Dawn looked around the forest, torch in hand, the sun would be rising soon and the threat would escape once again. That was a chance she was not willing to take. Running through the woods trying to find them, any of them just so she could send one of their immortal lives with her own hand. What she didn't expect to come into contact with was the local village people having what looked to be a hanging right before her eyes. A woman stood at the end of a cart, hand tied behind her back and a noose around her neck. Dawn stayed hidden as she looked around at the sight, all the people were mortal, she could tell from the way they acted. After hunting as long as she had, she knew the difference. Then a voice spoke up from the crowd.

"For the crime of loving a creature of the night, we shall let the rope take the last of your human breath from your lungs and once the sun comes up it will turn your body to ashes." a man with a powdered wig said as he held up the bible and began to quote from it.

"I am Innocent! I do not love them! I swear to you my lor-" the woman barely got the words out as the man kicked the cart from under her legs and her nooses hung her high from the tree.

She didn't even get to defend herself. Dawn turned away from the scene and saw three men holding back one man. Confused she looked between the man trying to get to the woman and the woman who had just lost her life. Therefrom the woman's eye she could see her tears were blood, it was true, she was turned into a creature of the night. She couldn't help but watch as the three men dragged the other man away from the scene. That creature was capable of love? It must have been so, she had just seen it. The townsfolk fled to their homes. Making her way through the dewy grass, Dawn looked up at the woman and saw she held something in her hand. Unsure what it could be she looked up at the woman's bright red eyes. Vampire indeed, but this one was different, Dawn couldn't smell any human blood on the woman. Looking up the horizon she saw the sun come up and the moment it hit the hung woman's body it instantly turned to ash. In the pile of ash, Dawn saw something gleaming, bending down she picked up the object. It was a locket, opening it she saw a portrait of the dead woman and a man.

"May your soul find peace," Dawn said closing the locket.

She knew the vampire would be back that night, so she would wait. Once she found out where the coven was then she could end them, at least in this town. She used to travel with her father until he became too ill to travel anymore. Now she traveled to any town that would write to her family for help, she would keep hidden though, That was the vampires would never know what she looked like. Walking away from the scene she sighed. She had hunted enough vampire to know that the woman was no threat to anyone and she was just killed to benefit something more along the lines of power for the local judge not for the safety of the town. Her heart knew that something was off about the people in the town, they were too silent, even when it came to hanging and burning a vampire.

The next night, Dawn already sat high in the hanging tree, her right leg draping down from it. She knew the vampire would come and maybe be even mournful to see the soul he turned was nothing more than a pile of ash now. Laying her head back against the tree, she watched as the sun finally set. It didn't take long at all before she heard four male voices. Looking down she watched as the figures came to the tree.

"Ash, that is all we are in the end." one male voice said grimly though he was right.

"Silence Michael. give Raoul time to grieve for Gwen. He just lost someone." another male said as the one Dawn assumed to be Raoul fell to the ground and scooped up the ashes in his hands.

This was the most mournful vampire she had ever seen. He showed more emotion that she thought one of the undead were capable of doing.

"Leo we have a visitor." a male voice said and Dawn made eye contact with him.

"A hunter, that's all we need," Leo said looking up at Dawn.

"One look at me and that is your first assumption? My reputation must precede me." Dawn said jumping from the tree limb and landing right beside the last vampire who happened to be wearing a top hat, odd to her.

All of the men looked at her besides the mournful one. They all looked as though they had at one time come from well to do families. Long hair that was a mess but no blood on any of their clothing, it looked as though they kept themselves well-groomed in fact. She had never met any like their kind.

"Wasn't one of us enough for the week?" the mournful one, Raoul said as he turned his head to look at Dawn.

"I had nothing to do with that, in fact, she was harmless, I wouldn't have touched her. The only wrath you seek is with the man who judged her, not I." Dawn answered as she bravely walked up to the vampire and handed him the locket she retrieved from the hung woman. "This now belongs to you."

Taking the locket in his hand, Raoul stood and looked at Dawn confused.

"Why do you not flee like the others?" the unnamed one asked her.

"I've hunted your type before, I can tell which one to fear. None of you strike fear into my heart, you are very different from others." Dawn answered in all honesty.

"We were killed for money, not blood, all by one and she is long gone from here yet we are cursed to remain," Michael says as he walks up to Dawn. "Unless you want to become one of us, stay away."

"As tempting of an offer that is, I prefer to live much longer than 28," Dawn said as she sidestepped him and could see torches in the background. "Damn, they just don't quit do they?"

Looking back all the vampires then saw what she was talking about. More villagers out to kill them. It had become a nightly routine. Dawn wanted to know more about these vampires so she decided to do something she had never done before. Save them.

"Run! I can hunt you down and question you but I cannot do that if you really are dead." Dawn said as a sudden gunshot went off.

Raoul stood and went to Leo and Michael. They all seemed skeptical but nodded in agreement. They took off running but the last one remained and was staring a hole into Dawn. She could see the hoard was getting closer and her patience was coming to an end.

"How do I know this isn't a trick?" the vampire questioned.

Rolling her eyes, Dawn grabbed the vampire and pushed him against a tree. His black hair in a messy ponytail covering some of his faces. He grunted as he tried to overpower her but then could see the townsfolk and realized his mistake. Unaware of what Dawn was doing he then felt her rip his shirt open breaking all the buttons down the front of it. Surprised he met her gaze as she then grabbed his head and kissed him deeply. Dawn couldn't believe what she was doing but she had to make it look real. Just as he kissed her back and pulled her body close to his, she was pulled off by a local and the man looked them over.

"Harlot! You bewitching men by the hanging tree.!" the man yelled at Dawn as she just laughed and then head-butted the man making him fall to the ground and grabbing the vampires hand. "We need to go, now! You have wasted enough time!"

Gripping her hand, he pulled her up and held her in his arms as he dashed through the forest. Dawn could feel the icy touch of his skin through her own shirt but held onto him for dear life and kept her eyes hidden in the crock of his neck. Wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Then something made him stop, Dawn looked up and saw an arrow through his right shoulder, luckily the one she wasn't in. He froze and cried out in pain. Dawn jumped down and took a pistol from her side and aimed at the man with the bow as if it were second nature to her she squeezed the trigger and the man went down. Turning her attention back to the vampire she went to him and gripped the arrow.

"I have to get it out, this will hurt." Dawn grimaced as she looked at him.

"Do it!" he yelled.

With one swift yank, Dawn pulled the arrow and threw it aside. He was weak and she could tell that. Kneeling before the knelt vampire she looked at his face and could see he was tiring out. Holding his head she tried to keep his attention.

"hey! Don't do this! Don't you leave me here! I don't even know your name!" Dawn said as she tried to think of something to do.

"Victor...My name...is Victor..."He mumbled.

Not good, Dawn was running out of time and she still needed answers. Pushing her hair to the side she decided to do something drastic and stupid. Positioning Victor's mouth to the right side of her neck she said two words she thought she would never say.

"Bite me." she commanded.

Victor groaned and tried to pull away but she force his mouth down upon her neck. Dawn held him there as she felt him give in and bite her, she could feel the blood leaving her body. Her strength began to go as Victors grew and when her arms fell to her side, Victor took her in his and released his bite from her. Looking down at the now weak woman in his arms he licked the spot where he had bitten and then picked her up. He wasn't going to leave her out to be killed by those idiot townsfolk. She saved him, she didn't have to but she let him feed from her and now whether she knew it or not she was connected to him. Running fast, he finally got to the fortress. Arriving in the main hall, he was met with shocked looks from his fellow vampires.

"You killed her!" Raoul lashed out at Victor as Michael held him back.

"Never! She saved me...I was shot. She forced me to feed from her." Victor yelled back at Raoul.

Leo then came over and moves the red hair away from her face and could tell she was pale. She would need much rest now though she would recover.

"Victor, she needs to rest. You took too much blood from her. Give her to me and I will take her to a room." Leo said and Victor begrudgingly allowed it.

Leo took the woman in his arms and went right to the only bedroom that was still usable. Laying her down on the bed he looked at the woman perplexed. She was a hunter and yet she had just done everything a hunter would never do. He got a good look at her too. Her long red hair upon the pillow, the freckles scattered among her face and arms. The pale skin color and the pink almost red lips, those somehow tempted him though he did not know why. Taking off his top hat, he sat down in the chair beside the window. It was dark out but he did not know when she would awaken. When she did. he knew they would want answers.