Chapter One

 

She was sitting in a dark corner when he first spotted her, playing some game on a computer. The very same one she had been on every night for the past 2 weeks. Headphones blaring some music, she was totally unaware of her surroundings. Talon could see her aura, pulsing and glittery.

There had been rumours floating around for years that a human of magic blood had been born, but with everything that had happened it got lost in the system.  The last report of her was 6 months ago, here in this shitty café. Talon couldn’t believe his luck when he rang and the guy who ran night shift, the vampire who had rung in about her, and found out she was still going there.

She was there from opening time at 8am till closing at midnight, every day for the last 6 months. Talon had to ask himself why.  The plan was to spend a night or two following her then approach her, try to get to know her a bit, then ask her to go out with him, then take her to a secure facility where she would be trained if she wanted. He thought he had 1 month to complete this mission. He got a bottle of blood and went and sat on the other side, where he had been sitting for the past 2 weeks, where he could see her clearly while looking at the computer. The last Human mage born was about 1500 years ago, well the last one that is still alive. The thing about him was anyone could pay for his services because he was the only one who could do the things he did, like help raise demons from the deep abyss. Although not a part of the demon raising team his sister Silver had just dealt to. It was Silver who insisted we had to help this girl, she knew all too well what others would do for magical blood.

It was nearly closing, he watched as she put away her headphones, a flash drive, did a clean on the pc she was using and turned off the computer. She put her hoodie on before she turned around and headed out the door. Talon thought she was trying to avoid looking at anyone or anyone looking at her.  Just like every other night.

She happened to glance in Talons direction, he smiled at her, that was a first, normally she would not lift her head at all. She hurried out the door.  She seemed terrified, what kind of a life had this girl had, but then she was old enough to have been born during the power failures, god knows not a great time for humans, really things had only started improving for humans in the last 10 years, the old vampires who were being stubborn, they had too much power and liked their slave force. He went over to her computer and checked her history, wiped clean. He used a program on his flash drive to do a full scan he would check it out later. It only took 5 minutes to find nothing. She was professional at hiding what she did on a public computer. Just like every night.

 Talon then went out the front door waving to the guy doing his final take for the night.

He sniffed the air, yup he could still smell her. He could even see her across the street about to enter an apartment above a garage. She closed the door. Just like every night.

Talon was about to go, but he noticed something moving on the roof of the house next to the garage, it was vampires, he positioned himself into a shadowed tree and watched 3 of them come out of the Attic window in the house and ghost their way across the roof to the girl’s roof.  They waited for all her lights to go off, when they cracked the window, Talon moved out of his hiding space and shot to the door. As he bust through the door, he heard her scream and headed that way. When he got to the room she was in, she had already ashed one vampire and staked another, it turns out it was not her that screamed but this last vampire, she sliced through his chest and he staggered back. She jumped to face Talon, so he raised his hands to show that he was not going to attack her, then she turned back to the other vampire and did a nice spinning kick popping out some blades from her boots and slicing open his throat.

She went into a defensive stance ready to attack Talon if he made a wrong move.

“Well I see you don’t need my help” He said with his hands still in the air “I saw them breaking in here and was going to warn whoever lived here, but I see you can take care of yourself”

“What do you want Vampire?” She said angrily

“I have an offer for you, part of it was protection, but I see you have that covered” He said as he leaned on the wall

“Get out” she said

“Look I have a friend who is like you” he said trying to use the most soothing voice he could “She found out about you, which means others will have too”

“I said get out” she snarled as she packed her bag

“We can offer you help and training in your magical gifts” He spat out as a desperate last move “Also if others get a hold of you they won’t kill you right away, your blood becomes a trad-able commodity, just like what happened to my friend”

“I don’t have magic powers” she said “But you don’t live to be my age if you don’t know how to kick some ass”

“You do have magic powers, I can see your aura” Talon said smiling gently “You don’t have to become one of us or anything but be yourself, we are quite big on the whole free will thing”

“I don’t believe you” she said

“Did you see the news reports a few months ago about the world saving shit that happened in Brazil?” Talon asked

“Yeah” she said

“That was my friends, my sister is Silver and I promise you, we only want to help you” he pleaded

“So, you can use me for your own means?” she snapped “Get my help to blow up more Rain forest?”

“No, we honestly just want to help” Talon said pausing “By the way my name is Talon” He smiled and held out his hand pushing himself off the wall at the same time

“You already know my name I suppose” she snapped slapping the hand away “And what a kind of a name is Talon?”

“Actually no, your file has no name” He said looking sad “It was my Sire’s name for me”

“Fine, I’m Mat” she said lowering her defensive stance a little

He looked at her really hard for a moment, he was getting frustrated.

“You know the people who come for you will increase in skill and numbers” He said “We can keep you safe, and you can probably have as much internet time as you like for free”

“I’m fine” she said grabbing a duffel bag and shoving some clothes and other items into it

“Look how about you just come with me, try the place out for a day or two while you decide what you are going to do next, at least come meet my boss, she’s a really awesome person” he said trying to convince her “Is there anything I can say to get you to believe me, that we mean no harm to you at all?” Talon was feeling extremely desperate to keep this girl safe

“It would be more convincing if you had of been human” she said in a snarky tone

“We don’t have any human’s working for us yet except the cleaners, who I must say get paid very well” he said

“Really?” she said “so what you pay then $3 an hour and think that’s OK?”

“No, we pay $20 an hour and provide food and accommodation” he said looking annoyed “Look I know most vampires are arseholes, I have even been through a phase of being one myself, but my sister is something special, she is…very into harmony and balance, equal rights and things like that.”

“Equal rights for who?” She said

“For everyone, humans, vampires and shifters” He said

“Shifters?” Mat asked

“Yeah, you know werewolves, were-tigers and the like” Talon explained

“Oh, I knew about wolves, but tigers?” Mat said looking surprised

“Yeah, I know 3” Talon said “And some were-panthers, and a were-bear”

“Wow” she said sitting down on the bed she looked up at Talon with an enquiring look “So if I don’t want to stay, I can just leave?”

“Yup, Silver will not hold anyone prisoner even for their own safety” He said “You know how some vampires are, they treat the new ones like shit”

“So, she was kept against her will at some point?” Mat asked

“Yes, just recently she was defrosted and kept a prisoner and was also being bleed daily” He replied

“So, she is a criminal vampire?” Mat raised an eyebrow to Talon

“No, she was removed from the field of play before they started doing that” Talon said “Turns out the guy who did it was trying to hide her, for her own safety”

“Right” she gave a bit of laugh, then looked like she was thinking as she finished packing

 “OK, but only because I can’t stay here and I have nowhere to go yet” she said zipping up her duffel bag

“One more thing before we go” Mat said “Why did your sire name you and Silver?”

Talon laughed

“Silver is her given name, Mine was because I was turned to be my sires assassin” he said turning to walk out the door

“So really if you wanted me dead I would have been dead two weeks ago” Mat said. Talon looked back at her and chuckled

“So, you do notice things around you?” he said

“I notice everything, that’s why I have to have my headphones on and music playing, it removes seeing everything” Mat said looking very tired suddenly. “Look we gotta move I need sleep, you got a car?”

 

They went down to a car parked across the street at the cybercafe, as they were leaving Talon noticed a sole figure standing on the roof of the house watching them leave, he made a note to make sure they were not followed and switch out cars asap, after they did that Mat jumped in the back.

“Wake me before dawn, tell me where to go and I’ll drive from there.” Mat said lying down in the back seat

Talon drove through the wee dark hours of the morning. They got to the place they would be staying the day and he woke her.

“I got a suite so it has 2 rooms let’s rest here, I can arrange a more direct flight for tonight” Talon said to her

She shook her head and got out of the car with her bag

“I said I would drive “Mat said

“We can’t drive over that much water” Talon laughed as he headed to the rooms he had rented, it was a pretty low-class kind of place, to Talon it reeked of desperation
“I don’t have a passport.” She said as Talon unlocked the door

“That’s fine, you don’t need one, but I can get you one when we get there.” Talon said “If you really want one” They went inside

“But don’t you need special permits and papers to travel now days” she said “And I mean I am human, we have rules too”

“See this is where being law enforcement for vampires helps, we have contacts everywhere, and most places vampires are the ones in control, they like to avoid me at all costs” Talon said locking the door and closing the curtains. This dump was made for Vampires who wanted to hide

“So, you think most vampires are crooked?” Mat asked

“A lot of them are sheep who follow the crooked ones, I don’t think anyone expected the older ones to come out of hiding when they decided vampires needed to come out.” Talon said disarming his body on to the bed in the first room, the second room was also a bedroom. This one doubled as lounge kitchen.

“It’s ones like Cleopatra, and a bunch of Nazi’s that are the biggest problem” he mused he sat on the bed and started cleaning his guns, while Mat was glancing over his silverware.

“Those are the finest katanas money can’t buy” Talon said watching her almost drooling over them “My sister has some wicked and daggers”

“May I hold one?” she asked tentatively he nodded at her

She very carefully picked up one of the Katanas, it was well balanced. To look at the handle was very plain but so well done you could tell it was looked after.

“How old is she?” Mat asked

“About 1000 years old, the smaller one is its match” Talon said looking at this human with a look of absolute wonder.

She gently put it back down.

“I could never afford a nice sword, but I have always loved the look of them” She confessed

“Well maybe I can help you there” Talon said “I could even train you to use one if you like?”

“Would you really?” She said sounding like she didn’t believe him

“Yeah” he said “if we get time when we get back I will” he looked at her for a minute, like he was thinking

“If you want you can go in the other room and rest” Talon said

“I would rather you took the other room and I slept out here so when I am wide awake I can watch TV” Mat said back

“Fair enough” Talon said picking up his gear and taking it into the next room.

“It will be dawn soon, is there anything you want me to do during the day” Mat called out

Talon practically jumped back through the door

“Please do not go anywhere, do not order anything on the phone. I have arranged for pizza to come at dusk for you, but please don’t leave this room” Talon said over-stressing the importance of staying put

Mat raised her hands to surrender.

“OK boss, I’ll stay put “she said saluting him

“Sorry I just don’t want anything to go wrong between now and tonight and getting you to safety” Talon said calming a bit and realizing he was being a bit of an arsehole

“It’s OK I guess your job is full of danger and stuff” Mat said

“Sometimes” He said “I have to go to bed, I’ll see you this evening”

Talon closed the bedroom door behind him and leant back on it, he wiped his brow and leant his head back on the door. What was wrong with him? Why was he acting so strange? He went to the bed and laid down, the last thing he thought before the sun rose was I hope Mat will stay put.

Mat couldn’t go back to sleep, she was awake now, she explored the kitchen, tried the taps, the water was clear that was a bonus. Lucky, she had bottles of water in her duffel bag, she always kept a few supply’s in the bottom of that bag in case she had to bug out quick, she decided to go get one.

She got a bottle out of her bag and spotted something on the floor. It was a small box. She picked it up, it was about the size of a credit card, but it wasn’t a box, it was a small book, she opened it.

There were small pictures of a few people some were hand drawn, some photos all the same size.

She read the names on them, Gustavo, Dominic, Rift, Angel, Anastasia, Phoenix, Camille, Lucius, Luca, Lily, and Silver. Most of them had a small x next to their name, except for Rift and Silver.

She closed the book, she assumed that this was his family, and those with x were gone.

She crept into Talons room and placed the book on the bedside table. She glanced over at Talon lying there asleep, or dead he was on top of the covers only wearing pants. He looked at peace. Since she had the chance, she really looked at him, in the half light of the open door. He was so very handsome, finely chiselled face, and shoulders and chest you just wanted to run your hands all over, this guy could have been a model, he had shoulder length dark hair, he had been wearing it up before, but now it framed his head like a halo. She shook her head and turned to walk out of the room. She closed the door behind her.

What has been seen, cannot be unseen, she thought shaking her head, why did she have to see him like that. She flopped down on the bed. She fell asleep naturally for the first time in a long time, right there where she had flopped on the bed.