Morningstar

CHAPTER 3

When Daniel woke up it was after six thirty in the evening. He'd been burning the candle at both ends for a week, and on the day that would normally be his day off, it had all caught up with him. Of course, it was only his day off officially. He never took a break. But at least it wouldn't matter if he was a few minutes late.

By the time he started the long walk to the armory that they used as a temporary headquarters it was completely dark. There was hardly a soul on the streets. The city was under a general alert, and only the very brave and the very stupid went out after dark. Daniel didn't really consider himself either. But he spent the majority of his time outside at night. It didn't frighten him; it was his job. Meeting a vampire still did, but fear was good. It kept him alert.

It was brisk outside, and his hair was still damp from washing. He hurried on his way, not wishing to tempt fate until he had his crossbow in hand. Anonymous operatives like Morningstar couldn't be seen with their weapons when they weren't on duty, but of course he still had his knife safely tucked in a back sheath.
He heard light footfalls echoing behind him, and he changed his pace, listening carefully. Every nerve ending in his body tingled with anticipation, every sense heightened from long years of knowing exactly what to look and listen for. It wasn't so much that he could sense the presence of a vampire, but he could read all the signs.

The ache was becoming more painful. Scott hadn't fed in a couple of days, and though he could live for a while on rats, it wasn't pleasant. Animal blood always left a bad taste in his mouth. Feeding on a human could keep him going for a week, and it gave him a high he hadn't felt since he'd been on drugs. Scott had been addicted to heroin, back before he'd become a vampire. He'd been famous, a rock star, with the money to indulge his addiction. He still hadn't found anything close to drugs. Except for feeding on a human. Drugs, even if he could get them, didn't affect him any more. But every time he fed, he felt guilty, and he only killed when he had to. He could wait. He certainly couldn't die. Not from hunger. Well, he could, but he'd heard it took years of agonizing pain.

Lately, it had become harder to feed safely. Humans had become warier. There were more hunters. The vamps were getting taken down faster than new ones could be made, and for once it seemed that humans might win their fight against the undead.

Scott leaned back into the shadows as a small human passed. The idiot was alone. Who walked around, alone at night, in this area? As small as he was, the person—a man, Scott was sure of it, despite the diminutive stature—would be in danger from other humans, let alone vampires. Yet there he was, walking right past one of the oldest vampires in the city. Scott decided to follow. Years of being undead hadn't dulled his curiosity. Perhaps he would feed after all tonight.

Daniel wasn't sure who was following him, or what his intent was, but he knew the streets like the back of his hand and he wasn't about to be taken unaware.

He walked a little faster, raking his long, dark hair back off his forehead, letting it tumble down his back.

He ducked around a dark corner, sliding his hand around his back, fingers on the handle of his knife, just in case. He didn't wish to blow his cover if it was just some random hoodlum looking to prey on someone seemingly defenseless.

If the person was following him, he'd know in a moment.

Scott could see in the dark better than a human, and he saw the man slip around the corner. Clearly he knew he was being followed; interesting. This human was certainly more observant than the rest of his kind. Intrigued, Scott followed; what danger was a human on his own? He could almost smell him now, and the need rose in him. It was almost sexual, but deeper; though for most vamps, drinking blood was as good as sex. Scott moved more quickly; though the man knew he was there, he wouldn't be expecting a human to close the distance that fast. He slipped around the corner, taking care to be completely silent this time.

Daniel had to admit that he was startled. He hadn't really thought it was a vampire, and for a split second he wasn't entirely sure it was. But no human could have caught up to him that quickly. One of the things he was always telling the new hunters was, "If you're within arm's length and you haven't got a sharp chunk of wood buried in its chest, make your peace with the world." He'd outlived nearly every other vampire hunter he'd ever come to know, but it looked like his time was up. The alley was a dead end, and there was no way he could outrun a vampire anyway.

He gasped a little, looking into the vampire's eyes, using the only weapon he had left, the pretense of innocence. "Are...are you going to kill me?" he said breathily.

Scott faltered, and almost changed his mind; the human was much too pretty to be a man. Long, flowing hair that was either black or dark brown, huge brown eyes and delicate features that belonged on a woman; but no, Scott's instinct told him this was a man. The voice was enticing, made to whisper words of lust. And Scott was on guard; no one could be this innocent looking and be out on his own.

He moved closer, though, and purred, "That's up to you, pretty boy." Scott's eyes fixed on the man; the idea that vampires could control minds was a myth but this man might not know that. "I wish to feed; will you surrender willingly?" He could feed without killing, but it didn't often happen. Humans struggled. They thought they'd turn into vampires instantly.

Daniel knew better. He knew more about vampires than most. And he knew that being bitten didn't necessarily mean dying or becoming one of them. "You won't kill me if I do?" he asked softly. He leaned back against the wall, lifting his chin up, exposing his neck just a little. A subtly submissive gesture, almost seducing the creature into agreeing. Not that Daniel trusted his word, but it was his only hope. He tried to look meek, worried, frightened, playing on his appearance of weakness as he always did.

Scott's eyes widened just slightly; was the man so trusting? Something very like lust ran through him at the sight of that pale, smooth neck. He knew that many vampires had sex with humans, and that sometimes humans sought out his kind just for that. But he had never done that, had chosen vampires as his lovers since he had been turned. It seemed wrong to have sex with what was essentially his food. But then, he'd never seen anyone quite like this.

"Perhaps," he said. He stepped closer, licking his lips as he smelled the human, and said in a deep, rough voice, "You can't stop me anyway."

Well, if he was going to die, at least the creature was beautiful rather than hideous. "No. I can't," Daniel whispered. He licked his lips quickly, then tipped his head back further. "If you mean to kill me, I wish you'd be quick about it." He swallowed hard, his throat muscles constricting. But despite Daniel’s uncertainty, there was a glimmer of hope. This one had to be very old. He looked nearly human, his angular features sharp in the moonlight. And there was something...some glimmer of mutual attraction. Perhaps that alone would keep Daniel alive.

The words made Scott laugh softly, and he reached out lightning quick, grabbing the man by the arm and pulling him close against his body. He reached around and put his hand on the back of his neck, then changed his mind and grabbed a handful of the man's gorgeous hair. He yanked back on it, exposing the long, lovely throat even more, and almost growled. "I shall take all the time I want, little one." His eyes fixed on the man's neck, smelling the fresh blood just below the surface. He would feed tonight. But, to his shock, the lithe body against him was stirring more than just his bloodlust.

Having his hair pulled was one of Daniel's particular kinks, and it drew an unexpected whimper from him. The way the vampire held him was more like a lover than a murderer. He wanted to scream when he realized the action was making him hard. He looked wide-eyed at the other man, mere inches from his face. Short, cropped hair and intense blue-green eyes, sensual lips that almost seemed to be smirking even when still. He was fucking gorgeous. Daniel knew better than to resist, but he was nearly pulled off balance and his hands instinctively reached for something to hold onto. He clutched at the vampire's slender shoulders, and he could almost feel the muscles flexing beneath the fabric of his coat. Really, there were much worse ways to die.

That whimper instantly aroused Scott, not to mention the way the man clung to him. Scott pushed, pinning the man against the wall with his body. What the hell was his problem? He was here to feed, not to fuck. He didn't fuck humans. But this one was so pretty...and now he could feel the man was hard against him as well. He moaned low in his throat, and pressed him harder against the wall, dipping his head to the man's throat. His hair was like the finest of silk in his fingers, and Scott licked a long line along his neck.

This time Daniel's gasp was genuine. He felt like squirming against the pressure of the other man's body. God, it had been a long fucking time since he'd been this aroused. It was illegal for human beings to engage in homosexual activity, a law passed to protect the ever shrinking population. Daniel wasn't interested in women, so he had finally just stopped sleeping with anyone. It was too risky. Even in his position, the law was the law. Even Morningstar wouldn't be excused from it.

But there he was, pinned to a wall by a strong, gorgeous male, fingers tight in Daniel's hair, and his tongue tracing a line of wet fire on his skin. "Oh, God," he rasped quietly. Involuntarily, his hips pressed forward ever so slightly, pressing his erection more insistently against that hard thigh.

Fuck...the pretty man wanted it, was asking for it, and Scott no longer knew if he wanted to feed or fuck. He knew of the ridiculous human laws, but he wasn't bound by them. He'd always had sex with whomever he chose, male or female. But even when he was alive, his tastes had run mostly to pretty, lithe men...like the one he held, who submitted so willingly.

Scott was confused, something he wasn't familiar with. He buried his face in the man's neck and breathed deeply, pressing his arousal against the smaller man's stomach. He wanted...he wanted to drink this man's blood, and he wanted to bury himself inside him. The feelings shouldn't exist at the same time. In nearly a hundred years of life as a vampire, he'd never been tempted like this.

"No," Scott growled. He moved back quickly, releasing the man. He panted and looked at him. He didn't want to kill, and he didn't know if he could control his lust, either. He would find another meal. One that didn't unsettle him. So he jumped, grabbing hold of a rusty fire escape high above. He had to get away.

Daniel looked up, watching him climb. What the hell had just happened? He felt shaken and he squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. Only seconds before, a vampire had had his mouth on Daniel's neck, and had stopped himself. And from his experience he could tell he was hungry. Not only that, the vampire had been aroused as well. Daniel should be so many pounds of rapidly cooling meat on the ground right now.

Daniel fled as well, starting off towards the armory again, breaking into a sprint when he thought no one was around to see. He needed to be someplace safe for a few minutes to collect his thoughts. He'd faced down a vampire and lived to tell the tale. He'd let himself get in a position where he should have been killed. He needed to sort through it all, but first he had to stay alert and get to somewhere quiet and safe.