Whitestripe

Chapter 3

Rayne Whitestripe

Blood splattered everywhere, thick clumps of it stuck to the woman's hair and all down the front of her clothes. A typical dagger wouldn’t have caused this much blood. Mine was infused with silver and a special UV chemical. It prevents the vampire's veins from healing. Therefore, the vamp bleeds to death. It’s a slow and miserable way to die. Especially for a vampire, they don’t go into a lull like the human brain causes to prevent shock. A vampire’s brain is hypersensitive, and he will suffer until the last drop leaves his body. I, however, am not one to let another suffer, so I take my dagger and pierce his heart once he is down. There was still a lot of blood. I hated this much blood and hated the mess it caused. Something this messy took a while to clean up. Working on the field crew for too many years gave me this lovely understanding of how they work. The grueling hours as well as the horrible pay. You think the people who you pay to clean up the mess that your hunters cause you would be able to at least pay them a little more than you do. Especially since they are the ones that keep the general public from figuring out that you exist. Although, if the public knew that I existed, the field crew would also be exposed.. hm.. talk about saving the skin off of your own hide.

I tried to make it, so my field crew didn't have too much to do when they got here, but when you have blood splattering across the opposite wall, it is hard to really clean that up.

The woman was unconscious but still alive. She wasn't in any immediate danger, other than the blood seeping and staining her blouse. The vamp didn’t tear her neck up. I killed the vampire because Shadows rule states if a vampire kills and is in the process of drinking from another human, to stop him or her with whatever means able. It’s better to kill the vamp than to have another dead body on your hands. even if you need him for questioning. Since this was the same vampire who drained the other woman, I was expected to end his life. "Roberts.” The shifter said when I redialed HQ.“ I found the vamp who killed the other woman. I have a woman I would say eighteen or so covered in blood.... I need a change of clothes for her. She looks about my size." I checked the tag on her blouse and was right. I'm not overweight. Actually, my doctor said I was perfect. Perfect in a size 10. My stupid butt couldn't fit in anything smaller than that if I wanted to be able to walk in them without splitting the seams. Stupid way they make female clothes! That is one of the reasons that I like to wear leather pants. They fit me like a glove, and they actually move when I move. Black leather pants, strap up knee-high leather boots. Yes, I stole the chick's look from that one vampire movie. Of course, it's not down to the t. I still had my own little quirkiness in my outfit. I was currently wearing a black and blood-red corset with nothing over the top of it. It had a black ribbon tying up the front of it. It had black fabric on the sides with the blood-red underlay. It was slit in some places with the red. I liked corsets because they were easy to shift out of. The ribbon was the only thing that would break when I shifted if I didn’t remove it. Regular clothes would shred in multiple places, and I would end up stuck dealing with clothes. They had some things that were magical that would stretch when you shifted, but basically, it was like the clothes that humans put on their dogs and cats, annoying and itchy. I had leather black gauntlets that ran from my middle finger across the top of my hand around my wrist and up the underarm to my elbow. I was able to slip daggers in between the leather and my wrist, one reason I wore them. The other reason was that I had daggers literally embedded into the elbow. Silver daggers, it was between leather and cloth, so when it touched me, it didn't burn. I have not cut myself with it yet, nor do I really want to. I haven't been cut or shot with silver, and to my knowledge, it hurts like a b***h. The most I’ve done was touch liquid silver with my hand and had a nasty rash for a few days.. "You have my size on file, send a pale blue t-shirt, and a pair of black knee-high capris. Let’s hope with any luck we will be able to alter her mind enough to remember that she bought the new clothes last night for her date." I really hated that part of our job. We had special ways to make sure our reality didn't become more exposed to the human world. You have to remember those sick forms of entertainment in the movies came from someone’s mind. Our theory about that is maybe many centuries ago we coincided together; all races intermingling. Of course, that is just a theory. “Vamp?” he asked? “Dead, Roberts, I need a field crew here asap. I know my field crew is at the other body, but this place is a mess and it’s almost dawn." I said into my receiver. I was exhausted. I normally wasn't so curt or annoyed with the wonderful horse shifter, but tonight just was not my night.

I’ve not been able to sleep. When I tried, the resident vampire elder who was over this region would conveniently call and ask why I wasn’t doing my job like I was supposed to. At one point, he literally said that I wasn’t able to go back to my hotel until this jack-wagon was caught. So, let’s just say I’ve probably seen at least four dawns since the last time I’ve slept. “I’m trying to see who’s available right now. I may end up having to call someone in. Don’t worry, Rayne, I’ll get someone there. Sit tight, we’ll get you taken care of and in a nice bubble bath.” I wish. I responded to him, though. “All I want right now is a field team and at this point a bed.” I couldn’t really go anywhere until I made sure the girl was okay with field support. We have protection for the support team when they’re cleaning up the field. I couldn’t trust that another vamp wasn’t stalking near here and saw the girl down and unconscious. My luck she’d be snatched by someone else and then killed. Then I would be skinned alive, I wouldn’t remain alive for long. Shadow would kill me for leaving her. Shadow is owned by a council of vampires, weres, and other non-human beings, also known as the “elders”. We are run by a unanimous decision from them all. If someone wanted you to jump, you would ask, "How high?" If they wanted you to cut off your arms, you wouldn't think twice. Fortunately, you need your limbs to work for them so they won't ask you to do that. They just work you to death. Literally. "Sleep sounds so nice.” I said, walking to the far wall. I was seriously needing sleep. Food and sleep. Not particularly in that order, I could do without food until later. I slid down the wall and rested my arms on my knees. I laid my head down for just a minute…

"Rayne?" ....... "Rayne?"..... "RAYNE!!!" I heard next to me. I felt someone pushing me with their foot. I lashed out in my sleep, not wanting to crawl out of my bed. I had a nightmare about work again, I needed to stop working so hard. "Guys, she's out. Get someone over here and pick her up." came the muffled reply... That didn't sound right. Who was in my room? I cracked my eye to see who the intruder was. Probably someone trying to play a prank on me. Looking at my surroundings, I opened both eyes and lifted my head. "Nope.. not a dream." I pushed the hand away of the Field Cleaner who was trying to pick me up. "I'm up. I'm up." I sighed. "If big boy catches you sleeping on the job, you'll be saying you're up." The crew manager Randall said. He wasn't a shifter or vamp; he was a human employed by Shadow. One of the few who knew about our kind. I guess his lover, or something was a were or something non-human, I didn't probe into his love life, and she revealed herself to him. Then, to keep him quiet, she turned him in over to Shadow to make sure he didn't give away her true form. True love, huh? I guess when you're dating a shifter, it is hard to keep your secret.. well, a secret. It can be done; you just have to want to not share it.

I stood up and used the wall to regain my balance when my head threatened to start spinning. Exhaustion... I glanced at my phone to check on the time. Dead. Figures. "Girl it’s almost 5 am." I glanced at him and nodded my head in thanks. "Shit.. I’m going to bed." I spoke. "You need to write your reports for the boss before you do." Randall stated. I was past the point of reason. I’ve been awake far too long for that. I whipped around and stared him down. I was using my vampire aura around me to project my mood. I was lashing out at him, I was pissed. Agitated and pissed off, not two things you want to confront with a vampire or werecat. We're known to have tempers. What cat doesn't? We own the world, or at least we think so. Typical mindset of the cats. Although Charles Randall was human, he was very perceptive with emotion, and I knew he could sense my projection. I normally wouldn’t have possibly exposed myself to him. He didn't deserve my anger, but I was beyond reasoning. Randall took a step back. He wasn't used to seeing me like this. Hell, I rarely saw him, nor had anything to do with him outside of work. I’ve known him just the entire time I’ve been in New York and I’m seriously not liking his “Oh you’ve got to follow all of the rules all the f*****g time” attitude. "I have been up far too long; I am no good writing a report when I’m so f*****g tired that I can barely see straight to go f*****g back to my hotel!" I whispered through clenched teeth. I turned my back on him and walked down the street. Throwing my gauntlets off, my shape contorted as I shifted mid-stride to my tiger. My body dropped to four paws a moment later as fur rippled over my body. Once my shift was complete I turned my head, bared my teeth and snarled just to give it a little extra uump, picked the gauntlets up in my mouth, and sauntered off. There goes more clothes I thought about after my shift subsided. I wasn’t going to try and pick them up on top of my gauntlets in my tiger form. I heard a low whistle behind me.