Hunters

Chapter 1

"It's not fair," Rachel mumbled, as she aimed her crossbow over the tower railing. An orange curl fell on her forehead and she tucked it behind her ear with a trembling hand. Shaking was a no-no while hunting, but, damn it, she was angry! "We're not the bad guys!" 

Daniel's broad shoulders shook as he chuckled. He lifted his crossbow higher, scrutinizing the statues on the Carol Bridge. Mist snuck through the tall sculptures, making them look like real people on the verge of putting themselves out of their misery. Behind him, St. Vitus Cathedral throned over the dark horizon of Prague.
 
"We're not exactly paper angels either. We do kill. And that pretty much cancels out other aspects."

Rachel cursed under her breath. "That doesn't make us bad people." Could they even call themselves people?

"I know, Rach." Daniel lowered the weapon. His dark-blue eyes glinted in the moonlight. "Chris knows that, too. Just give him some time to get used to the idea."

"It's been over three months," Rachel muttered. "If he makes one more smartass remark or hints that I'm going to kill him, I'll...I'll..." She punched the railing. Stone chips flew in all directions, and her crossbow slipped onto her lap.

Honestly, her boyfriend could be thick. So what if she wasn't perfectly normal? What if she killed for a living? She was a Hunter, and the world could do with less vampires. They spawned like toadstools after a rain, anyway. Who was Chris to make her feel like a criminal?

"You'll what? Strengthen his opinion of us? He's still with you, isn't he?" Daniel shrugged. "If he was a chicken, he would've run screaming by now." He climbed higher on the tower's roof. Tiles rattled under his quick steps. "Chris is a good guy. He'll come round."

Rachel sighed and squinted at the statues lining the bridge, wishing their target would show up, but she couldn't sense any paranormal presence except for Daniel's already distinctive vibe. They'd worked together ever since she became a Hunter. It was Daniel who'd saved her from a vampire attack and turned her into what she was now. Not completely human, but not a vampire either. 

She shuddered. The sicko vampire who attacked her wouldn't have killed her, but made her his bride. A foul, disgusting, brainless, blood-sucking menace. She crinkled her nose.

Daniel hummed next to her, his crossbow moving from left to right as though to intercept an invisible target. In the seven years they'd worked together, Rachel couldn't help but admire his capacity to be light-hearted while stalking. She hated the long waits. 

"How are you and Cheryl?" she asked to pass the time.

"Great, actually." Daniel rubbed his ring finger with his thumb.

The breath Rachel took went down the wrong way. She coughed and spluttered, hitting her chest with a fist. "You proposed?"

"Yup. This evening. I was expecting a flicker of doubt from her, but nothing." He lowered the crossbow and turned to face Rachel. "Honestly, sometimes I think that girl isn't right in the head. Who would marry a half-vampire without blinking?"

Rachel cringed. "Don't say that. I hate to think we're part monsters."

Daniel laughed. "You don't mind being part monster when you abuse your powers."

"Humph. I don't abuse!"

She turned her back on him. The truth was, she did. But she had to. She barely managed zooming in on what she saw and her psychic link was nonexistent. She did have the speed, strength and ability to jump high, but couldn't keep up with Daniel unless she pushed herself to the limit. And it wasn't fair, he was just three years older than her in Hunter years - one in human years. If he threw himself off the tower, he wouldn't even wince. She'd probably break her neck.