Hunter or Hunted

[Perplexia]

Chloe Heart was 25 and considered one of the Hunters League's best vampire hunters. She'd been raised and trained by them since she was a child. Having been orphaned when her parents, both hunters, had been killed in a nest raid many years back.

She was considered to be heartless, ruthless, resourceful, and extremely dangerous. The goal of the League was to eliminate the population of vampires that had populated the world. Like most agencies they had their top ten most wanted list. Number 3 was her elusive target. She had studied his moves, his actions, his behavior, and discovered he had his own code of morality that he adhered to.

He was an impressive piece of work and irritatingly had stayed one step ahead of her during her hunt over the past few years to eliminate him. As far as vampires went he was only about a 100 or so. That wasn't too old, but he was far more clever then any of the other blood suckers she'd erased before.

She would never admit it, but she admired his tenacity and the chase he forced her to go on. It was almost like chasing after a treasure. It was a shame she was going to have to end it when she finally caught him and thrust her stake into his heart.

The latest info she received spotted him in London. It amazed her how threatening some of the lower level vampires got them to turn on their own kind so quickly. If they didn't remain a good source of information she would end them based purely on principle.

Chole twirled one of her long red locks in her hair as the plane started to descend into the airport. Her green eyes watched how the tiny buildings started to grow. As the plane landed she said under her breath "Here I come Michael Payne, ready or not".

 

[Ravenloft]

Enough was enough and after three years of having this... Hunter... tracing his movements... Michael had finally had his fill of her. It was no accident that she knew just where to find him, he had made sure to leave her just enough crumbs in his wake for her to walk herself right into the furnace of his wrath. He lounged in an abandoned meat packing warehouse, looking out over the airport off in the distance, thumbing through a rather disappointing file on her. Little to no help there, orphaned, highly trained and focused on one goal... ending him.

Tonight would be the closest he has ever let her get to him. It would be interesting to see her face as he sprung his trap on her. Would she let the innocent people he had collected and hung from hooks suffer and die just to slay him, or would she prove her weakness for the living and let him flee? Bond villain one oh one. Gauge just how clean she played. He hoped against hope that she would play dirty.

A plane came in across the way, heating for a landing, focusing through the dark and the rain, Michael could see its designation. "Ah, there you are..." he whispered to himself with a darksome grin then he turned to a gang of pale, miserable fledgling. "Go, greet her, my precious little bread crumbs, lead her to me..."

 

[Perplexia]

Pulling her hood over her head she grabbed her back pack and made her way out of the plane. She hated crowded areas with humans. It made her senses less reliable and increased her paranoia. Her eyes glanced the waiting humans that held signs. One held a sign with her name on it. Seriously? Payne must be getting tired of her on his heals.

"Darling" Chloe cried out jumping up and forcing the fledgling to catch her as she wrapped her legs tight around him. She hugged him tightly pressing her silver ring against his throat and whispering in his ear. "Where is he?" the fledgling winced and laughed. She pressed the ring harder against his neck. "Warehouse on Elk i'm to take you there."

letting go she dropped the the ground and took his hand leading him over to the baggage area. "I have to use the restroom i'll be right back." she advised taking her bag with her. Inside she opened her case and changed into her gear. Placing her hoodie back over her vest she exited the bathroom. She followed the fledgling out to the van. Tossing in her case she jumped in to have the door shut behind her. She made quick work out of killing the 4 that were waiting for her. But she knew he knew she would.

"Keep driving" she instructed as she slid into the passengers seat. "so tell me whats the plan, rough me up a bit and deliver me to Payne? the fledgling said nothing. "oh come now lets not make this harder then it has to be. You don't really think he thought you would be successful. He just wants me to know where he is. So save yourself and tell me what i need to know. Or you'll just join your dusty friends."

"If we killed you there was a bonus. Either way we're to take you to the warehouse."
"What kind of traps does he have?"
"how did " the fledgling shut up realizing he gave away too much already.

The van pulled up behind an old warehouse. "thanks for the ride" Chole said right before stabbing him with the stake.

Exiting the van she circled the warehouse a few times before deciding on how to enter it. Climbing up the fire escape she entered through the roof as stealthly as she could.

"Come on Michael, lets play" she taunted as she carried a sword in one hand and a stake in the other. Her nose picked up the smell of blood and she could hear whimpering. "really? Human hostages? let me guess you or them?"

 

[Ravenloft]

Before Chloe, Michael had a rather lucrative career as a heavy metal rock star, he was rising up the charts with his dark and chilling style. Being hunted derailed all of that and now, after three years of this, his fortune was beginning to dwindle, thanks to her constant persuit. To say he was vexed by it all was an understatement. The only upside of it all was that he had a growing fascination with her. She was the most tenacious hunter the Knights Templar, or whatever secret organization that controlled and monitored such things had yet sicced on him. She, alone, had given him years of lyrical material in just three years. More than he could possibly get away with recording and publishing in one life time. If only she would just let him be, he would get his career back on track and return to the stage, where he belonged.

As it was, he didn't really see any end in sight, not without confronting her. Wait... what was that? Careful foot falls, on the roof? Clever girl, she almost got the jump on him. She was alone, safe to assume that she had dusted the crumbs on her way here. "Patience, we will play in a bit, Chloe." Michael called out from the deep shadows of the warehouse, his voice echoing all around her, over the low Moans of suffering and the light metallic c links of chain against chain. "So, no remorse for the children you've slain today? Not that I expected any, but you do know they were only ghouled, right? None of them had fed, they all could have been saved. Now, doesn't that just break your heart?" It was a lie, of course, but she couldn't possibly be certain of that, now that they were all dust.

"Hostages? What you call hostages..." a woman wailed in pain as metal shieked against metal and a meat hook on a chain baring a writhing, naked body came swinging out of the darkness. "What you call hostages, I call food!"

Then suddenly, from her left, the sound of quick foot falls and Michael came rushing at her with clawed hands and fanged teeth. "But I prefer feasting upon you!"

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe dodge the flaying woman swinging on a meat hook. "Come now Michael, lying to me at the end of our beautiful relationship." she smirked twisting to the left at the sound of his foot steps bracing herself.

Her sword was ready for him which he swiped at almost knocking it from her hand. It did give her the opportunity to sweep his legs out from beneath him. "i was so disappointed when I found out you were a blood sucker, I actually liked your music. If you had just exhibited more control and didn't kill your food you wouldn't have been noticed."

As he rose Chloe rushed him knocking through the wall of the warehouse into an alley. She landed on top straddling him with the stake aimed at his heart. She had the shot to end him and for the first time in her career as a hunter she hesitated.

 

[Ravenloft]

"End? I despise endings! The tedium of it all!" Michael spat as she countered his attack. He should have jumped back, he knew it, even as she took his legs out from under him, but he was too eager to claw at her throat. He rolled with it though and sprung back to his feet, laughing as she expressed her disappointment over his true nature. "You must be joking..." he hissed even as he turned to face her, only to be gut checked and plowed through a fucking wall! He struck at her while they fell, pummeling her back savagely, now a trapped animal, caught in the grip of a killer! "That! Wasnt! Me!" He insisted as they fell to the alley below.

With a thud, he found himself on his back, the hunter straddling him, her stake resting sharply over his heart. He froze and stared into her eyes. This was it... the end... she had him.... he blinked, cocking his head to one side, growling. "What are you waiting for?!" Before taking advantage of her hesitation and kicking her off of him! He was up on his feet in an instant, pulling a detonator from his breast pocket. "Just you back off, princess.... or I blow the warehouse and everyone in it!" He slunk away from her, completely shaken by the situation. To be spared by the likes of her... how humilliating! "What's your game?! You should have killed me while you had the chance! Fool! Now I won't rest till I've drained every last drop of blood from your body! I swear it!"

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe rose and cocked her head from side to side. "Don't tease me with violence Michael, it turns me on." she looked at the warehouse then back to him and shrugged. "It's not your style, and even if it was you underestimate my value of life. I don't do what i do to save humans. I do it because i enjoy it. As for my reasoning for sparing you. What really matters is that I did an you have to live with it. Now i suggest you run before i don't make the mistake again."

His threat of draining her only made her smile. She'd heard worse, and it the value of life truly did mean little to her. It's part of what made her a great hunter. The only part that bothered her is that she hesitated. There was something in the way he claimed not to have done it that she actually believed. It really wasn't his style. If it had been he wouldn't have stopped and there would be more bodies in his trail. It would have been easier to find him. It didn't help that she admired him.

 

[Ravenloft]

Despite the situation and the humiliation of being spared, Michael smirked at what she said. Violence turns her on? She knows his style... AND she enjoys the hunt. "You would make an excellent vampire..." he whispered, withdrawing, setting the detonator down and sliding it over to her.

He had a lot to think about, she had shaken him to his core by letting him live and she was right, he would have to live with that knowledge... He would make her pay for that. But how? He needed time to think, to plot... to plan her undoing. In an instant, he realized he had already found his plan. He would turn her, not by force, no, he would make her beg for the eternal kiss... and she would have to live with that! "Be seeing you, hunter." He hissed through his smirk before fleeing, leaving her to clean up the mess he left in the warehouse above.

 

[Perplexia]

"Not if I see you first" she called after him. Picking up the detonator she opened the base and took out the battery before putting it in her pocket. Quickly and quietly she made her way out of the neighborhood before placing a call to the coppers about the warehouse.

Her mess please. The last thing she wanted to do was have some woman weeping all over her. 'oh the big bad vampire boo hoo'. She rolled her eyes as she caught a taxi and made her way to a shitty hotel.

The sign buzzed and flickered and she knew it was the one for her. She hated the upscale frills and amenities. Taking off her coat she placed her weapons holster over the chair. She pulled out his file and opened it up. The picture was accurate to the way he looked now. Short black hair with a bit of a 5 o'clock shadow. His eyes were captivating. If she wasn't her enemy she would love to take him for a ride, break him and give him back to the swooning fans he so adored. The thing was he was talented. She ruined that for him, but she had a job to do.

Looking at the bed, and then her coat she pondered. Jet lag. There was no sleeping for her. She would have to suck it up and wait till the daylight came. Might as well rid the world of a few blood suckers. She needed a kill after being denied one.

Placing her coat back on she left her gun holster on the chair. She rarely ever used it. She relied mostly on her hand to hand and her stakes. Patting her vest she was sure to be supplied with silver stars and stakes before putting her trench coat over it.

In the neighborhood she was in it wasn't hard to find a dive goth club full of wanna bes and the real thing. Sitting at the bar she ordered a whisky and drank it down in one gulp as she surveyed the room.

 

[Ravenloft]

After running about three blocks Michael climbed to the city roofs, actually disappointed that she wasn't going to give chase. Her words echoed in his mind. "You wont, trust me, you won't see me coming next time.... at lead not in the way you think... let the games begin, pet. Let the games begin..." he reached into the pocket of his leather coat and pulled out a cell phone, tied into the signal from the detonator power source. "Two moves ahead of you already..." he whispered to himself when he found that the signal was tracking her. She'd fallen for it!


He followed at a distance to see where she was going, what she was up to. It felt good to be back on this side of the hunt again, it was where he belonged. A shitty motel? Was this girl a masochistic? Before long, she 2 as on the move again and he followed her but he kept his distance.

Now she was in a dive for goth wanabees. That made him laugh... until he heard one of his songs echoing out from inside and all humor fled his heart. Was this what his work had been reduced to? Nothing more than the anthem of human waste? It made him sick. It made him angry. It made him stupid.

He grabbed the first goth punk he could find, dragged him into the alley out back, behind the club and drank savagely. The blood was revolting, full of drugs and alcohol, making him gag. "Damn it!" He spat as the boy cradled in his lap twitched, near death. Rolling his eyes in disgust, Michael considered just letting the fucker die, but then, he had a thought.

He opened his wrist and forced it against the young man's mouth, turning him. While he waited for him to change, he got up, elite his pockets and took his leather jacket off, putting it on the fledgling. Once he was awake, Michael commanded him to go back inside the club and look for Chloe. It was suicide for the boy of course, but the more she felt she was being watched, the more pressure he could put on her. If he could exhaust her, eventually he could just swoop in and feast on her throat! He sent the boy with a message for her. "You'll never see me coming this time."

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe watched and counted fumbling with the detonator in her pocket. Movement in a familiar jacket. Damn it the fucker had a tracker in it. She shook her head and laughed as the boy headed for her. He delivered the message.

She whispered in the fledglings ear "Tell your maker he's made me wet, if he had any balls he'd come and have a drink with me."

Living on the edge was part of the thrill. Neither was going to kill the other in a room full of mixed company. So why not take a moment and relax. Slapping the boy on the ass she sent him back to his maker.

 

[Ravenloft]

Message sent, the fledgling returned with Chloe's. "She said you made her wet... and if you had balls, you'd come for a drink." The goth punk wore a lacivious smirk as he relayed her message. It was enough to make Michael want to tear his head off right then and there. But he resisted the urge. It wasn't his style, that was what Chloe was for. He was sure she would dust this ass hole before the end of the night. "Stay near by, but give us space..." he instructed, taking his jacket back as he entered the dive bar.

He approached her with caution. "You must have a death wish, inviting me in for a drink... you know it's you I would have... but not here... not now... I will make you beg for it, when the time comes."

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe gave a smirk as he strolled in and looked around being sure that it wasn't an ambush. She almost laughed as he told her she must have a death wish. "If I wanted you dead you would be" she reminded him taking a sip of her new whisky with a smirk.

"We have a couple choices and it all depends on how you answer my questions. We can either continue to do this dance for as long as it takes for me to win. Because i always do, or i can leave and let you live in peace. For the latter I need to know if it wasn't you that left the string of bodies who was it? It's not your style to be reckless, so i'm apt to believe someone set you up and wants you dead. Before you get all sentimental on me, my reasoning is quite simple. I don't like to be played if i'm going to waste three years of my life i would like a resolution."

She smiled at the begging comment. Moving her hand slowly to his thigh she slid it up. "oh daddy please". She then took it away and laughed. Flirting with death that pretty much summed her up.

"So what do you say?"

 

[Ravenloft]

"Or so you keep reminding me... you had your chance, it won't happen again." He took her shot of whiskey away from her and spilled it on the ground. "Especially when you're inebriated." He listened to her question with a sigh of impatience over how long it took her to get to the point. "It was the drummer, I delt with him... in my own way...your superiors have wasted your time, I'm afraid. Evil has been punished."

Michael stopped her from sliding her hand up his thigh more than a few inches. "You're playing with fire..." he warned, showing his teeth. "I'd say you're about to get burned, little girl." He growled, Snatching her close to him to breath in her scent.

 

[Perplexia]

"Well then problem solved" she said referring to his taking care of the drummer. She scowled as he dumped out her whisky and smiled as he pulled her close to him showing his teeth.

"I happen to like fire, though it would take me longer to burn then it would you." Placing her knee against his crotch she whispered you can let me go and disappear or we can continue to dance. I see no reason to continue the cycle. I'm giving you an out Michael take it. I don't want to have to kill you."

She wasn't lying when she told him violence made her wet. She was certain he could tell he'd turned her on. But it didn't matter. She wasn't sure if their paths would cross again if he walked away, half of her hoped they would so they could be amicable she truly did admire him. It would be a waste to have to kill a man of his caliber. Even if he was a blood sucker.

 

[Ravenloft]

"Well then, get ready for hell..." Michael whispered like silk. Black silk. His hand moved to her thigh and he pulled her even closer, pressing his manhood against her inner thigh. "My card is free, thanks to you and I see no reason to end it. Wrong, you've given me an in and I am taking it. You can try, but you won't succeed. You want me too much, I can tell." He growled, taking a hand full of her hair and exposing her throat. "I can make you mine... if I wish..." he hissed, running his thumb along her jugular.

 

[Perplexia]

She simply smiled at him rubbing his crotch with her hand "Are you sure it's not the other way around?" She moved that hand up his chest and flicked her wrist producing a stake at his heart.

Her other hand grabbed his neck as her silver rings grazed against his skin. By this time they had both gained unwanted attention. "You want to fuck, then you know where to find me. But knowing you turning me would take out the fun. Either way i'm on the next flight out of your town. Now we have eyes on us I recommend we let go of eachother and go our own ways."

Making the first move she flicked her wrist again withdrawing the stake back into her jacket.

 

[Ravenloft]

"In your dreams, maybe... it's your blood that I want." He glanced down at the stake at his heart. "A bit crowded in here for that, don't you think? You wouldn't want our secret little world exposed to the masses, would you? Think of all the mass hysteria and panic it would cause if all the world knew vampires were real?"

Oddly, unlike other vamps, her silver ring did nothing to him. "Gotta love Hollywood..." he chuckled, covering her hand on his throat with his, forcing her off of him. His youth spent studying demonology payed off years ago, when he petitioned Vyrathael, the demon lord of betrayal to release him from the Judas curse, the curse of burning silver. It was painful, wading out into the lake of liquid silver, to be washed clean of his curse, but unlike most vampires, he survived and was free of one of his fore bearers sins.

There were other tests to be free of the curse of sun and wood as well, but they far exceeded the torture of silvers kiss. No vampire was foolish enough to endure them, if they were, they must have all died in their attempts to reach golconda. But none of that, Chloe needed to know.

"Is that an invitation?" He asked. "It's a start. You first." He said, motioning for her to leave. "I'll be on your back..."

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe leaned forward and kisses his lips before stepping away from him. She turned without looking back and made her way out the door. Turning down an alley she found what she was ultimately looking for. A fight.

She was out numbered eight to one. The fight was like a choreographed dance as she anticipated the moves of the lower levels. They hadn't lived long enough to be a match and thought their number would be enough.

One managed to get in a blow with a beer bottle which sliced her open pretty good. But she still managed to stab him through the heart. With dust around her she took a moment to examine her wound. He got her pretty well, the light headedness from the loss of blood was kicking in. Pulling out her cell phone the numbers blurred, and then the phone died.

As she looked toward the opening she saw a dark figure. Her last thoughts before passing out was that she was dead.

 

[Ravenloft]

Michael lingered in the bar, licking his lips, with her kiss still lingering on them. She was one hell of a piece of work. He followed her, but stayed out of the fight, certain she could handle it. She caught a wound during the fight though, a nasty gash across her stomach, it looked delicious. She didn't look well, losing so much blood must have gotten to her, so he finally stepped in to rescue her as she passed out.

He laid her down on her back and tore her shirt open to expose the wound. His mouth watered over all the blood, but his intention was not to feed, but to seal the wound. The lick, they called it, one of a vampires most closely guarded secrets. He bent down over her and began slowly lapping at her wound while she lay unconcious, each swath of his tongue cleaning and closing the wound. It was an exercise in self control, not to do more than just taste.

Once the wound was closed, he stood and picked her up, hoisting her over one shoulder. He took her back to her shitty room and fished the key card our of her pocket. Letting himself in, he laid her on her bed and sat next to her, waiting for her to come to.

 

[Perplexia]

Her eyes fluttered open as she tried to adjust to the darkness of the room. She wasn't in a hospital. She felt her stomach and there was no pain, it was completely healed.

Feeling the shift on the bed she looked over to him flicking her wrists but nothing happened. He'd removed her weapons from her. "Why did you save me?" she questioned weakly. "You could have finished me off it was my time to die." Her tone was somewhat annoyed. "I don't want to keep doing this dance with you. Can we just call it even and go our separate ways?

She coughed a little and closed her eyes for a moment. "It looks like i'll be missing my flight" she tried to laugh but coughed a bit more.

 

[Ravenloft]

"You know thats not my style... It would have been too easy, just letting you die like that, and besides, I've already sworn to you, you will be on your knees, begging for my kiss before I end your mortal life. That is the way it is meant to be. Our dance will never end..." Michael stood, glaring down at her with lust and contempt. "Even? We will never be even, not while I bare the shame of knowing you spared me. How does it feel, by the way? Knowing I saved you? It disgusts you, doesn't it? Do you want to know how I did it?" He asked with a sneer, willing one finger tip into the form of a sharp claw before slashing her lightly across her cheek while her eyes were closed.

Then he straddled her, much like she had straddled him in the alley earlier that night, pinning her arms above her head with his hands. "You tasted so good before... I wonder how you taste now?" He growled, sniffing the air, showing his fangs, his hunger growing. "Come on, struggle, it's not as fun if you just lay there..."

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe simply smiled to him as he pinned her arms over her head. Her heart beat increased in excitement as his nail scratched her face. Instead of a yelp she let out a moan. Instead of a struggle she thrust her hips up at him.

"You need to work on that chip on your shoulder Michael. I didn't spare you because i wanted to torment your delicate ego. I let you go because i believed you to be innocent and I admired you."

There she had finally told him the truth. Not that it would make a difference. "Had i known it was so important to you to save face I would have spared you the humiliation and ended you."

Her sexual arousal began to kick in as she thrust her hips up toward him again. She had no need to beg for her life because she didn't care if he ended it. "you mistake thinking that i care whether I live or die."

 

[Ravenloft]

Michael was surprised by Chloe's reaction, he had been expecting her to balk, to struggle and scream, but she was actually enjoying this... "You... You can't be serious... Three years.... Three years you've hunted me... aND now you're going to claim admiration? Do you have any idea the millions you've cost me?! Do you have any idea, at all?! You've single handedly destroyed my fame and fortune!" His grip tightened on her wrists as he see the with anger, until he suddenly reached a state of cold, calculating calm as a thought came to him. "You will have to pay me back for all the damage you have done..." he hissed calmly, leaning down to lick the blood from her cheek. Rising back up with a look of drunken lust in his eyes, he grinned, ripping her shirt open.

 

[Perplexia]

Chloe was good at remaining calm and when he ripped her shirt open it made her smile. He was sexy when he was angry. She let out a light moan when he licked her cheek and looked back at her telling her that she had to pay him back.

She raised an eyebrow and thrust her hips up against him again. "It was not my decision to come after you. But sure why not, I'll take the blame. Do tell me Michael, my sexy blood sucking captor, how do you purpose that i pay you back for the millions you lost and your thriving career. That you would have had to end in a few years anyway when you failed to age? Hmm? shall i steal for you, or just fuck you until you tire of me? You're a vampire, you can get millions in many ways, or is it the fame that you truly miss? I never anticipated you found much fun in that. I thought it was about the music. At any point did you think if you proclaimed your innocence that may be taken under advisement? I mean it did only take you once saying it to make me not kill you."