Wraith Prolouge

Prologue

November 24^th 2044

Penny Barks was driving back to her hometown after a busy week in Miami, when the storm rolled in over the old city of Down Alley. She clutched her jaws. The growing headache bothering her though she had fed not long ago. She looked at her wristwatch. It was almost 2AM. She sighed and ran a hand across her face to keep herself awake. The storm took a turn and rain started to hit the windshield in a violent pace which almost made it hard to see out through them. It didn't bother her much though. Her eyes quickly adapted themselves. She reached down for her purse to pick up a blood bag, opened it by ripping off one of the edges and emptied it.The same second as she was done rapid footsteps, almost as the sound of fast wing beats, caught her hearing, a sudden movement along the fringe of her vision, like if someone had just outstripped the car. Though there was nothing a head of her as she snapped her head, teeth exposed and stepped on the break. The car stopped close by a large field where you could see the city on the other side of it. Penny was standing on the road in a second, breathing heavily as she sniffed the thick air, trying to identify who had been following her. A silence minute passed by before she heard the cardoor she had left opened slam with such force she could feel the vibration of it under her feet. Soon she felt a gust of wind on the back of her neck as if someone had suddenly stopped behind her and she turned around without hesitation. The - now obvious " scent suddenly struck against her face and suddenly the memories washed over her before she had even gotten a good look at the man's face. He stood leaned against the car door. His mouth hinted at a smile.

Penny crossed her arms over her chests with a sigh, slowly let his face and the memorise sink in.

”16 years since the last time I saw you, and I can still make your pulse jump. Aren't you full of surprises” he said with a playfull tone in his voice, his dark eyes lifted and he grinned. The man had black hung low jeans on his waist but his torso was naked, showing off a tattooed circle underneath his right collarbone. Penny snorted and took a step closer to him. He still had his boyish features and posture, a light layer of stubble covering his cheeks and chin. His shoulders was wider and his skin was tighten over his muscles.

”Alec” she greeted, though with a not so pleasant tone in her voice.

”In the flesh” he said and bowed.

”What are you doing here?” she asked.

”I wanted to see you” he said with a innocent shrugg as his eyes lifted and he stood up again. She didn't fall for it.

”A non-equilateral desire then” she replied expressionless. Alec gave a lazy shake of his head.

”Don't be like that, I know you've missed me. How have you been?” he asked, obviously trying to change the subject. She snorted.

”You haven't changed a bit” Her voice failed her as she tried to sound stern.

”Well aging only once every 10th year is... decent” he answerd and crossed his arms over his chest with a smile.

”I meant that cocky attitude of yours” she muttered and raised an eyebrow at him. His smile turned into a grin, chuckling slightly.

”Yours isn't any better” he said matter-of-factly. She snorted and took the final steps untill he was right in front of her, his grin remaining in under his dark hair as he held up his hands in innocent.

”At least mine isn't annoying” She purched her lips and pushed him out of her way to open the car door. ”I didn't think you'd survive the first week” she grumbled. Alec laughed lowly.

”Oh great, I love proving you wrong” he said.

”Any problems during or after the final state of the transformation I haven't heard about yet?” she continued unvoiced as she started digging in her pocket for her car keys. Alec held back a smile.

"Why?"

"Just trying to figure out why you're here" she mumbled back and felt how he looked at her from behind, his gaze skimmed her head to toe and couldn't decide if she liked it or not.

”Well I wouldn't call it a problem but it turned out I'm a heart-connoisseur. I read pulses the way people read books" The tone in his voice went darker, like if it was a warning for her to remember. Penny who had just gotten the car door opened again froze in the middle of a movement. "But that isn't the reason to why I'm here though” Alec continued spontaneously and grinned at her reation. Penny turned her head and observed him quietly with a combination of repulsion and attraction in her eyes.

”Heart-connoisseur?” she said unconvincingly and instead turned around and leaned aganist the car. Alec shrugged and smirked. ”That unusual..” she continued slowly. His neutral body languege made it impossible for her to read his intentions and it made her frustrated.

”How did you figure that out?” she asked. Alec raised an eyebrow at her like if the answer was obvious.

”It's not hard to track down fear when you can hear it” he said. Penny smiled without humor.

”I see. So who has been helping you?”

”With the pulse reading? No one” he laughed. ”Just been observing and experimentig. Why?”

”Reading pulses is a learning” she said matter-of-factly. ”No one master it by experimenting so either you're hiding something or you're lying” Alec rolled his eyes, chuckling lowly.

”Oh I have nothing to hide, so I'd love to convince you. Just need you to say the words” penny clutched her jaws.

”Don't make me regret not killing you” she said with a husky voice.

”Well you knew you wouldn't get the chance again, so why didn't you?” His eyes lifted. Penny blew out a sigh, as if her patience was running out.

”You're wasting my time. Just say what you want or back off” she demanded.

Alec braced his hand on the car behind her, instead moving closer, and studied her silently.

”I couldn't sleep so I went out for a run but ended up hunting. I got halfway through the woods before I caught your scent” he said lowly ”I just wanna have a talk”

”You mean besides all the irrelevt flirting?” she asked and placed a hand on her hip.

”Answers” Alec replied, looking like he meant it. Penny studied him, wiping a hand down her face to clear away the rain and then through her wet hair.

”The subject?” she finally asked sceptically. Alec bit his lip before he suddenly reached out his wrist and held it in front of her as a gestrure. She frowned, a bit hesitative at first but then noticed a black tattooed triangle turned upside-down with a smal line through it's top. A mark wellknown to her. Her eyes slowly lifted like if to say something but instead she just frowned at him, her lips pressed together tightly.

”All I need is 20 minutes” he said evenly, his dark hair covering his eyes. Penny waited a few moments before answering.

”You have 10. Get in the car... ”