With Alana and the older hunter gone, the foyer felt very divided. The three hunters stood on the other side of the room and continued to watch us like hawks. I could feel their gazes on me as I walked over to the red couch near the window. Sinking into the soft cushions, I wondered if I was overreacting about the whole Micah issue.
It had been over a year since I’d seen him and I wasn’t the same person I was then. The same vampire. I was stronger and better trained. It wasn’t right to feel the same fear that I once did. And oddly enough, I didn’t. Yes, I still feared him, only a stupid person wouldn’t. But my overall emotions for him were heading more into the directions of outright rage.
How dare he come back now. Just when I was getting a handle on my new life. Just when I was coming to accept who I was. He waltzes back into town and into my life. What did he expect? That he could have me? Not a chance.
While I was sitting stewing over how I felt, Alana and the hunter came back into the room. He walked over to the hunters, while Alana headed in our direction. After a few minutes of whispers and discussion they strode over to where we all stood.
“We have discussed what you and I” the older hunter nodded towards Alana “talked about and we will agree to your terms. As long as you meet our conditions I see no reason why we should have problems. This shall be simple and as long as each of our leaders communicate, things will work out smoothly.”
“Very well.” Alana processed what he was saying, and then turned towards us. “Now introductions. I have explained who each of you are to the hunters, but you may want to know who it is that you will be working alongside. This is Frank Morgan” she nodded towards the older hunter “He will be seeing to this.... mission. He has been appointed by his bosses and will oversee all interactions between the Death Walkers and the hunters.”

We all listened without interruption. We wanted to know much more about the hunters, but would settle for what we were told.
“And this” she continued.
The blonde hunter stepped forward, his face hard and blank.
“...is Logan Miller. He is the lead vampire hunter, within the group you will be working with. It will be his command you will be under. You will be expected to follow his lead and to uphold your obligations to the hunt. I trust that you will listen and behave in a correct manner. There shall be no fighting or problems, at least on our end. Is that understood?”
“Yes.”
“Yep.”
“As long as the commands are fair.” The moment I said this Logan’s eyes were on me. I held my head high and returned his stare. No matter what the deal was, I certainly wasn’t going to let this guy walk all over me. No way!
Alana ignored me and walked over to Quintenn. “You will remain here and give instructions to all that live in the Manor” she told him. “While it will be the Death Walkers job to help track Micah, everybody else will be expected to help should you require it.”
“Is that what you need us to do? Find Micah?” I asked Logan. If I was going to work with this guy then I was going to play a fair part.
“Yes” he answered, his voice even. “It is our understanding that vampires are more willing to talk to each other. You may be able to gain knowledge that we would otherwise be unable to obtain. Once we have established his whereabouts, the hunters will take over. You won’t be expected to take part in the vanquish.” He gave me a smirk and his voice got a nasty, friendly edge to it. “After all, accidents do happen. You wouldn’t want to be mistaken for one of his minions, would you?”
I narrowed my eyes but didn’t answer.
“Minions?” Claudia looked puzzled. “He has minions? Last time we encountered him” she chose her words carefully “he didn’t have many vampires around him. No more than unusual, anyway.”
“Well, that’s changed” Logan was nodding. “He has very well established connections within your world, best we can tell. We believe that quite a number of vampires are working for or with him.”

Alana made a grunt, which sounded odd for her. She wasn’t a grunter.
“That is why you have been offered your deal. We underestimated his power within your community. It appears that he is in a higher position than we first believed. However, we feel, that with a common goal, said goal being that we both want him dead, we can successfully track him down and vanquish him.”
Logan’s eyes the slid towards me and at first I thought he was staring at my chest. Realising that I was in the clothes I wore to school and, he was instead looking at the gold crucifix that hung around my neck, it occurred to me that he had probably never seen a vampire wearing a cross. I couldn’t imagine that it was a common sight. Instantly, my fingers gripped the cross and I looked down. When I looked up his gaze was once again on Alana.
It was during this that both James and another vampire slipped further into the room, eyeing the hunters nervously.
“I have explained to Mr. Morgan that we ourselves, have been after Micah for years, but they are positive that we will be able to vanquish him working together.” Alana looked at her watch. “Now if you don’t mind” she spoke to the hunters “I’m due back soon and I’d like to have a private word to my friends.” She indicated to us.
“Of course.”
Alana turned and started to walk out of the room, only her guards stayed. We all followed her. We walked down the hall and into the room she used as her office when she was at the Manor.
Quintenn was the last one inside. He shut, then locked the door behind him.
At this point there were there were 7 vampires crammed into Alana’s small office. We all wore masks that were the same. Faces that showed shock, shame, confusion, fear, anger and even acceptance from Quintenn.
“This has to be some sick, twisted joke.” Claudia was pacing inside the room.
“Yes, My Lady, please.” Ben was addressing Alana “We spend our lives hiding from, and trying to have as limited contact with hunters as we can. And now you expect us to work with them. What if they learn something about us we don’t want them too? I don’t think their word means much.”
I was nodding. “I don’t trust them. The younger one, Logan, he was one of the hunters that ambushed me at my school.”
Claudia walked to my side. “I thought he might have been from you reaction. He defiantly recognized you.” She turned towards Alana. “How can you expect us to trust them?”
“I don’t trust them.” Alana said it matter-of-factly. “And I certainly don’t expect you too. In fact I expect you to watch your backs, very carefully.” She walked over and sat in the office chair behind her desk. “The truth is we don’t have a choice but to work with them. The hunter, Frank Morgan, made it clear that they have extensive knowledge that I believe would give their superiors more than enough ability to defeat us. Many would be killed and I can’t take that chance”
We all absorbed this.

“Also, I don’t think they gave us the whole story. They are holding too much back.” She looked down, shook her head then slowly brought her eyes back up to us. “They believe that Micah is ties within the Manor.”
“What?” I felt sick.
The no named vampire and James had been silent up until now, but when Alana said this, James instantly froze. His body went stiff and he sucked in a small breath, but his face stayed the same. This did not escape my notice. I found this strange and my eyes stayed glued to him.
James cleared this throat. “Do you think what they say has merit?”
Alana suddenly looked sad. “I don’t know. It’s very hard to comprehend that someone we know, someone we trust, would betray us like that. I won’t act until I have proof.”
“How do we handle this?”
“I’m not positive, but be sure that I will look into it. If it is true, be sure that the person behind it will be severely dealt with. The hunters refuse to tell me all information, because they feel it may be compromised. They won’t take a chance that it would get back to Micah.”
“But”
“What can we do to prove this?”
“How in gods name....”
Everyone started talking at once. Alana held up her hand as if to hold back the questions. I was about to ask a few myself, when I noticed James silently slip out of the room. No one else noticed him leave but I did. Just as silently, I followed him, carefully closing the door so not to draw attention.
Noiselessly, I followed him down the hall. He flew down the stairs and I found myself practically running to keep pace with him.
Why was he in such a hurry to leave? I thought I had a pretty good idea why and the thought turned my stomach and made me sick. Sicker than the hunters did.
Before I realised where we were, I was standing in the front foyer of the Manor. James had stopped walking and stood facing the door, with his back to me.
His posture was tense and his brown hair, cut at his shoulders swayed, as he turned to face me. His voice was like ice, cold and pure evil.
“Oh Roxi. Roxi. Why do you have to be so nosy? I’m gonna be in so much trouble for killing you.”