Kyoko immediately forgot about the cell phone and concentrated on the half-breed in front of her. Red angry eyes clashed with her deep emerald ones as more shadows appeared behind him. Just as they came into existence, lightening lit up the sky and the rain came down with a vengeance.

“Welcome to hell… population one,” Kyoko murmured.

*****

Hyakuhei stepped out into the lobby, adjusting the black shirt he’d had delivered along with a supply of them to hang in the closet. Pulling up the collar of the black leather duster around his face, he walked past the men busy replacing the front picture windows and out into the early evening air. He breathed deeply, taking in the scent of nighttime quickly approaching.

His need to find her hummed through him like poison in his blood.

In the blink of an eye, he was on the roof overlooking the city. The wind was stronger up here, blowing his long black hair and duster in the updraft. The two moved as one in the breeze, creating the illusion of black angelic wings. Moving with speeds that couldn’t be seen by any creature other than one of his own, Hyakuhei glided over the rooftops… tracking not only the woman’s scent but his bond to her as well.

Her scent became stronger as he neared the area the city populace called ‘The Slums’ and he wondered why she was here of all places. Her scent was suddenly tainted with the aroma of fresh blood and Hyakuhei stopped on the low roof of a rundown apartment building. He remembered the scent of that blood… he had tasted it and craved more.

Tilting his head to the side, he heard the sound of a fight going on and moved toward it as the sky opened up in a torrent of rain. The scent of her blood became stronger and he looked down in the alley below him. His eyes began to glow a deep red and the nails on his hands extended into claws. She was hurt and the vampires surrounding her had just signed their death wish.

His rage surfaced and the glass windows of the building he was standing on started to tremble.

Kyoko looked around and comprehended that she was finally in over her head. She was now facing off against five vampires instead of only one. Apparently the first one had buddies and they all wanted the same thing… her blood. Clenching her fist, she let the spirit dart flare to life in her hand and crouched into a protective fighting stance.

“You want this do you?” she taunted, suddenly angry they had interrupted her special phone call. “Come and get your dinner if you can.”

What she wasn’t expecting was for all five to attack at the exact same time… cowards. The storm had set in as if trying to make things worse for her by making it harder for her to see. The gods must have had mercy when a flash of lightening lit the alle