Chapter One

Ten Years Later

Sometimes the darkness that is suffocating you, that wants your soul, is the only thing left that can save you. Do you possess the bravery to allow it to take you?

Looking down at the people of Skull Valley I pitied them. Most are home with their families, so the streets weren't too crowded this time of night. Those that are out seemed to be too intoxicated to even notice the creatures hiding in the shadows.

It has been ten years now since the creatures came out to the world. At first everyone was delusional thinking we could all live together happily and get along. Yeah, that lasted all of two months before bodies started showing up everywhere.

Human or creature it didn't matter fear would make anyone lash out in violence and that is exactly what they did. It didn't take long before alliances were made and broken and made again. The war lasted three years. In that time most human were killed those that were still alive weren't the same. Most like the ones on the street below decided to drown their sorrows away with liquor. There were some that created families and tried to live within the new rules and stay under the radar.

Then there was me.

"Raven, creature at your three o'clock scouting out the man in the blue." Dustin reported into the earpiece. I scanned over the street until I saw him. Vampire, he was completely hidden within the shadows, but it didn't matter how hidden they were I would always find them.

Rage boiled inside of me as I watched an arrogant smile spread across his chiseled features. Most would look at this demon and see nothing but his beauty, because they were beautiful. I saw the predator for what he was.

Taking my exit, I jumped from my roof top down to the street staying hidden as I crossed the street never taking my eyes off the vampire. He moved along the street stalking the obviously drunk man stumbling toward him completely oblivious to the creature waiting for him. Then he made his move.

It was quick almost unseen by the human eye. The vampire grabbed the man and dragged him further into the alley. I sprinted into the alley my presence taking the vamp off guard. He dropped his prey and came face to face with me, but I didn't wait to address him. I tackled him to the ground using all my training I knelt over him and got a few good hits into his face before he grabbed me and flung me across the alley to hit the brick wall before sliding down to the ground.

He came at me with his vampire speed, but he wasn't quick enough. Being an alley stalker, I already figured he was weak. I slide to the side kicking him in the back to send him into the wall I had just been thrown into. Standing up I wrapped my arm around his neck from behind grabbed my enchanted sliver knife from my hip and thrust it into his heart. Ash and fire replaced the form of the demon that had once been knelt in front of me.

"Raven!" Dustin came running into the alley looking ready to fight. I smiled at him as I replaced my knife back into its sheath.

"Late to the party again, Dusty?" I teased him. He grunted and walked over the man still slumped unconscious on the ground.

"He will be fine." Standing up he walked over to me. I watched his muscles flexing under his combat uniform and ran up to his handsome tanned face. He kept a military styled haircut, and his emerald eyes always made me lose myself. His soft lips had me remembering a time when we were younger before the world ended.

"If you keep looking at me like that Raven, we might not make it back to the compound before the sun comes up." I snapped back to reality turned away from him to collect some of the ashes for Terra. She worked in the lab back at the compound. She seemed to think that if she could extract enough data about each creature, we could develop a weapon the help up on the field.

When the war ended Marcus Vanguard had been declared the new lord. Once the human had surrendered it was a fight between the creatures to decided who would be the ruler. Marcus was the oldest known Vampire in existence, but he wasn't a normal Vampire. Apparently, he was a hybrid. His mother was said to have been a shifter and his father was from the original Vampire bloodline. Now Marcus was the King of both Vampires and Werewolves. I heard there was some political outrage going on between the groups recently and knew our time would be coming soon enough to rise back up.

I had never seen him before but back during the war it was my job to gather intelligence and I was damn good at it.

Dustin had already moved the man back out to one of the bar entrances so when he woke up, he would think he just got wasted and passed out there. With a fresh kill the other Vampires in the area would retreat to report it back to the area leader. I wasn't sure who the new leader was since I killed the last leader a few months ago. They were very outraged about that and creature numbers in the area had been increased trying to find me.

"We need to get out of here before we are spotted by the others." Staying in the shaddows Dustin followed my lead as we made our way back to our truck that was parked a few blocks away. The truck had just come into view when five creatures surrounded us. I never sensed their presence.

"What the fuck." I stopped suddenly Dustin turning back-to-back with me. i heard his Glock being unholstered. I watched as they circled up. Caught off guard I noticed it was two vampires hunting alongside three werewolves. That was unheard of unless.

"Well looks like we finally found the ones that have been killing off creatures." Instantly my eyes darted to the new figure approaching us. His voice was like velvet and made my heart skip a beat. When he finally came into view a gasp left my body. He was easily six and a half feet tall with short black locks his eyes were violet, and his lips were upturned into a sly smile as he glided up to me. When he stopped an arm's length away from me it was too late.

"Such a gorgeous famine woman." He laughed looking around at the creatures circling us. "Surely this kitten hasn't been the one taking ya'll out." The creatures tensed up right along with me.

"Kitten!" I was angry. Who did he think he was calling me kitten? I went to strike out at him with my blade forgetting all my training in my rage. The tip of my blade was millimeters away from his chest held in place. I tried to pull my hand back, but he wasn't having it. He pulled me to him twirling me around my back hitting his front. He never let go of my hand no matter how hard I fought him.

"Feisty little kitten aren't you." He bent down breathing in my hair. I heard him purr and pure fear shot through me.

"Get your fucking hands off her!" Dustin was seething with rage his eyes glued on my capture. It's been six years since I have ever been bested and it had me reeling back to that time in my life before I was as strong as I was today. A part of me didn't want to fight this man though and it just made me angrier.

"I will touch her all I want," He growled at Dustin at the same time I saw him charge at us. I was thrown to the ground as my capture charged back. Dustin's blade raked across the demon's shoulder and my heart stopped. It only pissed the demon off as he grabbed Dustin by the throat and lifted him off the ground. Dustin tried to fight back but the demon knocked the blades from his hands as Dustin started getting weak.

"Please, let him go!" I screamed at him as I stood up without thinking and grabbed onto the demon's arm trying to free Dustin. I elbowed him in the chest surprisingly it knocked him back a step and gave me the opening I needed to kick his arm out to release Dustin. As soon as he hit the ground coughing and wheezing, I stepped in front of him and squared up expecting the demon to strike back.

"You will be mine kitten. I wouldn't fight it." He said calmly but his eyes were screaming anger. He nodded his head and the creatures surrounding us attacked. I pulled out my other knife and took a protective stance over Dustin who was trying to gather himself. The vampire to my right attacked first. I blocked him fist and used his own momentum to pull him down into my knee. I dropped him when one of the went for Dustin I twirled around kicking him in the chest. Dustin got on his feet.

"Raven, I got you," He threw his knife at me it sailed by my face, and I heard it hit its target behind me. We circled and fought together in sync like we have for years until they were all down. The clapping brough us back to the demon. I knew he was too strong for us right now and I was already winded Dustin had been wounded by one of the werewolves I needed to get us back home to recover.

"Dustin I am going to give you an opening." I glared at him when I heard his getting ready to argue with me. I pulled rank because I knew it was the only way. "As your commander I am ordering you to take it!" I growled out at him. Did he not know now was not the damn time.

I ran at the demon at the same time Dustin ran to the truck.