GoodHunting by Kannan Feng

Chapter One
     
    Daniel had been doing so well. He had gotten out of
Frankfurt without her being any the wiser, and in the four weeks he had spent
in Paris, he had been staying out of the streets, confining himself to the
quieter public houses and the cathedrals.
    He had been so clever, as a matter of fact, that he decided
he was entitled to a bit of fun. After all, he had given her the slip so
thoroughly in Frankfurt that there was a chance she was still in Germany. There
was surely nothing to stop him from stepping out into the brisk winter night to
find something to eat.
    The pretty girl in the flimsy gown pursed her lips sweetly
at him, and at a nod, she followed him into the alleyway between the shops. It
was a narrow space, lit only by the faint glow of the lanterns from the street.
    She said something to him in French, and Daniel spread his
hands, shaking his head.
    “I’m sorry,” he said, and as she started to gesture, he met
her gaze and stepped close.
    “I’m sorry,” he repeated, “but this will not hurt you, I
swear…”
    The girl had gone still, her eyes wide and dark, and he
smiled as he undid the top button of her dress. Her bared neck was smooth under
his fingers, and he stroked it lightly with his thumb before bending close.
    His fangs, long and sharp, were already out and were within
a hairsbreadth of her throat when he felt the cold barrel of a revolver pressed
against his back.
    “Oh my darling, how did I know that I would find you pressed
against a whore in an alleyway?”
    The words were light and sweet, flavored with just a hint of
a French accent, and Daniel’s heart beat hard in his chest. He knew that there
was a smile on his face, and he longed to spin around and sweep her into his
arms. That would be patently unwise while she held a gun to his ribs, and
instead, he contented himself with letting go of the girl.
    She blinked, catching sight of the slender woman who stood
behind him. She started to speak, but seeing the revolver that was held so
openly and so threateningly, she took to her heels instead.
    “I was hungry,” Daniel noted, and Genevieve chuckled.
    “I don’t care,” she said. “I think I chased you in Frankfurt
for two weeks after you left.”
    “You obviously caught up.”
    “Hmm, you come to ground in my home city. How very bold of
you, monsieur . Turn around.”
    Keeping his hands very still, he did as she said, and then
the revolver was pressed against his gut, a cold weight even through his
clothing.
    It would have been hard for a human to make out her features
in the light, but neither of them were human, and he could see very clearly.
She was small and pale, and her golden braid was wrapped around her head like a
crown. When she smiled, she didn’t bother to hide the small, neat fangs that
showed in her mouth.
    “I’ve missed you very much, my dear. Why did you run from
me?”
    Daniel grinned.
    “Because you love it when I run,” he said. “Because after
this, it will be your turn to do the same.”
    Genevieve’s mouth curved into a sweet, soft smile and she
stepped back.
    “You delivered yourself right to me,” she observed. “My room
is only across the street, and I saw you walk by. Simple as that. If I didn’t
know better, I would say that you were getting sloppy.”
    Daniel shrugged, never taking his eyes off her. The love he
felt for her hurt like a hand clenched around his heart. Now that she was so
close, he almost couldn’t stand to be apart from her for another moment, but
that wasn’t how the rules went, the ones that they had hammered out for
themselves one cold night in Amsterdam, more than two hundred years ago. Right
now, at this moment, he was the prey and she was the hunter.
    “Nothing to say to that?” she taunted. “Perhaps you’ll find
your tongue in my rooms.”
    She gestured with her revolver, indicating that he should
walk, and she pushed and prodded him across the street and up a narrow flight
of stairs to a small