The night air was crisp. A gentle breeze blew through the trees surrounding the motel. I stepped outside the building and took in a deep breath of the fresh night air.
Two shadows followed me from the motel, each not speaking to each other and going their separate ways. I noticed them immediately and sighed. I was going to have to explain the deal I made with Evan to Alec, eventually. At this point they weren't speaking to each other, but Alec did not know where Evan had come from. I knew he was only giving me space temporarily after I had been through so much.
The moon hung high in the sky above me, the city streets were mostly deserted at this time of the night. Music poured onto the street from the nearby clubs. A few intoxicated people came stumbling out of the building for fresh air. I sighed and made my way down an alley off the main road. I found the rickety ladder of the fire escape and climbed to the top of the building.
I stared out at the cityscape before me, the twinkling lights spread out in a sea that I could see for miles from the rooftop. Sitting on the edge of the building, I let my legs dangle over the edge. I leaned back on my hands and stared up at the moon. It was a beautiful night; too bad it was filled with so much chaos.
My mind spun. I finally got time alone after being surrounded by chaos all day. The events of the night ran through my mind, my father's death, the explosion of my power. The speed with which the other vampires turned on me. They blamed me for the attack of the hunters. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair. I bent my legs in front of me and hugged my knees to my chest.
I heard a cracking sound from behind me. I spun my head, sighing when I saw the familiar red hair peek out from the shadows. He stayed silent. Walking up behind me, he came over and sat next to me on the ledge of the building. He peeked at my face from the side.
"Rough night." He said. I let out a low chuckle and nodded.
"Rough night, indeed." I mused. "What have we gotten ourselves into?" He stared down at his hands.
"The leader of the hunter cell was Kadmos, the one who killed your father." Clenching his fists, "He was the leader of my cell." He said with a sigh. I raised a brow.
"He's the one who ordered me kidnapped." I stated. He nodded. I bit my lower lip.
"My father is one of his generals. You met him during your stay with us." He ran his fingers through his hair. His eyes seemed distant in the dark.
"Why did you follow me?" I asked, genuinely curious. Alec felt it was his duty to protect me, given my father's orders. Evan had no ties to me beyond what he wanted me to find out for him. Why follow me through streets in the night?
"I have a vested interest in keeping you alive, remember?" He said, tapping the side of his head.
"I'm protecting my investment." His lips quirked up in the corners. When he smiled, he looked almost handsome, the harsh angles of his face softening. I rolled my eyes and leaned back.
"I don't even know where to begin with that right now." I said honestly. After the chaos of tonight, getting access to the Atheniedes seemed further than ever. He leaned his head back and stared up at the stars.
"I'm sure something will come along. We just have to be ready for it." He said. I nodded and sighed.
"Do you still think I'm a blood sucking demon? I suppose today's events didn't help your viewpoint." I mused. His smirk remained, and he shook his head slightly. He didn't answer. He stood up and brushed himself off. Then he held out a hand to me.
"Come on." He said. I looked at his hand, shocked. I reached forward and grasped his calloused palm. He pulled me up to stand.
"Where are we going?" I raised a brow. He gripped the hilt of the long sword strapped to his waist.
"We're going to go hunt something." He smiled. A slow smile spread across my face.
I tilted my head up, listening to the sounds of the city. The bustling of cars, the chatter of the people on the streets, birds cawing in the distance. Then there, a few streets away, the guttural sounds of a demon prowling.
"This way." I said, leaping from the side of the building. Landing in a crouch on the ground, I saw Evan scoff from the top of the building and mutter about "show-offs" as he descended the rickety fire escape ladder. He jumped off halfway and landed with a thud beside me.
We prowled in the demon's direction, walking our way through the back alleys, and we held our weapons at the ready. I gripped my dagger hilts, listening to every sound. The guttural groans grew louder as we rounded a corner. I held my finger to my lips and slipped into the dark alley.
The black amorphous blob of what looked like tar was stalking back and forth across the alley, the corpse of an unrecognizable animal next to it. The beast looked frenzied. Its large black eyes darted about the alley, looking for a way out. It had not seen the passage we walked through yet.
I smiled and flipped my daggers in my hands, prowling in a circle around behind the beast. Evan unsheathed his sword, circling in the other direction. The beast noticed him and snarled, spitting black sticky ichor at him. I lunged from behind, plunging my daggers into its back and dragging them downward. Black blood gushed out; the demon screamed.
Evan took advantage of the distraction and lunged from the front, slicing his sword in a downward arc between the eyes of the demon. It reared back and covered its face. I jumped over the beast, flipping in the air and landing in front. I threw a dagger straight into its throat. It groaned and clutched at its throat, gasping, and sank to its knees.
Evan stood at the side of the beast and lined his sword up with its neck. He prepared his swing, striking with swift force. The head of the demon rolled. A hissing sound filled the air, and the body and head of the demon disintegrated into ash.
I grunted in disgust, wiping a thick layer of black ichor off of my arm. Evan had fared little better, his clothes covered in black goo. We looked at each other and our eyes met. We both smiled.
"Another one down!" He said cheerfully, sheathing his blade. I smiled and kept my daggers in my grip. Hearing a sound of footsteps approaching from the mouth of the alley, I spun on my heel.
"Well, well, well. Look who we have here!" A high-pitched voice called into the alley. A willowy woman with long platinum blonde hair stepped into the moonlight. Red eyes glowed behind her, three males backing her up. I curled my lip in disgust.
"Althea Atheneides." I spat. Her blood-red lips curled in a sinister smile, fangs showing.