The Hunter's Vampire {Re-writing}

76. Clashing Difficulties

Brunch went on as a quiet affair. Cutlery, glasses, and plates clinked and clanked. Adam hummed around the food as he ate, enjoying the savory taste that overloaded his mouth. He glanced over at Lex to find him twirling the dark liquid in a wine glass-knowing it was blood. The Vampire looked deep in thought. He wondered what could be plaguing his mind. "Love, are you alright?" Adam asked.

Lexander glanced over to his partner and held his gaze, trying to find words that could explain his thoughts. "I'm thinking, how are your fellow Hunters fairing? These Wolves seem merciless even with their own rogues, so what would that mean for them? They've even terrorized the town and come to your peers. Do you think they'll try to take out the Hunters first? They are skilled at killing them. The Hunters would be the most troublesome obstacle to whatever plans they've configured."

Adam's chest tightened at the fact that Lex had been thinking about the men, women, and others who worked with him. "Darlene is in charge. But, I am worried about them. We've found a means to contact her and warn her if they haven't found out about this threat already. Thank you, Lexander." He smiled tenderly.

"Thanks? I was simply concerned for your people." Lexander said.

"Exactly." Adam leaned in and kissed his cheek, pleased knowing that Lex as a Vampire who was hunted and tortured by Hunters could show sympathy and worry over those very people now. He was truly something else.

Vidaldus spoke after patting his mouth clean. "Kalson sent a message out to her via bird. She'd have gotten it by now and knows what to do. I'll send another to warn her and the Hunter's."

"Urgh," Bix grumbled, "why are we helping Hunters, now? These three are more than enough."

Gaxin looked at his partner, and then at Madame, and sighed. "Yes, it seems almost backward of us to help them. But for all of our sakes, let us hope that they are not like their forefathers... the ones before them hunted all our kinds, for millennia. I'm still uncertain about trusting the Hunter's that sit among us, but with the way they've fought alongside us and showed great concern and care... we can only do so much as trust them enough to be allies rather than foe." He looked up and found the eyes of each man that he spoke of, then sat back in the chair. "If they are not harboring ill intentions, then we shall help their brothers and sisters in arms... I simply pray that they do not make us regret our choice to help, like so many have."

Vidaldus worried his lower lip as he listened to Gaxin speak, knowing that he was expressing himself on his behalf, and the fact that Hunters were responsible for burning his mother after she helped heal ailments of the townspeople which led to her untimely death. "I agree with him. We help them until they give us a reason not to. And pray they do not." Kalson looked his way, and he sighed and met the questioning eyes of his lover. He cupped his cheek. "My love, it is not in spite, but in self-preservation. My mother's life was stolen from me, and Wicker is evident of that. I can not blindly commit to your Hunters and ignore my own kind." Kal nodded.

Kalson swore softly but understood. Vida had not had it easy, and trusting Hunters after what they did to his mother was onerous. Being his partner was a gamble at first. Their first year of dating had been weighted with the worry of being hunted like a savage and killed. He even shared how his younger brother was taken from their home when they were young... that brother sat across from them alive but damaged. He couldn't not understand where Vida was coming from. "Yes, my love. I understand."

"Do you?" Lexander asked. Kal looked his way and shook his head. "Right, because you're human. You've never had to be hunted simply because you are different. You did not have to suffer torture nor be victim to ruthless abuse at the hands of Hunter and their patrons... but I did. I was only a fledgling when I was snatched and indecently assaulted by my captors. I was taken from my home, my family, my kind! Tortured for years, used for disgusting humans as a means of release for so long that I nearly lost myself. Salvation only came when I dreamt of my family and of my brother, who I last cried out for when I was taken. Being with a Hunter for both me and Vida is not an easy feat, but we've trust that you men wouldn't discard us once you know our stance on protecting and preserving our species. So yes, I'm in agreement with Gaxin. I will be on my peoples side always. Unapologetically."