Hunter Maximus

I didn’t have to stay in the bathroom long. Not when I heard voices in the other room and I came out to meet Jennifer, the human bride for Darrius. I also met Claudia, who I liked. She was a vampire and at least she offered to pay me for my services and then let me go. Maximus didn’t like the fact Claudia had stepped in.

At this point in time, Claudia has left the room to get a sewing machine and other things, while Maximus had to go figure out security with two vampires called Leah and Owen. They on the other hand, I didn’t trust. They obviously had something against humans and loved to be superior.

I was alone with Jennifer now.

Ian and Natalie’s daughter was a little weird to me. I didn’t understand her. She actually looked happy in this place. If a little pale from blood loss…

I pick up the roll of fabric on the couch near the fire place which I think will look good for the dress. I roll it out on the coffee table.

“White will look best with your black hair,” I say to Jennifer, who is standing off to the side. Maybe she could sense the fact that I didn’t understand her, didn’t really get why she was so calm and collected. She explained she had friends here, but she was a key player in the world of supernatural politics. Her life was at great risk within this palace.

She should want out of here. But I had a feeling something more than just friends was keeping her here. Maybe she actually really liked the prince Darrius.

“It’s beautiful –,” Jennifer responds but is abruptly cut off as the door to Maximus’ bedroom slams open and a vampire I haven’t seen before comes in holding a syringe.

“Your time at this palace…? Has come to an end, human,” the vampire threatens Jennifer.

This was exactly why she shouldn’t like it here.

The possibility of getting killed by paranoid vampires was extremely high.

By now my adrenaline has increased. My vampire hunter instincts turn on and I think fast. What can I use to kill this vampire?

He was here to kill Jennifer; that much was obvious. Hopefully I didn’t get killed in the process.

“Why are you doing this?” Jennifer asks. She obviously knew who the other vampire was.

“For the preservation of the supernatural world. This is the end, girl,” the ugly, half bald vampire snarls back, ignoring my presence.

I see the vampire tense to attack.

Jennifer doesn’t see what my vampire instincts help me see.

This guy wasn’t going to talk any longer.

“Jennifer, run!” I yell at her, but she doesn’t notice me, I’ve screamed too late. The vampire rushes her, I quickly bend and snap the leg of the coffee table off. A stake. I hear Jennifer scream out Darrius’ name just as the vampire takes hold of her.

I leap forward and abruptly halt, taking a step back. I clench the stake in my hand behind my back, hiding it from view as I see a figure rush in like a blur through the door.

Frozen to the spot, I watch as the syringe is stabbed into Jennifer’s neck, just about the same time the ugly vampire’s head is ripped off and thrown into the fire.

Jennifer has fallen to the ground, I assume she is dead, lying lifeless, her body curled on the carpet, blood from the vampire’s head coming off has sprayed onto her dress.

The vampire that tried to save her stands stock still as he sees Jennifer’s dead body on the ground.

The look in his eyes says it all.

He loved her.

He must be Darrius.

“No,” I see him mouth the word and I barely hear him utter it. He hasn’t even noticed me yet. Or he simply doesn’t perceive me as a threat.

I don’t move, afraid he might attack if he sees me a way to let out some anger.

Darrius throws the headless-body to the side and falls down to his knees next to Jennifer. He brushes hair away from her neck, feels her pulse.

A dead silence fills the room as I look up to see Claudia come back in, holding a sewing machine. She places it on the ground and glances at me before taking a few steps forward and halting.

“Darrius?” Claudia whispers. I watch silently as Darrius leans up, finally takes me in, but his eyes only meet mine for a brief second. Because he looks over his shoulder and glares at Claudia.

“Why did you leave her?” He snarls.

“Is – is she –” Claudia can’t get the words out, tears start to choke her words.

“She’s dead,” Darrius snarls, turning back around to Jennifer. He picks Jennifer’s body up and stands, holding her close to him.

Claudia bursts out crying, trying to apologise, she is shaking. Darrius ignores her, his expression so steel hard, it’s scary. Any moment now, and he’d snap.

A third vampire suddenly appears in the door way, another handsome one. This one has long black messy hair, with gold eyes.

“Prince Darrius,” the new vampire says with a hint of an exotic accent. Darrius turns to face the intruder. He is silent, but the new vampire smiles and says, “She is not dead.”

“How?” Darrius snarls, “She has no pulse.”

“She will reawaken. She is gone for now, but will come back into her body within the next twelve hours as her body repairs itself,” The exotic vampire leans in the doorway casually and looks so relaxed, I see doubt flick into Darrius’ expression. Claudia stops crying as well.

“How do you know this, Rafael?” Darrius asks firmly.

“Trust me,” Rafael says back confidently, “She will reawaken before the wedding.”

Darrius suddenly turns to look at me.

“Make the dress,” Darrius directs to me, before turning around and stalking out of the room. Claudia follows and Rafael closes the door, ignoring me.

Suddenly I am left alone with no one but a headless vampire thrown against the wall, and the head burning to ash in the fireplace. I drop the stake I made from the coffee table against the floor and roll my eyes.

“Well, isn’t this bloody perfect?” I say aloud to myself, “Sure!” I yell at the door, “I’ll just go ahead and make a dress for a dead girl, in this mess,” I look around me, annoyed. There was blood on the carpet, some even got onto the material I wanted to use for the dress.

I had no measurements from Jennifer’s body.

I only had stained material and Claudia’s sewing machine to work with. I notice a bag by the sewing machine that contained everything else I’d need.

I walk over to the broken coffee table, the material rolled onto the floor. I pick up the white roll of fabric and throw it on Maximus’ bed.

“I can’t believe this…” I mutter to myself.

The place was too messed up.

The sooner I escaped this palace…

… the better!