Blood Wars

Chapter 1

Docile code of conduct:

Our objective as a species is to evolve from the mindless indulgent ways of our ancestors. We vow to put our intelligence before our desire and to use our charisma for the greater good. Moving forward, we will establish an era of peace with the humans, using our unique gifts to advance society and create a thriving and highly civilized union. The word "vampire" will no longer signify fear and brutality.

*****

Brittle branches rake against my arms as I run. Sharp enough to pierce human skin, but not enough to create a scratch on me. My legs itch to run faster, but if I keep this pace, I will catch him in a matter of seconds. And where's the fun in that? I take a calming but unnecessary breath and slow my strides. Dorian gains up on me.

"Slowing down?" I grin at the rasp in his laugh. "Do you always need to turn it into a game?"

"Soon I'll be confined to four walls. Let me have my fun."

"More like 90 walls."

"Like I'd ever step out of my room."

I fade out the sound of his heavy footsteps and search for the ones in front of me. Lighter, and much slower. He zig zags through the trees as if this would give him an advantage, As if I couldn't navigate through it with my eyes closed. In fact...

Dorian's laugh grows louder. "Damn Kara."

With my sight out of the equation, I focus every bit of attention to those clumsy footsteps. I feel the energy of the forest and dodge obstacles without effort. And too soon, he is only a few feet in front of me. Panic consumes his expressions and he loses his footing on a protruding branch. Before he regains his posture, I am at his side. I stare at him wordlessly daring him to look into my eyes. I can feel him trying to rip his gaze from my eyes. But he cannot.

"What do you want?" His voice cracks, already knowing the answer. He is lost in the red of my eyes.

"You're a-" He stutters. "But I thought..."

"You thought what?" Dorian appears at his other side.

Before our victim can answer, Dorian is already biting into the veins in his wrist. I don't try to hide my annoyance.

"I reached him first." I growl.

Dorian removes his fangs from the human's flesh. "We both know you can't bite him."

In one movement, I step between Dorian and the human and lift my hand up to his neck. I caress his soft skin with my fingertips before angling them to the side and slashing through the length of his neck. The next breath he gasps out us his last. I place my lips at the gash I created and drink his warm, thick blood. Dorian moves back to his wrist and reinserts his fangs. As the blood enters my system, I feel myself growing stronger. Energy surges through me and heightens every one of my senses.

When we've drained him, Doran takes two steps and eliminated the space between us. His lips find my neck and I let my fingers get tangled in the waves of his midnight hair. I push him against a nearby tree and kiss him as his hands grip my hips.

"Celebrating without us?" A melodic voice fills the air. I look up to where my best friend Taryn and her mate Crux are standing. Eyes glistening and lips blood stained.

"I take it you finished off his friend?" I ask them.

"An easy catch, but his blood was delicious." Crux answers as he swipes the wild strands of blonde hair from his eyes. They begin to close in on us.