Hey guys, a big welcome from both myself and tylerbamafan34. We are back with another story, again courtesy of Tyler.

We are aware that this AU has been done in the past, however this will be our own take on it and therefore a completely different story. We both wanted to explore this AU and the lore that accompanies it.

Romance wise, nothing has been confirmed as of yet, but that is not to say that there won't be some later on. It isa possibility that myself and Tyler will be toying with as we write. It all depends on whether it fits well with the main body of the story.

Enjoy

Prologue: The Hunt

The dusk light cast an orange glow over the city of Seattle, civilians bustled across crosswalks and into tramlines as they tried to beat the daily rush hour of traffic on their way back from work and return to their families.

It was the perfect time to scout out prey. Every animal in nature had a predator… humans were no different.

Lingering in the shadows of an empty alleyway just out of sight stood a tall, extremely pale-skinned man. His predatory eyes scanned the faces of those who passed him by with a burning intensity. He had to pick the right target and time it perfectly, or risk going hungry for the fifth consecutive day. He was already feeling considerably weaker since the last meal he had managed to obtain and so couldn't afford to let this continue. Fueled by this desperation, he carefully scrutinized each and every single person he could see from his hiding spot. He had to choose someone who looked like they wouldn't put up much of a fight. He couldn't risk engaging in a struggle in his already weakened state. While normally a human wouldn't stand a single chance in hell at matching a Vampire's strength, cunning or tenacity, like this he was as vulnerable as any of the people he could see idly strolling down the sidewalk now. That narrowed his search down considerably, which worried him in a way. He'd never felt this hungry before in his entire undeath. At least he could focus more close attention on viable victims with this limitation.

He could feel his fangs extending in anticipation as he began mentally sorting through the mass of people. It took a lot of control and restraint to prevent himself from blindly staggering out there and lunging at the nearest human, but that would be a very stupid move. Even in his deprived state, he knew that much. He was not some mindless, blood crazed feral… not yet anyway. He shuddered at the possibility and pushed it out of his mind, focusing his attention back on the slowly moving crowds.

As he narrowed his eyes, carefully examining his potential prey one particular human caught his eye. She appeared to be young, maybe in her late teens at the most.

Young is good, he noted, more energy in her blood.

She couldn't have been much taller than 5'5, her thin frame suggesting that she wouldn't be able to defend herself from his attack. Another bonus point was that she was distracted, with music blaring from earbuds as she wandered aimlessly down the street. She probably wouldn't even notice until it was way too late to escape. She also appeared to be alone, which made things much easier. There was much less of a risk going after one person as opposed to a group. Some of his fellows liked to brag about their victorious group conquests, describing in detail the ecstasy of the hunt, but he was too hungry to care about his reputation right now.

His mind now made up, he began to pursue this girl, sticking close to the shadows both to keep hidden and to avoid the piercing rays of sunlight that would burn him, especially in this state. It would have been easier if he'd had access to some of the more devastating abilities that were available to his kind. Much easier in fact. Sadly, that kind of power took more energy than he currently had, so it was back to basics for now.

He silently stalked her as she continued on her way, completely oblivious to the danger she was currently in. Normally, he tried to keep some form of composure while feasting, but given how hungry he was now this girl might not see another day. She turned down a more isolated side street, seeming to take a more scenic route to wherever she was headed. He couldn't help the twisted smile from creeping onto his face as the odds were considerably turned in his favor by this small fatal decision on her part. This was almost becoming too easy, but that was exactly what he needed right now.

Her pace slowed down unexpectedly and he darted into the nearest crevice to keep out of sight. She fumbled around in the bag slung over her shoulder and, courtesy of his enhanced vision, he saw her pull out what appeared to be a camera. Now was the perfect opportunity to strike. His irises turned a deep crimson red in anticipation of his feeding as he rolled his neck and prepared himself as the girl crouched down, focusing completely on whatever it was she was so intent on taking a picture of. His body almost quivered with delight at the prospect of a meal as he snuck up behind her, his teeth bared ready to strike.

Before she had a chance to even notice him, he lunged at her with an inhuman speed, pinning her down so as to stop her from escaping him. She groaned lightly as she fell, the impact seeming to disorient her momentarily. He covered her mouth with one hand to prevent her from making any noise to alert anyone close by, something he really didn't need to be dealing with right now, and eagerly pierced the exposed skin of her neck with his fangs. Even in his current state, he still found the sensation of his fangs sinking into previously unpenetrated flesh indescribable.

Once the weight of the situation fell upon the girl, she began to struggle against him, but as he had theorized she didn't have much of a chance against his vice-like hold. He was probably about a strong as an average human male as of now. While this wouldn't help much fending off the attack of another Vampire or supernatural creature, it was enough to restrain this poor girl.

He could almost feel his strength returning as he began to feed, the slightly metallic tasting red liquid overwhelming his senses. While all blood types were drinkable and replenished a Vampire equally, each had their own preferences. He himself tended to prefer those with an A+ blood type, which appeared to be the type this girl had. It just made the experience all the more satisfying for him.

He had to hand it to the girl, she certainly wasn't giving up. He could feel her biting at his hand in an attempt to get him to release her. By now, most of his victims resigned themselves to their fate. Even though it was futile, the effort was still commendable. His fangs sank deeper into her skin, really tapping into the richest part of her blood flow now. He began to notice her resistance decreasing, her struggling becoming weaker by the second. It had been a long time since he'd participated in this level of feeding, in fact he had only ever done it once before in his youth. He couldn't deny that the sensation of almost feeling the life force leave his victim was thrilling.

A very slight pang of guilt passed him as he continued, but this didn't linger too long. This is how nature worked after all, the strong devouring the weak, while the weak devour the weaker. Even in human society this was the norm, no matter how much they pretended otherwise.

As his lust for blood slowly became sated, he noticed her still twitching ever so slightly. It was almost impressive how desperately some humans clung onto life. There was no hope for her now, though. Within a matter of minutes, it was all over. Feeling the energy surging through him, he retracted his fangs and carefully lick the last remnants of blood from his lips, determined not to waste a single drop. He felt he at least owed the girl this. Most of his fellows left a considerable amount of blood in their victims, but nowhere near enough for them to recover, often leaving them to die painfully over the next few minutes… in some horrific cases hours. He hated this wasted sacrifice more than anything.

He looked down at the now lifeless body of the girl, his face softening ever so slightly. He couldn't just leave her body here. Most would, but he had always been cautious. He didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble with those who kept his kind in check. Besides, this girl didn't deserve to be left, so unceremoniously sprawled out in an alleyway like this, to be stumbled upon by an unfortunate passerby in the early hours of the morning. While humans were a source of energy, they should not be treated simply as such. He had interacted with a few humans in his time beyond feeding and he held no ill will towards them, unlike some of the other Vampires he knew. Maybe if relations were better, situations such as this would be avoided in the future. However, for now the existence of Vampires was kept strictly on a need-to-know basis, hidden from the general human population. Those few who did know weren't fully human themselves anymore.

After his slight lamentation on the state of the world, he gently gathered the girl's body into his arms and, before anything could compromise his plan, made a swift exit.

We will probably be including other supernatural creatures at various points throughout the story, along with other roles relevant to the whole Vampire AU.

Stay safe out there and see you next time,

Olivia and Tyler