Chapter 1

 Clayton is amused watching as a group of teenagers feasted on a woman's blood in the dark corner of the woods. He has been following them after     they seemed to act suspicious around this lady   who's working in a convenience store down-town. Two girls and three boys have been biting the  wo-man's skin in different places.

     He's very sure that these kids will immediately   be caught once the policemen check the CCTV's. They immediately dragged the lady outside the store where cameras in front the neighbouring establishments linger. And that is a complete No-No for hunting.

The lady was knocked out and he couldn't smirk any harder since the kids looked untamed and stupid. Another group of little fangs quenching their thirst without proper execution and training. Their clans might be very disappointed once he reports this to them.

Seeing that the group finally had had enough sip, he slowly stepped closer to stop them. He held on one of the boys' collar to keep him from biting on since he looked like he is about to sip again even after a few hard sucking.

The boy must have panicked that he roughly turned to him and showed him it's awfully, blood-coated fangs. It's eyes glowed red in the center trying to scare him off .

Clayton grunted due to annoyance at the boy's messy state. He's disgusted with how painted with blood the boy's face is. He pushed it hard that the thud of it's back hitting the dried leaves alarmed the others.

They immediately gathered together and stood in defense towards him. They were trying to scare him off with their awful looks. The stumbled boy being pushed behind them and protected from him. Must be a higher official's son.

"Nice strategy but that won't work. You will easily be surrounded if you all clump together during a fight.", Clayton is talking about their stance. They must have thought staying together would make them a stronger force... Which is stupid for him.

His eyes went pitch black while standing to let them know who he is.

"H-hunter ...", One of the kids,probably their leader, finally recognized him. At least they still know what his eyes project.

Hunters. That's what they call them. Creatures created to balance humanity and vampires. They are basically halves of each sides. They can eat like humans in a normal basis. They could also drink blood if they feel like it.

They could bathe themselves and sleep. But they could also keep themselves awake for a week. They are creatures created by science. A composite of the two strongest types of organisms.

Hunters are made to balance them. They hunt humans who run after vampires and hunt vampires who takes pleasure on killing humans for satiation.

The boy looked pale and shaking. But to his utmost shock, the boy turned from a lanky coward to a boastful and irritating boy.

"You shouldn't be here! Our clan leader is the governor of this region. You are not allowed to s-stop us!", The kids behind the boy nodded and seconded his overly confident statement. Even after that shameful crack of his voice. 

Clayton laughed at that. He could not stop his loud and choking laugh for quite a few seconds. He must say the boy's a comic. This is what he likes in hunting. Stupid idiots who think clan power could stop hunters like him.

"Just go home and ask your mom for some milk ,instead of acting cool here when you're obviously underage.", He said then laughed again irritating the kids.

"I am lactose intolerant!", The boy whined.

"Oh? Then you should have just asked for water. You won't know, this girl might have drunk a carton of milk before you snatched her off.", He said with that annoying smirk. 

He was utterly contented when the boy immediately paled. Of course he was kidding! Milk does not affect a human blood besides the vitamins it imparts.

But boy would he admit it. He likes the panic on the boy's face and the worried look of his friends as they checked if he is shaking or any signs of rashes are showing up on his body.

Well, they are minors and their bodies are as fragile as a human being. They could still acquire diseases. 

One of the girls even cried. Clayton sported his sarcastic 'Aww...' as the girl shook of fear. She must be his girlfriend or one of his admirers.

"Francis... We're bringing you to the hospital, okay?" 

The bulkiest of them all carried their lanky friend assisted by the two girls.

He just grimaced when the boy dramatically fell off and fainted on the big guy's back. What an overreacting, weak creature.

They scurried off leaving him and their victim. He sighed and turned to the woman who's eyes are open wide and looked at him in full horror. Her neck is dripping with blood from each side and her wrists are awfully cut. Her own blood is messily scattered on her face and shirt. Her body is also starting to spasm because of the poison those stupid kids' fangs contain.

She must be a college student judging by the tote bag beside her and the books sticking out of it.

Poor girl. She must be a really good and hard-working kid if she works in a convenience store and is studying at the same time, he thought.

He carried her in his arms making her let go of the tote bag she is gripping hardly. He heard her groan in protest but could not move because of too much blood loss.

He is awed by her persistence to keep herself awake. For someone who has been sucked out of blood by five teenage vampires, she sure is tough enough to manage to still live.

After a few moments later, he felt immobilized.

Her blood's addicting scent attacked Clayton's senses. Holding her this close made him immediately addicted by her whiff. How could he miss this scent even with his super sensitive sense of smelling awhile ago?

It's like a sweet but intense scent that he never encountered throughout his years of existence.

He could not get himself out of the trance the lady's scent put him into. Despite the control hunters like him possessed. Despite his disgust with messy, splattered blood.

He ended up snuggling his head deep in the woman's throat. She immediately flinched at his action. She's scared that the man holding her right now might be the last straw... One bite from him and she will definitely snap out of life.

But instead of a nerve-racking fang, she felt his tounge glide through her wounds. Lapping all the flowing blood on her neck and sniffing every single second like a hungry animal.

She finally lost hope and felt herself giving up. Her head spun and a sensation of something heavy inside her head pulled all her sanity out. She felt like she's falling down in a very dark pit before everything went black.

Clayton knocked out of his senses when he felt the girl's breathing start to labor. He also felt her stopping from trying to struggle out of his grip.

When he got a taste from the girl's neck, he lost it. Her blood was just so addicting to him and made the monster inside him lash out to get himself satiated. No... It wasn't hunger, it was addiction at it's finest.

He hasn't even sucked a bite and yet here he is, wanting for more and doped with her blood. This is something new to him and overwhelming that it was his turn to panic when the girl stopped breathing.

No! Not now!

He still has questions. He still has curiousity to uncover. And he feels like he still can't get enough of her scent.

Using his ability, he ran as fast as a lightning to a friend of his. Jones, one of the Hampton's clan living in the nearby town closer to the city, is a doctor and an expert in healing vampire-inflicted injuries.

Clayton has been asking the doctor's help everytime he encounters humans who are blood-sucked and could still survive.

He isn't sure if the girl in his arms can make it but he could only trust his friend's ability. He knows the man is capable of saving people.

He sensed more blood around as he dashed past the woods. Probably another human being victimized by another vampire. But he couldn't care less right now that he is desperate to keep the girl alive.

He knocked so hard on Jones' clinic since it's a Tuesday and he is well aware that the guy is sleeping inside. It took him a few more angry knocks that almost made him punch the door open. He is already mad when the doctor opened the door while fixing the robe around it's pajamas. He went straight to the metal table and laid the girl there.

Doctor Jones Hampton was not surprised that another victim is brought to him again by one of his hunter friends. It has been going on like this since he started his career and he isn't complaining. In fact he likes it. He likes it that these hunters always take the initiation to save some humans who had done nothing to be preyed on by vampires like him. Reason why he remained vegetarian, or the animal blood-sucking vampires. 

This is also the reason why he dedicated his life helping hunters save these people. He stays in his clinic 24 hours during weekdays and only goes home on the weekends.

For him, this is all normal. A hunter barging in with a bloody body with them in his clinic. But right now? He is curiously astounded with Clayton's seriousness as if he is desperate to get the human live. His face is contorting with so much madness and panic as he paced around the room collecting every single medicine Jones uses to tend to the people's wounds and injuries.

Clayton has always been cocky everytime he enters this room and he always jokes about how funny and stupid the suckers were. He isn't used with this version if him.

Jones watched as Clayton looked unsettled and looking around for anything more he could use. So he moved close to him and roughly shook him in his shoulder.

"Clayton! Dude wake up!"

"Doc, move faster! She's gonna die! Do it!"

Doctor Jones' eyes squinted as he tried to fathom Clayton's eyes. They were moving in an unsteady motion.

He already has an idea about what is  happening with his friend but he chose not to ask first. He continued shaking him ,harsher than his previous force. Clayton held his wrist hardly before he paused and stared back at him for some moments. Then he blinked for a few times. He shook his head and relaxed himself.

"I- I'm sorry! I didn't mean to... To act that way. There's... There's something about this girl. I don't know what b-but she just...", Clayton's strong personality was no longer in sight. He looked helpless as incoherent words rolled out of his mouth.

Doctor Jones tried to calm him down and made him sit in the corner. He already knows what is wrong but he still needs to confirm.

He studied the young woman's wounds. There are scratches around her arms and legs. Probably from the dragging by her predators. Jones is a vampire but after years of practicing self-control, he managed to make his senses devoid of any scent. If his guess was true, then this woman's blood wouldn't affect him no matter how addictive her blood is.

He then proceeded to check the bites and any signs of poisoning. She had a lot but he is well aware that he can help her. The poison haven't taken effect yet. Must be minors... Young vampires does not usually possess enough poison in their fangs. That's why clans are prohibited to let their youngsters hunt for their own blood bag. It's the adults' responsibility to provide for them.

This girl is lucky because she's been brought here before the toxins have  entered her organs. Or else... She could have died.

It would be easy sucking out those substance from her body , but she would have to stay in the clinic to deal with her wounds. 

And as for Clayton... He must be sent out before the girl wakes up. And besides, he has a responsibility outside. People probably waiting for his aid. Bloodsuckers can be very stubborn. Specially in this town. And Clayton is tasked to protect the townspeople.

Dayanne's face contorted as it came to  contact with the sun's rays. The light hurt her eyes even when they're closed. She lift her right hand to cover her orbs from the striking rays and decided to just wake up. It must be very late now judging by the sun's position in her window.

To her great surprise, a shooting pain hit her shoulder after seconds of lifting her arms. Then all her body parts started to ache that she cried out of the sensations that are killing her.

Her wrists are sore and her joints are severely aching. She couldn't think of anything but the torment she's going through.

"ARGH!!!", She tried to relax herself but it looks like every single move she does, her body constricts with a worse and more awful pain.

She grunted as she let her body drop on the mattress. Her tears are now flowing down her clothes. Her head is aching and the pain escalated when she looked around and saw a completely different room. She panicked but could not stop her cry since it was all unbearable.

The small room seemed to suffocate her. The light gray walls and the bedside table that has a monitoring machine made her try hard to rethink and try to remember whatever happened to her. Her tears stung her eyes but she could only stare at the IV above connected to her. She haven't even noticed she was tied in a hospital bed with tubes again.

She could not remember anything!

She kept on trying to reimagine and track her last memories but it always ends to her talking to her manager as he gave her her pay for the day.

Her head snapped back to the metal door when it clanked as someone opened it. A tall, middle-aged man appeared wearing a scrub suit. He has a stethoscope around his neck. She immediately concluded that he's a doctor.

"Good morning, Miss. You have been asleep for quiet a days. We really thought you would not wake up.", He looked calm as fuck and it makes her more frustrated to hear that she's probably in a hospital.

"Why am I here? What happened?", She instantly asked not planning on keeping her questions in mind. She sounded desperate and rude but she couldn't care less.

"First of all, I'm Doctor Jones Hampton. And you are?", He kindly asked.

But fuck all formalities. She does not intend to keep her brain in a maze. Puzzled and unsolved. All her questions are banging her head out that she wants nothing but answers.

"Where the fuck am I?", She calmly said but with a heavier conviction with each word. The doctor sighed and stepped closer to her.

"You're in my clinic. You have been brought here after a family passed you by near the Harley woods. You were filled with wounds and bruises that we almost believed you will never wake up.", The doctor placed a tray of cotton balls and meds in a space beside her legs on the bed.

Dayanne's brows furrowed in an instant. How could that be? Harley woods are on the other side of their town and she does not ever pass that road. Her way home is past their town and not Harley woods which is the exact opposite of it. 

Her blood seemed like it has all risen to her head that it ached terribly. Her heart is beginning to beat heavily and she could not stop getting terrified at how her body reacts. She feels weak, very unlikely for a perfectly healthy girl like her.

Dayanne felt a needle stung her before she could even react.

"This us for your own good ,Miss.", The doctor said.

And before she could close her eyes, she heard the metal door opening again as a man emerged the room. She could not pin-point his appearance because her eyes started to droop and blur as the sedative started to take effect on her.

"I heard her shout outside! Is something wrong?", The voice sounded worried.

Worried for what? Her?

She brushed the thoughts away because she knows that she has no guy friend or family member to worry about her. Maybe the guy had mistaken her as someone, probably from the other room.

She let herself relax and let Hypnos' straddle her into oblivion.

Clayton is stunned when he met her eye to eye as soon as he entered her room in Doctor Jones' clinic. Her eyes looked sleepy when he saw them but he is sure as hell that she saw him. Her blue orbs looked as if she's trying to recognize him. His heart leaped for a few seconds worried that she might remember him as the guy who maniacally lapped her bloody throat.

"Don't worry, her body won't remember what happened. You know I won't let anyone of you recognized. These humans can be very ungrateful sometimes.", Jones grimaced and pat Clayton's shoulder as he walked past through him."I gave her a shot of sleeping meds just so she can relax. You can stay for the night but be sure to leave by eight."

He glanced back at his friend when he heard that malicious tone on him. The doctor just gave him a knowing smile and proceeded out the door.

Dayanne, as he heard from the convenience manager awhile ago, is already breathing steadily when he went closer and sat beside her bed. Her brown locks scattered around her pillow. The wounds are already covered with gauges but her blood's scent still lingers.

He could not explain the extreme attraction of her scent on him. But he's starting to feel possessive of her. He tried to consult their elders.

They all agreed that she must be a part royal. Since the books all explains that human monarchy was chosen by old vampires who picked nobles based on their blood quality.

Royal family bloodline was kept by marrying their own cousins. And it all went on for years.

Until the government was changed into a Republic. And later own, the royal bloodline was no longer kept intact that their rare blood was mixed with average blood and scattered around the world. 

And the elder hunters thought she must be from a family who tried to keep their bloodline. But there is no physical proof to these theories except from a vampire's sensitivity to smell.

Clayton is getting anxious that the elders are also keeping a close eye to this woman. He felt protective because he felt like it is his fault that he drew attention from them towards  Dayanne's simple life.

And he couldn't accept the thought of other vampires taking over this lady who's taking his senses away.