Excerpt: Confessions of a Slayer's Daughter

(18 years before our story takes place. Ranulf and Deven, two of our Main Characters possible fathers are about to discover something.)

It was a widely known fact that a single women with a sinful style, must be destined to break your heart. This was the thought that Ranulf had as he leaned against the door, hearing the sounds of loving exclamations fade to the background. He really should have listened to that age old wisdom. Angela Hamil was a Slayer with a ten point body, and who used every chance to show it off. He should have known that when she looked up at him and said so sweetly that she loved him that she would be lying. His job was knowing, that’s what he did. He was a spy and informant for the Slayers and he didn’t see this coming. Perhaps he should throw in his hat.

His mind played back to the conversation that he heard within the room moments before. Angela, declaring how confused she was. How much she loved Derrick (the damn wolf) and how she just didn’t know what to do. She never mentioned him, but he had a feeling that was a bit of what it was about. Not all the way though. No. Now that he thought about it, didn’t he feel wary of how Deven was coming over here late? And how he seemed so happy lately. Ranulf had joked to him that he must be getting laid. He felt his stomach twist thinking about it now. What was Angela thinking? Deven was an unstable element. A bad guy who had slowly been convinced to work with the slayers. Partly thanks to Angela convincing him… and now he wondered what that convincing meant.

Walking away from the door he slowly made his way to the payphone a street over. His cold fingers dialed the number that he had memorized long ago, with so much other information that he sometimes wondered if his head would split open. Years and years of information. He estimated about five hundred, but since there were no dates to mark his birth, no year, and only a vague idea of who was ruling he really had no clue. As the phone rang he brought it up to his ear. Deven had to know. He knew that it might make things worse for the slayers, but he also knew that if Deven found out another way than Angela and whoever she was with was as good as dead. And frankly, he didn’t give a damn about the Slayers at this point. His fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. He would quit. After tonight he was gathering his last pay check and roaming out to Vegas. After one final hoorah, he would bury himself in some attic and just sleep. To rest for a change. The phone rang. It only took two times until the person on the other end picked up.

“This had better be good. I’m in the middle of something, and it is not wise to mess with me at this time.”

Ranulf leaned against the phone. “I need you to get over to Angela’s place.”

Silence. Then Deven spoke, his tone completely changed. “Is she alright? What is wrong?” Coated with worry, with fear. Ranulf felt like he had been punched in the gut. He had been right, and now he was going to have to tell him. Damn it. Damn Angela. Vampires stuck together, and to let Deven be strung along was not an option.

“She’s fine. Better than fine really.” He couldn’t help the bitterness that snuck through.
“You won’t believe me if I tell you. So just haul your ass over here, and you’ll find out.” He hung up. Staring at the phone in its hook for a moment, he slowly turned around and walked back to the apartment door. It took him twenty minutes to get back, and by the time he was walking up Deven was sprinting to the door. Deven, with his devilish good looks and dark skin. With Adonis like physique and pitch black hair curling around the ears. Deven who had obviously been feeding on some poor soul, since his teeth were at the minimum length for their kind and his eyes were still coming down from their hunter’s high. Ranulf had joked to Angela on what a pretty boy he was. No wonder she always acted weird when he said things like that. Deven scowled at him.

“What is it, Ranulf? I do not have time for any games.”

“Since when have you known me to play games?”

Deven gave him an appraising look. “Not in my experiences with you. But those have been few.”

Flicking a strand of dirty blond hair out of his face, Ranulf gave a snort. “Yeah. Guess that made it easier for her.”

“What do you mean?” At Deven’s confused and distrustful look, Ranulf stabbed his finger towards the door. He watched Deven closely as he replied.

“Take a sniff. Also, listen to how many heartbeats are in there, and where they are. I thin you will know the room.” Ranulf watched as Deven stepped towards the door, his nostrils flaring as he closed his eyes. The heartbeats were easy enough to find. The smells were obvious. His head shot back, a look of shock and hurt was painted across his face for a moment before it crumpled and turned to rage. As he jerked to tear open the door, Ranulf grabbed his shoulder and spun him back against the railing of the walkway they were on. Deven’s rage turned to him. For a good three minutes they struggled, punches flying and bone breaking kicks landing, before Ranulf found himself pinned to the ground. He was not as strong as Deven, that much was obvious. Partly because it had been two weeks since his last live feeding. Such things made the already large distance a gulf. Ranulf us stared up at Deven, his amber eyes challenging the almost red ones. Deven’s hands tightened around his throat.

“You done?” Ranulf rasped, deciding to speak now before the function was lost to him. Deven jerked back, still not letting go but the weight and pressure was relaxed. Ranulf continued a little easier thanks to the loosening on his throat. “You think your the only one she did this to? Damn wolf in there doesn’t even know about us. That’s right, us. Just came back early to report to her, and guess what I found? You should count yourself lucky. You didn’t have to hear her saying she loved another man.” The bitterness was coating each word. Deven, his eyes wide for a moment, slowly closed them in a pained expression before pulling himself off of Ranulf.

“Has this been going on long?”

“You mean me and Angela?” Ranulf rasped, rubbing his throat as his healing kicked in. “Yeah. About five months, I would say. I don’t know your time table though. Just knew enough to guess correctly.”

Deven raised his hand to cover his face, his expression pinched in pain. “Seven months. I suppose I have been a fool, to not see this. Of course a human would betray, how could I have been so blind?”

Ranulf looked at him as he slowly sat up, placing his hand on Deven’s shoulder a brief moment before pulling it back. A small comfort. “Not a human thing. An Angela thing. Though gotta admit, thanks to the way love works among our kind, with all the possessives attached to it, it’s no wonder less cheating goes on in our circles. Next time remind me to date a vampire chick. Or a were-dog. Heard they are damn loyal.”

Deven didn’t even crack a smile at Ranulf’s joke. Of course, man was about as serious as a dynasty king, so what had he been expecting? Running his hands over his ponytail, Ranulf sighed. “I’ll deal with her. Tell her that I’m gone, and you are too. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to do that, and though completely justified, I don’t want to see you go in for murdering a werewolf.”

Deven looked at him, his eyes boring into his for a long moment. Judging, weighing. Like some omniscient ruler. With a nod, he stood up and started walking away. Pausing, he looked back just once. “I thank you. If I can ask anything else, delete my information from the systems. I have a feeling you will be doing the same for your own.” And without he was gone. Ranulf groaned as he scratched his chin, the stubble at that itchy stage. He had been planning to shave in the apartment tonight.

Turning to the door, he gave a couple solid raps. As he heard the people stir, he made a note to himself to leave some information to the human helper that Angela had. More than likely he would be a victim of this as well. As the door opened to show a bleary eyed, dark haired slayer, he gained satisfaction to see fear dart through her eyes at that moment. Especially when the damn wolf walked behind her, scowling at him.
“What do you want? We were just about to hit round two.”

Angela glanced back in terror before turning to him, apology frozen on her puffy red lips. Ranulf couldn’t help it, he laughed. It was a broken sound. He sounded so pathetic right then that he would look back on it in later years and wonder if she ever gained some satisfaction from having hurt him so badly. Lowering his gaze to meet hers, he gave a cruel, broken smirk before speaking.

“I should have known from the first time we kissed. That you would be like that blasted Loreli, be like any other siren. Well, let me pay you back.” Yep, he thought, seeing her go pale at his announcement. He would be resting a long time after all this was done.