Darkness at Every Window

Chapter 1:

Body of 19 year old, Veronica St. Clair found behind Renware Alley.

This is the fifth body found this month alone, leading investigators to

believe that Rowin may very well have a serial killer on their hands.

Believed to have been attacked late last night, one of the participants

of the Freedom Celebration found the body propped against the

entrance of the alley just outside of the park where the rehearsal

was being held. Coroner's report revealed that the body of Veronica

St. Clairwas brutally raped and completely drained of blood, though

there were no visible marks exposing where she would've bleed out

An autopsy will bring to light the exact cause of death, but Rowin

police are investigating homicide.

The newspaper trembled in Faith's hands as she was read the front page. This was starting to get ridiculous. Vampires were meticulous creatures. Rowin has the lowest crime rate in the entire world; it's practically nonexistent and they knew that. It didn't make any sense to her why they were acting so careless. As she exhaled the breath she was holding, an awareness of unease overwhelmed her senses. No good could come of this.

His gaze tracked her every movement as she scurried across the street to the office building that was her apparent destination. He was leaning against the corner of a women's boutique consignment shop, waiting for the return of his brother, the spot being as good as any for finding their next meal. It was her scent that attracted his attention to her first. Everything on this planet had its own distinct fragrance, as a result, scent was as good an identifier as DNA if not better and he would not forget hers. She smelled of honey suckle, brown sugar, cinnamon, lavender, and cucumbers; a disorganization of scents producing harmonious aroma to strike his senses.

In the 2,000 years that he had been born and reborn, he had never smelled anything so pleasing. So he watched her as she passed him on the other side of the street. He noticed everything about her, how her hair was an assortment of curls. From loose spirals, to tight springs, the kinky, curly, coils of her hair was just as much of a chaotic disarray as he scent; except somehow, they look so perfect flowing free in the breeze she created by walking so fast, the sun bringing out the natural blonde highlights of her red-brown shoulder length hair. Her honey toned skin was smooth and flawless with a collection of freckles across her cheeks, nose. He noticed one on the ring finger of her left hand and was suddenly curious as to where else he could find them on her body.

She walked with a confident stride that was in complete contrast to the nervous tapping of her foot and the suckling of the bottom of her matte pink lips as she waited for the cross light to turn green so she could cross the street to the building she was headed for. It suddenly hit him, as the sunlight hit her black-brown eyes allowing for the mahogany brown to shine through, everything about her was a contradiction in and of itself. She had to be one of the lightest black women he had ever seen. He could see her innocence all around her. In the way she dressed, an attractive jade sleeveless blouse that ties at the side of her throat, the excess material fell across the front and back of her left shoulder and a high wasted black pencil skirt that ended just above her knees. She was all professional good girl, although she moved her body in a way that implied that she was anything but.

He groaned deep in the back of his throat, as he felt his fangs slowly elongate, one sign of his arousal. It was at this moment, with his fists clenched as he crossed them over his chest that he was glad, for once, that his brother was off somewhere engaging in acts a bit too depraved for his tastes. The thought of his brother having seen her or being anywhere near her set off a possessiveness that he never knew he had. It made no sense, he and his brother had shared everything for centuries, but the thought of him being in the same room as this lovely creature was enough for him to want to kill him.

He took a few steadying breaths, realizing that he couldn't snatch her in broad daylight in front of an area full on people. That was more his brother's M.O. he thrived on the chase, the hunt. He smiled drinking her in as she walked up to the office building of where, he assumed, she worked. He had to at least get her name before he lost sight of her.

He pushed at the edges of her mind searching for the information he wanted, but this time it was a bit harder for him. She had some sort of barrier and he had to concentrate a bit harder and use more force to break through it. He hadn't expected to come across such a strong barrier, but he got what he wanted. "Faith Dantes." As if she heard her name, she turned around her hand still holding the door as she locked her dark almost black eyes, in the shade of the office roof, with his forest green ones. He studied her again, a lazy smirk forming as he took her in all at once instead of separately and it clicked for him his smirk broadened into a smile revealing his fangs. She was a slayer. This would be more fun than he thought.

Her head began to slowly throb as she reached the office doors. She hadn't had one of these headaches in a while, so it took her a second to realize what was going on. Someone wanted in. She stopped opening the door and studied her surroundings her eyes falling on a lone figure of a man in the shadows just across the street. His presence was startling to her senses and she was surprised she hadn't noticed him before, even in her rush. He was utterly gorgeous with deep jade green eyes and dark brown wavy hair. His bronze skin and full firm lips just screamed sex. He was delectable. Broad shouldered muscular arms firm chest were draped in a button down white dress shirt and strong thighs wrapped in black slacks designer shoes completed the look. She could tell he towered over her 5'7" frame, even in the black peep toe pumps that gave her an extra 4," he would still be a head taller than her.

He smiled at her and her eyes were drawn to his dazzling white teeth and the answer to why she could sense danger on him like it was a part of him. There was tension in the air that spoke promises of violence and sex. He had fangs. Vampire. No sooner had the realization material he vanished. "Son of a bitch." She generally didn't swear, but it seems appropriate as she propped herself against the glass door and to anchoring breaths. "It wasn't the worst that could've happened, but it definitely wasn't ideal." It was a mantra that she lived by when things became haywire through no fault of her own. "And now life moves on." She walked through the glass door and into the air conditioned building.

She was able to gather more of her bearings away from the heat and tension that were still lingering outside. She shivered at the idea of his firm lips grazing along her neck, her eye lashes fluttering closed against her cheek as those same lips burned a path down to her shoulder. "Faith." She could hear her name wafting its way to her ears, faint as a whisper. She hardly noticed it. His unyielding hold on her hips was the focus of her attention at this point. "Faith." There was her name again. It was louder this time, just barely above a whisper and still far away; however, it jolted her attention from him for just an instant before he brought it back to him by gliding his hands to the edge of her skirt, just over her knees, and sliding them up her thighs. The black skirt bunched over his arms his hands cupping and squeezing her full derriere as he lifted her along the wall. She gasped her hands coming to brace themselves on either side of the hollows of his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist. She opened her eyes to a forest of jade ones as her forehead rested against his. He chuckled, his lips grazing past her partly opened ones to her ear. His tongue flicked at the lobe before sucking it into his mouth and nibbling it. She gasped, her thighs clenching at his waist as her head laid back against the wall. He smiled against her cheek. "So responsive," He was kissing at her jaw line, her hands having moved up to grasp the hairs at the nape of her neck, before moving back to her ear. "You are going to be so much more fun than I could've hoped for." He moved back and her eyes came back into focus with his.

"Faith!" Her eyes snapped open, the jade green eyes replaced with steel grey ones. Her mind felt foggy as she attempted to regain her composure and recognized her surroundings. "Glad to see you've decided to return to the land of the living." Her body felt as though it was on fire. She looked at her boss closely trying to focus on the images she was seeing. Bradford Vanderbelt was an attractive man by all means. She had more than one fantasy of him. He was broad and muscled, full lips, strong jaw. He was everything she had ever wanted in a man and the fact that he was he boss just added a certain tension that allowed for so much play for her.

But something felt off to her. Vampires playing with a person's head was nothing new, however she had never been on the receiving end of it and there were no warning signs of his entry this time. Her body was so turned on and wound up that she wanted relief desperately. She may actually try to relieve herself. She hadn't attempted in years never being able to reach that point of ecstasy and the very idea of a man touching her right now was starting to freak her out. "I'm sorry, didn't get much sleep last night I guess." She quickly rushed pass him and to the elevators.

She had to hunt him down. She knew that much, but she needed to figure out a safe way to find out as much about him as possible. Sighing, she leaned into the plush leather seat, her head leaning over it. She had moved here with her sister, Aemilia, after their parents were killed during a hunt. Rowin was the safest and easiest place for her to leave the past and create the life that she wanted for her and Aemilia. She had 3 years of peace and now this. Sighing she turned the chair to face the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the quaint country in her office. Letting the sun warm her skin, a deliberate plan developed she would act with tonight. In the cover of darkness was their preferred time to hunt, less witnesses and easy prey to target. So tonight she would play helpless victim to the creatures that prey on the weak.