I used his now still chest to push myself up on steady hands, puffing a loose hair out of my face I considered the head, barely attached to the side of the vampire's shoulders. Then I retrieved the short sword at my back, while I swung the sword in...
As I snuck my way around the desolate cabin where the vampire, Robert, held a seven-year-old girl my heart pulsed harshly in my chest. Although I had been hunting vampires and other supernatural nasties for the past five years, my body always ramped up during a hunt. Adrenaline surged through my body as I felt Robert's power signature.
Through some quirk of nature since I hit puberty I have been able to sense the power signatures that all supernatural beings give off. While being right next to them I can tell the most about their specific power. They also leave a trail of that power which makes me uniquely qualified to track them. Which is how I ended up tracking Robert's signature all throughout a godforsaken forest. So when my heart rate slowed down as I made my way through the trees at a crouch, I should have questioned the change. When my accelerated breathing evened out before I was going to step into the clearing, I should have been ready.
"So what's your plan?" the disembodied voice spoke somewhere from behind me. The strong power signature, that I had not felt moments before, was most definitely not Robert's.
Even though this new vampire had gotten the drop on me I was proud to say that my knives, kept in wrist sheaths, were in my hands before he was done speaking. Relying on the sound of his voice for a target, I threw before my eyes could make out a shape in the low light of dusk. The dull report of my first knife landing in a tree reached my ears before the wet thunk of my second knife signaled that it had found purchase in flesh. I felt a satisfied smirk stretch my lips as I maneuvered myself slightly behind the tree I had been stooped next to.
To my intruder's credit, he didn't make a sound as he plucked the projectile out. My fist clenched and released at my sides next to my sixteen inch Bu Chae, Korean fighting fans, that were holstered to my thighs. It was inconceivable that he was able to sneak up on me, my anger helped push through the veil of calm that coated me.
"Fucking vampire tricks," I growled under my breath. His power pressed tightly against me, feeling like a warm blanket on a cold morning as it tried to placate me. Fortunately, my rage was keeping me toasty while also helping me resist his influence.
I could follow the sensation of his power back to a barely visible silhouette several yards away. Stretching my hands out towards my boots, I resisted the urge to throw more knives at him. Now that I knew where he was, I could make out the corners of his mouth tilted up in an amused smirk. Sticking out my jaw I reached for the knives anyways.
"I was just curious, no need to escalate to violence," with every word his soothing power flowed over the angry shell I had locked myself in.
"So you were just curious what might be in these isolated woods tonight?" I was hoping the sarcasm wasn't lost on him.
"Such a hostile thing," he said quietly, not expecting me to hear. "No, my question spoke of my curiosity. Hence why I asked about your plan. I have my reasons for being here, as I'm sure you do." His tone spoke of calm confidence and his power confirmed he was significantly more powerful than Robert.
That was another thing I could tell when reading a supernatural's power signature, just how powerful they were. But it was kind of an apples to oranges comparison. For instance, I could tell if one vampire was more powerful than another vampire but I wouldn't be able to say if a shifter was more powerful than a vampire. I didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about it, although it seemed that age, something else I could discern, didn't always mean powerful. Although, a powerful signature almost always meant they played a significant role in that particular species' hierarchy. So judging by how hard I was having to resist this mystery vamp's attempt to turn me into his docile pet he was quite high up in the food chain, so to speak. Not good.
"Well, finders keepers. I've been tracking this vamp for most of the day, him and everything in that cabin is mine." I said as I shifted my weight to get a better view of him, he wasn't acting like he wanted an altercation but I'd be stupid to turn my back on him.
"Then maybe I'll just stay and watch," there was humor in his voice.
"Surely you can see that having you sulking in the woods while I'm distracted is not going to work for me," I responded.
"I don't see that you have much of a choice. If you choose to fight me it might alert your target and he could take off with the girl," he stated matter-of-factly.
Damn, he knew about Isabelle.
"Fine," I ground out resentfully. "But you stay no less than fifteen yards behind me at all times. You come any closer I will kill you, damn the consequences. We clear?"
The only answer I received was a nod as he stepped out from the trees shadows. I saw pale grey-green eyes smiling at me as he faded into the darkness, never once turning his back on me.
"Smart vamp," I mumbled. I didn't turn my back until I felt him about fifteen yards behind me. I wasn't happy at all with the circumstances I was having to work under since I had to keep a fraction of my attention at the vampire to my back. But the vamp was right, it didn't look like I had much choice. Taking a deep breath I smelt clean mountain air and moist foliage. The static in the air heralded a quick approaching thunderstorm. The calming smells eased my anxiety, and I once again focused on the clearing before me.
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