Cassian Legacy: The Vampire Prince
Chapter 8

She dropped the stake completelyand it clattered to the ground. “That is impossible!” she harshly whispered,taking a step backwards away from my body.

The power I had used earlieralready drained my inner strength. My energy dipped another notch and I feltthe need for sustenance soon. I hated using my powers because they drained meof energy, energy that I needed for other more important uses.

I crossed the floor and perchedmyself on the top of the nearest lab table, crossing my legs as a lady would.“I could say the same about you, but unlike you I’ve heard of your kind. I’vejust never had the pleasure of meeting one face to face.”

I watched her fluster around theroom. Scrambling for composure, she snatched up the stake and hid it within theconfines of her desk once more. Instead of sitting down and talking out ourdifferences like I hoped my show of power would do, she pulled out a vial ofwater and prepared either to unscrew the lid or worse, throw it at me.

I laughed at the sight of it. “HolyWater?”

She blushed and plucked it from mysight. “It’s cologne.”

I nodded, and contented my chuckleswith a smile. “Yes it is.” Holy water didn’t exist, that was only a myth. Thereweren’t any pure priests in the world to produce holy water anymore. Thatritual had died the way of the dodo.

She next brought out a clove ofgarlic. After she hatched a bud she threw the thing at my face. I caught it inthe air and swallowed it whole. “I can eat food.”

Wearily from her wretched displayof gaining ground, she sank down into her chair and shook her head. “What areyou? Half human, half vampire?”

My smile deepened. “Something likethat…”

“You’re a dhampir…” she mumbled.

I shook my head. “Not thatoriginal.”

“You’re not going to even guesswhat I am?” she whispered timidly.

I hopped off the table, knowing sheno longer felt the need to test me. “I have no need to. I already know what youare. You shouldn’t have sharpened that stake earlier in class. I think it wasthen I knew what you were,” I lied easily. “Add the holy water and the garlicand, oh… I think you’re a vampire hunter.”

She sighed in defeat. “You arecorrect.”

I made a turn about the room,taking in the collection of things she had gotten over the years from studentsand her family. The objects belonged in this chemistry/biology classroombecause they lacked anything heartfelt or genuine uniqueness. I knew then thatshe isolated herself on purpose, for reasons that were foolish and dangerous.But I couldn’t help wonder why she’d want this kind of life.

While my back was turned, she madeher move whether it was stupid or not. I swiped at the stake in midair,deflecting its trajectory. It shattered against the cement wall behind me.Since I was back up at the front, I turned and caught a hold of the wrist shehad used, and tightened my grip, cutting off the circulation in her armbriefly. I shook my head and warned her with my eyes before releasing her. “Itold you…I am not the average vampire.”

She sat back down, slightlyunhinged by my erratic movements. “You’re going to kill me, aren’t you?”

“Think again. You pose no threat tome. I have no wish to do anything of the sort.”

Her eyes scrutinized mine. “Thenwhy are you here? In a vampire laden town?”

So that’s why she taught here. Sheknew. She must’ve wanted a chance to take out a vampire on her own which waswhy she isolated herself. But what an idiotic choice to make. I guessed shecame from a family of hunters, and was raised to make choices like that. A packof hunters could take out a lone vampire. But a party of vampires could easilydispatch a pack of hunters.

I shrugged, answering her lastquestion. “You don’t pose a threat to me, but you will be my enemy if you don’theed every word I say.”

Her eyes filled with fear. “How doI know you won’t try and use compulsion? It was clear that you used thatability on Seth, the poor boy. You drank from him didn’t you? I’ve seen themarks.”

I shook my head. “I’ve never drunkfrom anyone in this school. I didn’t touch Seth until I accidentally picked upa hot beaker with my hand. It had been on the burner at four hundred degreesFahrenheit when I touched it like it was sitting at room temperature. I neededto make him forget what he’d seen, but it seems like somebody had alreadytampered with his mind.”

She grimaced. “Do you know who?”

“No, I’m working on that.” I satback down on the table again, though I leaned against it rather than restedcompletely on it. “But I need something explained to me about your habits. Doyou actually seek out vampires or do you do most of your work here at theschool?”

She truly hated me asking such aquestion judging from her upset expression. But she had no reason not to tellme. Every time she faltered or felt uneasy and didn’t give me the informationthat I wanted, it only made me feel like she should be on my enemy list ratherthan my friend list. I didn’t hate vampire hunters, nor had I ever come upagainst one, but if they threatened my existence I would gladly dispatch them.

She finally yielded. “I come from along line of hunters that merged with a warlock family. We have power in ourblood that makes us stronger than most human hunters. We can withstand vampireattacks in order to take them down.”

So that’s why she hunted alone.There was a strain of power in her blood, though it wasn’t as strong as mine.

“I’ve been here for four years now,searching for a particular sect of vampires. They’re not like the others whoroam about feeding off others, but they do feed off the children here. I havehunches on their whereabouts, but I can’t seem to crack the code. I have yet tomeet a real one.” Her eyes glistened towards me. She was suddenly eager aboutsomething, and her sudden eagerness scared me. “You could help me replace them.You can blend into their society. They’d never know…”

I shook my head, not wishing to gothat route. “I don’t blend.”

She sighed and looked out of thewindow, probably disappointed I shot down her suggestion rather quickly, but Ididn’t want to be involved in something that sneaky. I examined and‘discovered’ each foe I hunted. I knew them and their habits. I knew the typeof person they were or had been, after the change. Even entering death andbeing brought back to life, however morbid it may sound, wasn’t a newopportunity for people to change their lifestyle. They continued on doing whatthey did, if not adding to their repertoire. Being partially invincible wouldmake anyone feel like they had the right to deal out justice and seek revenge.Already there were humans like that, but vampires were far more deadly in theirschemes than man could ever dream of. It was my job to stop those that triedputting their insane plans into motion.

But I felt bad about Ms. Ingram’scircumstance. There were a lot of cruel vampires in the world that needed aquick and painless death. Not many humans volunteered for the job. Those thatdid were vampire hunters, and there were some I had heard of, so I knew humanscould achieve unfavorable status among the vampires. But she didn’t seem thetype that had that status, though she longed for it. Because of the excursionsthat went on inside this city, I decided it would be beneficial for me to replaceone vampire she could fight. But I would have to keep the majority of my powershidden from her, because I already knew there would be parts she wasn’t readyfor and wouldn’t be able to handle correctly. Right now I had friends involved,human friends, and I couldn’t let them be put into harm’s way. Knowing howvampire hunters thought, humans that vampires have fed from recently were greatat being the bait for a trap. I didn’t think she’d stoop that low involvingvampire prey, but one never knew. Already she had hidden her true self from meand the rest of society, so I knew I couldn’t trust her that much. Still, wehad similar goals.

“There’s a possibility that I couldhelp you replace out who fed from Seth, but that’s only because I consider him afriend.” I left Mallory and Krista out of this conversation on purpose. Theless she knew the better. Knowledge was power in this case, and I didn’t wanther having power. I doubted that she was capable of any real harm, but vampirehunters were unreliable and extremely unpredictable. I was more afraid for myfriends’ safety than I was of her.

She faced me once more. “It’s notan alliance, but I’ll take what help I can get. I’ll expect updates though, soI know you’re not feeding me false information or playing me.”

I grabbed my bag and slung it overmy shoulder. She would try those petty demands, but I held no fear of her. “Aslong as you don’t try to force them out of me, you’ll be fine.”