Lovesick - Legacies (The Hunter Book 3)

Chapter 55 - 'Evil? Been There, Done That.'

Wolfgang was alone. He was trapped alone in the darkness. There were others there, hidden in the shadows. Watching him, waiting.

"His grandness is known to us." A voice called out. It was a croaking monotone, "He was born in blood, in darkness. From there he will lead us into the light."

As though on cue, a single shaft of moonlight cut through the dark. It illuminated his face, showing his pale features in their true glory.

Dark veins weaved across his face. It started under his eyes and stretched out to his strongly defined jaw. His eyes themselves were the cour of blood, the sclera tainted black. His lips were peeled back as he hissed at the light, displaying his six fangs to the world.

"He is here." The voice cried out again. Except it was no longer a sole person. It was hundreds of people, crying out to him. Calling for absolution.

"The butcher." They praised. The voices were disjointed and echoing as they continued, "The ripper. The promised one."

Wolfgang shied away from the voices, retreating into the light. Hands reached out from the darkness, trying to grab him as they all called out in unison.

"The Destroyer is come. Our saviour has arrived. All hail the Nachtstern."

The vampire was breathing heavily as his eyes opened, his tall frame shooting up in the bed. His undead heart was beating rapidly, his breaths shallow as he fought to calm himself. He was engulfed in the darkness of his room and it was comforting. Here, in the home of his species, Wolfgang was the master.

The Nachtstern closed his eyes for a moment. He drew in a single breath, as deeply as he could and held it for a moment. Then, slowly, he released it. As he repeated the action, Wolfgang could feel his heart slow down.

Wolfgang lay back down, making sure that his breathing was calm and even. He attuned his hearing to the rest of the room, listening carefully to the heartbeat of the person beside him.

Hope's heart was beating steadily, reminding him that she was there - an unchanging constant in the hectic nature of his life. He had all of eternity to listen to her heartbeat. Wolfgang had heard it in all of its variations. He'd heard her heart beat in fear, in anger and in pleasure.

And yet, it had never once stopped beating.

The Nachtstern vampire closed his eyes, matching his breathing to the beat of her heart. Constant, steady, unchanging.

The monsters who waited for him in the dark were far gone now, damned to the pits of hell. He was safe. And if he wasn't, Wolfgang was dating the most powerful supernatural in existence.

**********

Wolfgang smoothed over the collar of his dark blue suit jacket, ensuring that the shape moulded to the contours of the chair he was about to sit in. Pristine neatness was, after all, a hallmark of the Nachtstern's presence.

Wolfgang pulled the chair back, sitting behind the desk as he rolled up the sleeves of his grey shirt. He interlaced his fingers, his hazel eyes glancing up at the clock above the door.

The door itself opened, Wolfgang's gaze turning to the person stepping through. He had dark hair and dark eyes, his skin a lighter brown. Wolfgang inhaled slightly, not deep enough to make a sound but just deep enough to draw in the scent.

"I'm not taking appointments today." Wolfgang said to the werewolf. His features were hidden behind the emotionless mask he had perfected over the centuries. His eyes also betrayed nothing.