I walked past the living room, catching a quick glimpse of the dying embers in the fireplace. My glass was full, and I found myself tired earlier than usual. I simply gathered that my worry for my baby sister had worn me out. Of course, this was her first night actually hunting on her own.
It amazed me how quickly things had changed with her mind. One moment, she had a fear of everything and needed me at her side almost constantly. Before I knew it, her speech and mind had flourished, and she no longer needed me. I was feeling like that father whose little girl was growing up entirely too fast for him to keep up and my head was in a whirlwind because of it.
I made quick work of the blood in my glass, but it did almost nothing to satiate me. With a heavy sigh, I took the glass back to the kitchen and set it on the counter. It had been a bit since I went on a hunt anyway. I made sure the fire was completely dead before I ventured out into the night. I stood at the foot of the porch and lifted my nose to the air, surveying how close my potential quarries were.
My senses were suddenly attacked by the unmistakable scent of blood. I followed the scent to a nearby alleyway, where I happened upon one of my kind, her face buried deep into the neck of some unfortunate man. I could hear his heartbeat ringing in my ears, the rhythm dangerously low. A loud, low growl rumbled in my chest and escaped my lips, drawing the attention of the vampiress. Her glowing eyes fell on me, a small screech coming from her. In an inhuman blur, she was gone from the scene. I'd figure out who she was later, my main concern was her victim.
I raced to the poor man, who was struggling for breath. His skin was ghostly pale, and his lips were turning blue. His blood was staining his clothes and his body was convulsing slightly. The light in the alley was dim, but I didn't need the light to make out who this was. It was Sylvie's old co-worker Shane. He was hanging on to life by a single thread and sadly, there was nothing I could do for the poor man. The least I could do was finish what that little whelp started.
"I'm so sorry about this." I said quietly.
His blood flowed from his wound so easily, I didn't even have to sink my fangs into the marks that she made. His heart beat rang in my ears, beating slower and slower until it was completely silent. I pulled myself away from his throat, wiping the blood from my lips. With a heavy heart, I gently closed Shane's eyes with my fingertips before grabbing my cellphone. I dialed like a madman and paced impatiently as the line rang.
"You've reached the House of Decadence." Mikhail answered hazily, shushing the giggling in the background.
"Mik, I need you." I said hurriedly.
"What's the problem, Daniel?"
"Someone's nosing into our territory. We've got a death."
"A what?" Mikhail no longer sounded so lackadaisical. "Who the fuck would have that kind of nerve?"
"I have no idea who she is," I answered with leashed fury, "but I'm going to have a hell of a time explaining this to Sylvia."
"What does she have to do with-"
"She knows the poor bastard." I interrupted. "They used to work together. From what she told me, he hadn't been to work in a few days and no one knew where he was."
"Blyad!" Mikhail swore, and I could hear the sounds of movement, along with whining for him to come back to bed. "Where are you?"
"The alleyway, about six blocks over from the house."
"And they have the nerve to be that close?" Mikhail growled. "I can't wait to find whoever this little suka is. Whether you kill or not, we have laws for a fucking reason!"
It gave me a bit of comfort to hear my friend so heated about this apparent disrespect to our territory. There were so few things I could get my dear friend to be serious about, especially when there was a feminine distraction clouding his senses.
"Take yourself home, my friend." Mikhail instructed over the sound of his car's engine revving to life. "I'll take care of everything from here."
I mumbled my answer of thanks before disconnecting the call. I took one last look at Shane's now still form and a wave of disgust and sorrow hit me like a tsunami. I shook my head sadly as I left the alley. How was I going to explain this to Sylvie?
I walked up the steps of our porch, barely noticing that I had returned the car to the driveway. I closed the door behind me just as Sylvie vaulted into my arms, hugging me tightly. I did my best to return her embrace, despite my feelings. She pulled back and I saw the red tears swimming in her dark eyes. It suddenly hit me that she knew.
"Did you see who she was?" Sylvie asked, her voice breaking.
"No, metuka sheli." I admitted, internally kicking myself. "I chased her off, but I was too late."
"He didn't suffer, did he?" Her wide dark eyes pleaded with mine and I felt my heart completely shatter.
"I did what I could." I answered truthfully. "Mikhail is going to make sure he's well taken care of."
Sylvie only nodded, pulling me closer once more and laying her head on my chest. A bubbling pool of anger was rising within me. Not only had this woman disrespected our territory, she hurt the woman I love. She would pay dearly for what she had done to us. I silently prayed I would get to her before Mikhail did.
"Just as long as you let me take a couple swings at her." Sylvie, half muffled, interrupted my thoughts. For some morbid reason, this brought a smile to my face.
"Anything for you." I promised.
Just then, Edith came waltzing into the house, looking like she was on cloud 9. At seeing us, her smile sharply fell and she ran to Sylvie's side.
"What is it?" She demanded. "What happened?"
"One of Sylvie's friends was killed tonight." I could feel Sylvie's flinch at the statement. "Someone's invading our territory and killing, apparently."
Edie looked perplexed. "I didn't see anyone out of character while I was out."
"It happened pretty close to home." I explained, stroking Sylvie's hair. "I want you to be careful going out. Be vigilant at all times, Edie."
Edie simply nodded. She gave Sylvie a small hug before bounding up the steps to her room. Something seemed off about her to me. She didn't notice? Especially so close to home? How far away had she traveled? I knew my baby sister had a habit of letting things slip past her, but this was something a bit more serious. I just let out a sigh, reminding myself to talk to her about it later.