Kaidan’s Biotic Space Wife

Book Title: When Shadow Meets Flame

Chapter 1. The Vampire

Who the hell is this tall, brooding vampire that keeps evading my knife, and springing my traps? He’s smart. I'll give him that. I’ve been trying to kill him for months. The Order has sent several hunters to take him out, none have returned after being sent to find him, yet he manages to evade me every time—never killing me.

Taunting me—always leaving me alive while those around me end up dead, such as my fellow hunters, and even his own kind this time around.

When it was just me and him I held my knife up ready to strike, but he moved with supernatural speed. Grabbing my arms when I tried to swing at him, twisting and binding them together, and pinning them above my head. All in a matter of heartbeats. So here I stand. Back against the wall, arms pinned above my head—one of them bleeding—and bodies of both human and vampire lay in front of me. And…him…

If he broke my knife shoving it into this wall, I swear I will slice him apart with the pieces of it. This weapon was given to me by the only person I’ve trusted as a hunter—my mentor. It’s made of pure silver, magical sigils hand carved in the hilt. Forged to kill vampires. I remember the first time I set my eyes on it. I was just assigned as his trainee and he put the blade in my hand and taught me how to hold it properly, I admired the sigils he placed in the hilt, hand drawn and glowing faintly. The last time he put this blade in my hand was as he passed it down to me—as he was dying.

I’ve killed twenty-nine vampires, and this mysterious one would be my thirtieth . I don’t even know his name, they just call him The Shadow Born. History says he was born in an old age, back during the first vampire wars. A product of shadow and rage.

Tonight, I was on a scouting mission with my team as we were ambushed by the group of vampires in an old cathedral. The Shadow Born, plus two younger looking vampires—I could tell by their lack of restraint, their impatience. The bricks in this temple are falling down everywhere, the roof is half gone. The bright light of the moon shines through the holes and reflects off the stone floor.

The Shadow Born paces back and forth—partially obscured in the darkness provided from what part of the stone work still stands. Even though I can't see his eyes, I know they're watching me. I watch his movements carefully as he assesses me. The hood of his cape is up, concealing half of his face, but I can see his lips just barely catching the light. Dark pink, curving just the right way to make them look so…devilishly handsome. As his lips part I see his fangs glint in the moonlight; fangs used to kill. And here I am offered up on a silver platter for him. Arms pinned, no weapon to grab…

My heart hammers against my ribs, I can feel my arms going numb from being held above my head, and the bleeding wound burns from the blood loss. “Why don’t you ever kill me?” I finally ask him, breaking the long silence. This isn’t the first time I’ve fought him, and I know it won’t be the last. The first time he had the opportunity to kill me, and he didn’t take it. He let me go. 

He doesn't speak, he simply stops his pacing for a moment before he starts towards me, stepping over the two bodies of my comrades as he saunters closer to me. Ronan, and Carr, they were my age, I trained with them, only they started as adults. Not born into this Order like I have been. We had just been laughing and joking only minutes ago before we were caught off guard. Ronan, was laughing saying I was going to be crowned hunter of the year this year. Joking that I was Commander Thorne’s favorite. Of course Carr agreed with him, he always did. I think he had a thing for him. My heart sinks as I think about returning to The Order without them. Just another set of names on the wall of Honor now.

The Shadow Born stalks closer to me as his cloak billows behind him like a second shadow. I narrow my eyes at him, showing no fear towards him. One speck of fear on me, and I’m dead. Vampires can smell the fear, they feed on it. And I will not be his meal tonight. The Order trains you to believe that your death is an honor to The Order. You give your life to protect those who cannot defend themselves. The Order was built to protect innocent civilians from vampires. And our mission…end them all.

He comes more clearly into view as he approaches; his long black hair falls just below his shoulders, flowing with his movement. His black eyes give no hint of emotion as he stares right into my eyes. He towers over me as he comes to a stop—just an arms length in front of me. I have to raise my chin high to keep my eyes on his. He bends over slightly to level his face with mine, I can see how blown wide his pupils are. He is so close I can feel his body just mere breaths from touching mine. My heart thunders, but I’m not afraid. I clench my jaw together, steeling my resolve. His mouth curves to a seductive smile, his fangs peek out as his mouth slowly opens and he turns towards my neck then his mouth grazes my ear as he whispers to me. “Not just yet...little huntress.” So ominous. I roll my eyes in annoyance. This is all just a game to him—and he's enjoying every second of it.

He’s still so close to me I can feel his breath against my skin as goosebumps rise over me. Could it be from his chilled skin coming closer to me? Or the fact that even though he could kill me in an instant…he doesn’t scare me. He shifts his gaze to the cut on my arm and inhales the scent of my blood. His eyes roll into his head, they snap closed and he groans as if he’s restraining himself from something he so desperately wants. “You smell amazing.” A chilled finger brushes my cheek as he draws back sending a shiver down my spine. “I’ve been fighting your kind for longer than you can fathom. I know all your fighting styles, all your hunters tricks. Evading you guys has been the game of my life since I became this way.” His voice is so deep, so husky, it causes my body to react in a way I don't want it to. He backs away from me slowly as he studies me.

I swallow the dryness in my throat, and tilt my head to the side at him. “How old are you exactly?” 

I can see his face clearly now that it's out of the shadows. I can see into the depths of his eyes they’re so dark, nearly black, but I can see a hint of green behind them as if his old human eye color is covered by a black cloud. I see how his right eyebrow is partially scarred. “500 years old.” He answers, his black-emerald eyes looking deep into my own blue ones. Almost as if he’s also looking over every detail of my features—looking into my soul.

“Well, 500 years is certainly long enough to learn how to not die.” I gesture with my chin down to the floor, where his vampire comrades lay in a pool of their blood. “I can’t say the same for your friends though.” I lift an eyebrow to him in challenge. 

He spares a glance to the floor quickly before he scoffs, stepping aside as we both look down at the massacre that took place here. “If you think those guys are my friends then you’re sorely mistaken. Just because they’re vampires doesn’t make me their friend. Those two were young and sloppy. Only here for a feast.” He walks over and gently kicks at one of them with his foot watching the lifeless body with a crooked, wild grin. 

He’s not wrong there. Taking down the other two vampires he was with was a cake walk. But it also cost me fellow hunters. The Order is short enough on hunters as it is; losing fighters before we can train new ones. All because the new hunters think they know everything and go out unprepared for a hunt. 

“You didn’t do anything during that fight." I note. "Are you the kind of guy that likes to sit in the corner and watch?” I tease him as I quirk up an eyebrow and offer him a sly smirk.

He wants to play. Let’s play. 

“I was anticipating the next move; those two were all action, but no brains. They figured they could take you on and get a good feed from you all. Me on the other hand?" He comes closer to me before he continues. "I only feed from those who are willing. Never to kill, only enough to satisfy.”

Like that’s supposed to me feel any better. I’ve still seen him kill people. Good people. Yes—they were hunters—and vampires kill hunters, but I knew these people. They were my friends; my family. 

“What kind of sick fuck wants to have a vampire feast on them?” The thought makes my blood run cold. Never knowing if they would be able to stop, feeling your body slowly die from blood loss. And the pain—those sharp fangs piercing your skin. How would someone be willing to give so much all on blind hope that they wouldn’t be sucked dry. 

“Oh there’s several people out there who take pleasure in giving their blood to our kind. It’s a form of euphoria for them.” My body feels uncomfortable from his explanation. I give a tug on the binds on my wrists, the fabric of the cloth digging into my skin, but it's no use they're tied tight and the knife is going right through it, holding it in place in the wall. 

He inches closer and closer to me, so close I can feel him. Vampires are supposed to be cold, lifeless things—but being this close to him. I swear I fell heat radiating from him, like something wild is barely leashed beneath his skin. There’s something about him that just feels…different. He takes deep breaths like I’m the only oxygen he can get. Though no matter how close he gets to me, I don’t flinch, I don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing if I’m scared or not. 

“You know one of these days, one of us is going to kill the other. How about we just skip ahead to that part?” I ask in annoyance.

He’s never gotten this close to me before, then again I’ve never been captured by him before. What if he doesn’t let me go? What would he do with me? Hold me hostage and wait for The Order to pay him a handsome reward for me. Or would that not matter? No…I push that thought away immediately. Commander Thorne would make sure I came back. I’m his best hunter. There’s no way he wouldn’t go to any length to get me back. Thorne trained me—ever since I was a kid and my parents died. He took me in like I was his own child.

I pull out of my thoughts as I note how close he is to me. Seeing him up close, seeing all his features, the small glimpse of his human life still in his eyes. It makes me wonder. He was once human, once lived a normal life until he was changed. It makes me curious about how he changed, was it to save him from death? Was he only changed for someone else's benefit? To create an army? 

The closer he gets to me the more I can smell him—the blood, the cedar, the leather—like temptation wrapped in death. 

Gods am I scenting a vampire?!

“Now," His breath gently caresses my skin as he speaks. "Let’s not rush what’s proving to be an entertaining hunt.” A single finger comes up to move a strand of my hair out of my face. The gesture makes me flinch, but not from fear, from what an intimate gesture it is. A chill runs up my spine at the cool touch of his finger against my cheek, causing the hairs on my neck to stand. 

“Do I at least get to know your name since you keep evading me? It wouldn't be very gentlemanly given we keep running into each other like this.” I narrow my eyes to him. Giving him a seductive look in the hopes it will make him crack; give me some information I can take back to The Order. 

His throat bobs as he swallows, and he pulls his hand off me. His eyes hardening on mine—but revealing nothing. No hint of emotion behind those shadowed emeralds gleaming in his eyes—like secrets buried in a cave. He glances up to my bonded hands above my head before he grabs hold of my arm, the uninjured one thankfully, and pulls the blade out of the wall. Lowering my hands in front of me he slashes the cloth binding my wrists. I can feel the blood flowing back into my arms and hands, tingling through my finger tips as he holds out my hand and puts my knife’s handle in my palm. His cold fingers wrap around mine sending goosebumps up my arm as he closes my hand around the hilt of my weapon. Our eyes meet, and I swear I feel my heart change beats.

What is this feeling?