Playing Referee

Grayson POV

Techno lights flashed across gyrating bodies as the speakers blared an upbeat tune. I waded through fun seekers having a good time, getting every inch of me groped by beautiful men and women alike. If it were any other day, I would have taken one of the eager beauties up on her offer, but no amount of f*cking was going to erase this tension. Not when the ticking bomb only ticked faster.

Besides, there was a strong chance I wouldn't live beyond the next hour once I confessed how much I just fucked up my mission. I found him sitting with his back to the dancefloor.

Stravos was wearing a plaid shirt and what appeared to be black slacks, looking like the poster child for serenity even though I knew he was feeling anything but.

He might appear to be unaware of his surroundings but I knew for a fact that not a single movement went unnoticed by him. It was a trait I used to envy, until I knew how he came by it.

He looked old, tired, and out of place when I knew him to be anything but any of those qualities....well, he maybe out of place though. I didn't think the man would ever willingly step foot in a club in his lifetime.

He was a hunter, one of the most deadly there is. But Stravos didn't hunt deers or boar, no. What he hunted was more dangerous and life threatening than any animal could ever be. Stravos and I are part of the Hunter's guild and we hunt the monsters of the night. Filthy bloodsuckers that were apparitions straight from hell.

We pushed stakes through their hearts and out an end to their abominable existence and kept the mortals save from harm.

Actually, the hunters before our generation killed the vampires. Now, we were glorified referees in the war between the vamps and the witches. The pact that was made over two hundred years ago ensured that the witches and vamps won't kill each other -good riddance in my opinion but neither side would have been successful until every last race of humanity was extinct, and we simply couldn't have that- and that humans could have free will.

Now, only humans who willingly chose could become a familiar to the vamps --that is, fucked up humans who were happy to let the vamps drink their blood in exchange for the endorphins or money or whatever the hell it is that floats their boat.- And we can only kill vamps -or witches- after we have prove that they have gone against the rules. Aka they have either stepped into a witches' territory without express permission, murdered a witch or taken a human against their will.

Which freaking brought me back to that stupid girl called Josie.

All I needed was for her to give me a breathing space, long enough to get the guild to search Vladimir's coven and we would have enough evidence to take the war to the vampire king. But she just had to get involved and now she may have just handed Vladimir the final weapon he need to end the witch race and return to power. Fuck!

"You're late." he admonished without turning around.

"A bottle of whiskey." I hollared at the barman before taking a seat next to Stravos. "How'd you know it was me?" I asked him.

It was the same question I've been asking him for years. It didn't matter how many people were in a room at the same time, he could identify me without sight. It was a bit unnerving.

Only bloodsuckers had the ability to sniff out a person's scent.

He placed a small round green object on the table. It glowed and for a moment, I thought it was diamond, but then he muttered some words on it and everywhere became silent. It's not that the people stopped talking or moving, nor did we disappear, but it was as if we were enclosed in a soundproof room.

I could hear them from far away, but I knew for a fact that even if I were to scream right now, not a single person would here my voice. And it had nothing to do with the deafening sound of the music, but the magical amulet that made it impossible for anyone to overhear our conversation.

Did I say that we were playing referee? I meant that we were supporting the witches but the only way we can achieve that goal is if we presented an impartial front to the vamps.

Not that I blame the guild for choosing to cheer on the witches. They only made spells and most of them aren't even all that powerful. But even a fledgling vamp was a threat to humans.