Standing atop the Empire State Building in New York City, a six-foot-tall, athletically built and handsome African-American man in his late thirties stood perfectly still, gazing thoughtfully at the vast metropolis. Anyone looking at him would see a tall, ruggedly handsome Black gentleman with chocolate skin, short Black hair cut into a style called a bald fade, clad entirely in Black leather. But this was no ordinary leather aficionado. This was Eric Brooks, better known to the world at large as Blade, the Vampire Hunter.
At the end of his adventures, Blade the Vampire Hunter found himself wondering what to do with his life. After single-handedly defeating Dracula, King of the Vampires, with the help of his youthful new allies Abigail Whistler, daughter of his late mentor Abraham Whistler, and Hannibal King, a streetwise, smart-mouthed Hunter, Blade saw the Vampire threat greatly reduced around the world. Daystar, the lethal anti-Vampire virus unleashed by the Night Stalkers wiped out the majority of the world's Vampire population.
What's a Vampire Hunter to do in a world where Vampires are essentially no longer an issue? There was no retirement plan for the men and women chosen by fate to battle the creatures of the night. Just ask the Vampire Hunter formerly known as Eric Brooks. Blade decided to look up Dr. Karen Jenson, the beautiful African-American female doctor who helped him in his fight against his first arch-nemesis, legendary Vampire leader Deacon Frost. It had been years since Blade had laid eyes upon Karen Jenson. Would Karen Jenson even remember him? Probably.
The beautiful, sharp-minded gal had one hell of a one-track mind. That's why Karen proved indefatigable in helping Blade bring down Deacon Frost and the cabal of Vampires dedicated to summoning La Magra, the Blood God. No, the question Blade wanted to ask himself was, would the lovely Karen Jenson want anything to do with him? After they destroyed Deacon Frost and his undead buddies, Blade wanted to have someone in his life but he knew that the fight against Vampires was far from over. Although Blade had strong feelings for Karen Jenson, he couldn't act on them.
With Deacon Frost and his blonde female Vampire paramour Mercury, along with his loyal undead henchman Quinn dead, Blade could almost convince himself that the global threat of the Vampires was averted. Unfortunately, it wasn't so. A few years later, Blade had to team up with the Vampires of House Damaskinos against the threat of the Reapers, a new breed of inhuman monsters, and their leader, Jared Nomak.
Along the way, Blade met and eventually fell in love with the beautiful female Vampire known as Nyssa Damaskinos, daughter of Vampire overlord Eli Damaskinos. After a protracted conflict during which Blade was betrayed by the elder Damaskinos, Nyssa Damaskinos perished at the hands of the monstrous mutant known as Jared Nomak, who was revealed to be her brother. Blade swiftly and mercilessly avenged Nyssa's death by slaying Jared Nomak.
Watching Nyssa's remains smolder in the sunlight almost caused Blade to shed a tear. Nyssa wasn't like other Vampires. The princess of the late, great House Damaskinos was an honorable woman, even if she was a Vampire. Yeah, Blade had never had much luck with the ladies. Although many women find him attractive, Blade seldom let them get close to him. For their own safety. Blade wasn't human. He was born half Vampire and half human. Blade wasn't normal, and he could never be normal. He didn't want to pretend to be something he wasn't.
With Nyssa Damaskinos dead and Karen Jenson probably living a nice normal life with a husband and brats somewhere, Blade found himself contemplating the grim reality that he might be alone for the rest of his days. Just how long does a Day Walker live anyway? Blade had no way of knowing. Being half human and half Vampire granted him superhuman strength, sharp senses, superior speed, and an accelerated healing factor. It also made him thirsty for blood, though the serum that his mentor/father figure Whistler invented helped Blade keep the blood thirst at bay. For now.
Decades spent finding Vampires and eliminating them taught Blade a thing or two about tracking people down. He'd gone to the New York City Public Library downtown, got himself a library card and used the computers. All too easily Blade dug up information on one Karen Jenson, working as a physician at county hospital, and living at 117 Lincoln Fields, off of Queens Boulevard. Blade staked out the place, and managed to convince himself that he was ready to see his lost love after all these years.
"Looks like I've got a stalker," said a calm, vaguely familiar feminine voice, startling Blade out of his reverie. He sat in his car, watching the large brownstone building while the late afternoon sunlight faded gradually. Blade leaned back in his chair, trying to convince himself that he was just doing another stakeout. Only this wasn't the case at all. For this large brownstone building housed Karen Jenson, his former ally, and the love of his life. The only lady who'd ever gotten the drop on him. Blade looked up, and smiled at Karen Jenson, who stood inches from his car window, hands on her hips.
"Oh hi Karen, it's been a while," Blade said casually, and Karen Jenson smiled and shook her head. Blade vaguely remembered getting out of the car, and pleading with her to bear with him. At some point, Karen thoroughly cussed him out, loud enough for young Latino and African-American folks walking by to laugh at him, and Blade thought she was genuinely pissed. And then Karen Jenson did something completely unexpected. The lady doctor threw her arms around the Vampire Hunter stud, and kissed him.
"Nice seeing you again Eric," Karen Jenson said, smiling, once they came up for air. Blade blinked nervously, stunned by the power of her kiss. Karen Jenson looked as lovely as ever. The tall, statuesque African-American beauty with the curvy body and angelic face smiled at him, and deep inside Blade's stern heart, something melted. In that moment, Blade the Vampire Hunter vanished, replaced by Eric Brooks, the ordinary man.
Without a word, Blade pulled Karen Jenson into his arms, and kissed her full and deep. The way Blade should have kissed Karen after she helped him defeat Deacon Frost back in 1998, when they stood alone on top of the smoldering ruins of Deacon Frost's temple/fortress. Karen kissed Blade back with a passion that surprised him, and when she finally let go, Blade did something he seldom did. Blade smiled, and Karen cocked an eyebrow.
"Is the world ending, Eric?" Karen asked, grabbing Blade by his leather coat. Blade smiled and shook his head. Karen Jenson was the same no-nonsense, fearless woman who absolutely refused to be intimidated by anyone, and leather-clad African-American studs with super powers were definitely no exception. Looking her up and down, Blade leaned forward and inhaled her womanly scent. Karen pushed him back, hard.
"No, Karen, the world isn't ending, in fact, my friends and I just saved it from the Vampires, for good," Blade said calmly, and Karen looked at him, and a slow smile crept into her lovely face. When those words left Blade's full, sensuous lips, Karen Jenson could scarcely believe her ears. Last month, Karen ended a relationship with Troy O'Connor, a handsome Irish-American physician with whom she worked at county hospital. Troy was fine, and smart, and nice, but he simply didn't light her fire.
Nope, if Karen Jenson were honest with herself, for the past almost-decade or so, she'd dreamed of sharing her heart, body and soul with one man and one man only. Blade, the taciturn, tough-acting, tough-as-nails brother with the tight, muscular body, the bad attitude, and the cutest ass she'd ever seen on a man since Will Smith. For ages Karen Jenson dreamed of Blade coming to her doorstep, and claiming her, but the fool never did. As far as Karen knew, Blade was out there, fighting Vampires and saving the world. Now here he was.
"Eric, you can't come waltzing back into my life like this," Karen Jenson said, and she stepped back, trying hard not to be overwhelmed by Blade's sheer masculinity. The tall, sinfully sexy African-American superhero paused, and sighed deeply. Blade pursed his lips, and for a moment, he looked lost. Fighting monsters was easy for Blade, but matters of the heart were something else altogether. Blade was happy as can be to be standing with Karen, but she was about to slip through his grasp. Again. Blade couldn't allow that to happen.