Immortal Souls (The Immortal Souls: Magic & Chaos)

Book 2 - Chapter 25

It took over three days for Lucy to get in contact with her. At least she assumed it was the 'her' the Witch had been referring to.

She made her way through an old Victorian house. All of the windows were completely blacked out with heavy burgundy curtains. Lucy stepped into the parlour with some hesitation, feeling anxious about the fact that she was about to meet with the leader.

Vampire Hunters didn't work the same as other Hunters. Hunters worked in small groups, usually families, each one headed by a matriarch who was in charge of organising assignments.

With Vampire Hunters, Lucy had always thought that there was no leader. Some people were raised into it, some people found their way to it and others were recruited to it by others.

It wasn't until recently that Lucy had discovered that all she thought about Vampire Hunters was a lie. And not only was there an overall ruler who manipulated the Hunters from behind the scenes, but that the woman who led them, was also a Vampire.

"Lucy," the Vampire spoke as Lucy stepped into the room, gazing up at her from her place on an overstuffed, faded red arm chair.

The woman was striking, not overly beautiful, but otherworldly in appearance. Her pale skin showing blue veins beneath, her dark brown eyes reflecting the flames of the candles that adorned the room. "Sit down," the woman said with a slow smile. "Make yourself comfortable."

Lucy hesitated, then slowly perched herself on the edge of the sofa closest to the door behind her.

The woman smiled, clearly amused by Lucy's discomfort. "My name is Bethany," she said. "I hear that you have a message for me."

"Apparently so," Lucy said quietly. She was still having a hard time getting over the fact that she was expected to sit there and have polite conversation with a Vampire.

"Come now," she said, with a smile that flashed sharpened canines. "I promise not to bite."

"This is bullshit," Lucy said. Bethany looked taken aback. "Who the fuck put you in charge? We're supposed to kill your kind, yet there you sit. Demanding answers from me as if you have a right to!"

Bethany's smile was slow and calculating. "Oh dear," she said. "And I had hoped we could do this the civilised way."

"My blood is poison to you leech!" Lucy said as she stood, glancing over her shoulder for just a second to calculate the distance from here to the door.

"Draining you . . . " Lucy jumped and whipped her head around, Bethany was standing right in front of her. So close that her coldness seeped into Lucy's skin, sending chills to her bones. "It's not the only way to kill you."

With a speed that Lucy couldn't match, Bethany reached her hand out and snatched the amulet from Lucy's neck. Stealing her only form of psychological protection. Barely a second later she could feel the Vampire's presence in her brain, pushing and probing at her memories. Violating the sanctity of her mind.

Lucy felt herself fall to the cushioned couch as Bethany laughed with glee. "You found him!" she declared. "I can't believe it, after two centuries, you finally found him! You genius child!"

"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked, putting a hand to her head which was swimming with the after-effects

"The heir to the throne," Bethany said as if the answer had been obvious. "Don't you realise how long I've been searching for him?"

"A long time?" Lucy sat up, regretting the action immediately after, her head was throbbing with the beginnings of a migraine.

"A very long time," Bethany said, sitting herself on the sofa too close to Lucy. "I'm a Vampire Hunter," she said. "I have been since I was thirteen . . . I also happen to be a Vampire. I want to kill the heir to the throne, kill the king, and then guess what?"

Lucy groaned. "What?"

"Then the Vampire throne belongs to Vampire Hunters. Then we know how to get to their dimension. And then . . . " Bethany let the sentence trail off, eyeing Lucy expectantly.

Lucy thought for a moment, her eyes growing wide as her mind came to a sudden realisation. "We can completely wipe them out."

"Exactly," she said with a smile. "You don't think I'm a Vampire for no reason, do you?"

Bethanyhanded the amulet back to Lucy. "Now," she said as she stood. "Show me whereyou found him."