Outcast (Book 1 in the Blood Trilogy)

Prologue

A tree has many limbs

And from these limbs grow branches

And on these branches grow leaves

So in this way, everything is connected

But what if a leaf fell away from the tree

And instead of dying off, it became stronger

What if it became stronger than the tree it once came from?

Would it still be a leaf, or something more?

Prologue

As the sun began to rise over the roofs of London, Edmund Howler ran for his life. He curved and snaked his way through the winding streets, trying desperately to outrun his prey, which was now the hunter in this twisted chase. His heart beating within his chest, Edmund bolted into an alleyway and quickly hid in an alcove. Trying to catch his panting breath and slow his drumming heart, Edmund took a moment to collect his thoughts. He had hunted creatures similar to this horror, but this was different. It was stronger, faster and acted differently to his kin. Edmund heard a roar from the entry to the alley. Rest time was over, and he sprinted from the alcove and continued down the street, his way blocked off by two high walls on either side. Suddenly his hopes grew as he saw in front of him the most beautiful sight. He ran into a small courtyard of old stone, with overhanging roofs and old Greek style columns in the corners. But what he was relieved to see was the huge splash of sunlight as it climbed over the roof of the building beside the courtyard. Edmund sighed with relief and he bent over, resting his hands on his knees, recovering his breath and energy. Edmund heard a grunt and turned to see the creature standing in the archway of the alley, staying just out of the sunlight. His bright, glowing blue eyes were locked on Edmunds. Edmund laughed dryly and wagged his finger at the beast "Can't get me now monster, you weren't fast enough" he said, goading his chaser. The creature simply huffed and began to pace back and forth, keeping constant eye contact. "The same could be said for you hunter. I've killed worthier foes than you" he said, and Edmund laughed some more. "That may be true, but I'll be the first to escape your chase" he said, turning around to look at the courtyard. "Your escape options look very slim hunter" the creature said. Edmund knew this, the gutters were too high to grab hold of and the columns too smooth to climb, but he wasn't going to give this beast the satisfaction. "No worries monster, I have all day to escape you" he said, giving him a mocking smile. The creature broke his gaze and looked at the ground. Edmund thought he had won, but then the creature's lips curved up in a smile, showing a mouth full of glaring white fangs, and his eyes returned to stare at his. "Well then, we'd better not waste any more time then" he said, and Edmund stared in horror as the vampire stepped out into the sun lit courtyard and advanced on him.

The next morning, a horrible smell of carnage would bring police to the mutilated body of Edmund Howler. The newspapers would report the incident as a vicious animal attack due to the amount of mutilation. Alex Fortune would not be reading about his latest victim however, he boarded a plane shortly after killing him, taking him to his new home.