We were sent to observe, take detailed notes, and discover those among the human populace who would be an asset to our cause. The Alliance had been fighting against the Brotherhood for centuries. Vampires and ghouls have existed alongside one another since the war that threatened to extinguish both of our species nearly seven hundred years prior.
Shapeshifters were our natural enemy, the Lycan most of all. Witches were nothing but selfish and greedy creatures and abstained from taking their place in the natural order. Personally, I didn't think they were worth the effort of inclusion. Not once did any circle of witches extend their hand in friendship or come to the aid of the vampire brethren. Many suggested it was also the same with the Brotherhood. So, if they wouldn’t take sides, why bother with them at all?
Snorting with mild humor and annoyance, I inhaled as the scent of Piper’s cherry lipstick and mint-flavored gum still hung in the air. A coconut and fresh spring bodywash combined with the perfume of her hair products. Underneath the complex layer of scents was her natural musk. Simply intoxicating.
Growling low, I began to pace as my agitation grew.
The human female blew me off when I detained her after class. I thought I could be impartial when I asked her to sit down. Her cell had been vibrating the entire class period. I’d been annoyed when she finally peeked to see who it was. No hint of recognition crossed her features and that was strange. Wrong numbers wouldn’t blow up someone’s device like that. Maybe she had a good poker face. It wasn’t important. She could socialize when she was on her own time, not on mine.
I was already agitated with my current level of obsession with this human.
My position with the university was given as a favor for a friend on the Alliance board of directors, but the more I was around Ms. Vanek, the more I wanted to toss her over my knee and spank her succulent little ass. It didn’t escape my notice that she was pretty, with dimples in both cheeks and a dazzling smile that curved her full lips upward in a sensuous smirk. Her curvy hips flared out wide enough to easily plant my hands on her rounded flesh, a trait I appreciated. Women were supposed to have a little extra weight on their figures. Piper was nearly perfect. It was her headstrong and obstinate personality that caused my instant ire and subsequent frustration.
She was so damn young and far too naïve. She didn't have a clue about what lurked in the shadows or dark corners of night. Living a happy and sheltered human life, she was coddled and given her every whim from doting parents who expected her to make good use of the expensive education they paid for. She was everything a creature like me could never understand. A life that was undeniably different in every way from my own.
Yet, I couldn't deny she intrigued me. There was something about that pink-haired female that I found hard to resist. She was unlike other humans. Not easily enamored by my glamour or entranced by the compulsion I wielded over every other female I came in contact with. She was an enigma. In fact, I enjoyed the thought that she was easily annoyed and frustrated in my presence.
Piper made my cock stir and my mind scrambled for ways to get under her skin. I wanted to rile her up and watch the gentle crimson flush rise up her neck and over the apples of her cheeks, that pretty scarlet hue evidence of the blood that coursed through her delicate veins. I longed to sink my fangs into her skin, caressing the vein with my tongue before I tasted the flavor of her essence. She beckoned me in a way no other had for nearly a hundred years.
Women were playthings in my world, easily pushed aside when the next sexy set of tits walked my way. I’d been careful not to entangle myself with a serious relationship of any kind. An endless bachelor, I was happy to escape complicated entanglements. Human females were too fragile to consider long term intimacy. Women of my kind were too territorial and possessive.
I enjoyed my freedom. Reveled in my complete control.
Until now.
There was just something about Piper. I couldn't put my finger on it. Not yet, but I would find out why her presence was so intoxicating. Just like I intended to do last night, right before everything went to total and complete shit . . .
***
Piper was a huge pain in the ass, but something wasn’t adding up. My intuition hummed with more than a minor inkling. Since my transformation nearly nine hundred years prior, I’d become adept at shifting through the various frequencies and energies that gathered around supernatural beings. Witches had a distinctly sage odor to their auras as well as various types of incense. Demons always smelled of sulfur. Cliché, but true. The ghouls smelled like death and decay, but it made sense considering their consumption of flesh. Werewolves were the worst, a burnt dog hair smell that combined with a mild earthy odor like musty old plants and dirt.
I wasn’t fond of the Brotherhood of Lycan. Our feud went back generations.
The source of our mutual discontent was more than simple territory disputes or the risk of human exposure. We naturally disagreed about almost every aspect of the treaty that was signed long before I was ever born, and my vampire father met my human mother. The document kept both sides from tearing each other apart but when the Brotherhood came under new leadership everything changed. When the Alliance was attacked, it was proven that Lycan were to blame. After that, the treaty was broken, and endless war had erupted between our two species.
To this day, we never agreed on anything, no matter how many attempts were made to reconcile our differences. I didn’t care about playing nice with the Lycan. They were nothing but vermin.
It wasn’t long before I left my office inside the college and headed outside, glancing up at the moon. It wasn’t full yet. Only a crescent shape lingered high up in the dark and cloudy sky. Not a problem for the shapeshifters at present. True to their origin and the massive amount of lore, werewolves hit their peak transformation during a full moon. It amplified their feral nature.
Maybe that was why I could feel their presence and the shift in heat levels so easily. I’d been trained to be aware of Lycan scents and their unique energy signature since my early years. They naturally ran hotter than humans and much warmer than our physiology. Vampires were only warmed by the blood coursing through our veins. In between feedings, we became steadily colder until we were almost brittle. Blood sustained us and kept our organs functioning. It was our vitality. The blood pumped into our black and inky hearts as it swept throughout our muscular, lean frames, providing what we needed to maintain optimal function.
Without it, we fossilized.
The familiar stench of Lycan overwhelmed my senses, jolting my thoughts back into the present as I bolted forward into the dark night. Trees zipped beyond my peripheral, the colors nothing but muted blurs under the hazy light of the streetlamps. The scent of female and cherry lip gloss mixed with the earthy odor of dirt and canine flesh. I knew instantly that I didn’t have a lot of time. Less than a mile from my current location, Piper was being viciously attacked.
How could I be so foolish? Why didn’t I follow her home?
My quick movements allowed my arrival to be perfectly timed. The same moment that Piper screamed in horror was when I darted in front of her and absorbed the Lycan’s deadly attack. His meaty fist pounded into my stomach at the same moment I landed a brutal hit to the side of his gaping muzzle. Sharp teeth slid along my forearm as I spun and slammed my full body weight into the chest of the beast. Our bodies crashed into the nearest wall as we bounced off the brick façade. Not a few seconds later, my fangs pierced the Lycan’s tough outer layer of skin and I ripped out his throat, spitting the vile, bland blood onto the ground. His bulk fell to the ground with a thud, convulsing while he choked and sputtered. As he bled out, I approached Piper with caution.