Chapter 6: First Mission (Memories of brothers past (Part 3))

It was hard to believe it had already been a week since that fateful day—the day she gave herself over to the vampire hunters. And this new partner of hers, what was his deal? He didn't behave like any of the men she had met. He didn't fall for her wiles, but that didn't mean she hadn't tried. Honestly, she just wanted to get under his skin, but he acted like a complete gentleman around her.

Part of her was annoyed and yet part of her was impressed. And today, they had received their very first mission. It was finally time to see if they really could get the job done together. Their job was to infiltrate a small sect of nightwalkers that had decided to make their hunting ground near an old cemetery. They were to go in undercover, posing as undertakers.

The evening was chilly, sending shivers through her body as she stepped out of her rented apartment. The organization had paid for everything, even a new car. It was a perk she had gotten used to very quickly.

Cassandra smiled as the cool air softly brushed through her dark brown hair which she had put up in a bun today. She really wasn't sure what an undertaker looked like, but she figured a mature look was the right way to go. She wore a black dress with a dark veil and heels. The leaves on the ground crunched under her feet as she opened her car door, getting inside to pick up her new partner. She turned the key, then rummaged in the glove compartment before plucking out a small silver dagger. She tucked it under her seat, started the engine, and pulled out of the driveway.

Out of all the rules agreed upon by the two of them, the most important one was that Cassandra drove her car. He was not allowed anywhere near the steering wheel, and he was fine with that. It was one of the many things that slightly annoyed her.

He's a man—he should be begging to drive… among other things, she thought with a small snicker as she turned the corner heading onto his street. It was a fairly nice neighborhood. She had been back and forth countless times, and she had even met his parents. They were very old fashioned, but she didn't mind.

The one thing that had come through from her major academic background was her affinity for learning about other cultures. Sure, she'd had to adapt—otherwise, she would have been judged horribly. Thankfully, her understanding of them and their culture had caused them to be accepting of hers…well, mostly. She'd had to make one promise, and swear her life on it. She'd had to promise to protect their son.

But there was one member that she couldn't sway, no matter what she did. She shook her head trying to rid herself of the thoughts, not because they bothered her, but because they were distracting, and the one thing she had already learned was that distractions were dangerous.

Once she spotted Akio's house she turned the corner, putting the car in park. She got out and walked up the cobblestone path to his door. She knocked gently until he opened it. "Hey partner, you ready?" she asked.

Akio looked her over then plucked the veil off her head and tossed it inside the door. "We're undertakers, not mourners." She sighed, shuffling her feet.

"You don't think undertakers mourn?" She looked over his outfit—a nice clean pleated suit topped off with a red tie and a handkerchief in the pocket. Not bad, she thought to herself before shaking her head. "I guess you're right, we don't want to look too conspicuous. The enemy isn't stupid."

Akio nodded. "Exactly. In fact, their actions lately have been proving exactly the opposite. Think about it—a cemetery is a quiet place where people go to mourn. There is a sort of social etiquette; people tend to leave each other alone when they're at their loved one's graves. Only one or two, maybe three people are around at a time, so if someone disappears, no one is likely to notice until it's too late."

Cassandra nodded her head. "It's almost like they're covert." She stepped out of the way to let him through.

"Well, they used to be human, so it's entirely possible that some of them could have been covert operatives at some point." The two walked out as she led him to the car. He opened the door and climbed in as she went around to the driver's seat. "All right, let's do this," Akio smirked as Cassandra started the engine, put the address in the car's GPS system, then pulled out.

The cemetery wasn't that far from Akio's house, so it didn't take long for them to arrive at their desired location. "Shiyang Memorial." It was a small cemetery, holding maybe 35 graves at the most, and two mausoleums. The two partners exited the car. The air was cool as the moon rose higher and higher…perfect timing for a hunt of nightwalkers. "Let's head for that first mausoleum, it seems like a good place for them to be."

Cassandra nodded, grasping the small dagger she had taken out from under the seat, and slowly following.

The air was wet and dew sprinkled the grass. Akio extended his arm pushing, the door open. They walked down a short staircase into a dimly lit environment, walls piled high with mummified remains. He slowly lifted his fingers to his lips, signaling Cassandra to stay quiet. He closed his eyes, listening for any strange noises. Cassandra nodded and crouched low, crawling to look around. Suddenly she heard it—soft scratching noises from somewhere nearby. She took a deep breath as her nerves began to rise. Her eyes slowly angled to clear her peripherals. She wanted to scream, knowing if she did she would be a goner, but she had to get Akio's attention. She took a deep breath and quickly spun her body around, snapping her arm forward with the dagger only to hit thin air.

Akio was nearby and heard her blade hit a wall nearby and echo across the mausoleum. "Cassandra!"

Just then a shadowy figure appeared behind her, grabbing the back of her collar and heaving her backward. "What the—" She struggled in her assailant's arms to no avail as the figure wrapped its arms around her neck squeezing tight.

Akio's eyes narrowed on the figure as it stepped out of the shadows into the dim light. The man had probably been in his 30s when he was turned. He still had most of his dark brown hair and wore some kind of coat and jeans. One might have thought he was human, but those eyes…black like the night…his face contorted into a dark smirk.

"Let her go!" Akio shouted. The man turned his head and shook as though telling him "no." At that moment, all the sass, the bullheadedness—all of it—was drained from Cassandra. She was terrified.

The man curled his lips, pulling her closer and closer, until she could feel their cold chill. She felt like she was about to die as she held her breath, just waiting for his fangs to penetrate her flesh. His movements were slow as he sniffed her skin. Her veins were like candy to him; candy with a sweet center that was her blood.

Cassandra's eyes were squeezed shut, so she didn't see anything. All she knew was what she felt in the next few seconds. Cold, slimy liquid hit her arm, then the vice-like grip that held her no longer constricted her body and she felt herself fall. She wanted to move, but she couldn't, her body betraying her as her limbs locked up. Then she felt something else restraining her again, but it was different from before…safe. She opened her blurry eyes and saw Akio holding her. She turned her head and saw her assailant on the ground, and that was the end of that.

A small cough made its way out and she looked up at Akio. "That's it, you're not allowed to leave my side when I get past this training program…you're coming with me."

He looked down and nodded. His answer was so short, and yet so final. "I got your back, partner. Now let's go, long story short, he won't be down for long."