Affinity

Chapter 14: Vampire Hunters

Do you need a recap? 🧛‍♀️

Anastasia is fighting her bloodlust in order to spend as much time with her human friends as possible. It isn't easy considering she has to spend so much time with AJ between play rehearsals and student council duties. After having a rather sexual and graphic dream about AJ, she is on edge at their school's dance. She stepped out to get some air with Pam only to be attacked by some kind of crazed vampire. Fortunately for her, she is rescued by AJ.
Unfortunately for her, he just killed a vampire. 😬 awkward.

Run away

I've got to get away

From the pain you drive into the heart of me

The love we shared

Seems to go nowhere

And I've lost my light

For I toss and turn, I can't sleep at night

AJ turned down the radio that blasted out of his black Toyota Camry when the girls first piled into the backseat. Now the 80's song was the only sound to be heard as he drove them towards an unknown destination.

Nastia sat beside Pam in stunned silence, his jacket hung over her shoulders covering the blood-stained dress. Her arms still burned from the creature's assault. Pam's eyes held a million questions she couldn't ask in front of AJ, but Nastia couldn't deal with her friend's questions when she had so many of her own. AJ's emerald eyes kept looking at the blonde through the rearview mirror, igniting that helpless feeling. Coupled with his scent on his jacket, it was almost too much to bear. She felt Pam squeeze her hand and she leaned into the red head's shoulder, counting her breathing and tuning it all out to keep what was left of a spider-webbed sanity. She had the odd sensation of being exhausted yet restless at the same time.

Fifteen minutes earlier

"Nastia? Anastasia! I need you to focus. Did it bite you?" AJ asked.

"N-no," she said finally finding her voice and she spoke her thought out loud unfiltered. "What the hell is happening?"

"Carajo, its claws got you good." His eyes softened then he looked up past her shoulder where Pam stood shaking. "Both of you, come with me."

"But what about that thing?" Pam asked.

He grabbed onto the hilt of his dagger that still stuck out of the vampire and bowing his head, he said under his breath," ...pulvis et cinis pulvis et cinis, beati in Deo."

AJ suddenly speaking in Latin wasn't even the craziest thing. There was a ringing in the air and he plucked the dagger out. As soon as the blade deserted the flesh, the carcass began sinking inward until it crumbled completely into dust.

"Nastia? Are you okay?" Pam whispered to her breaking the silence in the car. "What was that?"

Anastasia simply held a finger to her lips effectively shushing her friend. Best to claim ignorance in front of a hunter. And that is what AJ Reed had to be judging by his near flawless execution and Latin prayer. Question was how much did he know? No, how much did they know? He had to have someone training him.

Anastasia recalled what she had been taught about the hunters. They were an order hidden from the human world just as much as she was, and their purpose was the complete annihilation of her kind. In this past century, that threat of genocide became nonexistent. The hunters and their organization were reduced to nothing, their light snuffed out by the vampire king himself. But if the ancient art of vampire slaying was still being taught, it would appear those fading embers were not stomped on hard enough.