Dark Seeker

Copyright © 2011 Taryn Browning

All rights reserved.

ISBN-10: 1466337524

ISBN-13: 9781466337527

DEDICATION

For my wonderful & supportive husband, two beautiful boys, and amazing family & friends.

Thank you for your ongoing support.

Without you, none of this would be possible.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I am so happy to be able to share this story with you. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to my husband, Keith. You are my first editor and biggest supporter. Also, to my two precious boys. Huge thanks to my amazing agent, Christine Witthohn, for getting my stories out and believing in me. I’m so grateful to be part of the Book Cent’s family. Thank you Brent Taylor, for making my books sparkle, and the YA blogging community for your reviews. Thanks to my friends and critique partners, Michelle Madow and Angie Baime. This book wouldn’t be what it is today without your great critiques. Also, Catherine Van Herrin for your fantastic edits. None of this would be possible without the love and support of my parents, Ken & Sandie Hackman and Sheryl Morgan. You’ve always encouraged me to follow my dreams. Huge thanks to my sisters, Lauren and Kim for always cheering me on. There are so many people who have influenced my writing. I am thankful for each and every one of you. And most of all, thanks to you for reading my book.

CHAPTER 1

Lesson three of Seeker Training—always be prepared.

Janie Grey kicked a crushed beer can across the litter-ridden alley. It was unusually quiet in the city; Baltimore normally roared with police sirens, especially this time of night. She perched on the lid of a trash can between two algae-stained brick walls. A liquor store bordered one side, and an abandoned row house was on the other. A graffiti-laden lamp post just outside the alley provided a patch of dim yellow light.

Janie tensed her muscles and willed something to appear in the darkness. Her adrenaline pumped. She needed to kick some ass. With the city’s murder rate up, the silence certainly had nothing to do with the lack of undead.

A pulsating vibration quivered deep in her bones, indicating there was
one
nearby.
Finally
. She removed the silver-plated dagger from her boot and slowly crept quietly down the alley.

“Show yourself,” Janie commanded.

She sensed at least one, maybe two. She could smell them. The smell of death and decay. She gripped the hilt of her dagger tightly. They were fast. She’d have to be ready. She deftly reached behind her to locate the other blade wedged in the waist of her jeans.

A large mass landed on top of her, knocking her to the ground. A male. She quickly twisted away from him and rolled onto one knee. He crouched in front of her, brandishing his fangs. She could tell by his wild, hungry eyes that he was newly born.
 
 

He looked so human, except for his fangs and soulless black eyes. His kind wasn’t pale; they kept their human-like complexion. But just like a demon, they embodied an empty shell of what was once a living, breathing human being.

He swaggered forward, and she smiled.
This is exactly what I’ve been waiting for—a newbie. . .perfect.

“Hey, girlie, what are you doing with that dagger? You could get yourself killed.” He laughed.

She shook her head. “You’re just a baby. You have no idea who I am, do you?”

“My first meal.” A feral wildness danced through his eyes as he focused on the pulsating vein on the side of her neck.

“You want this?” Janie turned her head to expose her bare flesh—a perfect view of her jugular. She heard a click from behind. She turned, keeping the newbie in her peripheral vision. A silver trash can hit the concrete, spewing its contents across the alley floor. Two more appeared behind it, a blond woman and a large man.

Janie whirled back around. With a skipping side kick, she drove her foot into the newbie’s chest, throwing him into the wall. She spun around and landed a punch to the woman’s cheek, followed by a jab to her stomach with the other fist, causing the woman to double over and kiss her knees.

The man lunged at her, his large muscles bulging through his wife beater and jeans. He knocked Janie to the ground with his fist. She felt the side of her face.
Jerk, that’s gonna leave a mark
.

She shot back to her feet and knocked him backward with the handle of her dagger. The woman lunged at her. Janie used the alley wall as a springboard, flying onto it and running up the brick. She flipped over the woman and plunged the dagger into her skull on the way down. Green blood oozed from the woman’s head. Her entire body melted like hot candle wax and seeped into the black asphalt. All traces of her existence disappeared.

The newbie jumped onto Janie’s back. She heaved forward, throwing him to the ground. But Mr. Muscles wrapped his arms around her. She wriggled in his hold. His grip was too strong to break. He clamped her arms to her sides so she couldn’t use her dagger. The newbie crouched, facing her. He wore a wild stare, like a rabid animal ready to bite.

“Not so tough now, are you?” the newbie spat.

Janie’s dark brown eyes narrowed into hateful slits. “I will kill you,” she said.

In a flash, his teeth sank into her neck. Muscle man held her firmly as the newbie bit even deeper into her vein. She kicked the newbie, dislodging his fangs and sending him back crashing into the brick wall. They didn’t have pure venom. There would be no lasting effects of his bite.

A blurry shadow streaked in front of her.
Crap, another one. And he’s fast
. He materialized beside the newbie, taking the form of a golden-blond teenager with white highlights. The newbie scraped his body off the ground and propped himself up by his shoulder against the brick.

The blond, with medium-length wavy hair, stood about the same height as the newbie, but Janie couldn’t detect any rancid odor around him, unlike the newbie, who smelled like rotten food mixed with sewer runoff. The blond teenager’s eyes shot over to her. They were a deep green, the color of well-watered foliage. A green that could only be found in a rainforest.
I’ve seen those eyes before.

He cocked his slender arm. She turned her head to avoid his strike, but his fist moved past her face and knocked Mr. Muscles to the ground, freeing her. Janie swung around and plunged the dagger into Mr. Muscle’s head.

The blond drew a long knife from his waist. With its curving silver blade, it resembled a scythe used to cut grass. Janie’s eyes widened. When he raised his arm, she noticed three jagged scars running down his forearm. The blade then circled in one rapid motion, beheading the newbie. Janie stepped back, dagger drawn and pointed at the blond.

“Watch where you point that thing. I’m not going to hurt you,” he said. After the newbie disappeared into the asphalt, he holstered the scythe in his black leather belt. A hole had started to fray just above the knee in his faded dark jeans. The sleeves of his white tee had been torn off. Green goo was splayed across his chest, like he’d been slimed—demon blood.

“You’re one of them,” she said.

“And you’re perceptive.” He took a step closer to her. An aura of arrogance surrounded him. She gripped her blade even tighter.

“Don’t come any closer, or I’ll kill you.”

“What, I don’t get a thank-you?” He smiled smugly.

“For what? You’re a monster.”
 
 

“That’s not a very nice thing to say to someone who just saved your life.” A piece of golden hair fell into his eyes, a strip of white highlighting it. He brushed it back. Under his raised arm, Janie noticed he was slender, but fit.

“You didn’t save my life. I was holding my own.”
Lesson two, the most important—don’t let them see your weaknesses.

He laughed. “The newbie was about to have you for dinner.”

“Think whatever you want. I’m still going to kill you.”

“Okay, girlie,” he replied, a shred of humor in his voice.

“Why is everyone calling me that tonight?” Janie glared at him.

“You’re a girl, and you’re young.”

“I’m older than I look.” She scowled. “Seventeen, as if I care what you think.”

“You care.” He bit his well-proportioned lip and glanced down at her from his long lashes. Ones boys don’t appreciate and girls would die for.

“Am I boring you?” she said. It really bothered her that he didn’t smell like the others. She could smell their blood, but he smelled more like lavender and sweat, human sweat. He was cleaner, more put together.

“No.” He smirked. “You’re actually rather amusing.”

“I’m glad I amuse you. Now, can we get this over with? I’ve got a wrestling match to get to.” Janie adjusted her stance. He didn’t flinch. She seemed to be an annoying gnat to him. He didn’t appear to be the least bit threatened, which infuriated her.

“What makes you think you can kill me tonight? You don’t have your car to run me over.” He placed his hand on his scythe again. His palm rested on the wooden hilt, but he didn’t attempt to remove it from its harness.

She squinted. “That was you?”

Janie thought back to the previous night. After Seeking, she’d driven through the parking lot she frequently used while in that part of the city, preparing to head home for the evening. That’s when he came out of nowhere. She tried to take him down with her car, at least until she could get her dagger, but she missed and slammed into a lamp post. By the time she regained her clarity, he’d gotten away. She’d gone over and over their encounter a hundred times since then. He
was
different.

She just didn’t get the vibe. Usually she could feel when they were around, like that creepy
something’s-not-right
feeling girls typically ignore, multiplied by about a thousand. But this time she got nothing. It was like he wasn’t even there, until he was there…and then he was gone. And his eyes were so unusual. Not black, but vibrant green.

“Were you hurt?” he said, pulling her out of her reverie. “When your car struck that pole? Sorry I didn’t stick around to find out.” His hand left his scythe. He paused, assessing her hate-filled expression. After an awkward moment, he extended his arm. “I’m Kai.”

“I’m not shaking your hand.” Janie stepped beyond his reach. Something was off. He didn’t smell or act like the rest of them, and she couldn’t get over those eyes. She glanced around the empty alley. “Why did you kill them, anyway?”

“They stink. There’s enough trash on these streets. I’m just ridding the city of filth.”

“And you don’t stink?”

“Nope. Just took a shower, in fact.” Kai glanced down at his shirt. “It was clean an hour ago, anyway, and I had sleeves.”

“What
are
you?”

“You seem to have me figured out. I’m a monster.”

“Is that supposed to scare me?” She raised her guard.

His voice softened. He forced the sharpness from his tone. “No, Janie. It’s not.”

Kai left his place next to the wall and approached her. Janie froze. The smell of lavender strengthened, filling her lungs. “How do you know my name?” she mustered.

“We all know your name.”

“So you kill your own kind?” Her heart pounded against her rib cage.

“They are
not
my kind.” She heard the disgust in his tone. She’d angered him.

“I know what you are. You’re one of them. So, now tell me, how exactly are they
not
your kind?” she pushed, visibly stripping away his cockiness.

The muscles along his jaw line twitched. He glanced off to the side, shifting his stance, seemingly unsure of how to answer. “We’re done here,” he said.