1. Sunlight Over Vegas

-Katherine-

He stood on his knees before me, smoke billowing off his body like steam as the early signs of dawn peek over the Nevada skyline. Covered in tattoos, he looks up at me with a sexy grin spreading across his face; as if his current predicament isn’t dire. His body is a beautiful weapon; usually, I would find him alluring since it is exactly the type of muscular body I love being underneath.

But this is no ordinary man on his knees; he’s a vampire bound with chains behind his back.

“Times almost up; I can make this a quick death or a prolonged one, Hyde,” I say to the man in leather. I burned his jacket and patch just to fuck with him earlier, but he showed no emotion even though I know it’s the highest disrespect for a biker club member. 

He looks up at me with blood-red eyes, and a chill shoots up my spine. The eyes of a vampire aren’t that different from an Alpha werewolf or Lycan, except where only the irises of those beasts turn red, a vampire’s entire eye, even the white, turns red. Some of these fuckers have the whites of their eyes turn black with only their irises red. We still don’t know what that could mean, though.

“What makes you think that I don’t welcome death, hunter?” He laughs and shakes his head. “Unlike you scum, I have loyalty to my maker and President. Threatening me with death means nothing; give me the sunrise because you won’t get anything from me.”

Have to admit that these Devil’s Void vamps are fucking tough to crack. Normally vamps would offer up their nest leader in a heartbeat, but not these guys. They’re utterly loyal to their President, Gabriel Priest; this is the fifth one we’ve caught this week, and they spew the same fucking thing about loyalty. These fuckers kill humans, but they dare to call me scum?

“Then I’ll give you the death you crave,” I say, then turn and walk away from him just as the sun starts to rise. 

The stench of a vampire’s burning flesh never gets easier to stomach, and I expect the screaming to follow soon after. But as I said, these Devil’s Void vamps are a different breed altogether; they don’t even scream when their entire bodies burst into flames.

When you spend your entire life killing monsters, you become just as cold and unfeeling as them. Another blade to the heart means nothing, even if it is a woman or a child. That’s what I’ve been raised to believe, and I have to live up to it—Katherine Décès, hunter and Death’s Temple heiress; the deadliest hunter guild, Death’s Temple. 

“Still nothing?” Xenia Blake, my second officer, asks when I approach the bulletproof SUV, she’s leaning against. Her long, raven curls tied up in a high ponytail, and her hazel eyes are shining with anticipation as she plays with the stake in her hand. But the smile drops when she sees my annoyed expression.

When dealing with the Devil’s Void vamps, I like to administer the torture myself because of the bloody history we share. A history that ended up with a Blood Oath Vendetta carved into my skin - one that has me vowing to eliminate them all.

“Still nothing,” I answer and walk to the back of the truck so that I can pack my weapons away.

“Damn, these fuckers are tough out here,” she comments. “Normal vamps would have squealed by now.”

“I am well aware, Xen,” I huff out and close the back. “But one of them has to be weak; they can’t all be stupidly loyal like this.”

Even as I say those words, I know that it’s all bullshit. My father dealt with these vamps in his glory days and said the same thing - that none of them would give up the location of their nest and leader. 

“The surprise we left at the one nest last night will get his attention, don’t worry. We literally spat in his face by killing all the vamps there, so he’s bound to react.” She says, getting into the passenger seat just as I hop into the driver's side. 

“I fucking hope so,” I say and floor it away from another vamp’s death in the middle of the desert. 

 

I’ve come to Las Vegas under my father’s orders to eliminate the entire Devil’s Void nest and their leader, Gabriel Priest. He’s responsible for the deaths of two people closest to me, and I won’t stop until I’ve driven a stake into his heart. 

He’s the second oldest vampire in the States, and rumors are that he’s taking over as Vampire King from the deceased DA Westcott in New York. He has to show his face here on his home turf, especially after we took out that nest. If he doesn’t, well, then he’s a shitty leader.

“Fuck, I’m exhausted,” Xenia echoes my exact thoughts and lets out a sigh.

“Ditto; we need rest and to recoup after last night’s exploits. My father will want news on how things are going here, and since we don’t have answers -”

My words get cut off by my ringing cellphone, and when I look at the caller ID, I see the name of one of my informants and grin. 

“You better have good news for me,” is what I greet them with, and they chuckle.

“Hello to you too, Kitty Kat. Does knowing that Gabriel Priest will be at his club tonight count as good news?” he taunts, and I slam on the brakes to the ire of Xenia next to me.

“No fucking way,” 

“Fucking way. Get your ass ready to be at The Void tonight; the King is showing up to take his so-called crown.”

I turn to Xenia with wide eyes, and excitement courses through my veins for the first time in ages. Tonight I’ll be able to get closer to Gabriel than anyone in the guild ever has in the last fifteen years; tonight, I might get my revenge!

“I owe you big time!” I cry out before killing the call and turn to my second, who looks just about ready to burst. She shoots me a look and lifts her eyebrow, waiting for me to tell her what I just found out.

“We got him; he’ll be at his club tonight,” I say, and her eyes widen even more, but she doesn’t say anything.

We don’t say a word as we continue to make our way to our rented apartment outside the Strip. No words needed to be said because not only is Xenia my second officer, but she’s my best friend. She was there for me when I couldn’t stop crying after my mother and little brother’s deaths at the hand of Gabriel Priest. She comforted me when I blamed myself, and she promised me that we would get revenge.

And tonight, we will make good on that promise.