IN THE SHADOWS

Chapter 2: An Offer

It was he who broke eye contact first, shifting his body quickly so that Vivian's blade was now at her own neck. She hesitated, a mistake she'd pay for with her life. Bracing for the moment she didn't fear, her heart keeping its normal pace, Vivian waited.

But he didn't slide the blade across her own neck. Instead, the cool touch of the blade on her hot skin was suddenly gone. Her own fingers still wrapped around the tip of the sword, Vivian stepped back from the creature, knowing that this time she would not hesitate. Yet, as she moved to kill the creature who spared her own life, another caught her eye. Raising from the depths of the river at their feet, Vivian turned, yellow glowing eyes surrounded by a swirl of blue. Her mind moved as quickly as her movements. Vivan's blade reached the creature before it saw her, but it wasn't enough, only wounding it on its scaled arm. The whip of the creature's tail slapped her hard across the chest propelling her into the brick wall at her back.

Catching her breath, the pain burning as she gasped for air to fill her depilated lungs, Vivian could only watch as the creature spread her clawed fingers, reared back to land a deadly blow. But just as Vivian thought she would die for the second time in a matter of minutes, her life was spared again. The vampire moved in between her and the creature, wrapping his bare arms around the thing's snake-like body, its spikes running through the vampire's body. Vivian watched as it didn't seem to affect him at all as he flung the creature off to the side. It gave Vivian enough time to gather herself, and her sword, to slice another penetrating cut into the creature's side. This time, the blow caused the creature to limp, falling to its side as a sound of what she could only assume was pain escaped from its swirling mouth.

The sound made Vivian's mind ring with pain, dropping her sword as she clasped her hands over her ears, begging for the sound to stop. Looking at the Vampire, Vivian saw that the sound didn't seem to bother him, as he gripped his fingers around the creature's neck, cutting off the sound. Gathering herself, Vivian stood, staggering with her sword in hand towards the creature.

Regaining her strength in a matter of seconds, Vivian soared through the night, a dance she'd done a million times, as she sliced the creature into pieces. Slowly, the blood flooded through the cobbled-stone sidewalk, the pieces of the creature melting back into the dirty waters of the Thames River. Vivian watched as the pieces drifted away into the black nothingness of the waters.

“What the hell was that?" Vivian gasped, her chest rising quickly as her body attempted to recover.

“I would say that creature is derivative of Scylla."

Vivian gapped at the vampire, his voice seeming to soothe her heart, calming it down instantly. She'd never heard one talk, having never taken the time to allow them to speak before she killed them. She tightened her grip on her sword, knowing that at any moment he'd lose control, his blood lust taking over.

“Are you familiar?"

His words continued to hypnotize her, as her two sides battled each other. Something kept her from moving, attacking, making her kill, but she couldn't figure out what it was about this vampire that was so different from the rest. Suddenly, she realized he was waiting for her to speak.

“Familiar?"

“With mythology?"

“Yes, are you?"

“Clearly. I believe this creature would be considered close to that of Scylla, the sea monster. Seems to fit," he shrugged, as if meeting this mythological creature was commonplace. It was not. Vivian had never encountered any other creatures, aside from vampires and werewolves. But she'd heard of these other creatures, but they were hunted out of this world centuries ago.

“That's not possible."

“Really? I accept that anything is possible." His eyes flared with a desire that took Vivian off guard. One side of her recognized that the desire was for her blood, but the other, that normal, naive girl still trapped inside her, saw the lascivious desire in his glowing eyes.

His movements were quick, too quick for Vivian who had let her guard down. Feeling the damp, protruding bricks of the wall dig into her back, his cold, rock-hard body pressed against her chest, Vivian's mind struggled to figure out why he pinned her against the wall.

Slowly, he reached his finger up and pressed it against his lips. Vivian heard it now, the click of the heels on the cobble-stone sidewalk, the whispered voices on the wind that rushed under the bridge. In the shadows, close to the vampire, for the first time, Vivian looked at him as a person, not a monster. Standing near to him, taking in the curves of his face, the features chiseled to human perfection, Vivian struggled to find the classic signs of a vampire. The razor-sharp tipped teeth, the over-flushed red of their cheeks and lips from the rush of blood, but most of all the black emptiness in their eyes.

Yet, his eyes blazed a golden brown, even in the darkness of the night, they seemed to dance in an unknown light. His dark skin seemed to glisten, that obviously pale nature of a vampire painted over. For a moment, Vivian thought maybe she had it wrong, maybe this person isn't the creature she thought.

“Who are you?" Vivian asked when she was sure they were alone again.

“Everett."

“What are you?"

“What are you?"

Their eyes remained locked, Vivian realizing that this encounter was unique in more ways than one. He did not seem particularly fond of acknowledging that he was a vampire, or whatever creature he must be, but nor did Vivian. This had never happened before, the question from a creature as to who she was. Battling inside herself, she didn't know which person to reveal to him. If he was a creature, any type of creature, then he knew what a hunter did. If she affirmed that piece, then he would kill her without any more questions or hesitation.

“Seems as if we found ourselves in a rock and a hard place." Everett spoke first, stepping back, Vivian immediately feeling the release of pressure on her chest.

“How do you figure?"

“Well, the way I see it, we need each other. While I am sure you came to this place to kill me, we have both learned that these creatures, as you call them, do exist when they should not."

“There has to be another explanation for that creature."

“I agree, which is why I am here in London."

“I can think of another reason you might be in London."

“You think I'm a vampire, don't you?" Vivian didn't answer. “I will not hurt you. In fact, I have a proposition for you. I'm in London investigating these creatures. Maybe someone like you can help me with this?"

“Like me?"

“Yes, I know you've been watching me." Vivian flinched at the thought of not being as good as she thought. “I've been watching you as well. I know what you are."

“Why not kill me? Why do you think I would help you?"

“Because it's simple." He shrugged, his casual demeanor infuriating Vivian at this moment. It bothered her that he didn't seem even slightly concerned that she might try to kill him at any second. “You need me."