Chapter 3: Chapter 3: The Hunt

Rose

“Would you look at that?” Victor says, whistling softly, his white skin glowing in the night air even if his brown eyes and long brown hair blend in. “He is a beaut.”

I lick my lips, tasting my red lipstick, as I watch the elk, his antlers some of the largest I’ve seen, glancing toward the mountain range to the west as if contemplating something.

Perhaps his demise?

The forest is dense, the dark green leaves of pine towering far above, a few burr trees, and other species I don’t recognize scattered throughout. My favorites are the aspens, though, the white bark screaming through the dark to be admired. I glance up at the sky and notice a dark cloud obscuring the edge of the crescent moon. I frown, sad that I can’t see any of the stars.

“Elk blood is a delicacy,” I reply, wiggling my brows as I smile at Victor, the soft rushing of a stream drowning out our whispers as we debate the animal’s fate. “The clan would be thrilled to have a fresh kill.”

“Then let’s get a move on!” Victor decides, pumping his fist as we stalk the animal, still unaware that we’re here. In the wild, the scent of death isn’t uncommon, so animals aren’t alerted by our presence the way they are for werewolves or other predators.

“Hold up,” I warn, taking a deep breath through my nose as my body tenses, my instincts picking up on a looming danger. “We’re close to the Black Opal Pack’s territory.”

Victor bites his lip, glancing at the elk longingly. “But we haven’t had a kill like this in months,” he whines, begging like a child for candy. “It’d be a great morale boost for the clan.”

“I wasn’t aware morale was low,” I tease, stepping closer to the animal, mindful of the territory line. “Was just saying to be careful, not that we couldn't continue.”

He beams as I tie my long blonde hair in a bun, not wanting it to catch on any of the branches. He follows my lead as we stalk the elk’s path to a stream where it bends down to drink, blissfully unaware that he’s being followed.

“Now?” Victor asks, his canines extending, his brown eyes turning red as his thirst consumes him, or maybe his competitive nature. But he won't get there before me; he must know that.

I smirk.

“Now!”

We use our super speed to charge after the animal, the wind tearing through my face as I give it all I've got, glancing to the right only momentarily to make sure Victor is behind me, and he is. I look ahead, glancing into the animal's wide, petrified eyes, feeling sorry for it for a moment. It stands frozen, hesitating as the wheels of his simple mind frantically turn through what to do to wiggle out of this terrible fate.

If there's one thing I know about life: Hesitation will get you killed. Just as this elk is about to learn far too late.

I leap onto its back, Victor only a few seconds behind.

It lets out a wailing cry as we tumble into the stream, and I quickly bite its neck, ending his life as I take a long, delicious sip of its silky blood. The texture is thick, the taste lean and flavored with some berries it must have eaten recently.

“Damn it!” Victor cries as he appears beside me, waving his arms to regain his balance so he doesn't tumble into the water. “Why do you always get the kill?”

I giggle, lifting my fangs from the carcass, careful not to drink too much so there’s enough left for the clan. “Because I’m much faster than you, Vic.”

We drag the beast out of the water easily, and I frown as I watch some of its blood trickle down the stream, flowing toward the Black Opal Pack.

Geneivie is not going to be happy if she notices that.

“What’s wrong?” Victor asks, noticing my expression as he lifts his fangs from the beast, having taken a few sips, blood trickling down his chin.

I point to the large red stain rushing through the water, already past the territory line.

He winces, wiping the blood from his chin and checking the ground to make sure there are no droplets of evidence.

“Too bad her parents aren’t still in charge,” I grunt, helping Victor hoist the beast onto our shoulders. “We better get out of here before she notices. Hopefully, she’ll think it was a rogue kill or something.”

“Unlikely,” he mutters as we take off, the wind chopping at my face as we sprint to the clan. I’m not running at full speed, mindful of matching Victor’s pace since we are both carrying the elk, even though I could easily carry it by myself. But I don’t want to emasculate him too badly.

We make our way back to clan grounds; the clouds finally parted to show off the beautiful galaxy of stars overhead. What a gorgeous night for a feast.

I let out a loud whistle, calling the nearby clan members. Our territory stretches far, so, unfortunately, not everyone will enjoy Victor and I’s kill. Not that they’ll be upset since vampires don’t generally share their loot, but Victor and I are feeling generous.

“My God!” Candice, our liaison for other clans in the area, gasps as her eyes widen. “I haven’t seen one of them come around these parts in years!”

“Seems they’ve forgotten they should be scared,” Victor jokes as more vampires enter, appearing suddenly, the only giveaway being rapid stomping and twigs snapping under their feet. If you look hard enough, you can catch their blurry trail just milliseconds before they appear, but only if you're paying attention.

It's a good thing vampires don't have a sensitive startle response, given super speed makes it very easy for us to sneak up on each other. And prey.

“Enjoy!” I announce as the few members who heard my invitation huddle around the animal. I smile, stepping away as they all dig their fangs into it, feeding in a frenzy.

“Not going to enjoy any of your kill?” Victor asks.

“I had a nice sip back at the stream,” I answer, even though it was small. Delectable, though. Elk has a very gamey taste, still lingering in my mouth, that the cow blood we purchase from human farms does not. It’s also vastly more nutritious.

“You just don’t want its scent on you in case Genevieve comes charging in,” he teases.

I shrug, nodding. “That too.”

“Not that she could do anything about it,” Victor scoffs, rolling his eyes. “You could pop her head off her spine just like that!” He exclaims as he makes a POP-ing sound with his lips, flicking his finger.

“Not unless I want every wolf pack in Lupania on my ass,” I retort. “A vampire killing a Luna because of a territory squabble would violate a law or two.”

“Not unless she deserved it for being a total bitch.”

I laugh, throwing my head back as we enter my house, and I hold the door open for him.

“Well, we’ll see what happens. Hopefully, she doesn’t notice.”

“For her sake,” Victor says with a smirk.

I roll my eyes but match his cockiness as I repeat, “For her sake.”

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I lift my head from my work, glancing at Victor, who sits across from me in our shared office space. We have a small building on clan territory dedicated to just the two of us when we don't want to be disturbed.

So why is someone disturbing us now?

“Who is it?” He asks quietly, furrowing his brows.

I shrug, ignoring the knocking, hoping they’ll go away. Maybe it's an overzealous clan member who will notice the big DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door and realize the mistake they've made. Only a few of our high-ranking vampires know about this office for the reason of not being bothered, but it's entirely possible someone unfamiliar with its purpose found it or heard of its location from someone else.

And who would be dumb enough to visit a vampire clan during the day? It’s not like we sleep, but they know most of us can’t go outside unless we're wearing a full-body cloak, which, from what I've heard, is super annoying.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Fuck,” I groan, standing, motioning for Victor to stand with me.

He steps to my side, and I grab his forearm, lifting it to my fangs, giving him a small dose of my venom, making him impervious to the sun for the next hour. Whoever is at the door sounds hostile, so I need him ready, just in case.

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

“Holy shit, I’m coming!”

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

I whip the door open, fuming as I stare down the people before me.

“Luna Genevieve,” I spit as I glance at the two prominent men beside her, their putrid wet-dog scent assaulting my nose. Male wolves smell so much worse than females, especially the sweaty beefcakes. “What’re you doing here?”

“You know what I’m doing here,” she replies, just as much dislike laced in her voice as mine, her thin lips in a scowl. “You didn’t think my guards would notice the blood-stained rocks in our stream?”

“What blood-stained rocks?” Victor asks, feigning ignorance.

“Oh, don’t play that game with me!” She snaps. “I can smell vampires all over it!”

I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. “Can you prove it was one of us?”

She clenches her fists, her eyes changing from bright green to orange, her wolf attempting to assert dominance over me.

“You can put Fido away,” I reply, brushing her off. “This doesn’t need to be a fight.”

“So you admit it was you!” She asks, pointing her finger accusingly.

“We didn’t go over your territory line, if that’s what you’re asking,” I reply, standing tall over her small five-foot-three frame. Doesn't she know I could snap her twig body in half? “But we did kill an animal upstream last night. I guess some of the blood may have flown over the line.” I cross an ‘X’ over my still heart. “Honest mistake!”

She scoffs. “Haven’t we talked at length about crossing the boundary?”

“Only that you have a stick the size of Mt. Everest up your ass about it!”

She gasps, her jaw dropping. “How dare you speak to a Luna that way!”

“How dare you speak to a clan leader the way you have!” Victor jumps in, stepping toward Genevieve, but the two meatheads beside her quickly approach him.

I push my arm out across his chest, holding him back.

“What do you want, Genevive?” I ask. “Did you come here to give me a lecture? Because I think we can skip that, I understand your point, and it won't happen again.”

“No,” she answers, shaking her head defiantly. “I came here to take you to my pack grounds for interrogation.”

“You have no right!” Victor retorts. “You have no jurisdiction! You have no right to arrest a vampire without a warrant granted by the tribunal!”

He's right. Per the Chicago Accords, inter-species conflict that requires sanctioning or arrest must go to the region's tribunal of four judges, one of each species, that will decide if a warrant is necessary and an arrest can be made. The only way this does not apply is if, for example, a vampire were to murder a wolf on wolf territory and was caught in the act, they could be arrested without permission. But, they do need permission from the tribunal within 72 hours if they want to hold them for trial.

In this case, I never actually trespassed, and even if I did, the tribunal would never allow me to be arrested for such a petty crime. They'd allow a trial and the potential for a fine but nothing more. Wolves usually don't care this much about a nearby clan stepping on their territory, our other neighbors sure don't. It's commonplace for vampires and wolves to get turned around or lose track of scent markings, so nobody cares much if someone only stepped a couple of feet in.

Except for Genevieve, it seems.

“I never said I was arresting her,” Genevie answers, her voice awfully sweet now. “I only have some questions that need answers.”

“Then you can ask them here!” Victor shouts.

“Calm down,” I sigh, raising my hand slightly for him to stand down. “It’s okay. I’ll go with her.”

“What?” Victor gasps as I step into the sun, turning to Genevieve.

“We don’t want any trouble with your pack, and it seems we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot. I’ll be as cooperative as you want as long as you treat me respectfully, so we can hopefully put this whole thing behind us and move forward,” I reply diplomatically. “That being said, if you so much as try to put me in a dungeon or a prison, I will break out and make sure to tell the tribunal all about how you unlawfully imprisoned me.”

“Of course,” she says with a wide smile. “We’ll give you the nicest accommodations, fit for an esteemed clan leader such as yourself.” She pauses, pursing her lips. “You don’t mind windows, do you?”

I roll my eyes. “I’m a daylighter, which you already know.”

“Ahh, yes,” she replies, nodding. “Perfect, then. Follow me, and we’ll escort you onto my territory. No need to trespass this time.”

Victor reaches for my bicep, grabbing it aggressively as he pulls me back toward the doorway.

He whispers in my ear, “I don’t like this.”

“I don’t either,” I answer quietly as Genevieve eyes us. “But we need to mend our relationship with Black Opal any way we can, and Genevive wouldn’t be so bold as to strike me down while I’m on her territory. She’s not stupid.”

“What do you care if we have good relations with them? She’s insane!” He protests.

“We at least have to try,” I argue. “Besides, it’ll be good for us if I can get some insider information on how their pack operates under her leadership. Maybe it’ll help us later on if relations continue to sour?”

He speaks again, just below a whisper, so none of the wolves can hear us. “You want to spy on them?”

I pull away, smiling, and say loudly, “Yes, I appreciate your worry, Victor. But I trust Genevive will be a good host. I’ll be back by sundown tomorrow.”

I glance at Genevive to make sure she heard the last part, and she smiles through gritted teeth and impatiently replies, “Yes, of course. Are we done here?”

“Yes,” I answer, following her lead, sneaking one last glance over my shoulder at Victor, who watches me like a hawk, his eyes telling me to be careful.

I mouth back, I will.