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.

They drove over Casco Bay Bridge continuing down Highway 302 until they arrived at Fort William Parks in Cape Elizabeth. The girls got out of the car and followed AJ across a massive grassy field full of fireflies. A moving bright light could be seen in the distance, and she tasted salt in the air confirming where they were.

As they got closer to Portland Head Light, the sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks grew louder. Maine had over sixty lighthouses but this one was the most photographed. The rubble stone and brick lining structure were also the oldest, built just a decade or two after the American Revolution. When they were still in Mrs. O'Bryan's fifth grade class, the three of them had stopped here on a field trip.

The two-story duplex that was once the light keeper's house was now a museum. But somehow, AJ had a set of keys that admitted them. He didn't bother turning on the lights. He walked through the museum with Nastia and Pam following behind.

Losing her patience, Anastasia asked in a whisper, "Do you mind telling us why we are here?"

"Yeah, just a minute," he said. Then he used another key to open a locked closet door. The small linen closet wasn't anything impressive. That is until AJ flipped the light switch and it opened into an iron bar staircase leading down into a secret basement.

Pam cleared her throat. "Are you in a cult?"

AJ looked back at them seemingly caught off guard by the random assumption. Laughing, he said, "What? No. Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I brought you here to meet someone who can explain everything. You're safe here, I promise. Las damas primero."

Pam started stepping forward, but Nastia put out an arm stopping her. The motion made her injury flare up like someone just jabbed her shoulders with hot pokers. "I'll go first," the vampire insisted, hoping to protect Pam from any harm should this be a trap.

She started down the spiral staircase. Below, there looked to be a set of rooms and bathroom in the back but for the most part, the space was open. There was a lounge area, a kitchen area, and a long table set up to one side. Then on the other side, the floor was matted and there was some regular exercise equipment and some not-so-regular exercise equipment like dummies and weapon racks displaying an array of assorted sharp instruments. The place smelled of sawdust and strong sage. Bright fluorescent lights hung from the ceiling. On the far wall was a tattered banner displaying a simple holy trinity design.

"Ethan," AJ addressed a man who came from the back rooms. Ethan was a mixed African American man with an athletic build, black eyebrows, and saved head. He looked to be in his mid to late thirties, Nastia guessed. On his neck was three jade stones stung together on a black cord. Each one was engraved with a different Chinese symbol. He looked familiar to her, but she couldn't place her finger on why. "You got my text?"

Ethan rested his hands on his hips working his jaw back and forth. "Yeah. Any bites?"

"No."

"Good. At least one thing has gone right."

"This is Anastasia and Pam. Pam is okay, but it got Anastasia's shoulders good. I couldn't just take them home..."

"It's okay, AJ. You did the right thing. C'mon, Anastasia? Right? Let's look at your shoulders."

AJ stepped off to the side with hands in his pocket. When she hesitated, he gave an encouraging nod. The girls sat at the table and Ethan proceeded to inspect Nastia's shoulders noting that the puncture wounds were deep, but luckily did not require stitches.

"Alright. You can go clean up. We have a shower you can use in the bathroom back there to the right. Clean your injury good, then pour this hydrogen peroxide over them. It won't sting like alcohol. I will have your friend here pick out some clothes for you. After you've washed up, I can explain everything."

Anastasia didn't know if she trusted this guy, but she needed answers and nothing he said brought up any red flags. It didn't seem like they were in danger. She nodded and they did what he said. She texted her mother claiming that she was going to spend the night at Pam's, thankful her mother could not sense her lie through a phone screen.

Nastia took a refreshing shower noting that she had the creature's blood in her hair and smeared on her face. Gross. After she finished, she threw on the clothes left for her. The hot pink Adidas shirt was obviously belonged to a girl, but the comfortable but breezy athletic shorts did not. Luckily, she could use the drawstring to tighten it around her waist. After wiping the excess makeup from around her eyes, she slipped on the pink and white striped tube socks and walked out combing her fingers through her wet hair.

When she joined them at the table once again, Pam was munching on some pretzels. She had a moment of panic when she saw AJ and remembered that she didn't get a chance to apply any peppermint oil or suck on grapes or spray lemon water on her tongue... but the bloodlust stayed calm. Her senses were chalk full of the sage incense that thickened the air.

Or maybe the fact that he is a vampire hunter, who could kill her, diminished her thirst. Ha...

Oh. Dammit.

Shock finally gave way to a horrifying realization. Of course, AJ Freakin' Reed would make himself more of a problem for her! It seemed like a sick joke. Her Affinity was a hunter! She willed herself to calm down with a shaky breath. Information was crucial. She needs to know exactly how screwed she was.

"I'm back, so can you please tell us what that thing was?" She asked the older man.

She suddenly felt a sting on her shoulder, and she turned to glare at AJ who was applying some ointment to her injury. "Hold still," he hissed. He encircled her arm with his hand holding it steady. His fingers sent electricity down to her fingertips. She fought the urge to pull away from him again as he began to tape gauze over the wound.

Ethan said, "What you saw was a vampire, a thrall. They don't usually come this far into the city unless they're literally starving. This one was part of a pack that we were tracking. It must've gotten away from us the other night and traced AJ's scent back to the school. It doesn't happen often, but some can be surprisingly good trackers."

AJ refused to meet her gaze as he shifted to bandage her other shoulder. His hand tightened on her arm reminding---warning-- her to stay still. His touch would stay light and gentle if she would let it.

Pam's mouth made an 'o'. "So, you guys are vampire slayers?"

"Hunters, yeah," Ethan answered.

"But how? I mean... that thing seemed strong and fast. How can you fight that?"

It was a good question. Why would humans face something that could very well kill them? Surely AJ got lucky because that one was distracted by her blood, but Ethan just said they faced a pack of them?

"Some of us are more inclined to face those things than others," Ethan said sharing a look with AJ. "But there are strategies to track and kill them."

"A-are you sure that was a vampire?" Pam asked looking over at Nastia.

The unawakened vampire didn't have the time to explain the difference between her kind and that thing. She didn't have to. AJ said, "Yes. But that is just one kind of vampire. There are two kinds. That was an underling, a thrall. It's the other one that is harder to hunt. They are worse."

Nastia froze. She was hoping AJ would only be aware of the existence of thralls. But of course, that wasn't the case, and it shouldn't have surprise her. Hunters of the past were aware of the fact of her kind's existence but not the full extent of their nature. The fact that her kind can blend in with humans up until a certain age was something that has never been discovered to protect their young from being targeted. In this modern world, with the resurrection of the hunters, it is too possible that that secret may be leaked. And if it was, Nastia would be in danger. She waited for them to say more. What did they know?

"I don't understand. How so?" Pam asked.

AJ said, "Thralls used to be human. They're usually turned against their will. They serve the vampires who create them."

Ethan continued, "The creators of thralls are a specific demon breed. They make thralls by infecting a human with their blood. They are elusive, operating underground in a secret society. They think of humans as food and nothing more."

Demons? That word conjured up images of ugly, winged horned devils with goat legs. Nastia shifted uncomfortably in her seat drawing AJ's eyes back to her.

"Wow..." Pam said. Anastasia would give anything to know what she was thinking. "Have either of you ever killed one of those?"

Yikes. Good question, bestie.

"Given their nature, hunting a vampire demon is quite difficult. I have only killed two creators and almost lost my own life both times. But we both have killed plenty of thralls," Ethan said.

That didn't alleviate Nastia's anxiety. AJ has never killed her kind, but he has killed thralls, who are stronger and faster than her in her current state.

It occurred to Anastasia for the first time that AJ gripping her arms in the stairwell when she lost control of her bloodlust may have been an instinctive reaction to push her away, not hold her close. The more she thought about it, the more she was sure that she misinterpreted his intentions. She was so close to being exposed to a hunter because of her own carelessness.

"Is it just you two?" Nastia asked.

"No. We have a small group that is part of a larger organization that dates back centuries. It's best to keep numbers small for most occasions though."

They're really back.

"Where do I sign up?" Nastia asked. "Is there a registration deadline? Website?"

AJ narrowed his eyes. "Are you insane?"

"What? I can't be a hunter?"

"Did you not hear anything we just said? It's dangerous."

She rolled her eyes. "I can be dangerous, too."

AJ stood up. "You have your answers. Since you seem fine now, I'll take you both home."

"We already told our parents we are staying at the other's house. Sneaking into the house in the middle of the night would be suspicious. So, we are staying." She whirled around to give Ethan a smile. "If that is alright with you, of course."

Ethan leaned back in his chair watching the exchange with a bemused smirk. "I don't mind. She has a point, kid."

"Of course, she does," AJ mumbled under his breath before heading down the hall. "I'm going to bed."

"Night," Ethan called out to which AJ slammed the door. "Well, he did not like that idea one bit."

"But you will consider, right?" Nastia asked.

"And what makes you think that?"

"You're not denying it. I'm sure you could use all the hunters you can get and it's easier when they already know what's going on. Am I right?"

He smiled. "You definitely have a spark about you. I'll talk to AJ about it."

"Why do I need his approval? What are you to him? Oh. You're the uncle he came to church with. That's why you looked familiar."

He nodded and stifled a yawn. "Look, why don't you and Miss Pamela here get some rest? You can use the room on the right. We'll talk more about it in the morning."

Moments later, her and Pam laid down face to face on the queen size bed. Nastia had inspected every corner of the room to make sure it wasn't bugged. She couldn't risk the hunters learning her secret or she would be putting her whole species in danger.

"Why do you want to be a hunter?" Pam spoke in a hushed whisper.

So, I can kill AJ when I awaken, and not die in the process.

"Precautionary measures," she told Pam. "It's safer for me if I keep an eye on hunters in the area."

"What if they find out?"

"They won't. They don't even know my kind are born resembling humans. Guess they think we just come out drinking blood out of a bottle or something. Idiots."

"This isn't funny, Nastia. What if they find that out? You could be killed! Your kind... what they said... it's not true, right?"

"Well, yes and no. What they said about thralls is true. We vampires can create thralls, but that act is prohibited now. The ones they're hunting and killing must be those that have been in hiding for a long time or they were made illegally or by accident. We used to have large armies of them a long, long time ago. But they were too unstable to keep around."

"Unstable how?"

"They craved the blood of their creators more than human blood. So much so that there had been instances of them attacking our kind, tearing us to bits."

"Wow, that's scary. Is that why it went after you like that?"

"Yes. More than likely, it smelled my dormant vampire blood."

"So that is what happens when a human gets turned into a vampire, every time? They turn into one of those things?"

"Yes. They lose their humanity and go insane, controlled by their bloodlust. Humans just can't handle our blood. What? Were you thinking about asking me to turn you?"

"The thought did cross my mind, not going to lie. Are you sure you want to do this? Be a hunter? AJ seems against it."

"I don't care."

"What if they find out you're ----"

"Pam. The only way they could possibly find that out is if you tell them and you're not going to." Nastia's eyes held Pam's in a hypnotic snare ensuring the girl's silence. "Now let's go to sleep. I'm beat."

Just for good measure.

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