Flash Fiction - Hunter

Lincoln glanced across the dark mahogany desk in his office to the immense ice-blond male stood in the open doorway. The man entered when Lincoln acknowledged him, his black scuffed army boots heavy on the wooden floorboards. As he approached, the shadows drifted away from him, chased back by the glow of the fireplace. The amber light did nothing to warm the man’s appearance. It caused dark hollows in the angular planes of his face and turned his already icy blue eyes hard and cold and emphasised the breadth of his chest as it caught on each muscle barely hidden beneath the tight black t-shirt that stretched like a second skin over his torso.

Tor dragged the chair on the other side of Lincoln’s desk out with little finesse, scraping the legs across the wooden floor, and then slumped into it.

Lincoln eyed him, wary of the larger male, wondering if the man could even tell friend from foe anymore. Tor was the Vehemens bloodline’s longest serving hunter. Their only hunter now. And he had once been sent to kill Lincoln. If he had succeeded, it wouldn’t have been the first time Tor had killed one of his own bloodline.

The hunter stared at him, face impassive, eyes as hard as diamonds, waiting.

Lincoln leaned forwards, rested his elbows on the desk, and clasped his hands together.

“I have a job for you,” he said and Tor’s right eyebrow rose. “You will be handsomely rewarded for it too.”

The immense male shifted as though he was going to lean towards him and then shrugged his shoulders and settled back into the chair. The momentary flicker of interest hadn’t left his eyes though. Tor worked for the bloodline. Payment didn’t usually come into it. Lincoln had piqued the man’s interest by mentioning the reward. It wasn’t something he would have normally offered but the mission was one that wasn’t important to the bloodline. It was personal. Important to him.

Important to Lilith.

He wanted to lift the weight off her shoulders and bring her good news when he returned to her where she was still hiding away at the cabin in the mountains. He hoped that the information he had would give her the strength to take her first step into the role of lady of her bloodline. It was hard for her. He could see that, could feel it in his blood whenever he was with her. She was still becoming accustomed to being a vampire. She wasn’t ready to lead a bloodline and cope with what that entailed. The bloodline were growing restless though. They needed their lady, even if it was just her presence in the mansion and a few well rehearsed words that he had written for her. He would take care of the rest until she was truly ready.

He would take care of everything, including this.

“You must travel to Paris as soon as possible. There is a man there, Oneiric, who has found something very precious to our lady. I want you to meet them both and bring them here.” Lincoln paused to gauge Tor’s reaction to the news that this was a simple escort mission.

He expected the hunter to suggest he send guards instead but the man just held his gaze in silence. Waiting. It unnerved Lincoln. He felt as though the man was studying him, using every second to his advantage by putting to memory everything about him, waiting for him to show a weakness that he could use against him. An opening. Was this how the man hunted? Did he stalk his prey from the shadows and rooftops, studying, learning about them and looking for a weakness, and opening he could use to slip in and dispatch them without them even being aware of him? A chill snaked down Lincoln’s spine. He had known the man was a good hunter.

He hadn’t known he was so heartless.

Lilith would murder him if she discovered that he had sent such a soulless man to protect her beloved sister Eve.

“In Paris, you will go to this address and meet them there.” Lincoln slid a small square of paper and two photographs across the desk to Tor. The male leaned forwards, deftly swiped it from under Lincoln’s fingers, and frowned at one photo and then the other. He paused on it for long seconds and Lincoln swore he saw the hard edge to his eyes soften for a fragment of a second. “Oneiric is the male and will be able to help you. It is imperative that you bring the woman here as soon as possible and that no harm comes to her. She is our lady’s blood sister, and therefore I believe she will become our Chosen Daughter. If you fail in this mission, it will be your head, understand?”

Tor nodded, folded the pieces of paper with one hand and slipped them into the pocket of his black jeans. He rose from the seat and Lincoln’s gaze caught on the large black gun holstered under Tor’s arm against his ribs. A cold weapon for a cold killer. He had never heard of a vampire resorting to carrying a gun. Did the hunter ever use the weapon? Something about the male’s air, the darkness he wore like a cloak around his wide shoulders, said that the gun was a last resort.

This man preferred to bloody his claws and fangs.

Lincoln hesitated. Could he really trust such a man with such valuable cargo? The momentary softness that had touched his eyes when he had looked upon the picture of Eve gave him hope that despite his cold exterior, Tor still felt some emotions.

He lifted his gaze to meet the hunter’s sharp blue one. “I do not need to tell you that she is precious, do I?”

Tor shook his head.

“She will be our Chosen Daughter. Treat her with the respect she deserves. Protect her with your life. Do nothing that might harm her.”

The hunter frowned at him now and Lincoln stood. Perhaps it was best to give Tor all the intelligence he had on Eve. The picture of her was proof enough that she was struggling with her new life, her face gaunt and eyes hollow. Oneiric had mentioned that since taking the picture, he had managed to get some blood into her, but still didn’t have her feeding yet.

“She has been through a lot... a forced turning. It has been hard enough for Lilith and she chose to turn from vampire hunter into a vampire. Eve did not have such a choice. She will be volatile, frightened, and in need of care. Protect her and bring her to us so Lilith might help her.” Lincoln paused again and considered what he was going to say.

Lilith wouldn’t approve but Oneiric had made Eve sound as though she was a danger to herself and he knew that it would kill Lilith if anything happened to her sister. He stared into Tor’s eyes, silently conveying the importance of what he was about to say.

“Protect her from herself if you have to.”

Tor nodded, turned and stalked out of the room.

Lincoln stared at the empty doorway.

He hoped the flicker of emotion that had crossed the male’s eyes when they had lit upon Eve’s picture was a good sign, not something that was liable to come back and bite him.

Either way...

Eve’s future was in Tor’s hands now.