The night was dark as sin and twice as deadly. Mason was walking to his car when a shrill scream ripped the silence of the night apart and sent him running in the direction of the noise. He weaved in and out of the trees until he reached a clearing.
On the ground lay a small dark haired woman. She was as still as the trees had been and there was a trickle of blood running from the side of her forehead. Mason surveyed the area for danger, and feeling nothing out of the ordinary he moved to the woman’s side to feel for a pulse. It was slow, but steady. He gently turned her to lie on her back. Mason gathered her into his arms and carried her as swiftly as possible back through the trees to his car.
As he started the car a strong breeze swept through the window and Mason turned to peer into the woods where he had found the woman. A pair of scarlet eyes peered out from the shadows at him. Mason put the car in gear and headed toward his house.
A soft moaning came from the backseat. Glancing back he found the small woman peering up at him with piercing blue eyes. "Who are you?" Her voice was steady, but for a slight breathlessness.
"Mason Lockhart. I found you unconscious in the woods. You have a nasty cut on your head and I wanted to make sure that you were safe. Do you remember what happened?" Mason kept his eyes on hers in the rearview mirror as he drove toward his house. She was about to answer when the back windshield shattered behind her and a dark shape clung to the trunk of the car. Mason swerved while trying to pull the woman into the front seat with him and pulled to the side of the road. Mason’s fangs sprang free of his gums as he began to open the door to the car. A small noise from beside him halted his departure. The woman was staring up at him with a frightened expression on her face.
"What are yyyou?" She stammered, clearly having seen his fangs. He could only imagine what she thought of his scarlet eyes. Before he could answer, the drivers side window was punched through and a hand gripped him around the throat.
The woman opened the passenger door and crawled out of the car. He saw out of the corner of his eye that she ran back toward the park as fast as her small stature could carry her. "Mason, I thought you learned a long time ago not to try and take a meal away from me."
"Lucian, I should have known it was you."
Mason kicked the large man squarely in the stomach and his grip fell away from his throat.
"It seems that you never learn, do you? In five hundred years you haven't beaten me once. Why do you continue to try?"
