Protector

"Look Mary isn't bad, she was my friend. What these people did to her was sick and she didn't deserve it. I think maybe if I can talk to her I can help you. She doesn't need to suffer any more."

"Moron," her accent began to thicken as the anger got harder to control. "She isn't your friend any more, she is nothing of what she used to be. She gave that up when she accepted her dark powers and I do not have the time or the patience to save your sorry ass as well as the children." She leant forward and he recoiled as her eyes flashed dangerously. "Now do yourself a favour and go to bed, that's where you'll be the most use to me."

She slammed the door and locked it, sitting on the bed she rested her head in her hands and tried to calm her breathing. Thoughts of Dalton filled her mind and she spent the night aimlessly wandering round the room. Finally the sun came through the window and she placed two guns into the holsters at her ribs, two knives on her thighs and her axe at her hip. Walking downstairs she came face to face with a crowd of people.

"How do we know you can trust you? She's a witch, what can you do? How can you beat her?" A woman stepped forward and jabbed her in the chest, she looked down and raised an eyebrow before looking back into her dark eyes. Tilting her head to the side she watched the woman's face turn frightened as her hand was forced backwards away from Daida.

"You can trust me because I gave my word I would bring those children back and as for how I can beat her." She tossed her head and the woman was thrown to the side as though caught in a gale. "I can beat a Witch because I am a Witch and no before you ask I am not the friendly kind, now if you want my help I am the only way to get those children back, you can either let me do my job or you can stay in my way and see what I get like when I'm really pissed off."

"You're a Witch?" a voice piped up from the back of the crowd and she took a deep breath trying to calm herself.

"I really don't have the time and I don't care what you think enough to stand here and explain what I am to you. If you want your children back you'll step aside and let me through."

The woman opened her mouth to speak again but a man placed his hand on her shoulder and stepped forward, he looked up at her with pleading eyes and took her gloved hand, she flinched at the contact watching his face for any signs of pain and relaxing slightly when she saw none. "Please, she has my son. You have to bring him back"

Gently she took her hand from his gripped and walked down the steps onto the street, whistling she called Aramis and the wolves to her and swung herself into the saddle. She rode into the forest following the wolves until they stopped outside the mouth of a dark cave. She slid from the saddle, peeled off her glove and holding her hand palm up spoke quietly.

"Afira." A small flame danced into life on her skin and she walked inside, the flame lit the darkness and she stared around. A small noise caught her attention and she whipped round. Cages stood against the back wall of the cave, inside these cages the children were huddled, fifteen in total, boys and girls all of the same age. She held a finger to her lips and looked around the rest of the cave, it looked deserted and she quickly bent and snapped the locks holding the cages closed, beckoning to the children she lead them outside and they blinked in the bright sunlight. The wolves stood outside and they shrank back in fear.

"It's OK, these two are going to take you home," she blew on her hand and the flame disappeared. "You just follow them OK, and stay together, no one gets lost alright?"

A girl stepped forward and looked up into her eyes. "Are you an Angel?"

She laughed derisively but smiled at the girl. "Something like that, you go home now, your parents are worried about you."

"A Protector? Well don't I feel special?"

Daida turned and the children screamed. A tall figure stood at the mouth of the cave, her clothes were torn and blackened with ash, her skin was red, cracked and bleeding and where her eyes should have been were two burning holes. Daida looked her up and down.

"God you're ugly, if I was you I would have stayed dead."

"I may look bad now but once I finish with these little ones I'll be as beautiful as you." Mary lifted her head and breathed in, where her nose had been was nothing but a hole and what was left of her lips pulled back into a cruel smile. "You are Vampyre, at least some of you."

"I'm many things and you're not having these children."

"And who is going to stop me? You? I have the dark magic you cannot stop me." Mary raised a hand a bolt of blue light sprung from her fingertips, Daida held up one hand and the light split going around her only, her hair lifted in the breeze and she smiled at the Witch.

"You think you're the only one with the dark magic?" She brought both arms up and the sky filled with clouds, her eyes darkened bleeding out until they were two black pools in her pale face. "I'm the Devil, face your maker."

Bringing her hands round the same blue light shot from her hands and hit the Witch in the chest, the flame danced to life again and she slammed her foot to the floor. The earth rose in a wave and threw Mary backwards, she fell onto her back and Daida took the gun from her ribs advancing on the Witch. A presence made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and she looked towards the trees, Dalton was there, she couldn't see him but she could feel him there. A scream brought her back to the present and a force hit her in the chest and she was knocked backwards, the Witch advanced on her her hand raised ready to deliver the killing blow when another shout sounded.

"Mary!" The Witch turned as a heavy rock struck her in the side of the head and she stumbled and in the moment of confusion Daida raised the gun and shot her through the heart. She fell to the floor and the children screamed in fear.

"It's OK." She placed the gun back into the holster and knelt beside the body of the Witch, her skin was healed and her light blue eyes stared up at the sky, her blonde hair was back and Daida placed her hand on the woman's forehead. "Gietarae amenophus." A light flowed from her hand to the woman and she stood. Looking towards the trees she couldn't help but smile.

"I thought I told you it was dangerous."

"Hey, I saved your ass." The man stepped forward running his hand through his red hair, he smiled sheepishly. "I just wanted to help."

She nodded. "We're going to take Mary home. She deserves a proper burial." He nodded and lifted the woman into his arms, they walked back through the forest together and as they approached the village she heard the shouts of the parents, the children ran forwards into their waiting arms and she walked through the crowd without saying a word, Aramis and the wolves followed her and the man carried Mary after them. They reached the Mayors house and entered, walking through to his study she opened the door.

"You brought them back." The Mayor smiled at her disbelievingly. "Thank you."

"Yeah I didn't do it for free, you know Mary didn't deserve what happened to her. You need to bury her, properly, pay tribute to what she did for you. Your crops will have been healthier, none of your livestock would have died or got sick while she was alive and you killed her. She deserves more than that." She nodded and the man lay her body on the floor of the office. "I'll take my payment now."

The Mayor nodded and handed her a sack filled with gold coins. "Thank you again, I don't know what we would have done without you."

She said nothing but turned and walked from the house, back in her room she loaded her bag and outside attached it to Aramis' saddle, the wolves still followed her and she sighed. "Fine you can come along but no howling at the moon all night, I get enough of that already."

She walked from the stables and stopped her eyes widening in horror at the crowd gathered outside. A man stepped forward tears in his eyes.

"Thank you, you brought them back. We can never repay you."

She nodded feeling uncomfortable and made her way through the crowd, the thanks of the people made her skin burn and she couldn't bring herself to look them in the eyes, finally she was on the outskirts of the village and she breathed a sigh of relief. A small hand on her leg made her turn and she looked down into the eyes of the small girl. She held up and a blue flower and Daida took it with a smile.

"Thank you." The girls voice was quiet and she turned and ran back to the houses, Daida watched her go before swinging herself into the saddle and set off into the trees. It didn't take her long to realise she was being followed, the sound of the second horses hooves deafening to her sensitive ears but she waited for an hour before stopping at a clear river. Jumping from the saddle she busied herself in her bag waiting for the footsteps to draw close before reaching out and taking hold of his arm, pressing his against the tree she held the blade of her knife to his throat and looked into his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"Look I know you said you don't want help and in bed is where I'll be the most use to you, I'd like to explore that by the way, but please, I saw what you did. It was the most amazing thing I've ever seen and if I don't get out of that place now I'm going to rot there. Please."

She looked into his eyes realising he was completely serious. Stepping back she returned the knife to the holster at her thigh and folded her arms. "And how could you help me?" She didn't know what it was but there was something about this man she liked. He smiled and ran his hands through his hair tugging at the ends.

"I'm a fast learner, I'm good with a knife and I can learn to use the other weapons. Its another set of eyes in case something else happens like today and maybe a bit of company as well? Your people skills could use some work."

She couldn't help the laugh surprising herself. "What's your name?"

"Hyde."

"Well then Hyde, you can travel with me until I reach my next job then that's where you're staying. What I do is dangerous, you shouldn't even know as much as you do."

"Look I think I can help you."

She held up a hand and he closed his mouth. "This isn't something you can just learn."

"I could try."

"I'm not splitting my pay."

"I have money."

"You're not going to drop this are you?"

"No ma'am."

She sighed in frustration and folded her arms across her chest. "The first time you fuck up that's it. I'm not here to look after you."

"I understand."

She climbed back into the saddle and watched as he called his own horse from the trees, it stood slightly taller than Aramis its coat a warm chestnut brown, he climbed up and looked down at the wolves at her feet.

"So are they yours now?"

"They go where they want to, I just thought it cruel to separate them. Wolves mate for life you know." She squeezed her heels into the horses sides and took off through the trees, they rode in silence until she held up a hand bringing them both to a stop, she scented the air and grimaced. "Shit," the wolves whined and she leant down to stroke them behind the ear soothing them. "There's something here. Is there anything near here, a town?"

"There's a town maybe four hours ride away, its big, trades in nearly everything for these parts. Its by the coast so they get the oversea business, it does well. What is it?"

"I'll tell you when we get there." She kicked her heels again and they rode through the day, he watched the strange girl intently and when they finally arrived in the bustling town he directed her to an inn. They settled the horses in the stable and he took the heavy bag from her surprised at how much it weighed, she had carried it like it was nothing, she smiled and walking into the bustling tavern on the ground floor. Walking to the bar she smiled at the woman serving.

"Good evening, we need some rooms."

"Of course, just the one?"

"Ah no, we'll need two please, but next to each other if you could." The woman nodded and handed them two keys. They went upstairs and she handed him his key. "Meet me downstairs in five minutes, we'll eat and I'll try and explain to you."

She disappeared and he watched after her, he couldn't help but smile and walked into his own room, he dropped off his own small bag and went back downstairs, ordering two jugs of ale he walked to a table and sat waiting for her. She joined him minutes later and drank deeply.

"So what is it?" He spoke and she placed her gloved hands on the table.

"From what I smelt coming in we're looking for Vampyre and a lot of them. We'll have to ask around, see if anyone has noticed anything strange, any strange deaths. We're looking for young people, twenty to thirty, bodies being left drained of blood. Its not something people can explain away so someone in here will have heard something. This is the kind of town they would target, plentiful supply of prey and far enough away that they would have plenty of time to run if they heard of a Protector coming."

"Wait then wont they know that you're here?"

She shook her head. "I still do the job I'm just my own boss now, I came voluntarily so they wont know that I was coming. Working with the Order I never had that advantage, I guess its one good thing about being hunted."

"Hunted?"

"Long story."

"Wait you said Vampyre? As in wooden stakes, garlic, burns in sunlight Vampyre?"

"That's the one, well ones that hunt like these ones have been at least. A thousand years ago the Vampyres made a deal with God, they could walk among us as long as they swore to only feed when they needed it. Most of them survive by taking a little blood once or twice month and normally the humans don't even realise its happened, they do it at night, take it from the wrist or the groin rather than the neck. The ones that refused to cooperate still live as monsters. That's what we will be facing."

Hyde drank and the woman walked over to the table, she was plump with soft breasts and blonde hair, she smiled warmly at the handsome man and leant her hands on the table leaning over to him.

"Can I get you two anything to eat?"

He smiled and Daida couldn't help but notice his boyish good looks, his red hair was more blonde and his straight nose was covered in freckles, his jaw was strong and was covered in stubble. His shoulders were broad and his hands covered in callouses, he must have worked outside before this.

"Can you recommend anything?" His voice was playful and she giggled slightly blushing.

"We have a rabbit stew? I made it myself and the bread."

He licked his lips and Daida felt a jolt of lust go through her before shaking it off. "We'll have two please."

The woman nodded and hurried back to the kitchen, Daida rested her chin on her fist and looked at him. "Well well, aren't you a charmer."

He smiled. "Don't worry sweetheart, you're the prettiest."

She rolled her eyes and the woman arrived back at the table carrying their food. "No charge." Hyde winked and she blushed again before leaving, they ate for a moment before he spoke again.

"So where do we start looking for these things?"

"We wait for tonight, they don't attack every night and from the smell they were here last night. You need to learn everything you can about them before tomorrow."

"What happens tomorrow?"

"We ask around, find out what people know and what they're willing to tell us, then we go hunting."

They finished eating in silence and upstairs she ducked inside her room and brought out a heavy book. "Read it, all of it. I don't have time to help you through it."

"Wait all of this," he flicked through the pages. "There's loads."

"Then you better get started." She smiled and closed the door in his gob-smacked face. A hand on her wrist spun her round and another pressed against her mouth silencing her scream. She looked into his red eyes and pushed against his chest throwing him from her, she took the knife from her thigh and watched him, crouched and ready.

"Who is he?"

"Why do you care?"

He growled low in his chest. "Daida please, they've given me one more chance and then they're sending him after you." Her eyes widened as fear gripped her, icy cold in her chest and she shook her head.

"No, please Dalton you cant let them."

"I don't have a choice, I didn't chose any of this. I never wanted any of this but this is what is happening. You are the one who left. You could have stayed with me."

"Not with what they wanted us to do."

"We were helping people."

"We were killing them!"

"We needed to, it had to be done! They died so we could protect others."

"We tortured them, killed them. They begged to die and the Order wouldn't let them."

"They were monsters."

"So are we." The were tears rolling down her cheeks and she shook all over. "What do you think we are to them?"

He took hold of her hand and shook the knife from her grip, pulling her to him he kissed her until she stopped struggling and lifted her into his arms, he stripped their clothes away as he walked to the bed and when he lay her down they were both naked. He thrust into her and she whimpered biting his shoulder gently trying to keep her moans quiet and he pounded into her, her nails raked down his back and he gritted his teeth thrusting harder. He wasn't gentle or sweet, there were no whispered words, no soft caresses, he fucked her his need primal and matched by hers. He held her wrists against the bed his fingers digging into her skin hard enough to bruise her, she whimpered in pain and he slammed into her hitting against her cervix each time he bottomed out inside her. She wrapped her legs around him pulling him closer, some small part of her shouted at her to stop but she couldn't instead only wanting to feel him closer, deeper.

He moved one hand down to her waist holding her tightly, her cries fuelling him on until he exploded thrusting deep inside and spilling his cum into her, she tensed as her own orgasm gripped her and she cried out, still muffled against his neck and he rolled off her panting.

"They don't know I'm here. I can hold them off for a few days, maybe a few weeks, say that you've gone off the map but I cant give you long. The next time I see you will be your last chance." He sat up and faced away from her dressing quickly, turning back he tilted her head up to look at him. "If you don't come with me then, he's going to come for you and even you cant stop him."

He kissed her and when she opened her eyes again he was gone and she was alone in her room, she filled the tub with boiling water from the fire and stepped into it, pulling her knees to her chest she wrapped her arms around her legs feeling the shaking of her body subside. She didn't know how long she sat there before the door opened and Hyde burst in.

"This stuff is incredible."

She raised an eyebrow and his cheeks flushed as he looked at her naked body. "Oh God I'm sorry."

She leant back. "Don't worry." She waved a hand for him to continue, he moved to sit on the bed and began leafing through.

"You've fought these before?"

"I've done a lot of things with them before."

"So a wooden stake kills them?" She nodded. "And the Holy Water that works too? And the crucifix?"

"The Holy Water and the crucifix repel them, the wood kills them. The first stake was made from the cross that bore Jesus. Judas, as a punishment for betraying him, was made the first Vampyre."

"So they all come from him."

"Distantly," she dipped her head under the water and ran her fingers through her hair, his eyes were drawn to her large breasts, slim waist and round hips and he felt his stomach jolt as he looked at her. She pulled her legs up to rest on the side of the tub and leant her head back. "You don't need to know about their history, you need to know about how they are now. How do they hunt?"