Enter the sexually and violently charged world of the Knights of the Darkness Chronicles, where humans and the supernatural live together in a tenuous co-existence, where neither side trusts the other.

Desires are Unleashed in this novel as darkness blankets the city, giving cloak to an unknown terror who stalks the night searching for human victims. The government funded special police force (Supernatural Unit Investigation Team) better known as the S.U.I.T., has assigned two detectives to track down this mysterious threat. The detectives soon discover that this threat may be more than they can handle and they seek outside help from two unlikely candidates. Can the combined forces of four beings be enough to triumph in a deadly race against time?

                                                                    Chapter 1


Detective Warren Davis shuffled through the messy stack of files on his desk. He was searching desperately for his drawer key. He had hidden a box of Crunchy Cream glazed donuts in his inside and wanted to indulge selfishly in the delicious sugary taste of, in his opinion, "the best damn donuts to hit the 21st century."  Finally after turning his desk into a disaster area he located the tiny metal key.  He glanced inconspicuously over one shoulder  then the other to make sure no one was watching. He knew how irresistible Crunchy Creams could be and he didn't want to share one morsel.  He slowly turned the key and unlocked the drawer.
There they lay, the sweets of gods! Slowly Warren opened the box.  Pulling one glazed donut from the container, he stuffed the donut, in its entirety, into his mouth, taking pleasure in the gigantic burst of sweetness that followed. ""Mmm, delicious," he thought to himself as he closed the drawer and settled back in his cushioned leather chair.  He stretched his long legs out in front of him as he chewed the donut slowly, savoring every bite.
"What are you eating?" his partner, Detective Matthew Eric asked  as he approached him. He  stood beside Warren's relaxing figure, noting  the huge bulges in the insides of his partner's cheeks. Matthew Eric stood six-feet-three, very muscular and extremely handsome. His physique reminded Warren of a light-weight wrestler. Matthew's skin was a perfect soft-golden shade which complemented his light-brown eyes hidden behind the mop of dark brown curls. Matthew’s hand came up brushing his curls from his eyes as he studied Warren.     
       Warren remained silent as he swallowed, forcing one huge piece of donut down his throat  then another. He was thankful for the time it gave him to think of a believable lie.
      Matthew looked down at his partner,  a smile spreading across his face  as he watched Warren nearly choking to rid himself of the evidence. He waited patiently for the lie that would sure enough come spilling from  those glaze covered lips. He thought Warren should know better than to open a box of Crunchy Cremes, and think he wouldn't have to share. 
"Oh," Warren managed to say, swallowing the last of his donut. "This? It's nothing."  He followed up with a huge gulp of his decaffeinated coffee. Then he smiled innocently up at his partner. The expression on Matthew's face told Warren the jig was up and he had better share the wealth.  "What?" Warren asked, shrugging his shoulders.
        "If you don't cough it up,  there's going to be repercussions," Matthew threatened playfully.
        "Are you sure?" Warren asked, smiling slyly.
      "Un-hmm," Matthew nodded.
       "Okay." Warren began coughing and gagging playfully, attempting to bring up what he had swallowed.
       Matthew grimaced in mock disgust. "Oh god, man stop it!"
       Warren laughing, reached into his drawer and offered the box. "I was going to give you some anyway," he stated.
      "Yeah, sure you were,"  Matthew teased jokingly as he all but snatched a donut from the box. He sat back in his chair and took a bite out of the donut. After a few minutes, he looked at Warren. "Remember when we first shared a box of these donuts?"  he asked.
      "Yeah," Warren responded, remembering how Matthew had discovered his secret. The two men sat at their desk enjoying their tasty treats. 
      Twelve years ago, when Matthew was twenty-one, and fresh out of college, he had joined the  Police Force.  After Matthew had been  on the force for seven  years,  already a seasoned detective,  he was partnered up with Warren, who had been on the force for five years. They hit it off instantly and had been partners and friends ever since. They never dreamt they would become crime fighters against supernatural criminals. When the supernatural race (the politically correct phrase) was exposed, the government was forced to create a nationwide policing unit to monitor and arrest certain individuals with supernatural abilities who broke the law. So they began by recruiting a hundred-thousand of the nation's top cops and military personnel who were physically fit and mentally astute to begin the arduous training in paramilitary tactics, and weaponry specially designed  to deal with those who possessed  supernatural abilities. The training had been created to improve motor skills and heighten senses of sight, smell, and hearing, which was extremely necessary to combat and apprehend the unique criminal element in the supernatural world. Only five hundred out of the first hundred-thousand recruited made it through the demanding process, but more were  needed. Then the call went out for more recruits which, in the end,  gave the government an additional thousand officers needed to complete the fifteen hundred armed member force. There was another force of two thousand civilians assigned in certain fields,  specializing in forensics, chemistry, character profiling, social behaviorists and weaponry. Because of their impeccable record of  being  among  the best of the best on the police force, Warren and Matthew were drafted by the Superintendent of Police via the Mayor of Chicago for the recruitment. Mainly due to their unique partnership, and believing it would be very beneficial to the local Supernatural Unit Investigation Team, they were reassigned as partners to the Chicago division.  
      As Matthew took another bite of his donut,  he remembered their Captain wanted to see the two of them in her office. Pronto. After he swallowed,  he decided to inform his partner.
     "Hey I forgot, the Captain  wanted us in her office 'ASAP!'" Matthew said calmly, as he munched on more of the donut.
      "Oh really? Well I guess we better hurry!"  Warren smiled as he reached in his drawer for a third donut. The two were still enjoying their sugary treats when Officer Brown walked by. He was a tall, good looking black man, clean shaven, well built,  the health conscious/athletic type.
       "Hey, the Captain is looking for you two. If I were you, I'd hustle in there, on the double,"  Officer Brown said.  He grimaced in disgust at the two men fattening themselves on the two-hundred calories per serving donuts. "Damn shame," he said then walked away, leaving the two detectives to smile at each other before rising to head into their Captain's office. 
        They passed a few officers who were teasing them by making throat slitting motions. Everyone suspected the Captain was going to have another difficult case for the two detectives to work on.  They were right.
      "What took you two so long to get  in here?"  Captain Michelle Lawrence asked as she sat at her desk. The two detectives noticed that they didn't get a glimpse of her long shapely legs which were hidden behind the desk. Warren suspected that she had been gawked at by one too many officers and managed to hide her assets. Her long blonde hair fell in waves past her shoulders onto her shirt front, denying them and all others a peek of her 'famous cleavage' that the majority of the male-and some female cops, admired.
       "Well, you  know, Detective Eric,  I didn't expect to be waiting this long  when I called both of you in here about fifteen minutes ago," she said, both eyebrows  raised, a finger lightly tapping the desk.
         "Sorry, Cap'n, but Warren here, he was in the crapper, I had to put out an APB!"  Detective Eric fibbed quickly. Warren tried hard  to force back the chuckles threatening to erupt at any second. Captain  Lawrence looked at the two men, and shook her head, restraining her own laughter. 'These two... ,'  she thought to herself.
        "Look gentlemen, it's time to get right down to business. We have a report of a body found in the alley off  79th and Cottage Grove Avenue. The preliminary  report stated the body appeared to be  drained of blood  and the head was... well... missing. Furthermore,  there are no witnesses. I'm assigning this case to you. It's right up your alley.  The Galen's on the scene. Detectives Weinstein and Johnson are there right now, questioning the employee of  a bakery store who discovered the body." She handed Warren the address of the crime scene. "Now get the hell out of here."
       "Hey Cap'n, feel like cutting us some slack? We just got off doing the Joliet case."  Warren asked, as he glanced at the little white sheet of paper with the location of the crime scene on it.
       "Oh geez, guys,"  she shrugged, smiling, enjoying the moment. "I'd love to let you both sit back and eat your 'donuts'  but you know this damn government... "  She raised her eyebrows and shrugged her shoulders as if to ask, 'what can you do?'  "If only they'd put more than one division per state, I wouldn't have to spread your asses so thin, but being as it is,  get out there, make me proud."
       "Geez, Cap'n, you can spread my ass thin anytime," Matthew joked. Warren laughed.
       "Get out," Captain Lawrence said flatly, fighting the urge to laugh.
        The men gave each other a playful look and pouted like children as they headed for the door.            
       "Great, a body drained of blood and the head is missing. Let's just chuck this one up to a vampire and head on over to Calvi's for some ribs," Warren suggested as he closed the office door behind them.
       "Yeah, I know it's a pain in the ass, let's go," Matthew said as they grabbed their coats and headed for the parking lot.
        "I'll drive!" Warren said eagerly as he made a mad dash for the driver's side of Matthew's car.
        "Like hell you will! You have a little too much of the speed demon in you. If you want to drag race, then do it in your own shit, not mine. Now saddle yourself  into the spectator's seat," Matthew said as he pushed his partner in the direction of the passenger side of his 2004 Python Triton. One of the new foreign cars from Asia that everyone was buying. It was an economy car, great on gas and looked like a sports car.  Warren admired the car and mentally noted to put the automobile on his wish list for Christmas.  
      "You know," Warren started as he looked around his partner's new car,  "you should give this car to me as a Christmas present."  He smiled at his partner as he waited for an answer.
      "Sure... if you give me your Diamondback SUV. You know that I love that truck."
       "Point taken, now let's drop the subject," Warren said, smiling coyly. Matthew smiled broadly. He had gotten  the last word, which was hard to do with Warren. He reached for his emergency  light, placed it on the top of the car, clicking on the portable siren  as they sped through the morning rush hour traffic on the urban streets of Chicago.
     The location of the crime scene, an alley at 79th and Cottage Grove,  was packed with onlookers. Uniformed officers struggled desperately to keep the crowd away from the crime scene. Cars were backed up for blocks  as more and more police vehicles and media trucks pulled up. Matthew had to carefully navigate his car through the helter-skelter of unattended patrol cars, finally parking in a spot that wasn't too close to the other patrol cars. The two detectives emerged and made their way past the bevy of excited reporters and curious  spectators. An ambitious reporter, desperate to get the "scoop", cut in front of them as they tried to make their way to the crime scene. Before they could get one step further  the reporter thrust  a microphone in Warren's face and began to bombard him with questions.
      "Detective! Detective! Is it true that the body is headless? Do you think a supernatural did this?!"  asked the blonde female reporter  in the tight blue pantsuit as she struggled to keep pace with the two detective's long strides.  
      "No comment," Warren said as they approached the uniformed officer  guarding the crime scene. The answer given didn't seem to satisfy the pushy reporter as she continued to ask the same questions in a different manner.
      "Detectives, are you from the S.U.I.T.  Precinct? If you are, then this must have been a supernatural killing, right?  What  kind of supernatural did this? Was it a vampire or a shape shifter?"  she asked in succession. The two detectives ignored the line of questioning, continuing on to the yellow and black police tape  blocking off the crime scene. Both men decided to do a little limbo under the tape. The cops on duty only shook their heads, a few even smiled.  Everyone knew these two were the "Gibbs and Burtaugh" (from those popular buddy-cop movies) of the Special Unit Investigation Team, better known as;  S.U.I.T.
      "Hey, Barry, look who's graced us with their presence! If it isn't the 'Dynamic Duo',”  Detective Gabriel Johnson joked to his partner Barry Weinstein who was kneeling by the body. "Heya boys!"  He greeted  the approaching officers.
      Barry rose from his kneeling position, walked towards his partner. "Warren… Matthew," Barry said, giving a little 'hello' nod to the two detectives. "Gabe and I were the first on the scene. The guy who discovered the body is over there away from the media sharks." He pointed to a young black male in his early twenties, standing against the side of a building. "You know how hungry the media is for a story when they get a whiff of fresh blood," Barry joked. All four detectives chuckled, nodding in agreement.
       "Yeah, but the guy won't be able to tell you much. He was dumping the trash  that should  have been dumped the night before  when he came across the body.  He said,  'he saw the legs sticking out from behind the dumpster and knew something wasn’t right.' That's when he called the police, who called us in. That's about it," Gabriel said.
       "Captain must really like you two. She gives you guys all the coveted cases," Barry teased with a chuckle.
       "Yeah, remind me to send her one of those famous Anisi gift baskets as a 'Thank You'," Matthew retorted, laughing sarcastically.
       "Well, as much as we would like to stay here and chit-chat with the two of you, we've just received a page. Captain wants us. Maybe she'll bestow upon us the same generosity she's shown you two," Gabriel teased  as he gazed at the number on his beeper.
       "Ha! Don't bet on it.  She wants the two of us, cause we’re hot!" Warren joked.
       "Yeah, I heard she like guys with young, firm balls," Matthew added.
        "Exactly. Not old shriveled, wrinkled balls like yours, so you're both out of luck," Warren finished.
        "Well, I guess I have to settle for your mother then, hey Matthew?" Gabriel shot back, smiling slyly.
        "Shit, be my guest! If she has a little Romeo on the side maybe she'll stop bugging me about making her a grandmother!" Matthew joked,  causing the four detectives to laugh. Gabriel and Barry said their "goodbyes", wrapping up their friendly banter and began walking toward their unmarked police cruiser as Warren and Matthew headed toward the body.
       Matthew and Warren looked at the white sheet covering the body.  It lay partially behind a dumpster in back of the Dark Night Travel Agency. It was an agency that catered to the supernatural. After the supernatural race was exposed, all types of businesses saw it as another way to make a profit. This particular agency helped vampires travel during the day. Both detectives stood over the corpse. They  noted the small drops of blood  spotting the sheet where the head should have been. Matthew squatted down beside the corpse, lifting the sheet to peek under. The corpse looked to be the body of a black male  and on a closer inspection, he appeared to be middle-aged.  Matthew  threw a glance at Warren who seemed to be having a dilemma of his own. Matthew noticed Warren's breathing had increased and his jaw muscles had tightened. He also noticed  the  tiny beads of sweat forming on Warren’s forehead.
        "Hey, keep it together, man! You don't want to attract attention to yourself!" Matthew encouraged his partner in a hushed voice. Matthew began to think back to the time when he discovered Warren's secret.  It was almost  three years ago when  he discovered his partner was a supernatural  himself. They'd been on a stakeout, tracking down a murdering child molester, who would strangle his adolescent victims, dress them up as life-sized dolls, then rape their lifeless bodies.  The stakeout had gone wrong when their suspect  noticed their plain black van parked across the street from his house. Matthew and Warren hated the idea of trying to be "inconspicuous" using the black van, but they'd had no other choice. They had been sitting in the van for eight hours on the third day, their butt-cheeks numb and the Crunchy Cream donuts they ate earlier left their bellies begging for refueling. It was at that moment when the nut came bursting through the front door of his house blasting his twelve gauge shotgun at their van.  
       Matthew would have caught a buckshot blast straight to the head had Warren not thrown himself in front of him, taking the blast of the shotgun pellets in his upper right shoulder. Never losing their composure, they returned fire, taking down their suspect. After disarming the man and confirming his death, Matthew had returned to the van to check on his friend and partner, the one he trusted and now owed his life to.  He remembered running back to the van  to find his partner looking worried. Warren had covered his wound with his jacket,  not wanting to  let him see it. Warren insisted that it was just a "flesh wound" and nothing to "worry about". But Matthew, ignoring Warren's protest struggled to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.  He remembered trying to snatch the jacket away from Warren  who seemed to be behaving as children sometimes do, hiding their wounds from their mothers so that they wouldn't go dabbing alcohol into the wound. He joked with Warren, in hopes to diffuse the situation and keep Warren calm by telling him not to worry,  he promised it wouldn't sting. Warren however,  was most adamant about keeping the wound  hidden  until Matthew pulled at the jacket with all his might. Warren had relented, exposing a partially healed scar. Matthew watched in amazement as the wound continued to heal.  He watched  as the torn muscles began to reattach themselves. He looked on in awe and disbelief as the skin reformed over it, leaving nothing but the blood around the area where the wound had been. He was speechless,  looking to Warren for an explanation.       
        Matthew listened as Warren, his partner of nearly two years confessed  that he was a werewolf. Warren had decided to use the mortal terminology for his species. Shape-shifters, like himself,  never used terms like 'werewolf' or 'werecheetah'.  He didn't like having his secret out knowing full well that the laws were extremely biased when it came to his kind. Even if he was a cop. Even if his intentions were good,  he would be fired and probably prosecuted for lying and providing false information during exams and testing. The human race did not trust those of the supernatural race. "Birds of a feather,"  he supposed. He trusted his partner enough to give Matthew  the choice of keeping his secret or revealing it.  In the beginning, Matthew had felt leery about such a revelation. He wasn't sure how he felt about having a flesh-eating beast as his partner.
         In the end, Matthew believed he knew his partner well enough to know that he would never eat him... he hoped. He decided to keep the secret and their bond became stronger. It wasn't until after Matthew  knew the truth about Warren that he started to understand his strange behavior of the past. Such as the constant eating of high-fat, high-protein foods. He had never seen anyone who could put away two 20 ounce porterhouse steaks the way Warren could  and this was with side dishes!  He also began to recognize the look of bloodlust in Warren's grey eyes whenever they went to a bloody crime scene.  He wondered how the hell it slipped his radar in the first damn place. He was amazed at how well  Warren could endure the strong scent and sight of  blood and flesh at these crime scenes. He had chalked it up to Warren's own personal high level of discipline, determination and dedication to the job.
        Matthew remembered the times when Warren had broken the handle of his car door not once, but twice trying to hop out of  the car in a rush. He also remembered the time they had to chase down a suspect.  He had decided to cut the suspect off in the car while Warren took to chasing the perpetrator on foot. He found it amazing when Warren had beaten him to the punch and had the suspect apprehended. Now that he knew the truth,  everything that hadn't made sense in the past all fell into place.
       Now, as Matthew looked at Warren, he could tell by the way his  breathing was returning to normal he had gotten control over his bloodlust and hunger, ready to get his mind on the job at hand. Matthew pulled the white sheet back, revealing the entire corpse. He reached into his right breast pocket, producing a retractable metal rod he used to further examine the corpse without actually touching the body. A uniformed officer walked over to them, giving them each a pair of latex gloves. Matthew put on his gloves without hesitation. Warren always hated wearing these gloves. The scent from the latex and the powder substance inside the gloves always agitated the sensory glands of his nose and mouth. Nevertheless,  he slowly slid his hands into the gloves.
      "Hey, look at this! Here, come closer!" Matthew said curiously as he gestured for his partner  to take a closer look. As both men peered into the gaping hole where the victim's head used to be, Warre's breathing had begun to increase but he kept his mind focused.  He looked at the broken spinal cord, the torn muscles and sinew left behind. The remaining flesh looked jagged as though the head had been ripped away from the body.
      They gave each other a guarded look. The conclusion was not one they wanted to embrace, but the evidence left them with no other choice. Whatever it was they were dealing with was strong... and vicious. Never a good combination. So far, they had been lucky. The last case they were on had been the most grueling case since they joined the new division or rather, were "appointed
" to the new division.  They'd had to track down a werewolf in Joliet, Illinois. The werewolf had run amok in the suburban neighborhoods,  killing and mutilating four people. They had cornered the werewolf on a farm right outside Joliet,  after it had slaughtered two cows. The family had heard the ruckus and alerted the local police,  who notified the S.U.I.T.  authorities. The suspect was not  willing to negotiate, so they had to take him down.  At that point,  Matthew  was more than happy that his partner was a supernatural. They would not  have survived otherwise. 
      "It looks as though the fucking head was snatched off!" Matthew said as he inspected more of the corpse, noting that the body was fully clothed. Relief spread through his mind that if there was anything else to find,  it would be Marshall Galen's job as medical examiner to find it. Then as soon as that thought came into this head, so did the dread that whatever Marshall found would just add more drama to an already-becoming-dramatic case.  
      "Yeah, that's what it looks like. The spinal cord was just snapped like a twig. The flesh of the neck is all torn at the edges. See look here," Warren pointed and made a circular motion around the neck area.  "Looks a little stretched, doesn't it. Like someone  or something pulled and pulled until the skin and everything in between gave way. They could have done it in a fast motion  but I think... at least I feel in my gut that this killer  wanted to feel and savor the sensation of slowly ripping off someone's head."  Warren rose quickly, shaking his head from side to side as he walked a few paces away from the corpse.
      He had to regain his composure. The thought of someone so sick and twisted that they would derive pleasure out of such a  macabre act of violence disgusted him. What unnerved him even more was that the remains of that violent act made him want to get down on all fours, crawl over to the headless corpse and pig out like ninety-going-north. Matthew looked at him. He knew how hard it was for Warren; he knew his secret.
       "Hey, Detective Davis, you ain't gonna puke, are you?!" A uniformed officer called out as he noticed Warren with his back turned toward the corpse.
      "Aww, don't tell me a little blood gets you two boys all green."
      "Fuck you, rookie!" Matthew shot back. "Don't you have some tickets to write?" he said as he took the gloves off, tossing them in the portable disposal unit the officer was holding. He walked to his partner, patting him on the shoulder.
      "Are you okay?" 
       Warren nodded.
      "Good. Are you ready to talk to the one lead we have?"  Matthew asked. Warren took a deep breath. He looked at Matthew and nodded.
      In retrospect, Warren was relieved he had confided in his partner when he did. He trusted in their relationship enough now to let it all hang out. Matthew  knew his friend's "condition" even though it  still shook him up, especially if Warren became  glassy-eyed over spilt blood.  Warren  wished he had the control of the older ones. The pride of the Pack, those who can walk into a slaughterhouse and never even blink once. He marveled at the amount of  self-control one must have to resist such a temptation. He admired his Pack leader Xander for his superior self-control. However, Xander treated his Pack with that same amount of control which sometimes got on Warren's nerves. By the same token, Xander was equally protective of the Pack; Warren respected and loved him for that.
     Xander never really approved of Warren joining the Police Force. He was  true to the traditional ways; old traditions had wisdom.  In Xande's opinion,  it just wasn't wise to take up a profession that might expose your secret. Being a police officer was high on his 'hell  no' list. Although, Xander did acknowledged the benefits one could gain from working within and beside the law. He wasn't blind to that fact,  but he feared Warren would be exposed, then hunted down because of what he was. Xander would not stand for that. Warren remembered the heated argument  he'd had  with Xander  when he informed him that his secret had been exposed to his partner. Xander had threatened to kill Matthew, said he knew too much, but Warren had convinced him that this exposure was a move in the right direction.
      Xander had scoffed at that statement. It didn't ease his suspicions nor his hidden thoughts of killing all who knew about them. It was one thing for the whole supernatural race's existence to be exposed. It was another to paste a sign on your head that said, 'here I am, come and get me.' Because of that, Xander kept a close eye on Warren who had been the orphaned son of his Pack mates.  Warren’s mother and father had been murdered by a renegade group of deranged mortals. They shot both of  his parents, piercing their brains with silver bullets while they were tending to their farm. Warren barely escaped with his life.  He had run into the woods, staying hidden until  nightfall. He then went to the one place his parents told him would be safe if anything ever went wrong. He ended up on Xander’s doorstep in the middle of the night, a scared six-year-old boy.  Xander had taken Warren under his wing and raised him as his own. Warren was raised in the traditional ways of the Pack. In spite of all Xander's teachings, Warren had embraced the "mortal" lifestyle, even his career choice. Ever since his parents were murdered in front of him when he was a child, he wanted to be a cop so that he could catch the bad guys.  
      Warren thought Xander should loosen up a bit. He knew because of Xander's old age, change was always difficult, especially after being alive for over two centuries. His Pack Alpha was pretty much hell-bent on  keeping with tradition and was most reluctant to change the old ways.
      While walking toward their one lead, Warren reminisced on the day when he was at home watching TV, his favorite family cartoon show interrupted for a special news bulletin. He remembered thinking it  better be pretty fucking important to interrupt my favorite cartoon family, "The Sampsons". He'd sat there and watched history in the making as the report commenced to prove supernatural existence beyond what the human mind could comprehend. It was all over the radio and even worked  its way into the cable network channels. So even if you were watching QueerPeople, you were going to catch this news bulletin!
      Warren watched, along with billions of people worldwide, as the supernatural  world was exposed for all to see,  for all to know. An over-ambitious reporter had scooped the story,  revealing a corrupt politician who had been bitten  and turned by a tiger. This politician, along with several others, were secretly keeping an  abandoned military base in Death Valley. A facility specially designed to perform experiments on vampires and shape-shifters and study the results. His mouth had dropped open as he'd watched that report. He'd felt grateful that he had been skilled enough at deceiving the mortals about his true identity thus far.  He had learned how to control his hungers and lust, well enough to remain unnoticed, and unchallenged (outside of Matthew).
      Xander had resented everything about the  outing.  It angered him that shape-shifters were tortured and killed at the military base. He had known that mortals would react badly after finding out.
      "Mortals always hunt down and destroy what they can't control, or understand, or fear," Xander had said as he made numerous phone calls to other Pack leaders arranging an emergency meeting. Xander had been right. In the months that followed, after the humans got over the shock of supernatural beings existing in their world, mass paranoia began. People had begun to panic and there had been pure chaos. Humans started looking over their  shoulders;  people started killing each other over  the slightest suspicion.
      Warren remembered getting a call from an hysterical woman who said her husband had just shot and killed their neighbor with a sniper rifle. Her husband  was convinced their neighbor was a vampire because he only saw him up  and about at night. Turns out the now dead neighbor liked to take nightly walks  because he suffered from insomnia. The madness didn't stop there.  The crime rate increased; it was the highest in years. The ironic part of it was it wasn't  the supernatural creatures that were committing all the crimes, but the human race itself-killing other humans as well as supernaturals!
      It was not until some bills were passed a year later that the madness subsided. Angry and fed up family members were tired of fighting for their lives and the lives of their loved ones who had been turned. Those people made their voices heard loud and clear  and the government had to acknowledge that the worldwide, fear-induced bloodshed had to be dealt with and fast! Martial law was enforced, giving the government time to think of a plan.    
     Some  supernaturals, fearing  they would be hunted down and slain, decided to form a council in an attempt to gain positive exposure and establish themselves. They joined with the American government to share information and develop laws equal to humans. The human race was trying to restore order  from the madness they had caused. They were trying to get control over what they could not comprehend. Many supernaturals  believed that  the human race was foolish and  vain  to think that they could be the overlords of all the  supernaturals' power and wisdom. The human race had been underestimated.  America was the first country to form the "Laws of Co-existence" with the supernaturals successfully.  Most of Europe followed,  then Canada and Asia, making the "Laws of Co-existence" partially international.
     The first bill  that was passed into law  clearly stated supernatural creatures were now required to obey the same law as every mortal was. If they committed a murder,  they were  arrested  and were to have their day in court. If a supernatural was suspected  of a crime,  if they turned themselves in willingly,  they would await their trial date up to a period of seven days.  They  would then be tried by a mixed jury of humans and supernaturals. If found innocent,  they were set free  but monitored. If found guilty, they were to be executed immediately. However, if a supernatural refused to be taken into custody, they were executed on the spot. Due to their supernatural abilities, their right to "Due Process" was not equal to humans.
      Law number two,  was more for vampires than shape-shifters. No  drinking from mortals who were not willing. It was understood that a bite from a vampire was equivalent  to sex for a human. You could not arrest and charge two adults for having consensual sex, therefore, you could not charge a vampire for getting "bloody" with someone who consented to the bloodletting. However, the union could not be fatal; it also had to be with an adult.  Anyone under the tender age of eighteen was jailbait and anyone who did not consent was considered raped. In addition to this law, the willing conversion of a mortal was prohibited. It was considered suicide if a mortal consented to conversion. Of course, vampires didn't really adhere to this portion of the law.
      The vampires had taken to that law rather harshly. Some of the young ones retaliated. They had no idea what humans had in store for them. If found in the act of "raping," "murdering" or "child molesting," if  that supernatural  couldn't be apprehended in a "peaceful" manner,  they were to be shot and killed on the spot. This was stated in the news bulletin when they announced the new laws. What they didn't say  was that they had gathered  a great deal of information on the supernaturals. Due, in part, to all the materials and documentation gathered from the secret facility in Death Valley. For instance, a  trained mortal knew what to look for in appearance,  physical attributes, etc. The government was better prepared  and were well equipped to deal with the supernaturals.  The S.U.I.T.  Organization  was  armed with  ultraviolet gel  ammunition for the bloodsucking  undead and liquid silver-nitrate bullets for shape-shifters. These specially designed bullets  would  explode upon impact  and work  its way through the blood stream, making it virtually impossible for any to survive. Regular silver bullets hurt and took longer to heal,  but didn't kill the shifter unless  it struck in a vital area. Any liquid silver  entering the blood stream meant an inevitable death.
         Warren wondered if Xander would be able to survive a vital  hit from a regular silver bullet. He suspected that because of his age he may be able to heal,  if he drank the blood of the  Pack healer. However, he doubted Xander would be able to survive being shot by a liquid silver-nitrate bullet. The humans had been prepared. After a few vampires who were in violation of law number two were made examples of, the vampires  were "less inclined  to exhibit any rash behavior." Or so that's what the Secretary of State said during his speech  when he announced the decrease in supernatural crime.  Warren had to admit  the thought of a combustible silver-nitrate bullet going through his chest  would make him feel a little more law abiding. His other Pack mates had been outraged, feeling helpless against the change. Warren wondered in amazement if this was the first time the supernatural race felt truly vulnerable.  He suspected Xander wasn't worried, but cautious... always cautious.
      Law number three, was pretty much directed at shape-shifters. Shape-shifters were to go to a government protected and sanctioned hunting ground on the nights when there would be a full moon. Some of the Pack leaders had disputed this bill. Many said they had their own private property, and would not take too kindly to being monitored while they changed,  mated  and hunted. After three months of deliberation, the government relented, only to revise the bill. The revised bill now stated if one did not have a "designated" hunting ground, you were required to go to a government sanctioned one provided in each state. Once finalized, there were no exceptions to this law. If found off hunting grounds,  the shape-shifter would be contained, charged, most likely deemed dangerous,  then executed.
      In the beginning,  there were a lot of unexplained "accidents" when a supernatural was taken into custody  for suspicion of committing a crime. They were often tortured or murdered by spiteful officers wanting revenge. It was during this time  the supernaturals protested  while their council spoke out against the cruel and illegal tactics of the government supernatural police force. The entire S.U.I.T. organization went under investigation.  The offending officers were arrested and sentenced.
     The last bill  to be added  became law number four to establish equal protection for supernaturals.  For there were individuals  and radical  humanist groups who  decided to turn their Thursday night poker club into  outlandish cults that would chase down members of the supernatural race to destroy what they could, by maiming and killing whomever they could. This new law, which was much needed, prohibited any type of  vigilante acts of violence  upon a member of the supernatural  race. Many outraged groups felt that the human race should not have to share the world with "freaks". They  vowed to continue their "fight against the forsaken," as they called it.  Warren had arrested a few of these fanatics, satisfied  to have finally rid  the streets of them. Though he knew where there was one, there were several  thousand. However, there were enough intelligent civilians, including politicians, who knew that to start a war with the supernaturals would incite the destruction of the human race. These individuals lobbied ceaselessly  to pass law number four; they knew that the government had to offer protection to the supernaturals in order to guarantee  protection for  human existence.    
         The laws left little room for mischief  and seemed to keep things under control. Supernaturals were U.S. citizens rightfully.  All humans now  knew they could not destroy the supernatural race; some humans didn't want to destroy supernaturals  at all. Many historians were baffled and marveled at the whole idea of immortal creatures. Beings that have seen  empires rise and fall, wars begun and ended. They knew who shot two of America's most famous presidents. They knew what it was like to watch Rome burn and hear the psychotic tunes from the Emperor’s violin.  Then  there was the medical scientist  who wanted blood samples, urine samples, sperm and egg samples. They wanted to know what was in the supernaturals blood that was different from their own, and how to make that blood work for them.  Just think how much a serum made from vampire blood would cost healthcare!  Many other businesses including restaurants, bars, clubs, stores, and airports opened their markets to the supernaturals. However, there were some  businesses  that reinstated the segregation law, barring supernaturals from "human only" establishments. Even though mankind was learning to co-exist, the two races were far from equal in all that the world had to offer. There were other bills being brought before the legislature  that wanted to incorporate supernatural studies in schools as well as cultural awareness courses. This caused great debates within the ranks  and the bills have yet to be voted on.