1

An elderly gray-haired man stood in a small basement and looked angrily at a man lying in front of him on a dirty earthen floor. The old man's hands were covered with a dried crust of dried blood, the mantle, completely hiding the senile body and until recently shining white, was stained with blood in front.

“It’s impossible, it’s impossible,” he muttered, knitting his bushy eyebrows, “it’s impossible for him to know, it’s impossible for him to understand everything. Now I was able to avoid it, but now I need to be more careful, otherwise he will become too dangerous an opponent.

The man, lying on the floor and bleeding, tried to say something, but only a hoarse hoarse escaped from his broken lips. His legs and arms were broken in several places, and in some places the bones came out, bringing excruciating pain to the man; almost all the ribs were broken and even crushed, and the skin in the places of the fractures was filled with a purple-blue bruise. The man breathed heavily and hoarsely.

"Don't touch him," the crippled man hissed somehow.

"Shut up, you animal spawn!" - An old man in a bloody robe exclaimed angrily. - I despise all your brethren, and let all the gods known to me be witnesses, I will destroy you all, every single one. I'll take revenge! I will definitely retaliate!

He nodded to two burly men in leather jackets with hoods to hide their faces.

- Hang this animal on iron hooks by the very ribs, pour our broth into it so that it cannot regenerate - let it suffer until the Hunter finishes what he started.

Then he immediately left the small basement, tightly closing the heavy iron door behind him.

Chapter 1

It was deep night outside, but the girl still could not sleep, tossing and turning from side to side - various thoughts came into her head that prevented her from plunging into the arms of Morpheus. The wall clock showed half past two.

- Yes, what kind of misfortune is this? she muttered, rising from the bed. - For the third night in a row I have not been able to sleep normally, as if someone has brought damage!

Sleepily rubbing her eyes, Emily got up from her double bed, which she bought three years ago. Why did you need such a big one for her alone? The answer is simple: she really liked it then in the store for room furniture. Wide, with high white backs, decorated with carvings; soft orthopedic mattress, on which it was so comfortable to lie; four pillows were attached to it - two large and two small, also white. The only downside to the bed is the high price, otherwise everything is just great.

The girl put on a short dressing gown from the same set over a silk shirt and went to the kitchen to drink tea: now she is unlikely to fall asleep until morning. Turning on the light in the kitchen, Amy filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. Her favorite mug appeared from the locker, and from the next shelf the girl took out coffee and sugar. Unfortunately, the tea ran out yesterday, and Amy completely forgot about it and, of course, did not buy it on her way home from work.

After a couple of minutes, the kettle on the stove whistled, and the girl, having poured herself a mug of coffee, went to the living room, not forgetting to flip the switch. She did not turn on the light in the living room: what poured from the brightly lit hallway was enough. Emily sat down on the soft, comfortable sofa and, taking the remote from the coffee table, turned on the TV. The girl mindlessly switched channels for the third time in a row, slowly sipping aromatic coffee. Unfortunately, the night air rarely spoiled viewers with something interesting, so when Amy got tired of pressing the buttons on the remote control, she opted for a news channel. At least they didn’t show ads for a vibrating massager and a dumb comedy show.

The plot was not pleasant. Some girl was brutally murdered. Presumably, the unfortunate man was torn to pieces by a wild beast. The investigation of this case was assigned to Detective Jonathan Black. Then a rather attractive dark-haired man of about thirty appeared in the frame in an ordinary black T-shirt. Raised muscles played under the fabric every time the detective began to gesticulate in time with his words.

- I wonder if he's married? - Emily asked herself aloud and immediately, smiling bitterly, answered: - What's the difference ?! Still, such a handsome man will not even look in my direction! - and with a noise took a sip of almost cold coffee ...

She is already twenty-five years old, and she has achieved practically nothing in her life! And it was so depressing for her that sometimes she just wanted to sink through the ground from all this shame. Yes, there is work, but unloved. And Emily goes to her only because she needs money to live and pay bills.

Of course, it was hard to grow up alone. At the age of ten, she lost both parents at once, whom she loved very much. As she was told, they crashed on a plane. The parents were just returning home. It is not known why, but there was some kind of malfunction in the plane on which they were flying, and they simply collapsed in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. And where to look for them there is unknown.

Fifteen years have passed since then, but Emily will probably never forget how she was told about this. And then the guardianship authorities came and took her to an orphanage. It is good that this house was left to her by her parents, otherwise she simply would have nowhere to return. But his parents acquired it shortly before his death. Prior to that, they rented small housing, but did not stay anywhere for a long time, moving from one place to another. It was not the easiest time, but ... It was with relatives, whom Amy sometimes misses so much.

Tiredly rubbing her red eyes from lack of sleep, Emily got up and headed back to the kitchen to carry a cup of cold and therefore already tasteless coffee, but then some indistinct movement on the street attracted her attention. The girl carefully placed the mug on the coffee table and approached the window. Two small yellow lights burned behind the glass.

“Just some kind of reflection,” Emily reassured herself, but then these lights ... blinked.

The girl screamed in fright and recoiled from the window, because in front of her, looking straight into her eyes, stood a huge animal. A moment, and it disappeared, as if there was nothing.

Emily, completely shocked, rushed into the hallway to check the locks to see if they were locked or not. Locked up, she thought with some relief, but fear still hindered her mind from reasoning. Trembling all over from the anxiety filling her soul, she ran to her bedroom and huddled in the farthest corner of the room - dark and invisible. Amy, curled up into a small, trembling ball of fear, waited. It seemed that time dragged on for an infinitely long time, one minute grew into another, and the echoing ticking of the clock filled the deaf silence of the room - nothing happened. The girl was about to crawl out of her hiding place, when suddenly...

The door was hit with unimaginable force. It seemed to Amy that her door creaked from such a forceful onslaught and if it was hit again like that, it would crack, even though the front door was iron. But there was no blow. As it turned out, it would have been better to hit than what followed him: the gnashing of metal and a roar. The roar of the same beast!

She was barely breathing in horror and broke out in a cold sweat. Her heart was beating, striking with pain against the girl's ribs, like a bird driven into a cage, trying to break free. Scary? Yes, not the right word: Amy experienced real horror of the unknown.

After a while, the grinding stopped and there was a long pause. It was quiet. Probably five minutes passed, although these moments seemed like an eternity for the girl, and then ...

- You know, my girl, and you have a good door. It usually doesn't take me that long to eliminate them, but here... I'm pretty stressed out. Well, nothing, I still got my way, - it was a man's clear and pleasant voice.

Emily held her breath and didn't dare to move.

You don't have to hide, I can still smell you. And believe me, my little one, you have a wonderful smell.

The voice of this man inevitably approached the place where the terribly frightened girl was now sitting. She was afraid to make at least some unnecessary movement, if only this man would not find her, her fear was so great.

Listen, you have a nice house. I would, of course, redo something here, but don't worry, I'm not that picky.

The stranger was silent for a while, then to quietly say:

- Well, why are you sitting in this corner, come out, I won't harm you. Don't be afraid.

Emily sat in her little hiding place and tried not to move, but curiosity overcame her, and, carefully peering out of her corner, she began to look around - strangely, the man who was talking to her was nowhere to be seen. "I don't understand how he knew I was sitting in the corner? Guess?" she thought frantically as she retreated back into her makeshift hiding place.

But a rough and authoritative male voice said:

- I told you to get out. Or did you not hear me?

Before Amy knew it, the man pulled her out of her makeshift hiding place with one sharp tug, and she found herself standing in front of this stranger who had broken into her modest abode. She raised her eyes to the man and froze.

A completely naked man stood before her. Tall, strong, muscular, with a broad chest. Dark, slightly long, shoulder-length hair, a strong-willed chin, a straight beautiful nose, high cheekbones and eyes ... those same yellow eyes that not so long ago looked at her from the window. "So it's him! He's a beast!" This conjecture plunged her into even greater horror, and now her eyes looked at him not in amazement, but in fear.

- W... who are you? she asked in a stammering voice.

"Does that matter to you, honey?" he asked her, grinning with his snow-white teeth.

Amy just nodded in response.

- My name is Jack, but, as I believe, my name will not tell you anything, therefore, my girl, do not fill your charming head with information that is not necessary for you yet.

- You... You will kill me? - Amy asked in a voice trembling with panic and wild horror.

What crazy thoughts are in your head? Jack chuckled. - Let me fall in love with you.

In front of the man stood a small, thin, thin, like a reed, girl in her dressing gown, which was now open. In the neckline of her silk shirt, a very attractive high chest was visible.

Amy, born with fiery red hair, was now like a light that flutters in the wind. Brown, fear-filled eyes, sensual, slightly parted lips, a thin graceful neck...

“You are very beautiful, Emily,” the stranger said with some hoarseness in his throat. He approached her closer: against his background, she looked just like a child - she was too short in comparison with him. The man leaned closer to the girl, inhaling her scent deeply.

- You just have a heady aroma! So I want to feed on you. Such an appetizing girl. I'm already salivating: I just want to sink my fangs into your tender body.

The stranger noticed how the girl immediately shrank all over and closed her eyes in fear. He just grinned and, walking around her, stood behind her, took a long lock of red hair and brought it to his face, inhaling her scent again.

Amy stood motionless. This huge man with the eyes of a beast looked at her like a hungry wolf at his prey, which he had driven into a trap and was about to pounce on her. To say that she was very scared would be an understatement. It seemed to her that she was about to faint: her breath hitched, and her heart was pounding like crazy.