The First Seal

DASHIELL

   She stares at me with wide blue eyes, her lips parted. Dakota has always been a beautiful sight. The last time I'd seen her is six months ago. I had heard about her accident from her brother.

According to him, she is currently suffering from amnesia. Now, I find it strange that she's right here in the lobby. Besides, there's a look in her eyes that clearly states that she recognizes me. I am curious about that.

"Do you recognize me?" I ask and she blinks.

"Have we met before?" She asks. I let out a sigh. Right, she probably just thinks I'm familiar.

"Did you come here alone?" I ask. She nods her head. Then, she shakes her head. She looks confused.

"Were you alone? You shouldn't be left alone. I'll call your brother to come pick you up" I tell her and she nods, lowering her gaze to the ground.

All of a sudden, I feel a strong pull towards her and the urge to imprint on her washes over me. I freeze, my thumb hovering over the screen of my phone. I stare at Dakota who is looking at anywhere but at me.

My heart begins to race in my chest as the urge grows. This feeling dictates that I have found my mate. But, it's wrong. Dakota can't be my mate. I've known her since she was a child. It doesn't make sense that I am feeling the bond now. It just isn't possible.

'Mate' Orin, my dragon growls in my head and I freeze.

"Kota!"

We both turn in the direction of Dale's voice. He's panting as he runs towards us.

"Are you alright?" He asks his sister as soon as gets to us.

"I'm okay" Dakota responds. Dale looks at me, a frown on his face.

"How did you get here?" He asks as he averts his gaze back to his sister.

"I don't know. It felt familiar. I'm sorry" she mumbles.

"Come on, let's go. Don't scare me like that again" Dale tells her.

"Thank you for finding her, Dash" he says to me, relief written all over his face.

"Keep an eye on your sister and take care of her. We can't have her wandering all over the place"

He nods.

"Sure thing" he walks away with Dakota who keeps her gaze pinned to the floor, the entire time.

"You're going to be late for your meeting, boss" Simone, my PA comments from his position behind me. But, I am distracted. I continue to stare at Dakota until she's out of my sight. There's one way to confirm if she's my mate or not. I have to encounter her, again.

...

  I sit up in bed with a start, my chest heaving. Letting out a sigh, I run my fingers through my hair. It's the same nightmare again. At this point, I am not surprised. Getting out of bed, I stare at my gloved fingers. My left hand is missing a finger.

My nightmare has always been a replay of what happened the night my left index finger was severed. It was stolen from me and consequently used to create six seals capable of bringing great power to it's user. Yet, it is the key to chaos and massive destruction. It has been my life's goal to find every single one of them and get rid of them. However, I have had no luck in finding them.

My phone vibrates from it's position on the nightstand. Picking the call, I bring the phone to my ear.

"Were you asleep?" West asks. He's my loyal investigator and bestfriend. Most of the time, he resides in the basement of my building, monitoring the Silver Eye, which is a device used to investigate the location of the seals.

"I was" I respond, pouring myself a glass of martini.

"Did you have another nightmare?" He sounds worried.

"It shouldn't be surprising to you by now" I say and he sighs.

"Is the dreamcatcher not working? It was supposed to be authentic. I paid thousands of dollars for it"

I snort, taking a sip of martini.

"You have lots of money to waste. I never said anything about needing a dream catcher, West"

"I'm bored" he suddenly states. I close my eyes, the cool air caressing my skin.

"Whatever. I'm hanging up now-"

He interrupts me.

"Wait! Don't!"

"Why?"

"Come down here, you need to see this!" He sounds excited, it spikes my curiosity.

"What is it?"

"The location of the first seal has just been confirmed."

Shrugging on a night robe, I hurry downstairs to the basement and find West sitting in front of the Silver Eye, a gleaming topaz mirror enriched with dark magic. He grins when he notices my presence.

"Harold James, 230 years old, vampire. Received an invitation to a banquet taking place tomorrow evening. Most likely to attend this banquet. So, you have to show up right on time" he tells me, his eyes are lit with excitement. He rises to his feet and pats my shoulder.

"Don't lose it. We have worked hard for this" he tells me.

"I don't plan to."

...

  "I should be there with you" West whines through the phone as I button up my white shirt.

"How many times have I asked you not to act like my babysitter?" I say, running my fingers through my hair.

"Gosh. You finally found the location of one of the seals after so many decades and you expect me to keep calm? Hell, no" West continues, his voice firm.

"Keep this away from my mother, alright? I can't have two people nagging at me at the same time" I tell him, sliding on my black trench coat.

"It's been confirmed that he's really going to be at the banquet tonight" West speaks, the concern in his voice making him sound like a mum. I hum in response as I stare at the mirror in my room.

"What are you wearing?" He asks, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"A white shirt and a black coat" I respond and he sighs in disapproval.

"That's it? That's all you're wearing? You usually wear something flashy. That's your style. What's with the boring dressing?"

"I don't want to get my hopes up. Besides, whoever has carried the first seal for decades and has kept it secretly won't be careless with it all of a sudden. I need to be able to mix in the crowd and not stick out like a sore thumb"

"I understand. You have to be careful, alright? Mistress Noir has her eyes on you. She's getting greedy. She'll most likely be at the banquet"

"Sure thing."

"Keep me posted, yeah?"

I hum again.

"I know you're a smart ass predator but sometimes, predators can end up having their asses handed to them"

"You of all people should know that it doesn't apply to me" I chuckle and he laughs.

"How can I forget? Anyway, have a great time. I'll be returning in two weeks. Don't miss me too much" he says, a teasing note in his voice.

West's elder brother passed away last night. He received the news right after discovering the location of the first seal. Hence, he left for home, earlier today.

I put on a hat and stare at my reflection in the mirror. The sight of my dressing makes me cringe with disgust. I look more like a vampire from an old fantasy book.

"Whatever" I respond to West's statement and he laughs. Our call ends and I pick my phone from the dresser, slipping it into my pocket.

...

  AT THE BANQUET,

    The whole place is buzzing with life and the soft music creates the perfect scene. Slipping on a pair of glasses, I scan the place. The banquet venue is almost filled to the brim with all kinds of Ellites.

My fingers are already itching in anticipation. I close my eyes and allow myself to feel the atmosphere and let it soak in. Then, I feel it. A powerful tug at my being. It's like my body can recognize what I've been searching for.

My eyes fall open and I glance up the stairs to find a short man wearing a golden three-piece suit standing there with a glass of champagne in hand. He is wearing the seal around his neck like a pendant.

Grinning to myself, I grab a glass of champagne off a tray and make a beeline for the stairs. In a couple of seconds, I'm standing behind him. He bumps into me from behind and turns to look at me. As soon as he does that, I move closer to him and bury my claws in his guts. He chokes, eyes wide with horror.

"Gotcha" I whisper in his ear and he begins to tremble.

Before he can recover, I rip the pendant off his neck, separating his head from his body, in the process. His head falls downstairs and chaos breaks out. While everyone is scrambling for safety, I start to make my way towards the exit.

"Not so fast" I freeze at the sound of the oddly familiar feminine voice I've just heard. I am aware that I am not the only one who is after the seals. But, I'm surprised that a woman with such a sweet voice, is the first person to confront me. While I'm contemplating on my next line of action, I feel the sharp edge of a knife pressed against the small of my back.

"Give me the seal."