Four

*BLAIRE*

Blaire woke up earlier than Marlow did. He had his arm wrapped around her waist, laying close to her. She rolled her big green eyes, grabbed his arm, and dropped it off beside her before climbing out of bed.

"Seriously Blaire?" Marlow said sleepily. Tossing his arm off of her woke him, and not in the best way.

"What? We're not together, Marlow, no cuddling. That was a rule we agreed on." She snapped back.

"Come on, Blaire. We've been doing this forever. Can't you even accept that maybe there is something here between us, more than just great sex?" Marlow said, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed. Even as he was trying to convince her to be together, he couldn't help but admire her amazing naked body. She stood in the doorway of the bathroom leaning against the door jam.

"Jesus no...Listen, if you're going to continue down this path of trying to be together or some shit... It's just not going to happen."

"I'm in love with you." He blurted out as if that was going to help the situation.

"Okay... I think it's best that you get dressed and head out. The sand storms have passed, so I'm leaving right after I shower. I can't do this with you. I'm sorry, but I thought the constant 'no's' 'not gonna happens' would have been sufficient enough to make it clear how I feel regarding you. Apprently not. I have enjoyed our random hookups here and there when we run into each other during hunts, but this is done. We can't sleep together anymore. I don't share even remotely close to the same feelings for you that you do me. You're a nice guy, a great guy, you're very attractive and a good hunter, you will find a woman who will kill to be with you. That girl isn't me and never will be. So please get dressed and leave. Now."

"It's done then? There's no talking about this?"

"Are you kidding me?! We have talked about over and over again, and I give you the same damn answer every time. And now, since I guess you're in love with me, it means all of this is done. Now get the fuck out!"

"Fine! I'll leave and you'll regret it you selfish, unfeeling bitch." He jumped from the bed and ripped his clothes on as she watched to make sure he left. She followed after him and locked the door before getting into the shower. She made it quick and got dressed.

She stopped by the bar to get something to eat before heading out.

The only way to travel was by horse, or foot. Cars no longer existed, gasoline wasn't a thing. They were in a higher tech dark age. Government societies were the only ones who some how had access to satellites giving them the power of internet and cell phones.

Most small settlements or camps had electricity, but that was a fight regularly. It took a group of people to keep the grids going, and a few more to guard it from raiders.

It was a mostly dog eat dog world now. Justice was what you decided it was, but if there was one type of person who could be considered the justice bringers it was hunters. No one messed with hunters, rarely were they challenged and rarely did someone go against their orders.

Raiders were the exception, a rare exception but one nonetheless.

Guns were also obsolete now. Swords, bows and knives were the weapons most commonly used. Most people were more skilled in only one of them, or they were phenominal fighters in hand to hand. Blaire was one of the few who was expertly skilled in all of it, but that's what happens when you're a Raiser. You have no choice but to be forced into it.

It was easily already a hundred degrees outside and it was early morning, the rust colored sand reflected and obsorbed the hot sun making it not only hot, but extremely bright. She put on shaded goggles to protect her eyes from sand and sun. She was walking across what used to be the Kansas and Nebraska state line, but after everything happened and the continents began to shift it was now becoming a desert with sand storms. Some sand storms were so strong they'd take out buildings.

Rivers and lakes were barely there anymore, but the ocean had gotten much higher, about thirty feet in five hundred years. She had about 200 miles to walk before she got home, but there were small settlements every fifty miles give or take. Most were dug down into the ground to stay safe and cool.

"Hey...You're a hunter right? Blaire Raiser?" A younger man asked just as she was got outside the town line.

"Who are you?"

"I'm Darrell. You're Blaire?" It was obvious he spent a lot of time out in the sun because his black skin was some of the darkest skin she'd ever seen. He was young and handsome, but had innocent, almost scared brown eyes.

"Yes I am." She replied suspiciously moving her hand on the hilt of her long sword.

"My hunter family was killed by werewolves. I was on a hunt and returned to find them slaughtered."

"How do you know it was werewolves?"

"They were ripped to shreds, and some had huge bite marks or claw marks that ripped into their stomachs. If you'd seen them you'd agree."

"Alright so exactly what do you want from me?" He was a little taken aback by her abrupt, nearly rude tone.

"I have no one anymore. I'm seventeen and I don't want to be alone, so I was hoping I can come with you to your family. You have a larger family, you're more skilled and I share no genetics with anyone there." Hunters refer to their equivalent of a vampire coven or werewolf pack as a family. Many are actually not biologically related, but families tend to trade around to keep the gene pool large.

"Okay, how far from here was your family?" Her tone softened when she could see he looked about to cry.

"About thirty miles south of here."

"Did you burn the bodies?"

"Uh, yes I did. I had the hardest time with my younger sister and my dad. My mom died a couple years ago."

"Okay. Good. Let's go, it's a very long trip."

"I know. I can handle it."

"Fifty miles until the next settlement." He nodded his head, "alright. Come on."

"Thank you."

They began their travels in silence, but the young man couldn't stand the silence past the hour of walking.

"You're a Raiser huh?"

"Yes I am."

"He was the original hunter? Jason Raiser?"

"Yes."

"What's it like being a Raiser?"

"It's like being hunter but with more expectations. Being held to a higher standard leaves very little room for mistakes."

"That must be tough. This job makes it easy to make mistakes." Blaire stopped in tracks and glanced at him with a raised eye brow that could be seen over her goggles.

"I don't make mistakes."

"I don't mean...I mean, I know you don't make mistakes...You're Blaire Raiser, you're the most famous Raiser besides the first. It is well known that you're the pride and joy of your father, of your entire family. All hunters aspire to be as good as you. They can't be, but they want to." Blaire nodded and then started walking again.

*********

*CHARLES*

"The sand storms have passed, sir. You're daughter should be on her way now. Two or so days unless another big storm hits." Mark informed Charles.

"And that means you found her?"

"Yes sir. She was seen in Ashford. Apparently a kill."

"That's 200 miles away. Have someone go get her. We don't have time to wait for her ass to get here."

"Yes sir, I'll send out a couple guys. We'll try and meet her half way. We'll take the camels, quickest, safest way."

"Yes Mark, thank you. I am well aware that camels are the best option for long distance dessert travel. Fill them up with water before you go."

"Yes sir." Mark gave a single nod of his blonde head and left Charles' office and Xavia walked in. She saw Charles rubbing his face aggrivatingly before punching a hole into the wall behind his desk.

"Charles." Xavia snapped and he whipped around to look at her, she stepped all the way into his office and shut the solid cherry wood door. The office was brightly lit, but the walls were a dark green. All the matching furniture in the office was a solid light oak and a big black computer chair.

"What?" He snapped back while pacing back and forth.

"Why are you punching holes in the wall?" Xavia sat down in the heavily padded black living chair across from his desk. She crossed her long legs and sat back looking at him with a raised eye brow. He turned to look at her and couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was despite all her battle scars. He loved her, the only person on the entire planet in the entire history of his life he loved more than Xavia was his daughter.

"She's a pain in my ass you know?" He bit his lip and was shaking his head still pacing, "Blaire you know? Pain. Doesn't listen to what she's told. She is so damn stubborn. She took off over two weeks ago with no word and went hunting and then I've had to send scouts out all over the place looking for that pain in the ass."

"She's your daughter. You were difficult for your parents too. She takes after you. She is literally the female version of you. Except like the upgraded version. No offense."

"No offense taken. I've always thought she was a pretty amazing myself. But God she doesn't make being her father easy."

"No, she can't. She's a Raiser. She has a long legacy to live up to. It's over a thousand years of hunters to live up to. Up until her and this is no insult to you Charles, but Jason was the best hunter. The first. The original. The best. Killed more, created this system that has allowed hunters to continue surviving. Yes it's a shitty system in terms of emotional needs, but the world needs hunters to protect them from the monsters. When there are those who need to be hunted, there has to be hunters. Maybe after she's taken that werewolf beast out, the council and her should sit down and reevaluate this whole arranging marriage thing. I like your wife, I do, but you two should have never been together."

"I know. You and I should have."

"Yes. And she should've been with Mark." Her eyes drifted toward the closed door where Mark had been just moments ago. "Perhaps when we re-evaluate the laws, we can allow for divorce..." Her voice trailed off as she spoke the sentence.

"Perhaps...But I think we should wait until we've married off my daughter. If there is no law forcing her to marry and procreate, she won't do it. She won't willingly marry someone."

"We can still keep it a law to marry...Just give the option to marry for love, and not just duty. And the option for divorce if neccesary. Like a council approved divorce." She looked at him pleadingly and he looked at her with soft and sad eyes. He moved across the office and sat across from her taking her hands up into his.

"When this blood born pack is killed...You and I can get together and discuss some changes to the laws we use to govern marriages, and then when we've made it argue-proof, we'll present it to the council. If it's approved, I'll talk to Cecilia. And you speak with Mark."

"You promise?"

"Yes. Cecilia and I have nothing in common, we never did. We have barely liked each other our entire marriage. She can't seem to have any more children, and to be honest, I need to procreate more. With my genetics, I need to have more children. You've said so yourself. Mark can't reproduce either...for whatever reason. So, hopefully the procreation issue is with them, and not us. We may be able to use that as the basis for our request..." Charles began to think about his approach. "We don't need to wait to discuss divorce and remarriage, Xavia. We just have to agree to have more children. Is that something you could do?"

"Have children? With you?" She asked, "absolutely. We're still very young, only sixties. We've got a couple hundred years left. We can have as many as you want."

"Alright. Let's get through the ceremony, and approach the subject after we begin discussion of this blood born pack. It'll be easier if they think we have an even bigger threat to the hunter species. We'll do this my love."

"Good." She smiled.

******

*TRAITOR*

"When will the Raiser girl be back home?" The man said over the phone.

"She will be home in a few days." The woman on the other spoke, "then they'll do the ascension ceremony, she'll be to full power. And she'll kill that alpha werewolf."

"Blood born correct?"

"Yes. Blood born."

"What are the chances she will defeat him?"

"Very high. Almost a certainaty. I've seen her fight many times, she is marvelous to see." The woman explained. Silence hung through the phone lines.

"Are you sure you want to do this? When we begin, we cannot just stop. You came to us with the offer, you need to be prepared that if you back out, we'll reveal your treachery to your family."

"Yes. I am sure I want to do this. The human species needs to take back over, but you cannot do that without help. Sacrifices must be made to the betterment of the world."

"Good to know you believe that. Until we speak again." The man said hanging up the phone on his end. The woman slowly set her phone down while taking a deep, nervous breath.

"It's for the good of the world...She has to die. They all have to die." She said to herself before wondering back to cooking the big family dinner.