Dear Misty,
Sorry I didn’t call. I knew how you would have reacted if I had, and I didn’t want to fight with you. I know how you feel about this but I think we both know it’s for the best; besides, my expertise is needed urgently. I know I haven’t been home in a while. It’s been hectic and these things never rest, but I have some good news: I’ve dealt with this before so I know what I’m doing and it shouldn’t take too long to finish up. I promise I’ll try to get home this time, but you know how it is sometimes; things just come up. I can’t wait to see you again. I’ll have to show you all the new battle scars I’ve gotten and before you freak: I’m just kidding, there aren’t that many. I miss you, little sis, and trust me, if I didn’t think that people would die without me being here I would be home right now, instead of sitting in a crappy motel room, writing you a letter.
Now down to procedure. As always, dates at the bottom, and I’ve purposely left out location, but either Alex or my partner has all the details you’ll need to know for the just in case stuff, so don’t worry and I’ll always have my phone on me if you need me. I hate to have to write this, but if something should happen to me, even though it won’t, but if something does Alex will be in touch. Now, no matter what happens, please stay out of it, Misty. You’re out and I want you to stay that way, I can’t see you get hurt. Stay safe, and don’t do anything stupid; that’s my department.
Oh, and sis: don’t worry. I know what I’m doing.
Love, Damien
12/5/09
I wanted to scream, I was so mad. My fists balled and nearly screwed up the letter in frustration. I couldn’t believe he was doing this again! After everything we’ve already been through. I decided, after a bit of mental protest, that it was best not to rip up the only shred of evidence I had that my brother was alive, so I slammed it down on the table instead. My palm stung and the table shook, but I barely noticed.
Damien, my oh-so-charming brother, had adopted our father’s method of letting the family know where the job was taking him. Well, more or less letting me know. Of course, when our father was the active hunter in the family, there were no cell phones, and most times a pay phone was inconvenient. So the letter method worked for him. But in today’s world it was just plain impractical. There were thousands of faster ways to get in touch with people nowadays than the post.
Of course, Damien didn’t do it for practicality. No, he did it because he knew he’d be long gone by the time I got the letter. Meaning it would be too late for me to stop him from doing whatever crazy thing he was up to this time. When he called, it was always only to see how I was. He would never let me speak to his partner or even tell me where in hell they were, which was more than frustrating. Damien’s always been stubborn that way. Once he set his mind to something you couldn’t change it, no matter how hard you tried. I re-read the letter carefully for hints but Damien had written it as all good hunters would. He gave the facts, said what he needed and nothing more. My only clue was the date.
Wait a second! May? Did I read that wrong? I knew something was up even before I got the letter, and in my family’s line of work that was never good. How did I know this? Well, for a start, it was September. Meaning either the letter was sent three months ago, or it was held until now. Feeling a small surge of panic, I ripped my cell phone from my pocket with little regard to its general well-being and dialled his number. I paced the hardwood floor by the kitchen table as I waited for him to answer.
“Hello.” Damien’s voice said on the other end of the line. Just hearing it was like lifting the weight of the world off my shoulders. I was so relieved I could have collapsed into the chair behind me. Of course, that being said, he still wasn’t on my list of favourite people at the moment. I was still mad as hell!
“Hey, Dee where are you?” I knew I had to keep my voice level, at least let him explain before I ripped him a new one.
“Psych got me messages. Can’t talk at the moment busy off kicking ass so leave a message or if its life or death, call 555-361-482, if not, you know the drill.”
Shit! “Damien, where are you? I only just got your letter and, by the way, if you don’t stop with the letters I’m going to kill you myself. Dee, it’s September; I know you said you would try to stop in, but I’m worried. Normally I at least get a phone call. You have to stop this. You’re becoming just like Dad and as much as I hate to say it, you’re going to end up like him too. I don’t want that to happen, Damien; I need you back home. And if that’s not possible, you have to take me with you. I’m so sick of this place and I’m not a little kid anymore; I can handle myself. So I’m giving you until tomorrow to call me or I’m coming after you and I mean it. Please, Dee, be careful and don’t get yourself killed. I know you’re just trying to live up to his expectations, to make Dad proud, but this isn’t the way to do it.”
Vampires, she can handle. Werewolves…No problem! Demons? Nothing a little holy water can’t fix. Damien and his hunting partner? Well that’s a whole other story! Misty West knows the rules, and has been taught them her whole life. When given a chance to escape, she takes it, knowing better than anyone that her past won’t stay buried forever. After years of a so-called normal life, Misty is confronted by the news that her brother, Damien, is missing and that it’s up to her to find him.
With the aid of Xavier Connor, her brother’s tall, dark, and handsome hunting partner, Misty is thrown deep into the supernatural underworld, fighting vampires, other hunters, and her desire for Xavier, all the while discovering things about her family that even she finds hard to believe. Outgoing Damien West is a hunter born and bred with a knack for killing things. Emotionally scarred after a bad break up, Damien lives a life of big guns, loose women, and hard liquor.
Equipped with the knowledge of generations, an arsenal of weapons, and his beloved Mustang, he spends his life on the road helping those who need it. When a hunt goes bad, Damien finds himself captured, tortured and injected with a virus that threatens to turn him into the very thing he hunts. He must find a cure and stop the bad guy before all hell breaks loose. See what happens when this trio goes Into the Night.
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Genre - Young Adult
Rating – PG13
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Website http://justatasmanian.com/
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