Chapter 1

TEN YEARS LATER

    Liam came with a grunt, softly kissing my cheek he hovered over me for a moment; holding himself up with his arms. After a few moments, when he knew he was completely spent, he pulled out and headed toward my shower. I wrinkled my nose, this was not my favorite time of the month, and I hated the mess of his fluids dripping out of me and down my thigh. Ten years had passed since I had first become a Hunter, and one of the few women ones at that. Liam and I both had entered at the same time, and were around the same age. We got along well enough and were in the same unit; so when the decree for procreation came to be, I had propositioned him for my own safety.

    The decree had stated that due to the decrease of humans and increase in Nephilim, women were to be sexually active during their ovulation periods. If the woman already had a preferred sexual partner it would be honored, if she did not one would be chosen for her at random each month. Many of the women who were without a partner found themselves in very bad situations due to this, and quickly found someone they knew who would attest to being their partner. The object was to increase the population (specifically women as there were not many of us left due to the Nephilim) and also the ranks of Hunters. The babies would be taken from their mothers shortly after birth and raised in a central facility. It was barbaric and cruel to separate mothers and children, yet I could see the logic of it. As one of the few female Hunters I was still subject to this law, and were I to fall pregnant would continue my duties without going into the field. I had approached Liam specifically because of his physical attributes but also because we were close friends who had helped each other get through training. As the only girl in our group I had faced extra hardships and discrimination, Liam was one of the few who did not treat me differently and actively stood up for me when the others leered and wanted to be assholes. He and I had stayed late many times training, he helped me to build my endurance, strength and agility. Liam himself was incredible, he had previously been a soccer player at the professional level, he was fast and graceful. His body was taut lean muscle, and he taught me everything he knew. As a result my own body was well toned, and I could move quicker than anyone, save him; as well beat them in a fight. Just because I wasn't bulky did not mean I was weak, a fact I had to prove over and over to some of these meatheads. Liam was British, stranded here right before "the event" as it was called, when this whole shit show began. I remember being struck by his beauty when I first saw him, his mop of sandy blonde hair covering one eye, his visible eye a deep cocoa color with a mischievous glint in it, his mouth crooked up in a grin and both his ears slightly pointed at the tops. He stood at around 6'2", which was the perfect height for me at around 5'6", and always had a lighthearted way about him that could diffuse any situation no matter how tense, a good person to have on your side. Given his temperament and physical abilities I figured if I had to degrade myself several days each month, he was the one to do it with, and hopefully pass on his killer genes to our child. It wasn't that there wasn't affection between us, there was some, but often we just did our duty and were finished; it was fine with both of us and kept me safe. No one dared look sideways at me knowing I was "Liam's woman" and as such we were often sent on missions together. Nephilim liked human women, frequently kidnapping and raping them to produce their own offspring. Liam was more than capable, as was I; in our ten years together I had never been at risk of being taken. 

    "Alright Ver, your turn" he came out in a towel, his wet hair plastered to his forehead. My eyes tracked down his smooth chest to his abdomen, where the two lines dipped dangerously low. He caught me looking and waggled his eyebrows "like what you see?" 

    I grinned "been there, seen that" and shrugged, kicking my legs over the side of my bed and heading to clean up. 

    "Better hurry, don't want to miss breakfast!" I grimaced, I knew we were going to be getting new assignments today, we had just finished hunting a particularly wily Nephilim. Now since we had succeeded we would be getting new instructions for our unit. I washed off quickly, tying my wet hair back in a low braid and wiggling into my uniform. Liam was waiting for me, his all black uniform fitting him like a glove. The shirts were made of mesh like breathable material, body hugging and reinforced by goodness knew what to essentially operate like armor. The pants were made of thicker stuff, still very breathable and lightweight, with various pockets to slide weapons in. We each had either a vest or low slung belt to hold more items, and my personal weapon; the scythe was in a holster strapped on my back. He looked great, I couldn't deny his sex appeal; and thanked the universe he was my friend, partner in battle, and willing to lay with me. Truly I had gotten lucky, even if we weren't romantically involved and it was more of a friends with benefits situation it was enough; the little bit of affection helped both of us. Once I was ready he held his hand out, and taking it we headed down to breakfast. 

    The barracks were exceptionally noisy this morning, something had everyone in an uproar. I saw a knot of men surrounding something or someone, it was too damn early for this, glancing up at Liam I saw concern on his face. He dropped my hand and strode forward, I quickly scanned the room, Liam and I outranked most of the men here so if something was amiss it fell to us as Lieutenants. He pushed his way through the tangle with ease and I heard him sternly giving orders, the men stepped back and he caught my eye. I had worked with him long enough to know what he needed, and walked toward him. As I got closer I saw a woman next to him, fiery red hair, her jaw set, chin high and tear streaks evident on her face. Holy shit, another woman! I quickened my pace and approached her carefully, I was sure her tears were due to the men pawing at her, she was a small thing, maybe 5'3" at best. Her clothes were the same as ours, and fit her curvy body tightly; she was beautiful and it was easy to see why the sex starved men had lost all reason. It was only a small number who would dare act this way, but that was more than enough to terrify someone. I stood in front of her leaning over to hear Liam whisper to me.

    "She's new, first official day, and these animals couldn't resist some groping and grabbing. Care to do your thing?" He raised one brow, knowing me too well, I had a pretty strong feminist tendency. I grinned widely, more than happy to demonstrate for these morons. I glanced over my shoulder at the woman, her chin still tipped up and her eyes fiery, how I hoped she would be assigned to us; she had spunk after all. 

    "Your name?" I asked evenly. Careful not to spook her but hoping she found comfort in another woman.

    "Cassandra," she said quietly but firmly "most call me Cassi." I nodded, time to remind these men who seemed to have forgotten that women can be just as deadly.

    Grinning like a maniac I addressed the crowd "can anyone tell me WHY you decided to accost Cassi?" I demanded, my voice cold. I wasn't known as the Shadow Walker for nothing, I was one of the best Hunters and could be just as fearsome as anyone else on the team. I saw the group shrink back, I grasped my scythe and pulled it out of its sheath, the weapon slowly unfolding in my hands to its full size. Its blade gleamed in the light, a dark obsidian flowing into its long matte black handle, that boasted a curve for better wielding. 

    "If one of you fuckers doesn't answer me now I will punish everyone here" I looked down my nose, "and as most of you know I am more than capable if you dare." My mouth tipped upward in a half smile half snarl, daring them. I heard Liam exhale behind me, amused with my theatrics. I pointed my scythe at the nearest man, the tip dangerously close to his throat.

    "You must know something, being so close to the front" I cocked my eyebrow at him. "It would be wise to talk" I inched the scythe closer, pushing it against the tender skin. He gulped audibly.

    "We didn't mean anything by it, Lieutenant! We were just trying to help!" 

    "Help?" I turned to Cassandra "and just how were they trying to help?" Making sure she had a chance to speak, letting her defend herself. 

    "They helped me by grabbing me, groping me and asking if I had a man already." Her eyes were like two hardened stones, gazing harshly at several men. I made a note that these were probably the ones who were the culprits. "I told them to stop, but they didn't listen; and continued touching me as if I was a piece of property." Then she stepped up next to me, "I asked you to stop! And you couldn't listen, couldn't respect it. I hope that I do not have to work alongside any of you because the thought sickens me! And never, ever, will I do my duty with any of you assholes who dared objectify me." She then took a step forward, now in front of me "and if any of you think to do it again I will show no mercy" she growled, her voice laced with venom "I may have held back today, but it will not happen again. Mark my words." She spun on her heel and walked back to Liam, I felt my chest puff with pride, she clearly did not need me; I was definitely going to ask for her to be in our unit. The other members knew not to mess with a woman anyways, and I saw them far on the other side of the cafeteria, clearly not involved in this. I slammed my scythe into the floor, causing a vibration under our feet.

    "Let this be a warning to you dickheads. She is to be treated with the same respect as I am, and if you mess with her like that again she has full permission to draw her weapon on you." I saw some nodding, some looking shocked and others smirking, "make no mistake boys, you are expected to think with your big heads not your little ones. If you can't do that I will happily punish you until you can." I sheathed my weapon and smiled sweetly.

    "Fuck, I forgot how dangerous she is" I heard one whisper near me. 

    "She's the shadow alright, fucking terrifying, Liam is a brave man." Another intoned. My little charade always worked, only my team knew who I really was; and even then only to a degree. Liam was the only person who saw me for who I truly was, the only one I had let see it. I turned and headed back to Liam and Cassi, I held my hand out to her.

    "Verity, I look forward to working with you" she smiled at me and took my hand.

    "Cassandra, and likewise! Thank you, I was worried I would have to hurt someone but didn't want to make a bad impression on my first day." 

    "I wouldn't worry" Liam intoned, "these jackoffs will be fine. Most of them aren't like that" he grinned "and you won't have to worry about any of the men in our unit, they are all used to Ver" he slung an arm around my shoulder. Her eyes widened in surprise, then softened knowingly.

    "Of course, I hope to be placed with you both" she looked at his arm that was draped loosely around me "I assume you are?"

    I nodded "yes, we are a pair, but you are welcome to him if you like" I jabbed him in the ribs and he faked being hurt, Cassandra snickered. "And we will speak to the commander to make sure you are with us, though I can't imagine him placing you anywhere else." 

    "I appreciate it" she nodded "and as for your offer with him" she eyed Liam appreciatively, "I would definitely consider it, he's probably one of the best if he's with you." She wasn't wrong, and to be honest I didn't mind sharing. Liam and I hadn't had any luck, but it's not like we really tried. I wanted to be pregnant like I wanted a hole in my head, so I never did anything to help the matter. It was a business transaction nowadays anyway, sure sometimes we got into it, especially after we had taken a Nephilim down. Full of adrenaline, and the thrill, we would attack each other in a fervor of lust, blood and sweat; until we hit our sweet release. Liam of course would have to be ok with adding another woman into his rotation, and I was not sure how he would react, I looked at him curious. His brown eyes had gone wide in surprise, and his grip on me had tightened a bit.

    "I will take that as a compliment" he smiled, "we can take that one day at a time. There are a lot of good men here, not just myself; but I am open to it." He squeezed my shoulder gently, and I knew of course he would be willing to but I would remain his priority. "Now, how about breakfast ladies?" He turned to Cassandra "you can meet the rest of the team too, I'm sure you will like them." He smiled, and letting his arm drop gestured her to follow him and we went to get our trays, my stomach rumbling already.