Chapter One

I woke to the suns setting rays streaming in through my bedroom window. The pink, purple, and orange sky was a beautiful sight to see over the three rivers.

"Ah, twilight," I yawned, "Time for work, Socks."

The big, fluffy cat rolled over, and let out a soft meow. I shuffled into the kitchen and dug through the fridge until I found the last can of Synth-O-Pos. Popping the top I poured the cold, crimson liquid into a pot on my stove. My ever-sleepy cat sauntered into the kitchen and plopped himself down in front of his food dish.

"Alright, Socks. Tuna for you, blood for me."

Synth wasn't as good as real blood, but it did the job when I needed a boost when food wasn't doing the job. I sniffed as it began to boil, anxious for breakfast. Of course, that was when my phone would start ringing.

"Detective Perry, PPDA," I said while stifling a yawn.

"Sorry to call so early, detective," a young woman said on the other end.

"It's fine. I was just heating up breakfast. What's the issue?" I asked.

"There was a murder in Penn Hills."

"My sort of murder?"

"Um, yes, ma'am," the voice said quietly.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, ma'am. The victim was a vampire."

"Thanks," I ended the call and poured my Synth into a travel mug.

"Well, Socks, looks like breakfast is to go for me."

The pudgy cat didn't look up, his head was buried in his dish as he hungrily scarfed down the tuna.

"You act like I starve you," I shook my head at the ridiculous cat.

I pulled on a pair of jeans, a dark, purple sweater, and took my blood to go. Despite the fact that vampires, witches, werewolves, ghosts, and others had been integrated into society for a good fifteen years already, some people still discriminated against us. Of course, I was discriminated against from both sides. Being neither human or vampire, nobody really wanted to accept me.

***

"Perry! It's about time you got here," my partner, Scott Jackson, said ducking under the yellow police tape.

"Yeah, I know. Us paranormal's love to sleep in," I rolled my eyes.

"Sure."
"What do we have?" I asked.

"A vamp," he motioned to a white sheet on the sidewalk.

"I know that already. What happened?" I asked looking around the neighborhood.

It wasn't one of the better areas; run-down houses lined either side of the street. Lights started coming on as more police cars pulled up.

"This is a first for me," his big, brown eyes were full of sorrow, "He was starved."

I looked at him incredulously, "A vamp starved to death?"

"Weird right?"

"How is that even possible?" I asked ducking under the tape.

"I don't know," he said.

"With all the synthetic blood and blood whores there are, there's no way a vamp could starve.

"Well, he did."

I knelt down and pulled the sheet back. The creature that lay there was a little too pale, shriveled, and bald. Its sunken, purple eyes were open, and an odd red color. The wrists and ankles had bruises on them.

Perhaps they're ligature marks? I thought to myself as I lifted one of the stiffening arms.

"He hasn't been dead that long," I muttered.

"No, rigger is just starting to set in."

"He didn't do this to himself," I said standing up, still looking at the poor creature.

"What?" Andrew asked taking my place next to the body.

"His hands and legs were tied. Someone did this to him."
"Why?"

I pulled the sheet back up, and scanned the growing group of gawkers, "That's what we're going to find out."
"Ready for us to take him?" An older man in a lab coat asked.

"Yes, just make sure you print him so we can figure out who he was."
The old man grimaced as he brushed my arm, and sneered as he and his partner bent to pick up the shriveled carcass of the vampire.

"Is there a problem?" I asked.

"No, ma'am," the man forced a smile.

"Then try to act professional. A man was murdered."
"No offense, ma'am, but that's not a man," the man retorted.

"Excuse me?" I glared at him.
"That's nothing more than one less of those creatures."
"Watch it," I snarled showing a bit of fang.

"And you're worse," he sneered, dropping the body onto the gurney, "you're, well nothing."

I could feel a snarl building, a fire was lit in my belly, and it took everything in me not to rip the man's throat out. Scott grabbed my arms and held me back.

"That is enough," my partner threatened.

"No," the man continued, "I had to sit back and watch all those things be welcomed into society. Then they let them on the force. They were given their own department, ranks, and everything like they were people. Then she comes along."
The snarl escaped, I had been dealing with the likes of him my entire life. All 500 years of it. I knew I didn't belong. I wasn't human, and I wasn't a vampire. I was nothing more than a half-breed. An abomination as far as everyone was concerned. I didn't belong anywhere.

"Perry, go to the car. I'll deal with this asshole," Scott shoved me toward the car, and spun to face the old man.

I reluctantly walked away while my partner strung together the most colorful sentence I had ever heard.