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The Hunters Ch. 01

By: ArtForm



Hi all, this is my first time writing in so I hope you all enjoy the story. Don't forget to comment and rate!

***

Anya watched the crowd grow restless outside the bar called Pandora's. The bar was legion for its upbeat music and fantastic cocktails but had a stringent entrance policy. They don't just admit any Tom, Dick or Harry. But that was just what she had read up from research.

Anya's eyes scanned the crowd once more from her SUV parked indiscriminately on the opposite lane. Looking at her watch, she smiled and decided it was time for her hunt to begin. 

She was dressed to kill. Her thigh- high boots hugged her slender legs snugly and left very little skin visible beneath her leather micro-mini skirt. Her top consisted of a sheer lace babydoll that could barely contain her 36D breasts. 

To any other woman, dressing like this was a signal for a definite come on. But for Anya, it was a matter of blending in. She hadn't joined the queue like everyone else, but had stridden over towards the bouncer and was immediately given a heads up to enter. He would soon forget she had even entered; she had made sure of that.

Once she was inside, Anya's face turned somber.

There was too much scent for her to focus. A quick glance assured her that no one had noticed her... yet. Wanting to buy herself more time, she went over to the bar and ordered a drink. 

With her back turned from the crowd, she closed her eyes and feigned a headache. But what she was actually doing was focusing; drawing out the one scent she was supposed to follow and blocking out the rest.

"Here's your drink Ma'am" the bartender said, shaking her out of her concentration. But Anya had gotten a whiff of her prey in sight. She paid for her drink then left it there, untouched and headed towards the washroom.

She stood outside the door and tried to see how many other women were inside. There were at least ten of them. Anya didn't like what she was about to do but she knew it had to be done. 

Stepping inside, it took her less than five seconds to get all the women out- even the ones in the cubicles. They all left, muttering about something they've forgotten.

Anya locked the washroom entrance and waited for her prey to come out of her cubicle. She knew that the woman would have noticed the sudden quietness, so it didn't shock her to find the woman had already shifted into her wolf form when she came out of the cubicle.

Anya had to suppress her chuckle at the confused look on the wolf's face. The bitch was sniffing the air wildly but they both knew that there was no scent in the air. 

For a moment, Anya saw a brief flicker of fear in the wolf's eyes before she came close and in a blink of an eye, severed the wolf's head with a blade she had kept tucked in her boots.

Suddenly, the door broke open and in pounced another wolf. Anya was caught off guard for a moment and was almost pinned down on the floor, if not for her lightning quick reflexes.

Fuck! She had not considered the issue that this woman's mate might have been around. Anya started into the wolf's eyes, planning her escape.

The male wolf stared hard at Anya, a deep growl in his throat. The moment he began to sniff her scent, he had the same confused look on him as the woman had. Anya took that second of confusion to escape. She regretted that she would have to inform her elders of the mistake she had made.

She would have killed the second wolf too, but that would have been against her orders.

The orders were to kill the female, known as Lycia. Anya was never told why exactly each time she was given an assignment; except that the target was dangerous and would threaten the existence of mankind.

***

Logan had carried Lycia's body out of the washroom. In death, her body had shifted back into her human form and she felt weightless in his arms. His other pack members had tried their best to shield him from the gaze of the crowd, giving him the chance to exit quietly to his parked car.

Logan told himself that he would not cry; tears were for the weak, his father had always said. The drive back home felt longer than usual and it was also accompanied by loss, loneliness and anger.

When he entered the compound parameters, he immediately shifted and gave a loud mournful howl. It was soon reciprocated by another howl, and another, and another. 

Within minutes, his Alpha wolves had arrived, accompanied by the Betas, the shock and pain in their eyes apparent.

The female Alpha had turned away from the carcass lying in front of Logan. Logan could not look into her eyes; her sadness tore at his heart even more than a million different punishment his male Alpha had given him. His eyes remained downcast as the male Alpha spoke.

"Bring her back to our house. We will give her a proper burial... and then we will talk."

"Yes, Alpha..." Logan said softly.

The burial of an Alpha was always considered sacred in the pack. Being an Alpha pup, Lycia was given the sending off that she deserved, only that Logan had not expected it to be so soon. 

The wolves had all gathered around her and were giving out one howl after another; a ritual that would only end at daybreak. Logan himself had led in the mourning ritual. His pain for Lycia's loss was articulated in his sorrowful cry that night.

The pair of Alphas were the only ones that remained silent. They had lain side by side with their dead daughter, their heads down on the ground between their paws.

Till dawn, the pack stayed that way; their howling only stopped when the male Alpha had gotten up and started to dig the earth where he had lain earlier as the site for the burial. He had done it by himself and when he was done, he gave a final bow of submission for his pup. She would forever be his pup even after centuries had passed.

As the sunlight brightened the sky, the Alpha male shifted back into his human form and motioned for Logan and his top ranking Betas to enter his home.

As the commanding male Alpha, Leon had to be strong even though he had buried his daughter only moments ago. He had always thought that he would die first but not before seeing his only daughter bear her own pups. The thought cinched his heart but he had to put that aside for now.

"Tell me, Logan, what happened," he said gruffly, the fatigue in his voice apparent.

"She was attacked in the washroom, by a woman," said Logan.

"Was this woman a Vampire, Logan?"

"No... she was not...In fact, she smelled funny. I can't put a finger to it... but she was mostly... human."

"And this... human... left the scene unharmed?"

"I... I was too confused with her scent to have done anything, Alpha. By the time I got to the bathroom, Lycia was already dead. I was too shocked," he confessed guiltily.

The moment Leon's big hands struck him across the face, Logan knew he had that coming. The sharp sting of the Alpha's big hands was going to be felt for a few days.

"Leon... The two of them were in that bathroom for five minutes max... and it took Logan less than that to notice that Lycia was missing. Whoever that woman was, she was faster, stronger and more skilled," said Caden, one of the elder Betas.

"Find this woman. But don't kill her. We do not know who she is, what clan she may be from or what her associations are. She could verily be a Vampire who has advance skills to suppress her scent and we do not want to wage a war without knowing more details. Find her, bring her here... and we will tear her apart if need be. Is that clear?"

"Yes Alpha!" they said in unison before leaving the house one at a time. Only Logan stayed back.

He looked at Leon and knew that it had been a tough call on his Alpha. Revenge would have dictated that the woman be killed without question... but Leon had thought of his pack's safety first. If there was one thing Leon had taught him, it was that no one lived in this world alone; everyone is a part of an interconnected web and it wouldn't be wise to act without considerations.

Leon looked at Logan; opened up his hands and they hugged fiercely as tears threatened to fall from their eyes.

"Father..." Logan said, his voice croaking with the sudden urge to cry.

"What are you not telling me, son?" Leon finally said.

"That woman... she is my mate..." said Logan, finally looking up into his father's eyes.

***

Anya was pissed. She should have killed that damn wolf... now he's gonna complicate things.

She had abandoned her rented SUV and was currently zipping up the jacket of her riding gear. She had chosen to abandon the flimsy lace top and boots. If those wolves had begun sniffing her out, if that was even possible, then they would find that her trail ended in the motel parking lot a few blocks from the bar. 

After checking that her equipment was all packed, she slung her bag pack over her, slid on her full-face helmet over her dark brown hair and sped off on her Ducati 749.

The bike could never move as fast as she could, even at its highest speed, she mused. But still, it brought her great pleasure to let something else do the work of speed and movement, especially when she knew the wolves would never catch up with her; Ducati or not.

For now, she needed to go home. The Elders would want a report on the assignment.

She continued riding upstate, until she could smell the change in air temperature and humidity as she entered the mountainous and forested areas. Her Ducati sped on, noiselessly and in a few minutes, she entered the 45acres of land, known as home.

As she approached the main house, she sensed that she was being followed. Giving a low laugh, she gave her wrist a little twist and pumped up the acceleration to full speed.

When she finally stopped, she took off her helmet, waited a second and said, 

"Aurora, you'll never beat me, slowpoke."

"Yeah, you bet your ass I can!" said Aurora who had materialized from nowhere and was now pinning Anya onto the grass.

"Girls, girls!" said a low guttural voice. The two women looked up.

"Daddy!" they said in unison. Richard Redfield beamed as his daughters. Pulling them to their feet, he gestured them to come in.

Anya was not surprised to find that the table was already set for three. Her father had gone out of his way to welcome them home, as always, with his home cooked food. 

He was getting old, she noted. His hair had greyed considerably since the last she saw him but his stamina was still good. She was sure that he still did his five mile run every morning without fail.

"Sit, sit... tell Daddy everything that he needs to know..." he said, gesturing them to the seats opposite him. 

"So, how was your trip to London, Aurora?" he asked, as they tucked into their dinner.

"Oh, it was boring! I hate recon assignments!"she replied, tossing her brown hair behind her shoulder.

Richard gave a laugh. Aurora was always a feisty one, while Anya.... His eyes turned to his other daughter and considered her quietly. She wouldn't volunteer information willingly, especially not when her stomach wasn't full yet. Two identical daughters, but totally different personalities, he mused.

"Tell me about it then," he said instead. Even as he listened to her lament about her trip, he had watched from the corner of his eyes, his other daughter who was eating in silence.

"Anya... are you listening to me?" asked Aurora. It was only then that Anya looked up and nodded her head. Richard gave himself a mental chuckle.

"What was that for?" Anya asked defensively.

"Your weakness has always been your sister..."

"I do not have a weakness," she said matter-of-factly. Aurora turned to her sister and gave her a pained look.

"What are you looking at, slowpoke?" she said as she jabbed her finger at Aurora's arm.

Richard smiled as he watched his girls laughing, teasing each other.

When dinner was over, he instructed Aurora to go to bed first, indirectly signaling her for privacy. 

He sat at his lounging chair at the porch, overlooking the mountains and waited for Anya to see him. He didn't need to instruct her; he knew she would come on her own. She had a strange habit of seeking him out like that, away from her sister; to seek his undivided affections.

"Daddy?"

"I'm here..." he replied.

"Daddy... I think I'm in trouble."

Richard raised his eyebrow enquiringly; his grey eyes searching the darkness for her. It didn't surprise him when he felt her head resting on his thigh a few seconds later. Stroking her hair, he kept silent, allowing her to speak first.

"You know that last assignment?"

"Mmmhmm..."

"I killed the Alpha bitch as instructed... but... I think her mate caught me before I had the chance to leave," she said, pausing to gauge his reaction.

"Continue..." he merely said.

"My orders were not to kill anyone other than the target. But I fear that the Alpha's mate might become a liability should he set his pack on a hunt for me. What should I do, Daddy?"

Richard remained silent for a moment thinking about what Anya had just said. There were many times when he had done such a mistake; back when he was a prime hunter, but it never involved a target's mate. Werewolves were possessive about their mates, he knew that and they would never rest until they had their revenge, even if they had to wait years to find the culprit.

"Anya... I have no answer for you now, my child... but I will seek an immediate meeting with the other Elders."

Richard told his daughter to get some rest while he prepared for the impromptu meeting. Although he was an Elder now, having retired from being a hunter for a few decades now, he was still considered a junior in the ranks of the Elders.

He could only hope that whatever verdict they came up with, it would not hurt Anya.

Alone in his study, Richard pulled up the sleeve of his shirt, exposing a marking on the underside of his forearm that looked like a dagger piercing a full moon. He traced the marking with his finger slowly, then repeated it again with an extended nail from his fingers; drawing blood.

"What is the matter, Richard?" a plethora of voices exploded in his head.

"There have been some complications with the MacFarlane assignment. I request an immediate meeting with utmost urgency."

"Did the chosen hunter fail the mission?" asked one of them.

"No, she did not."

"Very well then... we shall convene."

An hour later, as promised, the Elders were gathered in Richard's study, all seven of them, including himself.

"Anya was caught by the female Alpha's mate before she had the chance to escape. How could she not have been told about this?" he asked.

"We have no knowledge of this... mate, that you mentioned," replied one of the Elders.

"Perhaps it happened recently," said another.

"We should not have made such a mistake," admitted the first Elder. He was the oldest of the Elders and carried most weight in all their decisions. He contemplated his suggestion for a minute then spoke, "We will send a recon to find out what the MacFarlane clan has decided before we make our decision."

"You already know what they will do!" protested Richard. "They are probably out there right now, trying their best to sniff out Anya's scent!"

"Quiet Richard..." said another Elder. "Your kind has no scent and the MacFarlane's can try to track her down forever to no avail. Unless you want to consider sending Anya to wipe out their entire pack..." he added with a sneer.

"Hmm... as dangerous as that sounds... I don't think that's a bad idea. Very well then... we shall take away the recon mission. Anya will be assigned to take down the remaining Alphas in the MacFarlane pack. It should not be a difficult task. Once the Alphas are taken out, the pack will fall apart and simply regroup and join the other packs," said the oldest Elder.

"No... please..."

"My decision is final, Richard... and the other Elders stand by my decision as well," he said as a concluding remark.

Richard looked around him and feeling defeated, bowed his head in acceptance. Anya will have to do her task; no failure is accepted. 

***

The Hunters Ch. 02



NB: Hi all, here's the continuation of The Hunters. Yay for all the comments and emails! It's very encouraging. =) This one promises to be longer and yes there's sex. Hope you all like it! Don't forget to rate and comment! 

***

Anya was nestled comfortably amidst the branches of a birch tree. The tree's height and leaves provided some cover for her recon task. The Elders had not given her any information of any sort about the MacFarlane Alphas, except that there were three of them. It was usually tougher when the hunter had to do his or her own recon mission. There wasn't always a data-bank or library for research on an unknown pack or clan.

She had been sitting in that position for two days now, with the most minimal of movements as her lack of scent gave her an added advantage. So far she had learnt that there were two Alphas in command- the Alpha male and the pack Mother. The third Alpha was the mate of the previous Alpha she had killed. Even though she had successfully carried out her last hunt, it did not mean that this one was much easier. The two leading Alphas were always surrounded by the other members of the pack... except at night. But she knew that their Were instincts and senses were heightened at night but that was probably the only time when she could strike... but not tonight. 

Suddenly, from the corner of her eye, she caught a movement. It was almost unnoticeable if one did not pay close attention. Anya jumped off the branch but was a split second too slow, for her attacker managed to inflict a deep slash on her arm. 

Even as she started to flee, she knew that her blood would leave a trail- but not for long. Her incredibly fast healing abilities would put a stop to that. Even then, it made her stumble along as her body had to heal while on the move. 

If she was fast, whoever was on her trail was faster. Her chaser's scent was partly clouded by her adrenaline pushing her body beyond its limits to heal and run at the same time. She was slowly losing her stamina. Whoever was chasing her had been doing so for almost 50 miles now and didn't show any signs of slowing down. 

Logan was gaining on the intruder. In the blur of movements he could not ascertain what or who he was chasing, but he had a feeling it was female. Her pattern of movement was tricky; winding through trees and hopping over fallen branches and rocks. Irrespectively, she was getting tired. It was a matter of time before he could pin her down. 

Anya gave herself a maximum of two more miles before she caved in to her fatigue. It was then that she saw a river just a few feet to her left. Taking the chance, she sharply veered to her left and prepared to dive straight into the water. 

She was going to make it... gonna make it... 'WHAM!'. She felt herself knocked off balance by her pursuer. The high velocity impact threw her off course and she landed with an audible thud on the ground. 

"Fuck..." she cursed as she tried to get up but instead felt a part of her ribcage had broken in. The intense pain gripped her such that she couldn't move. Even in her pain, Anya saw the wolf approach her. He had silver fur with speckles of black. His steel eyes were staring down at her intently. 

Logan was staring at the woman sprawled in front of him with great consideration. She was... human and yet she ran fast; comparable to that of a Were but she had not shifted at all. Logan decided not to take chances with this woman who had killed Lycia. Still in his wolf form, he pinned her down by pressing his paws on her thigh. 

"Who are you?!" he demanded angrily, his deep voice penetrating deep into her skull. He knew that she could hear him, but she remained silent. Her hazel eyes simply stared back at him defiantly. 

"Who sent you?" Logan tried again. Truth was, it was really difficult for him to sustain his anger at her, seeing that she was badly hurt. His wolf was beginning to whine, demanding Logan to submit to the woman. 

"No! We can't right now partner. She's dangerous to our pack. She cannot be our mate... not now, not ever!" Logan chided. 

His wolf gave a soulful howl and looked pathetically at Anya. 

Anya was unsure what was happening but she realized that the wolf's confusion was giving her a chance to escape. She could feel the bones reconstructing itself slowly even though she had sustained a lot of internal injuries. It would take her at least half an hour to heal completely with enough rest. But she didn't have that option now. 

She focused all her remaining energy on her one chance to escape. She barely made it out from under the wolf's weight when a paw struck her from behind, pulling her close by her camouflage jacket. He growled angrily at her. Then to her surprise, the wolf started sniffing at her but it only lasted a few seconds before he was growling at her again. 

Still growling, the wolf bent down, his sharp teeth baring itself at her and he opened his jaw, almost as if about to bite her, when she passed out. 

Logan looked at the fierce woman lying still in front of him. She must have thought he was going to kill her but he wanted to hook her jacket by his teeth and carry her back to the compound. Regardless of what his wolf desired, he had to bring her back for some serious questioning 

***

It was shy of midnight when Logan reached the compound. The woman was still passed out, possibly from the effect of her wounds. He would have to give her to one of the healers to handle with her before they begin the actual questioning.

He had shifted back to his human form by now and was carrying Anya in his hands as he knocked on Leon's door. His mother had opened the door instead and instantly her eyes widened when she saw the woman in Logan's arms. Nevertheless, she led them both in as she prepared some healing medicine for the woman's injuries. 

"Is that her?" said Leon from the stairways.

Logan looked up and nodded.

"She was watching the house when I caught her and gave chase. She sustained a lot of injuries and passed out from them."

Leon huffed as a response. When he saw his mate, Lilith, carrying a bowl of warm water and some traditional wolf medicine, he frowned. 

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked gruffly. 

"I'm going to treat her wounds."

"She killed Lycia, Lilith! Have you no heart?!" snapped Leon.

Logan watched his mother defiantly go against his father as she came closer towards Anya. The camouflage jacket was almost torn by now so she slowly eased if off of her. Anya was clad in a blood stained white t-shirt and her pants. Lilith eased the shirt off of her and immediately gave a gasp. 

There was not a single puncture or bruise! The bloodstain still remained on her shirt, but underneath it, there were no signs of wounds. 

"Lilith... get away from her, now!" Leon warned.

Both Logan and himself had shifted into their wolf form and were staring at Anya. But Lilith stayed where she was and tried to jar Anya back to her consciousness.

"She's a vampire, Lilith. Get away from her now!" said Leon but Lilith simply stayed at her spot, cradling Anya in her arms.

When Anya came to, she was surprised to stare into a pair of beautiful blue eyes of a woman. She managed a smile when the woman smiled at her. She felt confused and unsure about what had happened... then she remembered being chased and a wolf...

She immediately tensed up and tried to get away from the woman holding her but her escape was blocked by two wolves growling fiercely at her. 

"Stop it you two!" said Lilith, who had come to the fore between Anya and the wolves. "Come, I know you must be scared and tired... I'll show you to our guestroom for tonight at least..." she said kindly.

Logan and Leon simply stared with bewilderment at the Alpha female's reaction. Slowly shifting back, the two male Alphas began to plan their next course of action.

"Stand guard outside the room tonight. I want you to take charge of the interrogation first thing in the morning. Use whatever method you want, seeing that the bloodsucker can't be injured anyway. Just don't kill her... yet."

"Yes, Alpha..." Logan replied. His inner wolf was whining sadly by now... and it made him equally sad that he could not do anything about it. 

When the first ray of sunlight greeted the morning sky, Logan opened the door slowly to see Anya sound asleep in the guest bed. It was a test for him, he knew. If he could extract information out of this woman, his mate, without losing his mind, he would be deemed worthy of being the next Alpha. Right now, he was just an Alpha pup and not officially decreed as the leader of the pack yet.

The woman had sensed his presence and had stirred awake. She looked really beautiful, he thought as his eyes took pleasure in staring at her brown bob and her pale skin. It was then he noticed that she was naked under the covers. He tried to pry his eyes away from her but was finding it hard as she was currently looking right at him.

She could smell his stench the moment he came in and it had alerted her of his presence. So this was the wolf who had taken her down. Anya almost caught herself smiling. The man before her was definitely sexy and he wore his sexuality proudly; dressed in only a pair of knee-length shorts with his broad shoulders, firm arms and muscled chest totally bare.

Anya let her eyes scan his body appreciatively even as she chided herself to stop.

"I just want to know who sent you," he finally said, breaking the silence.

Anya continued to keep quiet, her eyes fixated on him.

"Fine... I really don't want to hurt you, Vampire... so we can do this the hard way... or you can just tell me who sent you," he said in a very controlled voice. Anya's keen sense of hearing picked up the tiny inflections in his voice that signaled his confusion, fear and even... lust?

For a moment she simply looked confusingly at him, and then comprehension dawned on her. The Alpha she had killed wasn't his mate... it was his sibling... she should have sensed that right from the start! No Werewolf could lust for another creature so soon after their mate's death.

Logan was doing his best to control his emotions which were running wild, no thanks to his inner wolf howling for his mate. He found her silence infuriating. He stepped closer towards the bed but she did not move from her sitting position. 

He pressed his hands at the base of her throat and slammed her backwards till her head hit the headboard of the bed.

"Answer me, Vampire!!" he growled.

Anya remained silent. He wasn't even hurting her, she noted. Instead, she let go of the blanket that was covering her naked body and heard him take a barely audible breath. She could feel his blood pumping through his arteries from his contact with her skin. She smiled. This was going to be easier than she thought. 

"My name is Anya..." she said in a whisper. Logan relaxed his grip on her throat and eased away from the bed. He could not keep his eyes away from her naked body now that it was on show for him. He feared that if he did not walk away right now he was going to lose himself to his mating desire. 

"Logan," he finally replied, curtly.

Anya watched the man easing away from the bed and knew that she was right. He wanted her.

She was going to use that to her advantage, she thought. If this man considers her his mate, it would take her half the time to kill him and the other two Alphas and get the hell out of this compound. Her kind never had a need for a mate.

It was one of the weaknesses that were eradicated when she was born.

Anya pulled away the blanket, exposing her long legs to him. She opened her legs, inviting him to look at her.

Logan could no longer control the beast within him that was howling in agony and desire so loudly that his head was hurting. She was offering herself to him... fuck! It was a trap... or was it? She was his mate. She was reciprocating what is only natural in the natural order of things. But she's also a Vampire... and had endangered his family.

Anya could sense the confusion and debate going on in the Werewolf's mind. Perhaps, it was best if she didn't appear too aggressive in wanting to mate with him and wait for him to take her on his own. 

For a moment they simply stared at each other, before Logan gave in to his primal need and launched himself at her. His lips sought hers out with impatience, his hands roaming her body greedily. Logan could not believe he was doing this... but this woman... this... Anya was driving him beyond madness.

Anya tried to remain passive even as she felt his hot tongue lashing inside her own mouth, exploring her, branding her... Whatever he was going to do to her, she was going to take it as a kind of torture and would not draw any kind of pleasure from it. She was still on a hunting assignment and she was not going to allow his skillful hands and mouth and his... no... she was not going to even think about his hard... oh god... what was he doing to her? 

Anya felt his hot mouth trailing kisses down her throat even as his hands were squeezing her round breasts in his hands. His lips were now on her collarbone; dipping lower and lower to the 'v' between her breasts...

It was getting harder and harder not to moan out now as his lips had skillfully captured one of her erect nipples and was currently swirling his tongue around them languidly. Anya felt herself straining against his mouth...it embarrassed her to know that she was wantonly demanding more for him. 

Logan was grinning. She wanted him as much as he wanted her. He could see the need written all over her face. Gripping one breast tightly, he finally allowed himself to begin formally branding his mate.

The moment his lips closed over her hard nipple, she had given a loud gasp, much to his pleasure. He sucked it softly at first, then harder and harder as she began to moan louder. She had wanted to touch herself but he had slapped her hand away from her breasts.

"All mine!" he growled fiercely at her. 

She had made him this way, he cursed, and she was going to pay for it. He bit on her nipple gently and heard her take in a sharp breath. He smiled to himself as he twisted her nipple over and over again between his teeth.

He saw her hand sneaking its way down to her pussy and he slapped it again. He released his mouth from her breast and eased away to look at her sternly.

"No touching... tell me what you want and I'll touch it for you..." he whispered slyly.

Anya felt angry. Why won't he just take her and get it over and done with? Why must he do this to her? Pleasuring her like this... she wanted to spit at his handsome face but restrained herself. She was his mate now and she has to play her role well or else all those years of training would come to naught.

Feigning a shiver, she pointed to her other breast and bashfully pointed to her pussy. When she saw his steel eyes narrow down in delight at her wantonness, she felt a real chill down her spine. Even though she was an equipped hunter, this creature before her was still a Werewolf- a big, bad and broad wolf with a serious hard on that looked impossible for her.

Logan was watching her eyes that were now staring at the bulge between his pants. He gave out a laugh.

"You want this, little Vampire? No... not yet... and not without a price..."

Anya held her breath, waiting for him to make his move on her but he simple kept their distance, watching her with his cold grey eyes.

"Logan... please..." Anya said. She couldn't believe it... she was reduced to begging for him. It disgusted her but she seemed to have no control over her body anymore at the moment.

"Good Vampire..." he said, smiling as he came closer to her and pressed his hungry lips on hers. This time, Anya couldn't help herself but she responded to his kiss with a hungered urgency equal to his. She pressed her body against his, demanding that his hands were on her breasts again. Logan smiled against her lips and obliged. His fingers playfully tweaked both her nipples lightly and pulled them gently. She was enjoying it, he knew.

He could finally smell her now that her sweetness were pooling in her pussy. Logan was captivated. So this was what she smelled like... only in heat was he able to sniff her out this way. Her smell was becoming stronger and stronger and his inner wolf was howling for a quick and fast fuck for release, to brand her and impregnate her.

"Not yet partner... we're not thinking of little pups just yet..." he chided softly in his mind.

Logan pulled his mouth away from Anya and buried his face between her round warm breasts. She had the most rounded pair of lush mounds that felt so good on his face. Pushing them together, he tried to take both nipples into his mouth and suck them at the same time. That earned him a loud moan from Anya.

Pulling away from her one more time, Logan got up and began to take off his shorts. Anya watched him with interest. His body was truly magnificent from its muscled arms to its toned abdomen and the narrow 'v' of hair that directed her eyes down... to his proud hard cock which was now staring hungrily at her.

It was bigger than most cocks she's seen... about 2 inches longer and thicker. And it scared her. She wasn't a very small girl but she wasn't very big either.

Logan came close and pulled her off the bed in one motion. It annoyed her for a moment that he had no trouble at all lifting her up. Her annoyance was transformed to pure shock when she felt him turn her upside down such that she was directly facing his hard cock.

She felt his lips on her pussy, licking at her wetness which was now overflowing due to her excitement. She couldn't hold it back anymore; the pressure in her pussy was building... building... until she felt herself shake with an inner explosion... squirting all her love juice all over his face. She felt a deep flush on her face now but he only kept on lapping it all up, like it was sweet nectar. He continued his assault on her pussy until she could no longer think of anything but his lips on her womanhood, pushing her on the brink of another orgasm.

Wanting to distract herself, she took his cock in her hands and cautiously licked the tip. He gave a small groan of encouragement and so she continued, daring herself to take his length into her mouth. He was really big... she felt her mouth stretch to accommodate his girth and she felt a shudder as she anticipated his cock filling up her pussy just the same way.

Logan had stopped licking her pussy now as his mind was consumed with her little mouth sucking the life out of his cock. He had to stop her before she made him cum. Pulling her off him; he turned her around and threw her on the bed. Anya automatically spread her legs opened for him, with the most slutty expression on her face.

Logan gave a low growl and straddled her, positioning himself at the entrance of her pussy. He watched Anya straining against him, her hands scratching his back, demanding him to ravage her. Pushing just the tip of his cock into her, he stilled; he pulled out and pushed only the tip in again.

"Please... please just put it all in... don't torture me anymore..." she begged.

Logan continued to push only the tip before pulling out again. His hands were now firmly holding down her hands and his knees had parted her thighs wide open, such that she could not move to fuck his cock on her own.

"Do you want this cock bad, Anya? Are you ready to mate with me?" he asked slowly.

"Yes! Yes!" she screamed, shaking her head from side to side in agony.

"Then tell me who sent you... and I will push it in all the way... just tell me."

Anya's eyes flared wide open at his question. Was she just tricked and cornered into believing that he was an animal on a mating streak? What should she do now? 




The Hunters Ch. 02



She could feel his hard cock just a few inches away from her hot pussy. Anya felt like she was about to explode if he didn't fuck her any time soon. She had to tell him something... anything...

"I... I don't know..." she stammered. 

"That's not a good answer Anya," said Logan as he slowly pulled away from her. 

"No! Please don't go! Oh my god..." she yelped. 

"Fine... I don't really know who sent me... as in I've never met these people... All I know is that I receive a letter with instructions and I follow it."

Logan looked at her, considering her answer for a minute.

"Instructions to kill?"

"It depends... sometimes it could just be research or recon... like... like the other time when you caught me... I have no orders to kill... I was just told to keep watch. Please..." she said, with her eyes full of pleading.

"Fine... I'll accept that for now..." he said, grunting as he had held out too long. His cock was craving for her sweet hole. He'll work on it to extract more from her.

The moment his cock pierced her pussy, they both gave a loud moan. She was so tight and hot and she was enveloping his hard cock like a tight little glove. He ground his hips against hers, fucking her hard, letting his wolf inside take over with its mating need.

He tried to stifle her moans by kissing her; his cock never leaving her glorious hole for a minute, thrusting deeper and deeper until he could feel the entrance of her cervix against his cock head.

He gathered her in his arms, her thighs resting on his elbows and her hands around his neck as he lifted her up such that they were in a standing position. He saw the surprise in her eyes and saw the pleasure in them as he held her ass and pushed her up and down his cock. She was so hot, screaming as he drilled her pussy once more, causing her to cum all over his hard cock.

Logan knew that he was going to cum soon. Pushing her back against a wall, he rammed his cock in hard strokes. His cock was rubbing deliciously on her g-spot, he could tell for her pussy was starting to contract against his cock. He wanted them to cum together.

Giving her one last thrust, he felt her cumming and he released his cum too, exploding into her sweet pussy. Anya could feel his hot cum shooting into her pussy and for a moment she could not think rationally as her lust overcame her.

They stayed in that position for a while; cum dripping from her pussy, before Logan pulled out of her and they both sank to the floor, well spent. 

As she descended back to reality after her third mind-blowing orgasm, Anya realized the gravity of her actions. Firstly, she had exposed, even though it was just a fraction, of the information about the Council of Elders. At the very least, Werewolves are not able to penetrate into the minds of others; reading their thoughts as well as Vampires but still, they could hear her thoughts out loud if she wasn't careful.

She had not planned to be fucked out of her mind like that. She thought she had the upper hand but now she wasn't sure anymore. He was going to fuck her again; she was sure now that he had branded her. At least he hadn't mated proper with her, she reassured herself. Then it occurred to her that he had just cum inside of her! Fuck that asshole! She turned to look at him, sprawled on the floor, in a snooze. Oh, what luck!

Anya wiggled away from him and her smell hit her. She couldn't believe it that she now had a scent. She needed to wash up and stop her vaginal glands from giving her away should she want to perform some covert operation. Taking the blanket as a temporary wrap, she tiptoed out of the bedroom and searched for the nearest bathroom.

***

When Logan stirred awake, he first noticed that Anya was not beside him. His head snapped up and he sniffed the air. Her intoxicating smell was still in the room but she was no where to be found. Putting on his shorts, he exited the room with a fierce frown on his face. Right... snooze and lose. How could he let his prisoner escape just like that?

He raced downstairs and saw his mother sipping tea in the kitchen and all but roared at her demanding to know where the prisoner was.

"Logan... where are your manners?" his mother simply chided. "Please sit down. She's at the stove making French toast."

Logan stared at his mother, then turned his head to search for Anya. True to his mother's word, she was indeed cooking. But why was she cooking? It puzzled him. Vampires don't really eat human food. 

When Anya came to the table with the pan in his hand, he was disappointed that she no longer had any scent. He continued to watch as she piled the toasts on a plate and merrily joined them for breakfast. The two women in front of him were impossible. 

"Ma... can I talk to you for a second? In private please?" he said to Lilith in his head. 

Leaving the kitchen, he waited at the living room for her. Anya smiled at him. He probably didn't know that she too could hear Were conversations in their heads. She was usually not an eavesdropper, but seeing that she was a captive in this home, it could be vital information.

"What is it, Logan?"

"Ma... can you stop being so nice to that... thing and please explain to me why you're not upset about losing Lycia?"

"Who says I am not sad, Logan? A mother mourns differently and even more than you males could ever understand. She's not the enemy Logan... can't you see it? She's being used... and she's hurting too... She's my daughter now. Am I not right Logan?" 

Anya and Logan both were shocked at hearing Lilith's words.

"I never told you she's my mate... did Dad tell you?" 

"Blah... he never tells me anything. But you think I can't tell? Oh please... you come down here smelling of sex. It's been decades since you've touched a woman and you would think your mother wouldn't know... now scram you if you want to be nasty to an old woman."

"You're never old Ma..." he said, hugging his mother. He could not express how happy he was to know that she understood what he was feeling. 

Now all that was left was his father and the question of Anya's loyalty. It's true from what bit she had told him that she was just a tool. But that doesn't negate the question of his pack's safety.

Back in the kitchen, he watched Anya eat with interest. She wasn't eating just for show like how some Vampires usually do. She was really human. He could hear her stomach rumbling from hunger. Furthermore, from the way she cooked, it seemed that she does it quite often and was quite good at it as well.

"Umm... Anya... would you uh like to go out with me later?" he blurted out and realized just too late what an ass he made himself to be. Lilith clapped her hand and was smiling at both of them. Anya simply gave him a lazy look. Who the hell takes a girl to bed first then asks her out on a date?

"Not afraid I'll run away?" she asked.

"Fine. Then just stay here as my prisoner," he snapped and left the kitchen.

Lilith watched her only son walk off in a huff and gave a small laugh.

"Please pardon him my dear. It seems you've put quite a spell on him. To be honest, I don't know why I trust you so much. You don't seem at all like... a killer." Lilith said the last word with barely a whisper as her eyes began to fill up with tears.

Anya felt a sharp pain in her heart. 

"I'm really sorry, Lilith..." she said. That was all she could say really. In fact, Anya couldn't believe she was apologizing. As a hunter, she was not supposed to have a conscience when on a hunt. For once, she saw that her targets were also living beings... with families and love. 

***

Aurora was panicking. Anya had not returned home since her recon mission which was supposed to only last for 2 days. Her sister had promised to come home to prepare for the actual hunt, using the information she had gathered.

There was no way to contact her sister as she had left her handphone at home. Recon missions were always achieved using natural senses only so that no electronic device and its abilities to malfunction would jeopardize the mission.

She was about to return to London to complete her hunting mission. The Elders had been pleased with the information she gathered from her last recon and had delivered a two-way airline ticket to London leaving the next morning. Still, Aurora was half hearted to go. If her sister was in trouble, she must find her and rescue her.

"No, Aurora. You are not trained for search and rescue," said Richard from her room door. 

"Daddy..." she whined.

"Honey, I could practically hear your think from the kitchen."

"I can't do this Daddy... I'll worry for Anya too much and it'll affect the mission."

"No it won't. You are a trained hunter, Aurora... Do not let your sister become a liability. She will not be pleased."

Aurora laughed. How true! Anya would probably kill her if she used her as an excuse to fail.

"Tell me about this mission, honey," Richard said encouragingly, hoping to take her mind off of Anya.

"The target's a high society man called Kyros Russell. He owns a lot of land in the Manchester and Bloomsbury area and has a lot of say in a few of the top subsidiary companies in London. I don't think it will be a difficult mission because my intelligence has noted that he would be staying at the royal suite of the Mandarin Hotel tomorrow night."

"But?"

"Hey! You're still quite sharp eh Daddy? Well... The 'but' is that he won't be there, naturally. It's just a cover. So I will have to hunt him down once I reach there which won't be hard at all, seeing that I will be attending his charity auction at the hotel tomorrow night. I'll follow his scent to wherever he's going to be."

"Good girl. Weapon of choice?"

"The target's going to be really difficult to get close to so I've chosen the 7mm WSB calibre long range rifle. It should be able to cover 1000yards in a minute so the target would have less than a few seconds to see it coming."

"Tricky one using that. It only gives you one shot, so you better not miss."

"I won't Daddy. Don't worry so much. You've raised me and Anya to be the best in what we do."

Richard smiled and kissed his daughter's forehead goodnight. Truth be told, he would always worry for both of them even when he knew they were capable hunters.

Even then, he wondered if he should arrange for a meeting soon, if Anya does not return home by the end of the week. He had a feeling she had been captured. He knew she couldn't be hurt by whatever torture methods but if she was decapitated or disemboweled, she would surely die. 

Richard sat in his chair, looking out his balcony window, waiting for his daughter to come home safely to him.

***

To be continued...

PS: I had such great fun writing this! If you enjoyed it, don't forget to rate and comment! =)



The Hunters Ch. 03



Hi all! OMG! Thank you so much for all the comments and feedback. It seems many of you want to know what a hunter is... but all will be revealed in time. I'll give some clues in this chapter and to do so we're gonna take a break from Anya and Logan's story for a bit now but they will be back! I've also borrowed some terms from the Vampire Knights anime for those who are aware of it.

Anyway, I hope all of you enjoy this chapter and many many thanks to all the comments!

***

The ballroom was beautifully decorated with silk drapes and chandeliers while the tables were perfectly arranged to seat ten; plates, cutlery and wine glasses all aligned perfectly for the charity event.Guests began to stream in at about 7pm but they were not expecting Kyros Russell, the main donor for the charity auction, to arrive till 8pm. 

Aurora watched lazily from the shadows as the guests took their seats. She had managed to secure herself a seat beside an old lady whose daughter could not attend due to some business matters. Of course, the said daughter would soon find out that her business meeting in Japan was a hoax but she would return home too late to join her mother for the event.

Aurora had chosen to wear a white low necked evening dress accompanied by white stilettos. She wore a simple gold bangle on her right wrist and a long gold chain that dipped into the 'v' of her breasts, as if pointing whosever's eyes particularly to that sensuous spot. Aurora, like her sister was blessed with natural 36D breasts and they were unashamed of it, flaunting their sexy confidence around. The only thing that differentiated them was their hair. Aurora wore hers long and wavy, as it was now.

As the guests began to fill up the ballroom, Aurora decided it was time to come out from the shadows and take her seat. Her target would be entering soon and she did not want to miss him. 

The moment he entered the ballroom, the ballroom erupted in applause. 

The sudden noise jarred her senses for awhile such that she couldn't make out where her target was entering from. It did not worry her so much that he would spot her for she would smell just like any of the humans surrounding her and be of no threat to him. Still, she had to be on guard.

Kyros Russell was seated at the table right at the front; two tables to her right. He had shown no indication that he had noticed her and seemed like he was enjoying himself bidding or outbidding others for various useless items in her opinion. She hated this part of the hunt the most- waiting.

Suddenly, the current bidding item caught her eye. It was a really rare claymore sword crafted by the first Highlanders of Scotland. For a moment she was totally mesmerized by the sword; its ruby encrusted hilt glowing under the light. She heard someone bidding at 10,000 Euros for it. Then it increased by about 5000 Euros each time until the current bid of 250,000 Euros. Aurora wondered if she should really buy it.

Raising her paddle, she shouted, "500,000 Euros!" The auctioneer seemed satisfied with her bidding and was giving the three chances for anyone to outbid her before the sword was considered sold. 

"Going twice..." he said.

"I'll bid a million Euros for it," said a distinctive male voice. Aurora raised her eyes and saw that Kyros Russell was staring right at her, as if challenging her to outbid him.

"Alright, one million Euros for it... Going once..." said the auctioneer. Aurora lost all interest in the sword as she kept her eyes on Kyros. He was such an annoying prick. Why must he bid for things when he already has so many in his house?

The old lady beside her patted her arm, causing her to jolt in surprise.

"It's okay honey. There's always next time. A sword's not any good for a young lady like you..." she said kindly. Aurora almost burst out laughing. The old lady was cute. She'd probably faint knowing what a vicious fighter she was. 

When the last item for bidding was sold off, the lights started to dim, except for the centre of the ballroom. All guests were invited to dance on the floor. Aurora decided that it was time to hide amidst the shadows once more. Kyros was in the habit of leaving his events unannounced. She got up from her seat; feigning her way towards the ladies' when she heard a voice calling to her.

"Hi, miss, would you care for a dance?" Aurora didn't need to turn to know who it was. She could smell him the moment he appeared behind her. If she was surprised, she did not show it on her face as she turned to face him. 

"Actually... I was about to head to the washroom..." she replied politely.

"I wouldn't like to miss out on a chance to dance with a lovely lady such as yourself. Just one dance?" he asked. Aurora tried to ignore the tiny knot in her tummy as she accepted his offer. Why did she not realize how sexy his voice sounded before? 

His hands were soft, with perfectly manicured nails and one of them was now pressed gently at the base of her spine while the other held hers. She could smell his cologne overriding his natural scent; smelling arrestingly male and musky. 

"I'm really sorry about the sword," he murmured into her ear. Aurora felt the slight goose bumps on her skin at the contact of his warm breath. She didn't say anything but tried to focus on not giving herself away.

"I saw you the moment I walked in..." he said, catching her by surprise. Aurora tried not to tense up but instead gave a flirty laugh. Shit! Was her cover blown so early?

"You are certainly a beautiful lady... Miss...?" 

"Hamilton," she said, blurting the first name she could think of. 

"And that would be a Miss Hamilton I suppose?" he asked. 

"Yes, yes of course," she replied, willing herself to give a slight blush.

"Well then Miss Hamilton... why don't you and I get the hell out of this ballroom and get to know each other more?" he asked. Aurora looked up into his green eyes and felt lost for words. 

"I... I don't know... I'm not here for a one night stand..." she stammered, trying to wiggle out of his grips, now that the song had ended. 

"It'll be fun... I promise you'll love it..." he said in his silky voice. He had somehow waltzed her to a dark corner of the ballroom and had pressed her to the wall. His fingers followed the trail of her necklace, resting seductively at her cleavage. He dipped his fingers between her breasts in an up and down motion, as if he wanted her to imagine him sliding his cock between her breasts. 

Aurora breathed in slowly. "Think!" she screamed to herself. This was a perfect opportunity to get close to him. She needn't worry about missing her shot. Flashing her most seductive look, she nodded and followed him through the shadows and out of the ballroom. 

To her surprise, he was leading her up towards his royal suite. She had thought him wiser to have opted for one of the normal suites, for safety reasons. Perhaps she had miscalculated him? He seemed to be very confident of himself.

When the lift opened, it led them directly into his suite. The lights were all on and the room was simply stunning. Standing under the light, she could now see him more clearly and for a moment, she stood there admiring his beautiful face. His medium length brown hair touched his shoulders and had playful streaks of blonde in them. She liked them. They brought out his green eyes even more.

But what was most sexy about him was his slight facial hair- from his sideburns, to his moustache and his chin with a sexy goatee. The slight darkening on his face seemed to frame his sexy lips even more.

"Well... I hope you find me to your liking," he said, slightly amused. He had taken off his white jacket and his bowtie and had also loosened the first two buttons of his shirt. Aurora tried to peel her eyes away from the nest of hair hiding shyly under his shirt.

He closed the distance between them in two strides and Aurora was forced to look up into his eyes. Even with her stilettos, he was almost a head taller than her and towered considerably over her. Aurora placed her hands demurely on his broad shoulders and waited for him to make his move.

But Kyros only placed both his hands at the base of her spine and they seemed to step into some sort of informal dance; swaying left and right slowly. 

"I hope you will call me Ky," he murmured into her ears. Raising one of his hands, he toyed with her earlobes; tracing the curve of her ears sensuously with his fingers. "And how should I address you, my sweet?"

"Aurora..." she replied, unsure as to why she had given her real name. At the back of her mind, she heard a warning bell but she chose to ignore it. She was aware that Kyros was a pureblood Vampire with Master level in manipulation and hypnotic skills. Even as she tried her best to stay focused, she felt herself being lulled by his sensuous touch and words.

"Mmm... Aurora... rising light... dawn of the day... a befitting name for a beautiful lady..." he murmured again as his hands slowly worked at the zip of her white dress. Kyros could hear her blood moving in her arteries; the sound of her heartbeat amplified as she became more excited with anticipation. 

With her zip fully released, Kyros gently pushed the straps down her shoulders, making sure his fingers lightly caressed her fair skin. As her dress began to pool at her feet, Kyros stepped back to take a look at the fine specimen before him and sighed. It had been awhile since he had fed on a fresh supply of blood, even though he was never short of a supply of willing women. But Kyros had a policy- he only fed on women whom he deemed worthy of his pedigree. The woman before him was a complete stranger, whom he knew nothing about, yet his thirst for her blood was so profound, it shocked him.

She was exquisite; standing before him in only her stilettos and a micro mini lace g-string. He noted that she was completely shaven and his cock twitched in anticipation of ravaging her smooth pussy. 

His eyes trailed from her pussy to her breasts which were now on display for his pleasure. He was aware that her nipples had already gone hard due to the coolness of the air-con. 

Bringing his mouth to hers, he allowed himself to melt in the warmth of her wet luscious lips. He could faintly taste the cherry flavor of her lip gloss and it made him hungrier for more of her. He parted his lips from hers and began to kiss down the sexy column of her throat. 

Her blood pressure had increased with her accelerating heart beat but Kyros was annoyed that he could not smell the sweet tang of blood under her skin. He pressed his lips gently at her collarbone, trying to seek out her smell, but was rewarded with nothing.

Putting his annoyance away, he continued trailing kisses down her body till his lips now rested at her round breasts. Kyros had been attracted to them right from the start. He liked having his women naturally busty; it made feeding on them so much more pleasurable and delicious.

"Baby... I want you so much..." he groaned as he stepped back to take off his clothes. 

"No... please, let me help..." she said bashfully; stepping forward to loosen more buttons from his shirt. Truth be told, Aurora had never been with a man before and it scared her a lot. Still, she was curious and excited to find out what it would be like. 

With his shirt fully open, Aurora managed a sexy purr as she spread her hands on his muscled chest and felt the rough bristles of his chest hair under her palm. She dared herself to press her lips at his collarbone, as he had done with her, and trailed her kisses downwards till the 'v' of his navel. 

Her curious hands were working on the hook of his pants now; unzipping it and pushing his pants down to his knees. She looked up, searching his face for approval. Kyros smiled at her and nodded in encouragement. Aurora trailed her fingers experimentally over the bulge under his silk briefs. She wasn't sure if it was supposed to be this big but her curious little fingers had pulled the briefs down to expose his hard cock that was staring at her hungrily.

"I... I suppose you wanted to do this just now..." she said innocently as she clamped his cock between her breasts.

"Fuck..." Kyros swored. He was expecting her to only give an experimental lick or stroke it gently. The feel of her warm soft breasts around his hard cock was just amazing. He continued to watch as she squeezed her breasts together, stroking his cock up and down with a delicious rhythm, making him want to cum all over her pretty face. Deciding that he wanted to pleasure her first before cumming, he placed his hands on her shoulders and motioned for her to get up. 

"It's my turn now my sweet," he said, holding her hand and guiding her towards the bed room. If he were to follow his desires, he would have taken her right there in the hall.

He motioned her to lie on the bed and gently eased her thighs open. Aurora was looking at him dreamily. She was under his spell now. The only thing she would feel and think about would be him and only him. He pressed his lips to the lace, covering her smooth pussy and heard her moan in approval. Slowly extending a nail, he sliced the sides of her g-string in one swipe, leaving her pussy exposed to his greedy mouth. 

His fingers pushed her lips open slightly so that his tongue could flick on her clitoris. He heard her moaning and began flicking his tongue faster, eliciting more moans that were slowly turning to short cries. She was bucking her hips, squirming in pleasure as his licks turned to a full blown sucking on her clitoris as he slipped one finger deep into her pussy. When she stiffened, Kyros smiled against her pussy, knowing that she had just cum. 

All of a sudden, a sharp scent hit him. Oh god... she smelled so delicious! He could feel his taste buds tingling as his sense of smell were bombarded with the smell of her sex. He lapped up her pussy juice greedily, wanting to devour more of her sweet scent. 

Kyros had wanted to linger, hoping to seduce more but he was too overwhelmed with a sudden need for release that he had to give in to his desire. Gently holding her legs in his arms, he positioned his cock at her entrance. He knew he had to go slow because he was afraid he would hurt her too much. Pushing just the head of his cock, he watched her reaction for any signal of pain. When he saw none, he began to push in a few more inches and felt her pussy clamp tightly around his cock. He saw her face convulse in pain so he stilled. 

"No, please... don't stop..."

Kyros thrust his hips slowly, adjusting his rhythm as he watched her frown turning into pleasure. Satisfied that she would be able to accommodate him, he pushed the final few inches into her and they both groaned in ecstasy.

Pushing her legs up such that her toes were close to her ears, he began his assault; drilling his hard cock deep into her pussy over and over again. She was so tight, so warm and so pliant beneath him that he wanted to burry himself deep and squirt his cum inside her. 

That thought shocked him and he slowed his thrusting motion. He looked straight at her; going past her physique to try and look into her mind. What was so different about her that made him break all his rules regarding women? 

However, all he saw was a blank. Aurora's mind was extremely guarded and even in a hypnotic state, her mind was fully conscious in blocking his gaze. He tried to penetrate those defenses but it only caused her guard to go up and sent him reeling backwards out of her mind.

Kyros was annoyed with himself. He was still adamant on wanting to sire this woman that he was willing to take any risks. He motioned Aurora to turn around and get on her knees. Whatever or whoever she was, he was going to make her his. It was then that he noticed the bloodstains at the side of her thighs, dripping down from her pussy. 

"Oh god, baby... I'm so sorry..." he cooed, gathering her into his arms. As much as he wanted to sire her, he knew how much he must have hurt her. He was just shocked beyond words at how it was possible for him, a vampire, to have not smelled the blood coming out of her.

Aurora looked tired and he understood that her body was slowly shutting down as it had used up most of its energy to block her mind from his gaze. As he held her close, he thought about something he heard on the grapevine regarding these scentless creatures. 

Being a pureblood, Kyros did not meddle in the politics of his kind. The running of the vampire world had always been delegated to the Aristocrat or Noble class, with little involvement from the Purebloods. But the topic on the Hunters had caught his attention, he didn't know why. All he could remember now was that they had been carefully selected for assassination purposes.

Kyros frowned. Did this woman happen to be in his charity event or was she sent to assassinate him? He had to find out. But for now, he had to do what he felt was best for his and her safety.

He was going to erase her memory of him and instead, incept a new conjured memory of him as her husband.

***

Richard was nervous. He had just received news that the most senior Elder was coming over to pay him a visit. Elder Connor was not one to make social visits, he knew so it had to be about his daughters. 

Sometimes the Order would send its representatives to relay news of death or other unforeseen circumstances. But never did they send one of the Elders. Richard became more worried by the minute. He started to pace his study when he felt a gust of wind blowing his guest into the room. 

"Richard... it's been awhile," said Connor, bowing his head gently in greeting. For a man almost five centuries old, he did not seem fragile at all. In fact, he was standing tall and had a stature of a man in his 30s.

"Yes, Connor, it has. To what do I accord this honour of your presence in my house?" Richard asked as politely as he could.

"Well, Richard, I am sure you have been on tenterhooks these few days. The reason I am here is because I want you to hear it directly from me and not from some stupid rumour." The Elder paused and looked around the room before landing his gaze on Richard's face.

"After Anya went missing without any news, I decided to send an additional hunter to follow your other daughter, should her mission fails. It is a waste of resources I'm telling you... but I do not want to lose my top two hunters either. A few hours ago, the second assigned hunter told me that he found Aurora's equipment still left on the rooftop of the building opposite the target's hotel. I regret to say that this particular hunter is not apt in long range shooting so he was unable to get a hit on the target. However, he tells me that the royal suite where the target was staying has already been checked out."

"And... my daughter?" Richard asked meekly. 

"Richard, you've got to stop thinking of the girls as your daughter. We've discussed this many times over haven't we? You're simply a guardian keeping a watch over them because their circumstances were special seeing that they were born as twins."

"I raised them, Connor... I have the right to love them as if they were my own."

"Love?" he snorted. "Your kind does not breed Richard... or should I say, forbidden from breeding? As an Elder you know how many of your kind we've had to terminate because they have tried to breed. Remember that. You either die on one of your assignments or get terminated. Breeding would only pollute the genetic make up that we have taken years to perfect. How can one feel love for something that isn't his own flesh and blood?" 

Richard looked away from Connor. It was easy for him to say all that. He had sired his own and had known what it was like to be a father. Why should he be any different?

"What about Aurora then?" Richard asked instead, not wanting to argue with Connor anymore. 




The Hunters Ch. 03



"We suspect that the target has taken her. If she has been killed, her body should be recovered soon. I am only giving the assigned hunter a week to track her down. After that, the Order will decide on the next course of action."

Richard kept quiet. He didn't know what to say anymore. He could only watch in silence as Connor walked over to the balcony, tipping his hat down as a signal for his departure. In a blink of an eye, the Elder was gone into the night; only the howl of the wind as proof of his presence. 

***

Kyros had barged into the Coven of the Nobles the moment he reached Manchester. He had left Aurora in the car under pretenses that he had a short meeting to attend to. She had been very cooperative since he altered her memories; showing no signs of resistance. Still, he was worried. Seeing that he was unable to look into her mind to determine how many years of her memories he should erase, he had erased close to 2 years worth of her memories. There would be repercussions, he knew, but it had to be done.

Putting thoughts of her aside for a moment, he gazed lazily at the Vampires heading the Coven of Nobles. He knew that they met once a week in this building in Manchester, using their companies as a front for the actual meeting. Some would call it a meeting of the board of directors, but he knew what they actually did. 

Apart from planning mergers and takeovers, they also planned strategic locations for feeding of the newborns and the setting up of new blood banks all over the world.

"My Lord!" he heard some of them gasp in surprise. 

"I am here, because I want to know what it is that you have been hiding from me."

"My Lord! We could never hide anything from you!" said one of the Nobles. 

"It seems I have been mistaken. Well... what are you waiting for? Submit!" he said, practically bellowing at them. 

The group of twenty four Nobles started to get on their hands and knees, bowing to the Pureblood before them. They feared him and his kind; in fact they owed him their very existence, for the Purebloods were the ones whom, through breeding with humans had given birth to the Noble class. As such, they were very much aware of the far greater power that the Purebloods had and never shown resistance unless they had no fear of death. 

Kyros was scanning the minds of all the Nobles before him. These Vampires certainly think too much. He could hear too many pesky details of no interest to him until he heard the word 'kill'. 

"Who's trying to kill me, Elizabeth?" he asked in a cold voice. The room immediately turned silent as everyone turned their heads slightly to the woman in question. 

"No... no one is trying to do anything, my Lord... please have mercy..." she begged but Kyros was already striding towards her. Grabbing her by her throat, he lifted her high up and stared into her mind, sifting away at all her memories and information. Shock registered on his face when he was given privy to the orders regarding his assassination. His eyes glowed red with anger and his fangs began to elongate. 

Putting her down slowly on her feet, he asked her in the gentlest of voice,

"Is there anyone else in this room who knows this information?"

Elizabeth, who was shaking by now, shook her head. She had no need to lie to him now. 

"Very well then." The other Nobles resumed their bowing position and simply waited for the sound of Elizabeth's head hitting the floor. 

"Filthy blood," he muttered before raising his hand in a gesture that pulled all the other Nobles unwillingly to a standing position. They could feel as if they were being choked even when his hand was not touching them.

"Let this be a warning... No one kills a Pureblood except a Pureblood. I will not hesitate to wipe out everyone in this entire room if I find out even a single idea of treachery in your mind. Is that clear?"

"Yes my Lord," stammered the Nobles. 

Kyros calmed down and returned to his normal form as he exited the room. Calling out to one of the female nobles, he gave her instructions to dispose of the body and headed into the lift to the lobby. 

Elizabeth was just a tool. She had been given privy to information regarding the Order of the Hunters so that she could act as a spy to extract information regarding the Purebloods. Kyros was aware that she was the secretary to one of the richest Purebloods in England and was no doubt positioned there to spy on them. The Pureblood held regular balls and dinners and he had no doubt that she had been trusted to plan them and had even mingled intimately with the Purebloods. 

It was time he set out to dig up more about these Hunters. He still did not know who or what they are and who was giving them orders. 

However, his worries seemed to dissolve when he entered his town car and saw Aurora waiting for him. She was truly stunning, even out of her gown and in normal clothing they had purchased during transit. 

"Darling, when will we be going home? I feel so tired and restless," she said, placing her hand on Kyros's face. 

"Soon my love..." he replied, taking her fingers and planting a kiss in the middle of her palm. 

"I love you," she said, leaning her head on his shoulder. 

Kyros couldn't help but feel sad. He knew that she loved him because of the fake memories he had incepted into her mind. He had thought that making her believe she was his wife would make his decision to sire her, an easier one. But on hindsight, every word she said, every action she did would not be hers; it would be a reflection of what he wanted her to say or do. Was life with a woman who loved you because you told her to love you worth it? 

As the car turned into his driveway, Kyros forced himself not to think about it too much. He would have to settle Aurora in and then make a small social visit to Lord Caden, the richest Pureblood in England. 

***

When they entered the house, Kyros was greeted immediately by his head butler, Sebastian. 

"Call all the domestics and tell them to meet me in my study in half an hour," he said silently to Sebastian's mind. 

The butler nodded and helped his master carry his suitcases up. If he was curious about the woman with Kyros, he certainly made no mention of it. The privacy and secrets of their Pureblood masters were very valuable and domestics guarded these with their lives. 

Kyros trusted Sebastian, even though he was a common level Vampire. Although it meant that they had no special abilities whatsoever apart from conversing in their minds, he found them most loyal and reliable.

After leaving Aurora in his chambers with instructions to rest, he headed down to the study. He gave a smile when he saw his domestics already gathered.

"The woman that had just arrived with me is someone very special and dear to me. She is now the Lady Russell and as such, she should be accorded with all respect and loyalty. Is that clear?" he said. 

"Yes, my Lord," they answered in unison.

"I trust all of you to keep her safe at all times. If she wishes to go out, I expect no less than two maids and two bodyguards to accompany her at all times. Sebastian, you will make the arrangements. Also... most importantly... if any Noble comes to this house, asking for Lady Russell, you will deny her existence and inform me immediately."

"My Lord, if I may ask; What if a Pureblood were to come and visit and ask for her?" asked Sebastian politely. 

"Then contact me immediately and ask the Pureblood to wait in the sitting area. Have I made myself clear?"

He watched them nodding, even as their faces portrayed their surprise and curiosity. 

"One last thing- make sure that the Lady of the house feels at home. Tell her your name without waiting for her to ask you. If she needs anything, please help her out if it is within your means. If you are unsure about anything, clarify with Sebastian or me. That will be all. All of you are dismissed."

When all his domestics had left his study, Kyros sat in his chair, massaging his temples. What exactly had he gotten himself into? He was making Aurora into some kind of fugitive. He was very sure that her real name wasn't Aurora Hamilton but it didn't matter right now. She was Aurora Russell now and her real identity would be revealed in time, he was sure of it. 

Taking his coat from his coat hanger, he decided it was time to pay a visit to Lord Caden at Salford City, west of Manchester.

It might seem silly that despite being a Pureblood with excellent apparition skills, their kind always made it a point to visit each other using real transportation. It was courteous and respectful to do so instead of arriving unannounced. 

When Kyros's car reached the gates of Caden's mansion, he was immediately let into the compound. The butler that greeted him showed him into the waiting room where the maids had already prepared fresh scones and tea. 

When Caden himself walked into the room, Kyros stood up and gave a nod of his head. Even though they were both Purebloods, Caden was much older and had considerably more say in the Pureblood family. 

"Ah, my boy... what can I do for ye?" he asked, gesturing for his guest to sit. "Tis been so long since I saw ye. Ye were a young lad back when yer father and I used to trade together," he said, the accent in his voice apparent.

"Please excuse my urgency, Uncle Caden, but I fear that I may have stumbled upon some distressing information. I assume that you being very wealthy would have more access to information than me."

"Oh please my boy! Just say what ye mean! I am old. Information, rumours, gossips- they're all the same to me. Just ask what ye want to know and I'll try to answer ye."

"Have you ever heard about a Hunter?"

"Why'd ye wanna know about hunting? All those shootin' and killin', it just ain't our style my boy," he replied. 

"No... No I'm talking about an organization. They call themselves the Hunters. Apparently a Hunter was sent to kill me."

"Kill ye?! Oh my..." said Caden in genuine surprise. Kyros tried to look beyond his physique but he knew that it was pointless to try and break through the guard of a Pureblood.

"Uncle Caden... I have one more thing to ask you. Your secretary... Elizabeth? Did you notice anything strange about her these past weeks?"

"Who? Elizabeth? Beats me my boy. The company called me to say she's decided to go back to Aruba or somethin' about her Ma dying. I tell you, she's a fine lass that one and I ain't like the new one they sent."

"Who's your new secretary, Uncle Caden?"

"Cas... Cassie was it? I can't remember now. I know it's a Cas-something. I ain't good with names.Now what about my secretary I hear?"

"I'm sorry Uncle Caden. I had to kill her for she was a threat to our existence. She was aware of the orders to kill me and I have a feeling that she was spying on us Purebloods."

"Spying! Why that treacherous little mutt!" exclaimed Caden, enraged. 

"Uncle, may I know when did she begin her services as your secretary?"

Caden considered the question for a while and tried hard to think. 

"I think April or so last year. I heard she got a promotion in the Coven and so I offered her a job. Was that a bad move, my boy?" 

"I don't know Uncle. So... you don't know anything about these Hunters?"

"I wish I knew my boy... but I am of no help to ye at all. I will try to ask around discreetly of course... but ye be best on yer guard."

"Thank you, Uncle. I should be on my way now. Please let me know if you have any news."

"Very well my boy... I just hope you'd find whoever's hunting you down and kill her."

Kyros stilled. Pretending he was not shocked, he turned and smiled at his uncle. 

"I already have, Uncle. Elizabeth's dead now isn't she? I'd better be on my way now. Send my regards to Aunt Ellie."

Kyros made sure he was at out of Salford City before he allowed himself to consider his uncle's words. His uncle was the only Pureblood who is able to hear a thought even a few miles away.

His uncle knew about the Hunters but he was unwilling, or perhaps unable, to tell him about them. He had known that the Hunter sent after him was a female. Most people would assume that a killer would generally be a male; especially one that would want to kill a prominent Pureblood such as him.

***

"Connor, it seems that we have a problem."

Connor simply kept quiet and was admiring his newly manicured nails lazily. 

"My nephew is not dead." Connor's head snapped up, looking directly into Caden's eyes.

"What do you mean?"

"The assigned Hunter has failed. But that's not all. He's aware that he was being pursued, Connor. He asked me about the Hunters."

"And what did you tell him?"

"I told him I knew nothing."

"Very good. I assume that he killed Elizabeth then?" 

"Yes, he did."

"Mmm... did he kill Aurora?"

"I was not told if he did but I have a feeling that he has killed her. My nephew is not one to accept treachery."

"Very well... we will meet again with the rest by the end of this week. I am putting my faith in the second Hunter I sent to search for Aurora's body or whereabouts. I have a feeling she's not dead..."

"Why do you say that?"

"If she was, Anya would have sensed it and abandoned her mission by now and return home crying. Twins..." he added, giving a small chuckle. "You know what, Caden... you might have just given me a very brilliant idea..." 

Caden looked at the senior Elder with trepidation. It had been difficult enough when he was told his nephew had to be killed for the greater good... but it would be more difficult to hear the order a second time. 

***

NB: Whoa!!! I totally enjoyed writing this chapter! I hope it satisfied some of your queries regarding the Hunters. Stay tuned for more! Thank you so much for all the votes and comments!



The Hunters Ch. 04



NB: Sorry this took a bit longer to post! It's quite content laden so it took me awhile to write. I know some of you have been asking me what a Hunter is... so I have given more info in this chapter to aid your understanding. Thank you all for the comments and suggestions. I did take them into consideration and I hope you all like this chapter! 

***

Anya had been at the MacFarlane compound for almost three days now. She knew that her sister and father would be getting worried about her. But she had a job to do and it was getting harder by the day. She was held captive in her room; always someone standing watch outside her door and below her window. The only times she was able to go out was to the toilet and to eat downstairs with Lilith. 

She had not seen Logan at all for the past two days. In fact, he had not come to her room at all since the other night and she was washed with mixed feelings of relief and longing. She longed to feel his hands on her again, even when she chided herself for wanting him so much.

Trying to put her thoughts aside, Anya began to plan her escape. She was a powerful Hunter; the best the organization has. How difficult could it be to fool a bunch of Beta wolves guarding her room? After that, she was going to take down the main Alpha. That would be enough, she hoped. She would try to reason with the Order and ask them to send reinforcements if they seek to continue with the mission. She was aware that killing the Alpha male would shatter the whole pack; Lilith would probably never forgive her for it and Logan... would he still consider her as his mate?

Mate. Everyone on the compound knew she was Logan's mate. They accorded her with such deference that she herself was starting to accept the fact that they were mates. Anya sighed. Was this longing for Logan a sign of weakness? Did the Order fail in their breeding project? 

She had been taught since young that when the organization first bred their kind known as Hunters, they had made sure that only the most powerful genes and strengths were incorporated. The Hunters did not need to feed on blood like the Vampires, nor do they need to seek a mate like Werewolves. They were immune to attacks from both species but because they were engineered hybrids, it meant that they could not inflict mortal damage to either species. As such, they had been trained in the art of stealth and surprise attacks aided by their genes that ensured they possessed no scent because of their lack of pheromones. Pheromones were the key essential ingredient responsible for triggering a response specific only to one's mate. 

But didn't she produce a scent after having sex the other day? And how could Logan know that she was his mate when he could not smell her before? Anya felt a small headache building in her mind. She could heal it away but somehow she liked its' lingering feeling. It made her feel almost human... and not some superhuman prototype that she truly was. 

Anya was enjoying her headache so much that she forgot about her initial plans to escape. It was then that Lilith barged into her room, sounding frantic. 

"Anya! Anya! Oh please help me..." she cried. Anya snapped from her headache and immediately focused on the blue eyed woman in front of her. 

"What's wrong Lilith?"

"Oh, it's terrible... it's terrible!" she cried, coming closer towards Anya and resting her head on her shoulders. 

"You've got to tell me what's wrong Lilith or I can't help you..." Anya said patiently. 

"It's Leon... He's been missing since that night you came here... He didn't tell me where he went or left a message for anyone. Logan went to look for him but neither he nor Leon has been back since. I'm worried Anya. The other wolves are getting uneasy and restless."

"Have any of the Betas been dispatched to search for them?"

"Yes, I've sent four of them this morning on a search. But my instincts tell me that something is really wrong Anya. Oh Anya... I'm really sorry to ask you this... but... is there anyone else hiding in our compound that you did not mention? Is there someone who might want to hurt my Leon?" she asked between sobs. 

Anya was at a loss. She couldn't bring herself to say that she had intended to kill Leon and possibly Lilith and Logan as well. But at the same time, she was aware that the Order would sometimes send another recon and, or rescue Hunter if they felt that the mission had been compromised. 

"I'll tell you what Lilith... I need you to trust me to get out of this house so that I can have a better sense if there has been any chase or killings done nearby."

Lilith looked into Anya's eyes and said, 

"I trust you..."

Anya closed her eyes and for the first time felt her heart breaking for this woman. 

Lilith stood at the door as Anya was let out of the house. Anya's first instinct was to run but somehow she felt tied to this family of wolves in ways she could not explain. Instead, she looked around, sensing the movements in the trees and straining her ears to listen for the breath and heartbeats around her. 

"Where did the Betas lose track of the scent?" she asked. 

"It's about 20miles from here. I'll get the car."

Lilith was a terrific hell driver, Anya mused. Maybe she'll ask if she'd like to have a race with her someday. They reached the location in under fifteen minutes and when Anya got out, she immediately scanned the area. 

Nothing seemed out of place; but to a trained eye, one would be able to spot the small broken twigs on the ground; a lack of vehicle tracks and most important of all, hardly any scent of an intruder. 

Anya followed the broken twigs down a barely visible trodden path that lead towards a small creek. She made sure that she was walking slowly to allow Lilith to follow her. The Alpha was already in her wolf form when she caught up beside Anya. 

"Do you see this?" she pointed to some prints in the soil. "This one looks deeper than the other beside it. I am guessing that one of them must have been carrying the other or something heavy before jumping into the water."

"Can you tell if Leon was injured? I don't smell blood," said Lilith. Although Anya had not mentioned the identity from the other footprint, Lilith understood that it belonged to one of her kind for there was only Leon's scent left in the air. 

"No he's not. I don't smell blood either but the water could have washed any wound clean without leaving any traces too. Your Betas weren't able to get far either because the water will obscure the scent considerably. Furthermore, this creek leads out towards the sea doesn't it?" 

Lilith looked at Anya and nodded. 

"Do you want to follow me, Lilith?" she asked. The wolf did not answer but was already jumping on the rocks in the creek in the direction of the sea. Anya smiled and followed suit. Just for accompanionment sake, Anya took on her wolf form as well, much to the surprise and delight of Lilith, who had stopped to turn and look. 

Anya had taken the form of a white wolf with a coat that literally shone under the moonlight. Lilith stood transfixed. 

"You are very beautiful, my child... You don't know how happy it makes me, knowing that my son has mated. Oh, my heart feels much lighter now. Thank you..." she said, as they continued their way. Anya couldn't even begin to explain her circumstances. The lesser Lilith knew the better. 

However, it made her tingle slightly with pleasure at the thought that Lilith approved of her mating with Logan. The thought of his name made her smile, before it turned into a frown remembering that he was missing. 

The two female wolves continued down the creek, aware that the water was getting deeper now and there were fewer rocks to step on. 

"The trail ends here... I'm sure you can tell that his scent is gone."

"What does that mean, Anya?"

Anya paused for a moment and tried to think. 

"It is possible that he was loaded onto a sort of boat. The water here is deep enough for a small boat to maneuver fairly well. He was caged... no... hidden in the galleys...where the scent of food would indefinitely mask his. I'm sorry Lilith, there is no use heading upstream now."

"But I will still send the Betas to check it out, to be safe."

"You do that. For now, we need to get back."

Once they were back in the compound, Anya found herself giving orders to the Beta wolves on possible locations to search. Lilith had gone inside, possibly mulling over the information she had just learnt from her search with Anya earlier. 

When she entered the kitchen, Lilith was slouched over a cup of tea. 

"They're tearing my family apart... first Lycia, now Leon and Logan. But that's not the worst part. Whoever's doing this knows that removing the Alphas would break up the pack. That's a political motive and I'm trying my best not to vent all my anger on you."

Anya kept silent at the gravity of Lilith's words. This woman was deserving of her Alpha status, she noted. She was perceptive, intelligent and a natural born analyst. 

"Lilith..." 

"I know what you're going to say. I'm going to let you."

"Why?"

"Because I need to trust that you'd get my son back at least, if you can't get my mate back. Leon's nobody to you but your instincts will ensure that you fight all out to retrieve Logan."

Anya sighed and placed her palm on Lilith's. 

"Lilith... you've been most kind to me. But I am not the person you think I am. I am a vicious, cold hearted killer. Those are my instincts."

"No they are not. In time you will see that I am right... You'd better go now my child. I hope that we will see each other soon," she said pulling Anya for a fierce hug. 

Anya had taken one of the cars loaned to her and sped off towards home. Leaving the compound didn't give her the sense of freedom she'd thought she'd feel but instead, she felt more lost and unsure of where her loyalty pointed to. 

***

Richard was tired. His head was full of worry for his daughters. Connor had given a week for his daughters to return- dead or alive, before he would arrange for a meeting to pass an ultimatum.

Even as he closed his eyes, he faintly heard the revving of a car engine coming up his driveway. His frown eased a little as a smile danced upon his face slightly. He waited a heartbeat before opening the main door and saw Anya striding towards him. 

"Anya..." he whispered. His eyes were threatening to flow with tears of relief and happiness at seeing that his daughter was safe. 

"Daddy... I'm sorry," she said, coming closer to give him a fierce embrace. They stayed that way for a minute before she stiffened. 

"Where's Aurora, Daddy?"

"She's not back yet..."

"What?" she replied in surprise. Aurora's mission was a simple assassination. It should not take more than a day. 

"Elder Connor suspects that the target has her hostage. He might have already killed her so he sent another Hunter to look for her," said Richard softly. He could see Anya's pupils dilating into thin slits of red.

It angered her that she had not sensed anything regarding her sister's whereabouts of if she was in danger. She had been so absorbed by her conflicting feelings about the MacFarlanes that she had forgotten about her sister. It was an unsaid rule between them that if one was on a mission, the other would always keep the other in mind to ensure that she was safe. 

"I want to meet the Elders at the headquarters."

"Oh Anya...you failed?" asked Richard, with a quiver in his voice. 

"I suspect they might have one of my targets captured. Yes I have failed but the Order has failed to inform me of their change of plans too. I am going to use that as leverage to try and find Aurora."

"Connor will be most displeased. No... please don't go Anya. You need to go back and finish your job."

"Aurora was ordered to assassinate a high profiled Vampire and she has been unsuccessful so far. I have to do something Daddy... or Aurora will be terminated. I will face the consequences of my failure myself... but I cannot bear to have either of you punished."

Richard was about to stop her for the second time but she had managed to kiss his cheeks goodbye and was out of the door in a blink of an eye. A minute later, he heard the sounds of her Ducati rearing to life.

Sighing to himself, he decided it was best if he went to the headquarters too. Anya could get hot headed at times and she might incur Connor's wrath beyond what was necessary and get herself killed. No matter what Connor had said, he was the girls' father and he would do anything to protect them. 

***

"Do you have authorization to go up Ma'am?" asked the common level vampire guard at the front desk. 

Anya didn't even look at him but had walked right through the security door, ignoring both the alarms and the poor guard's cries. He was of not interest to her at this moment and she had no time to be cordial. Connor would be aware of her presence by now but it didn't dampen her verve. 

She got out on the twenty fourth storey and marched towards the Elders' private chambers to take the private lift up. The secretary at the door did not get a chance to say anything for Anya was already through the door before she could even protest. However, she was stopped at the lift entrance by two Hunters; refusing to let her through. 

"Please senior Anya, we do not wish to fight you... but your actions have made the Order deem you a threat and we have to stop you." 

"Mira, Elton... if you don't get the hell out of my way, you're gonna get seriously hurt." 

"We're really sorry Anya..."

Anya gave a sigh and took a step forward and continuously walked towards the lift, avoiding all their attacks. They were still young Hunters, she noted. More senior Hunters could read their opponents' movement even before it was executed, thus allowing them to evade an attack. Once in the lift, she gave a laugh. If Connor seriously wanted to hurt her, he would have sent a much senior ranked Hunter instead of two rookies.

When the lift door opened, Anya was prepared to face at least a few more Hunters before she could actually speak to Connor. However, it surprised her to see her father standing there with his arms crossed while Connor and another Elder known as Hedva were seated behind him, with a chessboard between them. 

"Anya... you are a stubborn child..."

"I'm sorry Daddy... this has to be done."

"Richard... let the child speak for herself. She has come a long way up. I'm sure she has much to say."

"Elders," said Anya, bowing respectfully to all three Elders in front of her. "Before I lay out my proposal, may I be given the permission to ask a question?"

Her question caused Connor to explode in laughter.

"Why... you are a strange child indeed. You barge into my chambers and now you're being polite? Yes, yes... just ask away..."

"Has there been a recent capture of Alpha males authorized by this Order?" 

Elder Hedva got up from her chair and walked towards Anya with a curious expression on her face.

"And why would a little girl want to know about this?" she asked. 

"I will take your avoidance as a yes then," Anya said. Hedva gave a snort but kept silent. 

"It seems that you have captured my target without informing me first of a change in plans. That in itself is a violation of our code. But seeing that you have captured my prime target, I assume that he is of no interest to you dead. As such, this mission has been compromised."

"Anya, Anya..." said Connor with an elaborate sigh. "I must say that I am displeased with your failure but you know what? I am feeling generous right now since I have Hedva here in a checkmate in two moves." 

Connor watched Anya's face for a response but found none and was pleased. 

"The capture of this Alpha would be pivotal to the creation of our new batch of Hunters. Hedva here will agree with me on this since she's heading the team of researchers." He looked intently at her for a moment before continuing. "The first Alpha- Lycia had proved to be a complete failure. The embryos we harvested from her proved to constantly produce multiples; twins, triplets and so on. The Order is not willing to breed any more twins such as you because we still do not know the extent of our success."

"I... I am an experiment?" Anya asked with shock.

"Well... you could say that. You were the last batch to be breed within the uterus of a host female. We are hoping to develop a prototype that does not need a female host to develop. That's where our new Alpha male comes in handy."

"What have you done to him you sick bastard!" 

"My, my... aren't we defensive... I'm surprised you have a heart, Anya..." he laughed. 

"Please Connor... I think you have told her enough. Please let her have her say now..." said Richard. He could see how hurt his daughter was feeling from the knowledge that she had learnt and it angered him so much knowing that he could do nothing to stop it. 

"Oh please... Look Anya... Richard over there was the first successful prototype that was bred here in this very organization; Egg from an Alpha female and sperm from a Pureblood male. It is the same for you and your sister. Our only mistake was that we had no idea that the egg could have divided in half while in the host's womb. It was a lab error and we wanted to terminate you at twenty-two weeks but Richard was against it. He said he'd raise you both and be responsible for you. Isn't that right Richard?"

"Please... Connor... you're hurting her..." pleaded Richard. He was now standing between Anya and Connor. 

"Richard? You continuously surprise me. Get out of my sight or I will not have mercy on this child."

"Leave him alone!" snapped Anya. "I came here because I want a trade."

"What?" asked Connor in surprise. 

"I will retrieve my sister and complete her assignment in exchange for the Alpha's return to his pack. I will personally erase his memories of all knowledge about this facility."

"And why would I agree to this?"

"Because you don't know for sure whether your twin 'experiment' has truly succeeded or failed. Terminating us without confirming your hypothesis might prove to be a liability for you in the future."

"Mmm... you are quite something Anya..." he said, looking at her intently. "You see... usually after we take samples of eggs and sperm from our subjects, we let them go and then we send orders to have them terminated. I am afraid I am not able to let this Alpha male of yours free."

"Why?"

"Haven't you been paying attention child?! All Hunters have been bred using Alpha female eggs and Pureblood male sperm. But Hedva here has found something interesting. If we were to use Alpha male sperm with Pureblood female eggs, we create a new prototype of Hunters that do not need a female host to develop. That's a lot of cost savings. And so... I regret to say that I cannot release your Alpha male at this moment. However... I will let you retrieve your sister and carry out her assassination on her behalf. Her target has become a necessary threat for us all anyway."

Anya was feeling sick. She didn't trust herself to speak anymore after hearing what Connor had said. She couldn't believe her father kept this from them all these years. He told her that her mother had died at childbirth and he'd erase all memories of her because it was too painful for him to remember. She had believed him. 

Anya knew it was time to leave. She simply bowed and turned to leave the room. She saw that her father was following her into the lift but she didn't dare to turn and face him lest she burst into tears.

However, alone in the lift, she gravitated towards Richard and buried her head at his chest and wept her heart out. 

***

Logan was furious. He had followed his father's scent all the way to the creek. The scent was still strong when he got there so he knew that Leon had been there at least an hour before he got there. He kept close to the shadows and was shocked when he saw a man carrying Leon on his back. He had hopped on the rocks protruding from the water with such ease as if he was carrying a feather on his back. 




The Hunters Ch. 04



Logan had followed close enough to keep them in sight but far enough for his scent not to reach the abductor. He had slowly swum through the water instead of staying on land so that his scent would be obscured by the water currents. 

Then he saw it; a big unmarked boat that took his Alpha and his abductor away. He had tried to follow it, swimming continuously for hours but once he reached the mouth of the ocean, the currents were against him and tired him out.

When he got back on land and regained his strength, he had only one thing on his mind- he was going to go home and interrogate his prisoner and demand that she tell him where Leon might be. He wouldn't hesitate to get rough with her even though he knew she was his mate. 

As such, it outraged him even more when he found out that his mother had let his woman go. 

"What do you mean you let her go?" he roared. 

"She would be better at finding either of you! I had to, Logan," she roared back. 

"She's a freaking accomplice to his abduction Mom! She has got to know where they took Dad! Oh god... I can't take this..." Logan said, combing his fingers through his hair. 

Lilith kept quiet. She knew that her son was still trying to come to terms with the fact that he was effectively their pack's leading Alpha now that Leon has disappeared. 

"Logan baby... you're a strong and brave man. I believe in you. Your pack believes in you. You can do this," Lilith said kindly.

Logan calmed down and gave his mom a smile before going out to gather his best trackers and fighters for what he considered the most difficult rescue mission yet.

***

In her own room, Anya was meditating. She had to block out all the negativity that she's been exposed to in the past few hours. She was going to try to get into her sister's consciousness. Since young, the twins found out that they had an amazing psychic connection that allowed them to convey thoughts to each other and to see through each other's eyes. Her father had helped them perfect this skill but had forced them to keep it a secret. He wanted it to be a safety mechanism for them; a means of communication that was impenetrable to Vampiric mind reading and thus cannot be accessed by other Hunters or the three Pureblood Elders. 

Anya maintained her concentration and seeked out her sister's consciousness. They had promised to only use this technique in desperate times and to Anya, this was one of them. 

When she opened her eyes, she was surprise to find herself surrounded by women and clothes.

"My Lady, this certainly looks beautiful on you."

Anya looked appreciatively at her sister's reflection in the mirror. 

"Oh Marie... do you think it's too much?" she heard herself saying. Aurora didn't seem to be aware of Anya's intrusion in her mind. 

"It's beautiful Aurora..." Anya said in her mind. Aurora gasped when she heard the voice that sounded like her own. Anya felt her eyes being closed and heard her sister's calling to her. 

"An... Anya?" she asked timidly. 

"Where are you Honey?" 

"I... I don't know..." she whispered. Turning to Marie, she asked with a puzzled expression. It just occurred to her that she couldn't seem to recall where she was. 

"Where are we, Marie?"

"Pardon, my Lady?" she asked, surprised.

"What city is this?"

"We are in Manchester... my Lady... are... are you alright? Shall I call for Lord Russell?"

Anya abruptly broke the connection. She had heard enough. She knew where her sister could be now. 

Heading to Aurora's room, she looked for her sister's notes on Russell. She knew the target was a high profiled Vampire but she hadn't had the chance to study the details. She should have paid more attention when Aurora was complaining about her missions. 

Aurora's computer was very well organized. She had placed all her data in alphabetical order. As Anya scanned all targets with names starting with 'R', she thought about what had just happened. It seems like this Lord Russell might have altered her sister's subconscious somehow. She needed to confirm this once Aurora is back home. 

When she found the file, Anya sat down at the desk chair and began reading through Aurora's notes. The target had a few houses all over Europe but frequented London and Paris the most. Manchester City was not stated as one of his residences. Anya figured it must be a sort of safe house for him; a haven from the public gaze.

She brought up a map of Manchester on the computer screen and began planning the best route to hunt down her target. When she was through, she sat down and began to plan her method of assassination. 

***

The moment she landed in Manchester, Anya checked out the rentals at the airport. She wasn't satisfied that they didn't have the motorcycles of her preference. None of the ones offered were able to outrun a Vampire. Nonetheless, she rented the fastest motorcycle they had and made her way to the crowded streets of Manchester City. She was going to locate the boutique she saw Aurora in. From there, she will try to pick up the scent of the common Vampire that accompanied her.

It took her almost half the day to locate the boutique. She had recalled that it sold a designer label, so she had gone into almost every boutique in the area until she found the one she was looking for. 

"Hi! You're back so soon Lady Russell? I assure you that we will deliver your dress in time for the event."

"Oh, I apologize. I've been so frantic to make sure everything's alright you see. I'm sure you understand. If I could, may I confirm that you've gotten my address right? I've had a courier the other day that sent my roses to the wrong address. Can you believe that?" she replied. She was trying her best to play the part as a Lady but she was sure that Aurora would have sounded flirtier.

"Here you go, my Lady. And if I may so say, I think this new hairstyle suits you very well!" 

Anya simply looked at the retail assistant and smiled sweetly at him. She had to keep her excitement at finding the address to herself. 

When she left the boutique, Anya decided it was time.

***

She had chosen to park her bike a few meters outside the Russell compound. Even then, it took her less than a minute to cover the few acres of land surrounding the main house. 

When she finally came to the door, she knocked and wasn't surprised to find a butler opening it. She was considering rushing past him but instead, she was greeted with a smile. 

"Oh, my Lady! You're home early. I wasn't expecting you to finish all your shopping so soon. By the way, I love your haircut." He paused to let her in. "Lord Russell is in his study if you need him."

As the butler walked away, Anya realized that this could be advantageous for her. Obviously Aurora was not home yet or else the butler would have been alarmed. She didn't know how much time she had before Aurora came home but she was going to take her chance. She could kill the target and then wait for her sister to come home.

Furthermore, the common level Vampire servants would be easy to outmaneuver should they put up any resistance.

Anya needn't be told where the study was for she could smell the Pureblood so strongly from where she was. Climbing the stairs as quietly as she could, she entered his study.

Kyros was unaware when she came in and was stunned for a moment when he saw a beautiful brunette at his door. Smiling, he got up from his chair and walked towards her.

She had cut her hair, he noted and was dressed in a leather skin suit. She looked different yet so similar at the same time. 

"I see you did your shopping," he said with a smile as he caressed her cheeks and brought his lips closer to hers. 

Anya allowed his lips to come close to about an inch before she disappeared and appeared directly behind him, with a knife at his throat.

"Aurora my love... what is the meaning of this?" he asked calmly. Anya knew he was going to hypnotize her if she'd let him continue his sweet talk. 

"Shut up," she said, pressing the blade closer to his throat, drawing blood. She knew that it would heal in an instant but she was merely trying to make a point. 

"Baby... I'm sorry... I really am..." he said. Anya didn't feel like listening to him anymore. She was about to severe his head in one quick slash when the door burst open and Aurora rushed in. 

"Oh my goodness! Anya, No!" she shrieked. 

Comprehension dawned on Kyros and he used the moment of confusion to disappear from Anya's grip and reappeared beside the real Aurora. 

"Stay away from her!" Anya shouted. She had whipped out two guns from the holsters inside her boots and pointed them to Kyros's head. 

"I'm sure you know those bullets can't kill me..." he said patiently. 

"No... but they can kill her," she replied; shooting a bullet aimed directly below Aurora's collarbone. It was a bluff, but she needed a chance to grab her sister and go. 

When Aurora started to fall to her knees at the shock and pain, Kyros panicked and bent down to help her but Anya had been fast; gathering Aurora into her arms and jumped out off the open window.

She made a dash out of his lands and was pleased when she made it to her bike without a scratch.

It was then her ears picked up the rushing sounds of the winds, indicating that Kyros was chasing after them. Revving the motorcycle to life, she sped on; aware that the Vampire was going to gain on her even at the bike's fastest speed. 

True to her guess, Kyros soon came up beside her; his fangs in full view and his eyes the colour of blood. Annoyed, Anya clutched her sister tighter with one hand, let go of the bike handles for a second to reach for her blade.

It was a short blade hidden at the side of her forearm. Anya focused on her target and threw the blade, aiming for his head but to her surprise, Aurora had kicked it away. Her wound had healed by now and she was struggling with her sister for release. 

"No Aurora!" she shouted when her sister broke free and slipped away from her hands; landing onto the ground behind her. At a speed of 180km/h, Anya couldn't stop her bike fast enough so she simply jumped off and let the bike crash into the nearby trees.  

Aurora was lying on the ground facing up. She wasn't injured but she had the most annoyed look on her face when Anya came up beside her.

"Why'd you do that for Anya? Trying to hurt Ky like that! He's your brother for godsake! What's gotten into you?"

Anya widened her eyes and simple stared at her sister. She faintly heard her sister rambling on but her eyes had gone to slits now as understanding washed over her. Turning her head sharply to the sound of wings, she came face to face with the Pureblood Vampire. His fangs were still out and his eyes a piercing amalgamation of blood-red and topaz.

Anya stared at him with much anger on her face. She still had one more gun tucked in her shoulder holster. She didn't hesitate to pull it out and point to his face. 

"Perhaps you should stop trying to kill me... or you'll hurt your sister." She heard him saying in her mind. 

"Why'd you do it..." she snapped back. 

"I had to. Maybe I'll explain it to you... if you'd lower that gun down."

"No."

"Yes you will..." snapped Aurora who had gotten to her feet by now and was pushing her sister's hand down. Kyros was shocked for a moment when he realized that Aurora could hear what Anya had heard in her head too. 

"I'm sorry my love. I didn't mean to exclude you from our little... conversation."

"Did you do something Ky that made Anya so angry? You must have done something."

"We'll talk when we're home. Come, my sister... we shall make our way home now," he said to Anya, emphasizing the word 'sister'. Anya felt her body reluctantly following his orders, even as her mind screamed at him. 

They waited till a car came to fetch them. The butler who had opened the door earlier was staring at the three of them in disbelief. 

"Don't worry Sebastian, it's not your fault. This is my sister, Anya. She'll be my guest, staying with us for a few days," said Aurora with a smile on her face. Anya rolled her eyes in annoyance. 

***

Back in the Russell Residence, Anya was shown to her room by her sister. 

"Aurora... you are in great danger. We have to go."

"What danger, Anya? I'm with Ky... there's nowhere else that's more safe!"

"Oh god... this is taking forever. Look here Aurora... that man whom you call husband is a Vampire."

"So am I!"

"No you're not! You're a Hunter!" Anya hissed.

"A what? Oh you mean before I got married?" she asked cheerfully. 

"You don't hunt for birds or deer, Aurora... you're a fighter, a tracker and above all you and I are the best Hunters for the Order. Don't you remember all this?"

Even as she took in the information she was hearing, Aurora shook her head slowly but kept silent.

"No, no... you're confusing me... everything and everyone is confusing me!" said Aurora finally before running out of the room. 

A few minutes later, a knock came at her door and in came Kyros. He didn't bother to wait for her response to let him in.

"I was going to make love to you when I saw you at my door earlier this evening. But it seems I have been mistaken of course. My apologies. You both have an uncanny resemblance and without a scent, you're both undistinguishable. Of course, I'd suggest a threesome, but that'd just make you balk," he said with a sly smile at the corner of his mouth. 

"You piece of scum!" Anya said between gritted teeth as she threw a pillow at him.

"I'm just kidding! Seriously! You're totally the opposite of your sister. She's so sweet and demure and bubbly."

"You made her that way."

"I only altered her memories. I didn't alter her personality. I know you're going to think this sounds stupid but your sister is special to me. I've been considering Siring her but I've put that off because I need to get to the bottom of the truth about her first. Now that you're here, you're going to tell me."

"First of all... you've got to stop with that hypnotic thing. You've got to stop trying to make me tell you anything. Secondly, I'm here to terminate you, which I'm sure you know by now. So there is no need for you to know any information since you're going to die."

"And leave your poor sister a widow? Please..." he said, moving towards the window. "I'm sure you are aware that once a memory has been erased and altered, there is no way to reverse that process? You're going to hurt Aurora a lot and I cannot bear that thought."

"Stop using my sister as a shield. She will have to learn of her true nature sooner or later."

"I am aware that you and your sister are both Hunters."

"That doesn't mean a thing."

"No, it doesn't. Knowing what you are doesn't make it any easier. I don't understand why you both are sent here to kill me. I chanced upon some information regarding your kind. Perhaps you will be willing to negotiate with me?" he asked. 

"What good would this knowledge be for me?"

"Not everything is always about you, Anya. Like I said, I deeply care for your sister. I will write a will tomorrow signing off everything I have in her name as proof of my feelings for her."

Anya kept silent and looked at the man standing in front of her. There was no chance of her killing her tonight. She might as well learn what he knows and then plan her next attack. 

"Fine."

"Thank you. I promise you that after my plan falls through, I will let you kill me, if that is still your wish. And yes, I will give your sister everything I ever owned, legally. I will have my lawyer here tomorrow morning, with you as a witness."

"What's the plan?"

"Not so fast... you've got to tell me first about yourselves, who you work for and why you were sent to kill me."

"Fine. We're a specially designed prototype that has been engineered to incorporate all the strengths of the strongest species. We are given missions to carry out, according to our seniority and to our combat abilities. Some of us are trained only for reconnaissance while others are trained as spies. Aurora and I are trained mostly for assassination. You were apparently singled out as a threat to our organization and thus, you have to be terminated."

Kyros listened and considered her carefully.

"Who gives the orders?"

"We do not know. We always receive our orders in the form of letters from the organization."

"I don't believe you."

"Believe what you want. Now it's your turn to deliver your end of the bargain."

"I am a Pureblood. No one delivers my death warrant and expects to come out of it alive. We Purebloods have a code- If one of us wishes to kill another, he or she must do so formally; a duel is set between the two Purebloods. The first to severe the other's head wins."

"That is such an ancient system."

"Well... nowadays we've relaxed the code a little to include dueling in the arts of sports or finance or we could even settle our disputes in court. We are a civilized species, mind you. But the bottom line stays the same. If you are unhappy with someone, you let them know formally and the method and mode of dueling is set."

"And your point being?"

"Whoever's on top, giving orders- I'm going to kill them all."

"No!" Anya found herself shrieking. 

"Ah... so you do know who's on top."

"Why you bastard..."

"If I kill them all, you and your sister will be free won't you? No more need to follow orders... you can lead your own lives."

Anya wished she could say yes. She wished it was that simple. Perhaps if there were no rules, she could give Logan and his mate thing a chance. Maybe even, Aurora could be genuinely happy. But killing the Order would mean killing her father too. 

"I am sorry, Kyros but that offer is unacceptable."

"Then I am sorry Anya that I cannot allow you to kill me. If you still wish to do so, I will take that as a formal request for a duel. You may not be a Pureblood, but I will accord you the same honour as one because you are the sister of my lover."

As the stood glaring at each other, they were aware of the movements of something big and fast coming towards the main house. Anya closed her eyes and sigh.

A lone wolf stood at the front of the house, his loud howl piercing the silence of the night. 

***



The Hunters Ch. 05



NB: Hi all! I am so sorry that this took really long to come out! I've been having writer's block! But I hope this chapter will move things along! Thank you so much for all the comments and suggestions! As always, don't forget to comment and vote!

***

Aurora had been sitting at the porch trying to clear her mind when she saw the lone wolf approaching her. She knew it was no ordinary wolf but she did not budge from her spot nevertheless.

With her hair tied back and dressed in her pajamas, Aurora knew she looked vulnerable. She tried to recall what she knew about wolves but somehow her mind seemed like it had some sort of block. The grey wolf was coming closer now, sniffing at the air around her. His silver eyes gleamed against the moonlight, scaring her just a little. 

Suddenly she heard the door burst open and Kyros had dashed out to her side; his eyes flashed a warning to the approaching wolf. 

Then it happened. 

The wolf pounced on the vampire; snarling and baring his teeth in animosity. But Kyros had been quick, fleeing to the side and moving towards the open area, away from Aurora. He wasn't planning to fight this wolf but he didn't want to take his chances. He knew that this was a Were and not a Hunter because of its distinct smell.

The wolf seemed persistent in attacking him, pouncing and swiping his sharp claws, trying to get a good aim of the vampire. He was really fast, Kyros noted, for he himself was finding it hard to keep evading the wolf's attacks. 

From the corner of his eyes he noticed Aurora walking towards them. Or was it Anya? He couldn't be too sure now that he was evading the wolf's agile attacks blow by blow. But that moment of contemplation cost him for the wolf managed to pin him down to the ground. 

"That's enough now. Logan, get off him right this instant!" Anya was staring at the both of them with her arms fisted at her hips. Still, the wolf didn't move but eyed Anya with suspicion. Kyros was laughing by now, even as he was being pinned underneath the massive beast. As the wolf stilled, he managed to apparate away and calmly reappeared beside Anya.

"Nice one Anya. We'll talk later. I'm going in now," he said to her with a wry smile on his face as he walked back to the house. 

"How did you find me?" Anya asked coldly, turning to the wolf. 

"How could you mate with another? How could you?! And to be with that lifeless bloodsucker of all creatures!" he said with a roar.

"Go back to your pack, Logan. You should not be here." Anya was trying to control her emotions even as she dismissed him. The situation at the Russell residence was complicated enough. She didn't need another problem added to that right now; certainly not an emotional one.

She expected an angry retort from him, but the wolf simply submitted to her; his body lying perfectly still on the grass with one paw partially covering his snout.

Anya didn't want to show too much compassion for him. She was in the middle of negotiations with a Vampire and she was afraid any act of kindness could be seen as a possible sign of weakness. She really didn't want to kneel down to touch him but she found herself doing so.

"You shouldn't be too cruel to him, darling... He's to you what Kyros is to me..." she heard her sister chiding softly. She needn't turn to know that her sister and Kyros were watching from one of the windows in the house.

"Give me a minute Aurora. I'll see you both in the living room," said Anya with a tinge of pleading.

"Logan..." she whispered, resting her head on his soft fur. "Maybe you should come into the house." When she got up, she noticed that the wolf was on its feet too, following her into the home. He still had a sad look in his eyes and his tail lay limp between his hind legs. Despite looking fearsome and gigantic, he was really cute.

Kyros had opened the door for them and he had thrown a robe in front of the wolf before walking back in. Anya waited at the door as she watched the grey wolf shift into the man she was familiar with. He stood naked in front of her without an ounce of shame and simply grabbed the robe and slipped it on. Satisfied that he was decent, Anya began to turn to go in but he grabbed her right arm and pulled her towards him.

His lips pressed itself against hers, seeking, demanding a response from her. Their lips hungrily sought each other, greedy for more. Anya felt herself moulding towards his body, relief washing over her. She was his as he was hers. They stayed locked for awhile before she pulled away.

"Mine," he growled low in his throat.

"We should go in. Really..." she managed to say even as she felt a little dizzy from the kiss. When they walked into the living room, she turned to watch Logan's face when he noticed Aurora. He quickly turned to look at Anya, not believing what he was seeing.

"It seems, introductions are appropriate at this moment," Kyros said kindly, giving a gently nod to Logan.

"Well, this is my twin sister Aurora and her... husband, Kyros Russell," Anya said. She managed to glance at Kyros whose face had lit up with joy at her acknowledgment of him as family. 

"I'm honoured to meet you both. I apologize for the... uh, misadventure awhile ago. It is a possessive nature of my kind. No offence."

"None taken," said Kyros as he shook Logan's hands.

"I'm Logan of the MacFarlane clan. My parents are Leon and Lilith MacFarlane. Perhaps you may have heard of us. Our ancestors were from Ireland."

"I have indeed. One of the strongest wolf packs in Europe. I am honoured. Please sit. We have much to talk about."

Even though it was close to two in the morning, Anya was not surprised to see one of the domestics coming in with a tray filled with tea and scones. She was surprised however at her sister who was being a perfect hostess to them.

"What brings you here to England, Logan?" Kyros asked as he accepted his cup of tea from Aurora.

"Other than hunting Anya down, I was looking for my father."

"May I know what happened to him?"

"He's been captured and Anya knows where he is." 

At his words, all three of them looked at Anya expectantly. She frowned at them with annoyance. Now she was going to jeopardize two missions and the secrets of the Order. 

"I don't know where he is," she said defiantly.

"Well... this is turning into quite something," Kyros commented. "I have a feeling that you know who's got him, even if you don't know where he is. Am I right, Anya?"

"What are you not telling us, Anya?" Aurora finally said. She had been lost in the conversation since it started.

"Oh god..." Anya moaned as she covered her face. 

"Alright, alright... whatever I say will stay in this room. There's no use keeping it to myself seeing how both Aurora and I are now traitors to the Order by having a relationship." Anya closed her eyes the moment she said that out loud. She had been trying to deny the fact that she had turned against the Order since she found out the truth about her father and their breeding project. But she couldn't deny what she felt for Logan anymore and she knew that by doing so, she would be deemed a traitor. 

Logan placed his hand on her thigh and she calmed down.

"The Order... that's what they call themselves. Seven Elders made up of three Purebloods, three Alphas and one Hunter. They make all decisions regarding our missions. They decide who is dangerous and who has to be terminated or assassinated. They've captured Leon because they want to experiment on him." 

"God... this is bigger than I expected," said Kyros. "Do you know who are the members of this Order?" 

Anya looked at him, then at Aurora with a pained look.

"No, it's alright baby, we don't need to know that now. Tell us what you want to tell us," said Logan, holding her close. Kyros nodded slowly in understanding. 

"The headquarters is in New York but it is heavily guarded. The last time I barged in, they had minimal security, only because the Elders were aware that it was me and knew I was no real threat to them. Kyros, your plan would be futile. Even with Aurora and I out of the ranks, number 3 to 10 are still very powerful Hunters. There is no way you will be able to get to the Elders on your own."

"What?" exclaimed Aurora. "Honey, are you telling me that you're going to risk your life to take out all these powerful people? And Anya, what do you mean you and I are out of the ranks? I don't understand..."

"We got our top ranks about two years ago. I don't suppose you remembered... We've been training all our lives really... but it was only recently that we've been given missions. You and I are Hunters; specifically engineered beings to take down our targets, whoever they might be."

The four of them kept silent, each not knowing what to say to the other. 

"Why can't I remember anything?" said Aurora meekly after a while.

"I'll... explain everything to you later honey," said Kyros apologetically. "I'll see what I can do to repair what was lost. In the meantime, let's discuss what the plan is now."

"There is no plan," scuffed Anya.

"Well... Logan, how about you? How are you planning to rescue your father?" said Kyros, ignoring Anya.

"My best hunters and fighters are already preparing to attack the place where he is being held captive. They are waiting for my orders on the possible locations. I've got wolves tracking down his last trail as we speak."

"What's the strength like?"

"I have over forty trained and well armed Weres. Are you proposing we work together... Vampire?" he asked with a smile. 

"No one's working with anybody here mister! I will not let either of you risk your lives and the lives of others! We do not even know what the situation is back at the Order."

"Well then... why don't you and Aurora scout it out for us? You'll be the perfect guise."

"Wh...what? No... I can't involve my fa... I mean, I can't involve us in this."

"Why not Anya? We have to help Logan... and since we're traitors already... I don't suppose the Order would look too kindly on us for our transgressions once they find out..." said Aurora.

"We'll give you the night to think about it Anya. I will call up all my loyal Vampires to join in this battle. And yes, Were, it seems I am proposing that we work together to bring that Order down. We have a lot to talk about. But I think we've had enough adventure for tonight. Aurora here needs her sleep... and so do both of you. I take it you're staying the night?" asked Kyros to Logan.

"If that is of no trouble to you, Kyros, I appreciate it." 

Kyros gave a short nod and whisked Aurora up the stairs to their room, leaving Anya and Logan alone. Anya was slightly annoyed; he hadn't even made the pretense of offering Logan a guest room for the night. 

"I don't suppose you'd want me to sleep outside do you?" Logan said with a sly smile. 

"I am in no mood for any arguments tonight. Sleep where you like," she replied and started to walk towards the stairs to her room. She needn't need to hear his silent footsteps behind her to know that he was following close. 

Despite her cold demeanor, her heart was actually pounding. She missed him, although she would not admit it. She wanted him; she knew what he was going to do to her, with her, and it sent shivers down her spine. 

She let him close the door behind them and they stood silently in front of each other in the dark. 

She could smell him, his musk, strong and masculine. She could hear his breath and feel its warmth on her cheeks as he nuzzled his nose close to her face. Closing her eyes, Anya tried to picture his handsome face and found that she remembered every detail- from his grey piercing eyes to his plump lips-

Plump lips that were trailing kisses down her jaw to her neck like a soft erotic caress. 

"You really shouldn't wear something so seductive like this outside the bedroom..." whispered Logan as his finger traced the leather skin suit clinging her body. Anya could feel the warmth of his finger trailing slowly from her right shoulder down to her collarbone and finally resting on the zipper at the middle of her chest.

"I would have torn that Vampire's head off if you hadn't stopped me. Everything about you belongs to me..." he said with a low growl. His head had dipped slightly and his teeth were on the zipper, pulling it downwards towards her navel. He could smell her scent slightly emanating from that warm area between her legs and his inner wolf howled with immense hunger and lust.

"Oh fuck," he swore. "I don't think I can't take this anymore." It was taking too long to get the skin suit off her, so he simply tore it off, much to her dismay. 

"Logan! Oh my god. What am I going to wear tomorrow?" she cried as her eyes opened wide with horror. 

"I prefer you to wear nothing really... just my scent maybe," he replied, tearing away at more of the material; exposing her skin to his lusty eyes. The moment she stood naked in front of him, he untied the sash of his robe and let it fall to the floor. Even in the dark, her eyes allowed her to see clearly the hard cock that was pointing straight at her. She wanted it. 

Without waiting for him, she got down on her knees with his cock between her lips before he could say anything. She was hungry for him too; licking his hard cock from the base all the way up to its head, twirling her tongue playfully as her hand stroked him up and down.

"Oh god, Anya!" he moaned as he humped his hips; fucking her beautiful face with his cock. Anya was using one hand to rub her clit furiously while the other was pinching her left nipple hard. She wanted him to cum in her mouth as she felt her own release coming. But Logan had other plans for her. Grabbing her up, he pressed her against the wall; pinning her hands over her head with one hand as his lips crushed over her. She could feel his hard cock pressing itself at her belly and she squirmed and bucked her hips forward, wanting it inside her.

"Is this what you want?" he asked seductively as he rubbed the moist head of his cock at her pussy lips. 

"Oh God yes! I want you..."

"Then come and get it..." he replied with a cheeky grin as he stepped away from her to lie down on the bed. 

"I... I don't get it... Logan?" 

"You want this cock so much, then you've got to come and get it... right here," he teased pointing to his hard cock. With a curious face, Anya came closer and got on top of him. With her knees at each side of his hips, she positioned his cock at the entrance of her pussy and lowered herself slowly on his thick inches. Logan tried his best not to moan as he watched his mate conquering his manhood.

Grabbing her hips, he gave a hard upward thrust into her pussy, causing them both to groan in pleasure. With a growl, Anya pushed Logan down with her palms on his chest and moved her hips up and down with painfully slow strokes, contracting her pussy muscles each time. 

She watched his face contort in pleasure and she increased her speed; driving him insane with lust. Trying to distract himself, he grabbed her round breasts and tweaked both her nipples, causing her to stop momentarily to shudder in pleasure. That instant of pleasure gave him the chance to flip their position such that he was now on top of her. He thrust his hips downwards, pushing all of his hard cock into her. She was so tight that he had to stay in that position, not daring to move lest he cum.

Anya was ecstatic. He was so deep inside her that she could feel every inch of him. Moving her hips experimentally, she heard him draw a sharp breath before his hips began moving up and down, pounding her pussy with faster strokes. Anya closed her eyes as she felt her pussy contracting; squirting her love juice all over their bodies. 

"You smell so good, Anya..." he growled as he thrust into her once more; this time, aiming for his own release. She was moaning in ecstasy the moment he filled her with his hot spray of cum; burying himself deep inside her warm pussy. Both man and wolf howled with release... 

With his cock still hard inside her, Logan held himself up with his hands pressed on the mattress. He caressed her cheeks with his nose and then nuzzled against her ear. 

"Anya my love..." murmured Logan into her ear. "Mate with me tonight..."

Anya snapped her head and looked straight into his eyes.

"Oh Logan...I can't," she said softly. "There's so much to think about, taking down the Order, rescuing your father... I just don't want... I don't know..."

"I don't want to lose you Anya... if either of us dies tomorrow; I'll regret not having had the chance to make you mine."

"But I am yours, Logan," said Anya in almost a whisper. Logan simply smiled at her even though his heart felt heavy in his chest.

"Alright... not tonight then," he said after awhile. Withdrawing slowly, he laid down beside her, staring into her hazel eyes.

"I love you," he said, before covering her mouth with his again. He wasn't expecting an answer and didn't want to hear one; for fear that her words could hurt him once again. Instead, he concentrated on kissing her, pushing back the howl that was threatening to unleash from his throat. 

***

Aurora woke up cuddled in Kyros's arms. She could feel his taut muscled body pressed against her back. She tried to shake her way out of his embrace but found him gripping her closer and tighter. 

"You're not going anywhere love," he murmured; burying his face in her hair. 

"Do you think they've made up?" Aurora said as she let herself melt against Kyros's body.

"Oh honey..." Any living thing within 10miles would know they've made up with all the noises they were making last night. Aurora must have been so exhausted that she fell into a deep sleep. Unlike him- he stayed up most of the night. 

"Aurora... I... I have something to tell you."

"Oh, I know. I love you too," she murmured as she turned her head to kiss him. 

"Well... I think we should sit down."

"What's wrong Ky?"

"I want to apologize to you... I did something to you that I shouldn't have..."

"I... I don't understand. You didn't do anything wrong to me Ky... You've been most kind and loving to me."

"I took your memories away, Aurora..."

"Of course you didn't. That's just absurd!"

"It's true, my love..."

Aurora was silent for a while as she looked into his brown eyes.

"Why...?" she said finally. 

"You're a Hunter, Aurora... just like your sister. You... you were sent to kill me." 

"Oh my! No, that cannot be. I would never kill anyone... and definitely not you..."

"Aurora honey... listen to me..." said Kyros as he cradled her close. "I'm going to try and heal your mind slowly with what I remembered and what I know about you and the night you came to me. And... I will erase those memories that I had planted in you."

"What did I do that warranted such a punishment, Kyros?" she replied in a soft sad sigh. 

"No, my love... it wasn't what you did... but what I did..." 

Aurora looked up into his eyes, even as she felt her own tearing. His fingers were at her temples now, massaging softly. It was then that she realized that he wasn't just pulling her leg but was telling the truth. 

"How could erasing my memories be your punishment?" she asked between sobs. 

"Because I fell in love with you..." he replied, planting a kiss on her forehead. "I wanted you for myself... and I didn't want to be killed before I knew what it would be like to have you love me... I am deeply sorry Aurora..."

"Then why are you trying to reverse this... Don't you love me anymore Ky?" 

"Oh, Aurora... I have to do this because I love you so much. After I remove the memories of our life from your mind, you may not even love me anymore. And I cannot bear it any longer to keep you in this prison against your own will." 

"Kyros..." she whispered even as she slipped into a haze and felt her eyes drooping close. 




The Hunters Ch. 05



"Sleep now, my love..." Kissing her lips for the last time, he left her on the bed and left the room to see to his guests. 

When he came downstairs, he was surprised to see two wolves greeting him, instead of people. Immediately a smile curled at his lips.

"Ah... I shall reserve my comments for now. I will have some clothes sent to your room later this morning. So, Anya... what is your decision?"

"Prepare your men," she replied looking at both of them. "But I will say when and where only after I have spoken to my father."

"And your father is?"

"Someone I trust with all my heart."

"Very well then... Anya, could I have a word with you in my study? Logan, I'll be right with you in a while."

Closing the door behind them, Kyros looked at Anya and sighed.

"I want you to take your sister back with you. I will arrange for a private jet to bring both of you home."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

"Aurora..."

"She... she might not be in the best condition to see me right now. It is best she is allowed to recover."

"What did you do to her you bastard?!" growled Anya, lengthening her claws. 

"I tried my best to heal her... She won't remember anything after that night she was sent to kill me. But I have a favour to ask of you, Anya."

"What?"

"Help me heal her. Those two years that I took from her... I can't heal them to perfection because I never knew her then. But you did."

"I'm going to kill you."

"I deserve it..." he said in a low voice. "If you still feel the same about me when this whole ordeal is done, I will accept my punishment. Please Anya... take her home and take care of her for me..."

"And Logan?"

"We have some business to talk of first. He'll understand."

"Fine," she said as she walked of towards the door. 

"Thank you," he whispered under his breath. 

Later that evening, when the twins were halfway across the globe back home, Kyros sat at the fireplace with Logan by his side. 

"Seems we're back to being sad lonely men huh?" said Kyros.

"Well, couldn't agree more with you."

"I'm going to need to return to my pack tonight. It seems our arrangements have been settled."

"Yes, thankfully it has."

"You know what Vampire? If you weren't really a Vampire or sniffing after my mate's twin... we couldn't actually be friends," laughed Logan.

"Oh, get out of here," replied Kyros with a laugh. 

***

Anya didn't want to go home. There was so much she wanted to say to Logan and ask him yet their time together seemed so short-lived. Throughout the journey home, she kept thinking about what he said; if either of died tomorrow, they'll regret never having mated. Anya sighed, feeling at a loss. All her life, she had been told that mating between them or other species was forbidden. She'd just assume that that meant that they were sterile creatures. No Hunter had ever conceived.

But of course, no Hunter was allowed to live once it was found out that they had a relationship. 

Looking at her sister lying calmly on her lap, Anya felt a tug of fear and pain in her heart. They were both going to be executed sooner or later. It was only a matter of time before the Order found out that she had failed the mission.

When they arrived at the John F. Kennedy International Airport, Anya got a cab to transport both she and her sister back home. It was a very long ride upstate and she was in no mood for driving personally. However, she instructed the driver to send them to the last town on the major road upstate. The long winding path through the forest was for her and Aurora to travel alone. It was best this way. However, after looking at her sister, Anya changed her mind. 

"Hello, Daddy... it's me, Anya. Could you uh... come and fetch us? I'm at the town south of our estate, just off the main road," said Anya from a public phone booth. 

"Oh Anya... I'll be right there."

"Daddy... bring a car please..." 

She knew that Richard could arrive within minutes to where they were but seeing Aurora's condition, it was best if he drove. 

"Oh... I see... Alright. Just wait for me, my darling."

Anya was thankful that it was getting late as it would take at least a few hours for Richard to drive there. It was dark so it was easy for her to hide them in the shadows, away from the eyes of passersby. Carrying her sister and their luggage to a secluded bench, she settled them in and waited.

"Anya..." murmured Aurora as her eyes fluttered open after awhile. "Where are we?"

"We're going home soon darling. You sustained some injury on your last mission."

"Did I fail?" she said in barely a whisper. 

"Shh... don't talk. Save your energy." Anya soothed her sister. Aurora gave a small whimper and went back to sleep. Anya sighed. There was much work to do once they reach home. Somehow, she was dreading it. 

It was nearly midnight when she heard the low rumble of a car entering the town square. There were no lights but she knew it was Richard behind the wheel. They needed no light in the dark to see.

"Anya! Aurora! My girls..." said Richard as he turned the engine off. Scooping Aurora in his arms, he carried her gently and laid her in the backseat. "Let's go home, children..."

Anya got in the front seat silently as Richard made his way back to their home. 

"What are you not telling me?" asked Richard when they were safely in the darkness of the forest.

"It's... a long story..."

"Then you'd better start from the beginning right now, young lady."

Anya remained silent then turned to check if Aurora was fast asleep before speaking.

"I love you Daddy..." she said softly. "I don't care what Elder Connor says... you are my father and I love you."

"Anya... I'm sorry honey that you had to find out things the way you did. You don't know how much it hurts me..."

"Daddy... why can't we just take down the Order... so our lives can be normal? Do we have to subject ourselves to this life of hunting down people we don't even know?"

"We have to be grateful to the Order for creating us. Without them, we wouldn't exist... and I wouldn't have had the two of you..."

"We're killing people who have families, people who love them too Daddy..." 

"Oh Anya..." sighed Richard as he made a turn into their driveway. "You still haven't told me what it is you're not telling me..."

A few moments of silence passed as Richard parked the car. When he turned off the engine, he turned to look at his daughter with a sad look on his face. 

"I don't want to be a Hunter anymore."

"What's his name?" asked Richard in a stern voice.

"That's not the point, Daddy!" 

"That is everything about the point," said Richard, raising his voice.

"Daddy... What's going on?" said Aurora as she stirred awake.

"We'll talk later young lady. Get your sister inside."

"Anya... why is Daddy angry at you?" said Aurora as they walked towards the house. 

"Oh Aurora... I don't know how to say it..." she replied, helping Aurora to a sofa. 

Aurora reached up to place a palm on her sister's cheek. Then her eyes widened in shock. 

"Anya!" she gasped.

"Now you know why Daddy's angry..."

"Now you've dragged your sister into it as well," said Richard from behind them. He was standing with his hands on his hips looking sternly at both daughters. 

"Oh Daddy... please don't be angry at her."

"And why not?" 

"Uh... because I uh... I'm not so innocent either."

"Sigh... girls... you know the only reason the Elders keep me around is because I'm your guardian right? Do you know what it means if they found out about this... thing you have going on? They'll terminate all of us!"

"Oh Daddy... we're really sorry..." whimpered Aurora. "I... I didn't know that."

"But I do. See Daddy? That's why we need to stop all this nonsense. They're breaking families apart. They're breaking us apart... Don't we have a right to love each other too?"

Richard sighed and looked at the elder twin. Indeed, the Order had given them all a chance at being a family simply because the twins were a novel experiment that needed careful watching over. 

"I am very disappointed in you, Anya... From that moment I saw that Werewolf at our front door, I know trouble was brewing. It wasn't really smart of you to use their vehicle to get here. You led a trail right back here. I wanted to kill him right there and then; you know I could... but when I saw his eyes filled with sorrow and pain, I let him go. I told him where you were... in hopes that he could bring you at least, home safely." 

"You mean, you knew all along?"

"Well... it's not everyday that a man comes to my house and ask for my daughter's hand in marriage you know."

"He what?!" said the twins in unison.

"I told him he should ask that question to you."

They all kept silent. Richard decided to give his daughters some time to rest. He too needed some time to calm himself down so he walked to the kitchen to make some coffee. He had remembered the look on that boy's eyes. Oh, he had those eyes too, once ... a long time ago. 

Shaking himself, he proceeded to make coffee, willing himself not to eavesdrop on the girls' conversation. 

"Aurora, are you feeling better?" Anya sat on the sofa beside her sister.

"I suppose I am... I feel rather lightheaded though. It's like I've been sleeping for a very long time. I hate that feeling."

"Umm, tell me... what was the last thing you remembered?"

Aurora looked to the ceiling and tried to think. 

"I'm not sure. Everything seems so fuzzy. I remember chasing after you while you were on your bike. I let you win that race by the way."

Anya smiled. "Okay, that's good. Now... about our... I mean my problem..."

"Sister... you know what the Order's going to do don't you? I can't lose you..."

"Shh now... I'll be fine. I need you to go upstairs and rest now. Can you do that for me darling?" Aurora hesitated for a while but Anya gave her an encouraging smile to go on. 

Alone in the living room, she waited for Richard.

"Anya... I need you to tell me everything... there's no use keeping secrets anymore from me," said Richard when he finally entered.

Sighing, Anya stared at her father and began telling him everything.

***

Aurora tried to sleep but she kept wanting to hear what her father and Anya were talking about. Even then, she felt too exhausted to preen her ears anymore. They were talking very softly in their minds that it worn her out trying to eavesdrop. 

As her eyes fluttered close, she felt herself going to sleep again.

"Kyros..." she murmured in her slumber...

An ocean away, Kyros was leaning against his porch door staring at the sunrise. He missed her yet he knew that he had to let her go.

"My Lord," said Sebastian, rousing him from his thoughts.

"Yes Sebastian?"

"Your uncle is here to see you, sir. Lord Caden is waiting in the sitting room."

"Oh? This is a surprise. Very well then. Sebastian, I need you to make some calls for me today. I've left the names on my desk. This is a Summoning."

"Yes my Lord," said Sebastian with a slight shiver. He'd heard of Vampire Summonings before but he had never thought he'd be able to see one in his lifetime. As Kyros left the study, Sebastian sat at his master's desk to make the calls. 

When Kyros entered the sitting room, he wasn't surprised to see that his uncle was pacing about.

"Me boy! There ye are!" 

"Uncle," he replied with a graceful nod."To what may I owe this pleasure?"

"Oh Ky... me boy..." he said, bringing Kyros close in an embrace.

"What's the matter uncle?"

"Kyros me child... I want ye to leave this place immediately and find some other place far away where ye can be safe and hidden."

"But why?"

"You're in grave danger my child..." said Caden softly. Kyros studied his uncle's face. The man looked tired... and scared. He had dropped his Irishness and was speaking solemnly. Kyros wasn't sure to trust the man or not.

"I do not think that it is right for a Pureblood to run away in the face of danger."

"Please... you don't know how much danger I am putting to myself just by coming here to warn you. Please Kyros... do this for me... and for your parents."

"My parents have been dead for very long. What I choose to do now can no longer affect them."

"Kyros... please..." begged Caden.

Kyros looked intensely at his uncle before speaking.

"Why are you scared uncle? Who is coming after me and why? Tell me and I will leave this place immediately."

"The walls have ears and eyes Kyros. It is not safe for me to say anything here. Meet me at the place where you first met me tonight at midnight," he whispered before disappearing into thin air. 

Kyros was growing more and more suspicious by the minute. He didn't want to trust his uncle on one hand but on the other, he was curious. Curiosity killed the cat, they say, but it can't kill the undead. If he was meeting his uncle, he was going to need reinforcements.

Walking back to his study, he called Sebastian.

***

Kyros was studying the faces of the Vampires gathered in his study room very intently. Five Noble ranked and two Purebloods were standing before him, having answered his call of Summoning.

At the far corner of the room, Sebastian looked on with as much fear as excitement in his eyes. The domestics have been talking about the ritual continuously and he was their representative to relay all that he sees during the Summoning. 

"Derek, Arthur, Marcus, Phoebe, Xander... I am very pleased that you are here. I appreciate the time that you all have taken away from your duties. But before I explain the reason for this ceremony, I would like to acknowledge two more ladies-Eliza, Annabelle, my lovely sisters, I am honoured that you both have answered my call. There is no need for a Pureblood to undergo a Summoning ceremony."

"But we are honoured nonetheless, brother," said Eliza as she gave a graceful curtsy. 

"Thank you," he said, with a smile. "The reason I've arranged for this on such short notice is because I have information that I may be in grave danger. I have arranged for a meeting with a distinguished Pureblood tonight but I do not trust him as much as I used to. I need all of you to be my extra eyes and ears to ensure that I and him are not being followed or watched."

"But, my Lord... wouldn't that be difficult if we are pitted against other Purebloods?" asked Arthur. 

"That's why we're here," said Annabelle.

"But tonight is not the only issue that I'm addressing. There is another thing..." said Kyros slowly as he watched each of them closely.

Suddenly, the room fell into darkness except for their glowing eyes shining in the silence of the night. They saw a flash of something colossal moving; at such a speed that they could only feel the slash of the wind against their face.

Then someone cried out in pain and they heard the sound of a body collapsing.Yet they couldn't see a thing for the creature was moving too fast for their eyes to capture an image. 

"Lord Russell?" whimpered Phoebe just a second before her scream pierced the room. She felt a sharp prick at her neck; a slight breath, before she too fainted to the floor. 

Five bodies collapsing to the ground; the creature's eyes glowing brighter, almost casting off a red glow from its eyes. 

Sebastian, who had been standing by the door all along had been so terrified that he had peed his pants. But still he stood, in the darkness, trying to adjust his eyes to see what was happening. As a common level vampire, he still retained the vision of humans and thus had not been given privy to what had taken place before him. 

Annabelle and Eliza, could however. Unlike the Nobles, the Purebloods could detect movement at the speed of light. What they saw had no fazed them. Kyros had turned into a full formed beast; drawing blood from his Nobles, enough to knock them out but not kill them. In that blood held their memories, their thoughts and their secrets.

He had then pooled all that blood into a small chalice before he returned back to his human form. Immediately, the room was flooded with light.

"Rise!" he commanded. The five nobles sprawled on the floor slowly regained consciousness and gathered themselves up. 

"When I drink the contents in this chalice, it will bind all of you to me, such that when I draw blood intentionally or not, all of you will be immediately summoned to my side."

"We are honoured, my Lord, to be binded to a Pureblood of your stature," said Xander. The others followed suit, giving a bow of respect to him. 

"Every thought, every desire, every information that you learn during the course of this Bind will be known to me. Therefore, it is not wise to turn your back against me," he said. "But once this ordeal is over, I will relinquish this Bind and you will be allowed to have your sovereignty back."

When all the content of the chalice was drunk, everyone stood silent. But in their mind, Kyros's voice was clear. 

***

He stood over his mother's gravestone. Kyra had been the most beautiful woman he had ever seen and ever loved.

"My boy, you made it," said a voice in hardly a whisper. 

"I was too curious not to."

"As promised, I will tell you why you're in danger and you will leave immediately!" he said exasperatedly.

"It depends, uncle. I am not usually the type to run away from confrontations."

"Oh, my child... remember the other time you asked me about those Hunters?"

Kyros's ears immediately perked up and listened intently.

"I have information that they're sending a dozen or so of those Hunters to take you down."

"Who are 'they'," asked Kyros. 

"I cannot mention their names... but I am telling you that it is pertinent that you leave this instant!"

"A bunch of Hunters can't kill me. I've put off the last two they sent me. What makes you think I can't put down these twelve?" 

"You wh.. what? Killed those twins did ye? Oh no... this is terrible news."

"Who are those twins, uncle? Why are you afraid?"

"Those twins- they're the top Hunters there ever are... well except their fath... I mean except one more person but that's not important. What's important is that you've killed them."

"Why are you afraid, uncle? Who is giving these orders??" 

"I cannot tell you, my boy. Please..."

"Then I cannot listen to you."

"No! Please Kyros, please! I'm begging you."

"Why?"

"Do it for your mother..."

"What has she got to do with this? She's dead."

"My sister died to protect you... Please Kyros... if you won't do this for me, do this for her."

Kyros stepped back, aghast. All his life, he was told that his mother had been slain during a duel with another Pureblood.

"Who was she protecting me from? Those Hunters?"

"You're asking too much from me, Kyros..." said his uncle, weeping. It had been a long time since he remembered standing in front of Kyra's grave. Kyros had been hardly fifteen and the girls were still toddlers when they'd met him and he'd taken them all under his wing. That was in the year 1430. 

"Uncle... let me help you fight this. Whoever's scaring you... I can help."

"How? We are powerless against those Hunters..."

"We must try. For how long do you expect me to run and hide? I've lived for centuries now... and I don't think I'm going to die that easy."

Caden looked at his nephew with a faint smile on his face. Was he willing to take this leap of faith?

***



The Hunters Ch. 06



NB: Here's the continuation of the Hunters. I'm so sorry everyone for posting this really late. I've been having writer's block! I do appreciate any comments and suggestions on how to further the story. I'll take them into consideration in the next chapter. =)

***

Logan was on his way to his compound when his cellphone rang. Picking it up, he noticed that it was a foreign number. 

"MacFarlane? I have some news for you. You're not gonna like this," said Kyros on the other line.

"Okay, give it to me."

Logan made sure that whatever transpired between them ended before he reached his compound. He needed time to think through what was being said before he met with his pack.

"Welcome back Alpha. As ordered, I have gathered all the best fighters as well as some of the best computer analysts and I.T experts. I figured they might come in useful," said the Beta General, Christian.

"Yes, they might. This is not a war of the feudal kind. Our strengths are not as much a weapon as our minds. Did you manage to house them all within the compounds?" asked Logan. He was aware that Christian had tracked down the original MacFarlane pack in Ireland and had requested for aid on his behalf. His father was one of the three Alphas born to that pack. Instead of fighting with his siblings for Alpha status, he had left the pack instead, gathering supporters or conquering other packs on the American soil.

"Yes, Alpha, although I think some of them might be getting restless from all the waiting. The higher ranking Betas especially are put off by my orders at times. Only the packmother seems to have some control over them."

"I understand, Christian. Excellent job nonetheless. Please, show me to their quarters."

Logan followed his Beta General to one of the log houses hidden deep in the forest. He'd remembered watching his father and some of the older Betas build this one themselves. It was actually bigger than their own log house but this one had more rooms to accommodate more families.

When Christian neared the log house, the door immediately flung open and out came a tough looking man in his 50s with a scar down one side of his cheek. He was really tall and large and towered considerably over both Christian and him. But one look at Logan and the toughness on his face dissolved. 

"Cén chaoi 'bhfuil tú?" asked Logan respectfully. Although he was an Alpha, this man was an elder and thus deserved his respects.

"Tá mé go maith. That is, I am very well, thank you. Your father has kept the language alive, I assume."

"Yes, he tried. Please, I am Logan, son of Leon MacFarlane. I am very honoured to have all of you here with us."

"The old Alpha was not happy that you had not come yourself to ask for us. But it had been explained that you were searching for your father yes?"

"Yes I have. I will be briefing all of you at sundown in my father's study. Please be on time."

"Yes, Alpha," he replied, giving a little bow. He noted that the Alpha was but a boy in his eyes. But he had his father's face and also his manners. Time will tell if this boy was fit to lead. 

Later that night, all the Weres had gathered in his father's study which was a spacious room filled with ceiling high shelves of books. His mother was there too, keeping a watch on things. Logan noticed that his Irish guests felt more comfortable with her; perhaps as she was from their pack before. 

"Before I begin, I want to extend my warmest welcome to our brothers and sisters who have travelled all the way from Ireland to help with our cause. I urge all of you to provide them with your generous hospitality and respect throughout their stay here."

The room burst into cheers and shouts of agreements. 

"At the moment, my sources have informed me that Alpha Leon is held captive in a building in New York. That's not too far from here. I have been given information that this building is a sort of facility for scientific experiments but it will not be apparent from its exterior. My best guess would be a big business front- something that has an extensive social, financial and political network but at the same time, never at the fore in the news."

"This would put us into rounds of mad guesswork, Alpha," said one of his Betas.

"Indeed it will. But we will have help. What I am about to say might be shocking but I have decided that it is the best alliance." Logan looked around to make sure everyone was seated. "We will be allies with a group of Vampires headed by a Pureblood. They have managed to secure access into the social network of this facility."

"That's just absurd, Alpha!" protested some of the Irish Betas. 

"Yes! We have never ever partnered with them bloodsuckers since the Age of the Wars!" cried another. 

"They'll turn their backs on us, yes they will!" said another.

Logan allowed them to express their concerns before he continued.

"In any war, there are risks. It is either we take them or we continue wondering 'what if?'. It might take us longer to get access into this facility without their help and I will not stand to wait around any longer to rescue my father." It was then that Lilith stood up and spoke.

"They are doing something terrible to him. I can feel it because he is my mate. Whatever they're doing... these people are more dangerous to us Weres than the Vampires will ever be. You've met Anya haven't you? Have you not noticed how much more powerful she is than all of us combined? But someone's manipulating her and that someone up there is much stronger than her and that person is the real threat. It can take just one Were to take out a Vampire but God knows how many of us it would take to take out on of Anya's kind. So please... listen to Logan."

"Is yer mate a human, Alpha?" asked one of the Irish Betas.

"She looks like one but does not smell like one. She comes from a species that has no scent and thus we are left blind without our sense of smell. I still do not know what she really is but as my mate, she is of no threat to us all. In fact, she and her sister will willingly help us to rescue Leon." Logan tried not to look at his mother when he said that. He was avoiding the topic of Anya for as long as possible. 

"Tomorrow I will invite our Vampire guests to this compound, to tell us what they know. Before I make the call, I would like to know how many of you are against this decision. If you are against it, please stand up."

He was surprised then when he saw only five of them standing up. He'd thought the majority of them would protest against his decision. "Thank you," he said. "As for the five of you- you will be part of the welcome party for our guests tomorrow."

After the house was empty and all the Weres were back in their own log houses, Logan went over to his sister's grave and sat there silently. He wished that she was here with him. They'd always taken care of each other. He missed her terribly. "I miss her too, Logan..." said Lilith from behind him. She had been looking for him. 

"Ma..." he replied in a whisper.

"Where's Anya?"

"She's back home... I don't really want to talk about it."

"Okay... I won't probe. But I just want you to know that you are right. She is your mate, no matter what either of you say to each other. And she will not hurt you."

Logan looked up to his mother and pressed his head close to hers. 

***

Richard entered the building with a heavy heart. He had to tell the Order that his daughters had failed, yet again. This time, he wasn't sure if Connor was going to be kind to them. When he stepped out of the private elevator into their office, he noticed that Elder Connor was not alone.

"Ah... Richard, so nice of you to join us. Just the man I'm looking for," said Connor. 

"Richard," said Caden in acknowledgement. 

Richard looked at the duo suspiciously but took a seat at the round coffee table. 

"Please help yourself to some coffee," said Connor. "I suppose you're here to tell me the same thing that Caden's told me. I must say that I am most disappointed in you Richard."

"I apologize... please Connor..." he began but was silenced by Connor.

"It seems, I have miscalculated the abilities and powers of my son. I never thought that he could single handedly take out not one but two of my top Hunters! Goodness me! I am beyond pride!" Connor then laughed heartily.

Richard stared, transfixed at Connor's face. Dead? Surely Caden would not dare to conspire with the girls? But Connor would have read Caden's mind to ascertain the truth. From the look of it, Caden was really convinced that the twins were dead and so was Connor. What was going on here?

"It seems the twins experiment was a complete failure after all. But do not despair my Elders. It seems that Hedva had successfully harvested sperm from the Alpha and had managed to develop the first prototype test-tube Hunter. These Hunters would be the strongest of them all. I have personally supervised the genetic selection process. I've had the gene responsible for emotions to be removed permanently from these new experiments. Now we don't need to involve ourselves in their petty little love affairs or even emotional attachments. Am I right, Richard?"

Richard didn't dare to speak. He merely nodded. All he wanted to do was to go home. He didn't dare to make any thoughts for he feared that Connor would have access to them. 

"Congratulations, Connor on this new achievement. It seems that I am not needed here anymore. Please excuse me."

Connor allowed Richard to leave. He was too jubilant to really care anymore. With the twins gone, he had assured himself that the strongest member of their Order would be the weakest. But he intended to keep the retired Hunter alive for now for the other Hunters were still loyal to the Order simply because Richard kept them in line. They respected him and as such were loyal to him.

***

Kyros hated jet rides but he knew that it was the fastest way to get to New York. With twelve Hunters on his back, he had to get out of Manchester as fast as he could. 

Truth be told, he was very disturbed by what his uncle had told him the night before. He wasn't sure if he could go through with this attack. It had left him speechless when he found out that his uncle was one of the three Vampires on the council of Elders. What shocked him even more was the knowledge that the one and only Hunter on the council was Anya and Aurora's father. Was that why Anya had been determined not to say who were on the council? Was she trying to protect her father? Who is her father anyway? 

"Kyros... you think too much," said Eliza softly as she laid her hand on his shoulder.

"I feel at a loss about trusting Uncle."

"I would too, if I were you," she replied.

"Eliza, Annabelle... I have a favour to ask of you," he said, calling his sisters close. "When we land in New York, I want you to bring the other five to meet my friend, Logan. You will know it is him by his smell. I have his robe here. Track down the smell and meet him at his compounds. He is expecting you."

"Where are you going?"

"I need to see one of the Elders."

"No! That would jeopardize our mission!"

"I am aware of that risk, my sisters... but I am too curious to let this opportunity pass. The Hunters sent to kill me- their father is one of the Elders. I need to know what kind of person he is."

"Then you have to be very careful. Three of them against one of you."

"I will..."

***

Using the address and directions given to him by Logan, Kyros made his way upstate of New York. He knew that as Hunters, they would sense him unless he was moving at a speed faster than the speed of the wind carrying his scent. 

Flying high above in the sky, he hoped that the height would also shield his presence to some degree. 

The estate was not difficult to find. From a bird's eye view, it covered almost 45-50 acres of land with a large mansion located at the remote north of the land.

Kyros estimated that he would probably have a maximum of one minute upper hand before he was found out. From that great height above, it was a little difficult to focus his eyes on the house; much less the people inside. He was thankful that it was not a cloudy night for it gave him some visuals. 

Then he spotted her. She was as beautiful as he'd remembered. She was coming out of her room and standing at the terrace; wearing a bright red night gown with her long hair was billowing in the wind.

He watched her for a few seconds, contemplating whether he should meet her first. She would attack him, that's for sure. His heart felt heavy at the thought that she would not recognize him. Nevertheless, he found himself drawn to her; coming closer, hiding in the shadows on the terrace. 

She had sensed him of course but she made no moves to attack. Instead she simply stared out into the open lands before her; leveling her heartbeat, perking her sense of hearing and smell to seek out the intruder. She could hear the intruder's breath and heartbeat. It surprised her at how unsteady it was. It was almost as if the intruder was nervous instead of on an adrenaline rush. 

Aurora turned and looked straight at shadows beside her open door. 

"What do you want here?" she demanded; focusing her eyes so that she could see the intruder.

"I wanted to see you..." the intruder replied and out from the darkness appeared a handsome man, looking intently at her.

The familiarity of his face startled her but before she could ask him anything else, her father burst into the scene with a pistol in his hand. 

"Stay back, Vampire!" he snarled. Kyros immediately disappeared into the shadows but not before getting a good look at the man. 

So this was Elder Richard, the legendary Hunter. He was a well built man, with a wizened face but it was his eyes that disturbed Kyros deeply. This man was a truly powerful creature but it was all latent, never unleashed. Even at his best, this man had only used his human senses and never more. That, in itself struck fear in Kyros. He barely saw the first bullet fired and managed to evade.

"No! Daddy, wait!" came a shout. Anya had rushed to the terrace. He was surprised that she had taken a little longer to sense his presence. Richard had stopped firing but his pistol was still aimed at Kyros.

"This is Lord Russell..."

"I see," he said, lowering down his gun. Kyros was surprised at how readily he let down his guard at the words of his daughter.

"Please, Sir... I am here not to attack anyone. I am here to speak to you..." said Kyros with as much courage as he could muster. 

"Speak then."

"I'd prefer us to be in private, Sir."

Richard gave a hard look at the man that was slowly materializing from the shadows before gesturing for him to follow him into the kitchen. "The girls think I'm obsessed with cooking; making this place my domain but if they came down here more often, they'd understand why the kitchen is truly the heart of a home."

Kyros watched Richard intently as the man walked over to a knife holder.

"It takes all but one swipe of my hand for these knives to instantaneously severe your head, Russell..." he said in a calm, cold voice.

"Yes Sir," replied Kyros. "I am very honoured to meet you, Elder Richard." His last words were punctuated perfectly with hopes of eliciting a response from the Elder. 

"What are you doing here?"

"My first intentions were to find out about you..."

"And what have you found out so far?"

"That you scare me out of my skin, Sir."

Richard gave a loud chuckle when he heard that response.

"Well... it seems I've done my job then as a father."

At Kyros's puzzled look, Richard grinned. "To scare his daughter's potential partners. I don't get much of a chance to do that. So now, would you tell me why since you have designs on my daughter, you'd announce that she and her sister are dead?"

"I take it that you found that out from my uncle. As it is, I don't trust my uncle as much as I used to..."

"Uncle? You don't mean Caden do you?"

"Unfortunately yes."

Richard gave the man before him a thorough look. "You seem confident that I will not report this visit to him. Why is that I wonder?"

"It did occur to me that you might... but as of now, I believe that he is on my side and as such, he too, would welcome another compatriot."

"Your side?"

"Yes, sir. I do not know how much your daughters have told you... but I am trying to help rescue someone inside your organization."

"Mmm... I've heard all about this suicidal rescue mission. I will need to talk to my daughters for a minute. In the meantime, you stay put. But don't even think of trying to escape for I can hunt you down in two seconds flat and severe your head in another."

"Thank you sir. I promise you that I will do not such thing. I will bid my time in your sitting room till you are ready to speak to me again, sir."

"You have very good manners, my boy. I shall send one of my daughters to keep you company in a while. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen."

Kyros watched the man stride out of the room. He didn't think he should have called him a boy, seeing that he had lived for centuries now. But he wasn't sure how long Hunters lived either. They were probably just as immortal as he was. He wasn't sure. 

Far from the prying eyes of the vampire, Richard summoned his daughters.

"Anya, please explain to your sister exactly why that Vampire is here tonight..." he instructed, glaring at both of them.

Anya gave a weak smile and began to explain...

***

He sensed her presence even when he couldn't smell or hear her enter the room. She looked at him with a look of contempt laced with curiosity.

"You are saying that you want to break into the Order for the sake of us?"

"Well... not exactly like that..."

"That's good. Because there is no 'us'. If you so wish to break into the Order, then you can expect only our help but nothing more."

"What my daughter is saying is that... it was a despicable thing you did... taking her memory like that... and I could kill you for that alone..." interjected Richard who had entered the room without notice. "But I think you will be of some use to this cause..." 

"Yes sir... I agree with you."

"Very well. I understand that Weres are also involved in this? If that is the case then we shall all need to meet to discuss the various strategies of infiltration. We will leave tomorrow at dawn, if that is alright with you?"

"Yes sir." He gave a bow as Richard left the room, leaving him and Aurora alone. 

"I don't know if you ever sleep. But if you want to sleep, just make yourself comfortable on the floor."

"Oh. I see. Then I shall then," he replied, sitting cross legged on the floor. 

She kept silent for a long time as she studied him sitting quietly on the floor with his eyes closed. Anya had told her about the relationship she had had with this man and how he released her and returned back most of her memories. Truth was, she hated him on principle. She couldn't remember anything about him, except that he had been her target. She hated that she couldn't understand the look in his eyes when he looked at her. 

She gave a sigh and looked at the clock. It was nearly three in the morning. They would be leaving in a few hours. She'd better get some sleep. 

***

When he walked into the sitting room, he was surprised to see Kyros still sitting on the floor with his eyes closed. This man had not moved since he left him a few hours ago. He had not even touched his daughter or made any advances towards her as far as he could tell. 

"You impress me, young man," he said; his voice reverberating around the room. Kyros opened his eyes and looked up. 

"Thank you, Sir. That was a very nice compliment."

"Perhaps you should call me Richard. The girls will be coming down in a while. We will be riding down to the city. I don't think you could manage the long distance on foot. Go on and wash up. I'll meet you outside."




The Hunters Ch. 06



Kyros got to his feet and went into the guest washroom that Richard was pointing to. He simply splashed his face with water and gurgled some mouth wash. A proper bath will have to wait. Logan would probably oblige him later. 

When he stepped out a while later, he saw the twins entering the room. Both were dressed in their leather riding gear. For a moment he wasn't sure who was who as they had their helmets on already. But when one of them threw a set of riding suit in his direction, he felt certain that it was Aurora. 

"We'll wait for you outside," said the other twin, whom he supposed was Anya. As she stepped out, the other was looking in his direction. 

Kyros nodded as he slipped into the suit. Once he was done, he followed Aurora out and saw two big adventure motorcycles gearing to life at the driveway. He had expected three bikes and was looking at all of them with a look of concern on his face.

"Well my boy, which one would you prefer?" asked Richard. Kyros wasn't sure which one was more dangerous. Both looked rather unstable to him. He wasn't a two-wheel sort of person.

"Uh... I think the red one..." he mumbled after a while; he had compared the size of the wheels and the position of the back seat and decided that the red one was much more stable because it was lower. 

"Great! You'll ride with Aurora then. Ah there she is. Have you locked the door dear?" 

"Yes... Oh no... he is not riding with me," she said almost immediately when she saw Richard getting on Anya's Ducati.

"Rubbish. He chose the Aprilia. Now get on." 

Aurora did not miss the strict undertone in his voice and decided that arguing at six in the morning was probably not a good a thing.

"Come on then," she said, steadying her bike. Kyros felt foolish as he tried his best to seat himself. Almost instinctively, he grabbed her waist for fear of falling off.

"That is not necessary. If you touch me again, I swear I'll throw you off," she snapped at him. Nevertheless, she did not remove his hands from her waist. Moving off, she kept close to her sister, not wanting to get left behind.

As they rode through the forest towards the city, Aurora couldn't help but be distracted by Kyros's scent. Amidst the clean fresh morning air, his scent was strong and overpowering, making her annoyed. As she accelerated, she felt his grip tightening around her. Unconsciously, she smiled; feeling oddly comforted.

But her smile was instantly wiped off her face at a glance of her side mirrors. They were being chased by what looked like five Hunters. Aurora shut her mind to prevent the Hunters from having access to it while opening up the secret channel with her twin to warn her.

"Shut your mind, shut your mind! They're coming after him. Go first to the place... I'll catch up later. Go!" she all but screamed.

She sensed the slightest bit of hesitation in her sister's hands as she let the handle of her motorcycle go and together she and Richard vanished from sight. Still keeping her eyes on her mirror, she managed to dodge a flying dagger aimed straight for them. Aurora knew that she would have to create some sort of diversion to block their advances.

Kyros was panicking when he noticed the dagger barely missing his shoulder. He dared himself to turn around. If it wasn't for Aurora's left hand holding his tight, he would have jumped off the bike. He wasn't sure how she was maneuvering the Aprilia single handedly but thoughts about her riding skills escaped his mind as he felt her jump off the motorcycle. He felt the air knocked out of his lungs and felt like he was squeezed between two brick walls that were moving ever closer by the second. 

When he dared to open his eyes again, they were back on the motorcycle, moving fast at close to 270km/hr.

"Don't turn to look. Don't even breathe. I gave us only a few minutes of cover. Come on... come on..." he heard her say in his head. He could tell that she was pushing her bike to the limit. Then he felt it rather than saw it- a Hunter was on their tail, almost beside him.

Then a blurred movement came attacking from nowhere towards his assailant. He heard grunts and shouts but saw that no one was after them anymore. 

It took less than two minutes for them to reach the compound. As he slipped off the bike, Kyros tried to steady his breath. When he looked up, he saw the anxious faces of Anya and Richard. Then his eyes set on his riding partner who had just taken off her helmet, letting her hair down. For just an instant, he felt the sudden urge to grab fistful of her hair and press it to his face. He must have been thinking out loud for she turned sharply to look at him. 

"Thank you," he said instead. The lust in his eyes that she had seen a second ago had vanished.

But before she could say anything, a kind voice greeted them.

"Welcome, to our humble compound... My name is Lilith and I'm the Alpha female here. Please, come with us." 

Kyros noted that there were a few Weres surrounding them. They had given his three companions curious looks but had reserved for him a look of disgust and violence. He just hoped that his sisters and the other Vampires have been treated well. 

Lilith lead them to a loghouse and hastily showed the girls and Richard to their rooms. She had beckoned Kyros away, signaling that he followed her. 

"I know all of you must be tired from your long journey here. Please take a rest first. I will call all of you down for lunch and we can all have our talk later," she said Richard and the twins before heading out to show Kyros his room.

Anya and Aurora had been given a room to share while Richard was given a guest room on the first floor. When she entered, Anya immediately stiffened.

"This... this room belongs to her daughter."

"You mean the three of us are sharing it?"

"No... she's dead. I killed her."

Aurora looked at her sister and for a moment was confused at the emotion she saw on Anya's face. For as long as she knew her sister, Anya was not one to give in to her emotions. She was the cold, unfeeling one.

"You don't have to sleep here if you don't want to..." said a voice behind them. Aurora turned to see a man leaning against the wall looking at them. 

"Logan!"exclaimed Anya. "What... what happened?"

"Our attack seemed to have confused them for a while for they retreated. We lingered around long enough to mask Kyros's scent."

"That was you... Thank you for saving us..." said Aurora immediately.

"It's given some of my lieutenants a taste of fighting against Hunters. Two of them were injured but they are being nursed to as we speak. I do not want you to worry so much Aurora. I'd best be leaving now," he said, giving a little nod. When he left, Anya followed him out, shutting the door behind her.

"You are welcomed to share my room," said Logan with a cheeky smile. Anya leapt onto him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck as her lips sought his. 

"I miss you... oh god...I was so worried," she whispered as they deepened their kiss. She wasn't even paying attention when he carried her in that position into his room down the hall. 

Aurora smiled knowing just what her sister was up to. She didn't think Anya's going to be getting a lot of rest. Neither was she. She didn't feel tired... but felt empty. She kept thinking about Kyros. From what her sister had told her, this man had loved her very deeply... and yet he had shown nothing in the past few hours. Somehow, she felt betrayed. Perhaps he had had no feelings for her at all. Whatever it was, she needed to be certain. 

She peeled off her leather jacket and brushed down the creases down her t-shirt. They hadn't brought any change of clothes so she figured that her father wasn't planning on staying long. Stepping out of the room, she headed downstairs. 

"Thank you," she said when she saw Lilith in the kitchen.

"Oh no, please... it is you that I must thank... you and your family. You don't know what it means to have you here to help us save my husband." Lilith kept silent for a while before speaking again. "My... you do look remarkably like your sister."

"Yes, we do. My name is Aurora. I'm sorry Lilith, but could I trouble you to tell me where Kyros is staying?"

"You mean the Vampire that came with you? Yes... well he's at the lodge east from here. It's the largest one. You'll find it."

"Thank you. There's something I need to clear with him" said Aurora politely.

Lilith looked at her curiously then smiled.

"I know my dear. You might come across a few of them, so best be on your guard." 

Aurora wasn't sure exactly what Lilith was referring to but she stepped out through the kitchen door anyway. The fresh air and sunshine on her skin warmed her almost instantly. She didn't need to look for the loghouse to know where he was. She could still smell him on herself. 

Striding along purposefully to the door of the loghouse, she knocked. It was answered by a beautiful blonde woman. Aurora could tell she was a vampire from her scent. The woman however was looking at her with a curious look on her face.

"Oui?" she asked. "Who are you looking for?"

"Is Kyros Russell there?"

"Kyros? Oh... just a minute." Aurora watched the woman walk back into the house and came a few minutes later, holding Kyros's hands.

"Come, come quick! She's so interesting!" said the woman with such a thick French accent. Kyros was rubbing his eyes, obviously having been rudely awoken.

"Oh..." he said when he saw who was at the door. "Umm... what can I do for you?" 

Aurora wasn't sure what she wanted exactly so she kept quiet but Kyros could hear her loud and clear in his head. 

"I don't know why I'm here. Maybe you could tell me." 

His lips thinned and he motioned her to follow him.

"What can I do for you, Aurora?" he said kindly once they were in his room. He sat on the edge of his bed but made no move towards her. 

"I suppose there's something I want to know."

"Ask away..."

"Why... why are they after you?"

"They've been sent to kill me. I'm not sure if they recognized you because you were hidden under the helmet but I am sure they would sense that you are neither Vampire nor Werewolf... But then, Aurora... that is not why you're here."

Aurora stared at him. She didn't think her emotions were so blatant on her face.

"Why have you not shown any emotions towards me since last night? I... I am confused..."

"Did you want me to?"

Aurora kept quiet for awhile as she searched his face. 

"You had a look... on your face when you first saw me at the balcony... then there was none. Anya tells me that you had loved me very much... but somehow I don't believe her... I don't believe you."

Kyros got up slowly and walked towards her. He pulled her to him and held her close, resting her head on his shoulders. He held her there for some time before tilting her face up to look at him. 

"I cannot love someone who doesn't love me Aurora... I cannot force you to love me again."

"Try me..." she whispered. "Love me, Kyros... so that I can remember..."

Kyros lowered his mouth gently to capture her lips between his. It was a slow, languid kiss but it erupted a hunger deep inside him that had been waiting to be unleashed. Yet he stayed completely composed, letting her get use to his rhythm. When he felt her relax against him, he deepened his kiss, thrusting his tongue into her mouth, seeking hers out.

He heard her whimper a little as she let herself get lost in the kiss. Her hands were resting on his chest, idly tracing his taut muscles in circles. His lips curved slightly when he felt her fingers slowly unbuttoning his shirt. It felt like forever before he felt the heat of her hand on his skin. 

She finally pulled away from the kiss, only to watch her hands entangle itself in the sexy nest of hair on his chest. Kyros watched patiently as she slowly traced his skin, rubbing occasionally over his sensitive nipples.

"Aurora my love... may I please have the honour of removing your shirt?" he asked with the most difficult of restraint. Aurora simply smiled at him before pulling up her t-shirt over her head, exposing a lacy deep pink bra that was barely supporting her large double D's.

Kyros couldn't help himself but placed his hands on the pair before pressing his face between her breasts.

"I've missed these so much. Soft... bouncy..." he purred as he jiggled her breasts against his face. He then kissed the top of her breasts that were exposed and began kissing upwards to her neck to her jaw line and finally resting on her lips again. But this time, his kiss was much more deeper and filled with a passionate hunger. As he ravaged her mouth, his hands gradually went to the back of her bra to unhook it. When the clasp was released, he pulled back to admire her body.

"Take off your pants, Aurora..." he whispered gently. Even as he took off his own pants, his eyes never left hers. Aurora felt rather shy standing in front of him in only her lacy underwear and she instinctively covered her breasts with her arms. 

"No... let me look at them..." he instructed, sitting himself on the bed. "Come here..." 

He pulled her close and settled her on his lap before bending his head to bring a nipple into his mouth. The moment his lips closed over her nipple, she gave a soft moan. Feeling encouraged, Kyros began sucking a little harder while fondling her other breast with his free hand.

Aurora felt herself moving her hips against a growing hardness between his legs. She could feel it poking her through the material of his boxers. However, her thoughts were lost as Kyros had pushed her breast together and was sucking both her nipples roughly. His teeth were grazing them lightly, biting them gently and circling them with his tongue. Aurora felt a scream escape from her mouth.

"You'd better keep that down honey... You wouldn't want the others to think we're having a good time in here eh..."

Aurora bit her lower lip to stop herself from screaming out anymore. But it was getting more difficult as Kyros continued his assault on her nipples. When he stopped, she thought it was over but he had lifted her up and pressed her down on the bed. He pushed open her thighs gently and nuzzled her pussy mound. 

"Mmm... I miss this smell so much... this sweet, lingering delicious smell..." he purred as he licked at the wet spot on her lacy underwear. Aurora was squirming as she felt his hot breath even through the material. However, it did not prepare her for his hot tongue when he pushed the material aside to invade her pussy. She let out another scream which she immediately covered with her mouth. Kyros was doing amazing things to her pussy! Licking the lips up and down, sucking on her clit hungrily and tongue fucking her with such speed and skills that she had to cover her face with a pillow to stifle her screams of pleasure.

"Got to get you nice and wet... really really wet..." "Ky..." she moaned. Kyros immediately stiffened and looked at her. 

"I told you to call me Ky... on the first night we met... when we made love for the first time... do you remember?"

Aurora placed her hands on his shoulders and brought him up close to her. 

"No I don't... but you can show me..." she said seductively. She pressed her lips on his again and as he shifted, she felt the big bulge in his boxers press against her thigh. Reaching down, she closed her hand on his hardened cock, while the other hand desperately pushed his boxers down.

"Impatient are we?" murmured Kyros with a chuckle but he helped her get his boxers off. Straddling her, he used his knees to spread her thighs apart and rubbed his cock head at her moist pussy lips.

When she squirmed beneath him, Kyros gave a smile and thrust his hips slightly, penetrating only the tip of his cock into her. 

"Oh! Ky... please..." she moaned, pushing her hips up desperately trying to meet him.

Unable to hold on much longer, he pushed himself inside her in one stroke. Her slippery pussy, slickened with juice admitted his large cock with ease. He continued to plummet into her; feeling her pussy clench around him with such force that he had to control himself from cumming too soon.

She had tried to stop her screams with the pillow but Kyros had taken it away so that he could look at her face when he fucked her.

She placed her fist in her mouth and drew blood when she tried to stop her screams as she squirted her love juice all over the both of them. At the smell of blood, Kyros stilled. As a Pureblood, he needn't feed for too much but the scent of blood still made him hungry. He licked the drops of blood at her knuckles and felt a surge of heat firing through him.

He lifted one of her legs, turned her slightly and began to fuck her with such a speed that she soon came again... and again. In this position, her cock filled her almost to the brim; every inch of him was buried deep inside her.

When he stopped, Aurora looked up to see his eyes lit up to an almost ember hue. Both his canine tooth had slightly elongated. Kyros was looking back at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Ky..." she whispered, placing a hand at his cheek. His features immediately softened. He held her other leg up and placed both her ankles on his shoulders. 

"Aurora..." he said her name gently as he pushed his throbbing cock inside her once more. Again and again he repeated her name each time he thrust his cock into her. When he felt that he was at his final straw, he placed his head at the side of her neck and came in deep jets inside her pussy.

"I love you..." he whispered as his canines withdrew slowly back into its original size and he collapsed beside her in exhaustion.

When she had recovered from the last massive orgasm that he had given her, Aurora realized that he was sobbing on her shoulder. Rolling him to her side, she got up to look at him but he had immediately snatched a pillow and covered his face.

"Look at me..." she said gently, pulling the pillow away from him.

"Aurora my love... Please forgive me. We should not have done this."

"I wanted it too..."

"No... you don't understand..." he said hoarsely. 

"What is it that I don't understand?"

"The next time we do it... I'm not going to hold back like just now... I will take you, Aurora... and Sire you."

She gave a hiss and sat up; cum and pussy juice leaked out of her onto the sheets.

"I am already part Vampire. It won't affect me."

"Don't be too sure. You could lose your other half abilities and gain a scent. This is not the point of the mission. Don't you see? We are compromising it by being together. You and Anya are supposed to enter the Order unknown and undetected."

Aurora studied his face with a slight look of resignation. 

"Very well..." she said as she slid closer to him, rubbing her body on his bare skin. "If we succeed, then we'll give your little theory a try."

Kyros looked at her curiously but didn't reply. He was too exhausted. 

***

They had arranged tables outside the main loghouse and on it laid various types of food. Richard noted that the Alpha female had managed to procure a bottle of what he supposed was blood and placed it near the Vampires gracing their meal. All the steaks were a little too rare for his taste but Richard politely helped himself to some. 

His daughters looked very much at ease, despite the recent chase a few hours ago. It was weird, he suppose, knowing what they had been doing. It was as if he couldn't shake off the thought of them as his little girls and not the women that they were really. He caught Lilith's eyes and she gave him a knowing smile. She was a perceptive woman, that Lilith. She could see things on people's faces that others cannot. Richard was slightly impressed. 

As he sat back, getting lost in his own thoughts, he felt a sharp intense pain on the underside of his forearm. The marking of a dagger piercing the moon glowed red with blood. It took him every ounce of control not to let the invading Elder into his head. He didn't care who it was at the moment because he did not want them to have privy to his thoughts and ultimately his location.




The Hunters Ch. 06



Anya was first to notice her father's change in behavior. By the way he was clutching his right arm, she knew what was happening.

"They know..." she whispered; the slightest note of fear tinting her voice. 

***

NB: Don't forget to vote and comment especially if you have ideas for the upcoming chapters! 



The Hunters Ch. 07



"How could they possibly know?" asked Logan, confused. 

"Listen to me. Whatever happens, all of you have to carry out the plan. If they are expecting you, then they will set up barriers no matter if you attack it tomorrow or next month or next year. I must go now." And with that, Richard disappeared.

The situation at the MacFarlane compound became listless. There was an eerie silence; no one dared to say anything. Finally, Logan raised his voice.

"They may know that Kyros is here but they might not know why. But that doesn't mean that they won't have good guesses. They didn't buy our trick of passing the three of you as one of us. It is no longer safe to remain here too long. Aurora, Anya, we need to know the exact location of the Headquarters now. Once we know, Kyros and his Vampires will begin planning for an aerial attack while we attack from below. I need to know all the entrances and possible exit points. Please?" 

"We have two main entrances- one from the main road of Oxley street and the other is the helicopter pad entrance on the 70th floor. To enter, you need a pass if you're a visitor. Otherwise, a thumbprint is required but only if you have been cleared for a due appointment. There are usually two guards on duty on the first floor. They are normal humans and act as a cover. Only when security is breeched will the Hunters be employed down," said Anya. 

"As far as I know, the only exit is the same one you enter. There aren't many windows until you reach the top 5 levels of the Headquarters where the offices of the Elders are, so there's no way to jump out. As for the actual layout of the other levels, I think our father would know better. He'd know exactly what floor the laboratories are because I have never seen them personally," said Aurora.

"Tell us about the strength of the organization," said Kyros.

"Right at the top are the seven Elders- three Werewolves, three Vampires and one Hunter. Our father doesn't stay at the organization but I am not sure about the rest..."

"No, they have their own residences," said Kyros, cutting Anya short. "My Uncle, Caden lives in England as well. So I am assuming that they all have their own home but flit in and out of the organization at will."

"That might pose a little problem won't it? We may be able to rescue my father... but to take down the organization, we need to know exactly where all the Elders are," said Logan.

"Not to worry. I'll get in contact with my Uncle as soon as I can. In the meantime, we can hope that Richard makes it back..."

The group kept silent again.

"Alpha, if I may suggest- is there a way for us to have access to the switch and control room? That way, we will know the location of Alpha Leon as well as the locations of all other Hunters in the vicinity."

"As a matter of fact... I think we do. The room is controlled by normal security guards- humans of course. I do not know where exactly their room is located but I assume it must be on the ground floor or basement," said Aurora. 

"We can't wait around for our father to come home or for Caden to give us information. It is decided then. Aurora and I will sneak into the building and recce the location. That way we will have better intelligence for this mission."

"No!" protested Logan. "We cannot alert them at all of this possible attack. A whiff of the plan and they might shift locations."

"They'll know you're coming, even before you step into the building. There are at least twenty Hunters; half of them are ranked the highest ten. You need specific entry points and a plan to enter unnoticed!" she retorted.

"No sister... he's right. We're supposed to be dead. If they catch us, they will suspect something's wrong and move the lab operations somewhere else. We cannot jeopardize that. I know what we can do," said Aurora. Turning around to look at everyone, "All of you will test your strengths against the two of us. That way, you will know how much manpower you will need to take down just one Hunter. From there we can plan accordingly."

With that, she got up and took her fighting stance. 

***

"Richard... I am most disappointed in you..." said Connor in his low gloomy voice. Richard could not see his expression for his face was half covered in the shadows but he could tell that the Elder was angry. 

"Your girls are traitorous mutts who are cahooting with my dear son. I suspect that they're planning something. I have been a fool!" he said with a spat. Richard could see that he was getting up. The other Elders turned to look at Connor. 

He noted that Caden wasn't present. 

"Noticed have you? I've disposed of him... permanently; that useless, spineless Vampire! How dare he lied to me! How could he have not pored into that boy's head and read the truth!" he roared. 

Richard kept silent, watching Connor, not with fear but an intense dislike. Caden had not been lying. He believed his nephew out of love... but a man who cannot love will never understand that. 

"The same fate awaits you, Richard. This next task that I am about to give you will test whether you deserve to be in this Order or not. I will not be failed again!" 

Richard's eyes widened in shock even before the words came out of Connor's mouth.

"No!" he yelled, shocking the others in the room. 

"No! I will not do it!" 

"Very well then. Hedva, Aiden..." he said simply as he and the other Elders vanished from the board room. 

Richard didn't have time to think; Connor had set the head Werewolf Elder and the last Vampire Elder on him. He knew they were strong. Hedva had engineered some sort of enzyme strain that enhanced the Elders' cognitive and physiological capabilities. 

Aiden was moving so fast that he appeared only as flashes of light. Hedva in the meantime was circling the both of them, waiting for the perfect chance to strike. Richard noted that she had already shifted into her wolf form; she was huge. But that was an advantage to him. Somehow her enhancement only increased her size but her feet were unproportionately small to her body. He needed to use her own weight against her. 

But before he could put his thoughts to action, he felt Aiden's energies directing towards a strike on his face. He barely managed to step aside when he heard Hedva take a sharp breath and leapt up to pin him down. This time, instead of stepping aside, he vanished and reappeared in the air above them. 

"Please... Please stop this! You don't have to listen to him! What do you gain by taking me down?" he pleaded. "I do not want to fight you... you are not my enemy." 

But the continued their assault, jumping high towards him, their claws and fangs ready to kill. 

Richard managed to throw Hedva off balance and had sent Aiden crashing against the bookshelves. He wasn't even trying to fight but simply defend himself and evade their attacks. Then suddenly out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Aiden break off one of the pillars and was hurling it in his direction. This time, he felt the brick hit his jaw before he kicked it into dust. 

"That is enough!" roared Richard as he raised his hands and clenched his fists. Immediately, his two adversaries were raised off the ground and hung limp in the air. He stared at them; his eyes turning into a colour of molten gold. He could smell their fear, their confusion... and what was that? Their pity...

He unclenched his fists and watched them slam onto the floor. Lowering himself down, he stopped glowing and returned to his usual state.

"Why do you feel sorry for me?" he asked instead. 

Hedva looked at him, her body at the half state between woman and wolf. Aiden on the other hand was completely knocked out. 

"I know how you must be feeling right now... but I have no choice but to attack or I'll be next." she said in a quiet voice, once she regained her human form. "Before we created you, we had many experiments. The first of the very many was tested on ourselves. Being the head scientist, I had volunteered to test the first experiment on myself... One of my other scientists managed to infuse my egg with a sperm from one of the Vampire Elders. It was a success."

Richard didn't say anything but continued looking at Hedva. 

"Nine long months I carried the experiment around... and after the ninth month, it wasn't an experiment anymore to me... It was a part of me; my baby..." Hedva absent-mindedly rubbed her tummy. "It was a perfect baby boy... we checked all his vital stats and he grew up to be a fine young boy. But all was not to be. Connor was not too happy that the boy was not showing any signs of special powers and instead, became ill... I took time from my work to care for the boy... but Connor forbade me to. At last, he threatened to kill me if I did not terminate the boy's life. It was then that he decided that we kidnap other Vampires and Weres to be our experimental guinea pigs. He refused to have any of us harbor feelings for our prototypes... until you..." said Hedva in between sobs. "You were not supposed to have emotions. You were supposed to be a calculative, rational prototype that would raise the twins experiment and turn them into indestructible killing machines."

"But I didn't..." said Richard kindly as he knelt down beside the frail woman. "I think Hedva that we should not kill anymore innocent. It is time we stop this."

"Richard..." she whispered with her head bowed low. Then looking up, she said, "What shall we do with him?"

"Give me a moment." Richard knelt beside Aiden and placed both his hands beside Aiden's temples. "I'm really sorry... I'll take only the last 24hours from you."

A minute later, Richard stood up, grabbed Hedva's wrist and disappeared from the room.

***

"I'm going to make this easier for you. Anya and I will have our eyes blindfold. Don't worry about injuring us. We heal pretty quickly," Aurora said reassuringly; more at Kyros than anyone else. He had been looking at her most disapprovingly since she had decided to train them all. When both the girls had their eyes closed, they turned to stand back to back against each other. Then Anya spoke out.

"Alright, alright step up... whatever formations you like. One... Two... Three..."

She could hear their breathings; labored and unsure. Some were so fearful that their blood pressure had increased, releasing copious amounts of their body scent. Aurora felt that they weren't even trying for she simply stepped aside every now and then when someone actually dared to land a strike. 

"I'm going to attack them," she said to Anya in her head. She didn't need to see her sister nodding to know that she too was thinking the same. Anya had already disappeared into thin air by the time Aurora took her first step. She could sense her sister reappearing behind the group of Vampires; successfully knocking all of them off their feet. She heard five bodies thump on the ground; the vibrations reaching her feet.

The clearing was suddenly in a mass of murmurs and panic. They were starting to take the girls seriously now. Aurora had managed to evade at least half a dozen full strengthed Werewolves charging at her in various directions. She was concentrating so hard on picking up the vibrations of oncoming attackers on the ground that for a split second she forgot to sense the vibrations in the air around her. It took her attacker just that long to grab her from the back; his arm hooking around her throat.

"Mine," she heard him growl, almost too sexily. She didn't need to see him to recognize him. Ignoring the slight tingle in her tummy, she managed to hook her leg under his knee and flip him over, slamming him on the ground.

"Oww... that hurt!" he said, with an exaggerate pout. 

It seemed that the others had saw what happened and were beginning to attack her from various off-ground locations. That was good, she thought. They were learning. The simultaneous vibrations in the air confused her a lot. This was good. This was a possible blind spot for them. In fact it took her twice as long to evade them and she even sustained a few slashes a deep cut on her forearm.

When she finally took off her blindfold, she saw that everyone was panting. Even Anya. It occurred to her that as Hunters, they were trained for single assassinations not a mass attack like this. It meant that numbers could tire them out too. 

"Alright. We will now go on to explain the weaknesses in your attacks- First; you must try to control your breathing and heart rate. I know it is difficult... but Hunters get excited by the scent of fear and your accelerating heart beat becomes a point of focus for our attention. Not good. Secondly, you all are not coordinating your attacks. Simultaneous attacks will confuse the Hunter and give you a window of opportunity to take him or her down... as Kyros had tried to do so."

"That is easy for you to say... even blindfolded all of us could not take either of you down!" said Eliza with disgust. She had been very annoyed that Anya had knocked her down. She was a Pureblood!

"Like my sister said... you guys are attacking too randomly. I mean... the moment I vanished, all of you ought to have been on guard but neither of you were! I'd like to remind you that all Hunters in the Organization carry at least two guns and various other weapons like swords or daggers hidden in their clothing. Being knocked to the ground is only half your worries. One slice off your head and you're dead... am I right?" snapped Anya. 

"Alright... that's enough. We need to take a rest. We will use this time to regroup and strategize," ordered Logan as he came to the middle of the group to disperse them.

"Have a break inside. When you come out, we'll attack... for real." He added a wink in Anya's direction as she rolled her eyes at him. 

When the girls were gone, Logan motioned everyone close.

"There are forty Weres and five Vampires, excluding me and Kyros here. I will group you such that there's one Vampire to every eight Weres. I noticed that in the presence of more than three attackers on the ground, they get confused and lose their focus on their other senses, even if it is just for a while. That aerial attack that Kyros did just now was really good. I want all of you to emulate that."

"Also... you need to move at a speed faster than the speed of wind. In the case of the Organization... that's going to be hard because it is an enclosed space. But I think that might come to our advantage because our scent might be too overpowering for them to discern how many attackers."

"My Lord... why don't we impair their sense of smell as well? That would give us a better fighting chance," said Xander, one of the Vampires. 

"No. That would impair our senses too!" exclaimed Logan. "Never mind that for now. Let's get into formation and see if we can at least inflict a bit more damage and take them down more efficiently and effectively."

But before he could get the girls, he sensed someone walking towards them. For the fact that he could sense and smell this person meant that it wasn't a Hunter. Turning around, he spotted Richard walking towards them with an elderly woman. On close examination, he realized that she wasn't old. It was only her hair that was a shade of grey. He was willing to bet that when she shifted, that same shade would be the colour of her fur. 

"Logan, this is Hedva... one of the Elders. She has come to help," said Richard when he saw the calculative look in Logan's eyes. He knew that the Alpha needed time to talk to this woman.

"Kyros, I need to speak to you in private. Logan, perhaps you could welcome our guest?" Richard said kindly but with enough force to make it sound like an order. But Logan only continued looking at Hedva with an intense dislike. 

Richard quickly pulled Kyros away before Logan could protest.

"I need you to look at me now and tell me what it is you're not telling me. I can break into your consciousness and read your mind easily but I refuse to do that out of courtesy."

"I... I don't understand, Richard..."

"Caden... your Uncle... he is dead. Do you know why?"

Kyros face immediately turned into shock. 

"What? No! How? Why? I don't understand... What do you want me to tell you Richard?"

"You know who killed him don't you..."

Kyros didn't speak for awhile and looked down.

"I knew it was coming... that is why I told him the lie... about your daughters. I knew my father would spare him when he saw that Uncle knew nothing."

"When did you know about your father, Kyros?"

"I was told since young that my father left us when we were very young. For most of my life, it was my mother who raised us. Then Uncle Caden took over when she died. However, A few days ago... Uncle told me the truth when we met at my mother's grave... My mother had died trying to protect me and my sisters. Father wanted to use us as the first test subjects for his mad science project but my mother refused to let him. In the end, she had to challenge him to a duel. You may not know much about Pureblood lore, Richard, but if you duel with a wager and the duel will be witnessed be another Pureblood. In my mother's case, she wagered her life for ours and my Uncle was the witness. He told me that she never even put up a fight. She died solely for us... and that is why my father is adamant on trying to kill me for he can't do it himself. He's sent about a dozen Hunters after me."

"This makes so much sense... I'm so sorry Kyros..." said Richard after a while. "But why does he want to kill you so much?"

"He's getting old and he acknowledges it that someday he might be challenged and die. He hoped that by capturing me he could mould me into someone like him. Of course back then I didn't know of all this. I only knew that my father wanted to meet me... I was twenty-five and I hadn't seen him for almost a decade. I hated him and I told him so. I suppose he bore a grudge and decided to kill me after that because he has only targeted me so far. My sisters are safe."

"Your father has a knack for wanting the next generation dead. He has ordered me to take out the twins."

Kyros didn't say anything. He needn't. Now he understood why Richard had brought the Werewolf woman back to the compound. 

Richard looked at Kyros and smiled. Suddenly, the sound of fighting caught their attention. 

Logan was attacking Hedva. She too was putting up a fight. It was an impressive but frightening sight to watch as two huge wolves tried to rip each others' throat out. They were circling now, growling angrily at each other; each waiting for the right moment to strike. Richard could sense Logan's feet aiming to leap up. He was definitely faster and stronger than Hedva. He had to do something to stop this fight or Hedva would die.

As he was about to run towards the two wolves, he saw a flash of white coming straight at them and a second later, both Hedva and Logan were thrown off a few feet from each other; Anya was in between them, her teeth bared angrily as sunlight reflected off her shiny white coat.

Logan leapt up to his feet very quickly and was advancing towards Hedva who was now sprawled on the floor; she was in her Werewolf form, shifting back to human. Somehow the force of Anya's attack had injured her. But Anya's eyes were only focused on Logan's for now, daring him to make the first move. She was relatively smaller than him but she stood her ground, growling fiercely to stop him from advancing anymore towards Hedva.

Finally, he eased back and went off to a shed behind his house before returning a while later with breeches on and a robe. He strode towards Hedva and threw the robe on the ground beside her.

"Cover her!" he ordered. "She reeks." With that, he dismissed his wolves and strode angrily into his house. Anya remained in her place, still in her wolf form as Richard, Aurora and Kyros approached them.




The Hunters Ch. 07



"She's hurt!" exclaimed Aurora. "She'll heal through the wound won't she?" 

"Yes she will honey... but she needs to rest now. Aurora, Kyros, can you take her inside the house? Tell Lilith that I sent this woman here. She will understand and she will help you. Go..."

Aurora looked at her father then nodded, helping Kyros lift Hedva. When they closed the door behind them, Richard turned his attention to Anya. 

"You know... Come to think of it, I've never seen Aurora change into her wolf form before. I wonder if she has the same shade of fur as you," he said with a twinkle in his eyes. "Go on, take that robe and get decent." 

Richard could hear Anya's laugh in his head. He turned his head for awhile to allow her to slip the robe on. 

"What happened?"

"Well... to tell you the truth, Elder Hedva wasn't being a very nice guest... I could tell the moment she entered the compound that she had the Alpha Leon's smell all over her. As expected, Logan asked her where he was but she just stood there laughing."

"Hedva can be a little proud at times."

"He asked again and told her that wherever Leon was, he was going to rescue him back, no matter what it takes and she said that he had no chance against the Hunters; that he didn't even stand a chance against her."

"I suppose that's when he attacked. Well... I'd say she deserve it, but I do not think that it was necessary. Go and calm him down will you? I need to speak to Hedva."

***

"Honey..." called Anya softly as she opened Logan's room door.

"Go away..." he said, throwing a pillow in her direction. Anya simply ignored him and came nearer. She could sense the anger and turmoil inside him. It felt as if he had been keeping them all inside and had unleashed it on Hedva, exploding in bouts of rage. 

"I know why you're like this..." she said as she sat beside him on the floor. 

"Do you really? Then why'd you stop me? Why? Why didn't you just let me kill her?"

"I know you'd rather kill me..." she replied, in barely a whisper. 

Both of them kept silent. Logan looked away, as if hiding a tear fall from Anya.

"It hurt when she died. It did. She was not just a sister. She was my best friend. She was going to college. I was so proud of her. She never hurt a soul, Anya... she didn't deserve to die... not like that. Sometimes at night, I get transported into that dingy washroom and see her head severed without mercy..." he covered his face with his hands, willing himself not to cry.

"I'm sorry Logan... I really am. I wish I could take it back... I really do... I wish I hadn't had to take that order..."

"Then you'll just kill someone else's sister or father or mother won't you? Then it wouldn't end..."

Anya bit back her tongue from saying anything. They sat huddled on the floor quietly for a few minutes. Then she felt his hands move slowly to hold hers but they continued to remain silent.

After a while, he spoke, "Our ancestors always said... that the people you love and who love you are never truly gone. They live inside us... and sometimes they take the form of someone else when you least expect it." His grip on her hand tightened slightly. "But I'm glad you're that someone... and that you have a heart now. Somehow, knowing that you're helping me fight this Order and rescuing my father; helps me find closure. I don't want her to die for nothing."

Anya looked at him with a determined look and came closer to press her lips against his. She could taste the salt from his tears but it didn't deter her. For as long as she could remember, she had never cried for anything. She had never cared for anything except her family... but now she cared for more people than she could imagine.

"I love you Logan..." she whispered as she pulled away to look into his steel grey eyes.

"I love you too..." he whispered back as he turned to kiss her again. This time, his hands fumbled impatiently with t-shirt and bra, attempting to tear them off. When he finally managed to free her from her trappings, he immediately grabbed her breasts and squeezed them hard. He heard her sharp intake of breath and smiled against her lips. Using his thumb and forefinger, he sought out her nipples and tweaked them between the two fingers, pulling them occasionally to increase her pleasure.

His inner beast was howling and he could feel his cock slowly growing harder with lust. He roughly turned her round such that she was pressed against the footboard of the bed and began to rub his hardness against her butt. 

"Playing it rough are we?" purred Anya, fueling his lust. He simply growled at her neck and she heard the sound of his belt unbuckling and his jeans falling on the floor a few feet away from them. Then without warning, he was behind her again, his naked warm body pressing against hers.

Even through her jeans, she could feel his hard cock throbbing. His hands were on her breast still, fondling them roughly, tweaking her nipples now and then, eliciting moans from her.

"I feel like cumming all over your jeans right now..." he moaned as he began to pull her jeans downwards. "But that would be so inconsiderate of me..." he whispered silkily. He had managed to pull her jeans and satin underwear down to her knees. Anya thought he was going to fuck her but was surprised when she felt his hot tongue jabbing her pussy; lashing it around and sucking out her hot juices.

"Logan!" she gasped as she felt him push his tongue deep into her pussy before circling it lazily inside. Anya's hands were weakly gripping the footboard of the bed as she could feel her orgasm coming.... A bit more...

She felt him pull away. Immediately she turned around, giving him a pleading face but Logan had stood up with his hard cock pointing at her.

"If you want to cum, you got to suck my cock first..." he said with a grin on his face. Anya narrowed her eyes and stood up. Pushing down the remainder of her clothes off her body, she greedily got to her knees again and began working on his cock with her mouth. She took his whole length into her, gagging occasionally, before she began her assault on it. Pursing her lips to make a tight 'O', she began moving her head to and fro as her hand massaged his balls, squeezing them gently. Logan was trying not to cum as he watched her fucking him with her mouth.

"Okay... stop... stop... or I'll cum..." he said, groaning in agony. But Anya did not stop. She simply pulled back and began to lick his cock head in circles; twirling her tongue around and around it. All the while, her hands stroked his cock up and down faster and faster.

Logan could not hold it in anymore and sprayed his cum all over her pretty face. Anya kept her eyes on his as she scooped a little of his cum and licked it off her finger.

"Thick and creamy... just the way I like it..." she purred. 

"You... are... a...very... naughty... little minx..." he said in between breaths. 

***

"Richard... why did you bring this woman into my house?" asked Lilith, in her usual soft voice but Richard noted the slight hardness in her voice and understood that she was angry.

"She needs to be healed. Then we can save Leon. Isn't that why we're here?"

Lilith didn't answer him but looked at him with a sideway glance to tell him that she wasn't happy but she'd compromise. Richard had been around Werewolves long enough to know that it was best to discern a wolf's feelings from their eyes than to hear them say it out. It was their way of controlling their temper and Lilith had amazing control. 

When Logan and Anya finally came down to the kitchen, everyone but Hedva were sitting at the table. They seemed deep in conversation.

"Sit," said Lilith to her son in particular. Richard could tell she would have throttled him in place if she had been on the grounds that evening. 

"We were discussing attack formations..." said Kyros cautiously. When Logan smiled, he gave a wide grin and continued talking.

"I was telling them where the laboratories are. They're on the fourth floor and extend upwards till the tenth. I don't fancy going into the labs so I don't know exactly the layout inside them but Hedva does. She is the head scientist."

Murmurs went around the table. 

"Richard... I've been thinking... those Hunters are going to be armed with weapons. It is bad enough fighting with them one on one but they're going to have guns won't they?"

Aurora gave Kyros a questioning look. "We could break into the arsenal first if you want." 

"But the wolves won't have any use for them. They are stronger in their wolf form and guns won't be of much use. Plus we'd have to train them on how to use them. It's gonna take more time."

They heard shuffling of feet and out of the shadows was Hedva, limping slightly but otherwise recovering. She leaned against the kitchen entrance then smiled.

"You won't need weapons. Just disarm them and you'll be fine," she said. 

"Hedva... I don't think you understand the situation here. We are fighting against Hunters here... you don't just disarm them and hope to get away with it."

She gave a laugh.

"Not if you attack the organization on the first of December..."

Murmurs of surprise could be heard.

"What do you mean?" asked Logan.

"It's the day of the black moon..." whispered Richard. "A solar eclipse... it couldn't be..."

"What? I don't understand..." said Kyros. 

"You see children... the night of the red moon is a total lunar eclipse. As you know Hunters are an amalgamation of Werewolves and Vampires..."

"I don't..."

"It's their weak point! They are powerless for that few hours," she said in an annoyed voice.

"But why?"

"Well... over the years, Purebloods have evolved to a state where they could be awake in the daytime and be resistant to constant exposure to the sun's rays. On the other hand, Werewolves are noticeably stronger at a full moon than on other nights" Richard tried to explain.

"It means that Hunters rely on their Were abilities to survive during the day while their Vampiric senses are stronger at night. So when the moon and sun aligns, the body becomes confused as to which half it should align more to so it breaks down for a few hours."

"This is true for all eclipses?" asked Anya.

"Unfortunately yes... it was a mechanism that I had installed inside their genome in case there was a problem. It was also payback, somewhat to our most senior Elder... it's a secret I've kept from him for years!" she said with a maniacal laughter.

Kyros and Logan launched into discussion immediately on possible modes of attacks but Richard saw that his girls were quiet and looked rather forlorn.

"Don't worry too much darling..."

"We would be just normal humans daddy... and we'd be helpless. We could even die!" exclaimed Aurora.

Hedva moved closer towards the table and took a seat. Richard could see that her bruises were healing. She looked at Richard and the girls and a few seconds later, they heard her voice in their heads.

"Have you ever noticed how you were more prone to using one type of power over the other?" she asked the girls quietly. She was closing her eyes while she said it. When neither answered her, she continued. "Anya the more domineering, hot headed one... who harnesses her sense of smell and sight more often; choosing to shift into her wolf form and... from the looks of it mate with a werewolf?" As she smiled, she opened her eyes to look at Anya who was staring at her in disbelief.

"Hedva! Are you telling me that Connor knows all this?"demanded Richard.

"Of course not!"

"How'd you keep it out of your head then? He would surely have pored into your mind each time!" 

"Oh please... once you get over an emotional turmoil as big as mine and forced to live with it; you can hide any emotion or thought from anyone after that." 

"So... are you saying that we won't be affected by the eclipse?" asked Aurora, still unsure.

"Perhaps..." she said silkily then she shook her head. "But perhaps not. I am not sure. Your case was most extraordinary indeed... an egg that split into two; each imbibing similar but opposite qualities. Very extraordinary."

Before Aurora could ask anymore, Kyros interrupted them. 

"The eclipse is in another few days. We need to be prepared by then. Hunters would be combing this area soon to search for me. We need to evacuate everyone somewhere else as soon as possible."

"Yes. Then we need to decide on a rendezvous point for all those involved in the mission, while keeping the young and elderly safe," said Logan.

"Very well... take them to somewhere with high altitude. The cold will keep the scent out longer," said Richard.

"We'll break the fighters into five groups- one vampire to every eight Werewolves. I'll have them stay at separate locations but all within the state. Annabelle's good at these things. She'll make the arrangements. How about you then?" asked Kyros.

"The girls and I need to go back home." 

At the concerned and confused looks on everyone's faces, he merely smiled. 

***

Hedva had healed nicely by the next morning. She had insisted on going home even though Richard had warned her that Connor might have sent Hunters out to hunt her down. 

When they finally reached home, Richard was not surprised to see that the place had already been searched but it was otherwise empty. 

"They won't be back... they've done their searching. One of them might still be lurking around in case we are back. So keep your eyes open."

After checking the parameters, they didn't find anything suspicious so they went indoors. The house had been turned upside-down; clothes, papers and furniture all in a mess. 

"Sigh... this will take a lot of cleaning up. But never mind. I want you two to pack. Then meet me in my office."

The girls knew that by pack he meant clothes and weapons. They went to their rooms quietly. So much had happened in a span of a few weeks that it felt surreal.

Anya entered her room and found that it was as messy as downstairs. She managed to locate a haversack and stored all her basic needs. Stripping off her sodden clothes, she pulled on fresh pairs of undergarments and started searching for her weapon harness and holsters. She slipped two long daggers at her calf holsters before sliding into a pair of loose jeans and a long sleeved tunic. Then she went out without looking back. 

Aurora had already been in the weapons room; a concealed area behind their fridge in the kitchen. No one ever suspects that there was a secret room behind the fridge and thus it was still well stocked.

Anya noticed that her sister chose to carry more firepower. She had already strapped on two guns to her thigh holster and had at least three magazines strapped to her carrier. Her bag had more weapons than clothes.

"I'm not lending you my clothes..."

"Don't worry... I'll buy some as we go along. I like to travel light."

"You call this light? We don't need so many weapons!"

"Yes we do. I feel naked without my guns." Anya simply rolled her eyes. Aurora was a skilled markswoman; the best in fact. She liked to watch her targets before she attacks.

Ignoring her sister, Anya settled for a slim pistol and added a few ninja throwing stars into her arsenal. Last of all, she opened a case and passed her sister one of a pair of tessens; an iron bladed offense-type fan. 

Finally when they headed to their father's study, they saw that he too had packed. He stood in the middle of the room with his kind face on display as usual.

"I'm going to teach you two a few more techniques that I think might come in useful for you." He circled the two of them and motioned them into their fighting stance.

"The first is a technique of blocking your opponent's senses. This technique blocks their senses in sensing you. Yes Anya, I know you have no scent... but your senses do not only pick up smells! You can feel, you can hear and you can see can't you?" he said sternly at her grimace.

"To block someone's senses, you need to effectively hit specific pressure points on their bodies. I recommend these points," he said, showing them specific points on his own body. "This will temporarily make your opponent deaf. That deafness will cause partial blindness as well because your ears help give you balance and your opponent will be disorientated. Ok, now face each other. Anya, you go first."

"But daddy! Will I return to normal?" shrieked Aurora as she attempted to hide behind a desk.

"Yes you will..." he said. The moment he said 'yes', Anya had pounced on her sister. Aurora was trying her best to block all her sister's attempts but Anya managed to hit Aurora's pressure points.

They took turns trying on each other and Richard taught them how to undo the blocks and restore the body's original conditions as well.

"Daddy... do you think we can win this? I mean saving Leon is one thing... and I suppose we should release all the others imprisoned in the lab too. But to take down the Order... that'd mean taking down Elder Connor and the others. They are too strong for us, Daddy..."said Aurora awhile later as they sat down to rest.

"I know... But we have to try."

"You can take him down..." whispered Anya slowly. "He has wrecked so many families... and almost broke apart ours..."

"We shall see when that day comes... But the three of us have to be the ones in that top floor office. Alright now... let's resume training. There's another technique I want to teach you. This is an ancient Vampiric skill. Somehow over the years, Purebloods have chosen not to use it, but I was fortunate enough to have learnt how."

"What is it Daddy?"

"I do not want you to practice on each other because it is a lethal weapon. I will teach you the theory and you will use it only when in dire straits. Is that clear?"

The girls nodded.

***

Hedva sat quietly at her sofa, watching the front door. Any minute now...

"Hedva..." a low guttural sound greeted her as Connor slowly materialized before her. "I'm sorry I did not knock. I don't see the need for courtesy when I have come with such bad news."

"Please sit, Connor. I'm afraid your tea is already cold. I've been waiting for awhile now," she said calmly, not moving from her position. She didn't expect him to oblige her, but he did and he sat down. 

"You know Hedva... the only reason why your head's not already on the floor is because I owe you too much for my success to let you deserve my deathblow. I still need to know if the recent prototype is ready and I need you to care for the embryos. I know you've been hiding with Richard. But not to worry; I'll spare your life... and his... but just for a few more days. I know those embryos will mature in a few days time right?"

"A month actually..."

"Then make sure its less than a month!" he bellowed at her but Hedva remained passive, not showing any emotions. 

"It will be unstable and we have not even taught it how to walk."

"I want it fully grown by the end of the month Hedva or I will not be so gracious to let you live," he said. With that, he got up and vanished into the air. 

Finally, she slumped her back and covered her face with her hands and cried. When she looked up, she hardened her face once again and got up. She had to return to the lab. There's work to be done. 

***

Kyros and Logan were staying in the same room. Lilith had refused to leave the compound and told the rest to leave without her.

Kyros watched Logan with vague interest. The man was an exercise junkie! In the past hour, he had done at least five hundred of each type of abdominal exercise possible and was currently doing some pretty amazing push ups.

"Quit looking at me like that," he said in between breaths. "I know you Vampires have it easy. You hardly need to do anything to look like a god."

Kyros simply laughed and then looked out the window. 




The Hunters Ch. 07



"You haven't mated with her yet have you?" he asked. At once the labored breathing stopped. Logan was not used to speaking about such intimate stuff with other males. 

"And that concerns you because?"

"Just a thought... if you mated with her, would her wolf side take over completely and render her Vampire side dead?"

"That would be better won't it?"

"No it won't... if she becomes a true Werewolf before the day of the eclipse then she would emit a scent."

Logan kept quiet for a while, and then continued with his push ups. 

"She's still a Hunter," he said quietly. 

"I thought so too. It's the same for me."

They remained silent after that. Each, in his own world; consumed with thoughts about their partner. 

It was not long after when there came a knock on their door. Both men looked at each other before stealthily getting into position. Kyros was going to open the door and Logan was at the ready to pounce. Their choice of accommodation didn't have doors with peepholes so they had to open the door to know who was on the other side.

Kyros used his fingers to indicate one then two... and finally at three, he opened the door, only to find that it was Anya and Aurora.

"Oh... it's you two..."

"Kyros no!" warned Logan but he was too late. Kyros was already stepping forward to give Aurora a hug. A second later, he dropped to the ground. 

"No!!!" he shouted. Turning to look at whoever masquerading as the twins, he roared, "Who the hell are you?" Logan didn't wait for their response but shifted and began to attack them. He found it strange that they had a scent. It was a strange scent but it was there. It didn't take Logan much time to rip them apart. They may look like the girls but he knew they were not.

Satisfied that they were dead, he rushed over to Kyros and picked up his friend. He was still alive but unconscious. Putting him down for a while, Logan reached for fresh pair of clothes and began packing the few things they've brought with them. 

Unknown to him, one eyeball on the floor was observing him keenly.

Hedva watched the fascinating Alpha carry his friend out of the hotel room and disappeared. She tapped her fingers together and pouted her lips.

"Test subjects #21 and #3 have been terminated. They're still not ready yet..." she whispered.

As she swirled her chair away from the screen, she stood facing the glass entrance to the cold room; a thousand pair of Anya and Aurora stared back at her with a void in their eyes. 

***

NB: Alrighty! Another chapter down! I sincerely give my thanks to all those who have given me comments and encouragement. I really appreciate it. So I hope you all like this chapter and stay tuned for the last chapter coming soon! Don't forget to vote and comment!



The Hunters Ch. 08



NB: Hi all! I hope the little twists in the previous chapter kept you on your toes! I do apologize if it was one too many. But everything will be unraveled in this last chapter. Thank you so much for keeping through the chapters with me =)

***

Hedva looked at her screen for the last time before turning it to 'hibernate' mode. The new prototype Hunters have reached maturity and soon it would be time to harvest them. She had accelerated their completion date to suit Connor and knew that by doing so she had shortened her own lifeline. However, it was still early yet to see who would have the last laugh.

The new Hunters were made to replicate the features and standards of the Order's top two Hunters- Anya and Aurora. She had known right from the start when Connor gave her such a specifications that he would eventually want to eliminate the twins as soon as the project was successfully completed. His instructions to Richard to terminate the girls were just first of many.

But no more...

No more children will die because of a selfish, loveless man.

The new Hunters had a special built in mechanism that she had just installed. It will generate a scent only werewolves could sense. Her small test with Logan and Kyros had proved just that. Hedva was almost beside herself as she thought about how stupid Connor was. Did he think Vampires were truly the most superior race? Connor would not even see it coming; neither will the original Hunters who were all infused with Vampire genes.

She hoped that this would be of help to the little rebellion team on the eclipse. They had roughly 7 minutes of total eclipse time and she was literally handing the twins a readymade, disposable army at their command; only responding to the voice command of three people: herself, Anya and Aurora.

But this little rebellion was not for her. She had her own part to play...

It was time she did what's right.

***

"Damn to hell! What the fuck was that?" swore Logan as he laid Kyros on the sofa of his office. He had had no choice but to seek refuge at the nearest MacFarlane property. He was thankful that the taxi driver did not ask any questions when Logan said his friend was totally drunk and spent. However, he did ask twice if he should really alight them outside the brokerage firm off Summerset Avenue.

Pacing his office, Logan began to think about the attack earlier. He knew that it was definitely not the twins... and that woman with sultry brown eyes was definitely not his mate... He would know wouldn't he? She had smelled strange. Didn't Kyros scent her at all?

Going over to the Vampire, he realized how much he had come to see him as a friend. Shaking Kyros, he tried to rouse the Vampire to consciousness. Kyros had somehow been stunned and had lost consciousness upon contact with those things.

Many things crossed his mind at that moment but he didn't know which one to believe. Had the organization somehow sniffed out their operation and kidnapped the twins? Moving over to his desk, he picked up his phone and dialed for home. His landline was a private line that would not be traced if anyone was watching. It was a risk he was going to take, for the protection of his pack and the ones he loved.

"Ma...? Are you safe?" he asked, the moment he heard Lilith's voice.

"Yes... is there something wrong Logan?"

"Something came up... I can't say much on the phone incase someone's listening. But I need you to remember this... A mated wolf will have a scent but the Alpha female has not yet mated."

"Oh... yes dear. I'll put down now..." her voice trailing off as she put down the phone. By the one of her voice, he knew that she understood that the Alpha female referred to Anya. He knew what he had said would hurt his mother but he had to say it for her own protection. The Order had already taken his sister and his father.

His next call was to Annabelle and his Beta general, Christian. To Annabelle, he arranged for a meeting point with everyone at dawn. To Christian, he had asked about the safety of his pack and gave them the same warning as he had given to his mother. When he finally finished his calls, he was tempted to call Anya but he did not want to risk giving whoever's after them a chance to trace the call, if they had captured her.

"Logan..." came a weak voice from the sofa. Logan immediately turned to see Kyros stirring awake. "Wha... Where are we?" he said groggily.

"You fainted."

"What? Where's Aurora?" he said with a slight panic in his voice.

"Ky... are you saying you couldn't smell her?"

"I told you that we did not mate didn't I? I have not sired her, if that's what you're thinking."

"Whoever that came to our door wasn't them Kyros... you have got to believe me... I could smell them as clearly as we could scent each other now. That was not my mate." His words sounded harsh even as he gritted his teeth to stop himself from getting angry.

Kyros didn't move from his lying position but turned his face to look at Logan.

"I believe you."

Logan gave his friend a weak smile and began telling him everything that had happened and their plans for the meeting at dawn.

***

It was almost four in the morning when Richard got his girls and together they moved, as swiftly as they could to the meeting place that Annabelle had arranged for them. Richard had to give it to her; she was brilliant. She managed to locate all the nearest internet cafes within the reach of each of the five groups for a virtual meeting. Mingled with humans, it was a good cover for them; rather than they congregate all at the same place and alert the organization.

Richard watched as Anya logged onto one of the computers at a personal booth that had been reserved for her. Anya seemed to be doing a lot of the talking today, he noticed, while Aurora was relatively silent. It was most unusual, he thought. Aurora was usually the more vibrant one while Anya was more reserved. Pushing that thought aside, he began to listen as Annabelle's face came on screen. Then a second later, Christian came on screen.

"I'm just going to have to check if this network is secure; add a bit of protective walls here... and here... give me a minute... and yes. Okay, Team Alpha, please wait while I connect the rest," he said. A blank screen appeared and so the twins turned to Richard who was standing with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"Logan might not take it too kindly that we're called team Alpha when he's not here," said Anya with a slight laugh.

"I'm sure he's not that petty," replied Richard with a smile. Anya didn't realize that Alpha could also be her status and thus befitting of the team. However, he was certain that somehow the two men he had learnt to like over the past few days would be arriving soon. It was a hunch.

When Annabelle's face came onto the screen, half an hour later, Christian had managed to break the screen into six parts such that they could see a few faces on screen at the same time. Anya was actually impressed with the Beta wolf.

"Good work Christian," she said unconsciously.

"Thank you Alpha," he said with a flush as he nodded at her words. The look on Anya's face was just hilarious that Richard had to restrain himself from laughing out loud.

Annabelle then introduced them by Teams and once that was done, Christian showed a screen of the building's layout. They could hear his voice through their earphones very clearly as though he was right in front of them. He continued telling them about all the access points and the switch and control room and the possible areas with the highest number of guards.

Then it occurred to Anya.

"Christian... Where is Logan?"

"I... I do not know, Alpha... he told us to carry on without him and Lord Russell for now. I apologize if I have spoken out of turn..." he said apologetically. Anya gave him a questioning look.

"No... it's okay. Please get on with what you're saying before I take over."

Richard smiled. Anya still wasn't aware that he was addressing only her as Alpha and not the team. Nevertheless, he listened intently to what the Beta wolf had to say before turning his gaze to Anya.

"Alright, listen Teams, the eclipse will give us roughly 7 minutes in which all of you are at an advantage. But 7 minutes is too short for us to enter and exit the building. Therefore all this has to be done prior to that. Hedva tells us that the laboratories are from the fourth till the tenth floor but the actual lab prisoners should be between the seventh to tenth floor. I know our mission was to rescue the Alpha Leon but I think we should also release the other prisoners. Team Epsilon and Zeta, I want you to help with the rescuing of the prisoners. Team Delta, you will secure access into these three floors. They will be the most heavily guarded so wait until only till the eclipse time at ten hundred hours before taking out all the security on that level."

Anya paused to watch the faces of the three teams.

"Team Epsilon, Zeta and Delta, who is the highest ranking member in your team?" Three faces came to view; two of whom were Betas while the other, she presumed was one of Kyros's Vampires. Aurora had huffed as if to confirm her sister's thoughts.

"Alright... that's good. Now Beta, headed by Christian, I want you to take the switch and control room and make sure you disengage the alarms as well as allow access for the rest of the Teams to enter by oh-eight hundred hours. Weres, do not kill human guards but just render them unconscious. As for the Vampire guards, they are common leveled Vampires but their venom from their fangs are still lethal to you so keep your eyes peeled. Now. Team Gamma, headed by Annabelle will secure the path up from the tenth floor to the seventieth floor. Am I right that you have managed to secure for us five helicopters?"

"Yes, Maam. They will land at exactly ten twenty hours in five minute succession and will only stay for a period of five minutes each. I have checked; the building is surrounded by other equally tall skyscrapers with possible multiple sites for Hunters to take out either us or the helicopters."

"I'll take care of that," said Aurora finally breaking her silence. Anya was about to agree when her father shook his head. Aurora was the best markswoman but then again... Richard was legendary.

"I will take them out. They are powerless at the eclipse remember?" he said with a smile.

"No Daddy... you will be powerless too! You cannot spot them at such a range," protested Aurora but Richard silenced her and told Anya to continue.

When they've finally disconnected from the network, it was almost six in the morning. Richard pulled his girls into one of the boulangerie he had spotted not far from the internet café and forced them to get food into their stomachs.

"Even though you do not need to eat much because of your Vampire genes... it does not mean your Werewolf should not eat," he chided as he handed them each a cinnamon roll. "Balance..." he said kindly as he coaxed them to eat another.

"Darling what's wrong?" said Anya after she had eaten a few rolls. She hated to see her sister so down and Aurora wasn't allowing her sister to enter her mind either to find out for herself.

"It's Kyros... he's hurt somehow... I can feel it."

Anya immediately stiffened.

"Logan seems to be alright... Are you sure about that Aurora? I mean... in what way is he hurt?"

"I... I can't really tell... I just know that I kept seeing him lying on the floor with his eyes wide open."

Richard clamped a hand on Aurora's shoulder and patted her gently.

"He'll be fine my dear... he will... he's strong..."

Aurora turned to look at him and smiled. She believed her father more than anything in the world and she pushed her doubts to the back of her head.

"Well now... that just leaves the four of you doesn't it? Your job is to enter the Order's office and then you know what to do..."

"What about you Daddy?" asked Aurora.

"I'll come and help you out once I've taken out all the shooters. There'll be plenty."

"Okay Daddy... we love you..." she said as she passed him her own haversack filled with weapons.

Richard kissed both his daughters on their forehead and as they turned to leave the boulangerie, he couldn't help but see two little girls walking hand in hand.

***

"Let's find them. Can you sense where he is?" asked Anya. When Aurora shook her head, Anya frowned and started to close her eyes. Maybe Vampires do not have a strong mating pull as Wolves do or maybe it was because Kyros was down. Anya closed her eyes and blocked off every other sound around her. It was like how she focused her mind when she wanted to enter her sister's consciousness but now, it was more like she was a predator seeking out her prey with the whole city as her hunting field. Finally, she sensed him.

"He's not too far from the Order. Come..." she said, pulling her sister along after her. They made sure they were in a deserted alley before they vanished into thin air.

When they appeared a minute later, Aurora brushed down her flyaway hair obsessively.

"After this whole thing is over... I'm so going to get a new bike. I hate travelling this way," she grumbled.

"You look beautiful... Don't worry too much. I know you're just annoyed coz you're so relieved you can sense him here. Come on. He's at the top."

The two men were sipping coffee as they watched the clock ticking by. Logan had stopped Kyros from forcing himself to go for the briefing. His friend needed rest.

"You know Logan... this is probably the second time you've saved my life. My Pureblood code of honour bequeath you my life for as long as you need me," said Kyros.

"Right now Vampire, I want you to heal faster and keep your life for yourself. If anything happens to you... god knows what either of those twins will do to me."

"I hope you're not talking about me..." Logan turned in time to see Anya leap up onto him. For a moment he was so shocked and overwhelmed to know she was fine that he was lost for words. Then he remembered. He gave the air around her a little sniff and felt himself relax a little knowing that the woman in his arms was the real thing.

"Mine..." he mumbled softly as he buried his face in her hair. As he hugged her tight, he watched the other twin approach Kyros cautiously. She was very perceptive, that one, he thought.

"Let's take this somewhere else..." he whispered as he lifted Anya up and took her to the adjoining meeting room to give the other couple some space. Somewhere in his mind, he made a mental click- Logan three, Kyros nil.

Aurora watched Logan take her sister away and silently thanked him. Turning to look at Kyros she wasn't sure if she was going to frown or cry or laugh. He was lying on his side, looking at her with the most ridiculous expression on his face.

"Miss me?" he said teasingly.

"I've been worried..." she replied curtly with a slight bite that told him she was annoyed.

"Thank you my love..." he said with a smile. Reaching out a hand, he beckoned her close and gave her a soft kiss on her lips. Aurora could tell that he was really weak. Something had attacked him and he couldn't heal on his own.

"Who did this to you, Ky?" she whispered; her eyes turning slightly smoky. Kyros was taken aback for a moment seeing the intensity of her eyes.

"I don't really know... Logan said that something that looked like the two of you attacked me... okay well not attack me but stunned me."

Aurora did not speak for awhile but simply looked at him.

"Are you saying you couldn't tell if that was me or not?" Kyros didn't dare to even look at her. He knew she was going to ask him that. He didn't need mind reading for that. He was sure that her smoky eyes were going to shift colours again just to scare him but when he turned to look at her, he saw that her eyes were the calm hazel he was used to.

"Do you remember which part of your body you were stunned?" Kyros lifted his shirt to show a patch of bruise. Aurora frowned then pressed him at various points on his body, making him shout with pain. "Sorry..." she mouthed.

"It's no use, honey... But I'll be fine. We better start moving..." he said as he lowered his shirt. Aurora kept silent but decided for herself that she was going to keep an eye out for him.

"Okay Team Alpha, at exactly ten hundred hours, the sun will be completely covered by the moon... Anya's briefed me about the plan. We'll work in pairs. I assume that there will be two Vampires and two Werewolves left to take out right?" said Logan chirpily as he came out of the meeting room a few minutes later.

"Right. But we'd have to fight our way all the way from the main elevator to the private lifts up to the Order's Chambers. Once security is breeched at roughly oh nine forty five hours, the remaining eight top Hunters will be deployed to guard the passage from these two lifts. There's only one lift up so this is our only way," said Aurora.

"Alright. Stick together. Let's go!"

***

The building was surrounded by many other skyscrapers housing various companies and businesses. However, the Order's building was solely owned by them and had no specific name except the building number.

Anya, Aurora, Logan and Kyros stood facing the building, each feeling a sense of anticipation, fear and excitement inside them. It was already oh nine thirty. Team Beta under Beta Christian would have infiltrated the control room by oh nine forty-five. Anya had specifically told the Vampire in Team Beta, Eliza, to modify all the entrance guard's memories slightly to let the team pass through without standard checks and procedure. She knew that among the human security guards, there were a few common-leveled Vampires who could resist such memory modifications but Eliza was a Pureblood; she could do it.

Anya and Aurora were simply standing opposite the building; observing everything that was currently happening in the building to discern the time to enter. It was difficult to sense accurately every movement inside the building as there were many people walking along the street in front of them but the twins managed to get a good grasp of what was happening. They only dared to look through at the first level because to force their minds to look beyond the second floor would be inviting hundreds of Hunters flocking down on them before they're ready.

Logan checked his clock once in awhile as his mind focused on everything Christian was reporting back to him.

"They're in..." The other three nodded but still waited. "He's opening two rear entrances for the other teams now."

"Okay Team... let's go. We have to take the lift up to the eleventh floor. We don't have much time before the Hunters are alerted," breathed Anya slowly. "Keep all communications inside your head unless it is impossible to do so."

"Wait..." said Logan almost suddenly. "We should not all go into the lift at once. Anya and I will take the stairs. If they are alerted too early, we might not stand a chance if we're all trapped inside the lift," his tone was stern enough that Kyros did not challenge him. Furthermore, he was still a little weak from the previous attack and climbing stairs was not such a favourable option.

Nodding to each other, they walked towards the building's glass doors. The guards appeared unsure what to do and were milling around; the quartet slipped through unnoticed. Kyros had glanced slightly at the cameras at the front lobby and noted that they were all switched off.

They broke into pairs as soon as they reached the lift landing; Aurora and Kyros entered the lift and she pressed the button for '11'. Aurora's hands were already at the guns sheathed at her thigh harness although they were not even pass the second floor.

"They know... I can sense them..." she informed Kyros in their minds. He nodded at her. Then suddenly, she faltered. "There's something else... something colossal..." the panic in her voice was evident even though her face was somber. "They're coming..."




The Hunters Ch. 08



At that moment, the lift door opened to the eleventh floor and Aurora didn't even bother to look before she attacked because she knew they were already outside. The two Hunters were caught by surprise as she had sliced through their bodies with multiple bullets even before the lift door was fully opened. She knew they would heal from that wound in a while but her intention was simply to maim them enough to get through to the private lift at the end of the corridor.

Aurora spotted another two more Hunters coming their way. She could tell from the slight vibrations in the air that they were coming although they were not visible to the naked eye. They seemed to be the only ones left on that floor. What happened to the other four Hunters?

Anya must have heard her sister's question because immediately Aurora could hear her annoyance in her mind.

They're so fucking annoying! Four against one... okay one and a half. Aurora managed a small smile. Her sister still had the cheek for jokes at times like this.

Okay... me and Ky are almost at the lift now. Get your ass here asap. There's something else coming for us and its worst than these two buggers right in front of me.

The two buggers turned out to be Hunters number 3 and 7. They had stopped barely inches from Aurora but did not attempt to attack yet.

"Well well... I thought you two were supposed to be dead..." scowled one of them.

Aurora didn't bother answering but pushed her aside and continued walking. The Hunter got up and had a dagger pointed at Aurora's back but her movements were halted immediately by something that seemed invisible.

"No... she's mine..." said a low voice. Aurora knew it was the number three, Chloe, claiming for a rematch. She has been the most annoying of the Hunters because she hated being relegated to the third place upon the twin's inception into the Hunter hierarchy and was constantly challenging them.

"Ooo... we have a yummy toy to play with here..." cooed the other Hunter instead and pounced towards Kyros.

Aurora's attention was taken for a second just to make sure that Kyros was able to take the Hunter on his own. The eclipse should be in about a minute or so judging from the darkening sky outside. She had to trust that he could hold on till then because the number 3 Hunter in front of her was too strong for him.

Her distraction almost cost her her face as her adversary had already elongated her claws and was swiping it at her without restraint. One of it managed to draw blood on her cheek. Aurora had to give it to her- she obviously had studied the twins enough to know that Aurora was not a combat-trained Hunter but a marksman. Aurora acknowledged that they were too near for her guns to have an accurate aim because of how fast they were moving. Dropping the guns in her hand, Aurora focused her eyes to sense the other Hunter's movements. She was literally circling her at such a speed that it was impossible to see. Chloe was really strong and had had many years of training in combat. The sudden sharp kick to her abdomen sent her reeling across the floor. Aurora didn't get up instantly but rather waited for the Hunter to approach her.

When she was close enough, Aurora struck out, delivering a sharp kick that sent Chloe crashing against some vases. She knew that didn't hurt one bit and was not surprised when she felt rather than saw Chole's sai daggers flying in her direction. The slight echoing sound of the metal slicing the air was enough to tell her to dodge.

Before she could counter the attack, she head a deep groan coming from Kyros. She turned to see that the other Hunter had pinned him down to the ground and was aiming for the killing swipe; he wasn't just pinned down- he was smashed into the marble tile and held there be a Hunter much powerful than him. But her advance towards him was stopped midway as she felt a sharp dagger hit her back. That bitch!

Using her hand, she pulled the dagger out of her back, feeling the hot spurt of blood. Angered now, she turned to face Chole who had already recovered from her fall and was currently in her wolf form. A Hunter's wolf enhanced their strength but it also compromised on their speed a little. Taking advantage of that, Aurora focused her senses, feeling her fangs elongate, her sense of hearing piqued and her eyes turned into sharp slits of red.

The wolf began to pounce towards her; all claws out at an angle that was aimed to swipe her head off. Aurora was prepared to block but as she felt the wolf's body hit her, she realized that it was no longer a wolf but a clearly shocked woman.

It was happening- the eclipse.

Get up! She's powerless now. I'm heading to the lift now...

She watched Kyros stumble to his feet and a moment later, she heard the slight footsteps of Logan and her sister. Logan's grey fur was matted with blood; most of which were not his own.

Anya and Aurora let the men run to the lift first as they walked backwards, blocking off the many gunshots and various weapons thrown in their direction. Anya managed to tack a few Hunter's palms to the wall with her ninja throwing star. She knew it hurt but they'd heal back once the eclipse is over. When they finally got through the door, they slammed it shut and slowly turned.

The room was literally filled with replicas of them, all staring at the twins. Logan and Kyros however had been knocked unconscious on the ground by the clones. They had put up quite a fight too but it was pointless.

They're not...

Not affected by the eclipse... are these...

The new Hunter prototype yes...

They look like us...

Why aren't they attacking us?

Anya cleared her throat and tried her luck.

"Please... let us pass through... but if you still wish to fight us, we will do our best to take down every one of you."

Immediately, the group of clones parted to reveal a small path heading towards the lift. Anya stared open mouth at her sister but Aurora was quick to take advantage of what had happened and issued them another command.

"Please go down to levels three to ten and help the Werewolves and Vampires. Help them rescue and escape from here. Go now!" she shouted. The clones began vanishing one by one. Anya simply sank to her feet in pure amazement while Aurora just stayed rooted, clearly in shock.

***

"Hedva! Are you certain that you've already sent down the new Hunters? I can't sense anything with this racket going on below!" bellowed Connor as he lifted the wolf by her collar then throwing her to one side in disgust.

Picking herself up, Hedva brushed down her labcoat and said, "Yes Connor... I have given them instructions to meet all opposition at the base of the private lift lobby."

Connor however, didn't seem to be listening much to her. His eyes were fixated on the new guest in the board room. Richard appeared calm as he took a seat at the opposite end of the table. He hadn't even sense the bloody Hunter when he entered.

"How the hell did you enter?"

Richard didn't answer him. Instead he brought his feet up to the table and remained silent. He was simply going to wait for the eclipse to end before making any moves. He was going to keep the bastard here for as long as possible before his daughters arrived.

Richard could see the anger in Connor's eyes and managed to glimpse into Connor's mind as his rage caused his mental shield to drop slightly. Oh boy was the Elder angry.

"Your son is here," said Richard suddenly. He needed to keep Connor's transformation at bay for as long as he could. Even though he was a Hunter, Connor had been a Pureblood for centuries and in his true form, he was too deadly to be taken down alone.

"Why are you telling me this, you weakling? Are you trying to make me feel an ounce of what do you call it? Compassion was it? No... love..." he said the last word with a spat as though it was poison on his lips.

"You can't feel anything, you cold hearted monster," whispered Hedva under her breath but she was unfortunately heard by Connor who had a much keener sense of hearing than her. His rage immediately filled his eyes, turning them to slits of red. He was lifting Hedva off the ground now without touching her. Richard could hear her screams both in his head and also echoing through the room. He was controlling the blood inside her body, making it go against the normal flow. It could kill her.

"Please Connor!" said Richard, getting to his feet. There was still another minute left for the eclipse to be over. Until then, he too was powerless.

The Pureblood ignored him. His fangs had elongated now and his face no longer recognizable as the skin had stretched and ripped to become one of a monster's. Richard could hear Hedva barely breathing now as all the oxygenated blood that was supposed to come from her heart was going the other direction. This had been the technique he had taught the girls... the power to manipulate blood. It had been a Pureblood war technique centuries ago. Connor apparently still practiced it because of the precision and control he had over the power.

"Enough!" said Richard as he held on to Hedva and pushed her to the ground, attempting to break the Vampire's bond. The moon had moved... a few more seconds...

His transformation was beyond imaginable. Richard's roar was deafening as his body contorted, revealing pure white fur that made all his movements seemed like a white blur as he attacked Connor. The Vampire hissed back at the wolf and his talons tried to clamp itself around Richard's neck but Richard's hands were strong, struggling to release the grip. Angered, he tried to rip off Richard's arms with his fangs. Somewhere in the struggle, one of his talons had pierced Richard deep in the gut.

"Daddy!" came the cries of the twins. Richard felt himself smile. They're here... finally. He gave up resisting and let himself be flung to one side as Connor turned his focus to the twins. His wound was relatively deep and he needed time to heal himself. He wanted to inch close to Hedva to check if she was still breathing but didn't dare to at the moment as Connor was in between them.

"You annoying little brats!" he roared at the twins. "I will kill you myself today and end this pathetic little mutiny." Then he laughed; a monstrous sound that echoed off the walls eerily. "After today, I won't need you two ever again... those new Hunters will take care of everything. None of this pesky little business anymore." With that, he flicked his talon at Hedva and sent her flying across the room.

That son-of-a-bitch!

Aurora... don't shift yet...wait for my command. I can't sense a damn thing about him!

Connor looked at the twins suspiciously, peering into their eyes, trying to pick their brains apart. Rage filled his face when he found nothing. Angered, he grabbed hold of Anya and squeezed her tightly between his talons. He had been so swift that neither of them saw it coming. Blood spurted copiously as his talons dug deep into her flesh.

"Stop it!" screamed Aurora who was now shooting bullets at Connor like a maniac. When he moved again, she was ready but he was clearly too fast for her; slamming her to the ground and pushing her into the cement.

No, Aurora. Stop moving... Can you feel that? Yes, that's his heartbeat... sense where his energies are directed and evade his attacks...

Now that they were both in direct contact with Connor's Vampire form, they could sense every muscle in him, every nerve...

But it was useless. He was too powerful for them. Aurora felt her ribs breaking with every thump of his fist on her back. She was losing consciousness...

Aurora! Anya struggled violently in Connor's hand as she felt her sister slipping further and further away... and then she was gone. Connor's laughter was deafening. He had lifted his hand now and was uncontrollable in his laughter. Anya felt herself glowing with anger; her eyes turning slowly into red orbs.

For a moment, Connor stopped his laughter as the heat from her body scalded him. He maintained his grip on her but as his hands had gone numb, he did not notice when she cleanly sliced his arm off with her claws.

Rushing to her twin, Anya did what she felt most natural; she hugged her sister.

A bright light seemed to engulf the two of them; blinding everyone in the room, especially Connor, whose Vampire eyes could not take such intensity. So when he finally opened his eyes, he was taken aback at what he saw in front of him.

There stood the most magnificent creature he had ever seen; a white werewolf with equally white wings was regarding him with the most piercing eyes. At the edge of the creature's wings were talons that were sharp and looked deadly with something like venom dripping from them.

Then the creature opened its mouth as if to make a battle cry and Connor saw fangs aimed for his neck.

The sheer weight of the creature crashing into him sent him reeling backwards, losing his balance. But before he could get up, he was attacked again and again; sharp talons digging into his skin, ripping out viciously at his side. Connor tried his best to curl into a ball; his wings forming a shield around him but the creature's own wings were prying it open.

With a loud shriek, Connor felt his wings being torn apart and he stared up at the murderous face of the creature in front of him and hung his head in defeat.

"That's enough, Aurora, Anya!" shouted Richard from a distance. He was dragging himself across the floor with one hand protectively over his deep wound but at his command, the creature seemed to calm down a notch.

Connor had slowly returned to his human form although his body was deeply scarred now with two deep gashes at his back.

"You're a fool Richard..." he said weakly, his voice shaking slightly with fear and anger.

"No Father, you are," said a voice from behind them. Richard beamed slightly at the sight of Kyros walking in, supported by Logan.

"This... is for my uncle," he said as he slashed his elongated talon at Connor's neck, wiping the smugness off his face. "And this is for my mother." His second slash completely severed Connor's head.

Everyone in the room fell silent as the Vampire's body slowly crumbled and burst into flames on its own, eventually turning to dust.

After that, all eyes turned to the beautiful creature standing amongst them. Richard attempted to confront them, but the men beat him to it, hugging the creature at each side. Slowly, the creature dissolved and separated into the twins once again. They were unconscious but looked like they were merely in deep sleep.

"It's time to go home now kids," Richard said, his face smiling kindly. Kyros had passed him his own shirt to cover himself up before Richard approached Hedva to carry her out. Her heart beat was very weak but she was alive.

Together, they made it up to the rooftop.

There was just one more helicopter on standby; this one personally manned by Annabelle. She smiled when she saw Kyros and helped them carry the injured into the vehicle.

"Someone's here to see you," she said to Logan. His face changed completely and he clambered into the helicopter and came face to face with his father. Leon was smiling weakly but the emotions in his eyes spoke volumes. Logan held on to his father tightly and for a long time before pulling away.

"Let's go home."

***

1 year later

"Mira, Alex, Bella! Stop harassing your aunt and eat your breakfast!" said a shrieking, pregnant Anya. She was so big now that she could hardly run after her three pups anymore.

"Darlings... listen to your mummy..." came the gentle baritone voice of Richard from the corner sofa. It seemed that he alone could actually tame the little pups. The three immediately ran to the table and badgered their mother for various additions to their breakfast. Logan had warned her that growing pups would be ravenous but she never thought they'd be this insatiable.

It was the weekends so Anya had brought the children upstate to visit Richard. Otherwise they'd stay at the compound where the children had more room to play and learn with the other young Weres.

"Oh! Mummy, here comes Uncle Ky! And he's bringing sweets!" shrieked Alex. Being the only boy had its perks because everyone insanely dotes on him. Aurora looked up and could smell her Vampire driving up the forest path. Those little pups really have good sense of smell for their age, she thought.

"That, is my ride I guess," said Aurora with a laugh as the rumble of Kyros's engine died outside their porch.

"Hey everyone!" said the jovial man as he arrived at the doorstep, much to the pleasure of the children for they immediately jumped at him, ignoring their breakfast.

"What?" he said with his hands in the air.

"I told you not to bring them sweets did I? It's going to ruin their teeth!" said Anya although she didn't try to stop her children from sniffing out the various treats from Kyros's pockets.

"Just let them be, honey... They'll just keep growing a new tooth each time one drops out," said Logan with a laugh. Eventually he managed to pry each one of them off Kyros and handed them back to their mother.

"Alright everyone, Uncle Ky and Aunt Aurora have to go now. Say goodbye," instructed Anya to her children.

"Must you really leave?" the children asked in unison.

"Yes we have to honey... We're going on our honeymoon! But we'll bring back presents for you okay? I promise," said Aurora as she kissed her nieces and nephew on their cheeks and forehead.

Rushing over to hug her father, she kissed him on his cheek too. "I'll be back Daddy. I love you!"

When she approached Anya, her pregnant sister was too overwhelmed with tears to say anything.

"You're so sappy when you're pregnant," said Aurora with a laugh as she hugged her sister from the back since she's too big to hug from the front anymore.

After another round of goodbyes, the two of them got into the car and drove off to the airport where Kyros's personal jet waited for them.

"So Mrs. Russell, how does it feel knowing that you're going to be mine for eternity?" said Kyros as he led her into their private jet bedroom. Aurora was impressed at the sheer beauty of the room. It was beside the windows and was clearly large enough to accommodate both of them.

"I can't really tell you..." she said with a shy smile. "Maybe I'll show you." Her lips touched his gently as she placed her hands on his broad shoulders.

"Mmm... I'm not sure I'm liking what you're showing..." he said between kisses. "Maybe this will help." His fingers were gentle at the buttons of her blouse, opening them to his touch. He heard her sigh as his fingers skimmed the top of her breasts which were threatening to spill out from the half cup bra she was wearing. Kyros gave a growl when he saw the sexy flesh against the sheer lacy white bra she was wearing. Aurora smiled against his lips as she felt his hardness pressing against her belly, clearly aroused from seeing the sexy bra. He had seen nothing yet but he's got to find that out for himself.

Kyros seemed to be taking his time in making love to her at that moment, pushing off her shirt bit by bit as he licked off every inch of her skin that was revealed by doing so. At her impatience, he merely shushed and continued his sensuous kisses down her hand.

He was on his knees now and he looked up at her with lust clearly ablaze in his eyes. His hands tenderly pulled down the zip at the back of her skirt and watched the material slide down her toned legs; his heart skipped a beat as he saw what she was wearing underneath. There was an equally sheer lace open thong. He could see her pussy very clearly as only the mound had been covered by lace.

She heard him growl again and before she could say anything, he had latched his lips on her pussy lips, licking her tender folds, seeking out her sensitive bud.




The Hunters Ch. 08



"Honey... am I suppose to just stand here?" she said breathlessly, feeling her legs shaking as his tongue did incredible things to her pussy. Kyros didn't reply but continued to lick her, spreading her lips open with his fingers. Aurora felt her knees starting to give way as her orgasm was building to a close.

"Oh my god!" she screamed as hot jets of her cum sprayed deliciously on Kyros's face. He smiled but didn't give her a chance to sit. Instead he pushed his tongue into her pussy and licked all the cream that she had just squirted out, taking in her scent hungrily. Aurora was uncontrollable now. Her hand fisted on his hair as she ground her hips fiercely on his face, feeling the light stubble on his chin graze her skin.

Kyros kept his eyes on hers as she came once again; this time her legs gave way and she collapse on top of him.

"Aurora two, Ky zero. That doesn't seem like fair," she said in between breaths.

"Well baby, we've got a long flight... you better start matching that score."

Aurora pushed him gently such that he was lying on the floor. She used the tip of her tongue to gently trace his lips before suddenly turning around so that her pussy was directly above his face. Her hands busily worked on the buttons of his jeans to release the hardened cock straining inside. When she pushed it down to his hips, he kicked his jeans off his legs by himself.

"Tsk. So impatient... now play nice. Do not make me cum." Her lips on his cock cut off the words that he was about to say. He sucked in his breath and tried his best not to feast upon the deliciously wet pussy hanging above him. Instead, he focused on the way her lips covered his cock like a tight glove. But that proved counterproductive for he felt his cum rising fast. Trying to hold on a little longer, he decided to distract himself by playing with her pussy. He gave it a few licks before inserting one long finger inside it. She immediately tensed. He could tell she was trying not to cum too. A sly smile came across his face and he quickened his finger-fucking.

She must have took it up as a challenge for her lips once more engulfed his cock and she began working on him like never before. Her hands clamped at the base of his cock and stroked what she couldn't fit into her mouth. He could feel her mouth bobbing up and down his cock, using her sexy little mouth to fuck him. Just the thought of her doing that was enough to push him on the edge and a second later, he came; hot jets of white cream down her throat. She was such a sport; drinking up every drop.

When she finally rolled off him, her eyes were full of laughter.

"2:1" she mouthed. Kyros looked at her and a heated expression came over him. No way was he going to let her tie their score tonight. She was going to cum at least five times before he'd call it quits.

He sat up then got on top of her; his knees at the side of her hips and his hands supporting his body as he looked down at her. She still had on that damn bra. He sat up a bit and took off his own shirt, revealing well defined muscles and torso. For a moment, Aurora simply lay quiet, taking in the view in front of her. She found the hair on his body extremely sexy and was rather regretting that she was on the floor and unable to press her face to them. But her thoughts did not go unnoticed.

He pulled her body up so that their crotches were pressed against each other. He took in the scent now emanating from her whole body and cradled her close. Expertly he unclasped her bra with a single movement and felt the material falling slowly from her breasts. He eased it away from her arms before seeking her lips once more.

Their kiss was searing hot, each trying to out-kiss the other. His hands were on her breast now and hers on his chest. They were ravenous; seeking each other with a fevered passion that he had never felt before.

This was it... she was his to love, forever.

His hands moved down to her hips and he lifted her just a little before he slipped his cock into her slippery wetness. They both moaned at the contact and she clasped her arms around his neck as his hips moved up to thrust deeper into her. She was so tight and so hot that it drove him wild. He could feel his blood racing inside him, pulsing in his hard cock as it pounded inside her.

He got to his feet, with her wrapped around him and he carried her back on the bed. She was screaming now; his cock pressed deep inside her, touching every nerve ending in her pussy.

"Oh Ky!" she screamed his name as she felt the hot rush of her orgasm flooding down. Kyros didn't stop but continued thrusting his hips as he watched her recover from her orgasm. She looked so sexy when she came... so much so that he wanted her to come again.

He held her legs and pushed it up and leaned closer to her, pressing his lips on hers. Aurora was delirious now as his cock was impossibly buried to the hilt inside her pussy. His hips ground harder and harder, causing them both to grunt and moan with pleasure.

He was almost at the edge now. He could feel his cum rising and from the looks of it, so was his wife.

He pulled away from her lips and he turned to the crook between her neck and shoulders. Aurora closed her eyes, anticipating what was to come.

"I love you so much, Aurora..." she heard him whisper before she felt the slight prick on her skin. It was there for a moment then it was gone for Kyros was moving his hips again and she felt herself floating with ecstasy.

"Come for me my sweet one," whispered Kyros once again. Aurora felt his hot cum searing her insides as they mixed with her own explosive orgasm. She screamed and he plunged his fangs deeper into her now, drinking his fill. It felt exhilarating to finally taste her sweet blood, knowing that he was forever going to share a bond with her now that her blood was in hers.

Kyros didn't pull his cock out immediately but let them stay conjoined for another moment. The bite mark was slowly fading now and she held a weak smile. Kyros made a small cut on his wrist and placed it over her lips.

"Drink..." he ordered, feeling her own teeth sink into his flesh. The moment he felt his blood leaving him, he scented her- not just the usual scent of her sex but her real scent; the scent that she was a real living being.

Finally, he pulled out of her and rolled to her side, looking into her eyes staring at him.

"How does Hybrid blood taste like?" she joked.

"Horribly disgusting," he said with a laugh.

"So's Vampire blood," she replied with a broad smile on her face.

"So you say. What's the score now? Four to two was it?"

He was one short of his perfect five.