Lee's POV

Fuck my fucking life. I need to go to a shaman and get my aura cleansed or something. Jin warned me I should do it. He goes at least once a month just in case he has some witch trying to harm him. When you hunt monsters, you make enemies. But I am not dealing with a witch. I am dealing with a freaking vampire. That asshole.
I swear I am going to rip him a new but- 

The most unhuman sound leaves me, and the trees seem to shrink in fear when I turn around. My teeth clench together, and I know my face, mainly my eyes, must have the spark they always do when the inner me, the thing I keep hidden, wants to take control. Not today. I will not let it happen today. So, I push it down. I have been doing it for years. I am not about to lose control over a lousy blood sucker. 
Bastard. 

Arrogant, cocky bastard who thinks he is so slick just because I couldn’t see who he was. 

And he was even wearing the smuggest of the smiles, as if he was proud of toying with me earlier in the day when our cars went out of the road. The slimy prick- My blood begins to boil beneath my skin and I know I have to calm down because I am not about to go hunt a freaking vampire in the woods without knowing more about him. That’s what he wants me to do. To lose my mind and go unprepared.

I take a deep breath, then a second one because it seems it is not working. He definitely left this time, and I could even trail his scent if I wanted to, but Jeremy is approaching, and I don’t intend to stick around or let him know what exactly just happened here. These kids already doubt me on a normal day because of my gender, if they know I was face to face with a vampire and did not rip his head off... it won’t look good. 

It also won’t look good for Jin who will slam me with questions and will probably give me the most random, easiest jobs ever when he learns. I have been working my ass off for years so I can be doing what I do now. I am not jeopardizing my spot in the legion. My brother would love nothing more than to have me safe, and unharmed at home like he has any other female in our family. 

Men. 

I glance over my shoulder once more and pocket the victim’s phone. Sparing another look at her body and promising myself I will catch her killer; I head out of the deep woods and back onto the main road. I will find out who did this, and whoever it is, I will make sure their heads are not attached to their bodies when I am finished.  

But if the killer is the blood sucker from before, I will make sure I am the last thing he sees before he is dead. Or deader... vampires aren’t exactly alive to begin with.  

Stinky. How the hell does he dare to call me stinky? I don’t smell. I am not a fucking wolf to smell like dog shit. I am a hunter, and we don’t have a scent like wolves do, or worse, vampires. The batman wannabes always smell too sweet. Enticing. Something humans crave. It’s how they mess up with their pheromones in the first place. Easier to trick when your senses are overpowered. But humans tend to crave danger and whatever they cannot have. Vampires take advantage of it. They make pacts with humans to feed from them, although it is not necessarily against supernatural laws. It’s also not well seen by hunters. If there’s consent, then it is out of our hands. Unless they kill the human, which, as far as I know it is not as rare as they want us to believe it is. Blood can work like an aphrodisiac to vampires, and certain blood has a bigger effect than others. It’s why they keep certain humans around. They taste better. 

I fight back a shiver just thinking about it. But the two boys approach and I keep a straight face, and don’t stop. I send Jeremy and Kevin a look and they both stay behind as I get in my car and drive away. After these last few minutes, I need to get away and clear my head. 

Stinky. The prick is going to swallow his words when I shove them down his throat. 

*** 

No one tells me a thing when I step inside the clinic and make my way to my office. No one even seems to be willing to open their mouths, and I don’t blame them. I know I look pissed. I throw my statoscope on top of the table and Jungkook quirks a brow. All I wanted was for five minutes alone, but it seems that is nearly impossible when you are me. The woman surrounded by men at her work and off. Honestly, I am the first woman to be born into this family ever since... I don’t even know when. I searched the records but found little about her. It said she was born before the 1800s and she didn’t have any powers. 

None of the women do. 
It saddens me. The lack of equality. Even in magic. Sometimes it feels like a punishment for them that I got all this magic under my skin, and I get to use it, but sometimes it feels like a punishment to me. Because I also get the side eyes, the remarks, the whispered giggles. I listen to them all when I pass by tables during our gatherings. I hear how some of the other families talk about me. 

As if I don’t belong with them. 
It is known my bloodline links directly to Nyx’s. But it seems the goddess didn’t like how women were treated in our world and so she chose to only have sons. That passed from generation to generation, or so they say, since the books don’t go that far back, until Seok-Jin was born, and years later... me. 

No one knows why after so long, a girl was born into this family. And if they do, no one tells me a thing about it. It is said, father tried to learn more about it, but couldn’t find anything. No scriptures, no books, not even a premonition.  

But I am here and I belong. No matter how some people want to prove me otherwise. 

It all feels like stories sometimes. Things the family said to keep their name and when I was born, it all crashed down the earth. Because how would a family only have men being born into it? 

“What’s wrong?” Jungkook asks. 

“Why would anything be wrong?” 

“For once,” he says, picking the statoscope from the table and putting it inside my drawer. “You are cursing. Which usually happens when you are pissed at something or someone. Mostly your brother. Second, your eye is twitching and third, I just saw Kevin in the hallway, and he was talking about not coming near you with a stick.” 

A groan leaves me. Stupid Kevin. This is why we should have selection when the kids come of age. I get it we need all of them, but Kevin is not the brightest, and his mouth and brain, or what’s in its place, sometimes lack a filter.  
Knowing I have no other option but to spill what is bothering me I roll my eyes. “I ran into a blood sucker earlier when I was alone in the forest.” 

Jungkook frowns as if the story has more to it. Which it does. I’m just not sure how to break down to my best friend all of what happened. If there is anyone in this world I can trust, it is him. And still I know I am about to be scolded until next Sunday when I admit it all about the vampire, and worse, he got away. 

“Was he stupid enough to try and bite you?” 

I scrunch my nose. “Hell no. But it turns out he was the stranger who I bumped my car against earlier.” 

My best friend freezes and leans away from the door. He crosses the room in two strides, and I roll my eyes. The male species is something. It doesn’t matter what type of male it is. I am more than capable of defending myself, but as soon as one of the closest hunters to me knows I was in danger, they get all protective. 

I’m not sure I like it. 
I don’t like it. 

“Please tell me you put a dagger in the back of his head.” 

“He ran away before I had a chance,” I explain. “This guy was fast Kook. Faster than the other blood suckers I have seen. And he also didn’t mind the smell of blood...” I frown thinking about it. “He even touched my blood earlier and didn’t go into a frenzy.” 

“So he is either old enough to get his thirst under control, or he is trained for it?”

I dip my chin knowing the second one is unlikely. “Fuck.” 

“I have to warn Jin.” 

Jungkook nods. “He’s home now, and you should go rest. Talk to him later. I’ll put some more kids on patrol, just in case. I doubt whoever the vampire is, he is coming close to town, but it won’t hurt to have a few more of the boys walking around the streets. If one vampire is lurking, something else might be, too. We can’t take chances.” 

The sun peeks from behind Jungkook and I sigh. It’s been a long night. I was only coming to the clinic for the emergency and then all hell broke loose. I need to go home and sleep for a bit. A couple of hours should work, but I can feel my body demanding more. It’s the magic in my blood, humming and begging me to recharge. 

I pat Jungkook’s shoulder and head out of the clinic. Jin won’t be here for another few hours, and I have no intention of bothering my brother at his house. I don’t know who is sleeping in his bed tonight, and I don’t want to take the chance of bumping into someone I know. It happened on more than one occasion, and it’s one of the reasons I don’t easily befriend women anymore. My brother doesn’t know what boundaries mean. Not with me and the people in my life. At least he never tried anything on Kook... that I know of. 

The streets are still dark when I step outside, but the sun begins to peek from between the buildings. It’s the hour of the day I love the most. When everyone is still asleep, and the monsters vanish into the darkness afraid of how they will look like during the day. A specific monster comes to my mind, and I groan in frustration all over again for even thinking about him. 

Stinky. I’ll shove a good old dagger into his heart just because of that one. 
I don’t know how long it takes me to get home, but without the storm stopping me, it’s probably a few minutes. By the time my head rests against the pillow, my eyes are already closed, and I am drifting into sleep. 

The doorbell is what wakes me up. Then my phone drags me out of bed against my better instincts.

My eyes adjust to the light when I turn the bedside lamp on and frown. How is it 7 p.m. already? I slept 12 hours? It’s not unheard of, for me or Jin at least. And the last two days were long with all the work at the clinic and hunting. I was up for almost 48 hours straight.  

“I’m coming,” I say to whoever insists on ringing the doorbell. “Jimin?” 

🖤🖤🖤