The Grand Parade

Sera’s POV

The vampires—those vile and ugly beings—leeches that preyed and feasted on the blood of innocent humans. I hated them. My face twisted in raw disgust as I stared at the four-foot-long mirror before me and at a face that was almost not mine.

The mere thought of them always riled me up, filling me with intense hate for no reason. I hated them so much I became a vampire hunter since I was eight and dedicated my entire existence to ridding the world of the filth, vileness, and evil until finally, I would find the one that hurt me irreparably, and make him pay in the cruelest way possible.

Killing vampires was the second thing I did effortlessly, breathing being first.

I counted my kills so far, as I always try to, scribbling the numbers in the air before me: 11,740, 11,741, 11,742, or is it 12,000 already? Arrrgh. I grunted, grinding my teeth against each other noisily. I stopped and picked up the mascara on the makeup desk instead.

I still couldn't keep count of my overall kills as always. I was bad with numbers.

Thanks to Nix, my witch friend, she kept count for me, at least for those she witnessed. That was the only way I could have rightfully claimed my duly earned position of the Grand Hunter of Brooklyn, leader of all hunters in Brooklyn with over 10,000 kills. And earned the nickname too—Sera Varen, the coldhearted.

Yeah. Coldhearted killer of the vampires. I smiled to my alter ego for tonight in the mirror. “I am their biggest nightmare.” I muttered to the slut staring back at me. The one in a mini bodycon spaghetti strap dress that revealed much of her feminine features.

The vampires have two main weaknesses, blood and women, and tonight, like many others before it, I would use that against them.

I adjusted my bra, pushing my breast up, until it peaked up provocatively and seductively, until every Vampire would stare, and lust after me.

It was my sure way into the Grand Parade, the exclusive club where Brooklyn Vampires gather. Also the place where the two great Vampire Princes and brothers, Adrian and Cassian Valerius, would dine tonight.

A summit had been set up between the two brothers to ease the bad blood between them after a relentless and bloody struggle for the vampire throne and bring the vampires together into one strong horde.

It was my mission to stop the vampire brothers from reconciling by killing both of them. The vampire horde mustn't be one. They mustn't be united.

I added the last touch of powder on my face. Then I leaned back, checking myself out in the mirror. I saw the slut I had disguised myself to be. I hated this skimpy dress and especially the dreary makeup, but I had no choice since they got the job done. They always do. They would help me take down Adrian and Cassian Valerius tonight.

The vampires were always crazy for human females during the blooding season like this, which happens once in ten years. They indiscriminately invite human females to their gatherings, not just for blood supply but for the fervent search for their eternal brides. Humans were the common victim of that.

During the blooding seasons, some vampires get to meet their brides, their eternal mates, the women they were fated to love and protect for the rest of their miserable lives. The women that would make their dead hearts beat again. A bride could be a human, witch, or demon, but rarely members of the undead like them—at least originally.

Blooded vampires get the ability to breathe like living creatures once again. Blooding makes them stronger; it also makes them easier to kill for a skilled hunter like me. A fatal blow to their hearts, and they are dead. Hence why some vampires dreaded blooding, even as most craved it because of companionship. But when it comes, no vampire has a choice.

I fetched my sword from beneath the table and admired the elastic length of the ancient blade, the steel skin gleaming an obsidian green under the dim lighting of the room. Carved from mythical and magical objects and passed down from hundreds of generations of Grand Hunters, it was the perfect weapon to take the Vampire Princes’ lives.

I folded the sword until it became a minuscule length of steel that fit into my purse.

I stared at the slut in the mirror once again, and once again, I was reassured that she would get the job done. I don't really consider myself beautiful, but I was confident in the power of my feminine features to compel at least some level of lust in a vampire.

I was also confident in Nix’s visions. She'd predicted that the Vampire Princes would meet their eternal brides tonight. Their hearts would beat for the first time in centuries, and at that moment, they would be more vulnerable to an attack on their hearts.

I dragged in the hot, warm air of my stuffy dorm, feeling it burn my nostrils.

“It's time,” I whispered, grinning at myself as I turned for the door, humming a tune under my breath.

I was always happy at the prospect of a kill. Tonight, I was happier. A fluttery feeling rolled through my insides, spreading a lightness through every part of me. Tonight, I get to kill the most dreaded vampires for centuries now. The ones whose names and deeds have haunted my people even before I was born. Tonight, I get to make history.

I spun on the floor, grinning and sliding along the smooth tiles as free as a bird. I slide out of the room with a flourish, my movement and reflexes as graceful and slick as those of a cat. A dexterity and flexibility I have forged from years of hard work. Tonight, they would get me the greatest prize of them all, the necks of Adrian and Cassian Valerius.

Outside, the moon was particularly bright. Perfect. It fell in bright silver rays and lit up the world. The perfect night to make some high-profile vampire killing. I slid down the tarmac smoothly to my car.

The air was generous with a flurry of winds, easing the sting of the heat a bit.

I jumped onto the car and started the engine. My jaw crumbled into another grin as I heard the powerful engine of the Ferrari whoosh to life. Another perk of being a Grand Hunter.

I couldn't dare to dream what other ride and perks will come with killing the two vampire princes tonight. God! I couldn't just wait to kill those miserable bastards already.

“Come on, baby. Let's get to work,” I grinned as I sent the car speeding down the asphalt with crazy speed.

I cut before the Grand Parade showily, drumming up some noise with the engine. The flashier the better. Vampires love flashy, and well— so do I.

The moment I dropped from the car, the long line of women and men struggling to get into the club turned fast to me, attacking me with their eyes. Their stares burning with jealousy.

It wasn't the first time I would be stared at, and it definitely won't be the last.

The queue parted slightly to let me through to the top of the line. Their whisperings and mummering loud in my ears. The heady mix of colognes and sweat almost raised bile in my mouth.

I stared around, observing the queue. Why was there a queue in the first place? The Grand Parade was the most accessible club for humans, as it provided the vampires' favorite meal—blood.

“Stop,” a big brute with a face as red as steamed pork pinned me down with a hard stare. He planted himself at the entrance to the club, blocking my path with his big body. “Where do you think you are going?” he scowled. His voice cut the air like a whip.

I stopped, sizing him up with my eyes. He tried to hide it well, but I spotted it with my trained eyes—fangs. They nudged his upper lip forward a bit. He was a leech—a vampire.

I could easily bring him to his knees, but if I wanted the Vampire Princes and not some low-class vampire, then I had to play this nice.

“What's wrong, big man, I just want to be let into the club” I said, a bit sultry. My voice low and seductive.

“Not tonight, madam. It is closed. Come tomorrow, and I will surely let you in,” he said, the hardness in his voice substitute for a softer, more courteous one, his gaze had dropped low to my breast, flashing with lust. A drool almost escaping his grinning lips.

My heart pulsed harder as I drummed my fingers unconsciously on my purse. They weren't letting humans in tonight. Obviously because the vampire princes, Adrian and Cassian Valerius, were in the club tonight. The owners couldn't risk a threat on the princes lives.

How should I get in now?

My eyes beamed softly as an idea struck. I remembered the name of the vampire who owned the club, Fabian Cruz, and his greater love for human females. He could be my way in.

“Don't you recognize me? I am Fabian’s new girlfriend, Loretta.” I leaned closer to him, tilting my neck a bit so he could glimpse the fang scar on my neck. One I had gotten from my first kill. But he wouldn't know that. To him, it was evident that I had been fed on before. “You don't want Fabian to know you are keeping me from seeing him tonight.”

The scar and the fact that I came in a Ferrari made my impromptu cover foolproof. Fabian's human girlfriends were usually of the upper class.

He swallowed hard, his throat bulging under the weight of his indecision. “Come in, ma’am” he stuttered, moving out of my way.

“Better” I rebuked him gently, sashaying fast into the club, before he could be tempted to confirm my cover.

Now, the first stage of my plan was done. All I had to do now was find the vampire princes and cut them down, as always, without a shred of mercy.