Chapter 1

The music thumped through the club, vibrating through everything and everyone in fast-paced pulses.

Strobe lights shot around the darkened room and the close-knit bodies on the dance floor writhed against each other in time to the beat.

The main smell in the club was alcohol and the strange smell from the smoke machine that would occasionally go off, coating the dance floor in a thick cloud.

Isabelle watched from the sidelines, gently swaying to the music, drink in hand.

She felt good tonight.

Her tight red cocktail dress was attracting a lot of attention, but not quite the attention she was looking for.

She held her clutch close to her side as her keen eyes scanned the dance floor.

She knew he was here; she just needed to find out where.

She checked her watch.

3:00 am.

Damn.

She'd have to speed this up a bit, there were only about two hours until sunrise and only an hour until the club closed for the night.

'Where the hell are you?' she thought to herself in irritation.

She threw the rest of her drink back, enjoying the burn it left in her throat on the way down, and then placed the empty glass down on the nearest table.

Moving between the people on the dance floor was easier said than done and so many drunken men tried to pull her in for a dance but she politely declined.

Maybe not so politely if they decided to try and be insistent.

The flaw of only being 5ft 5 was that it was nearly impossible to see over the crowd. She'd just have to weave through and hope that she came across him, which was both time-consuming and not very efficient.

It took her all of a few minutes to realise that it was going to be impossible from down here.

Then she spotted the stage where other patrons were dancing and it sparked her inspiration.

She squeezed her way through and got up onto the stage, pushing her way to the front.

She started to sway her hips more and really began to dance while her eyes still tried to locate the target among the other club-goers.

It was hot on the stage under the lights and the angle of the lights blinded her slightly, hindering her vision a little as she tried her best to find him.

She squinted past the lights as she continued to move, but it was no use, this wasn't working.

Suddenly hands were on her hips and a hard body pressed up against back, swaying along with her.

"Hey beautiful," a smooth silky voice said in her ear.

The body behind her was cool to the touch and she felt herself smile.

Found you.

She spun herself in his arms, wrapping her own arms around his neck as she continued to sway.

"Hey," she smiled up at him, remembering to raise her voice over the music, even though she knew damn well he'd probably be able to hear her anyway.

He motioned towards the bar and winked at her. She nodded and let him lead her off the stage. The bar was the quietest area in the club, not that it was all that quiet.

He ordered them both a drink and once they had them he smirked at her looking her up and down.

"Please tell me this vision in front of me is single," he said in a soft voice.

"Unfortunately, yes," she played along, a little smirk still playing on her lips.

"Not unfortunate for me," he smirked again, taking a swig of the red liquid in his glass that he wanted her to believe was wine.

"Look," she sighed, putting on her best embarrassed face, "I'm not looking for anything - past tonight -" she tested.

His eyes seemed to light up at that sentence and that was when she knew she had him.

This was going to be a pretty easy night.

"Me neither," he winked and placed a hand on her thigh.

She quickly grabbed it and took it away, but didn't let go.

She really didn't want him finding that surprise too early.

"Do you want to -?" she asked, motioning towards the bathrooms.

"Here?" he asked, looking a little shocked at how brazen she was being, “Right now?”

"Why not?" she shrugged, giving him a playful smirk, "The men's is out of order; there won't be anyone in there."

After only a moment's hesitation, he smiled and let her lead him towards the bathrooms.

They snuck in quickly to avoid being seen. Thankfully, the bathrooms were completely empty just as she'd expected.

He moved one of the heavy bins in front of the door, as not to be interrupted.

Suddenly she was up against the wall, his hands roaming over her hips and chest as he kissed her.

Wow, this guy didn't waste any time, he'd even nearly given away his supernatural speed with how quickly he came up on her.

Then again she'd given him all the signals so she couldn't exactly blame him for being so eager.

She kissed him back, fighting the bile that was rising in her throat.

There was still a hint if the taste of copper on his tongue as it invaded her mouth, it was disgusting and made her want to gag.

Just a few more minutes and it'd be over.

She tugged at his shirt, drawing his attention.

She managed to pull away and break the kiss without letting on that she hated it.

"Lean against the wall," she instructed with a playful grin.

Without hesitation, he spun them around, clearly expecting to be getting some head. The grin that was plastered on his face told her that much.

She winked at him as she ran her hands down his chest and over his stomach, slowly crouching down as she did so. Grabbing at the hem she tore his shirt open, showering the tiles in buttons.

"Ooo, a feisty one," he pretty much purred, looking down lustfully at her, "I like it."

The fool didn't suspect a thing.

She held onto his side with one hand as she ran her tongue up his now exposed abdomen.

His muscles were hard and sculpted, as they all were, but the cool touch and pale skin gave him away a mile off. Meanwhile, her other hand was reaching down to her thigh out of his view.

Her fingers wrapped around the handle and with one swift movement, she pulled back away from him and drove the dagger down into his heart.

He hadn't had any time to react.

He choked a little, his eyes glowing and red beginning to pool into his irises.

He looked up at her, fury in his now red eyes and his fangs fully bared.

"You little bitch," he choked and grabbed for her, but she was already out of reach.

He slowly slid down to the floor, leaving a blood trail down the wall as he did so. The silver dagger was smoking in his chest where it made contact with the skin.

It only took a few moments before he was completely lifeless, the glow leaving his eyes and his limbs flopping down.

Isabelle took a deep breath before taking her phone out of her clutch and dialling.

"It's done," she said quickly, "Clean up," then she hung up without waiting for a response.

As she turned to leave she caught a glance at herself in the bathroom mirror.

Her usually bright hazel eyes looked tired and darker than usual, and she could see that her makeup had started to melt under the stage lights.

Thankfully she couldn't see them, but she knew there'd be dark circles under her eyes.

She hated clubbing and right now all she wanted was her bed.

Then she noticed that there were a couple of spots of blood on her dress.

"Ugh," she grimaced, "Vampire bastard, this was my favourite dress."

She supposed it wasn't a lot, it could easily be hidden with the clutch and she could always pass it off as red wine if anyone was to see.

Sighing heavily she made her way out of the bathroom, being sure that she wasn't seen and made her way towards the exit.

She was more than ready to clock out now and she was sure her superiors wouldn't mind after the long night she'd had.

Hopefully, she wouldn't get another target within the next few days.

She needed to catch up on her sleep.

She'd been tracking this bastard for the last few nights and had had little to no sleep at all.

Hopefully, her next target was a day-walking creature, like a werewolf or a nymph or something.

Though, maybe not a mermaid.

She did get frightfully seasick.

Just no more vampires for now.

Just as she got to the exit she saw the cleanup crew, clad in club-wear, entering. She gave them a subtle nod to acknowledge them but didn't want to draw too much attention to them.

The other humans didn't need to know about the monster that had been among them tonight.

They were safe now.

Well safe from him at least.

Her job as a slayer (or hunter as they were often referred) was to keep other humans blissfully unaware while eliminating the threats.

It was dirty work with some very dangerous creatures, but she loved it.

Knowing that she was ridding the world of them, saving so many people, even if she didn't get thanks for it.

She herself despised any supernatural creature, she'd seen so much in her short time that absolutely horrified her.

They were capable of terrible things and they needed dealing with.

If it got out that these creatures were real and walking among them, there would be worldwide panic.

Best to keep it on the down-low and deal with the problem before it gets too big.

As she left the building she noticed a large back Land Rover parked just outside and she smiled.

The boss had even sent her a ride; she must be in his good graces.

She walked over and hopped in, not bothering to double-check as she just knew the car was for her.

"How did it go?" Jake, a fellow slayer/her best friend, asked as she buckled herself in.

"Hard to find, easy as pie once he thought he was getting some," she shot him a look, which turned into a smirk.

"A male is a male, no matter what species," Jake joked, trying to lighten the mood, knowing she was probably uncomfortable and tired as hell.

"Either way, I need a scolding hot shower now," she grumbled.

Jake just laughed, "You chose that method, no sympathy from me."

"It’s the easiest way," Isabelle defended herself; "They're less reactive when their brain is in their dick."

Jake just smiled and shook his head putting the car in first and pulling away from the curb and speeding off towards her home.