Jaegar: Blood & Death - Vol. 2

By Robyne HypGothic

This is the vampire Jaegar's story in the second installment of the Blood & Death series. Jaegar, has always served R ghfuil, The Blood King. He is R ghfuil's greatest hunter and killer. His purpose is to seek out humans who are marked to die by blood spilling. Killing is all that he has ever known. Having been given to R ghfuil when he was very young, he has never questioned his life. Driven by his craving for human blood and his loyalty to R ghfuil, he has never had a reason to question. That was, until he assisted a beautiful Portent, who was in the service of Death. Death and R ghfuil as rivals, makes the Portent a rival to Jaegar. It is on a mission for The Blood King, when Jaegar befriends a mortal, that he crosses paths once again, with the alluring Portent. Jaegar finds himself catapulted into a world of deception, betrayal, power and the ultimate battle between life and death.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tablo Publishing
• Release date: Jul 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781649691859

Book preview

Chapter 2 – Samantha

May I join you?

No.  Jaegar replied without looking up. 

There was no need for him to look up.  Jaegar had scanned the pub as he entered, when he sat, and periodically as he was sipping his wine.  Along with scanning, Jaegar also was able to feel how many humans were in a space at a given time.  It was part of being a vampire.  Jaegar had spotted the woman, from the moment she had entered the pub.  He had already profiled her.  She was helpless.  She was moulded into a tight-fitting dress that accentuated her generously, curvaceous figure.   Her shinning, auburn hair was cut into a sharp, sophisticated bob, juxtaposing her somewhat naive face.  

I haven’t had a conversation with a person all day.  May I please join you just so that I can speak to someone today?

The tone as well as her plea caught his curiosity and his eyes darted upward toward her face, noting the desperation in her large, green eyes.

If you feel you really must but I won’t be speaking much so don’t expect me to validate you.

He replied coolly, looking back to his glass.

Oh thank you.  You’re a life saver.

I wouldn’t go that far.

Well I really appreciate it.  It was hard for me to get out of the apartment and today, I really pushed myself.  It took me over an hour to get ready and look at least good enough to leave the apartment.  I’ve given myself a challenge to speak to at least one person and look at me!  I’m doing it.   Her ingenuous voice rang with pride at the last statement.

Well then, in that case, I am happy to help.  It sounds to me like you could be suffering from depression.  Jaegar observed.

Yes, terribly.  It’s shocking.  Every time I go to the doctors, they just put me on more and more pills.  I've been really going under today.

I've heard that depression can be rather like the battle between life and death.  Although, that's only, what I've been told.  Jaegar spoke smoothly.  He was becoming intrigued with the conversation.

I don’t know about that but for me, it’s a battle with life.  I know I should be living it but I sit there and don’t move, don’t feel, don’t eat, don’t think and before I know it, another day has gone and I’ve missed out on a whole ‘nother day of living my life.  Today my thinking was all wrong.  I knew I had to get out of the house and to be honest, I don't know how I managed it.

What’s your name?  

Samantha.  What’s yours?  Although it was a direct question back to him, there was an edge of uncertainty to her voice.   She was clearly not confident of getting an answer but tried nevertheless.

Jaegar.  His tone was flat, almost emotionless.

That’s a strange name.  She observed despite herself.

It’s more of an occupation.  It means hunter.  Jaegar began to more closely regard the human.

Are you a hunter?  There was no judgement from Samantha as she asked this.

Kind of.  Drink?  Jaegar was non-committal and raised his hand for a glass from the bartender.  It was promptly brought to him and the bartender was again, dismissed.

Oh thank you, Jaegar."  Samantha gushed with gratitude as Jaegar poured her a glass of the wine.  Once done, Jaegar looked at her.  To many, his icy blue eyes would denote danger with their inhuman intensity but to Samantha, it was encouraging.

Now, tell me all about yourself and I will listen.   With that, Jaegar settled back into his chair, as if into a better position to listen to her.

Samantha told Jaegar her life story.  She started with her childhood when she had lived on a farm and how she moved to the city to escape poverty.  She had dreamed of being successful and rich and over the years that passed in the city, living in urban poverty, she came to realise that she had been much better off where she began.  Her regret piled on top of her daily rejections by people she tried to make friends with, from jobs she tried to apply to and also the never ending ‘hopelessness cycle’ that she found herself in.  She knew if she ate fresh food and breathed fresh air, she would feel happier but she did not have enough money for good food.  She was now trapped in the city because she could never raise enough money to move home and so, the cycle continued. To nullify this pain, she was prescribed drugs to help her sleep, drugs to help her wake up and drugs to stop her from feeling pain.   The ‘kicker’ as she said, was that they stopped her from feeling anything at all, so she felt that she was living the life of an already dead person.

As she spoke about her troubled life, Jaegar would sip his drink and occasionally nod in affirmation.  By the time the bottle emptied though, Jaegar made moves as if to leave.  Sensing the change in his attention, she thanked him for his company and for his time.

We are not friends but if you would like to meet here next week at the same time, I would be happy to listen to you again.

Thank you Jaegar.  I'll be here.  Seven o'clock!  You know, you’re a lot nicer than you let on.

Your choice of topic interest me.

Maybe but you are kind.

No, it had just occurred to me that I don’t speak with people, either.

Samantha left the pub waving at the door as she left.

Jaegar sat for a moment further, before settling the account with the barman and leaving.  As he stepped out into the crisp night air, he noticed a female further up, walking solemnly in the other direction. Instinctively, he knew her.  He knew her by the way she moved before he even scrutinised her more closely to identify her.  She was the Portent who had demanded his help and he