 
#

# Hunter A

By AJ Dixon

Copyright © 2013 by AJ Dixon

Image copyright © 2013 by AJ Dixon

SMASHWORDS EDITION

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. It must not be reproduced, or sold on third-party websites or outlets without the written and signed consent of the author. If you require extra copies of this and other works by the author, then please return to the book's page on Smashwords.com and download the necessary copies. Your respect for the author's work is greatly appreciated.

This book is a work of fiction and all characters, places and situations are a figment of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to actual characters or situations is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

All Rights Reserved

Language: English (U.K.)

## Author's Note

It is my hope that I didn't have this book unpublished for too long. I had to make more adjustments and it also needed to be edited (which it was in desperate need of, I might add). As usual, I hope you enjoy.
Dedication

To Krisanne for talking me down from my paranoid meltdowns when I though this book would never finish and to Andrene for having the lady balls to read this book before anyone else... let's drink to that ladies.

## Chapter One

"Are you sure about this?"

I sat around the large rusting metal table, picking various different weapons and tucking them into their rightful spots inside my long leather trench coat. The small cell-like room was only partially lit with several candles, but after several years of being in the dark my eyes had adjusted well.

I nodded, examining the blade of a particularly ancient dagger. "Positive. I'm the only one who can do this."

Leon Cargill, my hunting partner for five years and my best friend, heaved a heavy sigh. He walked over to the table and took the available seat across from me. "I know how you get around them. I just don't want you to get hurt."

I set down the dagger and looked at him squarely. His shaggy black hair hung over his green eyes so much that they were barely visible. His lips were set in a tight line, and I could tell he was fighting very hard not to shout at me. "Leon, when will you learn not to worry about me?"

His smile was small and crooked; he obviously didn't want to laugh at my words. "I guess it just comes with the territory."

I shrugged and picked up the dagger, wiping the blade with an old cloth. I'd known Leon since I was twelve; we'd been put in the same orphanage. I was never very sociable so that made me an outcast among the other children. Leon was the only one who had the guts to speak to me one day at lunch. We'd been friends ever since. Our relationship worked out fine over the next seven years, partially due to our similar situations. We never abandoned one another, not for anything.

But that was what I was doing right now; abandoning him to go hunt.

"Do you think the vampires know we're after them?"

I shrugged again and stood. "Who's to say? They certainly haven't been very knowledgeable of it thus far."

He stood up too and walked over to me. "I know. But they're smart. Very smart."

I smiled. So was I. "But they're soulless monsters, so their intelligence isn't of any significance to me."

Leon chuckled and handed me a leather strap. I put one leg on the chair and secured the strap around my upper thigh, over the skin tight black leather suit I had on. The dagger I'd been admiring earlier went into the outer band and I put a tiny vial of holy water into the inner band.

"Promise me you'll be safe," he said softly.

I cupped Leon's face in my hands and smiled. "I'll be fine, Lee. Stop worrying." I kissed his cheek and steeped back from him.

With a scoff he picked up the trench coat and handed it to me. I slipped my hands through it and smoothed it down; the hem caught my knees. "Are you certain you have everything?"

I nodded and nudged his shoulder with my fist. "Like I said, stop worrying." I stepped around him to go to the door, my boots clacking the wooden floors. My hand froze on the doorknob when he said, "You may be a half breed, Lena, but that doesn't make you a God."

The words pierced through my heart more painfully than I would've liked. But I mustered up a smile and gave him a soft chuckle. "Says the priest's son." I pulled open the door. I heard Leon chuckle just before I closed the door behind me.

If inside that little cot was my sanctuary, then the outer lands were my Hell. The cold barren lands that never changed, neither with the day nor night, the extent of decaying human bones all around. The out lands of Lapis were a terrible sight. The air was the least pure here, and if not for my unsavoury 'extra' characteristics, I'd already have been on the ground. Dead. That was why I had to leave Leon behind; he wasn't strong enough to handle the impurities in Lapis. He's surely die, and I couldn't afford that.

My boots crunched the dirt, no doubt some bones as well, as I continued away from the cot. I walked and walked. When next I turned around, I couldn't see a thing. Just the wide expanse of nothingness.

Heaving a heavy sigh I turned around and continued my journey.

I had no idea how long I'd been walking. I only knew that morning came, and then night did once more. My best guess would've been four days, but there was no real way to tell.

The sky was pitch black, no stars visible, when I was thinking of giving up on the hunt. There were no vampires around here anymore and I was prepared to go back to my best friend and keep him safe.

That was when I saw, crumpled in the dirt not three feet from me, a dark figure. My hand immediately went to the dagger on my leg as I walked over to the body. I had an uneasy feeling, but I pushed it aside. I often felt uncomfortable when I was out hunting, but I knew it had to be done.

I could see that, as I drew closer, the figure, lying on its side, was naked. The smell of fresh blood rose in the air and assaulted my nostrils. And my throat. The slow burn started and it wouldn't die down. Still, I tried to push it to the back of my mind as I stooped down and rolled the body unto its back.

Damn. It was a woman. Her light hair contrasted perfectly with the darkness. Even though my eyesight was mug more heightened than the average human's, couldn't make out much else. But, I did see a strange symbol on her upper arm. Kind of like a crest. My eyes picked it up because it was exuding some kind of heat.

There was a hash snarl and my head snapped up. My eyes scanned the whole wasteland, looking for a sign of any other living thing.

"Well, well, well. What have we here?"

The familiar voice made acid churn in my gut as I stood. The man approached me like the graceful predator he _thought_ he was. His bright red eyes shimmered in the night and he exposed long white fangs when he smiled at me.

"What did you do, Darius?"

He continued to approach me and knelt next to the body on the ground. "She was so tasty, Aleena. I really wish you could've joined me."

I whipped out the dagger and held it at his neck, just under his chin. He was standing just a few inches from me and I knew that if I made one wrong move he could've killed me. "You're a direct descendant, Darius. Killing familiars is forbidden."

He looked down at the etching on her arm and smirked, pushing back a loose blonde strand from his face. "So? I was hungry. You would've done the same thing too."

My gasp was loud and held all the pain and suffering I'd had to endure for so many years. I didn't want Darius to get to me, but he was right. If it _was_ me I would've done the same thing. That was the worst part about being me; no matter how much humanity I had the beast would always rear its ugly head.

"Stop pretending as if it's a crime. Come home, Lena."

I shook my head and stepped back from him. "Never."

Darius sighed and shrugged. "I had a feeling it would've come to this." His red eyes changed to smouldering amber as his entire figure trembled. I took several more steps backwards, distancing myself from his transformation. He was at his most vulnerable now, but all I could do was watch. I couldn't hurt him. I sheathed the dagger.

The clothes he had on melted away, as did his skin. The bones in his fingers and toes lengthened, providing him extra leverage. His hair fell out and his face stretched to resemble that of a ghost mask. Funny thing about half-breeds: they tended to resemble demons when they changed rather than vampires.

:: Come back with me Lesa, last chance ::

I shook my head violently, hoping to shake out his voice. I'd forgotten about the telepathy. "Go to hell, Darius."

:: Your first ::

He lunged.

I hadn't seen him fast enough and when I moved his fingers, unfortunately, slashed my arm through the leather. The blood ran for a few seconds before I felt the wound tighten and heal itself. "You can't kill me, Dar."

He whipped around.

:: But I can severely maim you, can't I? ::

I stepped back, my hands moving to the guns holstered at my hips.

Darius came at me again. This time I saw him coming and jumped as high as I dared, pulling out the pistols as I flipped and squeezing the triggers. As the shots rang out Darius screeched. I had perfect aim.

I landed as gracefully as any cat, and pulled out the dagger again.

"Leave, Darius. Don't make me have to kill you."

Darius groaned and slowly his form trembled again. His body parts shrunk back to normal and he stood to face me. I could only make out the spots on his body that were covered in blood; his torso, his face and arms.

"You know what I've realized, Lena?" Darius cracked his bones one by one and relaxed his muscles. As he did, the bullets fell out of his skin, hitting the ground with echoing clinks. "You can't teach an old dog a new trick." I heard when he snarled again, and only had enough time to register that before I found myself pinned to the ground, Darius's crushing weight on top of me, my arms held down above my head.

When he'd attacked me he knocked the dagger from my hand, and I was utterly defenceless at the moment.

"Why don't you give up?" he teased. "You know what you are, and yet you fight it."

The sweet scent of his blood made my throat tight, and the burning more pronounced. I struggled to form words against my lengthening fangs. "It's because of what I am why I continue to fight."

Darius laughed and leaned closer to me, his lips inches from my ear. "The difference between us, my dear sweet Aleena," his hands squeezed my wrists so tightly I whimpered in pain, "is that I embrace being a monster, while you hide from it."

His fangs grazed my jaw and I grimaced, struggling to get him to release his hold on me. Darius just laughed.

"I also know something else," he said thoughtfully.

"What?" I wanted to slap him so hard his damn head fell off his neck, but I couldn't do much in my current position.

His lips were at my ear again, this time his voice was soft and deeper than I would've liked to hear. "You have the sweetest blood of all the vampire hunters." Then his fangs sank into my neck.

The pain that lanced through me was unlike anything I"s ever felt. I wanted to scream, but everywhere burned and hurt and I couldn't do a thing. My voice wouldn't work, as much as I wanted and hoped it would. I immediately knew what was happening. Darius had injected praesnom into my bloodstream, the rarest venom among the vampires. Only the Royals possessed it, as the inheritance of it was hereditary. Darius was a Royal. The sides of my vision started to retract and I remembered the darkness closing in on me. Still Darius drank and drank, until I thought that I had no more blood for him to take.

That was when I felt his weight ease of me and heard a terrible screech. I didn't even have the strength to open my eyes to see what was happening. I was being picked up then, by strong, warm arms. I felt so tired. Exhausted to the point of disbelief.

There was no point in lying around to see if I was being carried to my death or I was being rescued.

I just sighed and let the darkness take me.

## Chapter Two

The screams were the most vivid of any I'd ever heard, as if I was right there with them; my parents. I could see my mother's blue eyes, almost fully eclipsed with fully dilated pupils, showing her fear. A pool of thick, dark blood surrounded her small frame.

Numb with pain, I stumbled downstairs to find my father's body sprawled out in the living room, the stake still clenched in his palm. I fell to my knees beside him, lifting his head unto my lap. The puncture wounds in his neck that still seeped the dark blood were etched into my mind forever.

So caught up in the horrific scene in my own home I didn't even register the harsh screams outside.

Not that I would've cared either way.

My mother, with dark brown hair and gold-flecked blue eyes on a heart-shaped face, and my father, strong cheekbones and defined features topped off by short-cropped black hair and brown eyes, and the only memories I had of them were their unified, dying screams...

My eyes flew open and I lurched into sitting position. The walls surrounding me were pitch black, the only source of light being the lamp in one corner of the room. I winced as a flash of pain lanced through my head, hurting as if I'd taken a hit from a baseball bat. My arm throbbed in pain and I brought my hand up to touch it when I realized that I wasn't wearing the leather suit I'd had on earlier.

Though the room was pretty dark, my eyes worked best in dim or dark places. I looked down and saw a stark white dress covering my body. What the hell was I wearing? I wouldn't be caught dead wearing a dress, let alone a white one.

Anger flared up in my veins. What the hell had happened to me? I jumped up off the floor and looked around. The only things in the room were a bed, a window and a small oak door. The first thing that came to my mind was: _I have to get out of here_.

I looked around again, just to make sure there really was nothing else in the room, and headed for the window. The basic sash window was tall enough that I could easily sit on the sill, and wide enough where it wouldn't be a challenge to jump out.

With my foot on the sill I got ready to jump when I heard the clicking of the door opening and closing and a light chuckle.

"If you jump you'll die." The deep, velvet voice rolled over my skin, making me shiver slightly.

I spun around to face a tall man standing in front of the door. Even with my Abnormal eyesight I could only make out his silhouette. I heard a cap and bright lights flicked on in the room, illuminating every dark crease and crevice.

He looked to be several inches taller than me, with shoulder length brown hair and dazzling blue eyes that held a hint of mischief in them. He was muscular, but not overly so. Sinewy, I would've said; if I hadn't been so upset at that moment.

"Thanks for the warning, but i think I'll be fine." My voice was laced with sarcasm, and I seethed silently as I watched the smile on his face broaden. Damn, he had a nice smile.

His eyes drifted to my arm and then to my face again. Another small smile and then he was walking over to me with so much confidence it was as if we'd known each other for ages. I winced when he gripped my arm in his large hand and steered me toward a chair in one corner of the room, next to a small table.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I demanded.

He practically pushed me on the seat, smirking when I made a tiny sound as my bottom collided with the hard chair. "If you shut up for five seconds maybe you'll find out."

I scoffed and folded my arms over my chest. The sooner I found out what he was up the sooner I could've killed him and went on my way.

Something cold touched my upper arm and I jerked away from the feeling.

He grabbed my arm and pulled it back into view. "Hold still." I felt the cold again, but his steel grip on my arm made it impossible for me to move, even with my Abnormal strength.

He was done on less than a minute, and then he was wrapping something around my arm. I looked down; a white cloth to cover my wounds. He turned away from me and went over to the window. My hand subconsciously moved to the cloth and I furrowed my brows.

"Thank you." The words slipped form my mouth before I could've stopped them. I wasn't the ungrateful type; Leon had made sure of that. Dammit! Leon. I hoped he was okay. He had more sense than to worry about me if I disappeared for a long while; he was a big boy and he could handle himself without my help.

"No problem."

There was that deep voice again that sent the shivers all over my arms and legs.

Sigh.

This was not like me. I was what you'd call a bitch, class A if you wanted to get technical. I did not examine the opposite gender as if they were pieces of meat. If anything, I plotted different ways of how to do away with them. You know, bury them six feet under, burn them alive, and maybe even mutilation. I was a little bit of a sadist.

When he turned and walked back over to me a smile was curved at his lips.

"What?" I couldn't help asking.

He shrugged and handed me a glass of water. I took the glass, staring at the water intently before taking a sip. The cool liquid slid down my parched throat and I made a small sound of appreciation.

"Thank you."

"Don't worry about it. I'm actually happy to help."

When he turned towards the door I got a whiff of his scent and gasped softly. What was that? His scent, his blood, smelled...unusual. Unlike anything I had ever smelt before.

"You okay?"

I nodded my head briskly and sipped the water again. I heard him scoff before the door opened.

"Wait!" I put a hand on his arm and he stopped just short of walking out of the room. "Are you even going to tell me your name?"

Without looking back at me he said, "My name's Aiden," and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

I breathed a sigh of relief when he left. I put down the glass on the floor by one of the chair legs and put my face in my hands. 'Aiden' might've been gone, but his scent still lingered in the air, making my throat burn with the need to taste it.

*****

"Moocher, you alright?"

I heard the door open, but I couldn't bring myself to move. I'd been sitting on the window sill for the past three hours, just staring at the moon. It was almost dawn, which meant that I would have to move away from the window soon. I was hoping a little that the sun would do away with me once and for all. Not that it could kill me, but it did hurt a lot.

"I can't leave," I said softly.

I heard Aiden's footsteps move closer and closer to me and I still didn't move.

"Why do you say that?" he asked. I heard shuffling and the scrape of furniture.

I looked over my shoulder to see him sitting in the chair just a few feet from me. And I could smell his scent with the light breeze that wafted in through the open window. "What happened to my leather?"

He shrugged and folded his arms across his chest. "Rachael must've cut them off or something. They were way too constricting."

"That's just the way they were supposed to be!" I whirled around and faced him. "And who the hell's Rachael?"

"None of your concern," he snapped.

I gasped and slid off the window, stalking over to him with blood win my eyes. "I don't appreciate random people dressing me in uncomfortable...girl clothes!" I finished lamely.

Aiden snickered and stood. He was definitely taller than me. "So I take it you aren't a girl?"

I pursed my lips and lifted my chin, determined not to let him get to me. "You're an ass."

Aiden smirked and gave a dismissive wave. "I know." He stood and looked me up and down, his eyes pausing briefly at my chest. "Nice boobs." With that he turned and strolled from the room.

And only then did I register what he was saying. I looked down and saw that the front of the dress had opened and both my breasts were exposed for the whole universe to see. I felt the bloodlust coursing through my veins again, but this time it was purely homicidal.

## Chapter Three

I stalked out of the room after him, not even minding that the front of the dress was still open.

Though I didn't see him, his scent made the perfect path for me and led me right to him. In less than a minute I caught up to him shadowing his steps as he descended the stairs.

"Hey, ass!" I screeched. "Didn't your mother ever tell you it's not nice to stare at a half-naked woman?"

Aiden chuckled and continued walking.

I pursed my lips and took several deep breaths. He travelled down a long, narrow hallway, the walls lined with portraits of Aiden and a pretty brunette with striking blue eyes like his.

"Hey! I'm talking to you."

Aiden gave a dismissive wave of the hand over his shoulder and continued down the hall.

I ran up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. Aiden stopped walking and placed his own hand over mine, as if to take it off. I squeezed his shoulder experimentally, not using my full strength but smiling when he winced in pain.

"Now, I see two solutions to our little dilemma here," My fangs had dropped down and speaking with them slurred my speech.

Aiden turned around, a shocked look in his eyes. I grinned, showing off my fangs, and Aiden's eyes popped open as wide as saucers.

"Either you give me back everything you took from, including my weapons, so that I may be on my way, or I snap your shoulder right here. If you ask me option one sound much whole lot better."

Aiden fingers closed around my hand and squeezed. I heard a crack and felt the jolt of pain run along my thumb and into my arm. I yanked my hand off his shoulder with a gasp.

"Really? I see three solutions to our dilemma in fact."

I looked up into his smirking face to find that his eyes had taken on a fluorescent glow to them. One long, white fang protruded from his mouth, resting on his lower lip in a deathly sexy fashion.

I hissed at him and flexed my thumb, knowing right then and there that it was broken and if I didn't fix it soon it would stay that way for a while.

"Option one: you leave your weapons here and go back into the outlands of Lapis where any old daemon could find and kill you, or you could stay here and get to know me a bit better." I growled in mockery at his rendition of a flirtatious smile. "Or you could help me with something and be guaranteed protection."

Holding my thumb in my other hand I snapped it and set it straight. Then I tore the hem of the dress and wrapped the fabric around my finger so it would set properly.

"What makes you think I need protection?"

Aiden's expression sobered up. It was the first time I'd seen him look serious about anything. "I didn't fail to notice those marks on your neck. Or the seal at your lower back."

Shit! The Royals' seal.

"Now if I'm not mistaken, which usually I'm not, you're hiding from them."

I narrowed my eyes and poked his chest with my index finger. "Listen here. I'm not hiding from anyone, and I don't need your help. If anything, I'll gladly leave without my weapons. So long as you're aware that I will come back for them."

Aiden's fingers circled my wrist and held it tightly. "What did the Royals do to you? Why are you after them?"

I yanked my hand away. "That's none of your concern." I turned to retrace my steps down the hallway. I heard his footsteps behind me and I finally paused at the base of the stairs. "What?"

"I need your help." He sounded defeated, as if there was no other voice but to ask me and that he wasn't happy to do it.

I sighed and turned, folding my arms and raising my eyebrows in that 'go ahead' motion.

Aiden stepped around me and took a seat on the last stair, putting his face in his palms. "I need someone to help me find the Royals."

"Why?"

"They took something from me, and I want it back." His voice was laced with contempt, and I wondered how much he'd been hurt to sound like that.

"What makes you think I can help?" My fangs had retracted and I was speaking much more clearly now.

Aiden's fangs had retracted as well, but his eyes still glowed. "I don't. But I'm hoping you can. There's no one else for me to turn to."

I just stared at him and wondered what he was getting at. He wanted the Royals, but I couldn't help him there. I was on a wild goose chase to find them myself.

"I caught a piece of your battle with the Prince," he said suddenly. That got my attention. "You're pretty handy with a gun. But what puzzled me was the fact that he knew you by name, and you knew him. That's why I saved you, because you knew him and that possibly meant that you knew the rest of the family as well."

I shook my head dismissively and began to pace before him. The space between the stairs and the hallway wasn't very wide but it was enough to hold about ten persons quite comfortably if they didn't mind standing.

:: Help me, I beg of you ::

I shook my head. "No, I'm not risking it." I wasn't risking it for anyone else anyway. If I went after the Royals and died, then I'd have felt a he'll of a lot better than if I'd went after them for Aiden's sake.

:: I wish I could help but I can't risk my death for someone I just met ::

Aiden lurched off the stair and grabbed my throat, shoving me backwards until I was pressed against the inside wall of the hallway. "I'm not above threatening women," he said slowly. "Help me."

"I'd never help someone who threatened me," I slurred. My fangs had let down again, but it was for the main fact that Aiden's scent was so overpowering. "Let me go, Aiden."

He leaned forward, until his lips were hovering over the pulse at my neck. The same pulse that was beating out of control because of his close proximity. "Or what?" he challenged.

I wrapped my hand around his wrist and yanked his hand off my neck, twisting his arm until I heard a crack. Aiden winced in pain. "Or I break your other hand too. I doubt you'd like that option."

"You're good, I'll give you that," he groaned.

I stepped back, further down the hallway. Aiden kept approaching me. He snapped his arm and proceeded to take of his shirt and wrap his arm in it. I froze, unable to stop staring at his chest. He bore more crests than I'd ever seen on anyone; Abnormal or otherwise. There was also a long puckered wound in the centre of his chest.

"What happened to you?"

Aiden smiled softly and froze where he was too, just a few feet from me. "If I tell you will you help me?"

"I can't guarantee that," I told him seriously.

He nodded thoughtfully and shrugged. "Remember when I said the Royals took something from me?"

I nodded.

Aiden pointed to the scar on his chest. "They took my heart, and I want it back."

The hysteria bubbled inside me and overflowed from my lips. I was practically screeching with laughter. "Okay, so let me get this straight," I managed to get out in between laughs, "you're walking around without a heart at the moment?"

Aiden nodded and leaned up against the wall. "Give or take a little magick healer's survival potion."

I watched his face, and his eyes, and saw that he wasn't smiling. Not one bit. My laughter died just as abruptly as it had started. "Oh God, you're serious." It wasn't a question but Aiden still said, "Yep, as the plague."

I shook my head in disbelief and started nodding. "Fine, I'll help. But don't think I'll hesitate to kill you if you get in my way."

Aiden held up his hands in surrender and smirked. "I wouldn't dream of it sweet cheeks."

"Good. Where are my weapons?"

He moved away from the wall and walked past me in the direction he was going before. "Follow me your Highness."

I scoffed. It wasn't exactly a long walk down the hallway, but it seemed incredibly lengthy because we were walking so slowly. I noticed that Aiden had a limp in his left leg, but it wasn't that obvious. Not to the Ordinary eye anyway.

The hallway opened up into a large, spacious room with grey exposed brick walls. There was a wide skylight in the ceiling. Metal tables and grates were everywhere. It looked like an artillery room.

"Wow," I said in wonder. Leon and I had weapons back at the basement, but those were nothing compared to these.

There were at least a hundred different daggers, no doubt they were all spelled for different creatures, and so many guns and ancient crests I couldn't count them all. On one specific table in the corner I saw all my weapons lined out. A chair was beside the table, and on the back of it I saw black leather. It looked like my suit.

Aiden walked over to one of the grates and inserted a key in the lock which he'd produced from his pocket. The grate slid open to reveal a wall packed with swords.

"Damn," I said.

Aiden reached for one in particular and pulled it off the wall, turning around and handing it to me. "Here," he said. "Open it."

I narrowed my eyes and hesitantly took the sword from him. I gripped the hilt and slowly unsheathed it. I looked up at Aiden's face and he was shaking his head.

"No, do it faster. As if your life depended on it."

I raised an eyebrow and gripped the case with my other hand. I drew back my elbow and unsheathed the sword, gasping aloud as a kaleidoscope of colours erupted from the blade.

"That's my most prized possession. The Royal Death Blade. That's what I'll be using to kill the King."

I replaced the sword and handed it back to him. There was really no use in telling him that _I_ was going to be the one to kill the King; he'd find out in good time. I wouldn't hesitate to kill him if he got in my way though. There wasn't any need to remind him of that either.

I walked over to the table in the corner and examined my weapons. They were all intact. One thing was missing though. "Where's my dagger?"

"Rachael took it to Harestid to remove the charm," he said absently.

"What? That charm was the only thing preventing the vampires from attacking me," I stated. "And who the hell is Rachael."

"That would be me."

I turned around when I heard the light voice to find a delicate-looking young girl with long brown hair that extended well past her shoulder blades and dazzling blue eyes smiling at me. She was wearing a tight red mini-skirt and a matching red blouse. Her breasts were pretty much spilling over the thing, but she didn't seem the least bit conscious about it. "I'm Rachael, daughter of the Royal King. Nice to meet you."

## Chapter Four

My eyebrows shot up and my eyes widened to almost inconceivable capacities. "Could you say that one more time please?"

The brunette grinned and took a step in my direction "I'm Rachael, the King's daughter."

I smiled humourlessly. "Yeah, I thought that was what you said." I yanked one of the pistols off the table and pointed it right at her.

"What are you doing?" Aiden asked in disbelief.

"I have my own reasons for hunting them down; butt out."

Rachael crossed her arms over her chest and tapped one velvet clad toe. "Well, this is just great."

"Shut up," Aiden and I said at the same time.

Aiden stepped towards Rachael and manoeuvred his body between hers and the gun. If I pulled the trigger I would've killed him almost instantly. "Put down the gun," he said slowly.

My thumb moved to the top of the gun and I cocked it, my expression closed off and the hatred in my eyes went as deep and burned as bright as in the deepest pits of Hell. "Why should I? She's one of them."

Aiden was shaking his head and moving toward me. Slowly. "She isn't. She may be his daughter but that doesn't make her royalty." He kept walking forward until the nose of the pistol was pressed against his chest. "So if you're going to kill her, you'll have to kill me first."

I sighed. As much as I would've loved to shoot him, I needed him. If even for a few more hours. Just until I got enough information and I could go off on my own. I uncocked the pistol and lowered it to my hip.

Aiden breathed a sigh of relief and reached for the gun. I raised an eyebrow and pressed the gun to his temple. "I told you, get in my way and I won't hesitate to kill you. Move."

Aiden held up his hands in surrender and backed away. I lowered the gun once more and moved my attention to 'Rachael'. "What did he mean by that?"

The brunette shrugged. "Maybe he's making a reference to the fact that I'm a bastard child."

"Bastard?"

She nodded and fussed over a double serrated blade sword. "Yeah, the King is my father but...his wife's sister is my mother."

"So the Queen's your aunt?"

She shrugged again. "My father was what you'd call freaky, in more ways than one. He found out my mother was pregnant and banished her and my brother from Dailon, and murdered my older sister. Ever since I was old enough to understand things I've wanted revenge on my father."

Aiden went over to her and started examining something. I replaced the pistol on the table among my other weapons and braced my palms on the table for support.

I felt weak, drained. Sometimes my body couldn't handle too much strain without a constant supply of blood. Back at the basement Leon offered his blood as often as he thought I needed it. Most times I refused - I knew what would happen once I stared feeding and I might've taken too much - and other times the hunger was just too much. One thing I realized though: I couldn't survive on human blood for extended periods of time.

I coughed as my lungs constricted and my heart beat out a ragged melody. I'd definitely gone too long without feeding. I covered my mouth with my palm until my fit was over. When I pulled my hand away my palm was covered with blood.

"Are you okay?"

I spun around and saw Aiden standing right behind me, his eyes laced with concern.

:: I'm fine. ::

I stepped past him and went towards Rachael, wiping my hand in the dress. "What's your plan? Surely you've already got some information on the Royals?"

Rachael nodded. Making room on the table before her she spread out a wide piece of paper. A map. "This is where they house their familiars." She pointed to a spot directly over the Oreglian wastelands. "This is where their castle is. It hasn't moved in three centuries." She pointed to the centre of Dailon, a city resting between Lapis and Oreglia which was something like a powerhouse for the vampires. No vampire made a move without the Royals go ahead. None.

Vampires had daemons as pets, which was just a fancy way of saying they had familiars; humans whose lust and desire for becoming vampires tainted their very souls and turned them into hideous creatures.

"So what's your plan?" I asked.

"Stick together and take out as many as we can. Hoping that they don't kill us before we get to the main chamber," Aiden said.

"What's at the main chamber?"

"The King and Queen," Rachael said. "The main causes of this Hell."

Aiden's hand rested on my shoulder and I looked over at him standing beside me. "We move out tonight. As soon as the sun sets. You in?"

I looked at Rachael and saw the desperation in her eyes. Whatever my reasons for searching for them, I couldn't fight my naturally good nature or the urge I always had to help others. In this case, I wanted to help Rachael. No one deserved to be shunned by their own flesh and blood.

"I'm in."

*****

I left Aleena downstairs and followed Rachael upstairs to her room. The grey walls and dark aura seemed to put her at ease. As always. The bed was packed with papers. So was the table, but at least there was enough space to write something.

She went to sit in the chair by the table and turned on the lamp, pulling out the half-breed's dagger.

"Did you manage to de-charm it?"

Rachael shook her head and groaned in frustration. "Whoever spelled it didn't want anyone messing with it."

I leaned against the closed door, sighing. I wondered if it was a smart thing to leave that girl downstairs with all those weapons. If push came to shove and she went completely ape-shit crazy

Rachael and I had nothing to defend ourselves with. Except our fangs.

"Why did you bring her here?" Rachael's contemptuous tone caught me off guard.

I shrugged. "She seemed useful."

Rachael violently pushed back her chair and stalked over to me, her fangs protruding from her half-closed mouth. "Did you even think to ask me first?"

"Do you have a problem with her?"

"Yes! I do, actually. She's gonna get us both killed."

I nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, she might."

"But?"

I smiled at my little sister and tapped the side of her head with my finger. "Think about it. If she knows the Prince that means they will come looking for her again. This means that we don't even have to go looking for them too hard."

"If mom saw us now she'd cry," Rachael said softly.

I sighed. My mother hated the fact that Rachael and I took the paths of hunters. In her opinion it was the worst thing to be, her being a pure-blood and all.

I hugged my baby sister and whispered to her. "I know, Rachael. I know. But if we want his to be over and done with then we had to trust the hunter, if only for now."

Rachael nodded and pushed away from my hold. "Fine. But I still don't like her. I have a very bad feeling about her."

"Don't worry," I told her. "If everything goes as planned we'll be rid of her as soon the Royals die."

Rachael smiled at that. "I love the sound of that."

I gave her a smile of my own and crossed my fingers.

## Chapter Five

I went back to the weapons room some twenty minutes later, partly because I felt uneasy leaving her around all those weapons; regardless of what I wanted to believe Aleena was still a hunter and I knew it would take nothing for her to kill me.

The sunlight filtering through the skylight illuminated the centre of the training area, creating a spotlight for the hunter. Aleena was practicing with the same sword I'd shown to her earlier. The leather suit she wore clung to her lithe form, moving with her and silhouetting the form of a graceful snake.

I closed the door behind me and leaned against the wall, watching her moves. Aleena was basically fighting with the air, which was the same as saying she neglected practicing with one of the dummies in the corner of the room.

Aleena's wavy waist-length raven black hair ran in ripples over her slender shoulders, the dark red highlights in perfect contrast with her pale skin.

As she swung the sword the colours erupting signified her emotions; blue for contentment, red for anger. On one specific swing I saw the flash of another colour; black perhaps? But it was gone before I could really take notice so I just chalked it up to my near-insanity.

:: How long do you intend on staring at me like that? ::

An eyebrow shot up as Aleena turned to face me and threw a sword in my direction; one of my personal favourites. I lifted my hand at the exact same time the weapon would've caught my head and grabbed unto it firmly, wrapping my fingers around the hilt of the sword in the next second and pulling it free.

I lunged at her, my fangs already let down and dripping venom. I wasn't exactly out to kill her, but whenever I felt the hunger rise I couldn't exactly stop it either. Aleena did have a rather appealing scent...

A smile spread across Aleena's face as she ran at me, both her palms wrapped tightly around the hilt of the sword and her silver eyes changing to a deep, threatening red and her fangs glistening in the sunlight.

*****

The blades made melodious tunes, clanging in harmony as they protested to their harsh treatment. Aiden's blade swung at my arm, and missed by a mere inch. Thankfully I had fast reflexes. My feet planted firmly on the floor, I bent my knees and lunged toward him, the sword in my hands held high over my head.

Using most of the strength I possessed I brought it down over Aiden's head.

A sly smile curved at his mouth and his own sword came up to block my blade. Before I realized what was happening I felt something cool press against my neck. I looked down to see Aiden's other hand holding a dagger with a crystalized hilt at my throat.

I sighed in defeat and stepped back from him, careful not to let the obviously sharp blade cut me.

:: You're good ::

Aiden grinned at the comment and stood up, sheathing the dagger in the waist of his jeans. "You're not too bad yourself," he commended. "Now I have to wonder if you were taking it easy on that vampire a few nights ago."

I stalled for a moment before giving a non-committal shrug and turning my back to him. I walked over to the grates filled with swords and replaced the Death Blade.

:: You're not very good at hiding things, Aleena. What are you so afraid of? ::

I whirled around. "How do you know my name?"

Aiden shrugged. "I picked it up somewhere." He obviously saw my disbelieving expression because he laughed and walked closer to me. "Don't worry; that's the only thing I know about you."

"Good," I said. Aiden was much too close to do either of us any good. I stepped away. "Let's try our best to keep it that way."

Aiden nodded. "No objections here at the moment," he stated indifferently.

An image of Darius pooped into my mind, with that short brown hair and those red eyes of his, and my neck throbbed.

Sigh.

As much as I hated to admit it, I missed the feeding days. Well, at least the ones where he didn't punish me for something I didn't ever do. Vampire venom could be a powerful aphrodisiac, especially if the bite came from your Sire. Still, I hated, absolutely loathed, the fact that Darius was my Sire. As much as I disliked Aiden, I would've felt much better if he had sired me instead.

I slapped my palm to my forehead and groaned. What was wrong with me?

I felt the weight of Aiden's hand and felt the coolness of it on my shoulder.

"You okay?" I heard the genuine concern in his voice but I wasn't about to take it as anything more than him being curious about a fellow hunter's condition.

"Yeah, I'm okay," I said with a small smile as I manoeuvred my shoulder form underneath his hand and moved away from him.

"Where's Rachael? " I just now remembered that I hadn't seen her in almost an hour.

"She went back Harestid. There's a Mage there who claims to have known your family."

My eyebrows shot up and Aiden chuckled. "Okay, so maybe I know more than one thing about you."

It felt wrong to question his personal life, especially since I didn't necessarily like all that much but I was still very curious...

"So, how long have you two –"

My stomach churned and the bile rose in my throat. My knees shook as a band constricted around my heart and squeezed it so tight I thought it was trying to form it into something else. My knees gave out and I collapsed onto the floor, the bile making its way up my throat and out of my mouth onto the floor. What I expected to see though was anything but the bright red blood on the floor before me. As more and more blood rose from my body I coughed. The blood was slowly blocking off my airways, making it hard for me to breathe.

Like that night in Lapis, when Darius had bitten me, my vision was getting blurry and the darkness was whispering to me in very lewd yet enticing tones.

I barely registered Aiden's worried voice, the only thing on my being a simple, yet unanswered question: _What is wrong with me?_

I fought with the dark as much as I could, but pretty soon all my fighting went in vain. It was pointless. It was as if my strength was being sucked out of me by some invisible straw in one continuous stream.

The last thing I saw was Aiden leaning over my slumped body on the floor and a warm liquid sliding down my throat before I fell unconscious.

*****

I saw Aleena rocking on her feet, but I was too slow to prevent her fall. Her skin was even paler, if that was possible, and held a sickly grey undertone. Her eyes had gone from silver to black as her life drained her with every cough. More and more she coughed up blood. I knew what I could do to help her, but I didn't really want to. Still, I couldn't let her die in my house. She'd haunt me for the rest of my life.

Making the decision fairly quickly and muttering a short, "I know I'll regret this," I bit my wrist and lifted her head into my lap. I pressed my bleeding wrist to her open mouth and silently hoped that it would work. It had to.

For a brief second her lips closed over the cut and her tongue flicked over my skin before all motions ceased. Her harsh breathing stopped and her eyes slid closed. I stared at the blood that made a neat line from the corner of her mouth down to her jaw for the better part of a minute. There was no way I could've rationally done what I did, but the bloodlust was very, very persuasive.

I leaned forward, lifting her head a bit more so that I didn't have to bend as much, and licked along the trail of blood, my breaths growing harsher and trembling more. Her blood was so damn sweet.

For as long as I remained alive I would never forgive myself for doing that. At the same time, I was also glad I did. Now I knew why that thing had said that she had the sweetest blood of all the vampire hunters.

I swallowed the lump that had grown in my throat and slid an arm around her shoulder blades and another under her knees, lifting Aleena as I stood up. Her head rested perfectly on my shoulder, her hair creating a curtain over her face.

For some reason my chest constricted as I looked down at her lifeless form I just hoped that she would be okay.

I didn't take Aleena upstairs; instead, I carried her down to the basement where Rachael and I had the passageways that were directly linked to the Dailonian square. I laid her on the floor and ran back upstairs, using the energy form the dagger in my pants waist to write Rachael a note on the wall.

I went back downstairs and picked her up and headed into the dark tunnel, the only thing on my mind being the fact that I had to get her to a Mage and fast.

## Chapter Six

**The tunnels were as dark and damp as I'd remembered. Rachael and I hadn't** used them for close to thirteen years since the vampire attacks in our area had died down.

After walking for close to an hour I stopped close to a grate that led to the surface and sat on the driest section of the cold concrete I could feel, resting Aleena in my lap so that her head was resting on my shoulder.

I couldn't even feel her breath on my skin and I wondered and began to worry if she was really dead.

I looked down at her face, her skin back to its usual pale shade, and figured that my blood would keep her alive for a while. At least until I got to Dailon.

Now was one of those times I wishes that Rachael was here; she would know exactly that to do in this situation. I would've stayed at the house and waited but it would've taken her close to a week to get back and Aleena would've been dead by then.

:: Be okay ::

I relaxed my back against the wall, my eyes drooping closed as the fatigue came crashing down on me. A young girl cowered in the corner of a dimly lit room, her whimpers the only indication that she was even alive.

A dark figure approached her, cloaked in deep blue robes with long dark brown hair clinging to broad shoulders. The little girl gasped and started to tremble in fear.

Even though I was seeing her, it was as if I _was_ her. As if I was the one in these memories, even though I'd never experienced something like this at all in my life.

The cloaked figure came closer, until the person's face was in full view. Darius, that vampire who had attacked Aleena. His red eyes sparkled with bloodlust and his open mouth exposed insanely long canines, dripping with venom.

His hand shot out and he grabbed the girl's arm. She winced in pain and it was as if I felt that too.

He pulled her to her feet and knelt before her.

"What's your name little one?" His voice was soft, velvety. Purely predatory.

The girl didn't answer. Darius grasped both of her upper arms and squeezed until she whimpered her pain.

"I'll ask once more, what's your name?"

The girl gritted her teeth and turned her face from his intense gaze. "Aleena."

Darius smirked and ran his long fingers through her hair. "Aleena," he said testing the word. "You'll make the perfect pet for me." The next second his mouth had latched onto the girl's slender neck and his fangs had pierced her sensitive skin.

As pain lanced through the young girl and she clawed at his shoulders my own eyes shot open and I sat up. I became aware of my surroundings and sighed in relief. Aleena's memories. They were harsh. And strong. It was quite unbelievable that by only tasting her blood I saw her past. What would it be like to actually drink from her?

Aleena's body felt kind of right in my arms. As if she was supposed to be there. I looked down at her face and the serene expression and my chest tightened again, just like back at the house. What was this feeling?

:: Come on, Aleena. If you can hear this answer me. Please. ::

I projected my thoughts as loudly as I could. I felt a slight headache start to come on and I stopped.

Using my telepathy like this took a toll on me. It always had, even when I was a child. Rachael hadn't been born like me. She had no abilities, which explained her often sour mood. She didn't see herself as special, and I figured that she resented me a bit for being able to do things she couldn't.

I lifted my head and looked up at the grate above us. The night sky was so brilliantly black, with its usual* streaks of grey and amber (*usual for our world).

Even if Aleena wasn't going to wake up, I intended to enjoy the night with her. I propped her head up on my shoulder more securely. I used a finger under her chin to lift her head so that her face was tilted toward the sky.

If she woke up now at least she'd wake to a very gorgeous sight.

*****

I was floating in a dark abyss. Just floating. With no semblance of the past, present or future. Where I was all the time; no exact dates existed. There was no pain either and no nausea. For the first time in almost eight years I felt normal. Or, as close as I could get to that without seeming too unlikely.

My body felt light, as a feather, and my mind was clear enough where the normal processes took such small amounts of time that it seemed surreal. Usually, my vampire brain didn't operate as well as it should have. Maybe it was because one half of me was still human.

Despite the dark one person's face kept popping into my mind: Aiden. Not Leon, my best friend for seven years. But Aiden. His overgrown brown hair and those captivating blue eyes. I wondered what it all meant to have him in my mind so often. Those eyes would be the death of me.

*****

Before I knew it I had drifted off to sleep again, the sunrise pulling me into oblivion. I knew that I had to get Aleena to Dailon, but I couldn't resist the pull of the sun; it was much too strong. So I'd given in, clutching Aleena to my chest and closing my eyes. It still failed to escape me at how perfect she felt in my arms.

"Hey, hey. Aiden, wake up."

The soft, melodious voice in my ear was so beautiful that it compelled me to do the exact opposite. I wanted to stay asleep, if it meant that I was going to hear that sweet voice forever.

I felt a sharp pain in my arm and my eyes flew open and met a pretty pair indigo speckled, almond-shaped silver eyes.

"'Bout time you woke up," the soft voice said in a teasing tone.

Aleena was still cradled in my lap, her head still resting on my shoulder. A smile curved at her lips. "Hey, sleepy head."

Without artifice or premeditation I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Whoa, cowboy," the laughter in her voice was very obvious. Her hands were on my shoulders, her head tilted back so she could see my face. "Where's all this coming from?"

I groaned in annoyance and glared at her. "Will you shut up?"

Aleena was stunned. Her eyes widened and her mouth opened as she gaped at me.

I chuckled softly at her expression and moved a hand to her head, using gentle pressure to pull her head down to my shoulder. "Dammit, I was worried."

"Worried? For what reason?" Her words were muffled in my shirt.

"You are such an idiot. Why didn't you tell us you were sick?"

I felt Aleena tense in my arms and she pushed away from me. She staggered a bit as she stood but refused my help. "I wasn't aware that I was obligated to tell you guys anything."

I sighed and stood up. My leg felt numb, probably from sleeping in that one position for over thirteen hours. "We should've asked you. But even if we didn't you should've told us."

The moon was directly over the grate, the light making Aleena's skin pallid against the black leather suit she was wearing.

"Aiden, I... I have no clue what happened. I need you to tell me."

I stepped closer, wanting to see if she was going to tell me not to touch her. Or to leave her alone. I just rested my hand on her shoulder and smiled gently. "Alright. I'll tell you everything."

*****

Aiden had insisted on carrying me. Even though I'd convinced him that I was perfectly fine enough to walk on my own. He'd brushed aside my protests and picked me up, flinging me over his shoulder so that my head was down by his back and my butt was in the air. His fingers dug into my legs every time I struggled so eventually I stopped and let him have his way.

He'd explained that after I fainted back at the house he'd had to give me some of his blood so that I would be okay.

"You freaking idiot!" I'd snapped at him. "That was the worst thing you could've done."

All Aiden did was pat my head and grin. "Well, at least I saved you. You could say thanks."

To this very moment I hadn't thanked him. In my mind I did, but the words just couldn't find the perfect way to expel themselves from my head.

"Are you planning on putting me down anytime soon?"

Aiden chuckled.

If he continued to carry me in the tunnels like this, walking directly underneath the grates, then when the sun finally came out I would have no way to protect myself and then he'd have new cause to worry.

"All in due time, little huntress."

I groaned and vowed that whenever we got to our destination I would kick his ass.

"Where exactly are we going?" I had been on my mind to ask for a while.

"Dailon. I was taking you there just before you woke up."

Dailon. Hell, I was doing the best I could to stay away from that place. Yes, I was after the Royals, but Dailon wasn't their only stronghold and to be honest I wasn't looking forward to going there. Back when I was just starting out with the hunting I'd made some enemies with the Mages there and I wasn't too inclined to see them again.

"Umm, I'm okay now. We can go back to the house and figure out our strategy to get into the castle." I really hoped that Aiden agreed with me.

The little bastard shook his head. "Nope, sorry. You may be okay now but there's obviously some underlying reason for your collapse." He stopped walked and took me off his shoulder, helping me to stand straight before he grinned at me. "Unless you would rather I knock you out and take you there."

_Please,_ I said mentally. "What would really be the difference?"

Aiden smirked and stepped past me, moving further down the tunnel. "This way, I get to hear you scream when the magick starts working." He laughed out loud and I gritted my teeth.

He was really working for that ass whooping.

I walked after him, keeping my distance just in case I changed my mind and decided to go back. My boots made contrasting sounds to the annoying pipes that dripped constantly down here, and the pattering of mice and other less than savoury creatures that had made the tunnels their home.

My head felt a little light and my eyesight was really foggy, so rather than navigating the tunnels with my sight I was really relying on my hearing and smell so that Aiden wouldn't really pick up that something was wrong. Maybe I'd had the wrong impression about him. It was actually sweet that he'd given me his blood when I'd fainted, but the fact still remained that he was a vampire and it couldn't happen again. Or he'd be in danger.

Unlike other vampires like Darius, who had willingly become guinea pigs for an experiment a few years back where a group of humans were experimenting with integration of the vampire and Mage genome, Aiden was pure. If I drank too much of his blood I would have an unhealthy dependency on it. One not very easily satisfied.

"Why did you save me?" I asked softly.

Aiden was silent for so long. I thought he wasn't going to answer me. Then he said, "I don't know why. Something just...told me to."

I sped up my steps until I was close enough to him and rested my hand on his shoulder. Aiden's steps faltered, but he didn't stop.

"What? What told you to? You don't know me; you could've let me die."

Aiden scoffed and continued walking away from me. "Please, drop it, Aleena."

My anger flared up and I felt my fangs let down as I grabbed his shoulder and spun him around. "I won't drop it!" I screeched. My voice vibrated against the walls of the old tunnels and the creaked in response. "Tell me!"

Aiden looked me square in the eyes for several seconds before he closed off his expression and removed my hand from his shoulder. "I needed to protect my investment." With that he turned and walked away, leaving me standing there with my mouth hanging open and my heart feeling as if it had broken in two.

## Chapter Seven

**The Dailonian square was noisy and rushing with life of all forms. It was quite** surprising to see so many Mages and vampires co-existing in peace.

The sky had taken on a deep purple hue, the silver wisps of clouds creating varying shapes that were artistically superb. It cast a rather ominous air over the city, making everything seem more...deliberate. More highly anticipated.

I was walking next to Aiden now, but we hadn't spoken to each other since that comment he made in the tunnels. Was that really how he saw me? As just an investment? I wouldn't allow myself to dwell on it for too long. My objective was to get to Royals' which was either here or in Harestid so that I could kill hem and be done with it. Then I'd be free of this vampire that had made my life a living hell in such a short timeframe.

We left off the asphalted road and turned unto a long, narrow dirt path. Aiden stepped in front of me to lead the way. He was obviously familiar with this place.

We continued in the one direction for the better part of a half-hour until, finally, a large house resembling a manor came into view. The deep grey tones of the house and the air surrounding it was very creepy. It seemed to be something from my worst nightmares. The house itself gave off a dark energy, something that seemed to sap my own energy. I stumbled.

"Hey, you okay?"

I nodded and shook off Aiden's helping hand. "I'm fine. Your investment can take care of her."

I didn't miss how Aiden frowned or how his expression closed off before he walked off toward the house again.

Of course, he got to the sort first and pulled on the medieval knocked perched high atop the pitch black front double doors. The knocks resonated through the house, making its own unsettling music.

I heard a loud click, followed by a boom and then several other clicks before the doors drifted open. A tall lanky man stood across the threshold on the entrance dressed in a dark green lapelled tunic with gold trimmings.

Aiden held out his hand to the man and spoke in the most refined voice I'd ever heard. "Hello Garrett. Is your master in?"

The man took his hand and shook it, the hard lines on his face dissolving, replaced by laugh lines and a joyous spark illuminated his eyes. "You know better than to be so formal with me, Master Aiden." The man's voice was surprisingly deep for his slender appearance. "Yes, he's on a meeting."

"Is he too busy to talk with an old friend?"

"I'm never too busy for you and your beautiful sister, Aiden," said the deep, calm voice that held a lightly teasing tone.

Coming up behind Garrett was an extremely tall man with a broad smile on his face. He had a broad figure, but he wasn't too bulky. He just had a lot of muscle, but in the right places.

His dusky skin was accented by unusual black markings that emerged from inside his dark green tunic, curling around his neck and going up along his jaw and cheeks until stopping underneath his eyes. If they weren't so unique they would've looked terrible on him.

"Cathair, it's been too long," Aiden laughed. He stepped forward, laughing even louder as the broad man enveloped him in a bear hug.

When he finally set Aiden down he smirked. "It's all thanks to you. You've been living in Lapis for too long."

Aiden shrugged.

The man's green eyes drifted from Aiden to me. An eyebrow arched and his smirk faltered. "Who do we have here?"

Aiden looked over at me as if he wanted me to say something. I kept silent. Aiden scoffed and gave a rough pat on the shoulder, almost knocking me off my feet. "This is a fellow hunter, Cathair."

Cathair approached me slowly, warily. He emitted a very friendly aura but I wasn't going to trust that. It wouldn't have been the first time a seemingly good person had attacked me. It tended to happen more times than could be deemed fair.

He held out his hand. I looked at it carefully. The markings emerged from the long sleeves of his tunic and curved in directions in his palm and on the back of his hand. "Hello. My name is Cathair."

The man had a certain magnetism to him that I couldn't exactly explain. The genuine friendliness in his eyes was the problem. I looked away and crossed my arms across my chest. "Why are we here Aiden?"

Cathair snorted and walked over to Aiden. His voice was low but I heard every single word. "This little hunter needs more manners." I pretended not to be too offended, even though I was certain my ears were puffing steam.

"Damn right," Aiden agreed seriously.

He and Cathair walked off into the house, discussing some recent daemon sightings.

The lanky man, Garrett, walked over to me, offering his hand. "Follow me, madam?"

I raised an eyebrow and hissed at him. The colour drained from his face as he saw my fangs and he turned his back on me. I walked close behind him as he entered the house. The doors closed with a loud _boom_ , causing me to jump a little despite my heightened senses.

Garrett led the way to an extremely open space, full with a huge skylight. The air inside the house was much different from outside; the light entering the space was bright and warm, unlike outside where there was hardly any sunlight at all. The whole area was full of life and the energy radiated from it made me feel a million times better than before. There were several wicker chairs all arranged in a circle around a gorgeous fountain overflowing with a strange sparkling liquid. It wasn't water; water wasn't purple. Water didn't have a colour.

Aiden and Cathair were already seated in two of the chairs. Cathair was grinning as Aiden relayed something that was obviously funny.

"Wait...here...please." Garrett's voice sounded flat, as if he'd gotten the scare of his life. I felt a little bad for scaring him, but it was just an impulse. It wasn't entirely my fault.

Cathair looked up when Garrett stopped just a few feet from the wooden table in front of Aiden and Cathair's chairs.

"What shall you have me do with her, master?"

Cathair looked around garret at me and shook his head regretfully. "Just take her to one of the rooms upstairs," he said to the man. "Aiden and I will discuss what goes on from there."

Garrett nodded curtly and turned on his heel, stepping past me to the long staircase. "Follow me."

I risked a glance at Aiden as I followed Garrett. He was watching me with a strange expression on his face. Cathair saw and then he looked at me, raising an eyebrow as he tried to figure out what was on Aiden's mind. That was the same thing I wanted to know.

When we got the landing at the top of the stairs he led the way down a long hallway. The walls were similar to those in Aiden's house, with portraits upon portraits of Cathair and Garrett and an unknown male. Finally we stopped before a large wooden door and Garrett pushed a key into the lock, turning it. The lock clicked and he pushed the door open.

"Here is your room," Garrett said in that same flat tone of voice. I would've imagined that his shock would've dissolved by now.

Before me was a room painted in the most beautiful shade of green, and a large bed with luxurious covers, the chandelier above it glowing with the essence of magick and illuminating the room. There was a singular window, to the left side of the bed, and to the right of the bed was a small rectangular door. In one corner was a large wicker cabinet. One whole wall in the room was taken up by floor length mirrors.

Garrett walked over to the mirrors and snapped a switch on the side, sliding one of the mirrors down. It was a closet. The racks were there, and so were shelves and extra linen.

"This is to be your room until my master wishes otherwise. Until then please," he walked back to me and stopped right by my side, "enjoy." He continued walking and I spun around to inquire before he left.

"How do you guys know Aiden?"

Garrett gave a light chuckle. "I'll leave that for him to say himself." He looked over my shoulder at the door next to the bed and pointed to it. "The bathroom is beyond that door. Any problems, please don't fail to alert myself or any of the other Mages around." He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him before I could ask anything else.

The bed was calling out to me. Even though I was less than happy to be there I couldn't deny the fact that I was happy to be near a nice bed. I inched closer to the mattress, plopping down on it as soon as I was near enough. My body sunk into the mattress and I could've sworn I felt the lushness of the covers even through my suit.

No, I wasn't too happy at all to be in Dailon. But at least I'd take advantage of the hospitality while I had it.

*****

I couldn't have stopped looking at her even if I tried. I was very grateful to Cathair when he instructed that Garrett take her to her room, but at the same time I didn't want her to leave my sight either. I really wasn't sure what was wrong with me, but I was certainly hopeful that it would pass very soon. This just wasn't healthy.

"You seem much taken with that girl," Cathair noted. I looked over at him as he sipped from his silver flask, no doubt one of the strong _liqten_ from the square.

"Bullshit," I snapped out immediately. It wasn't a good thing to have Cathair, or any Mage really, discover that you were smitten with a hunter. Especially my being a vampire. I snatched the glass filled with Cathair's personal mix and swallowed it all in one gulp. It burned my throat but it wasn't all that unpleasant.

Cathair chuckled. "I know that look. It's the same one you had with Emmilia."

I remained silent. There was nothing for me to input. Emmilia was Cathair's daughter. Was, because Emmilia died when she was six months pregnant a half a century earlier. With our child.

Cathair looked at me and sensed my distress. He patted my shoulder in that fatherly fashion I always hated. "I'm sorry for digging up the past. I know you were working through getting over everything."

I shook my head and waved my hand dismissively. "No, don't worry about it. It's fine." But it wasn't fine. My chest was so tight I almost couldn't breathe. I knew Cathair wasn't deliberately trying to hurt me, but he succeeded anyway. "And I don't have a "look" with Aleena."

Cathair cleared his throat and sat back. "Oh? So that's her name? It rolls off your tongue better than Emmilia's," he said thoughtfully.

"Watch it, Dramosavick," I said menacingly. "You may be my closest friend but I _will_ kill you if you make a reference to that harpy again."

Cathair held up his hands in surrender and chuckled. "My apologies, young Canamrahge. It will never come up again."

We sat in silence for a long time, my thoughts drifting back to Aleena every now and then. And her condition. Though I wasn't entirely sure what was wrong with her, I could tell it was serious. And blood wouldn't keep her for very long. She needed more help than I could give and to be honest the only person who could've helped her was Cathair.

"You still haven't told me the reason for your appearance as yet," Cathair said suddenly.

I leaned forward, resting my chin in my palms. "Aleena's...sick."

"How sick?"

I looked up at him. "Very. I don't know what's wrong but I don't want her to die."

Cathair stood up and walked over to the gargantuan bookcase to one side of the room. He pulled down a large brown leather book from one of the lower shelves and returned to the table. Setting the book on the table, Cathair flipped it open to one of the middle pages. There was a picture of a woman with the same flowing black hair and red highlights as Aleena. And the same silver eyes. The fangs of the woman in the picture extended well past her closed lower lip and the tips gleamed with dark red blood.

"What is this?"

"A picture of your girlfriend," Cathair said simply.

I shook my head in disbelief. "That's impossible." _:: And she's not my girlfriend. ::_

Cathair pulled out a pair of glasses from the pocket of his tunic and put it on so he could see the book better. Despite the fact that he wasn't getting any older (in the looks department anyway), he'd failed to stop aging _before_ his eyesight had gone bad. "No, it's not impossible Aiden. You see I knew there was something about that girl when I first saw her. Somehow, I recognized her from somewhere and also her aura wasn't light enough to too pure, but then again it wasn't dark enough to be too corrupt. So I queried about your relationship and I listened to your responses. I didn't pick up a lot, but I did find out enough to help me with the information I already have here."

My brain was so muddled I hardly heard a single of his words. "Wait, wait. Wha – what are you talking about?" I lifted my head and stared at him.

Cathair looked me. "How sick has she been?"

I fidgeted and made some unusual gestures with my hands. "She's coughed and vomited blood. And she passed out yesterday at the house."

Cathair nodded thoughtfully. "And you really can't see what's wrong with her?"

I shook my head. It was almost to the point of pain now the way the thoughts banged against my skull and teased me.

"Do you know who her parents were?"

Well, that was one thing that was definitely not hard to pull form my brain. Rachael had spent hours filling me in on Aleena's past. Most of it anyway. "Yeah, Marcus and Marianne Kenton. Marcus was the biggest hunter of this century until he and his wife were murdered by vampires. They're just humans, why are they relevant."

One side of Cathair's lips curved in a smile and he gave a soft huff. "That's my point, Aiden. They weren't mere humans."

My brain froze. My heart stopped beating. What the hell did he just say? "I'm sorry, could you repeat that...I don't think I heard what you said," I spoke carefully.

Cathair sighed. "Marcus and Marianne weren't mere humans, my dear boy."

"Then what were they?"

"Marianne was human...but Marcus was a Mage, like me."

One, my head pounded in pain.

"He was the leader of the elite Draconian Mages east of Lapis."

Two, my breathing became laboured and my vision blurred.

"Long story short, that little hunter is a half Mage."

"A Brasialica, " I whispered.

"Yes," Cathair said. "Now do you get what's wrong with her?"

I nodded as if strings were attached to my neck and a puppeteer was pulling on them. "She's dying, isn't she?"

## Chapter Eight

**"Yes, she's dying," Cathair said, his eyes looking every bit as remorseful as to be** expected from a peaceful man such as him.

I swore my heart had finally stopped beating. My stomach churned with the idea of Aleena dying. I knew that I wouldn't get past it so easily.

"Cal..." I looked up at him again. "What would happen if she drinks blood?"

Cathair shrugged. "It all depends on what kind."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying that it depends on whether it's human, vampire or Mage blood."

"How is Mage blood different from human blood?"

Cathair took a deep breath. "Mages have the magick mixed in, which simply means that Mages are purer than humans. If Mage blood mixes with vampire blood it creates a deadly mix, slowly killing whoever possesses the concoction."

A single thought came to my mind. "Is that how Emma...?" Emmilia was pregnant with our child, a child created from the merging of vampire and Mage blocs. It made me wonder if Emma was slowly dying all those months...

"I don't know," Cathair said softly. "Basically, if your girl doesn't ingest Mage blood or vampire blood she'll be fine."

I fiddled the stem of the glass that I'd drained earlier. "Aleena had some of my blood yesterday," I said softly. "It was after she fainted."  
Cathair sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. "Gods, are you so stupid?"

"I didn't know what else to do!" I growled. I felt my fangs let down as they usually did whenever I got angry. "She was almost dead."

Cathair stood and walked past me, walking towards the glass doors which led to the large lab he had. "Maybe if you'd let her you wouldn't be here right now."

I snarled as the doors shut behind him and fought the powerful urge to jump at him and rip out his throat. Cathair was the closest thing I had to a father, but sometimes he was too obvious, even for himself. He made the simplest things look huge and made large matters tiny, insignificant.

Needless to say that he was the head of the Dailonian Mages, an elite and noble family. Still, his family wasn't as impressive as Aleena's. The funny thing about it all was that she had no idea what sense really capable of.

A Brascialica. An ancient, mythical being created by the merging of vampire and Mage blood, whether through biting or mating. The problem was that vampire blood was poisonous to Mages, so the mix would create a very corrosive substance which basically burned the host form the inside out. Countless vampires and Mages had tried it and failed due to the fact that it couldn't be done effectively. But...it seemed that, somehow in some way, Aleena's parents had done exactly that. Whether or not they were knowledgeable of it.

The pain was focused in my chest and it was more powerful than anything I'd ever felt. Like needles pricking my heart, and a knife being rammed through it at the same time. Unable to control myself I screamed aloud, as loud as I was able to.

My eyes flew open and I shot up into a sitting position. My head felt extremely light and it throbbed in pain. My chest hurt, a lot. It felt as if barbed bands were wrapping around it over and over and over again. I felt my forehead; it was cold, too cold to be normal.

It was only when I felt a light nudge on my arm did I become aware of another person in the room. I looked down and standing at the side of the bed, wearing a very worried expression, was a very short and chubby little boy. He didn't look a day over six years old.

"Are you okay?" His near-white brows furrowed as he looked at me.

He sounded older than six though; maybe his innocent brown eyes and curly white hair gave him that appearance.

At his expression I couldn't help but laugh. I surprised myself by resting my hand on his head and gently ruffling his hair; something about him reminded me of Leon.

"Yes, I'm okay."

His eyes widened. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Something in me melted at his soft question. "Yes, but it's over now. I'll be fine."

He let out such a dramatic sigh that I couldn't help giggling a little.

"What's your name?"

I looked down at him and smiled. "What's yours?"

He crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at me. "That's no fair; I asked you first."

Another smile curved at my lips. "You're right. I'm sorry." I ruffled his hair once more before swinging my legs off the side of the bed. "I'm Aleena."

One of the biggest smiles I'd ever witnessed spread across his face. "I'm Franklin."

"Nice to meet you, Franklin."

Franklin set to say something but then the door clicked and opened. I looked up and my eyes locked with a pair of sparkling blue ones.

"Why are you bothering her, Frankie?"

The little boy swung around and then lunged at Aiden, hugging him as if they'd been friends for life.

"He's not actually bothering me," I said softly.

Aiden's eyes hadn't left mine once. He was still looking at me even now. Franklin was probably too young to understand that it was a very weird thing; at least I hoped he was.

"See, Aiden? Aleena said I'm not bothering her. Can't I stay a little longer?" He pulled furiously on Aiden's shirt collar.

Aiden smiled down at Franklin and nudged his head. "Sorry buddy; your mother wants you downstairs now."

"Aww, maaaan." Reluctantly, Franklin released Aiden and ran over to me, flinging his arms around my knees and hugging me. I was so shocked I couldn't move. Then he pulled away and ran out the open door. Aiden pulled the door closed after Franklin left and leaned against the wall next to it.

"Hey," he said.

I found myself preoccupied with a miniature sink in one of the green walls on the opposite side of the room. "Hi."

I knew Aiden was looking at me, but I couldn't bring myself to do the same to him. For some reason whenever I looked at him my brain got all muddled and my chest tightened until I thought I was dying.

There was another click, lighter than when the door opened, and I risked an upward glance at Aiden. He had a cigarette perched on his lips and was raising a silver lighter flame to it.

"You smoke?"

Aiden took a very long drag on the cigarette and pocketed his lighter, blowing the smoke into tasteful rings before replying. "Occasionally," he shrugged.

"Oh," was all I said.

A great silence stretched between us. Neither knew what to say to the other, I wagered, so we both just gave up on talking at all. I figured that my best bet right now would be to get as far away from Aiden as I possibly could.   
Since it didn't seem that we were going to have a meaningful conversation anytime soon, I stood up, my relaxed muscles feeling like mush, and walked over to the bathroom door.

"How are you feeling?"

I shrugged and rested my hand on the doorknob. "Better, I guess. But..." I wondered what Aiden would've thought about what had happened to me earlier. It was likely he would've brushed it off and laughed at me.

"But what?"

I shook my head and gave him a forced smile over my shoulder. "Nothing, forget it." I opened the door and went into the bathroom before he could comment further, making sure I turned the lock.

Regardless of what I wished, my head was filling with more and more thoughts of Aiden the more time I spent around him. That was a problem; pretty soon they might've overshadowed the memories I had of Leon and then...what would have happened?

Just as the bedroom, the bathroom walls were painted in a deep green, the only things standing out being the washbasins and the towel rack which were a pristine white. I zipped down the suit and stepped out of it, going into the spacious shower surrounded by light green tiles.

The water didn't really matter to me, whether it was hot or cold. As I washed off the blood from my skin my eyes couldn't help but be offended at the multitude of seals all over my body. I'd tried my hardest for seven years to push the painful memories from my mind. The horrible stench of stale blood, the screams of kids older and younger than me as they were 'punished', and also the burn of praesenom as it course through my veins every single night...

These seals didn't hurt anymore; they only gave the illusion of pain sometimes, only hurting because my brain thought they did. The memories of how I'd obtained each and every one would haunt me for the rest of my life though. They wouldn't leave, and I had an eternity to come to terms with that fact.

The only thing I knew was that I was a burden to Aiden, and his sister. The easiest thing for them would be if I wasn't around anymore. Right then and there, under the freezing cold spray of the shower, I made a promise to myself. I promised that I would do all I could to help Aiden and Rachael and then I would disappear for good.

And I would never fall for Aiden. 

## Chapter Nine

**I pulled one of the towels off the rack and wrapped around me, coming to the** conclusion that my suit had to be washed before I could wear it again.

Less than surprisingly, Aiden was still in the bedroom when I went back. He stood by the window, looking out, and his back to me. I couldn't help but stare at him as his broad shoulders moved beneath his tight t-shirt.

I mentally kicked myself and slammed the bathroom door shut. Aiden jumped, which confused me - he was a vampire, wasn't he supposed to be able to sense that I was already there? - and the look in his eyes made me even more confused. And confusion irritated me.

"Why are you still here?" Okay, maybe I could've sounded a little less angry but it was almost impossible when I didn't know what the hell was going on.

Aiden shrugged, stuffing his hands in his jeans pockets. "I figured we needed to talk about what happened back at the house."

I felt a twinge of pain in my stomach at the memory and padded over to the closet. "Why do you say that?" Most of the blouses looked as if they would fit, but the pants were a bit too baggy for me. The shoes were a perfect fit though. I settled on a light brown blouse and black jeans and boots that we're near to mine. I didn't like changing my appearance a lot.

"It's important."

I sighed and turned around to face Aiden. Funny, I hadn't heard him walk closer to me. He was standing several feet away but he was close enough where I could smell his intoxicating scent and hear the thudding of his heart. "Well, do you mind?" I gestured to the clothes on my arm. "I need to get dressed."

Aiden let out an exasperated sigh and stormed out of the room. I took my time putting on the tight-as-hell jeans and baggy-as-precipice blouse before I cleared my throat. "You can turn around now," I said.

"Well I have good news and bad," he started, walking over to the door and turning the lock.

I found a comfortable position leaning against one of the stained oak posters that bordered the bed. "Weren't we going to talk about what happened at the house?"

Aiden nodded. "Among other things. One of those things being how soon I can get a sample of blood."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me," he smirked. "I need a blood sample."

"What the hell for?"

He shrugged. "Cathair needs to test it to tell exactly what you have and how long it'll take for you to get better. I can't have my investment dying on me, now can I?"

His last words sent chills along my spine. "So is that really all I am? A freaking investment?"

Aiden furrowed his brows. "I thought that was understood. At least implied." He sighed and walked over to me. "Look, if the idea of being treated as anything less than the warrior you are is too much of a stain in your life then be my guest and back out now. Otherwise you accept every and all other propositions that come your way. Unless," Aiden's fingers brushed my cheek and I held back a startled gasp, "you have no intention of doing away with the Royals any longer?"

If I had been a mere human, I don't doubt that my cheeks would've flooded to a bright crimson. "Of course; it's the one thing on my mind." I smacked his hand away and scowled at Aiden. "You know better than to touch me like that."

All I received in reply was a smile from Aiden and a wink. Then he walked out of the room leaving an annoyed me behind once more.

*****

The hardest thing for me to do at the moment was find a strong enough Mage to break the dagger's spell. I tried not to think of the fact that the little...temptress was probable all over my brother by now. Aleena wasn't all that bad, but she had a hunter's mind and o she lived by her killer instincts...and something told me that if my brother slipped up even once that she would have his head. More or less on a fricking pole in the middle of Lapis.

"Rachael, shouldn't we stop now?" My travel companion, Dimitri, whined like a child who lost his favourite piece of candy.

I turned to face the twenty-something shifter with an annoyed look. His longish black hair curled around his ears in a manner that could only be put as 'neglected'. "Feeling tired, Dimitri?" The dragon shifter blushed a fiery red which only made me more inclined to annoy him. "I thought you Malpatians were supposed to be incorrigible?"

Dimitri's hazel eyes glowed amber and he stepped closer to me. I'd only now just realized the man's emanating heat, which made me unusually hot myself. "Don't get me wrong, Canamrahge. I _love_ being your guide; it's rather," he reached forward and ran one of his long, pale fingers down the front of my closed black coat, "interesting. But I don't intend to be some vampire's lapdog forever so don't even think of suggesting it. I hate being made a fool of."

"You _are a_ damn fool," I sneered. "I could snap you like a twig."

Dimitri nodded thoughtfully and stepped back. "True, but you wouldn't dare hurt me. Not now. Not when you and your brother's survival depends on how soon I get you to a Mage."

I had to give him that; as much as I wanted to strangle his very essence from him, I needed him. Even though it was painful for me to admit that a mere dragon shifter had wound me around his fingers so successfully, I had to. If I wanted to be Aiden's knight in shining armour I had to do my best; I had to tolerate Dimitri.

"Fine," I said. "But anymore complaints from you and I _will_ kill you."

"Such hostility," Dimitri chuckled as we walked off toward Dailon.

*****

"Cathair, Aiden tells me that you need a sample of my blood?" I stood there, comfortably leaning against the doorjamb which was at the entrance to the Dramosavicks' lab. The man's dark hair was in a ponytail at the back of his head.

Cathair didn't even look at me. "You're awfully arrogant for someone so young," he stated.

I scoffed and stepped into the partially dark room. "My apologies, Mr. Dramosavick. I just...haven't been in the best mood." I'd remembered the name of the man from my days as a young child, when my father worked with Cathair. I doubted the Mage remembered me now, though.

"I was very surprised to see you after so many years, young Aleena." Cathair removed his glasses and set them on the workstation. Then he turned to face me. "Your father was a very spectacular individual. He is the reason I've lived this long, really."

Needless to say I was unable to hold back the small sound of surprise that left my lips. Cathair chuckled and elaborated. "Of course I remember you. It took me a while to realize but I knew I remembered you from somewhere." He gave me a gentle smile, reminding me of my father. "It's good to see you again."

I nodded and smiled at him. From my experience with Mages, they were very gentle persons, based on their ruling sign. In Cathair's case, he was an Earth Mage so his personality was as warm as the Earth. Water Mages were also very friendly, and _some_ Fire Mages (though _most_ of them were very mild-tempered and angry at the world).

I sat on one of the numerous stools in the lab, the one closest to Cathair's workstation, and never even winced when I felt the sting of the needle and heard the faint flow of my blood in the glass vial.

"All done, thank you." Cathair patted my shoulder soothingly and went back to work.

"Umm, can I ask you something?" I fussed with the wrist strap on my suit.

"I believe you just did, darling," Cathair said absently.

I chuckled softly. "Yeah, but an actual question this time."

Cathair stopped and turned back to me. "Go ahead."

I hesitated for a moment, not really sure how to ask him and not knowing (or really caring, really) if I was too inquisitive for my own good. "Aiden told me about...what happened to him. Umm, is that even possible? I mean for a vampire to walk around without a... _heart?_ "

Cathair smiled sadly and showed me his right palm. His darkened palm bore one long slash from his wrist to the tip of his middle finger. "I received this mark when I stopped the darkness from possessing Aiden. You see, Aiden was like any other fun and spirited young man. He was really unlike any other vampire I'd come across in all the decades of my existence.

"But one can only remain so spirited for a period of time. Aiden was already a few hundred years old and Rachael's mother had taken him in several decades before Rachael's birth. Once Rachael was born though, the King ordered Ophelia – that was her mother's name – and Reian, Rachael's sister, to be put to death. Rachael would've died as well, except Aiden took her and fled Dailon before the King's men could find her. Rachael's never been the same since then, but more so neither has Aiden."

"Is that how he lost his heart?" I asked softly.

Cathair shook his head and sighed. "The story gets a lot more complicated after that, my dear. The fact of the matter is that once Rachael became a teenager and she stopped aging, Aiden began leaving her alone more and more. And – I'm not exactly sure if this happened correctly since Aiden refuses to elaborate – about fifty years ago a member of the Royal family spotted him and recognized him from those many centuries before."

The name slipped from my lips unconsciously. "Darius."

"Yes, unfortunately." Cathair scoffed. "The man had a real knack for damaging people's lives but I'd thought Aiden could protect himself better. Instead, Darius thought that killing Aiden would put him back into his father's good graces so he ripped out his heart, _thinking_ that he was dead. I found him a few hours after that and I was surprised he was still breathing. So this," he motioned to the scar in his palm, "is the reason he lives."

"You gave him your blood?"

"Yes. And I used it in a spell to prevent him from falling into the darkness. But I could only do so much. Darius, the sick monster that he is, had made sure that the enom in Aiden's bloodstream left its mark."

I winced when Cathair mentioned the enom. It was the type of venom injected into a human to turn them into a vampire, but I hadn't heard of it affecting someone who was already a vampire.

"Darius bit him, and bit him until he'd almost bled out before he'd ripped out his heart. I doubt Aiden will get it back in one piece but he thinks it's worth a try." Cathair's saddened green eyes looked up at me and I was enthralled. "Who am I to tell him that he may _never_ get it back?"

Intense sadness washed over me at the thought that despite Cathair and Aiden being obviously good friends, Cathair had to keep certain things to himself.

## Chapter Ten

" **Please tell me that she's not still there," Rachael whined on the other side of the** phone. It'd been three days since Aleena had given Cathair her blood sample, but since then he'd never left his lab once, saying that 'the research was necessary." He'd promised a training session with Aleena today, however.

I smirked. "Okay, I won't. How's your travelling buddy?"

After sealing my hearing to several distasteful comments about my 'attitude' on the situation, Rachael sighed and spoke with disdain. "You know, it seems he's trying everything to piss me off."

"Maybe he just has a thing for you?" I offered.

"Your sense of humour fails to reach me, big brother," Rachael informed me.

The silence was a bit uncomfortable for several moments until I decided to speak up and get down to more pressing concerns. "Did you get it de-charmed?" There was no need for me to elaborate on exactly what I was referring to.

"Yes, at last. We had to travel to Lapis though, and we found this young Mage who lived there. The place looked like a freaking bomb shelter. But he helped and we're heading there now."

I was just about to remind her of where Aleena and I were when I actually focused on what she had said. _"We had to travel to Lapis though, and we found this young Mage who lived there,"_ she'd said. I vaguely remembered hearing Rachael's concerned words and my muttered, 'Sorry sis, gotta go." The first thing that came to my mind was based on the fact that in all the centuries of my existence, I was unaware of the existence of a Mage in Lapis. Actually, due to the current state of the environment surrounding Lapis, no Mage could survive there. Mages needed clean, pure air to survive.

"Just what I need," I muttered once I realized that I needed to have a little chat with Aleena and Cathair once my sister arrived. "Oh happy day."

"Tell me again why all this is necessary."

Aleena's face held no sign that she was interested in the current lesson, but that didn't faze Cathair. He poked her shoulder until she winced and then he stared at her pointedly. "Because if you're unable to defend yourself against a Mage, you'll find yourself in great difficulty."

"But why?" Aleena whined. "It's not as if the Royals have any Mages defending them."

"On the contrary, my dear. Darius has made it his duty over the years to, in essence, "collect" Mages for use in his family's army. Majority of the magick wielders on staff are Fire Mages."

"So what does that mean for us?" I asked.

"It means that if Aleena doesn't stop acting like a spoiled little girl and be the warrior I know she is, we're screwed."

"Cathair," I chuckled. "Such language."

Cathair smiled. "I admit, Aiden, that this is unusual for me. But this matter is serious and your girlfriend isn't taking it seriously."

"We're not together!" Aleena and I piped up at the same time, and then all three of us in the room burst out laughing.

I sobered up first, but remained quiet so that Cathair could speak.

With a heavy sigh he went over the large oak panelled storage closet where he kept his weapons. After a few mumbled incantations from Cathair, the doors swung open to reveal several walls packed with various types of weaponry.

"I didn't know Mages used guns," Aleena marvelled, raising a semi-automatic pistol.

Cathair snatched it from her. "We don't. We just supply vampires with them." He gestured toward me. "These aren't why I opened my store." He reached deep inside an almost hidden alcove behind a wall lined with rifles and produced a small brown satchel. "This is why you're here."

Aleena's brows rose to her hairline. "A bag?"

_:: Try and see the bigger picture. ::_ I told her.

After scowling at me, Aleena sighed and motioned to the bag in her palm. "What exactly are we going to do with this?" Her voice had dropped to a quieter tone and her eyes were less fierce than before.

"You're going to learn how to use magick, dear," Cathair grinned.

*****

Amongst the multitude of questions running through my mind, one specific question came to the front and rested on the tip of my tongue, tempting me to voice it. And I did. "Are you freaking kidding me?"

At the other side of the room Aiden chuckled and I imagined wrapped my finger around his broad neck and squeezing down on his trachea until it popped, laughing as the life drained from him..

"Aleena!" I shook away the thought when Cathair shouted my name.

"What?" I shrugged.

"Such thoughts are not allowed in my home," he said sternly. Rolling up the sleeves of his robe, Cathair took a deep breath and took the satchel from my hand. When he pulled on the slender tie that closed the bag, a light _whoosh_ sounded and a bright, glittery dust escaped. "Controlled conditions, or desperate times. Those are the only two times when Mages must resort to using this type of magick."

"What's so special about what's in the bag?" Aiden asked. He slid off the wicker he'd been sitting on and came to stand next to me.

Cathair produced a stick of chalk from one of his robe pockets and drew a perfect circle around my feet. "This is what we use to train our apprentices. In the hands of a skilled Mage this 'little dust' can do just about anything."

"Like kill Darius with a single spell?" I smirked.

"It's very likely. Now, as much as you don't think you can do magic," he stared at me pointedly when I was about to argue, "your father was a Mage. Hence the purpose of this lesson. Here." Cathair held the satchel out and I outstretched my palm instinctively. With a barely noticeable tilt, the satchel tipped and white dust filled my palm. "Sprinkle that right around the outside of the circle and watch what happens."

I did as was told and paid attention to Cathair.

He raised his hand and spoke in a language I didn't understand. The powder on the wooden floor crackled and popped, and then a gentle flame ignited and slowly rose. Aiden backed away from the flame, his eyes displaying his fear of the fire.

"Whoa, that's cool," I muttered.

"Your father never did magick around you?"

I shook my head and Cathair smiled. "Yes, that was his persona. He hardly ever wanted to practice when we had our yearly meetings. Something about keeping you as far away from that side as possible." Cathair blew one short breath and the fire died down.

My eyes started welling up with water at the mere mention of my father but no tears escaped. While my father had been more than happy to teach me when it came unto hunting, he had never mentioned anything about teaching me magick. To be honest there was a time when I was unaware that my father was a Mage; I'd only found out when my parents were dying. The declaration of my father's roots were only known to me in my father's dying breath.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Just try to focus your energy on the dust and envision the fire."

"What about the incantation" I asked absently as I took deep breaths and relaxed as much as I could.

"It's mostly for weaker Mages," Cathair clarified. "For someone descended from such strong magick lineage, it's highly unnecessary."

Doing as I was told my eyes drifted closed and I focused on the dust surrounding me. In my mind, the room became clear. The stark white walls and darkly-stained floors. I was, however, alone in the room. The circle was still intact around my feet as was the white powder, but Cathair and Aiden were nowhere to be seen. Without any distractions present, my mind was more at ease.

I breathed deeply and envisioned fire. I saw the bright orange and red flames flickering and gaining life as they rose and rose, the heat that emanated from them surrounding me yet not burning me. The floor didn't spread the fire; it remained solitary to the powder surrounding the circle.

My eyes opened and zeroed in on Aiden, who stood at the other side of the room, the fear in his eyes replaced by avid fascination.

"That's incredible," Cathair mused. "On your first try, at that."

I couldn't help the grin that formed on my face. Suddenly, a thought formed in my mind. I looked at Aiden once more and gestured for him to come closer. He shook his head violently. I smiled and outstretched a hand over the flames towards him.

Aiden simply stood where he was and looked at me as if I were crazy. Until Cathair spoke to him.

"It's all right, Aiden," he told the vampire. "It won't hurt you unless she wills it to."

I smiled at Aiden and watched as his Adam's apple bobbed when he swallowed against the lump I knew had formed in his throat. His feet moved forward reluctantly, until he stood a few inches from me. He placed his hand in my palm and I smiled up at his shining blue eyes as he realized that the fire made contact with his skin but didn't harm him.

"This is incredible," he mused.

I grinned. "Proud of me?"

"Was there any doubt?" Aiden chuckled. He stood next to me in the circle, still holding unto my hand. His free hand reached out and his fingers skimmed over the fire. Still, it didn't burn him. "How are you doing this?"

"Just focusing, I guess," I told him truthfully. I imagined the fire wrapping around his arm as if it were a snake. Just as I thought, the fire acted. I vaguely registered Cathair smiling softly before us and leaving the room. "That hurt?"

"Not at all," Aiden laughed. He twisted his arm as the fire moved further up toward the sleeve of his shirt. The flame didn't even singe the fabric. "Is it because you're not upset or in any kind of bad mood?"

I smiled. "Maybe. Just maybe."

Aiden's fingers curled around my wrist and my mind was suddenly taken over by him. All my senses were assaulted by the sound of his voice, his dishevelled brown hair and those blue eyes and his light, earthy scent. The fire around us died down.

"Aleena, thank you. Again," he said softly.

"For what?" I squeaked out as Aiden's face came closer to mine.

"Helping Rachael and me," he said matter-of-factly. His large hand curled around the back of my neck and his fingers stroked the hair at the base of my head. "I really appreciate it."

Then he pressed his lips to mine.

I wasn't prepared for the sudden burst of heat that coursed through my veins or my reaction to such a feeling. My hands flew to Aiden's broad shoulders and my fingers curled in his t-shirt. I felt the heat of the fire as the flames rose up around us. Aiden tasted unexpectedly sweet and I almost couldn't get enough. Then, as if taunting me, Leon's face popped into my head, his green eyes staring back at me with shame.

I pushed Aiden away and swiped the back of my hand across my mouth.

"I'm sorry, Aleena." Though the look on his face suggested that he was anything but.

I held up a hand and stepped back from him. "Just...forget it. Let's pretend it never happened. Okay?"

I turned to walk away when Aiden's hand held unto my arm and he whirled me around to face him.

"Where are you going Aleena?"

"I'm going to my room," I told him. The feral look in his eye frightened me; it reminded of the sick look Darius usually had.

"Before we even had a chance to talk about what just happened?" Aiden shook his head. "Did you not want it to?"

"No!" I said before I could catch myself. "I mean, a part of me did but..."

"There's someone else," Aiden said quietly.

Because I didn't trust myself to speak, I simply nodded. "I'm sor –"

Aiden raised his hand to silence me and I stopped midway. He gave me a forced smile then started turned toward the exit.

I started walking after him when my arms and legs froze and my heart started to beat erratically in my chest. My throat closed up and I found it hard to speak, but I tried. "Aid -" My knees shook and gave out and I struggled to draw breaths.

The last thing I remembered seeing was the terrified look in Aiden's eyes as he sprinted from the room, balancing my weight in his arms.

## Chapter Eleven

" **She's coding!" Cathair shouted. He worked swiftly to attach IV lines to Aleena's** greying arms.

"She needs blood," I told him.

"No, I need to get her heart rate under control before she slips into a coma." He gestured toward a cabinet in the far corner of his lab. "Garrett, I need the vial."

"She needs blood and you're giving her your own remedy?!"

Garrett nodded stiffly and went to retrieve what his master ordered. I, on the other hand, frowned at Cathair.

"Why won't you allow me to help her?"

Cathair ignored me, taking the darkly-stained glass vial from Garrett's slender fingers and removing the cork that closed it. "You wanna help? Hold her mouth open."

I stared down at Aleena's worsening form before sighing and doing as I was told. Cathair poured a red liquid out of the vial into Aleena's mouth and closed it swiftly, holding the top of her head with one hand and her chin with the other to keep her mouth closed.

Aleena's eyes flew open and she started to choke on the liquid. Cathair held her firm and Garrett held down her legs when she began to kick. My blood boiled in anger when I noticed that neither of them wanted to let up, not even when Aleena's eyes started welling up with tears.

"Stop!" I yelled. Both men ignored me. "Stop it!" I reached out to remove one of Cathair's hands and he glared at me.

"If you want her to live, you'll leave us and let us help her."

I stammered to respond and then caught sight of Aleena's pleading eyes. Something inside my head seemed to click into place and my heartbeat slowed down to a normal pace. My fangs let down and I spoke in a tone I hardly recognized myself. "Release her Cathair."

Both men seemed to forget what they were doing as they focused on me. Aleena stopped struggling, her irises eclipsing to a deep red.

"What are you doing, Aiden?" Cathair held out his hand in a pleading motion, but his eyes did everything but plead. They were filled with an emotion I didn't realize, and hadn't known Cathair possessed.

"Tell me what that fluid was," I said in an eerily calm tone.

Aleena took that opportunity to kick Garrett on his chin with the toe of her boot. She launched off the table, ripping out the IV lines, and came to stand next to me as we both stepped backwards to leave the lab.

"Come on, Aiden." Cathair stepped around the table slowly. "Do you really think I would harm her?" Cathair always knew how to charm his way out of sticky situations and he normally didn't make my skin crawl. But there was something about the look in his eyes, and the undiluted fear I saw in Aleena's that unsettled me.

"I don't know exactly what to believe anymore," I told him truthfully. "I do know that she agreed to help me with my mission and you won't prevent her from doing that." Aleena's hand curled around my fingers and she squeezed.

"You can't fall for the creature, Master Aiden," Garrett seethed.

_:: Creature? ::_ Aleena projected toward me.

"He didn't tell you?" Cathair laughed. "That's just rich, Aiden. Since we all have nothing better to do, why don't you impart your knowledge unto her?" Cathair perched on the edge of the table and smirked. "Or would you rather I do it?"

I remained silent and Aleena's fingers tightened around my hand.

Another snide chuckle came from Cathair. I clenched my teeth when Aleena spoke.

"What is he talking about, Aiden?"

"Your boyfriend failed to tell you a very important detail as it relates to who you are." Cathair smirked, one dark brow rising. "Or should I say _what_ you are?" He chuckled.

"Why are you doing this, Cathair?" He'd been my friend for centuries, and it was unlike him to be so...ruthless and unfeeling.

"Why? That's what you have to ask?" Cathair's eyes became angered and his voice lowered. "You killed my daughter, Aiden. This whole time I was plotting how to avenger her death."

"I thought you were friends," Aleena said, stunned.

Cathair laughed humourlessly. "No, Ms. Kenton. Aiden and I were never friends. That was what I led him to believe. I never liked that Emmilia fell for a vampire, and I hated it even worse when he got her pregnant and killed her."

"What?" Aleena squeaked. I bit my lips so hard it bled.

"You didn't even know that, did you?" Garrett laughed. "Aiden was married to Cathair's only daughter for three years, Aleena. He got her pregnant and she died before she could give birth to the baby."

"I didn't intentionally kill her," I said softly. "I didn't even know that she would get sick."

"Stop lying!" Cathair shouted. "You knew very well what mixing Mage and vampire blood would do, but you let it happen anyway."

I swallowed the lump in my throat so that I could look at Aleena and try and explain so that the fear I could feel emanating from her would disappear. "Emma was sick for a long time, Aleena. Countless times I tried to take her to Healers but she refused, saying that maybe it was blood the baby wanted." I shook my head, trying to forget the look on Emmilia's gentle face as she smiled at me those last few months. "I refused but she insisted that it was blood he wanted. Vampire blood."

Aleena gasped. "So she fed from you?"

I nodded solemnly. "I didn't know how bad it would turn out. Or that vampire blood and Mage blood made a deadly mix. I didn't know."

Aleena gave me a small smile. "It's okay, Aiden. No one should punish you for what Emmilia wanted." She turned to stare at Cathair and Garrett. "Least of all her own father."

Cathair laughed. "So you believe him? You're one to talk. If you hadn't realized, you're on the verge of dying as well. You have both Mage and vampire blood in your veins and it's destroying you from the inside out. Did you ever think about your fainting spells or your uncontrollable urge for vampire blood over human blood?"

Aleena released my hand and stepped before me, still looking at both men. "I know what I am, Cathair. And I know what I'll become if I continuously ingest vampire blood. It's something that cannot be helped. I didn't ask to be this way, but I'm not sure I would change who I am."

"She's crazy," Garrett mumbled.

Aleena chuckled. "Call me what you want. But it won't help you very much." She straightened and flipped her hair over one shoulder. "What was in that vial?"

Cathair frowned. "As if I'd actually tell you that," he spat.

I didn't see the look on Aleena's face, but in a second she was a blur across the room and in the next she had one hand around Cathair's throat, holding him down on the table and squeezing as hard as she could. I saw Garrett move toward her and I followed Aleena's moves, but I pinned Garrett's arms on the table instead.

"You might want to answer her," I told him. "You haven't seen the worst she can do yet."

"If you think I'm gonna talk –"

"I don't need you to talk, Dramosavick. I just need you to answer my question whether verbally or with your obnoxious gestures." Aleena lowered her face to his ear. "Got it?"

Cathair clenched his jaw and remained silent.

"Now, did you or did you not meet with the Royals to join their troops?"

Cathair remained silent and Aleena looked at me. "I need some of your blood. Please."

Aleena leaned forward and bit off a piece of Cathair arm, spitting the flesh across the room. The man screamed out in pain, writhing on the table as the praesenom from Aleena's fangs burned him.

I nodded my approval and watched in fascination as she dragged a fingernail over my skin and pierced my flesh, catching s few drops of my blood in her palm. She held her hand over Cathair's bleeding arm, allowing some of my blood to drip unto his wound.

"Crap! Holy Goddess!" Steam rose from Cathair's wound as the mixture of blood bubbled and burned him.

"Now, are you going to answer my question or do I need to do this again?"

"Fine!" Cathair snapped. "I'll tell you what you want to know."

Aleena grinned and released Cathair, giving him a little breathing space.

He rubbed his fingers over his neck and coughed. "Yes, I did meet with the Royals. But not for the reason you think." He rolled up the sleeve of his robe, displaying the Royal seal on his wrist. "The day before you arrived here, Darius broke into my home. I was in my usual stupor and he offered me a way out." Cathair looked at me. "I wasn't trying to kill her, just render her unconscious."

"How was that going to help you?" I asked.

"Darius needs me alive," Aleena whispered solemnly.

*****

"To do what?" Aiden asked.

I shrugged.

Cathair laughed, as did Garrett. "If you hadn't realized it by now then you're seriously more stupid than we gave you credit for," Garret chuckled. "Despite your constant refusals Darius is willing to offer you solace in the castle."

"So you were helping him?" I gasped.

"I was protecting my family!" Cathair snapped.

Aiden's hand shot out and it connected with Cathair's face. The man's head snapped the side. Aiden hissed. "Do _not_ speak to her that way."

Cathair's lip had split from Aiden's hit, and he wiped the back of his hand across his mouth before he spoke. "I did what I had to. He wanted her brought to him unharmed. I was just trying to do what was best for my people."

"So you tried to destroy innocent girl's life instead?" Aiden asked.

Cathair looked at Aiden and smirked. "I did what I had to."

Aiden huffed and sighed. "Well, don't take this the wrong way Cathair, but this is me doing what _I_ have to." Aiden held Garrett's hands more tightly in his own and snapped them. The man screamed out in pain and I took a step backwards. He held one of Cathair's arms and spoke softly. "Don't _ever_ come after us, or you'll regret it for the rest of your miserable life." With that Aiden emitted a harsh growl and broke Cathair's arm.

He rushed over to me, grabbing my arm and pulling me from the room as both men groaned in pain. "We don't have much time."

"Where are hurrying to right now?"

Aiden led me back downstairs to the Mages' weapons room. "We have to take what we can and leave. _Now_ ," he bit out.

## Chapter Twelve

" **Where exactly do we go from here?" Aiden said nothing, but his body language** told me all I needed to know. We were utterly screwed and he and I both knew it. No use hiding from that fact.

"All we can do is make a move back to Lapis and then go from there. We can't attack the Royals in their castle, especially if what Cathair says is true and they have Mages on hand."

Aiden's words sent an unusually cold chill up and down my spine. In all my years as a vampire hunter I'd never been caught up in something this heavy. Especially not by offering my assistance to someone in need.

"We have a very long way to go," I told him truthfully. "My house is pretty much the only one still standing."

His head moved up and down in approval. "Then we need to go now."

We'd only taken one knapsack of clothes and the other of weapons. I carried the weapons, particularly because my own arsenal was there and I didn't feel comfortable parting with it.

"Oh, Aleena."

I turned to face Aiden. He was fidgeting, rubbing the toe of his shoe in the dirt and trying to avoid my eyes. A clear sign of nervousness.

"About what happened – "

I held up my hand, cutting off his words. I knew he was talking abut what happened when Cathair showed me how to use the magick. "Don't worry about it; I was gonna learn eventually, wasn't I?"

"I don't mean him showing you the magick, Aleena. I mean the kiss." Suddenly the nervousness was gone from his features and I could see the confidence blossoming in his eyes.

A small laugh left my lips. "You've gotta be kidding me. This isn't the time or place, Aiden. Trust me."

"You can say that all you want but we need to talk about it."

I frowned. "Not really." Noticing that my weapons were still in the bag and not on me I dropped the bag and bent, commencing to remove all my weapons and return them to their respective straps on my suit. "So get your head out of your ass and let's go. We need to leave now." The air was getting more and more stuffy, always a bad sign near Lapis.

Aiden struggled to keep up with my steps despite his height advantage. "Why? What's wrong?"

"We just really have to go. You think you can run?"

His snort was the only affirmation I needed. I threw the bag around at him and he slung it over his shoulder. Then we sprinted off into the unforeseeable distance.

*****

Dammit, she wasn't kidding. All I could see was the dry and desolate wasteland that I'd always heard Lapis had to offer. Granted I'd been there before to save her, but it had been night and I couldn't see much despite my overdeveloped sight.

My legs felt numb from all the running but it wasn't as if we could stop now. From the look on Aleena's face we were pretty close to where we should be. I had the feeling that she had another reason for being so happy for returning home but I had no clue what it could be. The fact that she didn't want to talk about what had happened back at the mansion bothered me, and I didn't know why it did. I had to concede though; this was no time to talk. After everything died down and we got rid of the Royals there was no way she was going to get away from my prodding.

*****

I didn't recall the house being this far. Then again, I never ventured very far into the wastelands and I certainly never went to Dailon. I couldn't even bring myself to care though; I was just so happy I'd be seeing Leon again.

Just when I thought I couldn't take anymore running I saw the outline of the house a few dozen feet away. "There it is!" I said to Aiden over my shoulder. He was just a couple feet behind me and I knew he heard. He didn't answer though.

The peeling beige paint on the cement walls were the most welcoming thing I could've ever seen. I drew to a halt as the steps came closer and closer so I could catch my breath; I was pretty winded.

"So...this is the place?" Aiden said in a soft tone as he drew to a halt next to me. "Not very _vampiric_ , if you know what I mean."

I turned toward him, my lips pulled back over my teeth to show my fangs. "You wanna watch you say around here. If Leon decides to make minced meat out of you I won't stop him."

Aiden smirked, back to his usual self-absorbed state. "Yeah, right. Who's Leon?"

I stepped up unto the first stair and inhaled instinctively, catching an unfamiliar scent. As a parting gift Aiden and I had taken a couple pistols from Cathair's artillery and it was the one holstered at my hip that I drew for. I cocked it and held it ready. "Hold that thought, I told Aiden. I heard shuffling behind me and heard another gun cock, knowing Aiden sensed that something was up as well.

I took the stairs slowly, easing most of my weight off them because I knew they creaked. Once up at the door I noticed it was cracked and my heart leapt...in fear. Leon never left the door open. Never.

"Wait here," I told Aiden. He frowned but hung back at the foot of the stairs. "Lee?" I whispered as I pushed the door open and stepped inside. The scene wasn't pretty. Tables and chairs were overturned; there were smatterings of blood on the floor and the walls. "Aiden, get in here."

Heavy footsteps sounded and then Aiden stood behind me. He inhaled sharply. "Damn. Looks like a war zone."

_Yeah, no shit_ , I thought. "Where the hell is he?" I gritted my teeth when I heard something clatter in the kitchen. I held the pistol firmly in my hand and took a step forward, only to be stopped by Aiden's hand on my shoulder.

"I'll check," he said. As he stepped past me I noticed the bag was gone from his shoulder and the remaining three guns were on either side of his waist and across his back. "You stay there and look."

I nodded reluctantly and turned toward Leon's cot. It was ripped to shreds. So was mine, as I saw when I looked at the destruction at the other side of the room. "What the hell happened here?"

"Aleena, I think you should see this." Aiden's cautious tone made me flit to his side and I had to put a hand on the counter to steady myself.

Laying there on the ground was familiar; I knew it by the Royal seal on the young male's forearm. The slash across its neck had the unique gores that matched Leon's dagger. I smiled. "He's ok." Even though he wasn't here I knew he was ok. My little human was perfectly ok. I frowned. "But where _is_ he?" I slammed my fist unto the counter and I heard the unnerving snap as the granite broke under my fist.

Aiden squeezed my arm. "It's okay. We'll find him."

I was about to thank him for his reassurance when I heard a crash and both our heads snapped to the doorway. "You hear that?"

"Yeah, I did." Aiden stuck to my side and we moved in unison toward the doorway. He looked out from the door and I went to the window but there was nothing. "So what the..." He trailed off as he raised his pistol toward me and I ducked, wincing at the shot that rang out.

My head whipped around and I watched as a demon fall into a writhing heap on the mangled floor, a harsh scream filling the air as it turned to ash. "We have to go." I stepped over to Aiden, grabbing his arm, and went unto the landing, cursing harshly at the scene before us.

Darius stood about five feet from the last stair, a sly grin on his sculpted face. His raven hair was in a new style: cut almost military short with surprisingly suitable bangs hanging over one eye. He was dressed in a fitted black suit and wore a crisp white shirt underneath. "Well, well, well...if it isn't my little Aleena."

Anger boiled in my veins and I took a step forward. My hold on Aiden's hand had long since loosened and I held the pistol I had in both palms. "I'm _not_ your little Aleena. Why won't you just leave me _alone_?"

Surrounding Darius was seemingly two dozen men, all clad in fitted tuxes and their fingers curled, ready to pounce at their master's command. A smirk curved one corner of Darius's mouth and he stepped closer, less than three feet separating us now. "Put down the gun, Aleena."

I raised it a little higher and lined it up with his forehead, my reward a huge grin. I had to admit he was a looker, but my type certainly wasn't psychotic and murderous. "Make me."

He smirked again, raising a hand and gesturing toward the sky. Then I heard a sharp gasp behind me and a groan. I whirled around, my eyes widening and chest growing tight when I saw one of Darius men holding Aiden down on the cold stone landing, fingers digging into his neck to draw blood.

"Drop the gun or he dies," Darius menaced.

I looked at Aiden, his eyes pleading. "Don't do it," he whimpered as the man's fingers dug deeper. "I'll be fin Aleena just don't put it down."

Sadness welled up inside me as all the planning I'd done for seven years went to hell. I felt the tears well up in my eyes as I uncocked the pistol and let it fall to the ground. "I'm sorry, Aiden." An arm curled around my waist and I shuddered as disgust flooded me along with a new wave of anger.

"You made the right choice, Lena. Trust me." His hand gently tilted my head to one side and his breath wafted over my exposed neck causing me to swallow the bile that rose in my throat. "You are never getting away from me again."

"No!" Aiden fought against the man holding him down, successfully snapping his neck and launching toward Darius and I before being pinned by three other vampires. As he fought against them the despair in his eyes shook me. "Aleena..."

I couldn't move; Darius was holding my wrists in one of his hands behind me, squeezing painfully. His mocking voice in my ear made me feel worse and worse by the minute. "I'm going to take you to the castle and you're going to agree to be my bride."

Aiden continued to struggle against his captors while I stood frozen, not knowing what to do. I knew how Darius' twisted mind worked and I knew that if I refused to go with him he would kill Aiden. And I couldn't let that happen.

The obvious pain in Aiden's eyes as they shifted from bright blue to a deep forest green overwhelmed me and I dropped my own eyes to the ground, a deep sigh leaving me. "I'll go with you," I agreed.

I jumped involuntarily when one of the men holding Aiden down gave him a heavy hit to the back of the head, effectively knocking him unconscious.

"Good choice," Darius said just before his fangs sunk into my neck and I screamed out in pain before my entire world went black.

## Chapter Thirteen

The ornate decorations on the pristine white walls around me were what I focused on; they were all that prevented me from screaming out in pain as the whips landed on the flesh of my back. I felt light headed, the constant abuse wearing on my state of mind and being. I wanted to die more than anything at that moment, but despite my pleading they wouldn't oblige me.

"It's just part of the deal, Aiden," a coarse female voice whispered by me ear just before another lash caught me, this time on the back of my thighs. I bit my lip until it bled to hold back the groan at the intense pain.

What deal was this low-life talking about? My throat was far too dry for me to form my thoughts into coherent questions.

"Keira...go and tend to your mistress. Have her ready in ten."

The answering "Yes Master" was followed by the rapid clacks of high-heeled stilettos. The room felt eerily quiet for a moment. Then I heard a snap and smelt blood...and not just any blood. It was the pungent yet strangely inviting scent of Royal blood. My throat was on fire as I breathed deep and took the scent into my nostrils.

"Now, Mr. Aiden
