The rain was heavy, a thick curtain that would have made it impossible for an innocent passerby to see the pair of dark figures that were sheltered only slightly where they stood in the crowded alley between two buildings. Those innocent people were lucky; they didn’t see the corpse that lay sprawled on the ground between the two men, blood leaking out of its neck to pool with the water. Nor did they see that the taller of the two had scarlet staining his lips, which were quirked into a wide smile as a manic light danced in green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness.

The smaller man had his head turned down, his heavy hood masking his face as he watched what little blood remained in the body at his feet drain out. A soft, regretful sigh left him. He had been only minutes too late to save her. It didn’t take long for anger to curl in him, winding around his guilt to crush it under the indignant rage he felt.

“You haven’t run screaming yet. You’re a brave little bloodbag,” the taller man purred, his smile flashing teeth that were stained with the same scarlet as his lips. He made a show of slowly cleaning them, the act almost sensual.

The other didn’t so much as raise his head. “I won’t run,” he said, his voice low and calm.

The taller man took a sharp breath in, surprised. The little humans always fled when they were faced with danger, with death. They didn’t stay and laugh in its face. It had a more amused hint to his smile, a low laugh tumbling out of his mouth. “Well, then. Brave and stupid. It never makes for a good combination- but it does make for a good meal.” The man’s voice lowered, becoming silky and seductive. The tone echoing in an unnatural, inhuman way, so that his voice throbbed with power. “Come to me.”

The hooded man wobbled for a moment, before moving forward. He had to step over the corpse to do so, and a soft shudder ran through his body as his foot came down in a growing puddle of rain diluted blood. It only seemed to please the taller man as he reached forward, his arms twining around the smaller man’s waist to pull him close. Dipping his head to nuzzle at the man’s neck, the soft lining of his prey’s cloak tickling against his cheek, he murmured words against his soft skin. “How sweet do you taste? I can feel your pulse beating against my lips, the rush of blood through your body... I bet your adrenaline is singing. Is this why you didn’t run, little dove? Did you come looking for death?.”

The smaller man let out another of his soft sighs as he leaned into his assailant. Looking up so that the other could see his face. Soft features and perfect pale skin only highlighted the thickly lashed pewter grey eyes which seemed to take up most of his face. Lips parted to allow for quick, shaking breaths, he let out a soft moan as the taller man’s hands traced along his body.

“I did… come looking for death. But unfortunately it is your death that I seek, not mine,” he breathed, his arms rising to drape across the taller man’s shoulders.

Confusion entered his eyes, their glow dulling slightly as he pulled back from his victim’s neck without breaking the skin. “My death?”

“Mm, yes. You see, you’ve broken the law. Vampires aren’t allowed to take lives when they feed.” The words were purred, soft and sweet, as the trembling man pressed closer.

The green eyes went wide, and the smile pulled at his lips again. “The laws? I have your life in my hands, little human, and you want to preach to me about the laws?” The vampire’s smile only grew, making the longer, pointed canines stand out more as his pupils grew larger until they seemed to swallow all the color in his eyes. The hungry vampire was preparing to strike. “If you are so concerned about the laws, then perhaps you should try to stop me. Or maybe your death will be the one that calls the Guardians down on my head. Wouldn’t that be an honor?”

The vampire bowed his head again, sharp teeth teasing at the human’s delicate skin; it drew a louder moan, the human’s hands fisting tightly in the fabric of his shirt. The low, breathy laugh was surprising enough to pause the vampire as he poised to bite. “An honor, to die at the fangs of a piece of filth like you? I don’t think so.”

Where he had been meek, simply quivering in the arms of the vampire, something changed. The pewter grey eyes of the soft human went hard, steely, as his grip tightened where his fingers had curled in the vampire’s hair in a play of passion. Even with a vampire’s quickness, there was no way the man could have avoided the attack as the human took a swift step back, his hands on the vampire’s head pulling him down hard to bring his face down on his knee.

The vampire gave off an awful, high-pitched keening sound as the force of the impact shattered his nose, his foul dead blood coating the inside of his mouth. He had a second to attempt to fight back, lashing out at the human with nails that were as wicked sharp as his fangs. Whether he managed to do any damage, he didn’t know; if he did, it didn’t bother the human at all. Didn’t make him pause in the slightest as he shifted his grip to send the vampire tumbling to the ground.

His face slammed against the pavement, the aching pain of his broken nose turning into a blazing fire as he coughed blood out to taint the clear puddles of water left by the dwindling rain. The vampire only had time to roll onto his back before he realized his struggles were useless. The human was impossibly strong as he pinned the vampire down, kneeling on his chest, far enough forward for his knees to be pushing against the vampire’s throat. Even though the monster didn’t technically need to breathe, most never lost the habit, and he gasped and clawed at the human without any effect.

When it became clear the human wasn’t going to do anything more to him, the vampire slowly calmed enough to direct his gaze up at the one who had miraculously managed to take him down. His eyes went wide as he saw who it was that he had thought was so harmless. That ashen hair, pulled into a neat braid wound with silver, was just as distinctive as the clothes he wore; dark leather armor, threaded through with the same silver he wore in his hair.

“Bastard,” the vampire hissed, struggling anew only to find he wasn’t in any better position than before.

The smaller man gave him a broad smile, amusement dancing in his eyes to make them seem almost warm. “That’s me,” he agreed, his hand raising from where it had been pressed down against the vampire’s neck. His fingers danced along his belt, a soft hum rising from him when he found what he wanted. Slipping the weapon free, he held it in front of the vampire’s face for him to see.

The vampire flinched back, a feral hiss leaving his mouth. The snarl that crossed his face making him seem as inhuman as he truly was. It made the other man laugh again, the sweet sound out of place with what he was doing as he poised the polished wooden stake over the vampire’s chest.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re from the Elmwood seethe. Right?” he asked, letting the tip of the stake press forward against the vampire’s chest. The moment the stake touched skin, black poison began to spread as the vampire’s blood reacted to the wood, answering the man’s question; any wood would kill a vampire, but only one would poison them, the fault of their seethe. A weakness said to be imparted on them by the Phoenix to be sure there was a way for mortals to protect themselves from the vampires.

The vampire’s high keening filled the air again, but the smaller man didn’t even flinch. His smile growing grave as he pushed the stake down a little harder to watch the vampire squirm. “Y-you… filthy… human,” the vampire ground out, his eyes glowing brightly as anger snapped in them.

“Guardian,” the man corrected, his tone almost patient. Then he raised the stake back up, over his head, and slammed it down into the vampire’s chest.

The scream made him wince, fighting the urge to cover his ears. The death throes were never pleasant. The awful noises, the quick spread of poison through the vampire’s body that turned his skin black and would turn him to ash before long. The smaller man had to move fast; leaning forward, he reached out to grab the vampire’s jaw, keeping him from closing his mouth as he fetched another tool from his belt.

They were something akin to pliers, meant for prying and pulling. He used them for exactly that. Setting them around one of the vampire’s eyeteeth, he gave a sharp pull, thickly coagulated blood filling the vampire’s mouth as the man pulled the pointed canine out. He did the same with the other before pulling away, getting to his feet and backing away with the hood of his cloak pulled over his mouth and nose just in case.

There was no need; the usual poof of dust was quickly tamed by the pouring rain, which turned the ash to a sickly paste on the pavement. A relieved sigh pushed past the man’s lips as he let his hood fall. Reaching for his belt again, he slipped his tool back into place before reaching for the small velvet pouch that rattled slightly as he shook it.

A grim smile pulled at his mouth as he added the eyeteeth of the most recent vampire to what he’d already collected that day. Eight teeth in total had a temporary home in that bag. Four vampires who had broken the law and killed a human. Much higher than it should have been. Nobody had a clue why the violence was escalating, but there was no denying that the number of deaths caused by the Royals was increasing. And that had him more worried than he would let on.

The rain started to come down harder again as he tied the velvet back to his belt again, making him curse viciously as he pulled the hood back up over his hair. Night had fallen, and it was getting late, the air taking a chill that felt sharp as needles against his skin. He knew staying out any later would be bad for him. Not simply because the Royals came out in force when the sun went down. But because the cold could very well kill him.

Retrieving his elm stake from the pile of sludge on the ground, he grimaced and wiped it clean against the leg of his pants before putting it back in its spot. The silver heels of his boots clicked sharply as he left the alley, already shivering as he pulled his cloak tighter around him. It was one of the only times when he wished they were important enough to be given a car.

But that idle wish was quickly lost in the pleasant burn of his tired muscles as he forced himself to walk faster, make his way quicker through the silent streets of his city. His mind on the warmth of the fire that would no doubt already be burning in the living room of his home. The dinner that would be waiting. And the relief that would come when he could finally drop into bed and be done for the day.