Protector

"In a pack, four or five push the victim towards the nest and the rest take them when they get there. They work at night and make it sound like animals, the people think they're running away from something instead of towards something."

"Good. How many do they take at a time?"

"Two or three depending on the size of the nest, they keep them alive for a few days so they can all feed and when they're finally drained dump the bodies in different places so no one can trace back to them. The nest is where they sleep during the day, normally underground, somewhere light cant get to."

"Very good." She looked at him. "Close your eyes."

He smiled and made a show of covering his green eyes and she stood from the tub drying herself with the towel and, pulling a white nightdress from her bag, she dressed quickly. It was tight to her torso before falling in a loose skirt to the floor, she walked to the desk and taking a knife began shaving wood from a small block.

"We're going to start you off with a gun," she glanced over at him. "Can you shoot?"

He nodded. "My father taught me to hunt, I'm a pretty good shot."

"Well you need to be better. Vampyres are fast and they don't hesitate to kill if they get the chance, there is going to be a lot of them and I wont be able to keep an eye on you. Still think you want to do what I do?"

"Are you kidding? This is incredible! I had no idea there were things like this out there and you keep everyone safe from them."

"You're taking it all very well, it normally takes people a while to get their heads around this stuff."

"I don't know I guess I just never wanted to be where I was, I wanted something different and now I've found it. I want to help you ma'am."

She put the first bullet down and began on a second. "Daida."

"That's a real pretty name."

She shook her head at his flirting and continued to carve the bullets, he sat on her bed reading from the book until early morning, when he finally went to bed he was asleep the minute his head hit the pillow. He slept for a couple of hours before a knock on the door woke him, he opened it and looked her up and down, she was dressed in brown trousers and a black shirt, she wore her black gloves again and tapped her foot impatiently.

"Come on, you need to eat we've got a long day ahead of us." She walked down the corridor and disappeared downstairs, he dressed quickly and followed joining her at the table and digging into the breakfast of bread, eggs and bacon. She looked around at the faces of the people, judging them silently.

"What are you looking for?" He spoke with his mouth full and she raised an eyebrow.

"We need to make sure that people dying, its possible the Vampyres were just passing through, taking maybe one or two then moving on. A Vampyres scent lingers for weeks after they leave, as long as someone has been taken recently we have a lead and can track them."

"So we need to ask around about people turning up dead and drained?" She nodded and he looked over at the bar, the same woman from last night was staring over but looked down blushing when he caught her eye, he winked and Daida and stood. "Wait here sweetheart."

She watched as he walked over and leant on the bar, she heard the woman giggle and the two spoke for a moment before he walked back over.

"Twenty people in the last two months have gone missing, seventeen of those people have shown up drained of their blood. You're welcome."

"Very impressive."

"If someone wants to talk to you enough they'll talk about anything." He winked and she shook her head, standing she lead him from the inn and into the street, she lead him away from town and out into the forest. The two wolves bounded to meet them and she stroked them.

"We just got try round everywhere, their nest will be close to town but hidden, a cave or something underground, the smell is strongest from that direction," she pointed towards the sea in the distance. "It's a good a place as any to start."

The began walking through the trees, he watched her and she felt his eyes on her back, finally she sighed and turned to face him. "What?"

"Back home with the Witch, you said you had dark magic, that you were the Devil. What did you mean?"

"I don't have time to explain it now." She continued to walk and he hurried to fall into step beside her.

"We could walk and talk, I just figure if I'm going to be helping you I should know a bit about you."

"OK one we're not working together, two, you don't need to know anything about me and three, I know nothing about you but you don't see me complaining."

"Well I'm nowhere near as interesting sweetheart, I just want to know. Where you born like that or did you learn it?"

"Neither."

"Then how?"

She sighed and turned to face him. "If I promise to answer your questions later will you please let me work?"

"If I can ask one now you have a deal." She rolled her eyes but motioned for him to continue. "How did you get your magic?"

"A Witch killed me."

He frowned and looked her up and down. "That doesn't make any sense, how are you here if a Witch killed you."

"You said one question and I answered it. Now if you really want to help me and do what I do then I need you to shut your pretty mouth and let me do my job."

He raised his hands in defeat and they carried on through the trees, finally they came to the edge of a steep cliff uphill from the town and she grimaced. "We're close, it stinks of Vampyre." She sniffed the air again. "They have some, maybe two, they're still alive. We need to get them out without waking the Vampyres, if they have a good nest the sunlight wont get to it and they be able to move in the day if they feel they need to. I cant be looking out for them as well as you so we get them out quietly and quickly."

"OK," he held out his hand and she frowned. "Well you said you would start me with a gun, surely I should have one just in case."

"You wont need it, not if you're quiet."

"Well just in case, come on you just said you cant be looking out for all of us. If I have a gun I can take care of myself, think of it as a way to prove myself to you."

She sighed and took one of the guns from her ribs and handed it to him. "It's loaded, wooden bullets, you only shoot if you have to and through the heart."

He nodded and took the gun. She stepped off the cliff turning to catch onto a rock and began to climb down, he looked over the edge before following her. They climbed quickly until she held up and hand pointed, to their left was the opening of a cave, she swung herself over to the entranced and dropped silently onto the floor of the cave, he joined her and looked around. The cave was dark and she placed a finger to her lips and began to walk into the cave, someone had hollowed out a tunnel in the rock of the cliff and as the went down the light from outside disappeared and they were plunged into blackness. Finally a soft light glowed from up ahead and they stepped into a large space, the stone had been carved away to make a room and candles were mounted on the walls, blankets and pillows covered the floor and in the nest the Vampyres slept. She counted twelve of them.

In the corner a woman was tied, her eyes fell on them and she tried to speak against the gag, Daida placed a finger to her lips and the woman fell silent. She nodded to Hyde who stepped carefully across the sleeping bodies and quickly untied the woman.

"Shh, you're OK now, we're going to get you out of here." He took hold of her arm and lead her back to Daida.

"Get her out of here but be quiet, we don't want to wake them up." They started down the path that lead back to the cliff until the woman's foot hit against a pile of bones on the floor. An animal like noise came from the nest and Daida sighed.

"Run." They set off at a sprint listening to the Vampyres as they pursued them, suddenly Daida skidded to a halt and Hyde shouted to her.

"What are you doing?"

"Take her, go!"

"What about you?"

"I said go!" He cursed and took hold of the woman's arm and dragged her after him, Daida turned and faced the Vampyres as they swarmed on her. "Good morning, you sure are up early today." She looked at their grey skin and red eyes. "I'm so glad I didn't end up looking like you." She brought her hands up and flames burst into life around her, pushing forwards the flames moved towards the creatures and they recoiled, bounding back down the tunnel towards the nest. She ran back to the entrance of the cave and when she pulled herself back onto the forest floor she heard Hyde breath a sigh of relief.

"You're OK?"

She nodded with a confused expression on her face. "Of course I am." She turned to speak to the woman. "Was anyone else taken with you?"

"Yes, two others, those things took them both away last night and I heard screaming, horrible screaming. They didn't come back."

"OK you're safe now. We're going to take you home."

An hour later saw them sat in Daida's room, they had returned the woman to her home, her husband and her children and now they sat Hyde listening as Daida spoke.

"They haven't been there long, not from the amount of people taken but from the looks of the nest they plan on staying there for a while. We've taken their last meal they're going to be hunting tonight looking for the someone else to take. They're going to take you."

"What?"

"Fighting them in the nest is suicide, they know it too well. There will be hundreds of places they can hide in those cliffs. We get them out in the open and pick them off while they're hunting you."

"They separate to hunt."

"Exactly, take out the ones driving you to the nest, then there will only be a couple left."

"You're brilliant."

"I know," she plaited her hair over her shoulder and tied it with a thin piece of leather. "We'll go out at sundown."

"Shouldn't we tell someone? I mean you spoke to the Mayor before why not here?"

"Towns like this don't usually have a Mayor, they answer directly to the King. I don't think anyone is in charge, I'm doing this one for the good karma and you're doing it for experience."

"You don't do this for the money do you?" She didn't answer. "You do it to keep us safe."

"It's a job, I do it for the money."

She sounded defensive and he dropped it and they waited together until it began to get dark, she stood and lead him out to the edge of the forest. "Just walk, I'll be right behind you. It wont take long for them to get your scent if they're hunting. If anything gets too close shoot it."

He touched the gun at the holster in his ribs, she had given it to him before they left and the weight of the gun against him made him feel safer. "I'll be right behind you." He turned nodding but she was already gone, he took a deep breath and began walking through the trees. It didn't take long. A snarl came from his left and he looked round, a pair of glowing red eyes burned at him through the trees and he raised the gun and shot, a yelp sounded and he glanced back around. He carried on through the trees before a noise sounded behind him and he smiled. They were pushing him towards the cliff. He went along feeling the soothing presence of Daida but unable to see her, a figure darted through the trees beside him and he spun round his gun raised. It leapt at him and he fired, the wooden bullet lodged deep in its body and it sailed over his head and into the trees. He wanted to go and look but kept his curiosity at bay, he heard bodies falling around him and when he finally smelt the sea air she jumped from a branch of a tree and landed beside him.

"That's all of the ones that are hunting, there should only be two left. They'll be the oldest, they send the children out to hunt."

"Children?"

"That's what they call them, a made Vampyre will stick with its maker and they act like a parent, teaching them. The ones left are going to be pissed, we just killed their babies."

He nodded and they walked to the cliff. Two of the creatures waited for them, they were naked, the bodies smooth, covered in grey skin, their ears were long and pointed and their eyes red pits in their faces. Their fingers ended in curved black claws and their paper thin skin showed their bones. The taller of the two lifted its head and smelled the air.

"Halfling." It levelled its gaze to Daida and smiled showing a mouth full of curved fangs. "One of our own comes to end us."

"I'm nothing like you," she snarled and he caught sight of her own sharp fangs where her canine teeth should be. "For one I'm much better looking, if I had ended up looking like you I would have walked into sunlight long ago."

"You killed our children?" The second Vampyre spoke, its voice was higher and Hyde looked at the curves on the creatures body.

"They died screaming." Daida spoke with poison dripping for her words and the creatures let out ear-splitting shrieks and leapt at them, Daida pushed him away and they fell on her, she rolled kicking them off her and took her gun from her holster. She levelled it at the second creatures chest and pulled the trigger, the Vampyre screamed and its skin turned black, flaking away like ash.

"Halfling!" The taller Vampyre spoke and she turned, he held Hyde tightly its lips close to the humans neck and stared at Daida. She turned slowly her gun pointed down at her side, Hyde waited before driving his head back feeling it connect with the creatures face, pulling himself from its grip he spun round and shot it through the chest. It fell backwards over the edge of the cliff and he looked over as it fell to the sea below.

"Are you OK?" He turned to face her, she was looking at him her expression half confused half impressed.

"I'm fine, are you?"

He nodded and looked at the still decomposing body beside her. "Did we do it? Is it over?"

"Yeah, there wont be any more. Not for a while at least. The smell will stay here and Vampyres a territorial, another family wont intrude when they think those are still here." A spot of red on the shoulder of his shirt caught her attention and forgetting her fear of touching him she pulled it back and looked. Small puncture wounds lined the skin and she stepped back. "We have to go, now."

He touched his shoulder and looked at the blood on his fingers. "What is that?"

"You've been bitten, we have to get back before the venom takes effect." They hurried through the forest and when they arrived at the inn she unlocked her door and rummaged through her bag, taking the needle, she filled the syringe with the clear liquid from the vial and nodded for him to sit on the bed. He did and she pushed him so his back was against the pillows and sat beside him.

"This is going to hurt like hell." He nodded and she slid the needle into his skin and pushed on the plunger. His whole body went rigid and he howled in pain, she swung her leg over she she straddled his lap and pressed her gloved hand against his mouth quietening him, his hands curled into fists against her thighs and she felt his breath against her as he panted through his nose. He shook beneath her and she waited patiently for the pain to subside and finally he relaxed his head falling back against the wall and his hands went slack on her. She stroked his cheek and looked into his eyes, they shone bright green with no trace of red and she breathed a sigh of relief.

"What was that?"

"Angel tears." He frowned. "Its a remedy, all creatures have their way to kill someone. A Vampyres bite is theirs. If they're feeding they don't inject any venom but if they're attacking its a different matter."

He nodded and touched his neck. "Then thank you."

"You're welcome." She looked down at their bodies suddenly aware of his heat against her, she went to move but he put his hands on her thighs keeping her still. "Hyde." She warned him but he kept hold of her.

"Just answer some of my questions." Her chest was still tight with fear that she might hurt him but she nodded. "How did you get your magic?"

"I'm a Feeder. I can take the abilities of the things I fight. I fought a Witch, she used the death hex on me and I survived, I've had magic ever since."

"The Vampyre called you Halfling. What is that?"

"One of my first jobs I was tracking a Vampyre. I was careless and he bit me, it should have killed me and back then we didn't know about Angel tears, I thought I was going to die but instead I became one of them at least part of me did. I got their speed, their strength."

"What about the feeding?"

"I don't need blood."

"What else are you?"

"More things than you've heard of."

He thought for a moment his thumbs stroking her thighs absentmindedly. "Anything else?" She sounded impatient and he shook his head. "Good," she climbed from his lap and walked to the door. "We have work to do, if you really want to help me you need to know everything you can and I don't have the time to teach you."

"Wait, so I'm coming with you?"

"Like you said, two pairs of eyes are better than one and you weren't completely useless tonight. Besides if something is busy hunting you then I'm invisible."

"So I'm bait?"

"You catch on fast handsome," she nodded to the desk where a stack of books stood. "You get started, I'll bring us up some food, we've got a lot to get through."

She walked from the room and leant against the wall pushing her hair back from her face. She looked down at her hands, she still wore the black gloves but she shook with fear at the thought of him touching her. She returned to the room with two plates, a jug of wine and two glasses and locked the door behind her. They sat together him reading and her answering any questions he threw at her.

"A Were?"

"Someone with the Were curse has the ability to turn into an animal. At the full moon they have no choice and the change is forced on them, that," she pointed to a drawing of the creature she had fought just a couple of days before. "Is what a Werewolf looks like when it brings the change on itself, during the full moon they turn fully and look like a regular wolf."

"You ever fought one of these."

"Hundreds."

"And what's this?" He pointed to a page in another book and she leant over to read it, her hair brushed against him and her soft scent filled his head.

"A White Lady, a spirit of a woman normally been betrayed in her life leading to a suicide. She then stays around the town or village where she lived and takes the lives of people fitting the betrayal she suffered."

"I've heard of something like this."

"You have," she drank from her glass and pulled the band from her hair running her fingers through it.

"Yeah people talk about it, I thought it was just a story until now. There was a woman a couple of towns over but everyone round here knows about it, her husband was fucking another woman, while he was busy their children were playing out by the lake in the village. They drowned, its said she went mad, drowned herself in the same lake. Now people disappear, men mostly, its been going on since she died."

"How long ago was that?"

"I don't know fifty years, maybe longer?"

"Sounds like a White Lady to me, how far away is this place?"

"Day and a half's ride?"

"We'll leave in the morning."

He nodded and stood. "Can I take this with me?" He held up the book and she nodded taking off her gloves and unbuttoning her shirt, he averted his eyes and walked from the room. "Goodnight."

He closed the door and heard it lock behind him, in his own room he read until his eyes ached with tiredness and he fell asleep where he sat.

A small hand round the back of his neck woke him and he forced his eyes open against the bright sunlight coming through the window. She sat straddling his lap one hand around his neck the other between his legs stroking him through his trousers he groaned and looked into her bright eyes. She was naked, her soft breasts pressed against his chest and her pale skin shining in the sunlight.