I flattened myself to the brick wall of the alley, my breathing hasty but silent. It made small white puffs in the cold November air that I had to suck in to avoid detection. Not that it would be so easy to find me; I was made for camouflage. My body was slim and muscled, my head just grazing five foot six. I only wore black to blend in, not that I was a very colorful person in the first place. A black shemagh covered my pale hair and visage, only my haunting eyes visible. Believe me, that was enough to spook my prey.
I already had my weapons in hand. Actually, on my hands. Two specially made gauntlets made of pure silver formed into skeletal gloves. They attached to my small pixie-like hands with a metal grip for my fingers to clench. Protruding from between each finger space on the gauntlets was a pure silver, vervain-drenched claw. I had two small hatchets for throwing in holsters on my back. My wooden cane sword was back in my latest hotel room, under my latest fake ID, just like my matching police batons; I alternated between weapons sets on a daily basis.
My left foot quickly crossed over my right, heels pressed to the brick as I peeked around the corner. Three pale-faced vampires were conversing over four unconscious bodies, all female. Why did those vermin always seem to target the "weaker" sex? Only one of the creatures was female, an attractive porcelain blond. The men were both elegant, one with dark hair and one with a tousled brown mane. The brunette was slightly wolfish, his back to the wall and face open to my examination while the other male had his leather back to me and Blondie on the left with a half-profile that caught the dull streetlight.
The victims were all unique; one a Norse blond, one Latina, one ginger, and one African American. They couldn't be more than fifteen, just a year younger than me. Probably runaways by the look of their ragged T-shirts and torn jeans. The PVC on their shoes was peeling, their hair greasy. I kept my face close enough to eavesdrop but not out enough for the vermin to spot me if they suddenly decided to pay attention The female was going over objectives in a matter-of-fact, slightly ringing voice.
"So that's six for today; three from each of us. I believe we have enough for today's catch, do we Your Majesty?" They spoke of the humans like they were grocery shopping; in their twisted way, they were.
"Yes, my uncle should be pleased." The black-haired vampire spoke to her, his voice making me freeze. It was a rippling wave of coolness that spread over my skin, goosebumps rising under my leather jacket. Was he a king in this world, true royalty? In that case, he was going to die slowly for not only partaking in, but condoning these horrors to be unleashed on humans.
The woman smiled pleasantly and rubbed her hands together. "Oak and I shall take them to the docks then. When will you be back to the kingdom, my lord?"
"Soon. I have business before I can return." The darkness in his voice was pure and true, but felt like a facade. I blinked and shook the thought out of me. Was I getting soft? Scoffing at the idea, I steeled myself. My mind was fully shielded from their Power already, my body toughened and tightened to kill. Time for the chess game to begin. As always, white goes first.
I slid out to the center of the alley and charged, jumping over the prince and attacking Oak. I raked my claws down his chest, ripping the T-shirt he wore. Black blood mingled with the silver traces, steaming off of them as he screamed inhumanly. It takes time to grow used to it. My feet were still on either side of his hips, holding me up. I just brushed my right hand across his white throat; that's all it felt like to me. A mere caress... that decapitated the bloodsucker on the spot.
The woman and other man went on the defensive, the man remaining in shadow. To save his chalky royal ass, I bet. I jumped and turned in midair to the female as Oak's body fell. Retracting the claws by pressing a button, I shook the axes from my back and threw one at her as I landed hard on my feet. The tips were pure silver with the vervain as a precaution; you never knew if a vamp suddenly developed an immunity. It stuck in the brick beside her, chopping off a lock of her golden hair. Two katana swords materialized in her hands and she ran at me with a face full of rage. I parried one sword away and kicked her stomach, twirling around with a grunt as she sliced through my left jacket sleeve. It almost caught my neck. I ignored the stinging and swung my right hatchet at her. She backed up and swerved her head to prevent the blade from nicking her.
