"Crim! I'm going to deliver cookies to Grandma!"

"Alright, Red! Drive safe, and I'll take care of things here," my hazel-eyed younger sister and business partner waved me off as I grabbed the blush box. I darted to my sedan with my grandma's favorite red velvet cookies. It didn't take me long to get there. The lawn was a lush spread of five acres of land with a light stone mansion in the center of a sea of green. 

Something felt off as I approached the mansion door, and I reached into my pocket and retrieved a golden key from the back pocket of my black jeans. Grandma was up in age, and sometimes I was uneasy knowing that she lived alone. After raising my sister and me, she gave us a rather large home to reside in on the large family estate. 

Opening the door, I called out to her, "Grandma! It's Red. I brought your cookies from the bakery." There was no response, and that was odd. Usually, grandma would have spoken and started down the winding staircase. 

"Grandma?"

There was the sound of heavy footsteps upstairs. What could that be? I dropped the box of cookies and ran upstairs. As I approached grandma's room, the heavy steps got louder, and I stormed into the bedroom. 

Fear and bewilderment consumed my soul as a giant beast towered over my grandma's bloody body. I screamed, and the beast turned to me. It was huge with merciless, yellow eyes, mangled teeth, and unkept black and gray fur. It howled and hurled toward me and knocked me down. In absolute shock, I picked myself up and chased after it. The beast leaped from the top of the stairs to the main floor, crushing the box of cookies on the way out the door.

"Grandma!" I rushed to her side. Her tan skin was becoming cool with death, and the only lingering warmth was the pool of blood in which she lay. I cried. My heart burned! 

"What could have happened here?" 

There was only one way to know. But it was forbidden to me. 

I shouldn't, but I needed to know what happened. Staring into her lifeless amber eyes, I touched the thick blood. Then I did the unthinkable. Well, unthinkable to an ordinary person. I tasted her blood. There was nothing metallic at all; it was actually pretty sweet. 

My vision became hazy, and my sight traveled back hundreds of years, then thousands. People and places I've never seen. War and death plagued my eyes until I couldn't do it any longer. I coughed and spit. All of a sudden, a harsh, metallic taste consumed my tongue. I ran from that house as fast as I could. Slamming the door behind me, I ran to my sedan and raced to the bakery. I had to get my sister!

My mind flitted from the present to a past I had never lived. It felt like it took an eternity to arrive at the bakery. I hurried inside to see my sister placing brownies inside the display. She turned slightly and smiled, briefly flashing her fangs at me.

"You're back so soon? How was grandma?" I looked around at the customers, some who were like us and others who were not.

"She wasn't feeling well, so I couldn't stay like I usually do," I lied. I put an apron on, trying to act normal before I snatched Crim by the arm and dragged her into the kitchen.

"What's your problem?" She rubbed her arm, and a frown came across her face.

"Grandma is dead. She was murdered."

Gasping, "Red, what? Did you go to the police?"

"No, I can't!"

"What do you mean? You have to report the murder. Did you see it happen?"

"That's why I can't tell the police! It was a werewolf! Once they find out that I'm the heiress of the estate, they may think I did it. They may not even believe me about the werewolf."

"Yeah, but there has to be something we can do, right? Like why kill our grandma?"

"I can think of a few reasons," I turned away from her.

Crim grabbed my shoulder, "Phoenix, what does that mean? Look at me!"

Slowly I turned to her, her eyes locked on mine, and I watched as her concern turned to anger. "How could you? You drank blood! After our parents gave their life to suppress our vampire genes. So we could live in peace! How could you?" 

"I'm sorry, Crimson, I didn't know what else to do. I only tasted a drop to see if I could figure out the killer so I could go after them. Grandma had lived for nearly five thousand years, so it was too much for me, and I couldn't keep the blood droplet down before I had to spit up. Our parents gave their lives to suppress our genes that work can't be undone quickly."

Crim calmed down, "I understand. I'm just so scared, and I don't want you to turn and get hunted."

"Go home with Faven after work. If that werewolf is after our bloodline, at least you'll be safe."

"Our bloodline? House of Hood has become quite small."

"I don't care. Stay with Faven and House of Kearne."

"Okay, Phoenix, but where are you going?"

"Police station," I answered before leaving her in the bakery kitchen.

As I entered my sedan and drove off, I began thinking. The police department won't be able to help me, but the Hunter's Faction will. This was dangerous for me and quite absurd to go see any Hunter. But I didn't have a choice.

After ten minutes of near reckless driving, I arrived at the police station. Ignoring the officers in blue, I went to the front desk, "I need to see the Hunting Faction and make a report of a sighting."

The blue-eyed young man looked up at me, fully alert, "Werewolf, vampire, or hybrid sighting?"

"Werewolf sighting, not far from a family member's home."

"If you go to the third door on the left, someone will be able to assist you."

"Thank you!" Hastily I walked down the hall. Upon reaching the third door, I burst into the room. I didn't bother to read the nameplate on the door nor knock.

"How may I help you?" A bronzed skin man with waves of messy black hair asked, never looking up from reading. There was a nagging sensation in the back of my head, and flashes of memories flooded my mind.

"A werewolf killed my grandma," I blurted, shaking my head quickly.

Slowly, he looked up. I raised my eyebrows in surprise. I had not seen those sharp green eyes in years. How many years? I could not tell, "Kieran? Kieran Dell?" I am not sure how that name fell from my lips. That name Dell was familiar for some odd reason. The atmosphere of the room explained everything. 

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea."

"Phoenix Hood, it's been a while. Come on in and close the door behind you." I sat in front of the desk, and my amber orbs met his green ones, "Red, you're taking a huge risk being here." 

"He called me Red? How do I know Kieran?"

"I didn't have too many options. I went to my grandma's house to deliver her cookies. She didn't answer when I called, but I heard something upstairs. I hurried up and saw a werewolf hovering over her dead body. It knocked me down, and I ran away."

"Is that all?"

"Well, I told my sister to stay with Faven Kearne tonight. I'm worried that the werewolf could be after our bloodline."

"Why would that be the case?"

"I said too much!"

"Um... just a thought. Either way, I'd rather Crim be safe."

Kieran sighed, obviously irritated, and walked to a file cabinet. I observed all of the familiar weapons. His walls were covered in daggers, swords, lances, crossbows; you name it, he had it. As if that wasn't enough, the room had the foul smell of garlic, making me nauseous. He pulled a manila folder and gently tossed it on his desk, "Look through that and see if you can identify the werewolf."

My hands shook slightly as I opened the folder. I could feel Kieran Dell's gaze on me. I skipped past the brown and golden pelted wolves and slowly looked at each with black and gray fur. I remembered those yellow eyes. They weren't a gentle or warm yellow but harsh, glittering like a warning. Suddenly I saw it! Those mangled teeth were nearly beige in color, that matted pelt riddled with scars, and those yellow eyes.

"This one," I turned the picture so Kieran could see.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm positive!"

"Ugh, I'm afraid this is outside of my specialty."

"What doesn't that mean?"

"I don't normally deal with werewolves. Phoenix, did anything else happen? For your safety, I need to know."

"My suspicions were correct. He's that Dell!" 

"No, nothing! What's going on?"

"I need you to go home. I will come by your place around 7 tonight."

"He knows where I live?"

"No, tell me, what's going on?"

Kieran slammed his hands on his desk. His face was inches away from mine, "Don't argue with me, Red! You shouldn't even be here! You're a vampire, and I'm a vampire hunter. You can't interfere with my work, and I'm only taking your case because we're... friends. So please trust me and go home."

"Don't bother to come over! I'm a vampire, but you aren't a common hunter. The Dell reputation is built on killing purebloods and drinking our blood. Does it matter if my family is slaughtered, Kieran? Or are you just waiting for a chance to drink our blood?"

I had enough. I don't know why I blurted that in his face like he doesn't already know who and what he is! I stormed out of his office, not waiting for him to reply. I ran to my sedan and sped off. In the rear view mirror, I could see Kieran run out of the police station. Kieran's words disturbed me more than I cared to admit. My vampire genes were so suppressed that I often forgot what I am. And Kieran and his colleagues hunted my species whenever they deemed us "dangerous." Kieran and I used to be close? I could only remember fragments. Could a vampire and a hunter really be friends? 

"Of course not."

I drove for thirty minutes before arriving home. Crim wasn't there, so I hoped she would heed my advice and stay with Faven. The House of Kearne were noble vampires but not purebloods. I parked the car in the garage and slowly unlocked the door. The day's stress completely consumed me as I plopped on the sofa. The things I saw when I tasted grandma's blood both frightened and confused me. I could see the war between humans, vampires, and werewolves. And the situation with the first hybrids, which eventually became the Hunters. All hunters are descendants of hybrid vampire-werewolf unions. Some things felt like an ancient past, and other things felt like distant memories. 

"Why did that werewolf kill my grandma? She was an old pureblood. Why?" 

All I needed was to get the werewolf's whereabouts, then I would go after it myself. "Who am I kidding? It wasted my grandma. What could I do as a dormant vampire?" I heard a firm knock on the door, and my heart stopped. I quietly approached. 

"Phoenix! Come on, open up!" It was Kieran. I really didn't want to deal with him. But this wasn't about me. This was about getting justice for grandma.

Opening the door wide, "Come in."

Kieran closed the door behind him, never taking his eyes off me. "I got upset earlier and said things... things came off wrong and I'm sorry about that. It's just... why? You drank blood. You can't hide it from me, Red. I know you did it. But after everything that has happened... why?"

"Everything that's happened? I'm not sure what that means. I just didn't know what else to do."

"Red, you're a pureblood. If your genes awaken... I won't be able to protect you. The Hunters will be tempted, and they could set you up just to kill you and drink your blood," he walked closer until we were inches apart. His clothes rank of garlic, in complete contrast to the spearmint of his breath, "And I can't have that."

"Protect me? What is he talking about?" 

"What was it about that wolf?"

He sighed, "That wasn't just any werewolf. It was the Lycan King."

I felt dizzy to hear that. I shook my head quickly, "Why? Why us?" As a vampire, I knew the Lycan King's reputation all too well. The ancient enemy of all vampires, but especially purebloods.

"I guess it has to do with the fact that you're purebloods. Your family has a powerful Originator, Damian Alaric Hood, and he only awakens for his bloodline." He tapped the ruby in my medallion.

"This? Grandma gave this to me for my tenth birthday. I wear it all the time."

"Well, if that's the case, then I have a plan. Let's use you and the medallion to lure the Lycan King, and then I'll kill him. He is probably looking for it. He'll more than likely be somewhere near your grandmother's house until he finds it."

"You'll kill it? You're a vampire hunter. Don't you have werewolf hunters in the Faction?"

"Don't worry, Red. Just trust me." As I watched him leave, I felt uneasy.

Hours passed. It was night, and Kieran dropped me off at grandma's house. The full moon cast dark shadows over the mansion. I was nervous. The longer I sat in his car, the more I didn't want to go inside. 

Kieran placed his hand over mine, "I won't be far away. Just trust me."

I sighed as I stepped out of his car, desperately trying to shake the lingering sensation of his hand. Looking back, Kieran was loading his gun with silver bullets, which worried me. He isn't a werewolf hunter, and hunting vampires is a different game from hunting werewolves.

"This could be a setup. He may also want to drink my blood. Why wouldn't he want to follow in his parent's footsteps?" 

I froze. The reality just hit me. I'm utterly defenseless against a Lycan King and a famous hunter, and I'm just a dormant vampire. Pureblood or not, any powers that I did have been sealed off by my deceased parents.

"Red, trust me," his words rang in my head.

I forced my feet to move and slowly unlocked the door. Something felt eerily off. It was night, and all the lights were off. I could feel another presence. It was like my every move was being watched. I closed and locked the front door behind me. Stumbling forward, I tried the lamp. The soft click of being turned on, off, then on again to no avail made my heart stop. My eyes began to adjust thanks to a glimmer of moonlight. Carefully, I slowly crept upstairs. The need to go back into grandma's room was pulsating through me. Upon arriving at the room, her body was ash, but there was no blood. I was puzzled. That shouldn't be. She was a pureblood, so it's not like she would let sunlight into her room. No one else knew of this other than me, Crim and Kieran. Well, the werewolf knew as well. Drinking my grandma's blood would make him twice as dangerous.

Suddenly, the door closed behind me, and my nostrils were plagued with a toxic odor. I turned, and my head was nearly inside the wolf's mouth, which was twice the size of my head. I staggered backward. My ruby medallion began to glow as an insurmountable fear began to swallow me.

"So it was you? You had the medallion of Damien. Give it to me, and I'll spare your life."

Fear overtook me, and I froze. Immediately, it leaped with its mouth agape. It felt like a house fell upon me as I crashed backward. My head slammed against the floor. My heart was pounding. My vision was getting hazy. I could feel its large paws crushing my ribs. Its claws were tearing into my skin. That horrid breath cloaked my face, soon covered in sticky slob. Bang, bang! My body trembled, then everything went black.

When my vision came back around, I was lying on a couch, my couch. 

"Don't make that face. It reminds me of the last time we saw each other all those years ago."

I groaned as he walked to the closet and brought out a first aid kit. Puzzled, I furrowed my eyebrows.

"You always keep it there." He sat beside me on the couch and poured alcohol on a cotton ball. 

"I went to your grandmother's house after you left the police station to assess the scene. I admit that I drank some of her blood. I didn't kill her, but there may not have been another opportunity to continue my family legacy. I hope you understand. Sadly, it wasn't enough to kill the Lycan King. I injured him, and he got away. Maybe if I continued to shoot him in the head, I might have been able to kill him. But when I saw you lying there...." He paused, "I'll report this to the Werewolf Faction tomorrow. Your grandmother's ashes should disappear by then. The Hunters can decide whatever from there."

I started to cry feverishly. The thought of grandma dissolving away burned my heart. I'm not usually emotional, but everything was happening so fast. Kieran had just finished placing a bandage on my wound. He hugged me, "It will be okay, Red. I promise."

Guilt surrounding my grandma's death consumed me, "He killed her for the medallion! For something, she didn't even have. I've had it for years, and he-"

Lifting my chin to face him, "I will always protect you, Red. Always have, always will."

"Always have, always will?"

He wiped my tears away and kissed my forehead.

"I still have the medallion, and it can be used to awaken my Originator. I'm dormant. How can I even protect it? Maybe it's time that I awaken."

"No! Your parents did that for a reason, Phoenix. This world is not the same as it was four hundred years ago. It's just too dangerous. If you awaken, the medallion will too. Damien will awaken. So many werewolves and hunters will be on alert and hunt you down, and I can't have that."

"Four hundred years ago?"

Upon seeing my puzzled look, Kieran chuckled, "Let's just say some four hundred years ago or so, you were a little hellion. You've awakened Damien before, which sent the Hunter's Faction into a frenzy."

"How come I don't remember this?"

"Phoenix, you're a powerful pureblood. House of Hood is a powerful family. Becoming dormant was the best option."

"How do you know so much about me? Things that I can't remember. I don't even remember us having met, except in these vague memories."

Kieran stood up and headed towards the door, "When you became dormant it suppressed your memories as well. It's easy to 'act human' because you don't remember ever being a vampire. As for us, we've been friends for a long time. We've exceeded the friend zone quite a few times throughout these hundreds of years."

"A hunter and a pureblood?"

"My feelings haven't changed. And I will do all in my power to protect you. Always have, always will."

I was left speechless as he smirked, walking out the door. How could he just walk away when I have so many questions? I knew this would not be the last time I'd see Kieran Dell.