke. Jake nodded back and continued, “The Martis have been searching for someone for a long time.”
Nicole nodded, “The Prophecy Girl.” She looked back at Collin but he didn’t look directly at her. Her gaze turned back toward Jake who was annoyed that she interrupted.
Instead of scolding her, he continued, “Yes. They have spent ages searching for her. We know they have the first prophecy painting, but we have never been able to recover it. And now it doesn’t matter, because if we play our cards right—they’ll lead us straight to her.”
Collin leaned back in his chair, arms by his side, watching them. The tiny ticks that suggested they were loyal or not would surface as Jake spoke. The minute movements that stated whether they would use the information to help him or destroy him would betray them. Collin didn’t like that he couldn’t see Nicole’s face, so he slid out of his chair and leaned against the wall. Folding his arms tightly to his chest, he watched.
Nicole arched an eyebrow and shot a look between Collin and Jake, with her jaw hanging open. Mandor spoke before she said anything, “And your plan is… what? To kill her?” He turned toward Collin, looking him directly in the face. Mandor was typically silent. The expression on his face was neutral. He awaited Collin’s response.
“Yes,” Collin said coldly, moving away from the wall. He looked down at Mandor. “We destroy her before she destroys our kind. Before she has a chance to fulfill the prophecy.” While Collin didn’t state it, his reasons for destroying her went deeper than that. Mandor snapped his mouth shut. Collin rounded on him. “Do you think differently?”
Mandor looked straight ahead, knowing better than to engage Collin in a fight. “No,” he answered. Collin stared at him for a moment, waiting, watching for the tick that would betray the Valefar’s thoughts, but there was none. Nicole gaped with an open mouth. When Collin caught her gaze, she snapped her mouth shut and looked away.
Jake cleared his throat and moved toward the front of the desk. “The four of us will trail the Martis indicated until we can get more information. Each of us needs to make a new Valefar and bind them—tonight. Binding them to you will keep their mouths shut until we have more information, and it’ll allow you to track the Martis while maintaining your other obligations.”
Tony twisted in his chair, turning toward Jake. “So this is a secret? Why?”
Collin’s eyes narrowed to slits. He was in front of Tony before the boy could blink. “Because I said so. No one is to know.”
Tony’s eyes were wide as he tried to look anywhere but at Collin’s terrorizing gaze. A slim red band hugged tightly to Collin’s iris in each eye. Tony knew that Collin could kill him instantly in that moment. His heart beat wildly in his ears, but Collin backed away from him, satisfied that he’d do as he was told.
Collin growled, “Go. And stay out of my territory. Telling you to hunt wasn’t an invitation.” Valefar had their own areas where they were permitted to hunt for prey. Each of them required a human soul to survive. The younger Valefar hunted with their maker until they were old enough to go alone; or in Nicole’s case, until she got tired of them and killed them. Looking at her Collin added, “And you can’t kill them when they piss you off. Not until this is over.” Nicole’s jaw dropped slightly as her brow pinched together, but she didn’t respond.
Jake opened the door and left. Everyone else followed, but Nicole lingered behind. Collin was frustrated with her. She slid off his desk and pushed the door closed with a flick of her wrist. Then, she sauntered across the room, swinging her hips as she approached him. Collin slid into the seat behind his desk and watched her, his mood darkening. The red ring around his eyes burned. He could feel it there, threatening to push him within inches of his sanity. Collin had waited too long to hunt, again. He didn’t like what he was—he didn’t like being forced to kill to remain alive - but he didn’t want to die without a soul either. The repercussions for such a thing were unbearable. Spending the rest of eternity frozen in the Pool of Lost Souls in the Underworld was unfathomable. The dead could not escape. And every Valefar knew that would be their final resting place when they died. The only way to avoid it was to live.
Irritated, Collin watched her. She wanted something, and Nicole seemed to only push him the most when he was his weakest. “What,” he snapped as she leaned over his desk with a smile across her face. Her blouse puckered and fell open slightly.
When Collin didn’t take his gaze off of her face, she rolled her eyes and lowered herself into one of the chairs in front of the desk. Slouching back into the cushions her red lips pulled into a smile, “How will you reward me?” She pressed her fingertips together and gazed at him.
Leaning forward, Collin said, “Reward you for what?” He watched her confident posture, but knew it was an act. She was terrified of him. Nicole had been by his side too many times to doubt what he was capable of. And right then, she was toying with him—and he didn’t like it. His arms flexed as he waited for her reply.
She leaned forward, crossing her legs, “For finding a traitor.” Her voice was soft, seductive. She said the words intending to lull him to her, but his reaction wasn’t as she had anticipated.
Collin’s eyes pooled crimson as he shot across the desk. His hands grasped her throat and he threw her into the wall. Her head cracked the plaster and she slid to the floor, rubbing her scalp. “I have no time for games, Nicole.” He spat out her name. “Tell me who, or I’ll kill you and find out myself.”
Nicole’s smile faltered as her heart raced in her chest. She looked up at Collin when she lifted herself off the floor, unhurt. “That was unnecessary,” she bit the words off with hostility. “I was telling you. It’s someone close to you. Someone you’d never suspect. That’s why I didn’t just come out and say it.” She brushed herself off, and then turned toward Collin. Her eyes locked with his as she moved closer and closer to him.
Collin’s resolve was faltering. The lust that burned bright red in h
is eyes was all encompassing. He was hungry and needed a soul, but his body easily confused his hunger with lust. He breathed in her scent, lifting a lock of her hair off her shoulder. Their eyes locked. Collin and Nicole had been together before, but he didn’t want her tonight. He needed to hunt. He needed to keep his wits about him. He dropped the lock like it’d burned him and stepped back, trying to temper his lust.
“Tell me,” Collin demanded. Tension laced the air making every hair on his body stand on end.
Nicole’s crimson lips pulled into a wicked smile. She pressed a slender finger to Collin’s lips, and slid it along his smooth mouth. Collin tensed, ready to snap, but her timing was perfect. She removed the finger, and leaned closer to him. She whispered the name of the traitor in his ear.
“Jake.”
CHAPTER FIVE
The thick night air was damp and cold. It bit at his skin as Collin ran, seeking to release the destructive need growing inside of him. Blindly he sprinted through the trees faster than any human, and didn’t give a thought if someone saw him or not. It was three o’clock in the morning. If someone saw him, they’d die. Anger burned through him as thoughts collided in his mind. After coming close to killing Nicole, he let her go. He was suspicious of her claim, but he knew Jake too well to ignore it. Collin weaved through the woods startling the animals that hunted around him. His feet pounded the forest floor as he continued to run, not thinking about his destination.
Finally he stopped, as sweat poured off his body. Running was part of the hunt. It was the part that he enjoyed the most. It made him feel alive again, even though he wasn’t. Collin’s heart pounded in his ears as demon blood surged through his tense body. He took his hand and wiped the sweat from his forehead and he caught his breath. Collin’s eyes burned blood-red. He could feel the heat within forming a direct connection to some place inside of him that demanded to be fed.
Swinging his fist into the tree truck, Collin released some of the anger he’d held since leaving Nicole. The bark splintered and flew through the air in tiny pieces. He swung another punch and the same thing happened. Not stopping to see where the bark landed, Collin took off again. Despite his anger he moved through the woods with ease.
Jake was a traitor.
The thought made Collin angrier. Collin had been watching him, he’d been watching all of them, but he missed it. Without Nicole, he would have never known. Collin pushed his feet harder against the dirt and launched himself forward even faster. The forest rushed past him in a blur of browns and greens. As he approached the edge of the tree-line, he knew exactly where he was.
Breathing hard, he slowed to a walk. Collin instantly silenced his heavy breaths when he saw the thing he wanted. Moving silently through the edge of the clearing, he kept himself hidden in shadows. The scene unfolded quickly, as he knew it would. Just as he hoped, he was not the only monster hunting tonight. In front of him there was a man dressed in a dark coat, holding onto a woman. She was trembling, and tear-stains streaked her face. Collin could smell the fear wafting off of her as he moved closer and closer. She was beautiful, with dark hair and pale skin. Her clothing clung to her body and she had no coat despite the chill in the air. The man standing with her was whispering in her ear. Every time his lips moved the woman would tremble and more tears rolled down her cheeks.
A wicked smile spread across the man’s lips as Collin watched. The woman’s fear filled him with a sense of power and he couldn’t get enough. Collin’s acute hearing heard exactly what the man whispered to her. Collin knew why she trembled, and he knew why she was terrified. Moving silently through the darkness, Collin positioned himself behind the couple, and waited.
The man whispered in the woman’s ear again, and this time she begged. Her voice rang out, pleading with him to let her go. But, his only response was to spit in her face. The cold ground bit into her knees as he forced her to kneel in front of him. Tears streaked her face as she pressed her hands to the cold dirt and was forced to lie on her stomach. The man stood over her at first, watching, anticipating with delight what he would do to her. From his coat, he extracted a silver knife. It glinted in the moonlight. He lowered himself to his knees, leaning close to the woman. As his knee pressed into her back, he lowered the blade in front of her eyes so she could see. With a vicious laugh he pressed the sharp tip against her forearm, but before he had a chance to press the blade into her flesh—the knife fell to the ground. He was gone. Shaking uncontrollably, the woman turned her head looking for her attacker, but she saw nothing but inky darkness. The woman stood shakily, looked over her shoulder into the woods, and ran in the opposite direction.
Collin dropped the attacker to the forest floor moments later when he’d drained him. The man’s soul was so corrupt that Collin knew he wouldn’t be satisfied. His hunger would continue to pain him. The woman was still within sight. Her screams for help went unanswered as she ran barefoot across the uneven ground. Tensing, Collin watched her run. He sensed her fear, and her innate desire to live. If she’d walked away, it wouldn’t have happened, but she ran. Fighting the urge, Collin felt his feet springing forward, moving silently toward her in the darkness. His heart hammered in his chest as he closed in on her. With every step he took, Collin felt the dual-existence fighting within him. He hated what he was, but his body propelled him toward the woman. With every step his thirst for her soul increased, and he knew by the time the woman noticed him, it would be too late. Moving swiftly he reached out for her, and pulled her into the shadows. His hand clasped across her mouth as he whispered soothing sounds in her ear.
The woman’s eyes were wide. She’d been saved from one nightmare only to be a victim in another. She tried to twist out of Collin’s grip, but failed. Her chest heaved as she sucked in air. Collin held her firmly against his body, fighting the desire that was controlling him. The thought of pressing his lips to hers and searching for that golden thread of life within her, and then pulling it into himself—he would taste her soul—a good soul. He salivated at the thought. He hadn’t drunk a good soul in ages. Collin tried so hard to deny himself. He tried so hard to do what was right, but in doing so he denied what he needed most, and it weakened him.
The breeze blew gently, and Collin breathed in deeply. The woman’s scent was amazing. She could sustain him for months. At some point the woman stopped struggling. She’d gone still in his arms. It snapped the internal struggle that was overwhelming him, and he looked down at her. The woman’s skin blanched when she looked into his eyes, and she went slack in his arms. Her lifeless body felt heavy against his chest. She’d passed out when she saw his eyes.
Collin lowered her to the grass, leaning over her. The entire time he held her, he only felt one desire for one thing. But, as she lay on the ground, he stopped looking at her mouth—he stopped thinking about the demon kiss—and gazed upon her closed eyes. Her dark lashes were wet, and clung together. Her makeup was smeared, and mascara ran down her cheeks. Collin kneeled above her staring at her face, until the final hysterical thread of desire snapped and he felt his some of his resolve return. Normally, he would have helped her, but tonight he couldn’t. He was too weak—too hungry. So Collin rose and backed away from her one step at a time, until he was within the woods again.
Before the dawn, Collin drained five more people of their souls trying to quench his own thirst. Guilt clung to him as he came back to himself. Repressing who you really are is impossible, and no one knew that better than Collin Smith.
CHAPTER SIX
Jake’s betrayal pressed at the back of his mind, but Collin was forced to do what he always did. Wait. Even if it was true, Jake was worth more to him alive than dead. The only part of their relationship that had changed, for Collin, was the timing of Jake’s death. Valefar had loyalty issues, and when it was no longer to their advantage to be loyal, they weren’t. Power was intoxicating and Jake was no exception. No Valefar had survived being Collin’s second in command. It was a job that ended in death. A challenge wou
ld result at some point. Collin knew it would occur; it was just sooner than he thought.
Slumping back in his chair, Collin looked up at the whiteboard at the front of the classroom. The room was decorated in a typical high school fashion—painted cinderblock walls that were once white. If the chairs were removed, it could be mistaken for a prison cell. An old oak desk sat in front of the board. It was dingy yellow with a copious amount of scrapes and gouges pressed into the wood. Collin had no interest in the lesson and already knew its contents by heart. This particular teacher had an affinity for teaching, which was rare. Collin looked across the room at Nicole. She sat there, pretending to take notes, but was probably plotting something. Like him. She was old enough to not be content with her power. She was old enough to want more. She tilted her head as she was writing and her hair fell over her shoulder. When she lifted her fingers to brush it back, she glanced at Collin, but he’d already looked away. Collin didn’t see her until he was done hunting last night. He would have regretted his actions if he’d seen her before that. It would have revealed that he was different. It would have revealed his weakness.
When the bell rang, Collin jumped up from his chair and headed out into the hallway. He weaved through a crowd of kids who were all walking the opposite direction. He heard Nicole call his name, but he walked away knowing she wouldn’t follow him. Collin moved toward the edge of the hall, and leaned against a wall of lockers and waited. While he was sitting in class he thought about being overthrown and killed. It was an effect of the bargain. Collin hated that he’d been so completely played by the demon. Fury burned in his veins making his vision go red if he allowed the thoughts to linger. But, it was true. Collin had tried to manipulate the demon. And lost. In exchange for his soul, all he had to do was destroy the prophecy girl. He swore he would. Collin knew better than to take a demon on his word, and had demanded a good-faith payment. Kreturus obliged and gave Collin a piece of his soul back. But when Kreturus tried to restore Collin’s soul to his body, the two wouldn’t fuse. It was as if his soul no longer recognized him. Rather than void the bargain, Kreturus forced Collin’s soul and body together. Since Collin had the soul of a good man when he died, the only way for the two to adhere was to corrupt it. So Kreturus did. And now, Collin was the only Valefar walking around with a soul in his body. It was a tainted, putrefied scrap of a soul, but it was there. And it changed him. Collin was no longer a calloused Valefar. He pitied his victims. He felt guilt and remorse. These things were weaknesses. And after his actions last night, he was feeling guilt-ridden and thought it better to place himself in the company of a mortal who wouldn’t notice.