Sleeping with Ghosts: Chap. 1

Chapter 1

Monterey, California A.D 2010

Deep black eyes glared daggers at the thick fog that slowly settled itself outside. The seaside city of Monterey had a habit of frequently being blanketed by fog, and the outside Pete's Coffee Shop was no exception. The owner of the black orbs gave a subtle snort of annoyance. He would have to work extra hard that night.

Daimons, vampire-like creatures that sustained themselves by stealing the souls of the people they fed upon, always tried and failed at using the weather as a cloak to hide themselves and their evil deeds. Despite past failed attempts, more of them seemed to come out on foggy nights than on clear ones.

The Dark-Hunter turned his head from the window to face his quickly cooling, half-finished caffeine fix. He contemplated leaving to hunt early that night, having no interest in finishing his drink, but he knew it would be fruitless. They never came out this early in the evening.

Besides, he was already keeping on eye on the bloodsuckers' favorite hunting ground : the local university. Stupid, young, unsuspecting drunk kids were no match for Daimons. Then again, Daimons were no match for Dreki Anvindr, formally known as Toothless. He kept himself stationed at the coffee shop within the campus' library, and waited for any sign of his prey's activity.

Dreki, once again, set his eyes on the fog. You see that, my love? It's really cold where I am. You would hate it, but don't worry, I would keep you warm…if you were here. It was heartbreaking to know he could no longer telepathically communicate with his dead lover, but he wanted to believe that somehow his mate could hear his thoughts. That belief sustained his sanity enough to keep the soul crushing loneliness at bay.

"Hey, you're missing the party at Sanderling!" Dreki turned his attention to the front register where a tall, well-endowed, blonde female was speaking to her friend behind the counter. He didn't pay much attention to the conversation that took place afterwards. The word "party" was exactly the sign he needed. Daimons hardly passed up a chance to catch their favorite meal.

With a sigh, the Katagarian stood from his seat, and walked out to the lobby of the modest library. He took note of the girls at the help desk staring at him with heated expressions on their faces. Yes, he had to agree that he was just as sexy as a human as he was beautiful as a dragon. His tall stature and well-defined body only enhanced his strong, handsome features. Unfortunately for his admirers, the only person he would ever share his body with had long since been dead.

Dreki walked through the large glass doors of the library, and into the cold northern California air. Having lived all his life and unlife in freezing weather he was very much accustomed to it, but it still aggravated him to no end when he remembered how Hiccup used to hate the cold with a passion. Such annoyance worsened his already sour mood. He itched for a good fight to release the pent up negative energy he was holding.

Luckily for him, it wasn't long after he began to walk down toward the dorms that Dreki's sensitive ears picked up the sounds of a struggle going on behind the library. His Dark-Hunter senses didn't pick up a Daimon among the fray, but he welcomed a scuffle to warm himself up for the night. Adrenaline and strong legs helped him quickly run to the other end of the building.

When he arrived he saw a young college student being pinned against the wall by a man who was twice the boy's size. If that had not been an unfair fight, the two accomplices on either side of the bully would have made it one.

The display reminded him of why he hated human kind with such an intensity. They hurt, tortured and killed their own for senseless reasons, more often than not. Animals were much more civilized. They only killed to keep themselves alive and nothing more.

The dragon managed, without much effort, to gracefully sneak behind the attackers. He tapped the middle one lightly on the shoulder causing the man to turn in defense, only to be met by the Katagarian's fist. Once the other two men noticed that their friend was unconscious on the cement ground, they rushed at him. The dragon merely stepped back, grabbed the back of their necks, and led their heads together causing a loud, ugly cracking sound that echoed off the walls of the surrounding buildings.

The three unconscious men were piled on top of each other in an unceremonious heap. Dreki knew they weren't going to recover anytime soon.

"Damn, and I was hoping for a good fight." The Katagaria muttered to himself.

Dreki was about to walk away when he heard the boy curse in a voice that sounded oddly familiar. Slightly intrigued, he took a step toward the youth who was hurriedly trying to gather various books and papers that had fallen out of his backpack. The dragon knew he remembered those hands from somewhere. He noticed, on top of those familiarities, that the boy's hair had the exact red tinting that he had only seen on one other person in his entire lifetime.

That's it. I finally have gone crazy from the loneliness.

Dreki swallowed nervously before he asked, "Hey, uh, do you need help with anything?"

The dragon had to stifle a gasp of surprise when the boy looked up to respond to his question. The youth's face was the exact duplicate of his beloved's. He had the same intelligent green eyes, cutely rounded nose, freckled cheeks and wonderfully kissable lips. It was as if he had traveled through time to kneel before him at that very moment.