Free The Vampire Hunters (Book 2): Vampyrnomicon by Scott M. Baker

regenerate without leaving scars. Holy water disfigured horribly. Toni knew better than anyone else because she bore such scars. The eighteen rounds the hunter had pumped into her on the Metro eventually healed, but the holy water the bullets had been laced with deformed her chest and breasts, leaving hideous scars and leather-like skin. Several nights later at Wolf Trap, when she bit the huntress in an attempt to turn her, she had no idea the bitch had splashed holy water over her neck. The bite charred Toni’s lips and gums. In a matter of weeks, the hunters had stolen her beauty, forever leaving her a hideous monstrosity. For that, they would pay dearly.
    Especially the huntress.
    Only then did Toni notice the tall black man following her. Tracking her, to be exact. More than likely a mugger or rapist who thought he had found an easy mark. She enjoyed those types, predators who took advantage of the weak. They usually whimpered and pleaded for their lives. Toni enjoyed watching them die. Tonight would be different. Not only would she feed, she would vent her rage on this bastard.
    Toni maneuvered deeper into Rock Creek Park, moving away from the main paths and lit areas that might provide her prey vestiges of help. She did nothing to tip off her stalker. Only slightly slowing her pace, Toni braced herself for the attack, her senses honed. She could hear him approaching. Could feel his presence drawing near. Could sense his arrogant confidence.
    When the stalker closed to within feet, Toni transformed and spun around, bearing her fangs and snarling.
    And froze.
    A pallid face stared back at her, with a protruding and deeply furrowed forehead, gleaming blood-red eyes, and fangs.
    Before Toni could respond, the other master punched her with its right fist, knocking her unconscious.

3.
    C onsciousness came slowly to Toni. She first became aware of an all-too-familiar sensation. Pain. It intruded on her sleep, a constant throbbing that slowly cut into her awareness. As her mind focused, she realized it came from her jaw where the master had struck her earlier that night. Toni moved her chin from side to side. Pain shot up her head and down her neck. The bastard broke her jaw. She could tell by the tingling that the regeneration process was well under way.
    As Toni’s mind cleared even further, her thoughts went back to the moments just before the arrack. She remembered being on the hunt in Rock Creek Park. The mugger sneaking up behind her. Turning to attack him, only to come face-to-face with another master. Then the blow that knocked her unconscious. She did not recognize the master, although that would have been difficult given the brief glimpse she got of him in the dark. None of it made sense. A master never moved into another master’s territory without first requesting permission. So why was this one here in Washington?
    Opening her eyes, Toni raised herself on one elbow to look around. This place was a far cry from her nest. She rested on top of a king-size bed in an elegantly-furnished, well lit, clean bedroom. Most noticeable, it did not reek of death and decay. She and Ion had lived in such luxury decades ago. But that ended in the Ukraine when the near complete extermination of Europe’s largest coven by the Soviets frightened Ion and drove him, and the coven, underground. Since then, they had dwelled in sewers, subways, condemned buildings, and a host of other locations barely fit for vermin. As a vampire, she could easily live without human amenities. However, she preferred comforts such as these.
    “I see the whore is finally awake.”
    The voice came from Toni’s right. Rolling onto her side, Toni saw a young girl approximately thirteen years old seated in a fabric-covered wingback chair, watching television. She wore a plain, dark-colored, one-piece dress that complemented her shoulder-length blonde hair. Crystal blue eyes and cherubic cheeks gave the young girl an angelic look. It was merely an