Chaser (2nd Book of the Supernatural Hunters)

No Longer in the Dark

*AN: Hey guys! I'd like to quickly apologize for dropping off the face of the planet for this book. I haven't had much inspiration to write and I finally sat myself down in front of the computer and forced myself to focus on this and WALLAH! It has worked, a new chapter is up and ready to be read!

CHANGE IN MY UPDATING SCHEDULE: I have decided rather than putting up a deadline for myself, I will only say the chapters will come up as soon as I can write them. School is sure to be a pain in my rear this year (ACTs, possibly SATs, AP classes, all that fun stuff) and I don't want to promise y'all something, but then let you guys down. I'm sorry, but this is the way it must be.*

*Warning! Swearing!*

Groggily opening my eyes, I don't bother holding back an exhausted groan. It feels like I've been asleep for ages, yet I still feel tired. Glancing to the side, I sneakily scrutinize Ryker, noticing the way his muscles ripple as he grips the wheel, the way his jaw clenches as he worriedly stares out across the road. Slowly, I follow his gaze and realize we're literally out in the middle of nowhere. Sand surrounds us on either side and a thin road that's extremely beat up runs across the desert, allowing us to pass through. Just where are we?

Cautiously looking at him once more, I crack my lips open to spew questions, but Ryker is quick to cut me off. "You just woke up and you're already going to interrogate me?"

Scoffing at him, I roll my eyes. "Oh, shut up. You weren't answering my questions before claiming that, and I quote, you wanted to make sure I was safe. Well, by the looks of where we are, I think I'm safe enough."

He deeply sighs and shuts his eyes for a millisecond before snapping them open and focusing on the road once more. "You're right, I did say I'd explain everything."

"Wait, hold up!" I interrupt before he can go on. "What do you mean by 'everything'? What more could there possibly be!?"

At this point, I'm becoming hysterical. Not only am I going to surely die by the next full moon and have a werewolf hunting me down, but now he's saying there's more! Does some cult have their sights set on me? Is there a lovesick werewolf now after me as well? 

"It's not what you think, it has nothing to do with you particularly."

That's a relief, one less thing to worry about. I guess.

"First, let me explain the basics."

He glances at me and I nod for him to continue.

"Werewolves aren't the only supernaturals that exist. There's vampires, witches, lycans, shapeshifters, the list could go on and on."

"Lycans? Aren't they technically werewolves?" I question, eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"Not exactly. There's differences between the two, although I myself admit it isn't much. It'll make more sense if I describe werewolves to you."

I tilt my head, interested in what he has to say. "Go on then."

"When werewolves hunt down prey, in this case, the prey being humans, and kill them, they steal their life force as well. Thus, they obtain a longer life span than a normal human being. However, it's very difficult to capture someone's entire soul, so they generally receive bits and pieces, resulting in an extra year or two. The oldest known werewolf lived to about 178 years after killing at least 50 or so humans. Fortunately, not all werewolves choose to live a life of murder and deceit. In fact, most go about their lives as if they're humans themselves. The only difference being that every full moon, they will transform. In transformation, werewolves may control themselves, opposite of what most legends say, besides when they may return to their regular forms."