《Craving Temptation: Love Of A Vampire》


 Chapter 1：Jasmin & Vanilla

    As I make my way down the long-deserted road, I can see the street lights cast ominous shadows. The only shadow it is not casting is that of mine. See I am not your typical kind of human, in fact I am not human at all. I gave up living the living over two hundred years ago.


    I would like to consider myself as a special kind of species, but most will see me as a monster. My life has not always been this way though, I once was a man. Not that I am not a man now, I just do not feel the same. The day my pounding heart died, so did everything that was me. I could no longer feel hurt, pain, or even love in the sense that humans do.


    I have never experienced true love but as a young man I always dream of it. Dream is not something I feel now either, but I do often wonder how different my life would have been. I am in no way saying that I hate who I am now. I just long for the things of a mortal man, the things that I had to give up the day I became me.


    Being what I am, one of the most powerful creatures on earth, is like being a god in your own world. The power and immortality are by far the best part. Who would not want to live forever and never grow old.


    Walking down this deserted street would normally be dangerous but what if I am the one that is the danger?


    I am meeting Edward at this pub he likes to go at night. I am not much one for socializing but if it keeps him at the trouble then I much rather would.


    As I finally arrive at this bar, I make my way through the crowd and find Edward. As she sees me walk on over, he rises from his chair and embraces me in the kind of hugs that human men like to give, "Good evening sir."


    "Good evening young lad," I jokingly say in reply.


    We both burst out laughing. As I am the older of the both of us, Edward always show and treats me with the utmost respect. In our world respect is one of the key things to everything.


    "Thanks for coming Sebastian."


    "Anything to keep you out of trouble Edward. So what exactly do you find so exciting hanging around such a dingy little hole?"


    "Just look around Sebastian, can you see all these beautiful woman?"


    I turn my head and scan the bar, the sweet scents of so many women attacks my nostrils. One thing we have is a very keen sense of smell.


    "I indeed see what you mean," I say, nodding my head in agreement.


    Edward forms the kind of wicked smile upon his face, the one he does when he is up to no good. Then he says, "We might be dead, but we still get the same satisfaction out of sexual pleasure. And this my man, this is where I find it. You should try it some time."


    "Edward I am not about to align my life with a human. I can get perfectly enough pleasure from one of our kind," I try to reassure him knowing full well he does not believe a word that I speak.


    "Sebastian, these ladies know more things than any hundred year old vampire. And in any case when last have you been with one of our kind?"


    "How do you keep what you are from all these women? You know at the height of sexual pleasure our true nature is revealed," I ask out of true curiosity for such thing I truly do not know.


    "It is a skill that you learn over time. I promise this to you, that once you have had the flesh of a mortal woman, you would never go back looking at our kind."


    His words do spark some curiosity in me. But I will risk harming or might even kill a woman in the heat of ecstasy. I do desire the feeling of companionship, even though I would not feel love or hate, the ability to have someone by your side does sound fulfilling.


    Curious that this has sank into my brain, which I fully well still have, Edward interrupts me from my thoughts, "I can see you are considering it. Why don''t you try it? Pick up a scent and see whom it leads you to."


    My voice echoes over the crowd of patrons in the bar as I laugh at Edward''s remark, "This is absurd, we sound like animals prowling."


    "But is that not what we do Sebastian? We prowl at night, if not to feed then why not for a different form of pleasure?"


    I know that I stand defeated and agree to entertain him for a moment "Alright then, there is no harm in trying."


    I close my eyes and focus all my senses. There is a unique smell coming from across the room that draws my attention. It is a sweet scent of jasmine and a slight hint of vanilla. I slowly open my eyes to see from whom it comes.


    Edward sees that someone in the bar has sparked my attention, "Go to her," he says.


    I look at him in disbelief, "What on earth do I say? Excuse me but I smelled you from across the room?"


    "You may try it but be very prepared to have a cosmopolitan thrown in your face."


    She is exquisite, her long blonde hair falls in waves down onto her shoulders. Her bright blue eyes are accentuated by a perfectly heart shaped face. The beautiful line of her lips is covered in a light shade of lipstick. Her skin is soft, and warmth radiates from it.


    She has captivated all my senses. I have never been drawn to a human for any other thing than feeding. This might be a foolish mistake but as she sits there, it is a mistake that I am eagerly to make.


    I slowly rise from seat, "Alright I will try this but only if you come with me."


    Edward once again forms that mischievous smile, "Don''t ask me twice, her friend looks very much inviting. Now come dear sir, let us get you some human company."


    We make the thirty second walk in what feels forever. As we are approaching the table, we seem to catch their attention. She whispers in her friend''s ear but I cannot make out what they are saying. When we finally reach their table, Edward is first to speak, "Good evening ladies. I am Edward and this here is my good friend Sebastian. Can we buy you ladies a round of cosmopolitans?"


    She looks at me and smiles, she is even more beautiful than I thought. That curve of her lip makes her irresistible. She is intoxicating, captivating and undeniably bewitching.


    I cannot do this, she will make me lose control. I can hear her heartbeat and it is beating to a hum that draws me. The pure raw sexual desire is bouncing of her body.


    I can hear the rush of her blood as it is pumping through her veins. A hunger is starting to build up inside of me, not the type I feel when I need to feed. This is a different type of hunger. It is boiling from deep inside my core, a burning ache. I need to have her naked skin against mine, I want to sink my fangs slowly into her neck. I want to taste her, every single part of her.


    She has woken up something inside of me. I can feel the desire and ecstasy build up in me. If I do not leave now, she will see me turn into what I truly am, a vampire.


    Before I get further lost in her presence, I abruptly speak out of turn, "Apologies ladies but I must go."

 Chapter 2：The Scent of a Vampire

    ...Anastasia...


    I am one that do not care much for the night life. There is nothing less appealing than sitting in an overcrowded room with music loud enough to pierce your ears.


    Not even to mention the numerous attempts by god knows who to buy you a drink. It is as if I have lost my ability to use my hands and cannot do it myself. The problem with me is not so much the attention but the fact that I am always looking for that something else.


    In saying something else, I mean more, more than just a once off sexual encounter every night. That is all that these so-called gentlemen want. Gentlemen is what they call themselves, to me, well that is a word I must rather keep to myself. I do in no way hate men, there is just a certain type that I dislike.


    But I do this for Eva, and I am always keen to support Zachariah. He has owned this quaint little bar for six years now. On our very few nights off, we find ourselves mingling here with whichever brave soul shows up at our table.


    One such brave soul is the one across the floor staring at me. But he is staring at me in a strange way, it is like he is studying me. He looks like a man with a purpose, a man that is out on the prowl. I cannot help feeling that he wants me in more than a different way.


    But there is something else about him. Apart from being insanely hot, there is something that draws me. I watch him as he gets up, I am kind of sad that he is leaving. But instead I see him walking across the floor, he is coming over to our table.


    Excitement overwhelms me as I draw Eva a bit closer to me, "Eva look what is making its way over here."


    "Oh my god, the lord sure took his sweet time making them?" she says. "I can''t decide which one is my kind of flavour."


    "Eva, what makes you think we are even their kind of flavour?"


    She looks at me not the least bit amused, "Honey they won''t be walking over here if we weren''t."


    I can feel my heart start pounding. A flush of heat washes over me, he is not even at our table and he is setting my body on fire. How can such a man, such a stranger has this much power over me.


    He comes to a dead stand at the front of our table. There is nothing that is not perfect about him. He has a strong face that is framed with a perfect chiseled jaw. His deep dark eyes feel as if it is imprinting right into my soul.


    He seems to be nervous; it is like he''s not used to be doing this kind of thing. He has a slight tremble in his hand but that could also be from the cold. His friend though seems a whole lot more at ease.


    My heart is now beating completely out of control. The presence of him licks my body with desire. I feel a craving for him, more like a need, a deep hunger inside me. I want to rip every inch of cloth off his perfect sculpted body.


    But then something strange happens, he turns around and leaves. He can''t do that, not now, not after he has drawn me in like that. Before I even know what overcomes me, I dash after him to call him back.


    "Wait! Stop! Don''t go!"


    He turns around and looks at me. "My dear, are you talking to me?"


    "Well unless there is someone else behind you, then yes. Yes, I am. Please come back to the table. I am sorry if we did something wrong."


    He looks at me somewhat confused but mostly surprised "You want me to come back to your table?"


    "Yes you," I reply. "So, what do you say? Will you come and have a drink with us. Your friend has already made himself comfortable with Eva."


    There is a spark that is awaken in his eyes as he speaks again "If you wish, I would be glad to join you. I must warn you though my company is not that pleasant."


    I lean into him and whisper, "Let me tell you a secret."


    I move my lips a little closer to his ear "Neither am I."


    He turns his face to look me in the eyes, his lips gently brush against my cheek. I freeze and gasp. It is like little sparks prickling my skin. His lips are soft but there is a different softness to him. I have never felt this feeling before. I am inches away from his lips, I can so easily kiss him.


    As our eyes meet, I can see that same desire hiding inside them. I look down to his lips and them back up into his eyes. He is so close, so close that I can taste him. I can feel his warm breath linger over my lips. He slightly bites at his bottom lip and I swear my knees give in.


    As I open my mouth to speak there comes nothing but a fumble of words, "Uhm...do...do you..."


    "Yes...yes...of course I do," he fumbles to me in return.


    I doubt we both even know what we are saying I do at. The moment is so intense, there so much raw heat between us that nothing makes sense.


    As we walk to the table, I can feel his eyes are firmly staring at the back of me. I know what he is so intently looking at, Eva made me put on this red dress that hugs every contour of my body.


    Thinking of what he is thinking is making me weak. To fuel the heated tension between us even more, he comes to sit down next to me.


    "Let us try this again. My name is Anastasia and that is Eva."


    "Evening Anastasia. Sebastian, Sebastian Belmont and my friend over there is Edward Vondrake."


    Before I make a complete fool of myself, his friend Edward speaks, "Good to meet you too Anastasia. You must excuse my friend for running off like that, he is just a little rusty around ladies."


    Eva, who is ever acting her seductive self, turns all her attention to Edward. "I like how you refer to us as ladies, not the typical girl remark. And must I say you two are viciously handsome."


    "Eva! You can''t say things like that," I blurt out nearly choking on my drink.


    "Ana I am sure these gentlemen hear it all the time," she says as she turns her attention to me.


    I feel Sebastian''s eyes are on me. He has not stopped looking at me since we sat down. Even as he speaks to Eva, his eyes remain focused upon me. He is doing that thing with his lip again and it is driving me wild.


    There is an awkward silence that has set around the table, as if sensing it, Edward is the next to speak, "Let me be a gentleman and get you ladies a drink. How about one of those tiny things you call cosmopolitans?"


    "Of course," Eva says "And let me guess you guys are whiskey drinkers? You look like men that have an acquired taste for the finer things of life."


    Sebastian almost immediately replies, "We only indulge in the drinking of whiskey if we have to."


    "If you have to?" I ask.


    "What Sebastian is trying to say is that we like whiskey but have a more acquired taste for wine," Edward attempts to explain the silliness of Sebastian''s remark away.


    "It would have never guessed that. You guys don''t look the type." I remark.


    "My dear Anastasia, there is a lot that we don''t look like," Sebastian says with a wicked little smile playing at the corners of his mouth.


    He never once takes his eyes off me. Then suddenly, faster than I have even noticed, his hand is resting upon mine. Every sense in my body is awakened. I can feel myself slightly getting aroused. His touch feels like something my body has been missing until now.


    Feeling this uncontrollable feeling build up in my body, I suddenly feel the urge to get away. "Uhm...I...if you will excuse me...I...I need to go to the ladies."


    I do not even wait for someone to acknowledge; I dash from the table and head to the bathroom. But it is not the bathroom to which I go; I pass the entrance and head to the door that leads out the back into the alley. As I step out, I take a deep breath and lean against the wall. My eyes are closed as I try to steady my erratic heartbeat.


    As the heat in me starts to settle down, I feel a presence in front of me. I can smell the scent of musk lingering in the air. Warm air blows against my skin as I hear someone''s breathing.


    I start to panic. Why did I have to come out here? Is tonight the night that I am going to be attacked? I hold your breath.


    Then I hear his voice. "Calm your heart Anastasia, it is only me."


    As I open my eyes, I see Sebastian standing in front of me. His hand is pressed against the wall next to me while he takes the other to caress my cheek. He is doing that thing with his lip again. His lips are trembling as he runs them softly against my cheek. He runs them down the smooth skin of my neck.


    With a soft voice I whimper, "Se...Sebastian, what, what are you doing?"

 Chapter 3：The Taste of Her

    She is right, Sebastian what are you doing? She feels so soft, I just want to be near her, near her skin. I want to run my lips over her body. I want to feel her heart throbbing through her veins. But most of all I want to taste her, I want to sink my teeth down into her neck. I know I must let go but I can''t, I can''t pull myself away from her skin.


    I hear her softly whisper my name, "Sebastian."


    "Ssshh Anastasia. Just a minute."


    She closes her eyes and I can see she is getting as much pleasure as I do from it. What if I just prick her once, once I am sure she will not notice it.


    She leans her head back against the wall and let me roam her neck. I cannot keep it in anymore. I crave her, not the hunger to feed but the hunger to please. I want to take her body to a height of pleasure that she will never experience from a mortal man.


    As my lips run slowly down from the tip of her ear down the bare of her neck to the edge of her shoulder, I can see her body slightly shiver. I know it''s not from the cold of the night but the intensity of my touch.


    My lips roll down her shoulder to her collarbone, I stop and take a deep breath. I part my lips and slightly let my tongue out to lick her. I gasp as her sweetness fills my mouth; my god how good she tastes. I can hear her moan as I do it again.


    I want more, this is not enough for me. I know if I slide my fangs into her, she will experience so much more pleasure but is this I risk I want to take. I do not have to ponder even further; she knots her fingers in my hair and pull my face closer.


    "What are you doing to me Sebastian?"


    "Only what you are doing to me Anastasia."


    I slowly move in and press my lips against her plump velvety ones. They are warm and taste like cotton candy. They are softer than I could ever have imagined. I place my hand at the small of her back and pull her closer.


    "Who are you Sebastian?"


    "I think I can ask the same. Where did you come from Anastasia?"


    As soon as the last syllable escapes my lips, we find ourselves interlocked in a kiss.


    Knowing my full attention, I stop to ask, "Are you sure you want to do this?"


    "The only thing I am sure of is the way you are making me feel," she answers.


    Unable to contain myself anymore I pull her into a fiery and passionate kiss. All my thoughts are obliterated. For the first time in over two hundred years I am kissing a mortal woman. I can feel the hunger grow inside me, the pleasure building towards a peak. I pull her even tighter into my body. I can smell her arousal and it only fuels me. The kiss is getting deeper and deeper with every breath that we take.


    For a brief moment I pull away, with a shaky breath I whisper, "Anastasia." Prolonging each letter as to savour it. "My god Anastasia, I crave you so much."


    The kiss goes on, our lips moving in perfect sync. The kiss becoming more passionate by the second. Her right-hand flows onto the open skin of my sculpted chest as her left greedily starts undoing my shirt. My hand slides smoothly onto her arm, lifting it and pinning it against the wall. I can feel the heat flowing throughout her body. I lift her leg and slide my hand under her dress and up her thigh.


    The kiss is growing greedier, our mouths are locked together tightly. It feels like I am walking on air. Nothing around us matters, it is as if the world has fallen away. But then it happens. What I feared would if I get too lost in the passion. As I swiftly pull away, I feel my fang scrape over her bottom lip. God I hope she did not feel that.


    But she does not say a word. I see the tiniest speck of blood where I had cut her. The desire to taste her overpowers me and I softly kiss it away. The minute I do, I realize my mistake. I have to go or else I will do something that I might regret.


    "Anastasia, I need to go!" I turn to make my leave, if I stay any longer my fangs will be exposed. I have just tasted her blood and now I want more.


    "Wait! Sebastian! Don''t go!"


    I ignore her please and make my way into the dark night.


    After aimlessly wondering the streets for hours, I finally make my way home just before dawn. Not that it makes any difference, but I just don''t feel like facing the day alone. I find Edward and Lilith, as they always do, sitting in the kitchen.


    "For vampires you do spend an awful lot of time in the kitchen," I announce as I make my entrance.


    "Aaaahhh look who has graced us with his presence. Dear brother where have you been?" Lilith proceeds to leave her chair to come greet me.


    "Had to take a walk to clear my head."


    This immediately sparks the interest of Lilith, "Please do tell, who is this Anastasia? Did you boys go out having fun without me?"


    "Dear sis, you do not need us to have fun. And there is nothing to tell about this Anastasia."


    "I beg to differ," Edward stops me as we continue to talk about Anastasia. "She came quite startled back to our table and I must say it took her quite some time to do so as well. What was it that happened in the ladies?"


    "It was the alley, and nothing happened," I impatiently snap at his suggestion.


    Lilith whom has been with me for the better part of my vampire years, ever so politely reminds me, "Sebastian you might be over two hundred but you are still a bad liar."


    "If you must know, I kissed her," I admittedly reply.


    "Well bravo, you seem to have taken my advice. But what is so wrong with kissing her?" Edward says while he mockingly bows.


    "It went too far, let''s just say that I do not possess that ability not to expose myself at the height of pleasure."


    Edward looks at me with an expression of pure horror on his face, "Please do not tell me that you bit her?"


    "I bit her lip, but then...then I tasted her blood." I reply. "If I did not leave when I did, I am not sure what I would have done."


    Lilith looks at me with a smile of amusement on her face, "So you nearly fed off your date, don''t worry your silly head about that. I think both me and Edward have done that on a few occasions."


    "That is not what the problem was my dear Lilith. I did not want to feed on her, I wanted to take her the way I would take a women of our kind."


    "But I do not see the problem Sebastian," Edward asks of me. "Why not do it?"


    I am slightly getting annoyed by the interrogation, but I continue to entertain the questioning further, "Because she gave me something, it is more like waking it up, she made me feel."


    "Of course, you are going to feel a sexual attraction to her Sebastian," Lilith claims.


    "Lilith it was not a sexual attraction," I try to explain. "She made me feel warm. I felt this warm feeling inside."


    "That is absurd", Lilith bursts out with complete disbelief on her face, "The only thing we feel is the hunger to feed and the craving to satisfy our sexual desires."


    "Lilith I am telling you I felt something. And I wanted to keep on feeling it that is why I could not let go."


    "Then why not explore it Sebastian?" she asks.


    "No! I do not dare. I cannot hurt an innocent woman."


    Edward looks at me with that wicked grin on his face again, "Well my dear friend, then you have got a problem."


    "I don''t see the problem Edward, if I don''t see her then there is nothing to worry about."


    Edward moves closer and pats me on the back, "I am going to have to break it to you my brother but you are going to see her again."


    "What makes you so sure that I will see her again?"


    Edward slowly removes his hand from my soldier and casually looks on over to Lilith, whom herself is now got a smile of her own face, "I might have perhaps invited them over."


    "Oh god don''t tell me you intend on feeding off them?" I ask in horror.


    "Don''t worry my dear brother, there is a lot of things I wish to do to Eva and feeding is not one of them", Edward explains.


    I can feel a sting of excitement build up in me at the anticipation of seeing her again, "So when is this supposed to happen? When will these girls come over?"


    "This evening," Lilith jumps in, her excitement clearly visible as she explain. "I have arranged a small get together. A few of our close friends, you know, a little cocktail party."


    "Lilith we all know what your little means. So, you intend to surround these poor girls with half of the city''s vampires?"


    "Oh no Sebastian, I am not so inconsiderate. Our brothers and sisters will brings their own dates or should I say meals."


    "You never cease to amaze me. Now what do you suggest I do with this girl?" I beg for advice from my dear brother and sister.


    "Try it again and if you fail you will try it again tomorrow and the day after. I can guarantee you that the reward is worth the battle," is Edward''s explanation to me.


    I stand up from my chair and head for the door, "Well if you will excuse me then, I have an alley to scrub off and a head to clear. I will see you at...?"


    "Six," Lilith says, "And do not be late!"


    Before I exist the room, Edward calls me back,"And Sebastian?"


    "Yes Edward?"


    Edward points to me as he speaks, "Stop doing that thing with you lip, apparently it drives her crazy."


    "What sort of crazy do you mean?".


    "The sort of crazy you got in the alley."


    I gently bite down on my bottom lip and smile, "Oh I see. Guess I will carry on doing it then."

 Chapter 4：The Passion of a Vampire

    Anastasia, that is all who I can think about. I can still taste her blood on the tip of my tongue. She tastes like the sweetness of heavenly nectar. That tiny hint I tasted of her soul; I can still feel the power surge through my body.


    I will see her tonight and to be true to myself I will say that I cannot wait. There that happens again, that feeling. When I think of her it seems to warm me up. When I am with her, I seem to feel it even more. I do not know what this is. I can feel it so strongly, it is taking control. It is consuming my every thought.


    But what will happen from this? Is it possible to have a relationship with a mortal woman? I have never done so before. Every part of me wants it, I want to experience what it feels to belong to someone. The only misfortune of this is that she will grow old. I will see her waste away before my eyes. Could this heart which is not even beating be able to handle such a thing. All I know that with this feeling, the day that it should happen, I would be completely torn apart.


    The day drags on slowly, night not coming fast enough. For a vampire it is dreadful cause you have nothing but time on your side. As night finally creeps in, I ready myself for this affair. Lilith can make quite a big deal of her little get together and I am sure that tonight will be the same. Satisfied with my appearance, I make my way downstairs.


    I am met with a very surprise Lilith awaiting my presence in the kitchen, "Dear brother, I think this girl has put a spell on you, for once you are actually on time."


    "Not only on time, but seem to have somewhat of a smile," Edward remarks. "So dear Sebastian, is tonight going to be the night?"


    "Sorry to disappoint Edward," I reply. "But I fear that courting this young lady is going to take more time than I thought."


    Lilith who has always had more faith in me than I have asks, "Why do you have such little faith in yourself?"


    "If I could be very frank?" I ask.


    "Would not want you any other way," Edward says.


    "I could barely contain my arousal just thinking of her today," I explain. "How will I be able to contain it when I see her tonight?"


    Edward interrupts before Lilith can speak, "Sebastian you have been abstaining for far too long. Why not find release with one of our kind before you pursue this girl?"


    "Edward, my interest lies with Anastasia, I am not about to seek the companionship of another."


    "I have always admired that trait my dear brother" Lilith says. "Your loyalty is beyond compare."


    "While loyalty is admired, it would be foolish heading into this with not a clear head," Edward adds.


    "I may not have the ability to control myself around her," I explain. "But I have the sense the stop when needed."


    "You cannot keep running away when that fire starts burning too hot for you to handle," Edward says.


    "Edward, if I have to run away a hundred times then that is what I will do, I am not about to hurt the woman that makes me...feel...this way."


    Lilith turns to leave the kitchen and says as she passes, "Well dear brother save the running for later, our guests are starting to arrive."


    Edward rubs his hands excitedly together, "Then I say we have a little party on our hands."


    "Indeed, we do young lad."


    We both burst out laughing while giving each other a pat on the back.


    "Good luck out there my brother," Edward wishes me as he too leaves the kitchen now.


    "I''d say the same but then again you don''t need it," I shout out after him.


    I almost too eagerly make my way to the entrance hall to see if she had arrived. But instead we are met by one of our fellow kind or as Lilith prefers, one of our brothers.


    First to great us of our guest as he steps through the door, is Victor "Evening Sebastian."


    "Good to see you again Victor. I am honored you have graced us with your presence to night."


    "The pleasure is all mine dear friend. One would be foolish to refuse spending the night with this exquisite beauty," Victor says as he takes Lilith''s hand and gently kiss her palm.


    "Oh Victor, you say such silly things. I am truly happy you could join us tonight," Lilith almost has a blush on her soft white cheeks.


    You can say that Lilith and Victor have come a long way, in fact almost for two hundred years now they have pursuing each other. But for most part of the time they are always involved with another. They have had their occasional sexual encounters but those normally don''t last for too long. No matter what though they always find their way back to each other.


    "Victor make yourself comfortable, I will join your side once all these formalities are done," Lilith waves Victor off as he enters the ballroom.


    "Sure my lovely, I await your presence shortly," Victors says in reply.


    Not long after he leaves, another familiar but unexpected face shows up.


    I look to Lilith with clear shock on my face, "What were you thinking dear sis?" I ask. "Why did you invite him, you know how inappropriate it is. Are you looking to cause some drama?"


    "We all know nothing just happens with you Lilith, but I am in agreement with Sebastian, what were you thinking?" Edward asks the same of her.


    "Oh hush, just play nice," she says. "You boys are making such a thing out of nothing."


    "What are the boys up to again now Lilith?" Breyden asks as he walks up to us.


    "Breyden my friend, so good to see you. Strange to see you here?" I say as I take his hand and firmly shake it.


    "Good to see you Sebastian. I am in town for some business," Breyden explains. "Bumped into sweet Lilith here in town and she extended the invitation."


    I do not listen to another word he says, the sweetest smell just touched my senses. Lily and vanilla is swimming in the air, I know she is here but I don''t see her. Then she steps through the door, the minute our eyes meet it overwhelms me. That warmth is starting to consume me, filling every crack and crevice of my body.


    She is an absolute sight to behold. She is wearing a black dress, low halter so that one can see the cleavage of her flawless supple breasts. It flows tightly over her waist and ends fittingly just a hand''s length under her heart shaped bottom. She has the longest sculpted legs that is being held up by deep red stilettos.


    She is walking on over to me. I can almost say for certain that if I had a heart it would have skipped a beat.


    I can clearly see that she as just as pleased to see me as I am her as the most gorgeous smiles forms on her face, "Hey Sebastian."


    "My dear Anastasia, I am really pleased to see you."


    "I think I might be pleased a bit more."


    I bend over to whisper in her ear. The heat that is radiating from her body. As my lips gently grace her ear, I can feel the passion start to ignite.


    "You look absolutely ravishing tonight," my lips tremble as every word leaves my mouth.


    I can see her cheeks light up red as I pull my face away slowly.


    "You look pretty handsome yourself," she says.


    Eva steps out from behind her as soon as she spots Edward. "You just being polite Anastasia. He looks damn near irresistible."


    "I hope that is me you are talking about?" Edward mockingly asks.


    "Hey handsome, my day just got a whole lot better," Eva takes Edwards hands and he pulls her closer to him. "Why don''t I take you on the tour of this place and leave these two to stand in their awkward silence."


    Edward and Eva head upstairs to go take this tour of the mansion but I know that he is not so much take a tour of this place but much rather one around the contours of her body.


    If I ever was to be shy then this is surely the moment, I turn to face Anastasia again with a sincere look in my eyes, "I need to apologize for running off like that on you last night. It was not my intention, the heat, I could not control myself anymore. I was scared I would take you."


    "Not to worry Sebastian," she replies. "At least you won''t be able to do it tonight."


    "And what makes you so sure that I won''t?" I ask.


    "Well we are at your home; I doubt you would run away from here."


    "Anastasia you would be surprised with what I will do."


    She laughs as me, "You still have to come back so I will be waiting for you."


    I am surprised by her remarks, "Is that something you would really do? Wait for me?"


    "Why would I not? You will do the same for me?"


    "Anastasia if anything is as good as the way you make me feel then I will wait an eternity."


    "Well it is good that we don''t live forever then," she says.


    Her words hit hard, if she only knew, if she only knew that she would die long before I ever would. Would she want to be with me?


    But I cannot dwell on that now, she is with me and that is all that matters. "So how about you show me around this big place?" I ask. "Just not the room that Edward and Eva are in."


    She laces her fingers in my hand, looking up at me with pure lust in her eyes. She is aroused, I can smell it, from all the scents that fill the room, it is the only thing I can smell.


    I lead her by the hand towards the study, watching as Lilith waves at me and smiles.


    Once we are inside, I firmly close the door behind us. I turn and get lost in the blue oceans that is her eyes.


    "What are we doing Sebastian?" she asks.


    "Anastasia let me show you."


    I move towards her slowly. I feel my arousal start to grow. I need to have her, I need to feel her, I need that bond between us to be complete.


    "Sebastian," she whispers as I push her gently up against the door. I can hear her heart beating out of control. The blood that is rushing through her veins sounds like the sounds of a thousand symphonies.


    "I want you Sebastian."


    I push my body into her, it feels like they are melting into one. She gasps when she feels my erection pushing hard into her thigh.


    "Anastasia."


    "Yes Sebastian?"


    I look at her, slightly biting down onto my lip.


    "Oh god you make me crazy when you do that."


    The passion in me has once again grown out control.


    "I am going to make you feel things that no man has ever done before," I gently cup her face in my hand and slightly lean it to the side. Her neck is laying bare and exposed before me now. I can see her vein throbbing and it peaks my senses.


    I slowly lean in and open my mouth.

 Chapter 5：Will You Be Mine?

    ...Anastasia...


    The minute I stepped through the door; I could feel it. The air between us was electrifying. I knew that I just had to have him here and now. I am not one to do things like this but all I want is to feel him near me. He is got this hold on me; he has got me under his complete spell.


    I can feel his erection pressing into my thigh. I have never felt anything so good. I can feel the raw ache throbbing in him. He is a man with so much passion and so much desire. He can satisfy any women''s need. He can make a woman feel pure ecstasy. He can treat a woman like a goddess. I desire to be that woman.


    He has got me pressed against the door. I can hear it crack as he keeps on moving into me. His big strong hands are driving into the skin of my ass as he slightly picks me up. I hear a deep moan escape from his throat.


    He looks me deep in my eyes and bite down on his lip. God, he has to know how crazy that drives me because I swear, he is almost doing it on purpose.


    He cups my face in his hand and slightly tilts my head. I feel him press his soft lips against my neck. Then I feel the slight pressure of his teeth sink into my skin. He gently starts nibbling, he tangles his fingers into my hair and pulls my head down further.


    I can barely hear as he whispers underneath his breath, "Anastasia I cannot control myself."


    "Why don''t you just let go, this does not feel wrong," I urge him to carry on.


    "I am afraid I might hurt you."


    "Let me be the judge of that," I beg him to please not stop.


    "But you don''t understand," he protests further.


    I press my finger softly against his lips, "Ssshh, just for a minute, I want you just for a minute."


    ...Sebastian...


    "Sebastian, she wants you," I say excitedly to myself. But she does not know what I am. What if she did? Would she still want me then? Should I then show her? I can always show her now. But there is a room full of vampires out there that would not think twice. If she is to be mine, then I need to complete this bond now.


    "Anastasia."


    "Yes Sebastian?"


    "Just a minute, I promise I won''t run away but if I say stop then we should stop right away," I explain.


    "Sebastian, I..." I do not give her time to say another single word, my lips covers hers in an instant.


    I stop for second, the small cut I made the night before is still there. The force of my lips has caused it to start bleeding just a tiny bit. To her eyes she will not even see it but to my senses I can smell it and now I am drawn to taste it again.


    Before I know what overcomes me, I slightly bite into her lip. I wait for a second, she has not felt it. I can feel tiny droplets touch the tip of my fang. I take my tongue and lick it, the surge of power consumes my body again.


    I start sucking at her bottom lip. The more I taste her the more I feel alive. It is increasing that warmth that she makes me feel inside. My desire for her is turning in to lust. But I pull away before I lose myself.


    "Anastasia we must..." I start to say.


    She places her finger softly on my lips, "Ssshh Sebastian."


    She starts loosening every button of my shirt. She slowly pushes it over my shoulders. I am standing in front of her with my bare-naked chest. She runs her fingers over the ripples of my stomach, between each crevice of my muscles, "You are truly a magnificent creature."


    "You say creature. What kind of creature would I be?" I ask.


    "The kind of creature I would love to feast on."


    "Oh Anastasia, I think I will be the one that would be doing the feasting."


    My lips cover her again. I lift her smooth legs up and gently wrap them around me. I uncup her stilettos and drop them down next to me on the floor. I tilt my hips a slight bit upwards and press my throbbing manhood hard into her clitoris.


    My hunger draws me back to her lip, it is only tiny specks of blood, but I suck again. It feels like I am floating on air, the feeling rushing through me is beyond what words could ever describe. It is inflicting sensations I have never knew I was capable of feeling.


    Her body starts to tremble as I run my fingers up her thigh. I draw them up in little circles. She near stops breathing as I slide in underneath her dress. I wrap my them in the elastic of her panties and slowly start pulling them down. I know I am playing with fire. But god knows I would love to get my fingers burned.


    "Hold on my love," I turn around and carry her to the table. The entire contents get thrown on the floor.


    She unhooks her legs from me, and I lie her down. My fingers knot into her panties as I slide them over her knees and drop them down on the floor. I crawl up her like an animal and cover her body with mine.


    She goes to my buckle and eagerly starts working her fingers. She rubs her warm hand deeply over the bulge in my pants, instantly burning my craving stronger. Hunger now consumes me but before I could even protest, she somehow has my pants pushed down to my knees. I am in all my manhood bare and vulnerable before her.


    "Anastasia."


    "Yes Sebastian?"


    "I want you to be mine," I say with somewhat of an urgency in my voice. "Will you be mine my love?"


    "You do not know what you are asking for my love."


    "Then please show me," she asks as she slowly close her eyes again.


    I slide her dress up over the curve of her waist and bring it to stop at her bosom. The glory that makes her a woman is laying nude for me to take. The thought of how wet she must be from her arousal is driving my senses wild. Oh, how I want to taste her. But is it her sex or her blood that I desire? Where do I want to run my tongue through the most?


    I lay down on her and once more take her lips for mine. My erection lays hard and throbbing against her wetness. Gently she takes me in her hand and slowly run in smooth motions up and down. I feel like I am burning inside, warmth is shooting to every corner in my body but the most glorious warmth she is making with her hands.


    I want her, I need to be ever so deep inside her, I want us to be as one. If I was a mortal, then this would be when I die. She is about to slip my tip through her tight entrance. The sensation shocks me, it overwhelms me completely. Not being able to control my limbs, I bite harder into her lip. Blood comes out pouring. In an instant my fangs are exposed.


    "STOP!!!" I jump off her and rush to the corner. "I am sorry, but I can''t do this."


    "Sebastian what did I do wrong?"


    "I am sorry that I bit you."


    "It is just a little blood," she says. "Don''t worry about it."


    "Dear Anastasia, it is more than just a little blood. I will dress and meet you outside," I gather my clothes and dress before she can protest any further. A few minutes later she joins me outside.


    I hook my arm into hers and lead her to the ballroom. "Let me go introduce you to some of our guests".


    She looks at me with a seriousness in her eyes, "I don''t want to be rude, but they all look a bit stuck up, you know like they can be real old."


    "Oh my love, if you only knew," I laugh as I pull her even a bit more closer into me.


    When we step into the ballroom, not a ballroom in the true sense of the word but more like where we and our guests mostly feed. Though the feeding won''t be taking place here tonight as some of our guests do not know our true nature.


    Lilith is the first to intercept our path, "And where did you two disappear off to my brother?"


    "I gave Anastasia a tour of our house, my dear sister."


    "The same tour that Edward is giving Miss Eva?" A mischievous smile corners her mouth as she asks.


    "I am afraid to say that it was not the same one."


    She looks at me and does the most peculiar thing. But only once she has finished, I realized what she has done. There was a small speck of Anastasia''s blood still in my mouth corner which she ever so elegantly rubbed off. But she does not rub it from her hand, she gently sucks from her finger.


    "Oh, how delightful. Sebastian you sure have acquired yourself a fine woman here," Lilith hooks her arm into Anastasia''s and whisks her off into the crowd.


    Breyden who has been standing in the corner watching as the situation unfolds, slowly steps forward, "I saw that look my dear friend."


    "Nothing ever escapes your eyes," I turn around to face him as I see Anastasia disappear into the crowd.


    "You know that you are damned?"


    "That is some of the wisest words you have ever spoke Breyden. I so desperately want to be with her, but I cannot control what I am. Tell me how you do it?"


    "My friend we are creatures from different spectrum. But what we both have in common is the craving to feel loved," Breyden says as he places a comforting hand on my shoulder.


    "I will never be able to love her. I am not capable of doing so. I know I feel something," the desperation is clearly coming from my voice as I try to explain.


    "You were human before. You know what that feeling is that is building inside," he says, reminding me that it is very true.


    "Yes, my friend, but I am dead and she is alive. I will never feel her the way I should, I will never truly feel love."


    "What if I tell you that there is a way?"

 Chapter 6：Loosing Control

    I am very intrigued by what Breyden has just said. Is there a way for me and my love to be together?


    I watch as Lilith takes her from vampire to vampire and I know that every single one of them can smell the mark that I have left behind. They too will now be drawn to her, she is mine, no other will have her. If there is a way for us to be together then I do not see why I should not try.


    "Tell me about this way? How can I be with her Breyden?"


    Breyden, whom has also been watching Anastasia, turns back to me "I am afraid that you might not like the way."


    "My dear friend, I am immortal," I say. "I have seen ways that no man wishes to ever see."


    "Sebastian let me ask you this. What are you willing to give up for this mortal woman?"


    Surprised at Breyden''s comment, it takes me not but a moment to answer, "It is hard to say if I do not know what it is that I should give up."


    "I have never had to give this choice to anyone," Breyden adds. "You are my friend and so I wish to not give it to you either."


    "No Breyden, let me rather be the judge of that. My longing for Anastasia is bigger than what I have ever felt before. What can be greater than that?"


    "Sebastian in order for you to be with Anastasia, you will have..."


    Much to my very annoyance, Edward decides to interrupt us. "So, Sebastian how did your tour of the study go?"


    "Lot less fruitful than yours my dear brother."


    "Well mine went very fruitful indeed."


    Eva comes around to Edward''s side, putting her arm around his waist. He holds her hand firmly as she speaks, "You guys really talk kind of weird. How old are you anyway?"


    "Eva we are only as old as you want us to be," I answer.


    "Oh, Sebastian is always so full of drama," Edward says. "Our dear sister Lilith is the age of twenty seven while I am twenty eight and Sebastian our eldest at twenty nine."


    "But you all look so young?" Eva asks. "Must be something in the water."


    "My dear it is something in the blood," Not taking much note of my comment, Edward slaps me against my head. "Sebastian can say the silliest things sometimes."


    "Edward what has our brother done now?" Lilith asks as she comes to join our group again.


    I feel the most softest of hands circling my fingers. I smell the vanilla and know it is my love taking her place by my side. "So, what did I miss?"


    "How was your little mingle my love?"


    "Like I said before, they all look a bit stuck up, but they all seem to have liked my shade of lipstick."


    I look down to her lips and slightly tilt my head in confusion, "But you are not wearing any Anastasia."


    "That is exactly the same thing I said."


    Her scent is out, they have seen the cut and smelled her blood. I need to claim her as mine in front all of them to see. I am the oldest vampire in this room, no one would dare to defy me.


    "Anastasia my love, did you truly mean what you said earlier?"


    "You need to refresh my memory Sebastian; I did say a lot of things."


    "When I asked you to be mine. Was it the truth you said." I ask. "Will you take your place by my side?"


    "That is by far the weirdest way that anybody has asked me" she chuckles. "But yes, I was being truthful."


    "Anastasia if I had a heart, it would have just skipped a beat."


    With my one arm around her slender waist, I tilt her body backwards. Her blonde flocks of hair drop in strands to the floor. Her head is slightly angled to the side. Heat is radiating from her skin. I pull my lips closer and closer to the curve of her neck.


    I hear the entire room gasp.


    I hover over her soft skin for a second and then I nuzzle her with small butterfly kisses. So faint that they are almost like whispers. I feel her limp body starting to tremble. I know I can take her now and cause a feeding frenzy, but I merely want to claim what is mine.


    I lift her back up to meet my eyes. Her lips are slightly parted, and our breaths mingle.


    "Sebastian what was that?"


    "My dear Anastasia I am only stating what is mine."


    She pulls into me even closer if that was at all even possible and give me a slight kiss on the cheek. "Well maybe you should just kiss me next time."


    "Where is the fun in that?" I ask.


    "Our brother has always been one for grand public displays," Lilith adds.


    "Lilith I am afraid you are confusing me with Edward."


    "I need to agree with that," Eva says as she turns to Edward and smiles. "He seems to be quite the bad boy."


    "Now that you mention that I have asked Eva if she would spend the night. Brother and sister, you would not object to that?" Edward asks.


    "Oh, don''t mind me at all, my attention will be elsewhere," Lilith waves us off and disappears into the crowd after Victor.


    "Well then I shall see that Anastasia gets home."


    Eva takes Anastasia''s free hand and look at her as to ask, "I was, or rather we were kind of hoping that she can stay here."


    I turn to Breyden that has been standing in silence watching the whole affair, "If you can just pardon me for five minutes, I need to speak to our friend Breyden here."


    We head into a different direction far from where anyone can hear, "Breyden what is this thing that I can do?"


    "What am I supposed to do then tonight?" I ask him in shock.


    "Sebastian," he says, "I don''t think I need to tell you how to treat a lady. Just try and stay away from the cut on her lip. Now please excuse me, I need to go check on the girls."


    I follow Breyden outside as he makes his leave, "I shall see you tomorrow then my dear friend."


    The night draws to a close and all our guests have left. Soon it is only me and Anastasia alone.


    "So, Sebastian what do you do in this big old house by your own?"


    "With nothing but time on your side you soon find a lot of things to do. I mainly read."


    "I sort of figured that one," she laughs. "You do not seem the type to sit and watch television."


    "There you go calling me a type again my love. What type of man would you like me to be?"


    "Well," she lifts her brow as to think. "I like the one that you are now."


    "Don''t speak so soon, you barely know me. What if I disappoint you?"


    "Somehow I don''t think you will, there is something different about you."


    "What do you mean by different?"


    "I don''t know but I like it," she says.


    "You too my love has something special. If you give me a chance, then I would like to explore it."


    "Could we perhaps explore where I will be sleeping tonight," she asks. "I do feel very tired."


    I did forget that minor detail, mortal beings require sleep. But the question bares, do I wish to spend a night next to her and pretend or let her sleep by her own "You are most welcome to share my bed.


    "I was not going to have it any other way. I do have one minor problem."


    "There is no such thing. But what is your problem my love?"


    She shyly looks up into my eyes, but something says she is more teasing me. "I do not sleep with clothes on."


    "Oh god."


    She laughs at me and take me by the hand. "Told you it is a minor problem."


    "No problem at all. Shall we go then. I also seem to feel, tired," putting on the best fake yawn that I remember how to I can.


    Once in my room, I watch her as she goes to the corner chair and kick off her stilettos.


    "Would you mind help me unzip this dress," she says as she turns to face me. "Eva always helps me."


    I slowly move towards her to where she is standing. This does spell trouble in so many ways. She turns her back towards me and I flip her hair over her shoulder. I take her zip and start drawing, inch by inch. The warmth of her back catches my hand as I run it down. I stop for a second and admire her body. There is nothing as beautiful as a woman from behind.


    I slide my hands over her shoulders and pull the straps off one by one. Her dress drops to the floor into a black pile at her feet. I run my hands down her back and her body shivers. But it is not my hands I wish to touch her with, I want to touch her with my lips. I want to kiss her all the way down her spine. I want to grab her panties in my teeth and rip them off from her body.


    Once more she is aroused, I love the power I have over her body. I feel my own arousal too is growing by the second. Desire overtakes me and I am drawn to touch her further. My hand moves over her waist and slips in underneath the fabric of her panties. I feel her body tense and I hear her whimper.


    "If there was ever a heaven then I have just felt it," I softly whisper underneath my shaky breaths.


    "Sebastian," she whimpers.


    "Ssshh my love, let me explore your body."


    I explore and tease her with my fingers. She grabs hold of my hand and guides me towards her entrance. I have not felt something so incredible in such a very long time. She is so soft, her wetness consumes me.


    "You feel absolutely divine my love."


    She whispers my name but she is begging, "Sebastian please."


    "My love I am afraid I might hurt you."


    I knot my two fingers together and slide it gently through and ever so deep into her body. She lets out the most thunderous growl I have near to experience come from a woman. My hand pleases her in a way that no mortal hand has ever done before. I move ever so slow to savour every moment. But her sounds of delight makes me move even faster.


    "Oh Sebastian."


    "Yes my love," I say as I move even faster. I can hear her voice tremble as she speaks. "I don''t think I can control this anymore," she says.


    "Me too my dear. Just close your eyes and enjoy it."


    She reaches behind. My pants are undone faster than a vampire can move. I feel the pressure of her hand fold over me. She takes me in her palm and the most sensual strokes pleasures me. I am right there in the moment. All it takes is a few more flicks of her skillful wrist.


    Ecstasy consumes me, all I can feel is pure pleasure. I throw my head back. Raw craving fills me and it is too late, I am about to lose control.


    Then a loud scream echoes the hallways.


    "Sebastian!"


    She grabs her dress and bursts out the door. I take after her immediately and catch her just as she is about to exist the gates.


    Her voices is shaky and I see her noticeably shaking," Stay away from me!"


    "Anastasia please, my love please come inside."


    "Stay away from me Sebastian!"


    "Anastasia please let me explain," I beg her as she runs further and further away.


    "There is nothing to explain," she shouts, "You are a monster!"


    With that she dashes off down the street. What I felt so much a few minutes before feels all too familiar to me once again. I have not been called a monster in over two hundred years. And in over two hundred years I have not felt pain, until now.

 Chapter 7：Monsters Of The Night

    ...Anastasia...


    What just happened there? Did I really see what I saw? Sebastian is...l need to stop and breathe for a second here...Sebastian is...is it even possible, did my mind not loose itself in the heat of the moment, but I am sure of what I saw...Sebastian is a vampire.


    How is that even possible, how do they even exist, I thought vampires where what dark fairy tales have been made up with. But real life, living and breathing, oh wait! Is he really living, is he not supposed to be dead, he is supposed to have no heart to beat his blood with?


    Wait! How can he even walk in sunlight, is he not supposed to crumble into ash? Now I know what he meant about drinking that whiskey if and only when he had to. Oh my god, have he been wanting to drink my blood?


    This is too much for me to handle, how did I manage to get myself in this world of a mess. We are two different kind of species; how can he even have felt anything between us to start with.


    Now my stupid ass has decided to run off in the dark of the night. I have no idea where I even am and where I should go. And to make things even worse, I think am I being followed.


    My fears are all too soon confirmed as he appears out of nowhere around the corner.


    ...Sebastian...


    "Sebastian, what have you done?"


    It is the only thought that runs through my head. The woman that is so dear to me, thinks that I am a monster. She ran away and I am so afraid that she will never come back. I am a monster; how can I expect anyone to love me when I am such an awful creature like this.


    "Brother what happened?" Edward comes bursting through the doors, running up next to me. "I heard someone scream."


    "It is Anastasia," I say as I keep my head bowed to the floor. "She knows, she knows what I am."


    "Oh dear Sebastian," Edward says placing a reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I am truly sorry. Where is she now? Let me talk to her for a moment."


    "She ran out into the night."


    "But why did you not go after her?" Edward asks, clear concern in his voice.


    "Was I supposed to?" I ask. "I was not sure if I was meant to."


    "Sebastian you know what lurks out there in the night. You should go look for her at once."


    "Will you please come help me Edward, I am afraid I do not know where to start."


    "Sure," Edward says as he turns to head back to the door. "Two will always do better than one. Let me go beg pardon from Eva and I shall meet you outside."


    Edward rushes off to let Eva know of the situation with Anastasia. I take seat outside on the cold steps that leads out our driveway into the streets. The pitter patter of the rain drops falling onto the ground is the only thing that gives me comfort as a million thoughts race through my mind.


    How did I manage to get myself in such a world of a mess? We are two different species, how was I to expect that she will feel the same emotions I swear that I was...feeling.


    I already miss the warmth of her skin and that sweet smell of vanilla that captivates me so. Missing her mere presence in my company is what hits me the most. Is this what hurt is supposed to feel like? I have not known something so intense and suffocating in over two hundred years. The feeling is so unfamiliar, but all I do know is that I wish not to feel such a feeling ever again.


    Moments later Edwards joins me by my side, "Are you ready brother? Let us go find Anastasia. I do not believe she would have gotten very far."


    "Let us do," I say as I slowly get off from the floor. "I do not want to imagine what fears of the night lies out there. It is full moon and we know what creatures lurk in the shadows tonight."


    "If she had encounter one such creature, we would have heard her screams by now," Edward tries to reassure me but somehow it makes no difference.


    "Please do not say such a thing Edward," I beg. "I do not know what I will do if anything unfortunate has to happen to her. I should not have let it go so far, I should have stopped the moment I knew the passion was going to overwhelm me."


    "Sebastian, she would of found out sooner much rather than later what you truly are. If you do have such a strong bond with her, you would have had to reveal yourself then in anyway."


    "But Edward I do not wish for her to see me like this, she told me that I am a monster, you know when last I have been called that?"


    "Sebastian do you know what our dear sister Lilith told me?" Edward asks. "She said she saw that...twinkle in your eyes, like you were almost alive when you are around her."


    "She does make me feel that way," I admit. "Breyden said that there is a way that I can be with her. I just wished that I had waited."


    "What are you talking about? What did Breyden say?" Edward curiously asks.


    "He did not want to tell me in front of all that was present in the room. I will be meeting with him tomorrow."


    "Well right now tomorrow has to wait, we need to find Anastasia," Edward says as he picks up his pace.


    The drops of rain are now coming down harder, how I hate the constant rain here in London. How I wish I can take Anastasia and go back to my country of birth in France. It is so much more breath-taking than these cement walls that I am surround with.


    I am pulled from my thoughts by Edward that speaks. "What is her scent Sebastian? What does Anastasia smell like?"


    "Jasmine, Anastasia smells like jasmine and a slight hint of vanilla but it is the vanilla that will captivate you the most."


    "Let us then try pick up her scent, it will be the best way to find her. If she only just left, it would be fresh in the air."


    It does not take us too long to pick up the lingering smell of vanilla. It consumes our senses as it lies heavy in the air of the city streets.


    Edward looks at me concerned, "I am afraid it seems like she has gone off into a bad part of town."


    "I fear to mention that even I have prowled these very same streets at night," I say with obvious fear in my voice, "and we do both know it was not for a leisurely stroll."


    "Me myself Sebastian, she is a moving target out here alone. I am afraid we must start looking faster."


    Just then out the deep dark of the night we here the unmistakable screams of a woman fill the air. It is a sound of horror that travels through the deserted streets and tall walls of the buildings.


    "Oh god!" I scream. "That is Anastasia. We must hurry, we need to find her! Now! She is in danger!"


    "It came from this way," Edwards says as he pulls me by the arm. "I can smell the vanilla coming from here the strongest. It is this way. Come Sebastian, we need to hurry."


    Me and Edward take a turn into a dark alley, I have been down this very same alley so many times before. I myself come down this dark way to prey on helpless woman, I do know exactly the fear that has overrun Anastasia. She has for true come across a real monster in the sense of the word.


    "There she is Sebastian, there she is, but she is not alone," Edward lowers his voice as he comes to a stop.


    "Can you see who is with her Edward?" I ask. "Can you see what monster her has trapped down there?"


    "I am afraid I can''t, but..." Edward abruptly stops.


    "It smells like honey..." I say as I complete his sentence.


    "Yes, it does smell like honey but there is something else," he admits. "You do know what this means?"


    "There is no time to ponder what to do," I tell Edward as he is trying to hold me back. "All I need is for Anastasia to be safe. I do not care for whom or what it is and what I will be required to do."


    As we get closer to the corner, I can see her hiding behind a huge rubbish bin that smells like rotten food and dead rat. I watch as the shadow of the creature moves down onto her, ready to overpower his prey.


    Anastasia!!!


    ...Anastasia...


    Oh my god, Anastasia, you are going to die. What were you thinking running off like that into the night? Have all the monsters of the night come after me to prey upon. Not that Sebastian wanted to do so, I get the sort of feeling that he cares about me, if even that was a feeling, he was capable of feeling.


    But this is a different monster, this one does intend to finish me off as his prey. But he is not the same, he is different, a different monster to what Sebastian is. I fear that this is how my end has been dealt. For reasons unbeknownst to me, I wish that Sebastian were here.


    As I sit here in the corner behind this disgusting filth of a rubbish bin, I close my eyes and say my last goodbyes. I can feel him coming closer and closer, hovering over my skin. I can hear him sniffle as he smells at my skin. Then the most godawful thing happens...


    Nooooo!!!

 Chapter 8：The Hybrid

    Absolute horror fills me as I hear my love''s terrified screams echo through the streets. Without even considering the consequences, I move in lightning speed towards the animal that has his claws around her delicate throat.


    "Get away from her!" I shout as I approach the creature. "Be gone or I shall end your miserable life right here."


    Edward who is not as fast as me, manages to catch up and come to stand by my side. "Sebastian wait!" He pulls me back as I get ready to attack.


    I look at the monster staring back at me as I continue to stand my ground. "Do you have any idea who I am?" I ask. "Who are you and where did you come from?"


    Edward steps even closer to me, "We have not seen your kind here in over two hundred years. Answer the man, where did you come from?"


    The man finally speaks but not with the answers we are looking for, "She is mine!" he snaps back. "Go find your own!"


    I laugh at him mockingly in his face, "That is where you are mistaken my dear friend, she is mine. Now I will not ask of you again, let her go".


    "Hah, I do not see your mark," he points at Anastasia''s throat. "Quite frankly I do not care who you are," he raises his voice. "Now leave or I shall kill this worthless human you claim to be yours in front of your eyes."


    "Get off her! I will not ask you again!"


    Edward moves to the side of the godawful creature. He smells of rotten flesh and by the very looks of him he has not seen a bath in ages. We have not seen his kind lurk these streets for centuries. Over two hundred years ago when we came to London, they riddled the streets, it took us months to exterminate them all. They are the evil spawn that are half vampire and half wolf.


    Now the worthless mut has his paws on my Anastasia. I have no calm in killing his kind again, but should I do so and there is more of him, then we will for sure start a war. But this is my love, I am willing to do anything to save her. He has her scent, if not tonight, he will come for her.


    I look at Edward and nod my head, "You know what to do, take her home and I shall meet you there. I have a dog that needs to be taught a few new tricks."


    Before the hybrid could even possibly think of making a move, I grab him by the neck and force him against the wall, the impact makes the bones in his back crack.


    "Aaahhh you are going to pay for that," the mut screams. "For a vampire you are a complete idiot, you know that those will heal faster than your next breath."


    "Oh, you do make me laugh," I push him even further up the wall. "I am afraid you are mistaken if you think that you are going to live long enough to hear my next breath."


    He kicks hard against the wall, trying to push his body back, "Put me down and I will let you live."


    "You should have put the girl down when I asked you to."


    "Your voice is starting to annoy me. Let me go! Who do you think you are?" You can''t keep me up here the whole night!"


    "I am Sebastian Belmont, you stupid mut. And I can keep you up here as long as I want but as much as I enjoy playing with my prey, I have somewhere else to be."


    I see his eyes grow wide and fear creeps in, "Wait Mr Belmont" he begs. "I am sorry."


    "Too late." With one flick of my hand I snap his neck. I can hear every bone as it cracks bit by bit. I must admit having such power and feeling the bones crack against my palm is the second-best feeling that a creature of my kind can have. I feel his final breath blow over my skin, the mut is dead.


    I release my fingers one by one from his neck and his limp body drops like a sandbag to the floor. I open the filthy rubbish bin and toss hit body inside, hopefully by the time they discover him, the rats would have eaten his flesh off the bone.


    Making sure that I am not seen, I leave the alley and head home. When I arrive there, Lilith is with Anastasia and Eva in the common room.


    Lilith gets off from her seat and come towards me to give me a hug, "Dear brother, I am so relieved to see you, we were worried sick."


    "Just a dog that needed house training my dear", I say as she pulls away. "All is fine now, he won''t be bothering anyone again".


    Anastasia looks at me in horror, "Did¡­did you kill him?" she asks.


    "I did what had to be done Anastasia," I explain as I take her hand, but she pulls away. "I am afraid he would have come for you again if he did not get what he wanted tonight."


    "What¡­what did he want?"


    "He would want the same thing as what our kind does, he just does not go about it so elegantly."


    "Oh my god," she laughs hysterically. "Is there even such a thing as elegantly drinking someone''s blood? I mean what are you?!"


    "Anastasia, let me go clean you off," once more I try to take her hand, but she pushes me away. "I will explain all about it to you then."


    "No!" she shouts. "You think I am going to let you be alone with me?"


    "My dear you have been alone with Edward and Lilith and have they have not done a thing."


    She looks over to Lilith that is sitting next to her and Edward across the room. I can hear her heart thumping hard against her rib cage. Her face turns a white shade of pale as she turns back to me. "You mean?"


    "Yes," I answer with somewhat amusement on my face. "Edward and Lilith are vampires too."


    "Holy shit!" Eva jumps off the chair.


    Anastasia pulls Eva by the arm. "Eva, I don''t think you can say holy."


    Not that it is the appropriate time to, but I burst out laughing. "Don''t worry about that my dear. Now please, I insist, let me go clean you off."


    "You really do smell like dead dog," Lilith insists.


    "How?" she looks down as to smell herself. "I mean I don''t smell a thing".


    "Trust me dear," Edward says. "You do."


    "Please my love," I beg of her. "Please come with me."


    "Okay but if you try sticking your teeth thingies in me then you are going to wish you were dead."


    "I am already dead my love," I walk on over to her and gently take her hand. She is somewhat resistant but allows me to slowly help her off the chair. I slide my hand around her waist, how I have missed this. Only a few hours ago she nearly was mine but now we feel like we are two worlds apart, which in fact we are.


    As we reach my room, I let her sit on the bed while I run a bath of water. From the bathroom I can hear her whispering to herself.


    ""What have you gotten yourself into Anastasia. He is a damn vampire. A damn hot vampire. Shit why did they have to make him so damn hot?""


    I softly chuckle to myself, she surely is one special creature.


    Once I am satisfied the water is the correct temperature for such a fragile body, I head back into the room. "You need to get undressed for this Anastasia."


    "And let you see me naked?", she laughs. "I don''t think so."


    "My love, my hands were all over you only a few hours ago, I know how you feel naked. I don''t think seeing you makes such a difference."


    "Fine", she says. "But keep your hands to yourself."


    "How am I going to bath you then?"


    "I have two hands," she waves them in front my face. "I am sure I can do it myself."


    "As you wish then."


    She rushes into the bathroom ahead of me. I watch as she slips her feet out her stilettos and drop them down next to her on the floor. She slides her hands underneath her dress and slowly pull her panties off. I swear she is doing this on purpose. She looks over her shoulder back at me. "Please," she asks of me to unzip her dress.


    "Of course." For the second time tonight, I find myself staring at her bare back. She takes hold of my hands and allow me to slide them over her shoulders, I let her dress drop and run my hands down her spine. She shivers and lets out a low moan. I run my hands further down the contours of her waist and even further down her tight bottom.


    As I run the over her thighs, she grabs hold of them and stop. "I thought you were going to bathe me?" she asks.


    "Your beauty captivates me, it is hard to keep my hands from you." Before she can protest, I softly lay my lips on the bare of her neck and kiss her.


    Her entire body freezes, "Se¡­Sebastian."


    "Don''t worry my love, if I was going to bite you it would have been the side of your neck."


    "Thanks for warning me," she says while unknowingly rubbing her neck. "Now those lips will never come close to my neck."


    "So you mean they can come close to you but just not your neck?"


    "I did not say that," she protests. "Don''t get any clever ideas here."


    "I know you find me irresistible Anastasia; you will soon be begging for it."


    "We will just have to wait and see."


    "Why don''t you get into the water before you freeze to death," I ask.


    "I am not cold," she snaps back.


    "Then why are you shaking like that?"


    "It''s you," she says.


    I smile at her and bite down on my bottom lip, "Told you I will have an effect on you."


    "You are impossible," she says as she dips her toes in the water one by one and slide down along the edge of the bath making herself comfortable. She slowly closes her eyes and loose herself in the moment.


    I start and one by one I undo each button of my stained white shirt. With her eyes still firmly closed, I start to unzip my pants, I kick it off in a pile next to her dress and toss my shirt there too. As I have my briefs halfway down my legs, her eyes open. She stares at me in total shock, standing in front her with a full erection. "Oh my god," she softly whispers.


    "What are you doing? she asks trying her best to look away. "Where is your clothes?"


    I point over to the pile on the floor.


    "I can see that!" she looks at me again. "Why are they not on you?"


    "My dear I took them off, is that not obvious?"


    "Believe me it is very obvious."


    "I am getting in with you," I walk closer to get into the bath. "Now move a bit up so I can get in behind you."


    "Oh no you are not," she tries to make me stop.


    "How am I supposed to bathe you then?"


    "Next to the bath," she points to where I am standing.


    "And you would be fine in having my crotch in your face?"


    "Urgh," she grunts. "Just get in the bath then."


    She allows me to slide in behind her back into the water, the moment she feels my growing erection push into her skin, she gasps, "Sebastian."


    "Ssshhh Anastasia".


    I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her closer to me between my legs. I soak a sponge in the water and lather it with soap. Gently I start washing her back, moving up her spine and down her back. I move over her arms and along her sides. Slowly I move my hands from her sides and up her chest. Her breathing stops for a short second as I place one hand on her breast while rubbing the sponge in circles.


    "Sebastian."


    I purposely ignore her plea and start laying small kisses on her shoulder. My free hand moves to the front and take her other breast in my hand. I softly squeeze. Her breathing is now a lot heavier. I drop the sponge in the water and run my palms over her erect nipples. Her breasts are soft and supple in my hands as I take them both and start rubbing them harder.


    "Sebastian that is not bathing," she says with heavy breaths.


    "Do you want me to stop Anastasia?" I do not pay attention to what she says, I continue to kiss her on her shoulder and up her neck. Her moans are increasing by the moment.


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my love?"


    "What does it feel like?"


    "What does what feel like?"


    "Being bitten."


    "Think of feeling so much pleasure that you cannot handle it and times that by tenfold," I try to explain.


    "So, if you bit me I wont die or become a vampire?"


    "Why you asking Anastasia? Do you want to feel it?"

 Chapter 9：The Kiss

    ...Anastasia...


    Behind me is the very same thing that had his claws around my throat in that alley. But that was a monster and this, this is a man. He might be a vampire but yet there is something that draws me to him. I want to be so mad at him for deceiving me the way he did but then he looks at me with those deep brown eyes and nothing else really matters.


    Now, now he is behind me, holding my body in a way that no man has held me in a very long time for. The way his soft lips are rubbing against my naked skin is making me crave him in ways I should not even consider at all.


    But what if¡­


    "Sebastian," I call his name as I lay my head back against his chest.


    "Yes, my love?"


    "Will you ever bite me," I ask. "Will you ever bite me if I did not want you to?"


    "My love, I would never hurt you."


    But I am curious so I ask him more, "Is it sore? When you bite a human, is it sore?"


    "It does not hurt at all," he explains. "The very second I drive my fangs into your skin, let us call it inject, I inject like a venom, a good venom into your body that makes you feel pleasure."


    "So that is why you say I will feel pleasure?" I move a little bit closer into his embrace. "But won''t it kill me?"


    "Yes, my love, it could. If I feed to long, you will either die or I can turn you into one of our kind."


    "But," I say, "Is that not sore too?"


    "Yes," he stops for a moment and continues further. "Turning into a vampire is quite unbearable."


    "Did it hurt for you?"


    "Ssshh my love", he softly whispers. "Let me bathe you then we can discuss some more once we are done."


    "Just one more question?"


    "Sure of course," he patiently says.


    "If we were supposed to make love, will you bite me then?"


    "I am afraid that I will," I feel his body goes stiff behind mine. "I do not possess the ability to control myself in a way that I would not."


    "And if I kiss you again?"


    I can hear the tone in his voice change, and I am sure that he is smiling. "Well," he says. "I think we can always try again?"


    I do not hesitate for a moment; I turn my body around and hook my legs around his waist and settle down on his lap. The water is gushing everywhere. I giggle when I see the expression on his face as I wiggle my bum into him further.


    "What are you doing Anastasia?" he asks.


    "What does it look like Sebastian?" I answer.


    I see the heat ignite in his eyes. "You are playing with fire my love."


    "Well let us try and not get me burned," I say as I move my face closer.


    I can see the flicker of hope in his eyes but beyond that truly is concern. Can this...man, truly show so much feelings for me? But he should be dead so therefor he has no heart, well the heart that makes one feel. Whichever it might be, I am still drawn to him in ways I probably should not be.


    "My love," I look deep into his brown eyes. "Do not overthink it so much, just kiss me."


    "I have not heard a mortal woman say that to me in such a very long time," the appreciation is clear in his voice.


    I do not care for him to think about it much long. I take his face in my hands and pull him closer to mine. His breathing becomes heavier the closer I draw his lips to mine. "Close your eyes Sebastian and don''t think."


    I watch him hesitantly close his eyes and his grip around my waist becomes tighter. I part my lips and rub them over his trembling bottom lip. He gasps at the touch and parts his in return. Our lips interlock in a slow and passionate kiss.


    He bites and pulls at my bottom lip, fear and pleasure consumes me, it drives me to kiss him even deeper. I run my hands through his hair, sending delicate kisses down his neck. I feel his roar against my chest as he lets out a deep moan.


    "Anastasia," he whispers.


    I press my finger against his lip, "It is my turn to say ssshhh Sebastian."


    He watches me as I start roaming my hands over his body. Feeling each crack and crevice of his sculpted stomach, drawing circles over his muscled chest. I can see the lust and craving in his eyes as I run my finger closer to his erection. He takes my hand and stops me before I can wrap my palm around him.


    "Kiss me Anastasia."


    I draw my lips back to his again. This time it is not just a kiss of the lips, but we are embraced in a full-on open mouth sexual kiss. It is hot and passionate. His hands is running down my back and I move even closer. His body is hard and heavy against me, our bodies forming and melting into one.


    I grind myself harder against him and he once more growls deep from inside. Oh god how I wish I could feel him inside of me. The power I feel moving underneath me is enough to rock my soul.


    The craving between our bodies are becoming unbearable. I can feel he wants to give in but the thought of hurting me is the only thing that makes him keep control. We break away from the fiery kiss and he runs his tongue down my neck and over my collarbone.


    I disobey his request and once more go to take him in my hand. As I wrap my palm around his pulsating erection, he cries out in shock.


    And then¡­I scream out,"Aaahhh Sebastian."


    His fangs sink into the soft wet skin of my neck. And he was so right, god it feels so incredible, I have never in my entire life felt something so sensational. I feel like I am floating on air with warm tingles in my fingers and toes. The glorious rush that consumes my body, increases my arousal even more.


    I can feel his razor-sharp teeth settle deep into my skin, but it is not sore. He grips tight around my waist and pulls me ever so close. He gently sucks, I feel the most mind blowing feeling overwhelm my body. He sucks and sucks, but I do not let him stop, my own grip around him grows even stronger. As I whimper in pleasure, he realizes what he has done, and he immediately stops.


    "Anastasia! My love, I am so sorry. I did not mean to, it was just, just¡­"


    "It was incredible Sebastian," I gasp. "I do not even think that is the right word to use. You were right, I have never felt anything so good."


    "It should never have happened!" he shouts. "I told you I do not wish to hurt you."


    "It is not your fault Sebastian, I wanted to kiss you. It is not your fault that I touched you."


    "It is my fault," he insists. "I should not have let it go this far."


    I watch how he watched the blood that is trickling down my shoulder, "Can I ask you something Sebastian?"


    "Sure, anything my love."


    "You want it, don''t you?" I wipe the blood with my finger and press it against his lips.


    "No!" he stops me.


    "Oh, come on Sebastian, I know you want to do it again."


    "As much as I would love to," he admits. "I won''t. I won''t hurt you again."


    "What if I want you to?"


    "I''d say you are crazy to give yourself to me in such a way," he says.


    "Sebastian, how are we ever going to be together then?"


    "You want to be with me?" his voice has now gone cold. "After you know what I am, after you have seen this monster?"


    "You are not a monster Sebastian; I am sorry of calling you that earlier. You are a man, a man that I know I would really like to be with."


    "But I thought I should keep away from you? Is that not what you said?"


    "Yes, I did," I try to explain. "But I also allowed you to kiss me. There is something about you Sebastian Belmont and I would like to explore it."


    He looks at me surprised, "My dear Anastasia, you do not know what you are asking for but let me tell you this, there is only one woman I''d like to explore me and that is you."


    "Well can we take this outside cause the water is getting really cold."


    He laughs at me and smiles, "I forgot you humans feel that kind of thing."


    He lifts me out the bath and carries me to his bed. He drops me into the soft velvety sheets and comes to lay beside me.


    "Sleep my love. You have had quite the busy day." He gently kisses me on my lips and pulls the blankets over me. Not a few minutes later and I drift off to sleep.


    ...Sebastian...


    I am watching my love as she sleeps, I have not seen a woman doing such a thing in my bed for nearly three hundred years. I have had woman in my bed as a human but let us just say I was quite the Casanova, so they did not stay there for any length of time. But Anastasia is different, I am different when I am around her even when I am without her.


    And now I have bitten her, again. But this time I tasted more of her blood; I had my fangs soaked in it. It was like having my mouth in a jar of honey, so smooth and sweet, the most delicious bit of her indeed.


    I watch her stir, as she opens her eyes, she looks at me and smiles. "How long have you been staring at me?"


    "For the better part of five hours."


    "And that is not creepy at all," she laughs. "Do you ever sleep?"


    "I do lay down, but sleep is not something I need."


    "Is it morning already?" she asks.


    "Yes, my love. Can I bring you a warm cup of coffee?"


    "No thanks," she jumps off from the bed. "I must get to work."


    "I am afraid I am not allowing you to do that." I stop her before she can put on her clothes. "You went through a terrible ordeal last night; you need some rest."


    "You just want to have me to yourself in bed the whole day."


    "Well yes," I admit. "But I insist, please stay. Eva said she will cover for you."


    "Ah so you guys planned this?" she looks at me with her questioning eyes.


    "I would never do such a thing."


    "So, what are you going to do the whole day?" she asks as she get back underneath the sheets next to me.


    "I need to meet with an old friend to discuss a few matters, but I won''t be too long."


    "What are you going to discuss?" she pushes me for an answer.


    "Nothing you should be worried about," I assure her.


    "Sebastian, you know being in a relationship means not secrets?"


    "Fair enough," I admit but not truly wanting to discuss the matter with her. "I am going to see Breyden. He told me there might be a way for me and you to be together."


    "But we are together?" she claims.


    "I know my love, but for me not wanting to suck you dry if and when we do make love."


    "But I don''t mind Sebastian."


    "Anastasia," I slightly raise my voice to her. "What you experienced last night is nothing compared to what I can do. I do not wish to take such a risk."


    "So how is he going to help you?"


    "Well let us just say that Breyden knows a lot of things."


    "Is he a vampire too?" she asks.


    "No, he is an even older creature than I am."


    "So, what is he then?" she continues to ask.


    "He is an a¡­"


    Just then Edward comes bursting through the door, "Brother you better come quick!"

 Chapter 10：The Confrontation

    Something is terribly wrong. Edward knows best not to interrupt me while I am in the confinement of my room. And to barge in while he knows I am with Anastasia is even more out of the ordinary for him.


    I quickly rush to dress myself. I turn over to face Anastasia that is startled just as much as I am. "My love, please wait here while I go attend to this matter."


    "I am coming with you." she protests while gathering her clothes from the floor. "Just give me a second to get dressed."


    "You will remain here, please," I insist. "I am not sure if there is any danger. I shall be back as soon as I can."


    "Promise me you will call for me if you are in trouble?", she takes my hand and rests it against her chest.


    "I will request your presence if need be," I assure her. "Now please get back underneath the covers, you still need to get some rest."


    "Yes, my love?"


    She looks at me with genuine concern in her eyes, "Please be careful."


    "I always am my love," I reassure her as best as I can. "I shall return shortly."


    I lay a gentle kiss upon her forehead and make sure to cover her underneath the sheets. I make my leave and head on down to where Edward has requested my presence.


    I am met by two very unfamiliar faces as I enter the common room. Their faces might not be familiar, but their smell clearly places their nature. This indeed does spell trouble.


    "Sebastian," Edward announces my entrance. "Thank you for coming so soon."


    "We have two¡­guests¡­" Lilith hesitates as she speaks. "They have¡­demanded¡­to have a word."


    "Do excuse my ignorance," I say passing them to join Edward and Lilith by their side. "Who might you be that you believe that you may demand my time?"


    "Mr Belmont," the blonde woman says as she addresses me. "I am Catarina, and this here is my brother, Louis."


    "Pleasure to make the acquaintance Sir," the man with the messy hair and dead dark voice says as he reaches to greet me.


    I refuse to take his hand and continue to speak, "Likewise, now what is it that I may do for you both?"


    "Well Mr Belmont, or may I call you Sebastian?" she asks.


    "Mr Belmont is just fine," I brush off her boldness as to ask to be called by my name.


    "Well," she carries onto speak. "We are from the Blood Rose pack."


    "Yes Catarina, I am fully aware of what you are," I claim getting somewhat annoyed by her presence. "In over two hundred years I have not managed to lose my sense of smell."


    "Then you will also know¡­"


    I interrupt her, "Yes that your dear brother, Louis is indeed a hybrid. But do entertain me and explain since when does hybrids and wolves live together?"


    "See," she explains. "We took Louis and his brother in after your big¡­extermination and they have become part of the pack."


    "And tell me Louis," I ask.


    "Yes Sir".


    "Who might your brother be," knowing full well whom they are talking about.


    "If I may be so frank Sir," he asks.


    "By all means do," my voice raises as their presence are now irritating me. "Why not get all the formalities away and let us get straight to the point?"


    "My brother, James, he starts. "James is the one you had so elegantly thrown away for dead."


    "Well my dear Louis, your dear brother James had his claws around my beloved''s neck," my explanation is short and brief to him. "He had left me with no other choice," I claim.


    "But I do disagree Sir, you did not give him warning to stand down," he raises his voice as he snaps back at my statement.


    "Son," I politely say. "We, me and Edward gave your brother fair warning and he refused to back down. Your brother sadly received what he deserved."


    "Now there is the problem," the woman speaks again. "You, Mr Belmont, know the has been peace declared between our kinds for over two hundred years here in London. You, Sir, have gone and broken that."


    "Well what is it that you want then?" I ask. "Declare peace and move on? Somehow I do not think that it is the reason why you have come here."


    "We want the girl," she boldly claims.


    "I beg your pardon Catarina, but I am unclear on what I just heard," my voice have turn aggressive. "You said you want the girl," I ask.


    "Yes, we want the girl. You have taken one of our own. Our brother would have never tried taking the girl if she did not bare your mark which makes me believe that she had not turned, and you have not intention to do so."


    "My dear, my intention with the girl is none of your concern," I move to stand my ground. "And they only way you will lay your hands on her is if I was dead. Now best you run along, and refrain from ever setting your paws in my home and demand anything."


    "I am afraid Mr Belmont, me and the others are not leaving unless we have the girl," she states.


    Edward intrigued by the woman''s statement, speaks, "What do you means others," he asks. "Have you brought company on our property without our consent or knowledge."


    "Sir Edward," the man addresses him. "If you would look outside you will see they are not on your property but will be if we require them to do so."


    "This is outrages. Are you truly bringing a battle to my doorstop?" my voice demands as I ask of him.


    "We are only seeking justice, Mr Belmont," the woman raising her own voice says.


    "You do not know what¡­" my words are stopped mid-sentence for I hear two tiny footsteps coming down the hallway. It is my dear Anastasia. She is walking straight into the trouble that is being unfold. She is in danger and from where I am standing there is no way that I can save her.


    I try to get the attention of either Edward or Lilith, but both are firmly standing their ground to protect me. The footsteps are getting closer and closer. Edward who has caught onto her scent moves closer to the doorway. Chaos is about to abrupt.


    "Edward go!" I yell.


    "Not so fast!" the hybrid uses his skill of a vampire to move lightning fast and his flexibility as a wolf to block off Edward''s passage to the doorway. But Edward is one faster and kicks the mut to the side.


    "I will get her brother!" Lilith shouts.


    "Oh no you don''t," there is a screeching of nails against the marble floor as the wolf morphs into her true form. Is she was not such a vile creature, I would have admired her fur that is a brilliant shade of white. And that is as far as it goes. Her growling mouth and godawful teeth is snapping at Lilith''s feet.


    "What¡­" there is shock and pure pale terrified horror on Anastasia''s face as she turns the corner. If yesterday was the first time she saw a vampire, then today is the first she is seeing a wolf.


    "OH MY GOD!!!" she screams at a pitch high enough to break a mirror. She has made eye contact with the wolf and from the hysterics in her voice I just know she is experiencing true terror.


    "Sebastian!" she screams after me and all I feel is true helplessness. Between us in the middle is a scuffle of vampire, wolf, and hybrid. Edward seeing the agony on my face pushes his efforts harder and manages to get the mut out of the way. Leaving enough room to get to Anastasia.


    But before I can get to her the hybrid manages to stand again and heads straight for Anastasia. That feeling I feel for her consumes me and by the most incredible power, I grab the mut by the throat and lift his body in the air.


    "STOP OR HE DIES!"


    The scuffle between Lilith and the wolf settles and they break apart. The wolf morphs back into her human form, standing bare naked in front all in the room. But her vulnerability does not make her authority waver.


    "Drop him!" she demands.


    "Tell him to back down or he dies!" my grip around his throat tightens.


    "Drop him!" she demands again.


    "Back down!" my grip around his throat tightens more.


    "Louis back down," she asks of her brother.


    I drop the mut and he goes to seek the safety of his wolf sister. The room calms but the tension and aggression are still fueled in the air. I move closer to my Anastasia where she is hiding behind the shield of a chair.


    "Come my love," I reach out my hand and she hesitantly take it. I feel her body shaking from the shock, that the poor girl did not faint shows me how much of a strong woman she is. I wrap my are around her waist and pull her into the safety of my body.


    "Now, you will leave," my voice is firm and demanding as I speak. "And do not make the mistake to over return. We shall remain in treaty with your pack, but the hybrids need to go!"


    "Mr Belmont," the woman says. "I am afraid that is not going to happen. We came for the girl and we shall take her."


    "Maybe you have some fur stuck in your ear! I said no!" my voice growls as I speak.


    "Well you leave us with no other choice then," she turns to look to her hybrid brother.


    There is a loud bang as another wolf comes morphing through the front door. A glass shatters as a bunch of black fur come crashing through the window. There are five wolves and a hybrid in the common room, we are three vampires and a human¡­we are outnumbered.

 Chapter 11：Knocking At Deaths Door

    I have brought danger to my love, the very thing I was protecting her from is now threatening to take her away. I cannot let them take her, the things they would do to her, I cannot even think of. There is only one way to protect her now. I do hate that it has come to this, but there is no other way.


    "My love," I softly whisper in her ear.


    "Yes Sebastian?" she asks, turning her head to look at me.


    "I am so sorry for what I am about to do."


    I do not give her one second to say a word. I ever so gently lean her head to the side. There is not time for being slow now, this has to be done and done at once. I bear my fangs for the entire room to see and with one quick flick of my head, my teeth are sunk into her neck.


    "Sebastian!!!" I hear her scream. I close my eyes and pretend for these few seconds that it is not her who I am about to drink from. I hold her strong and make sure I am nestled firm...then...I suck and suck...and once more I suck. I can feel her small body starting to go limp, but I keep sucking still. I get lost in the sweet taste that is her, I feel the rush of power surge through my body. I have drunk too much. She drops into my arms and Edward takes her from me.


    "Now get out of my house!" I demand for Catarina and her muts to leave. "She bears my mark and you know that you cannot take her. I want this hybrid out of town before he too gets exterminated."


    "You know that is not going to happen Mr Belmont," Catarrina says.


    "My dear," Edward interrupts. "You would be wise to take the man''s advice. Now leave at once and do not make the mistake in coming back again."


    "We shall leave but this is not done," she warns as she starts to make her departure.


    "My dear Catarina. I have no calm in taking your pack of muts out," I raise my voice in reply. "I might have let you live today but the next time our paths cross you won''t be so lucky again."


    "What does this human have that draws you so much?" she asks.


    "That is none of your concern," I snap back at her. "Make sure the hybrid leaves and our treaty shall remain in place. Now if you will excuse me, I need to attend to my love."


    "Very well Mr Belmont," she agrees. "I shall do as you wish. I do hope that your girl is still very much alive after you have drunk her so dry."


    Once in the safety behind my doors, I softly lay her down on the satin sheets, the very please I left her not so long ago. Before I cover her pale frail body, I place my ear closer to her lips. I can hear her slowly breathing, it comforts me for just a moment. But the question begs, is she really truly alive still.


    "Oh, my dear Anastasia, please believe I had to do that needed to be done. This, this what I feel for you, I could not loose it, I could not bear losing you. It truly warms me, to know that you are alive, but I fear I might have turned you into one of my kind."


    I softly lean in and kiss her soft rose lips, in all the paleness of her face, it is the only thing that remains with colour. Then I see it, the unmistakable mark that I have left behind in her tender neck. I have indeed drank a lot, my need to protect her might have pushed me too far.


    I sit with her for a while and I hold her hands. I watch her and pray that she does not stop to breathe. As the light of day disappears, I decide to make my way downstairs. I find Lilith and Edward in the common room, but they are not alone.


    "Dear brother, how is Anastasia?" Edward rises from his seat and come towards me.


    "I am afraid she has not woken yet," I acknowledge Edward as he gives me a reassuring pat on my back.


    "Oh Sebastian, I am truly sorry. Do you think she might turn? Lilith asks.


    "I am afraid that I have indeed drunk too long," I admit.


    "That is why I am here my friend," Breyden speaks for the first time.


    "Dear Breyden, if she does then there is nothing that any of us, not even you can do." I say.


    "Yes I is true, but what kind of friend would I be if I was not here for you," Breyden adds, as I take a seat next too him and he lays a comforting hand on my shoulder. If ever there was a creature that could give comfort it is one of his kind.


    My path crossed with Breyden in my very young years as a vampire. I was wild and had a constant crave for human blood. I prowled the streets like a reckless teenager and drunk from anyone I could find. One night in an alley after drinking from my victim, he showed up from nowhere to save the poor girl I chose to feast on.


    I was sure then that he would most definitely kill me, knowing full well what I was and what I am capable of doing, but he still allowed me to live. Much to my surprise we became close friends and have been ever since then. He did not at first reveal his true nature until one day after a heated argument.


    See what my dear friend Breyden is, is a far more magnificent creature.


    "Never did I see the day that three vampires and an angel would sit so close and worry about the fate of one human," I say as I shake my head.


    "That is true my dear brother, do you see the beauty that you have brought to our live?" Lilith asks of me.


    "Yes, but," I hesitate. "The beauty might be slowly fading away."


    "Sebastian, I do believe that you have gone so far," Breyden say. "I still feel the presence of her soul real strong."


    Just then I remember what he said the day before, just before he left from here. He said that there would be a way for me and Anastasia to be together. It does give me hope now, but that is if I am not too late.


    "Breyden, you mentioned yesterday that there is a way for me and Anastasia to be together. What is it that you are talking of?" I ask.


    "As I said that it is a way that you are not going to like," he says. "It might be brief and end up very unpleasant."


    "If the is a way I can be with her and not try kill her again," I add. "It is a way I will definitely consider."


    "My friend what you are experiencing is love, which for me says that you might still have your soul. Should you drink of my blood and you do still possess it," he explains. "It will turn you into a human again, but if I am wrong," he adds. "If you do in fact have no soul at all, if you drink my blood, you will instantly die."


    The room goes instantly quiet, I have never known this, how can a vampire like me in all my years not have heard of this before. Well it does leave poor Breyden in a rather peculiar position as every vampire that wishes to be human will hunt him down like an animal just for a taste of his blood. But this is indeed a very risky way.


    "Is that the way?" I ask. "If I drink your blood, I become like her, I become a human again?"


    "Yes," Breyden says. "But if I am wrong Sebastian, then you will die. Is this a risk you are willing to take?"


    I do not answer, there is so many options to weigh up here. If I do, she might lose me, if I don''t, I might lose her. How do you make such a decision, thinking of loosing her already kills me? But is it true, could I still possibly have a soul? How can I have not notice it all these years? If I do, it surely does explain all these things I have been¡­feeling. But I could also be wrong.


    "It is a big decision Sebastian and I will not push you to make it now," Breyden states. "What you need to do now is to be by her side."


    "Then you will have to excuse me then." I get up from my chair to leave. "I need to go to her. We shall speak soon Breyden."


    I make my leave and rush back up to my room and I found her where I left her before. She has not stirred as the sheets is still the very way, I placed them earlier on. I kick off my shoes and get rid of my shirt, I slide in under the covers. Her skin is cold as I pull her into my chest. Her breathing is still soft and shallow, but her heartbeat lacks the strength.


    Now, now all I can do is just wait...

 Chapter 12：After The Venom

    My dear Anastasia has been laying here in my arms for almost a day. She has not stirred much but for a few tremors that riddles what I fear could be her dreams. What has my foolish behavior done to her?


    But this truly begs to bring a question, did I release too much of my venom into her? For I fear then her transition into a vampire might have begun and her tremors aren''t dreams, but her body slowly dying.


    As the sun slowly starts to set on this miserable day, I once more feel her body stir. I pull her even more closer to where her head is resting on my chest. I close my eyes and think to myself, that only if I had left her alone in that alley, none of these beastly things would have happened to her.


    "Se¡­Sebastian," I hear her whisper and I immediately sit up straight.


    "Anastasia, my love. My god you are awake!"


    "Sebastian, what happened?"


    "I was foolish my love, I tried to claim you but I feared that I went too far."


    "What do you mean too far?"


    "I was worried that I might have turned you, but my love, you look fine. How are you feeling?"


    "I have the worst headache ever. Do you perhaps have some aspirin?"


    "I will check with Lilith. Just wait here, I shall be right back."


    She slowly starts to get off from the bed, but she stumbles as her legs seem to give away. It must be the venom that have not completely worn away.


    "My Anastasia, I beg of you, please stay in bed."


    "I said no Sebastian!" she unexpectedly snaps at me and tries to stand up again. "I do not wish to lay here any longer."


    "As you wish. Do you want to accompany me downstairs?" I ask as I reach out for her hand.


    "I would prefer if you take me home instead."


    "But my love, I do not wish to leave you alone."


    "Sebastian please take me home. I am not feeling well, I know how to look after myself and in any case, Eva is there as well."


    I try to hide my disappointment as best as I can and wrap my arm around her waist. "I shall do it at once, please may you do me one favor though, can I give you a jacket to dress you warm? I fear the day has grown cold and there is somewhat of a drizzle outside."


    I continue to retrieve a long black jacket from my coat rack standing in the corner. A very jacket I have worn so many nights while I have gone out on a prowl. I watch as she slips it on and I softly chuckle as I watch her drown in it herself.


    She turns to me and smiles, but it is a smile that does not reach her eyes. "How do I look?" She twirls around in a circle.


    "Absolutely exquisite," I step forward and pull her into my embrace. "Let me take you home my love so that you may get some rest."


    She follows me downstairs, insisting that she needs no help. As we pass the common room, Lilith and Edward are still entertaining Breyden, whom out of concern for Anastasia has cancelled his trip home. The concern is visible in each of their eyes, but I slowly shake my head to beg them to not ask any word.


    "My dear Anastasia, we are pleased to see you have joined us again," Lilith rises from her seat to give her a warm hug.


    "Thank you, Lilith," she accepts the gesture and reassures all in the room. "I promise I am feeling better, I only have a slight headache and my body feels a bit weak too. But I should feel better within a day."


    I look over to Breyden as Anastasia tries to convince us all, all he does is nod to confirms that her soul is still present. After another few minutes, we finally make our leave out the door.


    The drive to her home is fairly quiet. I do get the impression that she could be slightly upset, as for her aggression is clearly present. Have I only but pushed her away, has my claim on her left damage to our relationship. Whatever the reason may be, the longing for each other has surely died from her side.


    Do I dare bring up the question, am I so vulnerable and insecure? For I need to know that what we have is still perfectly intact. I do not wish to lose her, not now, not when I have only found her. But I let her be and do not pry any further and leave her as she just stares out the window.


    As we finally reach her home, she turns to me and presses her lips gently against mine. She gives me the softest of butterfly kisses and holds me in a hug. Her eyes meet mine for a second as she speaks, "I promise you Sebastian I am okay. I shall give you a call in the morning."


    "Anastasia my love, I truly am deeply sorry. I only wanted to protect you from their pack. I never wanted to harm you in any way."


    "Sebastian I do understand, if you did not do what you did they would have taken me. Please, I am not mad. I am fine, please stop worrying your big head."


    "Hahaha. You do make me laugh my love. Now please rush in and please if anything happens give me a call."


    She hugs me one final time before she rushes out in the rain. I sit there for a long while longer, just to make sure that all remains okay. After waiting for an hour, I feel a lot less worried and start to make my way home.


    ...Anastasia...


    Never have I felt such incredible pain, it clearly feels if my head can burst apart. Whatever that nonsense that Sebastian calls venom, is clearly not agreeing with my system. Every bone in my body hurts, I know I was lying to Sebastian but I did not want to make him worry. I understand why he did what he did but I sure would have loved if he asked me first, but I guess that is a vampire, they do not ask, they just take.


    As I wander through the kitchen to make my way to the room, I notice that Eva is not home. She must have had to work a late shift again, guess I will just grab some hot cocoa and go to bed.


    After aimlessly doing nothing for hours as I cannot fall asleep, I drink what is now my fifth painkiller for the evening. I do not feel any much better than I felt before, the pain is almost unbearable now. "It is just my body fighting the venom," I try to reassure myself. "All that I need is some sleep." I and decide to take something to help me.


    I do eventually fall into a deep sleep but my dreams are riddled with nightmares of vampires and the most horrific things. From killing humans for fun to hunting them down like animals to feast. The dreams seem so vivid and real, I can almost taste the blood that drips from the human''s throat.


    All of a sudden I sit straight up in bed, the aching in my body seems to have grown even worse, but there is a new feeling creeping up in me too.


    "I must have had a nightmare, the most bizarre one I must say."


    She does the most peculiar thing though, she raises her hand to my forehead. "You look pale but you do not feel like you have a temperature. Are you feeling ok?"


    "I am not sure, something feels wrong."

 Chapter 13：The Burning Inside

    ...Anastasia...


    There is a rage starting to grow in my body, not only for Sebastian but for the way I am feeling. Sebastian did what he did for the mere reason of saving my life, but did he have the right? I no longer think so. For the pain and agony my body is experiencing, is beyond what my fragile body can take. I thought that sleep would have done me good, when in fact it has only made me feel worse. My head feels blown away by the most horrible throbbing. My body aches in hooks and crevices that I did not know even existed. If I knew death then I would say this how it felt.


    What was I thinking allowing a vampire in my life when all that he did was bring danger to me? How would a love between us even have lasted, for I would grow old and he would never perish? But let us not forget that he kills humans for their blood, how long would it have taken him...in fact he has already drank my blood, drank to a point where I am near damn dry. And in doing so he has put my body in danger. I have no idea what I am up against therefor how can don''t even know how treat it. If he has taken so much then why am I still living?


    Eva is looking at me strangely but mostly out of concern. "Anastasia, you truly do not look well. Do you want me to take you to see a doctor?"


    "Eva, I am a doctor. I promise you I will be fine. You shall be the first to know if I am not."


    "Do you want me to send for Sebastian?" she asks out of concern, but I immediately protest.


    "No! He is the reason why I am so. I do not want him near me. Please promise you will not call him."


    I watch as she struggles to make such a promise as she is conflicted between friendship and the help she knows that Sebastian can bring. I watch her so intently that I swear for a minute I can hear her heartbeat pounding in my ear. My eyes truly deceives me for I see the veins in her neck pulsating as the blood runs through them. I shake the thought from my head as soon as it enters. But she needs to promise me that she will not turn to Sebastian if I turn for the worse.


    "Eva please promise me you won''t contact him?"


    "I promise Anastasia, but please promise that you will let me know if you start to feel worse?"


    "I will, I promise," I reassure her. "I think I shall go back to sleep. I have an early shift in the morning."


    "Do you think it is wise to go to work when you are feeling unwell?"


    "I shall be fine by the morning."


    "I shall leave you alone then", she slowly rises from my bed. "I will come check on you in a little while again."


    "Thank you Eva," I gently squeeze her warm hand before she leaves the room.


    ...Sebastian...


    I am truly concerned for Anastasia, her body did not appear well when I accompanied her home. I know she feels that she does not need my help at present, that she feels she is quite capable of doing so herself. But this is not some modern illness, she has been filled with a poison so powerful that it either gives her life or takes the one that she has.


    It broke my heart to pieces seeing her like that, but I lack that very organ for if I had a heart I would never have hurt the woman I truly care about. Her skin was so pale, an awful white shade of grey, her body limp and broken from what is tearing her away. I do not believe she will perish, what I do fair though is that her body is not fighting the venom as I prayed that it would.


    I have tried to make contact with her, but I fear that she does not wish to speak to me. I have decided I shall make my way over to her home and do what I do so well, lurk in the shadows. For if I can still see her move through her window, it will ease my mind for I will know that she is well.


    But before I am about to leave, I am stopped by Breyden who have still not made his own way home. He is truly a great friend for being present when I need him the most.


    "Sebastian my friend, how is Anastasia?" he steps closer and takes my hand.


    "Breyden, she refuses to speak to me. I fear I have lost her again. Who am I fooling thinking that I can have a life with a mortal?"


    "Have you given any more thought to my offer?" Breyden asks, drawing some light into the dullness of the moment.


    "Breyden that is so far away from my thoughts at present, my only concern is with Anastasia."


    "She shall be okay my dear friend," he tries to reassure me. "Her heart was faint but her soul is still present."


    "As faint as mine?" my face lights up and fear creeps in.


    "No," he says. "We both know that yours is not existent."


    "Breyden, I fear she is infected!" my voice raises as the realization sets in. "We must go at once, before it is too late. Her body is fighting it but I am afraid that she won''t make it."


    We make haste to Breyden''s vehicle and soon we are speeding off to aid Anastasia, whom I do now fear is indeed dying.


    ...Anastasia...


    I do not feel well, my body is slowly giving in to whatever has taken me over from inside. It is like a cancer growing and eating me from within. I thought this would be instant, that if Sebastian had drank me dry, that I would be long dead by now.


    The fear of dying now consumes me. I need to see Edward at once. "Eva! Eva! Eva!"


    Eva comes bursting through my door. "Anastasia what is wrong?"


    "Please can you call Edward, I need to see him at once."


    "What about Sebastian," she uncomfortably asks.


    "I said I do not wish to see him. Please can you call for Edward. There is something deeply wrong with me, I need his help."


    She does not hesitate for a minute longer and rush out to go call Edward to come see me.


    ...Sebastian...


    "Breyden, we need to hurry. I fear there is something wrong with Anastasia. She has called for Edward. As much as it kills me for what I have done, my selfishness will not allow her to drink from Edward if she wishes to turn."


    "Tell Edward we will meet him outside before he goes in. I shall go inside and see what is the matter."


    "Thank you my friend," my hand trembles as I rest it on his shoulder. "I fear I have truly made a complete mess of everything."


    As we pull into the driveway of Anastasia''s home, Edward is there waiting outside. He immediately walks up to me, the same fear that is hidden in my eyes is behind his own. "Sebastian, Eva said that Anastasia''s health has deteriorated quite rapidly. I do not know why she wishes to see me. Do you wish to go instead?"


    "My dear Edward she does not wish to see me, please hurry inside and see what is wrong."


    Edward and Breyden rush inside and after what seems to be the longest five minutes of my life, Breyden comes to give me the news.


    "Sebastian, I am afraid your fears have come true. Anastasia is about to turn."


    "My god Breyden what have I done? I have killed the woman I will ever love", just then I experience the strangest of feelings, as for a moment I feel tears threaten to drown my eyes. Do I actually indeed still possess my soul?


    "Breyden is there something you can do for her? Can you keep her to stay human and not turn into the monster that I am?"


    "Sebastian I am afraid that she is neither human or vampire at the moment, there is nothing I can do for her."


    Breyden hesitates for a moment. "We can give her my blood but as with you, she too might die if her soul has not left her body. But¡­"


    "But what Breyden?" I know the answer to my question therefor I do not even know why I ask.


    "She has asked Edward to save her".


    I stand in silence for a moment before the true realization sets in. "Does Anastasia wish to be turned?"

 Chapter 14：The Point Of No Return

    My dear Anastasia is standing at death''s door. She is faced with a decision that no mortal should ever have to be faced with. But if you should think about it in such way, this is a choice easily made. For you either die and fade away or you gain immortality and live forever beyond today.


    What frightens me the most is that she has chosen Edward to be her Maker. Apart from how it works in the order of things, she should want me to be the one take helps her through this transition. Now I know that Edward would never defy me and he knows that I should be the one. I am the Master and they shall obey. But will he do so to save the woman that he knows means more than anything to me? It is not long until he makes his appearance to me as I wait silently outside Anastasia''s home.


    "Sebastian, I am so glad that you are here," as he walks close up to me, I can here the tremble of fear in his voice.


    "What is the matter Edward. Please tell me Anastasia is still alive?"


    "Oh my dear brother, if we do not do this soon then I am afraid she will die."


    His words hits me straight in the chest, it feels as if a blades of a thousand swords are pierced right through me. "How long does she have?"


    "An hour at the most."


    I close my eyes for a minute and squeeze the bridge of my nose. I must think, think Sebastian think, time is running out.


    "Edward has she asked to be turned?"


    I see him look away for he fears his answer would bring me that pain which I felt so strongly earlier before. After a few moments of silence he once more speaks, "She has asked me to make the pain go away. She wants it to stop so she can feel better again."


    "Does she know what is happening to her?"


    "I am afraid Sebastian that she is fully aware," Edwards stops for a brief moment and ask what I have done so already, "Can Breyden not save her."


    "No, she either turns or she fades away."


    And if ever in over two hundred years, my entire world comes crashing in. For now I am left with a decision, I refuse to carry on to live this immortal life if I cannot have Anastasia by my side.


    "Edward do me one favor even if it will be your last."


    "Anything Sebastian, please tell me and I shall do it."


    I hesitate for a moment for what I am about to ask will shock Edward straight through his core. "Please go make sure, completely hundred percent sure, that Anastasia wants to turn and if she should not I order you as your Master and your Maker to come take my life."


    "Sebastian don''t be foolish!" the loud thunder of his voice echoes through the streets. "I shall not do such a thing."


    The tone of anger increases in my voice as I step even closer to him. "I am your Master and you shall do so. Now go to Anastasia as I say."


    ...Anastasia...


    This is what my live had come to, I have been bitten by a vampire that I could see myself fall in love with. But his selfishness made him gone to far and now I am on the brink of becoming one or die.


    Every single organ in my body is failing one by one, it is only but another hour and the most essential ones will do the same. From what I understand is that if I drink the blood of a vampire, I shall heal again but this time I will be part of the living dead. My organs will still die, my heart in the senses of feeling emotion will too become a thing of the past. I shall have the need to feed on a human and live the life until forever and after.


    The question begs...Do I wish to do this?


    Edward has come to explain to me what is going to happen, to say I am not scared shitless would be the lie of this century. I have begged him not to turn to Sebastian but I know he has a duty to inform him of what is happening to me. He has just excused himself from the room to have a word with Breyden in private. I know by the time he comes back he is going to want an answer.


    And I feel that I have spoken way too soon as I see him enter the room, this time he is completely alone, even Eva has gone too. He comes to sit on the bed where I am curled up in an agonizing state. I am afraid that taking from the way the tremors and the pain that I am not even going to see the last twenty minutes.


    "Anastasia, can you hear me," he softly whispers as he takes my trembling hands into his. But all I can do is nod my head.


    "My dear, I need you to get the power to speak for me. I need to hear your answer to this for I shall not do anything until you make your wishes clearly verbal to me. Do you think you can do that for me?"


    I nod at him again and as soon as I do, the tears of a thousand waterfalls stream from my eyes. But it does not even help me to wipe them away for my fever is so pitched that they help to drown the heat.


    "Anastasia you are going to die unless you drink the blood of a vampire. The first thing I must know. Do you wish to be turned?"


    ...Sebastian...


    This must be the longest few minutes of my long life. Waiting for Edward is nothing but torture, I am so afraid that we might run out of time. Breyden is trying to assure me that what ever needs to happen, will indeed just happen. I must confess that I am not afraid of dying, my only wish is that I was there inside dying next to her.


    And then the dreaded moment that I have been awaiting has come as Edward hurriedly makes his way over to me again.


    "Sebastian, she has made her decision."


    The entire space that we occupy goes dead still. All I can hear is Breyden''s heart beating to a nervous drum. Nothing, but nothing else matters in this moment of time.


    "Sebastian," Edward places his hand on my shoulder and immediately it comes to my mind that he is trying to console me for I fear Anastasia wishes to die.


    "Please tell me Edward," my trembling voice does not allow me to say anything more.


    "She wishes to turn."


    "My god, I do not know if I should feel good about it or no." But then my head starts spinning again. Anastasia is turning and I am not her Maker.


    "I know what you thinking brother," Edward says as he begins to explain. "Here is what we are going to do."


    ...Anastasia...


    So I guess I have chosen to become one of Sebastian''s kind. Does it mean that I want him near me? Not at all, if I could have my way he would burn in hell. I might choose to become a vampire but I see that I am giving this choice is against my will. I want to live, that is plain and simple, if I have to live the life of the undead, then that is what I shall live. I just want this agony to end.


    And then the moment arrives, this time again it is only Edward that enters again. I wish I could have Eva with me, but I am sure this is not something she would like to see.


    Edward comes to kneel by my side and softly whispers to me. "This is what is going to happen Anastasia. Please nod to say you understand."


    Instead of a nod, I manage to speak, not very clear but the intention is there. "Ye..."


    "You are going to bite as hard as you can, just believe me you will be able too. You will bite as hard as you can until you make me bleed. The blood shall bring your fangs to life. Then you shall drink and drink, yes it will taste awful at first, but you drink and drink until I tell you to stop. Do you understand?"


    "One last thing. I need you to close your eyes when you do this and for no reason, no reason at all do you open them. I fear if you see my blood you might go into a frenzy and then you will end up killing me."


    I am completely shocked as I hear his words. From somewhere inside me I find the words, "Won''t, promise."


    "Close your eyes Anastasia."


    ...Sebastian...


    So it is about to begin, Anastasia is going to drink the blood of a vampire and become one too. I have never, not even in my mortal life been so nervous. There is so many things that can go wrong, I do not even wish to think of one.


    Me and Breyden are now standing at the front door, Anastasia will be too focused on the ritual to know what is going on around her. Edward said that he shall put her bedside light off to show us that he is going to start. My eyes are fixed on her window, for if it does not go off then I know something is wrong.


    We only need to wait for two minutes and then it goes completely dark. I slowly and softly make my entry into her home then to her room. Edward has left a crack of the door open, just big enough to shift a man of my size through.


    Edward shows me to enter and I move in silence to where he is kneeling. I go to sit by his side, then he finally starts to speak. "Anastasia, I am going to give you my wrist then you are going to do as I explained. And please my dear, do not open your eyes until I can tell you to."


    I hear as she mumbles in agreement, then Edward gives me the signal. I pierce my skin with my own fangs just enough to let the blood trickle. I move my wrist close to Anastasia and waits until she takes it in her hands.


    "Now Anastasia."


    She opens her trembling lips to the widest her mouth allows and place them ever so gently onto my skin. She does not taste the blood at first, she bites and bites and gets frustrated. But the instant her tongue makes the connection I feel her tiny fangs appear. I brace myself as she sinks them deeply into my flesh. She grabs hold of my wrist even tighter and start to drink from me. I feel as every glorious drop leave my body into her fangs.


    As she is sunk deep into me, the pleasure that this connection between two vampires, starts to consume me. Right here, right now, we are creating a bond so great, no mortal man can ever take. Every bit she takes from me, brings her life and even more so brings me joy that I am the one that gave it to her.


    I allow her to drink for only a while longer. Once Edward tells her to stop, I feel her fangs, that is now stronger, slide out of me. As we break apart, my body misses her touch in an instant. I watch her as she falls back onto the bed, the final phase will now begin.


    I quickly make my exist from the room where Edward joins me. "Sebastian what are we going to do when she wakes and and needs more?"

 Chapter 15：The Deception

    To say that it has been the longest night of my immortal life, is most definitely true. Anastasia was turned only but a few twenty one hours ago, she has not stirred since she drank from me, but Edward has assured me that she is still very much living, not living as a mortal anymore, but she has now become part of our dark world. Dark depending from whose point of view you look at.


    One point of view that will not be the same, is the one of Anastasia''s when she finds out that I am her Maker. But I fear that when she awakes her craving for blood will be greater than even before. Then this begs the question, does she feed off Edward or do we deceive her once more? One thing I do know, she is going to require the guidance of a vampire to show her through this change. Whom will I allow to be her teacher while I am unable to?


    So I have called a meeting with Edward and Lilith to discuss this very matter. However we shall conduct such meeting outside Anastasia''s home in the event that she wakes and Edward is not there. Eva, whom should be scared beyond believe, has taken this all quite well. I must say that she is indeed a good friend to have.


    We are all standing outside, including Breyden, in the cold evening air. I am the first to speak as in the end my decision is the only that matters. "Edward my selfishness is going to require you to deceive Anastasia again. As her Master and Maker, she shall only drink from me."


    "I fully understand Sebastian, but how long can we keep up the facade."


    "For as long as it is required. I am afraid, and as do you know, that your blood will not taste the same as mine."


    I pause for a moment to consider our options. "We shall continue to tell her not to open her eyes until she is strong enough to be taken on her first hunt."


    "My dear brother," Lilith steps closer and reaches for my hand. "You do know the consequences of this deception? Anastasia already is beyond mad for what you have done."


    As soon as the words escapes Lilith''s lips, she realizes her error, I deepen my voice and show my visible anger. "I need not remind you of your place. What I say is rule and will remain so until I no longer walk this earth or any other world beyond that."


    "I beg your forgiveness my Master, I am only concerned." Lilith takes her side next to Edward and refrains from speaking any further.


    After a few minutes of silence, I come to my decision. "Edward, Anastasia sees you as a protector. You shall guide her only when it is necessary through this early times of her vampire life. I shall remain lurking in the shadows to look after her."


    Edward steps forward and comes to put his reassuring hand on my shoulder. "I shall not let you down Sebastian. I shall do whatever you say," but he pauses for a moment. "Anastasia wishes for me not to tell you though."


    I don''t know what I was thinking, did I truly think that she will trust to reveal such information to me. Well it seems to me that our relationship has already started off on a lie. For she shall not know she drank from me and she shall think that I do not know.


    "If that is how it should be then it shall." My words leaves me defeated but it shall not discourage me, after all, we have only but forever to find our way back to each other.


    Edward makes his leave to attend to Anastasia again. Not long after he returns with the news I have been waiting for this past dreadful day. "Sebastian she is awake and she is hungry. You should come at once, she is a bit...kranky".


    I cannot help but laugh at him. "She is yet so young, I think she is going to be a difficult one."


    Under the darkness of the night we shall once again deceive her, following it the same way as we did the night before. I shall wait outside and only enter when she is ready. This does break me into pieces though, this should be a glorious experience for us both. Yet we are secretly and might I add, most stubbornly doing this on our own.


    It only takes Edward but a few minutes before he signals me to go inside. She is laying in the very spot I left her only but a few hours ago. Her face that was so pale, has it''s soft rose colour again. She has come through this rather well. It seems that my beloved is going to be a strong one. I do hope she does forgive me for my mistake, for I do not know what I shall do if I am apart from her for longer than I should.


    As we have done before, I prick the tip of my fangs into my skin, then I let the drops off blood fall freely onto her tongue. This time she is a bit more stronger than before, as she drinks with more intent this time around. Her fangs are firmly nestled deep within my skin. I can feel the blood leaving my veins with great force. Edward notices that she is drinking too strongly and gestures to me if he should tell her to stop, but I only shake my head and let her carry on.


    Then the most bizarre thing happens, she mumbles something underneath her breath, but clear enough to hear what she says. The unmistakable words leaves her lips, "Sebastian."


    This catches me completely off guard. Does she, in this very moment truly think of me? The thought of it gives me a pleasure that I find hard to explain. I smile and feel assured that my beloved will be mine again.


    ...Anastasia...


    Did I do this for Sebastian? There is a part of me that shall say yes, but for what exactly I do not know yet. I do not wish to know what he is going to do the day he finds out that I am a vampire. But for now this will be a deception that needs to remain unsaid.


    I have just drank from Edward for the second time and I am intoxicated by the sweet taste of strawberries and cherries that is running in every glorious ounce through my fangs. I do though feel that I am creating such a bond with him that I fear Sebastian will not approve of. My yearning is still very much for him.


    Then Edward stops me and I fall backwards onto the soft sheets of my bed. This time though I feel completely invigorated, like a whole new life is drawing in inches over my body. After a few minutes of wondering, I finally open my eyes. "Edward, am I going to drink from you forever?"


    "I am afraid not Anastasia, maybe for once and twice more, but then I shall take you out to teach you how to feed off a human."


    "Do I have to?" My eyes beg for another answer but I fear it is not the answer I am looking for.


    "You shall die if you don''t. You can drink the blood of an animal but it does not quite possess the same taste and power that a human''s blood do."


    "And the blood that they donate in hospital?"


    "Too cold, please do not attempt to drink off it. And never but never feast off a dead body too."


    "How many times will I be required to feed?"


    "At least once a week. Now tell me how are you feeling?"


    "I have never felt so good, it is like there is a powerful energy running through my veins. I do surprisingly feel that I did make the right decision."


    "Then I think you are more than ready to be taken out on a prowl tomorrow night."


    ...Sebastian...


    Edward has come to give me news on Anastasia and I must say I am delighted that she is doing so well. Tonight he will take her out on a prowl, tonight she shall feed on her very first human. I know I should not be so excited about it, but I am going to see my beloved come out of her cocoon tonight.


    The nights draws ever so near again, as I once more go lurk outside of her home. I shall keep my distance and attempt to hide my scent, for I know she will recognize the deep smell of my musky cologne. It does not take them long to come outside, as she steps through the front door, I am totally blown away. If I thought she was a beauty before, what I see now is the most exquisite creature I have ever seen in both my lives. She has on a deep red satin dress that hugs all the contours of her perfect body.


    Her long locks of hair is blowing freely in the night wind. But the part that sends my blood racing is those tall red stilettos. She is dressed to impress, secretly she does not know it is me she is impressing. How I do desire that it was me by her side. I know she feels a bond so strong, but she will soon realize it is not with Edward.


    I keep my distance from them as they make their way into the alley. The very same one I frequent every week when I need to come feed myself. The vampires here in London know that they should not take more than they need. If they do so, they will suffer the consequences of my punishment. Anastasia, even though she is my beloved, shall be taught all these things.


    I watch as a woman enters the alley, she is slowly walking her way towards them. This is the moment, this is going to be her first kill. Edward shall overpower the woman as Anastasia won''t be strong enough to do it herself yet. He shall hold her victim firmly to the ground for Anastasia to feed from. She shall only take enough and not more than she needs. Her venom shall be strong enough to kill the woman, and if not Edward will finish the deed.


    My eyes follow to see what happens, but what I see I could never have expected...

 Chapter 16：First Kill

    My beloved is out on her first hunt with Edward. Their unexpected victim has just entered the valley and is none the wiser of the danger she is in. Now how this should go is Edward needs to take the woman down, as Anastasia will not yet possess the power in her still very fragile body to do so. But this is not what happens.


    Much to the shock of my eyes, I see Anastasia overpower the woman from behind in less than mere seconds. Edwards steps back and need not even assist with keeping her victim pinned to the floor. Anastasia has taken the woman down and has her body pinned down with but only her one leg. The woman does not even move. She throws her head back like a howling wolf and exposes her fangs that are clearly not those of a young vampire anymore. In one flick of her neck she drives them deep in the woman''s neck and begin feeding. Edward watches her and then give her the command to stop drinking. I watch as she stands then wipe her mouth and kick the dead body of her victim to the side.


    What just happened?


    ...Anastasia...


    I have just been taken out on my first hunt, to say that I was not scared would be a lie. The thought of drinking the blood of a human kind of made my stomach turn, but I was so damn hungry I could not even think. The minute I had my fangs nestled deep in her neck, it is as if I have been doing this since forever. The sound of her heart fading came close enough to cause me arousal. The sound as she gave her last breath have my skin tingling. What even surprised me more, is the way her blood tasted. Not the cherry and strawberries of a vampire but that of any chocolatey desert you can think. What had me the most is the power it gave me, I have never felt so alive, it was as if a surge of electricity shot through me. If ever I thought I made a bad decision in becoming a vampire, then this would have changed my mind. Some part of me do wish though that Sebastian was here with me.


    But now Edward is looking at me funny, have I done something wrong with the kill? I know he said that he will take her down, but I felt I have the strength in me to do so myself.


    "My dear Anastasia, I am compelled to say well done, but what happened there? Where did you find the strength?"


    How do I explain to him when I do not even know myself. "I just felt it, it is hard to say Edward. I just feel it so powerful and deep inside of me."


    He looks at me wanting to ask a million questions but instead it seems that he gets a far better idea. "I wish to test something dear, if you shall just humor me for a second."


    "Sure." I know that I can trust him as he has been caring after me for the last few days.


    "I should be a far powerful vampire than you given my age. I want you to try take me down and pin my body firmly by the chest to the floor. The only vampire that has ever been able to do so is your beloved Sebastian."


    For now I shall just ignore his remark about Sebastian, for I too am curious to see what happens. I watch as he takes a firm stance in front of me fully expecting that I shall not be able to even move him.


    "Now Anastasia."


    Without even attempting to launch myself and jump at him, I grab him by his broad shoulders and kick his strong steady legs in. He stumbles to his feet and I pin his chest down with my knee. I firmly keep him in place as he tries to wiggle his way out from underneath and break free.


    "Point made young lady, you may let go now."


    I laugh at his remark and offer him a hand to stand from his feet. " Was that not supposed to happen?" I look at him shyly and pretend that I am just as surprised as he.


    "No my dear Anastasia, that should not be possible unless I have grown weak since my last meal."


    "But do you feel weak?"


    "Not in the least bit and I pretty much have established that you not feeling either."


    "Then what happens now?"


    "I shall ask..." I see as he refrains as to realize that he had said something he should not have said. "I can only but guide you now, as you do not require my power. Your next feed I shall stay far behind without you noticing me."


    "But what happens now? What do I do?"


    "You carry on with your life my dear. You can do anything you want. Just remember that you are going to live forever, so choose wisely what you wish to occupy your day with or whom you spend your time. You shall not age, you need to keep that in mind."


    This thought has never cross my mind, never did I think what I will do once I turn into an immortal creature. Apart from Edward, the only other person that knows is Eva. I shall not be able to stay in my job forever for as Edward says, people shall notice that I have not aged a bit. So needles to say it all boils down to one thing, I am going to be lonely.


    "Edward."


    "Yes my dear?"


    "Don''t you get lonely?"


    "Being a vampire is lonely, but I have Sebastian and Lilith. And of course a flurry of women that I never stay with for longer than a day."


    "But why do you stay with Sebastian and Lilith?"


    "Sebastian is our Maker, he always took a keen interest in us and in a way I guess he wishes not to be lonely."


    "Now you are my Maker but I can''t stay with you because of Sebastian?"


    "Well, actually...you always can come stay with us."


    The thought of Sebastian finding out that I let Edward turn me, shoots a pain to my heart, I have deceived the man that I thought I would love. But it is too late to cry over the consequences of my actions. But I do fear that if Sebastian finds out that he shall want nothing to do with me.


    "Edward, do you think Sebastian will be mad at me?"


    "My dear Anastasia, Sebastian cares too deeply for you."


    ...Sebastian...


    For the second time around this night I am astonished by what I saw. My beloved had the second strongest vampire in London to the floor in mere seconds. Now I do know that Edward fed this evening before he came to take Anastasia on her first meal, there is no way in which his body could have lost all the strength he had. There is something about Anastasia, I am very curious to know if she shall be able to do the same to me.


    I only stay around for another hour as Edward explains to her which sides of the city is safe enough to prowl. They will wonder further into the city and he will point to her which humans from not to feed. But most of all he first needs to show her how to leave the body so that authorities do not suspect a thing.


    As they head their way into the city, I make my miserable self home. I so long to be with my beloved but I heard what she said to him. How can she even think such a thing. I shall never stay mad at her for longer than a second. She has no idea how much I desire to be with her now even more than ever. Not only to take my loneliness away but the desire to mate and complete this bond between us. I finally have my beloved in all my vampire years and I cannot be with her.


    By the time I find my way home, Edward has also made his. I find him and Lilith sitting in the kitchen as they always do.


    "You two still amaze me,'' I try to laugh off my somber mood. "You spend more time in the kitchen than humans do."


    Lilith waves me off and rises from her chair to embrace me in a hug. "How are you doing my brother?"


    "I will be lying if I say never been better."


    I turn my attention to Edward though, I am very much curious about his encounter with Anastasia. "Edward please tell me that my eyes deceived me. Or did you not use your strength because she is a woman?"


    Edward whom is quite taken aback immediately answers. "Sebastian I used everything I had against her. She dropped me like a weather and might I say not even twitching a muscle. I am afraid to say Anastasia is very powerful."


    "But I do not understand this," I now say as I am pacing back across the kitchen floor. "This makes no sense, she cannot not possibly be so strong."


    "Is it not because it is your blood she drank of?" But Lilith quickly dismisses her question as she and Edward should then also be.


    But there is one thought that comes to me, the only vampire with so much power shall be one that possesses their soul. Should she indeed, I fear she might be in trouble. Any vampire that chooses to gain the strength shall come for her. The only way she can remain safe is if she was with me. As matters stand now, it will be so impossible for me to watch her constantly as my presence is sometimes required to perform my duties as the Master.


    "I fear Anastasia might come in danger. Beyond this room does anybody else know that she has turned?"


    "Not a single other apart from Eva, which will have no contact with any other vampire." Edward hesitates for one second before he speaks. "And Breyden."


    Immediately snap at him for even making such a suggestion. In all my years that I have known Breyden, has he never given me a reason to mistrust him. The longer we can keep this between us, the safer my beloved would be. I need to find a way for her to forgive and trust me again.


    But what shall count in my advantage is that she too shall start craving to complete this bond. She will continue to seek and mate with the one that has turned her. She is thinking it is Edward but she is not feeling it with him. I shall need to get close enough for her to feel that it is me, and in no time at all I know she will come to me. I shall need to find a way to deceive her once again.


    "Edward, tomorrow when I feed, you shall bring Anastasia down the some path at the very exact moment that I drink. She shall not expect that you have brought her to me on purpose. She needs to feel that connection that she has with me. I need her to seek me so that I can protect her."


    But before Edward can speak, there is someone at the door. Has she perhaps already come to me? I rush my way to the door, but as I open I am disappointed to see it is not her.


    Victor catches his breath as he tries to speak, something clearly has him scared beyond belief. "Sebastian we seem to have a problem."


    "Come in Victor and tell me what is wrong."


    Once he is sitting with us in the common room, he has managed calm himself enough to speak again. "Master, I was out on a prowl and came across a vampire. The vampire seems to have taken out two humans and was busy feeding. I am afraid to say we have a rogue vampire roaming the streets."

 Chapter 17：Caught In The Act

    I fear the vampire that Victor speaks of might be Anastasia. She might possess great power, but she does not know how to control her thirst. Should another of our kind attempt to talk her down, they shall be faced with her strength, and my attempt to protect her shall be futile. I am afraid that my plans has now changed and she shall be confronted. Even though she is my beloved, she shall have to pay the consequences for her actions.


    After getting the location where Victor saw her last, I dismiss him immediately. "Victor I need not remind you that you shall speak to no one of this?" Victor bows his head and make his departure.


    Once we alone, I hurriedly take my coat and call for Edward to follow me. "Edward we shall need to go find her."


    ...Anastasia...


    Edward left me at my home only but a few minutes ago, but I have an enormous desire to feed again. Once I am for certain that he is nowhere in sight, I continue my way down to one of the alleys. I need to seek what I so desperately need. He has not once said how many times I can feed in one day, but only said that I need to have to do at most twice a week.


    As I find my way down the dark city alley, a drizzle of rain comes beating down on my skin. Even though it is cold and so refreshing, it does nothing to cool the heat I feel burning in my body. Apart from the craving for blood, I have this incredible yearning to be lost in lust with a man. A yearning so strong to the point it is causing an incredible aching. Is this what I will feel for my Maker? If so, Edward must come soon, for I do not know how much longer I would be able to take it. But would I really do such a thing if my heart still lies with Sebastian?


    I need not wait too long before I see my unsuspecting victims, yes I am being somewhat ambitious. But if I take them both now, I would not need to come back here later. As I stand hiding behind the filthy rotten dustbin, I can smell their sweet scent coming towards me. Their steps match those of a heart beat, which is slowly building up my anticipation. Once they slowly pass by me, I move in behind and slowly sneak up to them.


    The man is the first to go, I grab him on the shoulder which forces him to spin around. The woman furiously tries to pull him away, but I have him firmly wrapped around his body. With only but one hand, I wrap my palm around the throat of the woman''s neck, and in one mere lift of my arm, she finds herself dangling in the air off her feet. I try my best not to squeeze too hard as I do not wish to kill my meal. She screams at the top of her pitch as she sees me expose my fangs. I can smell the fear that radiates from her skin. I let out a soft moan before I dig my fangs deep into the man''s neck. But there is something strange about his blood. I immediately snap his neck and stop drinking. The woman''s face lights up in terror as I lower her to the floor and push her body against the wall. She is fighting and kicking her best to get away from me, but I only twist her head and slam my fangs deep into her soft delicious skin.


    "Aaahhh this is what I need." The words clearly leaves my lips as I continue to feast.


    I savor every ounce of her sweet chocolatey blood, I feel it draw through my fangs and send the power I crave so much to every corner of my body. I drink for one fraction too long then stop until she drops down to my feet. I go to heal the wounds on both the man and then the woman''s neck. Edward showed me that once I am done, if I lick but a small amount of venom, it will close the wounds and they shall be gone. I ditch their bodies in the bin and make my way back home.


    ...Sebastian...


    As we reach the alley where Victor has seen the vampire, the scent of Jasmine and Vanilla clearly fills the air. She was here but just a few moments ago. As I suspect, we find her two victims in the godawful dustbin, the man he seems to reek of alcohol.


    I turn to Edward whom is standing with nothing but a smirk on his face. "I do hope you told her not to drink from a drunkard?" But I need not even wait for his answer as I do notice that she has broken his neck.


    Edward just looks at me and lifts his shoulders. I only but shake my head, this little vampire is proving to be a problem. Edward can hear me softly chuckle, as we make our way out of the alley.


    Even though she did clean up after herself, she should not have gone to feed twice again. "Edward I fear that we shall have to pay a visit to her home. I shall not mention anything about me knowing, I shall say that I purely just followed the scent to her home."


    "You know that she is probably going to throw you out." Edward laughs at me as he reminds me. I know that almost for certain she will throw me out by force.


    In no less than fifteen minutes we find ourselves at her Anastasia''s door. I ready myself for the confrontation as Eva is the one to open for us. She is as expected quite happy to see Edward, but a bit weary of my presence.


    "Evening Eva, is Anastasia home?" She fully knows I am asking a stupid question for not only can I smell her perfume but the wetness of her arousal.


    "She is sleep..." she stops and laughs at her own remark. "Sorry she does not sleep. She is just laying on her bed in her room."


    Edward takes Eva and leads her into the lounge while I make my way softly to her bedroom. As I peak through the crack in the door, I see her laying in nothing but her red lace panties on.


    My thoughts go race in a million directions, most of them end with me loosing myself between her long slender legs. But I must stay focused, I am not here to make love to her body but to scold her for the wrong she has done. But would that not make it a fun way in scolding her.


    As I step through the door, she immediately sits up straight, all my eyes can see is her firm yet very supple breasts. My mind goes blank and I think of nothing but being with her between those sheets. The throbbing erection immediately springs to life.


    "Sebastian what are you doing here?"


    I am quickly ripped from my thoughts and turn my glance at her face. "I am afraid this is no social visit Anastasia."


    "Then why are you here?" The tone in her voice becomes somewhat that of being annoyed and irritated.


    My face turns somewhat serious as I try my best to hide this stupid grin on my face. I can''t believe in a moment that I should be stern, that I cannot contain myself.


    "My beloved is there something you care to tell me?"


    She goes dead quiet and look down at her feet. Then she goes to reach for her top on the bedside table to put it back on once again.


    "Please don''t", my voice is pleading. "I have missed your body." She drops it down next to her on the bed as I continue to speak. "My beloved, I fear there is something you have done tonight that you should not have. Care to tell me about it?"


    She bites down hard into her lip and look at me from under her thick eye lashes. "No," she firmly answers without having to blink them once.


    "My dear Anastasia I know it was you, I followed your scent here."


    "Sebastian there is a lot of woman that wear the same perfume."


    "That is not the scent I am talking about."


    "Sebastian how can you even suggest that?"


    "Which part? The one were you are aroused right now or the one that you are a vampire."


    "Ugh. How do you know that I am aroused?"


    "So you are not denying that you are a vampire?"


    "Why are you so concerned about me being aroused when you are clearly too?" Her words has not yet left her mouth until she realizes what she has said. The next thing I hear her shout for Edward to come to her. "You better come here Edward, now!"


    Edward very much bewildered, comes to stand in the door way, he knows that she has now figured out our little secret and she is about to let him have it.


    "Edward?" She stands from the bed and approaches him. "I am getting this feeling that you are not my Maker?"


    I can hear Edward swallow his breath and stare at me looking for the answer. "Sebastian?"


    "It is fine Edward, you may leave. I shall speak to Anastasia."


    As soon as Edward makes his leave, I firmly close the door and lock it. If she wants me to leave, well then she will have just have to throw me through it. For tonight I ain''t leaving until both of us come to admit our lies to each other.


    "Sebastian what is going on?"


    I try to keep myself innocent and play dumb for a moment longer. "Why would Edward be your maker? You have not answered me? Have you become a vampire?"


    "Stupid does not suite your face Sebastian. I know you can smell a vampire a mile away."


    "Then my beloved, stupid does not suit yours either cause you know I am your Maker."


    "I knew it the minute you showed up at the front door. How can you deceive me like that?"


    Instead of the fury and rage I expected, I only see the hurt and anger in her face. She should be so more upset for what I have done to her. I can only but tell her the truth as to why I acted as recklessly as I did.


    "I was selfish Anastasia. I wanted you for myself. I could not bare thinking of you with another."


    "But how? How did..." She stops dead in the middle of speaking. "You little bastards, I did not have to close my eyes, did I?"


    I do not answer but only smile, then I take her soft little hands into mine. I almost forgot how good she felt, but what I do do need to feel is her. I want every inch of that bare bosom pressed hard into my sculpted chest. But most of all I want to taste her. What is even far greater now is I do not need fear of hurting her. I do though believe this little vixen is the one that is going to hurt me.


    "My beloved, will you throw me through that door if I try to kiss you?"


    "Edward told you, didn''t he?"


    She gets a mischievous smile on her face and moves closer to me. Her trembling hands finds their way underneath my wet shirt. I feel the most glorious sensations as she trails her fingers through every crevice of my rippled abs. I drop my coat to the floor and close the gap even further between our aching bodies. Her scent is driving me crazy, I want to be soaked and consumed by it. Her fingers scrunch in the seams of my shirt, she pulls it over my head and drop it next to my feet.


    She slowly pushes my body backwards to the bed and drops me hard on it. I feel as my skin sinks into the satin sheets and before I know it she straddles my hips. I try to sit up but she once more pushes me into the soft pillows.


    "Anastasia."


    "Ssshhh." She softly places her fingers against my lips and kisses me.


    I slide my hands and hold her firm by the waist. She grabs them gently and lay them back by my side. I can feel the heat radiate from her skin as she slowly lowers her body onto me. As she places her soft cheek against mine, I can feel her warm breath against my skin. She softly moans and whispers in my ear.


    "No touching."


    She runs her smooth velvety lips down my neck, over to my shoulder and back. Placing soft butterfly kisses all over my skin. She knows it is driving me crazy, she has got absolute power over me. She is grinding herself hard into my erection. Her nipples are pressing hard into my skin. She is roaming my neck, scraping them with the sharp edges of her teeth.


    "My beloved, please come home with me."


    She does not answer but continues on kissing me.


    The next thing I hear is a voice echoing throughout the corners of the house, so loud it is even vibrating every window in the room.


    "Anastasia!"

 Chapter 18：Heavenly Nectar

    The little vixen, she is going to pay for what she did and am I going to enjoy every second giving her the punishment that she deserves. Seems like becoming a vampire has brought out that little devil of her. I am for certain that she is not only going to be a blessing, but also somewhat of a handful.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes Master."


    I grunt and bite into my lip for never did I think those words would sound so great as what it is sounds coming from her lips.


    "If you say that again, I shall not be responsible for the things that I am going to do to you."


    "Yes Master."


    "You are playing with fire my beloved."


    "What are you going to do? Bite me? I have already been bitten." She goes to my neck to sink her fangs into me again. Her entrance is soft and gentle but her grip is firm, when she sucks, every drop that leaves my body sends a shot of warmth to the tip of my arousal. She is driving every sense in my body to ecstacy, bringing me close to a shattering end.


    I flip her over and pin her to the bed. With the utmost force I can gather, I pin her hands above her head. My own lips go to her neck, I bear my fangs and let them pierce through her skin. I feel her body writhe and move underneath me. I nestle in and gently suck, her blood should not bear any taste but it does. For a vampire, drinking the blood of their own is purely a sexual act. But what hers tastes of is that of a heavenly nectar, like diving my mouth into a pot of honey. But there is another aspect to her blood, it gives me power, the most power I have ever known.


    She once more flips me over and drives her fangs deep within me.


    "Anastasia, I do not want to climax too soon."


    "We have only but forever my dear Sebastian."


    "In deed we do, but why don''t we continue this at home?"


    Before she answers, she drags her fangs over my neck and sinks them down into my shoulder. "But this is my home."


    "My beloved we are now each other''s, I do not see why you should remain here without me."


    "Does this mark now makes me yours?" She points to where my fangs entered her but a few days ago. "Why can''t I mark you?"


    "I want you to do it more than you know", I pull her once more closer to me. "But I would prefer if we are home."


    "What about Eva?" She looks at me confused.


    I hesitate before I answer for I know that Edward is not the type to stay faithful to anyone. "My dear Anastasia, I am afraid Edward is not the settling kind."


    "Well neither is Eva", she tries to sound comforting too. "Can''t she does stay with us?"


    In all my years as the Master, I have never taken on a human in my home. Is this something I want to do now? I after all need to set the example, there is many that keep humans on as a source of blood, but I have not been one to approve of that. Shall they see Eva to belong to Edward, then she too shall need to be marked. But believe me this time I am not the one doing the marking.


    After careful consideration, I give Anastasia my final answer. "My beloved, Eva shall be more than welcome to stay, but I fear there is one condition."


    "What is that?"


    "Edward shall have to mark her. To us it will not mean that she belongs to him, but to the other of our kind it will have to."


    She lets my words settled for a while until she finally speak. "Let''s go tell her then for I would love to get home and finish this that we have started."


    She slips off me slowly, but before she does so completely, I stop her. "May I my beloved?"


    She lays her head to the side and allows me to sink softly into her skin. Her blood is so intoxicating, I can see myself getting addicted to her. "My god Anastasia I don''t ever think I can let you go."


    "You don''t have to Sebastian. I shall be yours for eternity. Now let''s go give them the news."


    She throws on nothing but a shirt on and causally walks out of the room. I have waited for hundreds of years to feel this bond with a woman and I have finally found it in my Anastasia.


    As I get to what they prefer calling a lounge, I find that Anastasia has already told them the news. "I could not wait to tell Eva, I hope you don''t mind Sebastian."


    "Of course not my beloved," I turn my attention to Eva. "Eva is this something you wish to do? For once you agree, I am afraid there is no turning back."


    Edward looks somewhat taken aback by my decision, even though he knows he should not, he questions my decision. "Sebastian just to make clear, she shall only be marked for her safety and to be near Anastasia?"


    "Edward," I start. "You will not be required to feel any bond to Eva, unless if you so choose to", Then I further continue. "Shall this arrangement become a problem then it shall end."


    I give Eva a few moments and then go to ask. "Eva have you come to a decision. I would like to take my beloved home and complete our union."


    Anastasia slaps me playfully on my shoulder. "I love the way you refer to of sex."


    Eva finally answers after a brief moment of silence. "I am in, just as long as I don''t become a blood tap."


    "Well that is then settled. We shall send for someone to collect your belongings tomorrow."


    With that me and Anastasia make our way home. She is so full of energy and bubbling over, her energy and enthusiasm is completely contagious. I have never known a vampire that is so happy to be one, let''s hope she can keep this spirit for many years to come.


    We do not even bother to go greet Lilith whom is sitting in the common room, we head straight upstairs to my bedroom. Once the door is firmly locked behind us, I stop and turn to her.


    "My beloved, I have looked forward to this moment since the moment I set my eyes on you."


    She rubs her soft lips gently against my ear and whispers underneath her breath. "Take me my Master."


    "Oh Anastasia, please say that again."


    "My Master." She smiles at me and obeys my single request.


    I lift her from her feet and carry her to the bed. I gracefully drop her body and watch as the sink into the satin sheets. With her pinned between my two hands, I drop my lips to meet hers. Our lips fit perfectly, as if they are meant for each other. To move and feel each other, in passionate moments like these. I grab the back of her neck to deepen the kiss even further, I growl in the kiss as she whimpers in pleasure.


    Every kiss has a raw intensity, we are breathing fast and our blood is rushing even faster through our veins. I pull her shirt over her head and toss it into the corner. Her body glows under the moonlight that is coming through the windows. I grab hold of the skirt she is wearing and slowly start sliding them over her legs. She is bare with only her black lace lingerie on in front of me.


    As I crawl up her body, I twist her panties around my fingers. Before she can even knows what I am doing, I have them over her knees and lying next to us on the floor. She sits up straight on the bed and pushes back my body. In no time at all she has me naked in front of her. She straddles me on my hips and pin my hands against my body.


    Then before I know our naked skin is touching and moving softly together, just like the finest of silk. Our bodies fit together as if we were made just for this, to fall into one another, to feel this natural rhythm. Both of us move in an intoxicated dance of limbs, never making the exact same moves twice.


    Her face glows as she is about to give in, her back arches in anticipation. My head rocks back hard against the pillow and a moan escapes my lips.


    With my hard length, ever so deeply lost in her wetness, I sit up straight and hold onto quivering body that is burning with lust and desire. My words only but leaves my lips in a growl.


    "My beloved you are mine, now and forever".


    I throw my head back and expose my fangs, with one flick of my neck I pierce her skin in the very same spot that I did only but a few days ago. I close my eyes and savor this last moment. Slowly I open my eyes again.


    She looks at me with a desperation in her eyes. "May I do it now my Master."


    "Yes my beloved, I am yours now."


    She runs her lips over the sensitive skin of my neck, slowly building the anticipation for what is to come. I feel her hot breath against my skin as she finally opens her mouth and sink her teeth into my neck. She nestles in deeply and draws hard to ensure that she leaves her mark.


    As she continues, my own craving drives me to once more slip my fangs into her. Licked with lust and desire we reach a shattering high, unable to control the tension no longer, I release in a growl, she soon follows with a loud moan.


    Once that bed stops spin and we come down from the ecstasy, we drop down next to each other. After finally catching her breath, she speaks "Do you know what you taste like?"


    "Like nothing my beloved."


    "No. You taste like honey."


    I stop to breathe for a moment. "What did you say?"

 Chapter 19：Strength to Strength

    In little less than a week, I have had more excitement that a mortal man''s heart can take. Not only have I find my true mate in a human, but then she became a vampire, and a strong one in deed. If what Anastasia says is true, then I have indeed undergone a transformation too. But why did Breyden not sense this when I was willing to give up this immortal life for her. Has it only just happened or has it been this way for a while now.


    But before I confront Breyden with this news, I do need to ask a question from my beloved, then in a second breath explain to her what she is going through. Or should I rather say the current state in which her body is. Then the question begs, do I tell her about my own revelation too? This does put us both in a rather difficult situation, the thing is not that I do not trust her, but in fact how safe shall she be if there would be one so brave to come after me.


    So I must begin this discussion and truly hope she shall see that this is more dangerous than exciting as what she shall perceive it to be. "My beloved, there is a matter I wish to discuss with you."


    "What is wrong Sebastian, or may I call you beloved too?"


    "My dear, you may call me anything you wish too. On second thought do not give me that ridiculous petname ''baby'' as these humans like to do."


    "I kind of like calling you Master if you don''t mind."


    The mere thought of those words rolling each syllable over her lips, brings me nothing but arousal once again. With nothing but time on our hands, I do foresee us spending a great deal of hours in here. She does have somewhat a wild insatiable side to her, which I think might be my second best quality in her.


    Now how do I tell this little monster of mine, that she has just become the top most desirable snack to eat. Some might not even do it all at once, but slowly drag it out to savor the moment. I do not wish to even think of the things that others of our kind and those dreaded muts and even the godforsaken hybrids shall do to her. Every creature that desires absolute power will come straight for her.


    "My beloved, if given the opportunity, will you wish to become human again?"


    She looks at me somewhat confused, but almost immediately gives me her definite words. "No. I enjoy being a vampire. The freedom. The strength. And of course finally being able to be with you."


    "But what if I could become human too? Will you then give it up?"


    She sits and ponders it for a moment, but I somehow know that her answer would be the same. "No. I still think being a vampire is better than being a human. You possess so much more than a mortal do."


    I go to sit up straight, but not once does my eyes leave those of hers. They are like deep pools of ocean that sparkles as the moon catches light into them. She possesses great power for I can clearly feel it radiate from her. I do fear, not fear in a bad way, that my beloved will become more powerful than me.


    She needs to be made aware of this and this is something I shall have to tell her now. "My beloved, I do believe you know by now that you are very powerful."


    "Maybe not as powerful as you," she winks at me and I do know exactly what she is thinking of.


    "I fear you might even be more powerful than me."


    "Well, my Master," she taunts me. "Do you wish to try that theory out?"


    My laughter roars through the corners of the bedroom, I was waiting for her to suggest the very such thing. "My beloved, I do not wish to hurt you."


    "Come on Sebastian, it will be fun. Just once. I promise that I shall not hurt you."


    "Hahaha. I love the optimism, but I do think this is a foolish game."


    I watch as she slowly rises from the bed, if at first I thought she was joking, I for sure know now that she is not now. So I shall indulge her for only once, after all I need to know how strong she truly is.


    "Fair well my beloved, but I shall only do it once."


    "Oh, this is going to be so fun," she excitedly starts jumping around. "Now please do not go soft on me at all."


    "You may go first my dear, let''s see how far you can throw me back."


    She moves two steps closer, until she is but only arms length away. She chuckles to herself as she goes to take me by my shoulders. She digs her fingers deep into my skin, close near to drawing blood as her nails pierce into me. With one smile I give her signal to try me with her best shot. In mere inches of a second, she has me lifted from my feet, but not I small foot length of a lift, but more as far as she can reach up. Then to much of my surprise, she tosses my body, it travels across the room and lands in a thundering thump against the wooden door that cracks as my body tumbles to the floor.


    At first I see satisfaction play around the corners of her mouth, but soon concern creeps in and she comes up running to where I lie. "Sebastian!"


    But first rule of defending yourself is never let your guard down. As she steps near enough, I raise my body off the floor. With one little whisper, "Sorry," I take her by the arms. She does not even kick or scream as I lift her into the air, with one fast swift motion, I force her body to travel even faster than she can scream out my name. Her body hits the window and glass shatters around her as she falls down.


    I quickly rush over to her, as I fear with even holding back, I might of managed to hurt her. But foolish I am for as soon as I approach, she grabs hold with her palm around my neck and drive me through the room straight into the mirror hanging on the far end of the wall in the bathroom.


    Now it is game on, this time there is no holding back. Much for hating to do so, I wrap my own fingers around her delicate neck. In one, two, three winks, she flies through the bathroom straight into the room, her body hitting the bedpost and snapping it in half.


    Just then Edward comes flying through the somewhat broken door. "Sebastian! Is everything alright?"


    Just then Anastasia rises from the bed and just but smiles at Edward. "We are just trying to see who the strongest is."


    Edward bursts out laughing and just shakes his head. "At this rate you are buying new furniture every week."


    Edward makes his leave and I turn to my beloved. "I need to show you how to control your power, but first there is something I need to explain."


    She looks at me frowning, not sure which part she wishes to understand. "What are you talking about?"


    I lead her to a far side chair in the corner of the room and let her get comfortable on my lap. "My beloved, there is a source from which your power comes from."


    "What do you mean source?" She looks at me not understanding a word that I said.


    "Well the way things work, when you die your soul has to leave your body, that is way a vampire does not possess a soul. The thing with you my beloved..."


    She does not even allow me to finish my words. "Do I still have my soul?"


    "Yes. And that is what makes you so powerful."


    Then there is a fear that creeps over her face, the same I not so long ago saw. "Does this mean I am going to die? That we are not going to be together forever after all?"


    "Does this mean..." she stops as I nod even before she answers.


    "Should anyone find out, I am afraid they shall try to come after you. So I beg, until you have not completely mastered your power, do not go anywhere without either me or Edward."


    "But," she stares at me all puzzled, "Why are you so strong?"


    I guess right now I don''t know what else to do but lie for I fear I do not yet know what the answer is myself. "Strength normally comes with age." It hurts that I continue to tell lies, for lying is in deed something that comes naturally to our kind.


    She seems to freely accept this explanation. "So what do we do now?"


    "Absolutely anything you want to my beloved."


    But I fear next time I should be more careful with my answer for I am slightly shocked at her suggestion.


    "I want to go out on a hunt. But first can we go to that little pub we met, I am sure Eva would like to get out."


    I give her a soft peck on her sweet lips as to answer yes. She goes to the closet and start ripping out dress after dress. She finally settles on a gorgeous black number, strapless with just barely covering her cute little ass. And to top it off she puts my favorite pair of red stilettos on. To think this beautiful creature will be mine now and for eternity.


    After waiting an hour for Eva to get herself ready, me, Edward and the girls make our way to their favorite pub. We make our way down the dark and deserted streets, I remember walking this very path only a few nights ago. The ominous streetlights still casting shadows but only the shadow of the only human among us. Edward has not marked Eva yet and I am afraid he will have to do it soon. I have become more active then usual and it is surely going to raise some heads.


    We finally make our way to the overcrowded bar and find a table close to the last time we sat. I can see the way these men are looking at my beloved and it makes my blood boil. I know for a fact she is aroused and these mongrels can feel the sex that is clearly radiating from her


    Not long after we have sit down, a man approaches the table. My senses are heightened and I prepare myself to protect the girls. But as he comes to stand in front us, my beloved much to my surprise rises from her seat and proceed to embrace him in a hug. She turns to face me rather quite excited to introduce me to him.


    "Sebastian this is our friend Zachariah Hunter."


    The man looks at me in quite a peculiar way. "I beg your pardon, I do believe it did not hear your name clearly?"


    I rise from my seat and extend him a friendly hand. "Sebastian Belmont."


    Without even accepting the kind gesture, he pulls Anastasia to the side. From his whispered voice I can still hear what he says. "What are you doing with him?"

 Chapter 20：Zachariah Hunter

    ...Anastasia...


    We have just arrived at Zachariah''s pub when he pulls me to the side. He has not even shown Sebastian the common courtesy and shake his hand. I have never known Zachariah to be rude in any form or way, but what he has just done to Sebastian is very unacceptable to me. Who does he think he is to tell me whose company I can keep. Even though he is a very dear friend, he has just overstepped a boundary.


    Without even having to consider to think, I confront him with his strange and unacceptable behavior. I need not even have mention the level of my irritability, for my desire to feed is clouding my brain. If he as much as says a wrong word to me, then I shall not hesitate to cause a scene.


    "Zachariah how can you be so rude towards Sebastian? You do not even know him."


    "I know enough of him to know he is trouble", he shamelessly points over to our table. "Him and that brother of his, they only cause trouble as far as they go."


    "Sebastian does not even frequent your bar nor does he any other like these. You have now idea what you are talking about."


    "Trust me Anastasia, you do not want to be around people of his kind."


    Zachariah has now gone to far, he has no place to insult Sebastian. Before I know what happens, my anger consumes me and I slap him through the face with the flat of my hand. "You shall not speak of my love like that in front of me. In fact you shall not speak of him in any way like that at all."


    Forgetting the strength in my power, I slap him one fraction too hard. His head snaps violently to the left, causing him to loose balance and fall to the floor. As soon as I realize my mistake, I reach a hand to him to help him rise again, but he only refuses my gesture and gets up himself. His voice is firm and with warning when he finally composes himself to speak again.


    "Don''t say I did not warn you Anastasia." With that he turns and makes his leave.


    Sebastian who has now joined my side, takes my hand which is still stinging, and hold it protective in his hands.


    "Are you okay my dear Anastasia, I did not wish to cause you trouble? You should not have done all of that just to protect me."


    "Sebastian, as horrible as this might sound, in fifty years who is going to there for me? You or him?"


    ...Sebastian...


    I have just witnessed my beloved taken my side and in doing so she ruined a friendship. And to further make me feel more awful about the situation, she chooses me over a man she has known for far longer.


    But there is something about this Mr Hunter, something I cannot quite place. It is Edward whom comes to put the real name to his face.


    "Sebastian, you do know who that is?"


    "No I fear I have no idea who the man is. The name rings familiar but not the face."


    "Hunter, Sebastian, as in Samuel Hunter."


    In an instant the need to protect and survive sets in, this place is no longer safe for us vampires. Not that true harm will comes to us, but it is not a risk that I am willing to take.


    "Edward we need to leave at once, I beg do not tell Anastasia any of this."


    "You do know that he will come back for her."


    "Then come he must, but I fear he shall be pleasantly surprised."


    I need not even tell Anastasia that I wish to leave, as she and Eva are already out of the door. I do not think it is safe for her to go and feed any longer either. She is not going to be pleased with me at all, she shall just have to feed from me tonight. She looks at me in the most peculiar way, the next word that leaves her lips, shocks me straight into the bright of tomorrow.


    "I am not feeding from you Sebastian, so do forget about that thought."


    "But my beloved I have not said a word."


    "Your mouth might not have said it but your head definitely did."


    Anastasia has just said the most strangest thing to me. I am sure she is only guessing what I was thinking, we do after all have a strong bond with each other. But this now begs a question, lets test out this theory again. I turn and only but smile to her.


    "No Sebastian, I am not having sex with you in an alley."


    "My god Anastasia, I did not even say that."


    "As I said, your lips might not be speaking but your head just did. And right now you are thinking if I read your mind."


    I stop dead for a second and pull her to the side. For but a fraction of a moment we stand frozen in time. I don''t even know how to begin to ask her, but I sure she has already read my mind.


    "Anastasia when did this happen?"


    "But my beloved, the last time you fed was from me."


    "I told you that you tasted like honey, there must be something in your blood then."


    A million more questions come bundled up in my head. Is this my power or is my blood enhancing hers. Which ever way though, not only her, but me too shall be danger.


    "My beloved, please do not tell anyone of this, not even Eva."


    "You need not worry my Master, our secret is safe."


    "I do love it so when you call me that."


    "Oh believe me I know."


    "Can you not switch this thing off, you know this whole invading one''s privacy?"


    "Now where is the fun in that."


    ...Anastasia...


    I guess that was not a secret I could have kept away from him for too long. In deed it is a powerful thing to have, but listening to all those drunk men and the things they wanted to do to me, left me feeling nothing but dirty. But one thing that does interest me is something he and Edward spoke about.


    "Who is Samuel Hunter?"


    I see him freeze and all words completely escapes his head, he cannot even utter a reply. Soon though he composes himself, as he knows lying to me is only but futile.


    "Samuel Hunter is Zachariah''s father."


    "Yes, that I sort of gathered, but who is he?"


    "Well let''s state it like this. You never knew vampires existed but they did. Now if you listen to all your fairytales, you would know there is something like vampire hunters."


    "Sorry, just stop there for a moment. Are you saying that my friend, Zachariah is a vampire hunter?"


    "I am afraid so my beloved. And what I do also fear is that he will come to take you away from me."


    "Does he know I am a vampire?"


    "No, he is just a plain mortal. He has no power but only the unmistakable skill to handle a dagger."


    "But why has not killed you before."


    "As with the wolves, we have a treaty with the humans too. We shall never take too much and they shall mind their own business and let us go our own way."


    What Sebastian does not know, and what I am not telling him, is that I had a very brief relationship with Zachariah, that is partly why he is so overprotective of me. The thing is what am I going to do when he comes for me?


    ...Sebastian...


    Somehow I don''t think Anastasia will need my protection from the likes of vampire hunters. She does require skill and training, but her power shall make up for the lack of that. What does worry me is what she is going to do when she held to a stake by a friend. I hope this man shall not be foolish and come after us. He of all people should know that taking on the Master shall start a war.


    After a quiet, much uneventful walk, we are finally home. Edward and Eva head off in their own direction leaving us alone in the common room. I stretch out my legs and take a seat on one of the chairs. I call for my beloved to come sit next to me and she does.


    "Anastasia, my love you must feed. You shall have to take from me, it is not safe to go outside now."


    "But Sebastian it is not the same."


    "I know, but for tonight we don''t have a choice. Please, just for a moment, you are starting to look pale."


    I slowly start to roll the sleeve of my shirt, I watch as she watches me fold it up turn by turn. She gently takes my wrist in her now shaky hands. She is craving to feed, she desires the taste of blood. Without out waiting for me to say so, she exposes her razor sharp fangs. Then she pierces them fiercely into my wrist. At first the sting shocks me, but then the ecstasy of tingly feelings consume every corner bit of my body. Drop by drop, as my blood leaves my body she sends her venom through me, only causing me to feel more pleasure than I have ever known. I know I need to stop her, but I don''t want this feeling to end. In between her moans, I can only hear her utter one word.


    "Please."


    I know exactly what she is asking and I need not even given a moment to consider. She withdraws her fangs from my wrist. She moves a fraction closer and pulls her blonde locks of hair from her neck. As she goes to tilt her head to the left, I draw my fangs to her skin and deeply drive them into her. I pull her body closer to me and nestle myself firm. I suck every glorious ounce of blood from her veins. That incredible power I feel when I am drinking from her only increases with every moan.


    Then all of a sudden there is a loud thud and I am shaken back to my senses. For a brief moment there is silence, then a voice echoes the hallways.


    "Anastasia!"

 Chapter 21：The Vampire Hunters Love

    Some brave soul has decided to have the nerve and kick my front door open. By the familiarity of his voice and the very fact that he seeks Anastasia, I do have a fairly good idea whom this might be. In fact his dear father once did the very same thing, only that time he kick the door down. Seems son is not as strong as what dead old father was.


    It does not take the mastermind very long to find me and my beloved eagerly waiting for him to make his presence known. He has no idea that Anastasia is a vampire nor does he know that she is aware that I am. Not a very clever Vampire Hunter in deed, but he is foolishly brave still.


    The moment he sees Anastasia firmly snuggled in my arms, all his millions of delicious bloodcells start to race through his little heart.


    "Let go of Anastasia!"


    "Where is your manners Mr Hunter? Do you not greet your hosts."


    I chuckle to myself for a moment.


    "Well you do not know how to knock, I must be foolish to believe that you can greet."


    "I am not here for entertainment Mr Belmont, I am here for the girl."


    "Well my dear Zachariah, the lady is not here against her will. I shall say it is rude to come take my guests away."


    He all but grows more angry in his stance. It does seem that we are going to have a little problem with this one.


    "Sebastian we both know you do not have such things as guests."


    "Then do enlighten me, what is it that Anastasia is doing here?"


    "I do not feel we need to scare the woman to death."


    I look over to my dear beloved and see the cheeky smile that is playing at the corners of her mouth.


    "My beloved, I do believe this gentlemen wish not to scare you. Are you scared of me?"


    Sneaky little devil she is, she chooses to play along.


    "Now Zachariah, why will I be scared of Sebastian?"


    "Believe me Anastasia you do not wish to know."


    "Please humor me for a second."


    "Please come with me Anastasia before it is too late."


    My laughter vibrates through the hallways at his words. Oh if the silly Vampire Hunter only knew.


    "Mr Hunter, I do believe that you are overstaying your welcome. Please shall you leave."


    "I am not leaving without the girl."


    Then Anastasia jumps from the chair races towards him. I do not quite know what her intention is, but if I was Zachariah, I will be the one that starts running.


    "Zachariah", her voice is firm and loud. "How dare you come here and demand for me to come with you. You have no right to do such a thing."


    This only but gives Zachariah the advantage that he needs, for he grabs Anastasia by the wrist and starts dragging her to the door. In an instant, with one flash through the air, I leap to where they are heading for the door. My voice thunders through the roof as I come to stand in front of them.


    "Let her go! You shall not lay your filthy paws on my beloved."


    I bare my fangs and growl at him. I see my beloved wishes to do the same, but I shake my head for her not to do so.


    "She is not yours Sebastian."


    "You shall not come into my home and demand what is mine."


    Anastasia manages to free her hand.


    I grab the Vampire Hunter by his oversized shirt. In seconds he is dangling from the floor, but the clever bugger that he is, manages to reach for his favorite toy from behind his back. In one, two, three, he flies through the air, landing squarely across the dining room table.


    I show Anastasia to the side and slowly make my way towards him. My eyes has gone their true blood red colour and my claws are now ready to attack. With my fangs completely exposed, I tower him in my full vampire form.


    "You shall leave now and I shall spare your miserable life."


    He jumps up in an instant, the damn bastard was waiting for me. He comes storming at me with a dagger in hand, aiming for the very thing that he know shall kill me. But I am one quicker than him as I slide to the left. Then he spins around immediately and comes back at me.


    For one brief moment I take my eyes from him, a numbing pain shoots through me, as he stabs me in the arm.


    "My god you can''t even aim."


    "That was just a test round Sebastian."


    "In that case, give me all that you got."


    He comes stomping at me from right ahead and goes to aim for my chest. But once again I am the faster as I spin around him. Frustration is rampant in his eyes when he faces me again. Then the bastard launches the dagger at me. While my focus is as stopping it, he runs up to me with another. Within seconds in one impressive sneaky attempt, he has me pinned to the floor.


    "Is this your best Mr Hunter."


    "I am only getting started Mr Belmont."


    From behind him I see Anastasia come towards him. The fear is filling her eyes as what tears would normally be. I only but shake my head for her to back off, this little Vampire Hunter has not idea who he is up against.


    With as light as a feather, I push him off me. As he rolls to the side, he manages to grab his dagger and dab me in the shoulder. I cannot but laugh at him, even though I know he was very close.


    "You need to work on your aim Mr Hunter."


    "It is only but a matter of time Mr Belmont."


    "You shall wear out even long before me."


    "Well I am not leaving without the girl."


    "Then my Zachariah, you are going to wait as long as your pitiful life lasts."


    Then I hear Anastasia speak, with my focus on her, the Vampire Hunter has me off my feet. He has managed to overpower me and wrapped a silver chain around my neck. Now I am utterly powerless and only but a ball of clay in his hands. He raises his hands in the air, clenching his dagger firm, then as if in slow motion, I see him bringing it down to my chest.


    Anastasia''s voice echoes throughout the mansion, to every crook and crevice, as she yells for him to stop.


    "I will come with you Zachariah, just leave Sebastian alone."


    "My beloved Anastasia, no."


    "I will be fine Sebastian, you know I can look after myself."


    "But you are not train..."


    "I promise you I will be fine."


    I see she has a mischievous smile on her face. My little vampire is up to no good, but I do need to make something clear to her. With not even having to think too hard, she nods at me. The pesky Vampire Hunter frees me from his grip, then goes to join Anastasia by her side.


    "Told you I am not leaving without the girl Mr Belmont."


    "Be careful what you wish for Mr Hunter."


    "And what is that supposed to mean?"


    "Oh you shall soon find out."


    I walk on over to my beloved and give her the softest of kisses on her lips.


    "I shall see you soon my beloved."


    Before they exist through the broken door, the Vampire Hunter turns to laugh at me.


    "Do not count on that Mr Belmont."


    ...Anastasia...


    For a moment there I was sure Zachariah was going to drive that dagger through Sebastian''s chest. I do not fully understand how vampires die, but I believe that is the way that they can be killed. In fact, that I can be killed. Is that what Zachariah will do to me, when he''s finds out that I am too the same evil he think Sebastian is.


    "Zachariah why did you do that?"


    "The man is a monster Anastasia and I can''t believe that you are not even scared after all of that."


    "Sebastian is not a monster and there is no way you shall keep me from him."


    "Then I shall be doing this every night then."


    I do understand that we are friends, but the way that Zachariah is behaving is a bit more than extreme. I do understand that he cares for me, but this is a bit beyond caring he should be. We did have a brief relationship, but we both realized it was a mistake, and that we never could be more than just friends. But something is off with him.


    "Zachariah what is going on here?"


    "I don''t want you with that man Anastasia."


    "Why not?"


    "He is dangerous. Promise me you will stay away from him."


    "Why?"


    "I saw what happened there. Does it not bother you?"


    "No, so what if the man is a vampire."


    Zachariah stops in his tracks to turn and look at me. The shock is burning rampant like a fire in his eyes.


    "Did you know he was a vampire before tonight?"


    "Yes Zachariah, I have known Sebastian for several days now."


    "Has this goddam monster drank from you?"


    "Sebastian has not done anything I did not allow him to do."


    "Anastasia, you have no idea how dangerous this is. You are playing with with fire by keeping company with his kind."


    Zachariah pulls me to sit next to him on a nearby bench. It is cold and there is a small drizzle of rain, all I want to do is get back to Sebastian. Can Zachariah just get his rambling over with so I can get back home.


    "Anastasia, you know how much I care about you."


    "Yes Zachariah, we are friends. I understand you are worried."


    "No Anastasia, you don''t understand."


    "Then make me understand."


    He goes quiet for a few moments. His head is just a blur of mumbled up words, I cannot even listen to what he is thinking. Then he goes to speak again.


    "I love you Anastasia."


    "Yes and I love you too Zachariah."


    "No Anastasia, I love you, not as a friend. I love you."


    I go dead quiet for I do not know what to say, I knew he cared about me but never once did I expect this. Why has he not told me this before? We have been friends for years and never had he once give me an indication that he felt more. This does pose a big problem now for me. He will keep coming for me as long as he knows I am with Sebastian. But shall he stop when he knows the truth?


    "Zachariah you can''t keep coming for me."


    "If you are going to keep going back there, then I will."


    "So if I turn around now and go there?"


    "I will follow you."


    "And tomorrow?"


    "I will follow you."


    "Every day for the rest of your life?"


    "I will follow you."


    This breaks my heart so much, yes I have my soul and I feel pain, this is a pain I am definitely feeling. But I knew there would be risks when I decided to choose this life. I would have to say goodbye to friends and places, break hearts and leave people behind. Never though did I think it would be so soon.


    "Zachariah, I am staying with Sebastian."


    "What you mean staying with him?"


    "I live with him, in his house, in his room."


    "Not from tonight anymore."


    I think this is by far going to be the hardest part. I don''t think after this we will be sitting around the same table anymore.


    "Zachariah, I am Sebastian''s beloved."


    "What do you mean by beloved."


    I close my eyes for a moment and with one big breath in, I open my mouth, but so slowly and fraction by fraction, I bare my razor sharp fangs.


    "Oh god no Anastasia."

 Chapter 22：Blind Love

    The world has gone dead still on it''s axis, at least for Zachariah it did. Sitting on a small bench down a deserted walk way, now getting drenched by the rain, his worst fear have definitely come true. Not but a few moments ago he confessed his love to me, for me only to show him that I am the very same thing, he was trying to save me from. The heartbreak in those soft blue eyes does bring my own heart pain. Never ever could I have thought that I shall hurt a friend in this way. Would he now despise me as much as he does Sebastian, shall he even go as far as to drive a dagger through my heart? Then again would this have made a difference if he had told me before? Would it be his arms that I would seek the comfort of.


    Yet, he remains still, he has not moved a slight bit in the past few minutes that he has known. I guess I can safely say that he shall not be killing me, well at least not tonight. His dagger is only but in arm''s reach, what stops him from driving it straight through my chest? In this dark deserted place, no one would even know that something unfortunate has happened to me.


    But what I do know he is doing, is trying to stop his trembling hands from shaking. What I also do know is that he is scared, for I can smell the fear radiate from his skin. Is he scared that I am the one that shall hurt him, when I am afraid of him?


    He fumbles at his words for while, but with a short deep breath, his words finally become clearer.


    "How long?"


    "Going onto my third day now."


    "My god Anastasia, why did you not come to me instead?"


    "What would you have done Zachariah? Drive a dagger through my heart?"


    He once again goes silent, I can hear every crazy thought that runs through his mind. I know it is wrong of me to listen, but his face does not tell the story that his mind so eagerly does.


    There is a question that begs me, how has he hid this part of his life for so many years from me. Me and Eva is the closest friends he has around and not once have we suspected anything.


    "Zachariah how did I not know this?"


    "The same way you did not know about vampires.


    "So does this mean we shall always be fighting each other?"


    He hesitates for a moment, he does not even have to answer, for I know a world where a Vampire and a Hunter live in peace, does not exist.


    "There has to be a cure Anastasia."


    "But why? Why would you want to be a..."


    I need not even have to read his mind to know which seven letters he stopped from escaping his lips.


    "Monster", I continue for him. "You think I am a monster and so do you think of Sebastian. Do I look like a monster to you Zachariah?"


    "Anastasia, that is not what I meant."


    "No, but it is what you thought."


    He reaches his big strong hands to lay gently over mine. I should pull away, but I shall give him these final moments he will ever have with me. I fear the next time our paths will meet again, it will for certain be on the wrong side of his dagger.


    Then with a new resolve he speaks as if for the first time tonight he has a clear mind. There is even a glimmer of hope in his teary eyes. I have always known Zachariah to be a strong man that does not easily fall apart, but here he is crumbling right in front of me. He must come from generation of generation of Vampire Hunters, that knows nothing but hatred for our kind. But here he is crying over the very same thing he should protect the world from.


    "Anastasia I am not giving up on you."


    "Zachariah I am with Sebastian."


    "Yes because you are bound by his blood. I shall find a way to...fix you, even if it does mean I need to kill Sebastian."


    Just then I hear a shuffle behind the bench.


    ...Sebastian...


    For far too long have I listened to his babble and now he has his filthy paws on my beloved. Well if he thinks he can kill me, I am ready for the next round.


    "Take your hands off my Anastasia."


    My voice echoes over the heavy downpour of rain.


    "Sebastian."


    "My dear Anastasia I think we have heard enough of this man''s pointless ramblings. I beg, let us go home."


    My words are not yet cold and this Vampire Hunter is set to annoy me as he has got Anastasia by the arm and dragging her down the street.


    "Do you truly wish to start this again Zachariah," I set after him again, not making must of an effort as my beloved is trying to use her power to break away from him.


    "Go home Sebastian, she is staying with me," he yells as he tries furiously to remain his grip on her.


    "That is where you are wrong my dear friend, Anastasia belongs with me."


    "She does not belong to you."


    "In fact she does."


    He continues with Anastasia down the street, but something does puzzle me. Why can she not break away? That is when I see the chain he has wrapped around her hands.


    "Let her go you mongrel or I shall kill you."


    "The only mongrel around here Sebastian, is you."


    This pesky little Vampire Hunter is now getting on my nerves. I think time for playing this game is now over.


    Before a single wink of his eyes, I launch through the air and land in loud thud squarely in his path. My eyes have gone a bloodshot red and there is a fire building underneath them. A consuming rage has overcome my body. My skin is burning hot, not from passion but from rage within. This filthy scoundrel has silver wrapped around my beloved''s fragile body. He shall pay for his foolish mistake.


    "Let her go Zachariah and I am only asking you once."


    My voice vibrates like a thunderous roar down the dark deserted alley, echoing through every window in every building. Clear raw fear fills the air as I throw my head back and bare my fangs.


    "Let her go, this will be the last time you shall touch anything."


    The Vampire Hunter lets go off his grip on the delicate wrists of my beloved only to reach for his dagger behind his back. I grab for his throat even before he had time to reach for it and firmly squeeze my long slender fingers around his neck. With but one lift of my arm the tiny little human in kicking his feet frantically in the air.


    "Let me go you monster."


    This seems to anger my beloved only further as she steps forward to face this man. She snaps at him as she exposes every inch of her razor sharp teeth.


    "Sebastian, what happens if I bite him?"


    "My beloved I do not think such a thing shall be wise."


    She takes Zachariah''s hand and bares the tender skin of his wrist. His veins are throbbing as the adrenalin in his blood pumps through it. I watch as she teasingly scrape her teeth against it. A deep moan escapes through her lips as the very sight of it tingles her taste buds.


    "Just once Sebastian."


    I see the hunger in her eyes as she begs for it.


    "My beloved, we shall only start a war with these pesky Vampire Hunters."


    But knowing my little Vampire, she does not listen to me at all. She pierces his skin with the tip of her fangs and let the tiniest drops of blood trickle from it. She looks back at me with that mischievous smile and takes the tip of her tongue and licks every glorious drop of blood before it drips to the ground.


    But she is not done yet. She slowly sinks her white fangs into his soft warm flesh. The little scared Vampire Hunter goes completely stiff, but the minute she releases her venom, he falls back into her soft touch. She elegantly wiggles and nestles her strong teeth firm while she holds his limp arm still. I listen to her as she slowly suck every heavenly blood cell from his pulsating veins. She draws drop after drop of his sweet nectar and moans at the ecstacy it brings. Then she looks up to me and I nod, with one lick she closes his wound and drop his arm by his side.


    "Sebastian, let him go. I want to go home and make love to my Master."


    She need not ask me twice and I drop Zachariah to the ground. But before we can make our leave, the Vampire Hunter speaks again.


    "I will be back for you Anastasia."


    Well this man must be foolish or just plain dumb, or even both, it seems that today was not enough for him to learn a lesson from this.


    "We will be waiting for you Zachariah Hunter."


    I wrap my arms around my beloved and we make our way home in the cold of the night, not caring much for the rain as we have each other, and that is the only thing that matters.


    By the time we get home there is a very worried Edward standing and waiting in the doorway.


    "Sebastian, brother, I was worried sick about you guys. Did those mutts come back?


    "Only a little pesky Vampire Hunter, but fortunately we shall she him very soon again."


    Edward remains quiet for only a moment when he raises a very valid question.


    "Is he going to come for Eva?"


    I have never even once thought about the human that is now living amongst us. The Vampire Hunter''s love must have been so blind that he did not feel concern with Eva that also left and came home with us.


    "I am afraid he shall once his head has cleared. Have you marked her yet?"


    "No I have not Sebastian, I am afraid she will not allow me to do it."


    "For what reason?"


    I demand to hear his explanation as the arrangement was made quite clear.


    "Brother she only wants one person to do it and that person is not me."


    "Fare well, bring her here so I can finish it."


    "I am afraid it is not you but Anastasia that she wants."


    ...Anastasia...


    Did I just heard Edward right? Does Eva want me to mark her instead? I have no idea what this entails and how you even do it. Shall it mean that I shall have the same bond with her like me and Sebastian have?


    "Why does she want me Edward? I am not her partner."


    "She only trusts you Anastasia."


    "But..."


    I turn to Sebastian that is feeling just as confused about it.


    "Sebastian can I even do it."


    "My beloved you are but a young vampire. I cannot express enough how dangerous this is. You have yet to learn how to control your hunger."


    "Are you saying that you are scared that I might kill her."


    I can hear his head is spinning in a million directions. I know exactly what his thoughts are saying, but Edward may not know of these powers I possess yet.


    "Yes Anastasia, I am scared you might kill Eva."


    "And if I turn her."


    "Then we have a bigger mess to explain for I fear what the rest of our kind shall say."


    "But you are the Master Sebastian, surely they cannot judge you."


    His head is not making any sense now, he has gone and block me. Guess I am not the one that has a bit of explaining to do here. But let us forget about his sneaky move and figure out what our next step is.


    "Sebastian what must I do?"

 Chapter 23：The Bellmont House

    Things in the Belmont House has now just become once more complicated. There is always consequences to one single action and I fear the turning of my beloved has caused a ripple effect.


    The question now begs, who will be marking Eva? I shall not allow a human to dictate what I say, the agreement was clear, it is Edward or she shall not be allowed to stay here. If she does not wish to let him, then I am afraid that she shall not be able to live here any longer.


    We have already had an encounter with the Blood Rose Pack and a Vampire Hunter. It is the most action this house has seen in over one hundred years, the last thing I do need now is an encounter from any other force then us Vampires.


    I do know that my love is waiting for an answer, but this is not an answer that she is going to wish to hear.


    "Anastasia, I am afraid it was clear, Edward has to be the one to do so in order for her to remain here."


    But if it was understanding that I was after, all I am receiving now is clear confusion. She does not fully understand, but yet she seeks an answer.


    "Why can''t I just do it?"


    "My dear you might infect her or even worse kill her."


    "Why can''t you do it?"


    "Would you approve of me to create a bond with another woman?"


    "I guess not."


    "Then it is settled then."


    She looks at me with sweet little puppy eyes. I know she is trying to attempt for me to change my mind, but it ain''t going to happen tonight.


    "Guess I will go tell her then."


    She leaves the room feeling much defeated. In time she shall learn that there is some sacrifices a Vampire needs to make. And when it comes to humans, it is mostly the hardest, she has just witnessed it with this Vampire Hunter. It is best to refrain from creating a bond with a human. She needs to accept that everyone here in Belmont House is her new family, it is time for her to leave her old life behind and embrace her new one.


    But I do have other pressing matters I need to think of, I need to make the Vampire Counsel aware of my encounter with Zachariah Hunter. Even though I am the Master and what I shall say is rule, we have created a Council to ensure that all other Vampires are equally heard and judged the same. They enforce the rules and are also responsible for ensuring that we live and uphold to our treaties with the likes of Wolf Packs and the Vampire Hunters.


    Now if I thought I was quite clear I think I have just mistaken myself, for Anastasia comes in a rush down the stairs. Her words comes as nothing but a mumble underneath all the tears. But just looking at her clothes, I need not even guess what she wants to say.


    "Anastasia what have you done?"


    "Please come quick, I think she is dead."


    My once subtle voice is now making place for anger. If my blood could boil, it would be boiling now, she has just gone up against my word.


    "My dear did you try and go turn her after I forbid you to?"


    "I just..." she sobs and sobs and sobs like a child, not really paying attention to the anger that is clearly flooding from my mouth.


    "I told you not to do it! I told you that you won''t know how and yet you disobey me and go and do it still?"


    "Please Sebastian, please come check if she is okay."


    "Anastasia if she is dead then there is nothing I can do for her."


    "Just come and check if she is okay?"


    I turn to Edward that has been shocked into silence, this is really turning into an eventful day.


    "I guess we shall have to go see the damage." Edward surprisingly just grins at me as he leads the way.


    When we step into the room it is as if a horror show does unfold. She obviously first tried at the chair in the corner, it seems they might of first had a scuffle as books are astray on the floor with the smallest amounts of blood drops on them.


    Then it seems like Eva might had ran to the bathroom to cover the abnormally large wound that Anastasia has caused in the bare of her very pale white neck.


    After that they might have tried it for a second time, but this time it looks as if it was on the bed for there is a trail of blood on the floor from the bathroom to bed.


    Now by this time I am sure that the lust for blood was far greater than her need to mark her friend. I am almost sure that she was trying to feed and she just could not get Eva to settle down. Which in its own way is strange because she is a powerful Vampire. It must have been a battle for her not wanting to hurt her own friend.


    As we all stand before the bed, not one of us are brave enough to go and check if the bloodied body on there is still alive. From where I am standing, judging at the amount of blood all over the pillows and bedspread, the chances Eva is alive must be nil.


    "Anastasia what have you done?"


    "Sebastian I was trying to mark her, but when I tasted her blood all I wanted to do was feed from her."


    "Why all the blood?"


    "She kept trying to get away and I was scared to hold her down because I know she has brittle bones."


    I push her aside and make my way to Eva''s bloodied body. As I place my ear to her chest, it only takes but a few seconds for me to establish what sort of situation we have at hand.


    "Edward, please go fetch Rosemarie to help clean her up."


    As Edward makes his leave from the room, Anastasia walks up to me where I am holding Eva in my arms.


    "Is she alive Sebastian?"


    "Yes, but barely. You have infected her, she won''t remain alive for very long."


    "But is she infected like you did to me?"


    "Yes, but I am afraid that I shall not be turning her. And neither shall you."


    "But..."


    "No Anastasia, you need to learn to obey me. There is reasons why I make rules and...this...is one of them."


    "But she is still alive?"


    "No Anastasia, I say no."


    ...Anastasia...


    I wish that Sebastian could understand that I was merely trying to mark Eva so that she can remain here. How was I supposed to know I would get hungry, maybe I knew I would, but why could she just not sit damn still. And now...now she is dying and he does not want to turn her.


    I must say that I have never seen him so furious in this short while that we have been together. But do I seriously have to follow the rules, I am his beloved after all?


    "Sebastian?"


    "Yes Anastasia?"


    "Why are you not calling me beloved?"


    "Because I am mad at you."


    "But why must I also follow the rules?"


    "You might be my beloved, but it does not make you immune to my authority. Are you going to obey me in future?"


    "Yes Sebastian I will."


    "Please I beg you don''t do it again. Now leave this room and I forbid you to come in it again. There shall be consequences if you do not listen."


    I go to protest, but immediately stop against it, I shall do as he says, but I want one single thing before I leave.


    "Can I just give her a kiss on the forehead?"


    "A kiss Anastasia, do not even dare and try taste her blood!"


    "I was not going to Sebastian!"


    I slowly move a bit closer to her body and gently lean over and place a tiny butterfly kiss against her forehead. Before I pull away I whisper in her ear.


    "I love you Eva."


    Sebastian looks at me strangely but all I do is ignore him and leave the room.


    It is with a sad heart that I make my way down to the common room. To even make the misery worse, the world outside seems to be drowning in its own tears. As I sit myself down, I take Eva''s favorite blanket and wrap it around my legs. It is funny how even though I don''t feel cold that I seek the comfort of something warm around me.


    I am left with nothing but my own thoughts as I sit alone here by myself. I have just killed the only person that has ever meant anything to me in this world. Unlike me she has family that is going to miss her. I have not only robbed her from her own life but those of her parents.


    Now Zachariah is definitely going to come after us. I surely have gone and make a whole big mess of things. How come it seems okay to kill a stranger then? Do they also not have family and loved ones? But how else do they expect a Vampire to survive? I don''t know what to think anymore, was this such a good choice to make after all?


    After what seems to be an eternity, Sebastian and Edward comes downstairs to join me. Not one of them seems to be happy with me at all. Should I even dare to ask?


    "Is she..."


    Sebastian cuts me off before I can even say another word.


    "Stay away from that room Anastasia!"


    His voice is stern and full of warning. Who knew that a man without a heart can be so furious still. Do I even want to ask if we can let her family know?


    "What about her mom and dad?"


    "Well maybe that is something you should have thought about before you disobeyed me."


    This is really starting to annoy me, this man has done far worse thing than I have, who does he think he is to keep that tone of voice with me.


    "Are you going to be mad at me forever?"


    "Well we do have forever after all."


    "Sebastian this is not funny."


    "Believe me that I do know Anastasia."


    I watch him as he sits in silence for a moment, but he truly is not silent for I can hear a world of turmoil spinning round and round in his head. But still I cannot read a word he thinks.


    "You are wasting your time, I know how to block you."


    "Since when?"


    "That is not the concern here, we have far more pressing matters."


    He pauses for a while and much to my surprise that look of anger, turns into something between rage and sadness.


    "Anastasia I am afraid there needs to be punishment for your actions."


    I am completely blown away from the words he says. I am not sure if what is coming from my mouth is the sounds of sobs or laughter. But then what he says next puts the fear of a thousand ghosts into my body.


    "We are meeting with the Council tomorrow night."

 Chapter 24：The Resurrection

    There is a suffocating silence that sets over the room as every syllable leaves Sebastian''s lips. There is nothing but pure horror hidden all over his pale face, even if every part of him protests internally with himself, he knows that he has to present me to them. The Vampire Council, a collection of Vampires chosen by Sebastian himself, widely feared and known to hand the most severe punishments down on those whom break the Vampire code.


    This is what Edward has told me, whether it is true, that I shall find out for myself come tomorrow night. As for now, I am being sent to my room much like a naughty child to think about my actions. In all my living years I have never felt so scared, I do wish that I had listened to Sebastian. My own selfishness drove me to do the unthinkable, kill another out of pure recklessness. I would love to tell myself that I was only thinking of Eva''s best interest, where in fact I was only thinking of myself.


    And now I have the whole of eternity to punish myself for my actions. But the question begs, what shall The Council do with me. I have heard that they will pull your fangs and let you starve to death. Now that is something to look forward to, but will Sebastian allow such a thing to happen to me? If only he would listen and speak to me then I shall know. For the how many of time now, I try to draw his attention to me.


    "Sebastian?"


    "Anastasia I thought I have instructed you to go to your room?"


    "I don''t want to be alone."


    "You should have considered that before you disobeyed my direct order."


    "Anastasia please do as I ask, you do not want to infuriate me more than I already am."


    "But why must I see The Council?"


    "You deliberately ignored my instructions to not mark Eva and in return you have brought her on the brink of death."


    "But you did the same to me?"


    "Yes and for that I shall stand my own council. Now please do as I have asked you, go to your room."


    All I can do is but grind my teeth and glare at him for if I have to say another word to him, I shall stand two councils tomorrow night. So I turn on my heels instead and stomp my way upstairs to my room.


    But to get to my room, I need to pass those of Eva''s. As I slowly creep past, I can hear a scuffle inside. At first I am overwhelmed by a crippling fear inside, Eva can possibly not still be alive, can she? There is no way, for there was way too much blood for her to have survived. It is probably Rosemary still cleaning up inside.


    But there is that part of me that is filled with curiosity that needs to know. So I move through the shadows and sneak up to the door. Ever so softly and slowly I reach out for the knob to twist it open, when all of a sudden there is a deep voice rumbling behind me. By the anger and coldness, I know exactly who it is.


    "Are you even considering to disobey me again? Did I not clearly forbid you not to come here?"


    "I was, I just wanted..."


    "To see the corpse of the woman you killed. It was your friend Anastasia or have you forgotten that?"


    "Believe me Sebastian I know, but being this goddam bloodlust animal I am, I am finding it hard to feel remorse."


    "Well do us both the favor and go find the remorse in your own room. I am not repeating myself again. Stay away from this room!"


    "Ugh!"


    Much to his annoyance I bare my fangs and snap at him. He might be my Maker, but I am not his child for him to talk to me this way. He might be the oldest Vampire, but he surely acts like a spoiled brat.


    ...Sebastian...


    She is absolutely driving me up against the wall. I do so much want to show her leniency, but I am afraid that it will only show The Council that I am weak. It would have sat far better with me if we could hidden this and never had to tell a single soul. However, apart from Edward and Lilith, I have a house full of servants that are bound by the code to report very such things like these. Even though I might have assembled The Council, it does not make me immune to the rules of the code.


    As for her punishment, that I have no control over either, I have the power to overrule a sentence, but in doing so I shall only be seen to show her favour over other Vampires. This goes against the very purpose of the assembly of The Council, to treat all Vampires equally. I so wish that she only obeyed me, and then not even an hour later she wants to disobey me again. My love for Anastasia runs deeply, but it cannot cloud what is morally acceptable in the Vampire world.


    She shall not show remorse as the craving to feed makes her actions seem acceptable. But this was her friend, if she was a far more experienced Vampire, she would not even have attempted such a foolish thing. In a way that is my own fault, I have craved her so much that I failed to teach her as one should teach a young Vampire. But there is no time to dwell on the wrongs that she did, I can only but now work at correction the mistake she made.


    I have called for Edward to meet me in Eva''s room.


    "Edward, I cannot express enough that you are taking a risk here, for once it is done then it is set in stone. We are once again taking matters in our hands and I fear The Council will hand down severe punishment on us."


    "Sebastian my heart has just grown as fond for Anastasia. I do not wish to see her live in regret for eternity."


    "Then it is decided, we shall do this and I shall take the punishment for our actions."


    "I will not allow you to do such a thing. This is my actions which I have chosen to do for myself."


    "Fair enough, the let us begin."


    ...Edward...


    I have been known to do the craziest things, usually acting on impulse and not making logical decisions. But this shall be by far the most irresponsible thing, even if you may refer to it in such a way. I have seen and experienced regret for over two hundred years, for an old Vampire it is easy to live with for eternity. But for such a youngling as Anastasia it shall only imprint a very bad memory right from the start of her immortal life. I do not wish for her to experience that.


    That brings us to this moment. In front of me lays a woman that''s beauty is beyond compare. She is laying here in nothing but the most exquisite pink lingerie, that is sadly stained with the deepest red of her own blood. Her long brown hair lays next to her in waves and behind those eyelids is the deepest colour of brown eyes. Her skin has gone two shades lighter than pale and her body is near ice cold to the touch. She is busy dying a slow and painful death.


    I am not one that stays tied down to just one woman, but for Anastasia I am willing to take this risk. Therefor I shall make my intention very clear to Eva before I shall do this.


    "My dear Eva, I know the pain is unbearable to you know, but I need to speak to you before it becomes too late. Please nod if you understand what I say."


    I hear a painful mumble escape her lips as she attempts to answer me. Feeling much defeated, she just nods her head, I can see the agony she experiences by only doing this.


    "You do know that you are slowly busy dying."


    She only nods her head.


    "I am offering you the opportunity to come through this."


    She slowly opens her eyes and looks at me in horror. She knows fully what I am suggesting to her. From somewhere deep inside her, she finds the voice to speak.


    "Are you saying I must become a Vampire if I wish to live?"


    "I am afraid my dear Eva it is the only way you are going to fight this."


    I hear as she starts to rumble, the clear look of anger is written over her face.


    "But I did not ask for this! You people just go around killing humans and then accept that we all want to become the horrible creatures that you are."


    "I am afraid that I cannot answer for Anastasia, I can only offer you life again. I need to know if this is something you wish to do?"


    I watch her as she keeps her silence once again. There is this desire for all mortals to live. Nobody wishes to die, especially by the hands of another and in her case it is her friend and a friend that is unfortunately a Vampire too. This is an inner battle that she is fighting with herself.


    "Of course I do want to live, but it shall not change the fact that I shall not forgive Anastasia for this."


    "I am not expecting you to do, but what I should make clear is that you shall have a bond with me."


    "I do not wish to be tied down to you, but I fully understand that this shall happen. So can we just get this over with?"


    I slightly pierce the soft skin of my wrist with the tips of my fangs, instantly the droplets of blood appears. Without even flinching she grabs for my arm, I feel as her baby fangs drive into my skin inch by glorious inch. She nestles them deeper into the delicate flesh and in an instant I can feel the blood drain from me. She eagerly sucks and drink from me while holding my arm deadly still.


    The feeling is beyond what words can even describe, I have not had another Vampire drink from me in over a hundred years. The sensations my body feels is far greater than sex with any mortal woman. My entire body tingles from pleasure and it is intoxicating. I know that this is now a feeling I am going to get addicted to. So much that I even allow her to drink more than she should.


    "My dear Eva, you need to stop."


    After protesting for a few seconds too long, she finally pulls away and falls back into the sheets. I look up at Sebastian that has been next to me the whole time.


    "I shall stay with her until the process is done."


    "Thank you Edward, you are truly a good friend."


    ...Anastasia...


    I have been stuck in my room for almost a day, not once have I seen Sebastian since yesterday. It pained me to be away from him so long and I know it must have pained him just as much as well. It is only but mere minutes that I need to appear in front of the council. To say that I am not terrified would be a lie, I just wish that Sebastian would stand by my side. I know that he is also standing punishment for his own actions tonight, I just don''t understand why we cannot do this together.


    And the as if on clockwork he knocks on my door.


    "Anastasia it is time to go."


    "Sebastian please can you just give me some support."


    "Believe me that I have already done so, in fact Edward has done it even more so."


    "What do you mean Edward?"


    "Please can you come so we can get this over with? The Council does not take kindly to being late."


    "But can we just talk for a minute?"


    "We can do that in the car, now please will you come?"


    I know it is futile to even protest. I try to take his hand as we leave the room, but he only pulls it away. He cannot possibly be so angry still, it appears that he might just do so for eternity.


    It is with a heavy heart that I once again pass Eva''s room, but this time the door is open instead. There is no sign that anything bad has even happened in there. Guess they must have gotten rid of her body during the night.


    As we start to make our way down the stairs, I can see Edward waiting for us to join him. But I am surprised to see that he is not alone by himself. There is a woman with beautiful long brown hair standing next to him. With every step we take towards them I can see the woman''s silhouette become clearer to me. Then she slowly turns around...


    "Eva!"

 Chapter 25：The Vampire Council

    ...Anastasia...


    I cannot believe my eyes, Eva is still alive. How dare Sebastian keep this from me? Here I am feeling terrible for what I have done, only to find out that there was no reason for me to have worried like this. But the question begs, is she human or is she a Vampire?


    I start to pick up my pace to catch up to her and Edward, but I find myself being pulled back by Sebastian.


    "I do not suggest that you do that."


    "Let me go Sebastian, you cannot tell me what I can and cannot do."


    "When it comes to Eva, then I am afraid I am."


    "She is my friend, I need to speak to her."


    "Then I am afraid once again, for Eva does not consider you as a friend no more."


    "Eva shall never say such a thing."


    "Yes my dear just as Eva did not think that you would kill her."


    "Sebastian is she...?"


    "Use your smell Anastasia, or is that another thing you have mastered yet."


    "Ugh. You are impossible."


    I manage to free myself from his grip and make my way to where Eva and Edward are outside by the car waiting for us. As she turns around and faces me, I am blown away by how beautiful and radiant her skin is. Her light brown skin is shimmering under the moonlight and those deep brown eyes are like diamonds sparkling from her face.


    I slowly step one step forward to ask for her permission to give me one of her warm and gentle hugs. But I am very shocked at the way she bluntly cuts me off.


    "Leave me alone Anastasia, we ceased to be friends the moment you slammed your overeager fangs in to me."


    "But Eva..."


    Next thing I feel Sebastian pulling me away from her.


    "Get into the car Anastasia, we need to go."


    ...Sebastian...


    It pains me a great deal to see Anastasia having to go through this ordeal. But she has made this bed and she shall be forced to lay in it. Eva does not want anything to do with Anastasia again. Once Edward has shown her the ways, she shall be moving back to her previous home. Normally I would not leave a youngling on their own like that, but given the circumstances, I am left to allow it.


    As for where my relationship with Anastasia stands, I have not yet decided that. For at this moment three of the Belmont House is standing council tonight. This has not only brought us disgrace, but also put me in a peculiar spot as the Master. I am afraid that my desire to feel love has brought more harm than good.


    And good is definitely not what the atmosphere in the car is on the way to where we shall meet The Council tonight. The Council never convene at the same location twice. Purely because it is such a sensitive matter and that there should not be any interference from the outside. And tonight will be even more of a delicate matter for the Master is standing council himself.


    As I look on over to Anastasia, she seems to have finally taken the severity of this to head. I gently lay my hand on her knee and call her name.


    "Anastasia."


    "Yes Sebastian!"


    She rather annoyingly snaps back at me, but I do not take bother to it at all.


    "Please, under no circumstances, snap back, interrupt or question any members of The Council."


    "What makes them so damn special?"


    "If you have that kind of attitude then they shall give you the most severe punishment you can get."


    "I don''t care. They are probably centuries old and very stuck up."


    "Anastasia, just show respect that is all I ask of you."


    With a big huff she nods her head, but I know her all too well. She is going to do just as she pleases. I am afraid I have no control over her sentence, if she protest, she shall feel the full wrath under their hands.


    As the clock strikes exactly eleven o''clock, we pull up outside an old abandoned warehouse. It is far south into the city in an area that mostly has warehouses and production plants which is completely empty at night. This very one is owned by myself, it has been empty for the better part of a hundred and fifty years. It does sometimes host gatherings where a mass frenzy on feeding of consenting humans takes place. Me, myself has never taken part in such an event.


    I look over to Anastasia once again. She is truly not impressed with me, she believes firmly that I am being unreasonable.


    "Anastasia, I am begging you please."


    "Don''t worry Master your little pet will behave."


    "That is really unfair, I am trying to support you as best as I can."


    "Yes, which is not really very good at all."


    "I am standing council just as you, do you for one second think that I am enjoying it? In fact Edward is doing as well."


    She seem to go as quiet as the alley that we are parked in. There is a slight hint of absolute terror that washes over her face. I think she might have just realized what has happened.


    "Sebastian did Edward?"


    "Yes he did and if anything is unfair around here, then that is for neither one of them asked for this. Anastasia, you fail to understand, when a Vampire makes a mess of things, the punishment is there for eternity."


    "I am sorry Sebastian."


    "You know it is too late for that, now please can we just get this over with."


    As we step outside into the freeze of the night, a slight drizzle of rain falls down to muddle our already somber mood. We follow behind Edward that manages to open the thick steel door with the greatest of ease. The moment we step inside, the smell of dead rotten flesh attacks our senses. Someone has been in here recently and has gone blatantly against the rules and taken a mortal life in here. But that is a worry for another day.


    We move through the dark filthy open floor to the entrance of another warehouse on the side. This time at least, the pleasant smell of spring flowers fill the air. There is only one Council Member that likes this smell and I am afraid to say that we did have a brief sexual relationship over one hundred and eighty years ago. I chose her for her vast experience in knowing human law and Vampire code. She has always been fair and consistent with sentences she hands down.


    I stop to take one long deep breath before we make our way to the four chairs that have been placed in the middle of this dingy room. Up ahead in almost complete darkness, The Council Members are sitting high above on three thrones behind a table draped with red velvet and chandeliers.


    The moment Genevieve''s eyes makes contact with my face, she smiles. Her face might be smiling now, but once the proceedings starts, she will be completely dead cold. She shows for us to take our seats and so we do. Once we are seated, she looks at the other Council Members and she starts.


    "Sebastian, Edward, good to see you two again given the nice mess you have made."


    "Genevieve it is always a pleasure."


    "As you see we have Marcus and Damien here tonight, but I will be running it."


    She waits for a brief moment and then continues.


    "I believe these are, or rather were, the two human girls."


    "Yes, this will be Anastasia and Eva."


    "I believe the one is just a day or two older than the one."


    "Yes, Anastasia is the oldest."


    "Now as I understand this, you, Sebastian, let us call it accidentally, bit and then turned Anastasia?"


    "Yes you are correct."


    "Then Anastasia wanted her friend Eva to come with, but she accidentally killed Eva and Edward turned Eva?"


    "Yes that is correct."


    "Can you boys see what a mess this is? I believe there is a hybrid and Vampire Hunter also involved, but that is an issue for another day."


    I watch as she stops to scribble something down in the records that we keep whenever there is a council.


    "Okay so since you are all in the same mess, who is going to go first?"


    Much to my absolute horror, Anastasia''s voice is the one I hear first.


    "I will."


    ...Anastasia...


    I watch as Sebastian''s jaw nearly drops on the floor. If there is something he did not expect then this is it. All the time in the car here, I realized that none of this would have happened if I did not push Sebastian so hard to do the very thing that he was trying not to do, and that is hurt me. My selfishness has lead him and two other innocent people to get hurt, and now they face punishment that they do not deserve.


    So I am being irresponsible once again and shall now try to make things right.


    "I will go first."


    "Fair since you are probably the whole cause of this. So state your case."


    "I just want to ask one favor, or maybe two?"


    "My dear you are in no position to ask for favors. You have placed Edward in a bad situation that he does not deserve."


    "But that..." much to her annoyance I go do the very thing Sebastian told me not to do, and interrupt her.


    "I am not finished, do not interrupt me."


    "I just want to..." but she does not want to listen so I interrupt her again.


    "I just told you do not interrupt me."


    "Just listen to me then."


    Very frustrated she turns to face Sebastian.


    "Sebastian I suggest you tell your beloved what her place is!"


    "Anastasia, please listen."


    I don''t care what Sebastian told me, this woman is just plain damn rude, how am I supposed to state my case when she keeps on telling me to keep quiet. So I am now going to do everything that he told me not to do.


    "Just listen to me! I will take the punishment for Sebastian and Edward''s actions."


    I hear as Sebastian and Edward gasp almost at the same time as they hear every word coming from my lips. The first to protest is Sebastian.


    "No Anastasia, you are not doing this."


    "Sebastian stop telling me what I can or cannot do."


    Next to protest is Edward.


    "Anastasia please."


    "No Edward keep quiet."


    I hear as Genevieve gets up from her chair and come around the table. She walks up to me in short elegant steps. She does not look half as mean as what she does while she is up there. She looks like a sweet little girl with her soft blue eyes and curly hair. But the minute she opens her mouth, it is like thunder comes rolling out it again.


    "The girl stated what she wanted to, you two boys can consider yourself lucky."


    Sebastian immediately protest, "Genevieve please don''t, she is still but young."


    "Sebastian you know how this works. I do suggest that you do not further protest."


    "What shall her sentence be?"


    "You do understand that you as our Master should have set a better example. Yes there is no harm for you to seek the companion of a human. Where the problem does come is that she is out of control, she cannot even take a simple command to remain quiet."


    This does infuriate me even more, before I can think clearly, I go and snap at her. "It is because you don''t want to listen to me!"


    "Anastasia be quiet!" Sebastian''s voice travel through the air in a thundering roar making the small windows of the warehouse vibrate.


    "I do rest my case. I do not wish to hear anything further. Anastasia can clearly not be controlled. She has yet a lot to learn and refuses to even listen to her maker. She shall receive the second harshest punishment that this Council can give."


    The entire room goes dead silent, even Marcus and Damien have stopped having their own private conversation. It feels like a thick suffocating cloud sets over the room. Even Eva that has no idea what they mean, has nearly stopped breathing. Then I softly hear as Sebastian starts to stutter, this must be bad for this man that fears nothing is now more scared than ever.


    "Genevieve please."


    "Sebastian you know how this works."


    Much to Genevieve''s annoyance, I go to interrupt her once again. "It is fine Sebastian."


    Sebastian looks at me with pleading eyes. "Anastasia you do not know what you are doing."


    I can see the pain on Sebastian''s face as he is being asked to choose between me and the Vampire Code.

 Chapter 26：The Dungeon

    My beloved is being sentenced to thirty days in the dungeon. I begged for her not to interrupt and anger the members of The Council. She is by far the most stubborn woman that I have ever known in both my mortal and immortal life. She does not fully grasp the severity of her situation, the dungeon is not a prison cell which these humans use to keep the bad apples of their society. It is in fact, a very real dark hole in a castle in a secret location in Europe.


    She is but only a youngling, with her constant cravings, she shall not even last a week. This is by all fairness a sentence to death. I am afraid that this is a harsh punishment to hand down and I cannot overrule it. Any signs of leniency shall not only show that I am weak, but show that I favor her over any other Vampires whom should be treated equally the same. But in saying this I shall not sit aside and watch her slowly die in that dark hole.


    "If I may interrupt Genevieve."


    "Yes go ahead Sebastian. Are you overruling this sentence?"


    The entire room gasps, but they are soon hushed to silence by Genevieve. I believe they all were expecting me to overrule the sentence, but I am not yet finished with what I wish to say.


    "I shall serve the sentence."


    The entire room turn their eyes on me. Almost immediately, I hear Anastasia protest.


    "Sebastian you cannot do this."


    "Anastasia you shall not last past even a day, let alone a week. I am far older than you are and shall serve the thirty days far better than you ever would."


    "Sebastian you cannot do it!"


    "Anastasia I am your Master, you shall not question my decisions. I shall serve the sentence and that is the end of it."


    I listen as she wants to question me once again, but Edward urges her to remain quiet. If she continues to question Genevieve''s decision, I am afraid we both might find ourselves in the same dingy hole for the next thirty days.


    With one final confirmation, Genevieve turns to me, "This is rather unusual Sebastian, I am not even sure if we should allow it."


    "Genevieve I am the one that sets these rules, you shall take my proposal and allow me to do it."


    "Then it is settled, you shall immediately be taken to the dungeon. I do hope that you have fed recently, I do not wish to be the one that sent The Master to his death."


    And of course Anastasia does speak out of her turn for the so many of time this evening.


    "Well maybe you should not lay down such a harsh sentence."


    "Anastasia," I raise my voice to a thundering roar that echoes to every crack and crevice of the warehouse. "Remain quiet, I shall not ask you one more time to do so."


    "Fine, but I do not like this the least bit."


    I turn to Genevieve once again. I do see the pain in her eyes that she had to be the one that handed this sentence down.


    "If I can just have a word with Anastasia in private?"


    "Fair enough, I shall grant you these few minutes."


    I lace my fingers in Anastasia''s hand and pull her gently to raise her from her chair. We make our way into the first warehouse where the filthy smell of rotten flesh has just seem to become even more unbearable. I find the most furthest corner so that we shall not be heard by the others.


    "Anastasia, I need for you to be strong here. I beg you to understand that I have to do this."


    "Sebastian you can''t take my sentence."


    "I can and I have, all I beg of you is to respect my decision."


    "Why are you doing such a reckless thing?"


    "Because my love for you runs deeper than you will ever understand."


    "But Sebastian..."


    "Ssshhh Anastasia. I need to go, I do not wish to upset Genevieve any more than she is."


    She stops for a moment, the look her eyes are unlike any I have ever seen. There is a trickle of a tear that is forming in the corner of her bright blue eyes. Before I can even protest she has pulled me hard against her supple breasts. She seeks my eyes and then softly whispers.


    "I know you are still very much mad at me, but please can you give me a kiss before you go?"


    "My dear Anastasia you need not even ask for I shall do it freely."


    I slowly move her body backwards and push her back against the wall. With every breath and wink I move my lips closer, until I finally feel her skin touching mine. Her lips are trembling softly as she tries to whisper.


    "Sebastian I think..."


    "Ssshhh Anastasia."


    No words are further spoken but a story worthy of them is communicated. I lean in and softly kiss up and down her neck. She lets out little whimpers of anticipation. I work my way up to her tender, smooth lips. She locks her lips into my embrace. As her soft velvety lips begin to move against me, she rips open my soul and the world falls away. My thumb caresses her cheek. She encircles my body and run her fingers down my spine.


    I slide my hands down her waist and rest it at the small of her back. She moves and arches into my body, I moan at the contact and the heat of our bodies so close against each other. She scrunches my shirt in her hands and lifts it up until she finds her hand underneath it. Her hands are exploring every crevice of my sculpted chest. She moves her nails down and scrape them hard against my rippled abs.


    "Anastasia..."


    At first the kiss is soft and gentle, like tiny butterflies on your skin. But the more she pushes into me, the more demanding they become. I let go of her waist and pin her between my hands. The kiss grows deeper and passionate by the second. The heat between our bodies raging like a fire out of control. Unable to control myself anymore, I press thought the seams of her lips and entwine her in a deeper kiss. Then finally we pull away.


    "Be strong for me Anastasia, I will be back before you know it."


    ...Anastasia...


    I am watching how Marcus and Damien are reluctantly taking Sebastian away. It is ripping my whole being into pieces, if I only listened to him none of this would have happened. But my foolishness to always know of better has led this man to some dungeon to what could easily be his death. What shall the Vampire society do to me if anything has to happen to him?


    I can see the sadness in his eyes as he turns to have one final look at me, but there is something there that I have never seen Sebastian ever had before...fear. Is this such a bad place that even the Master is terrified to go there? I am almost for certain that he has rage brewing beneath that sadness which he is failing to hide.


    As we make our way back to the car, the mood is worse than somber. I cannot place is Edward is mad at me or Sebastian. Eva though still hates me just as much as she did two hours ago. I truly have made a real big mess this time around.


    After what could easily be the longest and most dreadful drive of my life, we finally get home. As I see Eva disappear inside to escape the cold of the night, I pull Edward to the side.


    "Edward is there any way we can get Sebastian out of this?"


    "I am afraid there is nothing we can go. The ruling of The Council is final."


    "There is always a first time for everything. I have to find away."


    "Anastasia, Sebastian is strong, he can get through is."


    I can see Edward''s frustration with me grows deep within. I cannot believe that everyone can just accept this. I do not care I shall continue to pursue this. I am the reason that he finds himself in there, I have to find a way to get him out there. I understand that Sebastian do not wish for me to protest, but I am afraid I will not let this happen.


    "I don''t care how strong he is Edward, he does not deserve to be there."


    "Just let it be, before you know the thirty days are over."


    "I am sorry but I am not just going to accept it."


    I most frustratingly make my leave to go to my room when I accidentally bump into Lilith. She seems to have not heard the news yet for she seems far too joyful at the moment.


    "Anastasia how did it go? I do assume well as you are still with us."


    "I am afraid not well at all. Sebastian has been sent to the dungeon."


    I watch as horror sets in over her face. If she did not have porcelain skin, I would imagine that she has gone a fifth shades of pale.


    "Oh god no Anastasia, this is a problem."


    "Why? What is wrong Lilith?"


    "We need to find Edward at once!"


    ...Sebastian...


    I can remember the day I chose this place, I was far more ruthless back then. This is supposed to the ultimate punishment, apart from pulling your fangs, that a Vampire can receive. That Genevieve could have gone this far has me completely bewildered. I do not think she would have ever expected me to step in and take it upon myself.


    As I step down the stairs into the dark hole that shall be my home for the next thirty days, the first thing that overpowers me is the suffocating coldness that fills the air. The walls are covered in green algae from the constant rain that comes spilling in from the outside. The floor is but only covered in mud, you shall not find a bed or even a chair to sit on. There is no living thing that makes its way through here, not even a rat. And as for smell, the only thing you shall smell is your own fear.


    This is by far the worst place you shall ever find yourself in, both for a human and an immortal. I have seen many Vampires die in here from thirst. You better have had fed the day before you find yourself in here and even then you shall be lucky if you manage to live past twenty one days.


    Now the question begs, am I going to survive in here?

 Chapter 27：Saving Sebastian

    I have just spent my very first night in this dark and very much suffocating hole. That is if the sun is rising at this very moment for when you have nothing but time on your hands, a Vampire is the last person whom you should ask what time of day it is. One other thing that a Vampire would never have such a thing as lack of sleep. You shall find yourself wide awake for twenty four hours day in and day out.


    And day in and day out I shall spend in here for the next thirty days. I truly hope that Anastasia is keeping it together, she did seem quite distressed when we said our goodbyes. She fears it very much that something shall happen to me whilst I am down in this godforsaken place. I do tend to share the feeling with her for I have not been out to feed in over three weeks. Now I generally push it up to a month, but to go for nearly two, well I am afraid to say that I do not know if I shall make it.


    So needless to say that I am not only foolish but very much reckless. But how would I have known that I shall find myself down here. Something does give me the idea that this Master is still going to find himself in a world of trouble for many more times to come. I think I can safely say that this shall be the harshest sentence which I shall ever receive. Shall I do this again? I shall take every sentence Anastasia shall ever receive.


    I am ripped from my crazy rambling thoughts as I hear someone opening the thick steel doors that opens the passage way to the dungeon. Soon thereafter I can hear the clicking sounds that are clearly those of a women''s stilettos. Now there is no way they shall let Anastasia down here, it must only be one other woman that I can think of.


    As she turns the corner I can see that it is no one other than Genevieve.


    "Well Genevieve to what do I owe the pleasure?"


    "Morning Sebastian. I just thought I should pop in to see how our guest of honour is doing."


    "Will admit that I have seen far better days. Do remind me why I bought this place again?"


    "You were much ruthless back then, you have become quite..."


    "Soft?"


    "Was not going for that word, but guess you can say you have."


    I watch as she studies my face very carefully, her blue eyes are like daggers that pierce through the depths of my very own brown eyes. She is seeking for something, something that my face is hiding and my words are not saying. After standing for several moments in silence she speaks with a voice that is very much concerned.


    "Sebastian when last did you feed?"


    "Genevieve that should not be your concern."


    "It is my concern when I am the one that has put you down here."


    "You were merely doing your duties as The Council."


    "Yes it is, but it is also my duty to ensure the Master is always safe. By the looks of it you have not fed in nearly three weeks or maybe even longer than that."


    "Three weeks is about correct, but please do not worry about me, I shall be fine."


    She only but grunts at me as the very last words come from my lips. I do recall now why our relationship was so brief, she does get an awful lot clingy once you have shared a few intimate moments. Not that I am much different now, but in those days I saw myself as quite a Casanova.


    But it seems that she has not changed a bit as she once again makes her disapproval known for my lack of seeing the severity of the situation.


    "They will have my head on a stake if anything should happen to you."


    "Then what would have become of you if you sent the Master''s beloved down in this very place?"


    "I would have suffer the wrath of you and by the judge of the affection you feel for this girl, I would most definitely see my head on a stake as well."


    "Then do not worry yourself over me."


    She mumbles something under her breath while she slowly starts to roll the long sleeve of her dark red dress. Much to my horror, she bares her wrist and steps twosteps closer to me.


    "Please drink Sebastian."


    "I am sorry but I shall not drink from you."


    "You have done so before, just do it now. You need to feed or else you shall die."


    "Yes I have done so before and I shall not do it now. The only woman I shall drink from is Anastasia."


    "What does this girl have that has got you so bewitched?"


    "That my dear is none of your concern. Point is I shall not drink from you and I shall serve this sentence as I should."


    "They say that love is blind, but in your case I say it is rather foolish."


    "Genevieve do I need to remind you who your Master is? It would do you well to remember where your place is."


    "I do apologize Master, if there is nothing that you require from me then I shall leave now."


    "No. I do not require anything from you."


    ...Anastasia...


    To say that it has not been the longest night of my life would be a clear blatant lie. We only but several hours ago discovered that Sebastian has not fed in three weeks. Now from what I have been told, he can easily go without feeding for a month. Well I am afraid to say that after another week, he is mostly definitely going to start feeling the effects from a lack of blood. From what Edward has explained, you shall be extremely lucky if you come across a rat down there.


    I do now understand what that look of fear was on Sebastian''s face. He should have said something when we said goodbye and I could have given him what he needs now more than ever before. It is true that he drinks from me, but it is purely for the ecstasy my blood gives him, never is it his intention to feed from me.


    We are all standing in the kitchen trying to find a way how we can get Sebastian out of this. He has only got but a week and Edward says that it could possibly be even less than that, it all depends on the pureness of the blood he fed off the last time. To me that is completely absurd, but apparently there is a difference between blood types and of course there is all the hundreds of things it can be mixed with. As a doctor I really never thought of blood in such a way until now.


    And surprisingly Eva has joined us for a rare change downstairs, she still very much hates being a Vampire, but she seems very eager to help Sebastian.


    "I can go get some of the blood that they donate from the hospital."


    Edward immediately stops her. "Eva do not ever drink that, the blood always has to be warm."


    "Can''t one of us not ask to go visit him?" I ask Edward as he now turns to me.


    "The way I know Sebastian, he would only drink from you. And I can tell you for certain that you will be the last person that Genevieve will allow him to see."


    "What is the deal with her anyway?"


    "She used to have a thing for Sebastian many many years ago."


    "Well the bitch needs to keep her paws to herself and allow me to see Sebastian."


    "I shall ask, but let us not put our hopes on that. We need to find another plan should this fail."


    "I have the perfect idea."


    Edward frowns at me as he lifts his brow. I have never seen what amazing brown eyes he has until now, they are as soft as a brown leaf that is falling through the air, so calm and yet so beautiful. But the calmness soon disappears for his face turn serious and so does his eyes. I know that is voice is going to be that serious too.


    "Anastasia what are you planning to do? I need not remind you not to infuriate Sebastian even more."


    "I am trying to help Sebastian, not infuriate him. But I shall only be able to do it tonight."


    "I beg you do not do anything foolish."


    Then out if completely nowhere Eva jumps in to give a small piece of her mind. "Foolish is her middle name."


    My first instinct is to snap back at her remark, "Don''t let me start with you."


    "Now please do not start that again." Edward warns. "Can you put your problems aside and think how we can help Sebastian."


    I move around the counter to go stand next to Lilith that has been standing here in silence for several hours. She is beyond terrified of what shall become of Sebastian and in turn become of her. Sebastian is not only like a brother to her, but more importantly the father which she never had. I know now more than ever, if there is one to fix this then it shall be me.


    While Edward is talking to Eva, I softly tap on Lilith''s shoulder to get her attention.


    "Lilith please can you help me?"


    "Sure Anastasia, what is the matter."


    I lean in closer to softly wisher in her ear. Not only seconds later she looks at me incomplete shock and horror.


    "Anastasia that is foolish."


    "All I want to know if you will help me."


    "Let us just make it clear, if Sebastian asks then we tell him it was your outrages plan."


    "I am safe to say that he would know that it would only be me that shall do something so stupid as this."


    ...Sebastian...


    As evening grows closer, I can safely say that I have only but got twenty nine days left in this rotten hole. I can only but assume that it is raining outside for the floods of water are slowly making its way inside. I fear that this place might just hold more water than I thought and by the looks of it, I guess I shall be stand throughout the night. But that might just pose as a little problem in itself, for I have felt somewhat awful the entire day, my body has grown far too weak far too soon.


    I am sorry to say that what I thought was three weeks, I have recalculated and it now very much is sadly four.


    I find myself pacing the way back and forth to the door. I swear if I do this any longer I might just start to wear out the floor. Not only that, but I am only making my body take more strain and feel worn down even more. The only constant that is racing through my mind, is that I wish that I did not part with Anastasia the way I did. She shall think that I was furious at her when all I wanted to show her was how very much I was disappointed in her.


    I am once again find myself pacing to the door, I turn on my heel...


    Everything goes black...

 Chapter 28：Four Humans Hungry

    ...Anastasia...


    Should Sebastian get word of what I shall be doing in the next few hours, he shall do more than just send me to my room for it is not only against Vampire code but also somewhat inhumane to do.


    I shall be taking Lilith with me to bear witness and give The Council word of what I have done. Now we are only but hoping that this time it shall be other Council Members, for we almost can certainly say that Genevieve will not put me in the same dungeon that Sebastian finds himself.


    But now we do have another request that has come from a completely unexpected source. Lilith has just brought me word of it.


    "Anastasia, I have had a request from Eva to come along on the hunt tonight."


    "She actually said that? Is she coming to see that I do get caught or does she actually want to help Sebastian?"


    Just then Eva comes walking through the door.


    "A bit of both actually. And I am fairly tired of the scraps that Edward brings me every day."


    I turn to face her as she joins Lilith where she is standing busy helping me to tie my hair into a comfortable up style.


    "Do you tell me you have not been on a hunt?"


    "No, I have not for these entire unfortunate situation with Sebastian has had Edward to place his plans on hold for a while."


    "Lilith is it wise to let Eva come with?"


    Lilith continues with my hair as she casually answers my question. "I shall be there to oversee that things truly do not get out of hand."


    "Then it is settled, it seems as if the Belmont girls are going out tonight."


    While I remain in my room to get dressed, my mind is immediately taken to my love that is sitting somewhere in a dungeon. I do pray that he is still very much alive for I shall perish if I do not have him by my side.


    "We are coming my love, please just hang in for another day."


    In little less than an hour later, we are standing in the kitchen trying to convince Edward that it is a wise idea to take Eva out with us tonight.


    "I am warning you Anastasia, as second in charge to The Master, if anything goes wrong tonight, I shall personally take you to The Council."


    "Don''t worry so much Edward, we have Lilith with us tonight."


    "Yes and that in itself poses a completely different problem. I am warning you Belmont girls, do not disobey me and shame Sebastian even further. Now if you can excuse me I got to go convince three Council members to break the Vampire code."


    With that Edward makes his leave from the room. We all but just look to one another knowing that we are about to break the Vampire code. What is even more of a worry is that I might face the worst sentence that can be given for what I am about to do.


    But I am not changing my resolve. Even should they remove my fangs, I shall still do anything I possibly can to save my love and my Master.


    And with that said we give ourselves a once more over in the tall mirror of the common room. Looking back at us are the reflection of three woman that are dressed in tight black leather pants, with deep red overbust corsets and stilettos a dark shade of blood. We nod our heads in approval and off the Belmont girls go to leave the Belmont house, with only one goal in mind and that is to save our Master.


    The skies are dead dark as the thick clouds are covering the sparkling stars that normally lights up all the deserted alley ways. The somber mood and drizzle of rain makes this eerie streets all the better to prowl tonight. But prowl is not the word that shall describe what I shall do. Eva is coming with the intention to feed, Lilith is here to bear witness and I shall make sure that only I should be punished for my actions.


    This is indeed the craziest thing that I shall ever do in my life, given that I am now an immortal too.


    "Anastasia, I need to ask you again, are you sure about this?" Lilith asks with concern laced in her voice.


    "Yes, we both know Sebastian will not survive another week in there. I have to do this tonight and stand council as soon as they have received word."


    "It might only be tomorrow night."


    "Then I shall make a real big mess and they might even have it sooner."


    "I much doubt that, but I do need to insist that you are indeed crazy. But I see you love runs deep for Sebastian and I admire the risk that you are willing to take."


    Then Eva that has been fairly quiet turns her attention to me.


    "To think you were always the responsible one between us two. But I do share Lilith''s sentiment, you do seem to love Sebastian a great deal."


    She remains silent for a moment and speaks once again.


    "I am still furious at you, but that is for another day, right now I know the perfect alley way to go to."


    We head off into the night, slowly making our way street after street to where we want to be. The agony of time is killing me though for I wish I could fast forward to tomorrow when I can face my sentence and be united with Sebastian.


    We soon find ourselves in a dark and secluded park, where couples dwell at night looking for a quiet romantic spot to do what it is that lovers do down here. Therefor comes the name lover''s lane, it is not much a lane, but most definitely the perfect place for us to feed.


    And it does not take us long to hear the voices of night dwellers coming blowing with the wind. From what I can make of it is about those of four people, two men and two woman to be exact.


    We come to a stop and go over the same plan that we have been discussing the whole day.


    "Lilith you shall overpower one of the females for Eva ass he lacks the skill to do so herself yet."


    And then I continue.


    "I shall then take the remainder of them and rather reckless feed from them."


    Then as not was planned in the first place, Lilith does go and change part of what we agreed on.


    "I shall feed off the third, I am due, and I might as well do it now."


    "But you shall tell them it was me?"


    "Yes that plan still stands."


    Soon we find ourselves as light as feathers, sneaking up on our unsuspecting victims. First to make their move is Lilith, she takes one of the females down with a single hand wrapped around her throat. She pins her down and shows for Eva to step in place. Much to our surprise Eva does manage to hold her down, and with much eager fangs she rather viciously slams then into the neck of the helpless woman.


    Lilith goes again just as one of the males break away and makes a run for it, but there is no beating the speed of a Vampire and she soon has him to the ground. She does do it rather much more elegant as what Eva has done it.


    I turn my attention to the two horrified humans in front of me. I need not feeding and I am somewhat feeling guilty for recklessly slaughtering two people for no reason at all. But there is a reason, his name is Sebastian and he is somewhere in a dungeon possibly dying.


    So I put humanity to the side and think of love. I slam the girl into a tree, that should render her helpless just long enough for me to take down this massive man that is standing in front of me. And when I say massive, I do not refer to muscled for he does seem one size too big for himself. But that poses no problem for I am on him in less than five seconds drawing as must as I need to kill him.


    Just then the girl comes to and sets running through the park. With stilettos and all I speed up to her in a fraction of a second. I can hear her heart racing from both running and the fear. But this only fuels my desire to do which I have set to do. I throw my head back as I expose my razor sharp fangs. With a growl rumbling from my stomach, I drive them into her throbbing veins, and sip on every ounce of her sweet blood until she goes limp in my arms.


    With that we dump the bodies all in a large rubbish bin where the Council Members will find them later on. We compose ourselves and rather satisfied leave lover''s lane to return to the Belmont house where Lilith shall contact the council.


    ...Edward...


    These girls are up to something that I do know is no good. Now I should be at ease to know that they are with Lilith, but she herself is known to be irresponsible at times. I am set to meet with the Council but has just been informed that the three members that sentenced Sebastian is out of town on another case that they urgently had attend. So now I am left with hoping that Sebastian will be able to make it through another night.


    So I am on my way back home to make sure the girls are back and that they have not been in any trouble tonight for Sebastian shall have my head.


    As I step inside they are casually sitting in the kitchen. I look from one to the other and I can see the guilt written all over their faces for they are making a poor attempt to hide it.


    "I am only asking this once. What did the three of you do?"


    "Nothing, we went out for a walk."


    "There is no such thing as nothing with you Anastasia. What did you do?"


    "I just told you nothing. Don''t always think that I am up to no good."


    Just then my phone starts buzzing in my pocket. This is rather late for someone to call at this time of night. But as I see whom it is, I am immediately horrified. My god I hope it is not Sebastian.


    "Hold that thought. I will be back now."


    ...Anastasia...


    Something does give me the idea that might be about me. Instead of Lilith phoning the Council, Eva did it for she made us see that she has more reason to rat on me. So the Council took it more seriously and if I am right...


    "Anastasia!"


    I hear as Edward is stomping towards me with pure white rage on his face. He is so furious he cannot even form a proper sentence.


    "What did you do? And save the nothing nonsense on me!"


    "I was hungry."


    "Four?! Four people hungry? Are you insane?!"


    He turns to Lilith and Eva.


    "What did you two do? And do not dare tell me nothing."


    They only but remain silent. I cannot help but chuckle at how mad he is, I do not show him that I am finding it amusing. He takes a few deep breaths before he speaks again.


    "You must come with me. Two councils in two days. You are surely...Ugh...just come. Sebastian is going to kill me."


    But then he realises what has happened and he turns to me with a look I have never seen on his face before.


    "Please do not tell me you did this just so you can get to Sebastian."


    I do not answer him but only carry on playing with a clip that is holding up my hair.


    "For your sake, I hope they do not take your fangs. Now come let''s go."


    The drive to the location is fairly quiet, he is too shocked still to even try and express his feelings. This time though we are stopping at a very lavish mansion on the far side of the city. It is dark at night but it is lit up with more lights than I have ever seen. It makes it seems as if it is gold and shiny.


    As we step through the big wooden doors, we are lead straight into what seems to be a study. There are hundreds and hundreds of books everywhere from floor to ceiling. I have never seen such sight before. But what does struck me the most is the man that is sitting at the table next to two other men. He has silver grey hair, he must have been turned when he was fairly old. But he has such a demanding aura about him. I do believe I am going to stand a tough council tonight.


    He shows for me to step forward and then he speaks.


    "Anastasia. I have heard a lot about you. The Master''s beloved. My name is William and you shall stand council in front me tonight."


    He shows for me to sit down on the single chair in the room.


    "I feel sorry that Edward had to show you here while The Master is out of town."


    What does he mean out of town?


    "But he..."


    "Do not interrupt me my dear. But I do wish to know what went through your mind."


    "Four humans hungry. I am afraid to say that this is a serious offense. And I do wish The Master was here for him to understand that I had no other choice to do this."


    I ball my tiny hands so hard into fists that my knuckles turn even a shade whiter than it already is. Please let the next few words be the ones I want to hear.


    "I am going to give you a very harsh sentence Anastasia."

 Chapter 29：Reunited

    If I thought that Genevieve is scary and intimidating, then William is near to spine-chilling terrifying. He has requested for me to stand as he shall now hand down my sentence. Never did I imagine that I shall be so eager to accept punishment, but there is only one punishment I wish to receive. And looking at this Council member, I am about to receive the worst that he is willing to give.


    But neither me nor Edward could foresee what he shall say next.


    "I does sadden me deeply that I need to hand a sentence down such as this to The Master''s beloved. I do expect his full wrath to come down on me once he gets word of what I have done."


    He goes silent for a few moments as if he seems to be troubled with his very own words that he is about to say.


    "Anastasia your behavior was reckless to say the least. Should a human have come across the remains, I fear to say that we could have been exposed. Not even to mention The Vampire Hunter that shall come after us. With saying this, I hereby order that your fangs shall be removed."


    The other Council Members are completely horrified by what William suggests. Edward whom has now joined my side, is even paler than his shirt which is threes hades of a white bright. He immediately objects and does not fear to speak out of turn.


    "William, please can I ask for council."


    "Edward, I am afraid my decision is final."


    "I am not sure if you are allowed to."


    "Then you shall seek council with the Council Members and decide if this shall be allowed."


    Then to even worsen the suffocating anxiety that fills the room, the other Council Member steps closer to William and whispers in his ear. He considers what he has been told and once again turns to address me and Edward.


    "Anastasia''s fangs shall be removed. You are not in the position to overturn this sentence. The decision of three Council Members are sufficient to make this stand."


    "That is a death sentence," Edward protests with a deep rage that comes rumbling from inside him. "At least put her in the dungeon at least."


    "So she may come free and do this again?"


    "She only acted this way because," Edward hesitates as he does not wish to reveal the true intention behind my actions. "She was acting foolish for The Master was out of town."


    We both watch as William considers what Edward has just told him, but this does not change his resolve.


    "Edward my decision is final. It shall be wise if you do not protest any further."


    "At least put her in the dungeon until The Master returns. I do believe he would wish to say his goodbyes before you so viciously mutilate her."


    Edward looks down next to him to where I am standing, he sees the tears are forming in the corners of my eyes waiting to stream down like a raging river bursting its bank. He leans in and softly whispers in my ear.


    "Anastasia do not cry. The Council cannot see who you are."


    I only but swallow my tears and grind into my teeth to hide every ounce of emotion I am feeling. William turns to the other Members and they discuss Edward''s proposal amongst themselves. After what does feel like an hour, William comes to the middle of the room where Edward is firmly standing his ground next to me.


    When William does speak, his voice does seem sincere, but whether it is truly how he sees it, is not quite clear.


    "You shall go to the dungeon until The Master returns."


    I have never seen so much relief on a human''s face, let alone what I see on Edward''s. He turns to me with a very nervous smile on his face.


    "Let us hope they take you to the same one as which Sebastian is."


    "But how are we both going to survive in there a month?"


    "I shall speak to Genevieve once she is back. Hopefully we can get both these sentences revoked."


    "Thank you Edward."


    With that William comes to take my hand and immediately leads me to a black vehicle with dark tinted windows that are waiting for us to depart to the castle where this dungeon is where I shall be kept.


    We drive for what seems to be hours, until we get to a small little white house that seems like that in which a guard shall be stationed at a front gate. William turns to me and holds out a blindfold.


    "Please could you put these on Anastasia?"


    I go to protest but I soon decide against it for I do not wish to anger this man any further than what he is. As I place the black blindfold over my eyes and tie it at the back, my entire world disappears and nothing but fear sets in. The next time I take this off I pray that it is in front of Sebastian.


    We come to stop on a gravel road where we make our way up a fair amount of stairs. The air is even colder out here and I can smell what is possibly a dam or a river that is nearby. The rain is beating down hard on our skin, drenching my clothes even before we come to a door. He swings it wide open and I am caught off guard by the ghastly smell of rotten flesh that seems to becoming from everywhere.


    William takes me by the hand and leads me down an endless hallway, all you can hear is the tapping of my stilettos that echoes through the empty spaces that fills the air. We soon find ourselves at a set of what seems could almost be fifty stairs that leads down to what I guess will be the dungeon. With each step I take, I make a wish for Sebastian to be on the other side, healthy and alive and happy to see me.


    Then finally we come to stop in front a steal door, I can hear it is steal for the keys beat against it. He then tells me to take my blindfold off and almost looks sympathetic when he speaks to me.


    "Anastasia I do hope The Council can come to a decision before something truly tragic happens to you."


    I only but nod my head and give him the best fake smile that my lips allow me to carry at this very moment. And then he locks the door behind me leaving me with nothing but excited fear. I wait until I can no longer hear his footsteps before I head deeper into the dungeon to see if I can indeed find Sebastian inside of here.


    ...Sebastian...


    I find myself in a far side corner of this godforsaken place to where I had to nearly crawl myself for my limbs did not want to work the way it is required to do. With each dreadful minute all my power seems to make way for only but the most agonizing pain. I can feel as every vein in my body is slowly but inevitably drying out to a point where I shall be nothing but flesh and bones. To worsen this horrid situation, I find myself moving in and out varied stages of consciousness and insanity.


    My only wish is to see Anastasia before I completely perish, but I fear that after my rejection, Genevieve shall not make her way down here very soon again. I should have just overturned the sentence for who am I trying to fool, my love for Anastasia shall always come before the Vampire code. Not in all my years as a mortal did I ever feel this way about anyone let alone a woman. I love her more deeply than immortality itself. With that thought I peacefully drift into the darkness once again.


    I can hear her heavenly voice as she walks through the pathways of my mind. I can almost feel her soft warm touch against my icy skin that has seen this cold room for one day too long. What is the most glorious memory of them all is tasting her blood as it is slow dripping on my lips and finding its way over the tip of my tongue. I hear how she slowly urges me.


    ""Drink Sebastian, drink.""


    I do wish that this was not only silly trickery that my mind is playing on me. But as wicked as the human body can be, I only continue to feel how every drop for drop of her blood keeps on falling at the back of my throat, slowly making me regain my sanity and building the power that I so desperately need. Then I hear her soft voice more urgently demands me to drink.


    ""Stop messing around and drink Sebastian."""


    But as I go to take her wrist, for what I fear is only my mind playing a sickening joke on me, I am shocked to my very core. As I open my eyes, right in front of me, is in fact Anastasia, as clear and in full body as what mine is half living on the floor.


    "Anastasia! My beloved, how did you get in here?"


    "Don''t worry about that now, just drink and get your strength back."


    "But what..."


    "Sebastian stop being difficult and drink."


    I gracefully accept her soft hand as she kneels down and sits next to me on the muddy floor. I slam my fangs almost too eagerly and sink them far deep into her skin. I find myself immediately drowned from top to tip in her blood, it streams effortlessly through me into every single part of my body. My body growls of pleasure as I nestle even firmer and suck a bit harder, causing her to twitch but she only pushes her wrist deeper into my mouth.


    Once I feel far better than I felt only ten minutes ago, she comes to sit on my lap and stares with her loving eyes into the parts of my soul that she can only reach.


    "I nearly thought I was going to lose you."


    "I did so too. But how did you get Genevieve to let you in here?"


    "Uhm...yes...about that."


    "Anastasia what did you do?"


    "I kind of got sentenced in here. Actually not completely, only until they know what to do to me."


    "Please don''t tell me you tried turning someone again?"


    "They are calling it four humans hungry."


    "Oh my god Anastasia! Did you...?"


    "Yes."


    "For me?"


    "Yes."


    "And let me guess they want to...?"


    "Yes but they waiting for you to come back."


    "But I am not gone, how can they not know I am in here?"


    "I don''t know, this William had no idea that you are in this dungeon. Edward said he shall speak to Genevieve when she comes back."


    "My beloved I think we have a problem."

 Chapter 30：A Lovers Revenge

    It was the fall of 1839 when I first laid my eyes on her. I was a Vampire the age of a hundred and very much the most ruthless Master in all of Europe. But in that time I was quite a casanova and did not believe in such things as relationships and partners let alone even a beloved. She was beautiful and vibrant, fearless and somewhat feared. I was immediately drawn to her, not for the companionship, but for the exhilarating sex that we experienced.


    I shall not be shy to admit that all that I did want from her was just that, I never imagined or even aspired to have anything more with her. Our encounter lasted for six months, brief for a Vampire but a small commitment for a human. In our time together I did not only have wandering eyes, but very much restless hands, she did look past this and somehow continued to stay loyal to me. But for me the novelty was wearing off and to be frank, I just did not want her around anymore.


    She did not take the split as well as I would have hoped for and left vowing that one day she shall ruin my life the way I did hers. But as a Vampire with nothing but time, it seemed that over the years she did forgive me to such a point that I made a decision to entrust her as a Member of The Vampire Council. I thought that our past was in fact that, the past, and that she has moved on from that. That is until today.


    I have just told Anastasia the history behind me and Genevieve. Should I say that she is taking this well then that would be a blatant lie.


    "So you want to tell me that your ex-lover is out for revenge. Now she has stuck you in a hole and nobody knows about it?"


    "William knows you are here?"


    "But what happens if he tells her that he has put me in here. Very much convenient for her I would say."


    "What is that saying? Kill two birds with one stone?"


    "Sebastian this is not funny. We cannot be sitting here feeding off one another."


    "It could make for some interesting sex."


    "Sebastian!"


    "My beloved, Edward knows we are here, he shall not rest until he gets us out."


    ...Edward...


    I have not had this much excitement with Sebastian for years, but I fear this is not the excitement we use to crave. This situation has completely grown out of control, but I need to act fast. I am yet to establish why none of the other Council Members are aware that Sebastian is in the dungeon and should I take who has confined him in there, then that is my answer in itself.


    The problem is, one does not question, let alone accuse a Council Member of anything. The problem is that Sebastian created them to be untouchable. There is in total nine Council Members with William being the eldest in human years and Genevieve the most ruthless both as a human and Vampire. The only other member that has any sway in this matter is upstairs with Lilith. And I am about to rudely interrupt whatever act they are bound in.


    I do opt to knock though for I have seen things I do wish I had never seen before. Even though Lilith is not my true sister she still is as a sister to me. I do not wish to scar my memories for life.


    "Lilith, please may I have a word with Victor?"


    "Edward this is quite unusual and most certainly the wrong time to request for his presence as he is a bit tied up at the moment."


    "Could you kindly untie the man, I need to speak to him about Sebastian."


    "Then why do you not mention so in the first place, we shall be downstairs in a moment."


    Much relieved I make my way downstairs, for a brief moment I thought that she was going to call me into the room. I do not know if my dead heart would be able to take such a sight.


    And as promised, Victor along with Lilith make their appearance downstairs. Lilith wastes no time to ask how the council with Anastasia went.


    "My dear brother tell me what happened to Anastasia?"


    "I am afraid William has called for her fangs to be removed."


    I watch as Victor gasps in horror before he can finally speak with short stuttering breaths.


    "Why did Anastasia stand council?"


    I look at Lilith who is asking for approval if she could proceed to tell Victor.


    "She was trying to save Sebastian."


    "But Sebastian is out of town. Why does he need saving?"


    Lilith looks at me slightly confused, she does not know of all the events that has unfolded throughout this evening yet. I continue to explain to Victor from what has happened to Sebastian and what lead to what Anastasia did. He has only one burning question on his mind and seems quite concerned as he starts pacing the floor up and down.


    "Did they take Anastasia to the same dungeon?"


    "I was hoping you would tell me this and also explain how none of The Council are aware that Sebastian is down there."


    "That my friend is easy, it is revenge. It was going to come sooner rather than later. I do believe we all did foresee that one day it shall happen."


    "I am afraid The Council shall need to take vote on it."


    But the question begs, can they revoke both sentences. For if Anastasia''s sentence remains in place, Sebastian shall not leave her side and the truth can be said if it was the other way around, Anastasia shall not let Sebastian go through this by himself. This shall lead to the death of The Master and his beloved.


    "Victor do you know when Genevieve shall return?"


    "We are to convene in the morning for the regular Council meeting, I do have word that she shall be present."


    "I am afraid to say that I will be joining you and should you disallow me, then I shall just barge through the door."


    "You are second to The Master, you have full rights to be present."


    "Then I shall see you in the morning. Let us just pray that William has put Anastasia in the same dungeon for otherwise we might have a wrongful death on our hands and we know the sentence for that."


    ...Sebastian...


    In front of me is the only reason why I have survived until now. She is an absolute sight to behold, even though we are facing an incredible challenge, she manages to keep that gorgeous smile to play around the corners of her soft velvety lips. With her ocean blue eyes that are piercing deep within my soul, she can still captivate me. She might seem small and fragile, but she is the only Vampire that can hold her power against me.


    I am afraid to say that a fight to the death against Genevieve is unavoidable. She has never played fair and I am not expecting her to do it now even though she is coming up against The Master. She has always consider herself as untouchable with the power that is bestowed onto her with being a Council Member.


    And with this thought in mind, I find that Anastasia has been watching me intently.


    "Why can I no longer read you mind? What is it that has you in such deep thought?"


    "I fear that we shall be faced with a battle that shall lead to the death of either one of us or even possibly two, depending on which side you find yourself."


    "Did you hurt this woman so bad that she is willing to go as far as this?"


    "I am afraid to say that there is nothing as lethal as a woman that has had nothing but time to build up a rage so grand that she is willing to kill for it."


    "Well I am just as afraid to say that she has just messed with the wrong Vampire. I might not been age old, but I do have something far more superior."


    "What shall that be?"


    "Love, I love you far too deeply to let any creature bring harm to you."


    This does warm my very much dead heart to hear a woman say this, and what does make this even more special to me, is it comes from the lips of the woman that is even more important to me than my immortality. No matter what happens today, should anything happen to her, I shall more than willingly perish with her should she comes to face death by the hands of my scorned lover.


    And in saying that, there is the click clack outside the doors of the dungeon.


    ...Edward...


    I have just heard from Victor that The Council is set to meet within in the hour at a secret location which he has revealed to me. Victor does face serious charges should it become known that he has given this information out freely. Given the severity of the situation, I am at privileged to demand such details. So I find my way with Lilith in hand to go face Genevieve and demand the sentence of both Anastasia and Sebastian to be revoked.


    With a drive that seems to be endless and silences that are even more deafening we soon find ourselves outside the home of one of The Council Members where the meeting shall be held today. We are met outside by Victor that is eagerly leading us through the hallway that takes you to the study were all of six Council Members are waiting for the meeting to start.


    After waiting for what seems to be hours, the missing Council Members do not make the appearance. It is safe to say that we have knowledge to where the one shall be, but as for the other, it is strangle unfamiliar not to be on time for such meetings let alone fail to make excuse from it. I make it no secret why we need to take action before it shall be late.


    "We need to leave at once, I fear that she perhaps have gone to the dungeon."


    ...Sebastian...


    With the sound of dangling keys and the click clack of the sounds of someone''s eager feet, we are standing here in complete silence waiting for what has just become our fate. As we hear the sounds of footsteps coming closer, we prepare ourselves for the battle that has now presented itself.


    Taking one long deep breathe we sit in anticipating and wait for her to show her face. As the shadow of a person appear around the corner, we are dumbstruck by the sight in front of us. Sebastian with nothing but confusion written all over his face demands with a firm voice.


    "What are you doing here?"

 Chapter 31：The Battle

    If you have lived as long as I have, then you do not get surprised that easily, for by now you have almost seen everything that the eyes can see. Now what do you define a surprise as, well I do believe it to be an unexpected and astonishing thing. In saying that I can safely say I have just been surprised, for I did not expect that click clack sound to come from these feet.


    And by the look on the face that is staring back at me, it is very clear that this very Vampire has no idea what it truly is doing. It is very rare to see fear from a creature that instils it himself and if I did not know any better then I''d say that it is radiating from its skin. That is why the big burning question is...


    "What are you doing here William?"


    But then as if with utmost flawlessness, the real click clack that I was waiting for makes her grand entrance. She does come dressed for the part and taken by her tight black body suite, we do have a battle on our hands. I would be foolish if I for one second believe that she comes in here peace. It seems the very thing I truly expected her to have forgotten by now, has now most certainly snuck up, and as they would say, it has come to bite me in the ass.


    But I must say I am still very intrigued by William''s presence here tonight.


    "William, I shall not ask of you again. What are you doing here?"


    "Can your eyes not see that I am here with my beloved Genevieve?"


    "I think I must have gone death from sitting in this hole. Did you refer to that Delilah as your beloved?"


    "I do request that you shall show her respect."


    "I am your Master you do not have the right to request anything from me. Now I say move out of my way or I shall leave you and your so called beloved down here."


    "I am afraid to say that it is not going to happen Sebastian."


    I truly belief that my near death experience has in deed affected my hearing. This pathetic little man whose life I saved myself, is telling me, his Master, what to do. If it was not for me, this man would have sat in the alley and bled to death. I found him pushed up against a filthy wall where his attackers had brutally stabbed him and left him for dead. I fought my incredible urge to feed off him and gave him a far greater gift that his human life would have ever seen.


    Now he finds himself here with his beloved Genevieve thinking that he has the power to order me around. I do not know what their true intention is, but we shall for certain soon find out.


    "Genevieve what is the meaning of this?"


    "Do you have any idea how long I have waited for this moment Sebastian?"


    "I do believe it is almost a hundred and eighty years. Now you cannot surely hold that against me still?"


    "You broke my heart and kicked me to the curb. I was just one of your hundreds of women."


    "Genevieve I do believe that you have no heart."


    "There you go and make fun of things. I do lack to see your humor in wasting someone''s time."


    Then from the shadows my beloved Anastasia makes her appearance. Now I am not sure which one it is, but from the pure terror that consumes her pale face, I do believe that Genevieve did not expect this to happen. It seems that her dear beloved has failed to let her in on some details.


    Even though I should not amuse myself, I do find their conversation rather funny.


    "What is the meaning of this William? I thought I made myself quite clear that they should remove her fangs."


    "My beloved..."


    "Please could you refrain from calling me that? I am not your beloved."


    "But..."


    "Just hush, you are incompetent fool."


    It does seem that there is some trouble in their perfect little paradise. What seems to have been a well thought out plan, has ever so pleasantly blown up in her face.


    "Well it seems that your plan hit a snag my dear. Did you think you could come in here and just kill me?"


    With my beloved by my side, standing her ground firm, she speaks for the very first time.


    "Well not even over my dead body. I did not like you from the moment I set my eyes on you, you and your curly messed up hair looking all dressed up as a tramp. You need to come through me before you can so much as lay a finger on his hair."


    And if that was not warning enough, I am not sure what could be. In less time it takes me to breath, I see Genevieve launch herself at Anastasia.


    "Genevieve I would not do that if I was you."


    I still try to give her fair warning even though I might admit that I am looking much forward to see my beloved in battle.


    My last thought has not yet but exist my mind and all hell breaks loose.


    As Genevieve launches herself at Anastasia, my beloved steps aside and sends Genevieve tumbling face forward into the mud.


    William that is standing in silence too, watches as it all unfolds, but he somehow gets a brilliant idea himself.


    ...Anastasia...


    If this lady thinks she can come here and threaten Sebastian''s life, then she has picked the wrong day to come. I am hungry, annoyed and not even to mention goddamn filthy from this forsaken place. All I wish to do is take Sebastian and go home. But no, some bitch that does not know how to let go has to come ruin my day.


    "Genevieve I suggest you take your lap dog and go home. Just pray that your face shall never cross paths with mine again."


    "What is a little girl like you going to do? You are not even a week old, I shall snap you like a twig."


    "Then I do urge you to give it a try."


    With that said, I expose my fangs and snap at her, hoping that she would back off. But the stupid woman still launches at me. I see Sebastian as he only but smiles and warns her against doing so. I casually step to the side and watch as she stumbles face first to the ground.


    As she gets up from the muddy floor that her face just barely missed, I can see by the look in her eyes that things are about to get two horrors scarier than hell.


    Her feet gathers its grip on the slippery floor, she steps two steps closer and storms towards me. She slams her hands square into my chest. My body snaps back. I fly through mid-air and with a crack my back hits against the wet dungeon wall.


    "Anastasia!"


    I hear Sebastian gasp but he waits until he sees me get up. I watch as Genevieve stands there with one big satisfied smirk on her face. What she does not know is that in less than...one...two...three...I smack the damn thing so hard her head snaps to the left. I am very pleased with myself to see that I am the first one that has successfully drawn blood.


    She grabs me by the hair and with all her force, she pulls me down. Much to my shock she raises her knee and smashes it firmly into my gut. I gasp for but a second at the forceful impact. I grab her around the knees and rip her legs from underneath. She soon finds her fat ass flat on the floor.


    I raise to my feet and drive the tip of my red stiletto into her chest. I watch as Sebastian is smiling at me, the man is enjoying every moment of this. Much to my surprise this William is just standing there in shock.


    "I would say I am not bad for a week young Vampire."


    Then I make my biggest mistake, I take my eyes from her for a second. She pushes me down and pins my back to the floor. She straddles me and furiously starts to pound at my face.


    In the background I hear Sebastian''s voices echo as he orders for Genevieve to get off from my body. The only reason he does not interfere is that he knows fair well that I shall scold him if he does so. Shortly after his voices fades away, there is a battle that begins between him and William.


    Before she can pound at my face for a fourth time, I get a grip of her arms smash her back into the pillar. I jump to my feet and launch through the air. I push her even further into the brick. I grab her shoulders and fling her to the side. I glide to where she is busy getting up. I ram her chest and drive her back into the far side wall of the dungeon. The impact is hard and all I can hear is a crack. She drops to the floor with aloud thud.


    Satisfied she won''t move, I turn my back to head over to Sebastian. But I do not get far for I hear her stir and next thing I know she is on top of me again.


    Now William I thought was a clever man, but it does seem that love make a man do the stupidest things. From what I can remember, the sex is not that spectacular, therefor I do not know which other thing this man is so hooked on Genevieve for. But every man to its own, he might just be truly in love with her. Take me and my Anastasia, that my dear friend is love. But I do wish that he did not try and take me on.


    "William I do beg for you to put that dagger down. You know I am far stronger than you and I do not wish you harm."


    "I made a promise to Genevieve and I am not to become a man that goes back on my word."


    "Really my friend? You saw what Anastasia can do, do you truly believe that your beloved is going to walk out here alive?"


    "Sebastian you do not understand, I love this woman."


    "Believe me I do understand, but what you think you are feeling is not love. She has only but used you for her vicious plan to get back at me."


    And with saying that, William concedes and hands his weapon over. But much to my surprise, again, I see Edward appear behind him. He looks at me and all I do is give him one nod of my head. He effortlessly slides a dagger from his side a drives it through William''s dead heart. He crashes to the floor, I am saddened to see that a man I thought was a friend does now lifelessly lie at my feet. I am afraid to say, you do not take on The Master and just get away.


    I give Edward a welcomed hug and I can see that there is much relief in his face that he has found me alive.


    "Thank you my brother I knew that you would come for us."


    "Us? Where is Anastasia?"


    I turn around to where she and Genevieve were only but a few moments ago. I am very shocked to see that both of them are not around. I only took my eyes off them for what was a few minutes. Anastasia was in control and she had Genevieve firmly pinned against the pillar. But the dungeon it seems has gone quiet as well. There is not the slightest of noise, I cannot hear their scuffle.


    "She must be around the corner."


    Edward races around the corner to find my beloved. As panic sets in, I soon hear his voice shouting out to me.


    "Sebastian, you better come quick!"

 Chapter 32：I Love You in Colours That Dont Exist

    As I turn the corner there is a slight bit of hesitation in me. But it is not hesitation, it is fear. The last time I felt fear was the night when my Maker came to me with the offer of immortality. This, unlike most Vampires, is a life I chose. I was not turned by accident, nor was I ill and nor was I dying. I wanted to become what I am today.


    The very moment I step into sight of what is before me, I am blown away by surprise at what my eyes behold. My beloved has Genevieve pinned to the ground between her hands and her legs. Of course Genevieve is kicking up a storm to free herself, but Anastasia''s power is far greater. Now why she has not ended her miserable life, I am not sure.


    "My beloved, why are you still faffing with this woman?"


    "This is not my battle to finish. I am merely holding her in place so you can do what needs to be done."


    "How thoughtful of you. Believe me this is a moment I have replayed in my head over for this last day."


    "Well can you get it over with, I would like to get out of this place."


    Anastasia slides off from Genevieve and takes her place by my side. I can hear by her short rapid breaths that this battle has taken a great deal from her body. The question begs, do I severely punish Genevieve or do I take her life. The truth is that such a thing as revenge never dies and she has used her power as a Council Member to her own benefit. Therefor as Edward bears witness, she shall receive the ultimate sentence...death.


    I step closer to Genevieve to where she has now raised to her feet. I can see her begging eyes asking me to stop and show her forgiveness. But time for such a novelty has long gone past. As I push her body into the pillar behind her, I slam the dagger into her chest. As she breaths her final breath, I leave her with one parting thought.


    "You did always say that I shall be the death of you."


    With that the ordeal of the past day has no finally come to its end.


    I turn back to my beloved and with her arm hooked into mine, we make our graceful exit from the dungeon. The first thing that brings me comfort again, is the crisp fresh air that awaits us as we set foot from the castle. There is a soft breeze that blows over our skin as we make our way to the car. Never did I think I would be so pleased to see such miserable clouds in the cold of the night.


    The drive home is fairly quiet, apart from discussing Anastasia''s success in the battle, not much else is said. I can safely say that we can all appreciate how lucky we are to be alive.


    When we do finally get home, we leave the formalities and thanks for later as there is nothing more I need right now than to wash this filthy dungeon grime off of me.


    The moment we step into our room, I watch as my beloved start stripping the bits of clothing she has on. She knows I am watching her, she knows the second she uncups those stilettos that she is going to have my blood boiling. She can be stark naked for all I care, but those damn deep cherry red heels drives me completely raging.


    Once she is completely bare in front of me she turns to me and smiles.


    "Are you coming?"


    ...Anastasia...


    If I had to say I was not scared, then that is a blatant lie. I was beyond terrified that we were not going to make it out there alive. If one would not have made it, then the other one would have sacrificed themselves. Never in my human years did I ever feel this much for a man, it does frighten me the lengths that I shall go to make sure that Sebastian is safe. If this is what true love is then I would want to be addicted to it for the rest of eternity.


    But eternity can wait, I need to get this dungeon off me. I make my way into the bathroom, leaving a very aroused Sebastian staring at my back while he is not able to move. The stiletto thing drives this man beyond crazy and I know that he is about to take every inch of my aching body.


    As I step into the shower, it feels like little angels dancing on my skin, each little drop washes away the dungeon and everything that happened in there. A slight breeze tickles my nipples and they instantly harden.


    I know he is there. He doesn''t have to say a word. I can feel his eyes watching me as I shower. My eyes remain closed as I let the water stream down my face.


    When I finally open my eyes, I see him slip off his black underwear and step into the shower with me. Damn, he is a sight to behold, especially when his is standing naked in front of me. I step backwards to allow the shower head to spray him with droplets that do nothing but accentuate his strong shoulders, glisten off his arms and trickle down his chest.


    I watch as he smiles and gently bites down into his bottom lip. I know what he is about to do and god am I going to let him do whatever he desires. He easily picks my tiny frame up and places me against the wall, I wrap my legs around his back.


    I kiss him on the lips. What starts as an innocent peck, turns into an instant hunger. His arms grip around me tighter, as he presses me even harder against the wall. My arms are around his neck as our lips melt into one. I suck on his bottom lip and a moan escapes from deep in his throat. I can feel him harden between my open and parted legs. Our kisses become even more intense and our carnal desires even harder to fight.


    I take his hard length and slide it down between my folds. When it reaches the tender skin of my wet entrance, a deep growl rolls over his lips. I look into his eyes, they beg, he wants his raging erection to consume every part of me. But what he wants the most is to slide his fangs deep into my skin. I give him the access he needs to slam them hard against my neck. He drives them deep and starts to suck every drop of me that he craves more than everything.


    He tightens his grip around my ass and thrusts full and hard. He retracts and drives just as hard as but only faster than before. He slips out again and crashes hard, his fangs still nestled firm into my neck. The sex was loud and brutal. With every sharp thrust our skin slap together wet and luscious. My cries grow louder, more desperate, as the pleasure mounts. I am on fire, I am panting and moaning as the ache between my legs is throbbing.


    Without giving him warning I expose my very own razor sharp teeth and ram them even harder into the nape of his neck. I draw and I draw ever more, every suck increasing his pleasure. All it takes is one fierce drive and he is over the edge. I am right behind him. As we finally shatter into each other''s arms, we both sigh with relief.


    As he finally drops me down to my feet I can do nothing than smile to myself. I love pleasing him, I love the warm afterglow I get when I see him so satisfied¡­and so happy. After every time he loses control, he gets this cheesy smile, the one where his dimples show¡­and I love knowing that I am the reason behind it.


    He grabs a towel and wraps it around his waist, he picks me up off the floor and carries me out of the bathroom to the bed.


    ...Sebastian...


    As I drop her body gently into the satin sheets, I know there is nowhere else I ever want to be and that is with her. She completes my eternity in more ways than she shall ever know. I can with all honesty say that this exquisite beauty is the love of my life.


    As she sits up straight, I can see by the wicked smile on her face that she still wants more and more is what I shall give to her.


    I gracefully turn my back facing her, she comes crawling from behind up my back. I hear her gasp as she opens her mouth as wide as it is required to once again slide every tip of her fangs effortlessly into my skin. The moment she drive hard, my entire body burst in to the greatest tingles of pleasure. She sends me to the edge and back as she gently takes what she needs to give me the pleasure that I seek.


    As she finally lets go she leans into my ear and softly whispers to me.


    "I love you Sebastian, more than you shall ever know."


    I turn to face her and take her soft and beautiful face gently between my hands. My eyes pierce straight into her bright blue eyes. I look beyond into her soul, into her, into her being and with the deepest meaning I confess what I have been waiting to do more than my nerves has ever allowed me to do.


    "My beloved, I love you so deeply, I love you in colours that do not even exist."


    After what seems longer than a few moments in each other''s embrace, we reluctantly clothe ourselves to go give thanks to those of the Belmont house that has gone through lengths to help both of us out of this big mess.


    As we head downstairs as happy in bliss, we find Edward and Lilith standing in their usual spots in the kitchen. But I am afraid that they do not seem as cheerful as we do. Do I even dare and ask?


    "What is the matter Edward?"


    He hesitates for a few moments feeling somewhat terrible to have to spoil our happiness and the calmness that has settled over us for being grateful to be alive and have each other again. Then as he finally speaks, I do wish that he did not say a word in the first place.


    "Eva is gone."

 Chapter 33：Evas Revenge

    If I thought that I shall be able to walk around freely and claim that things are back to its normal self, than I would say that I was rather foolish. By now I can confidently say that Edward has become somewhat a bearer of bad news. Every time the man speaks, there is some kind of a problem, I do consider to order him to refraining from speaking at all.


    Which leads us to our new problem, one that can be rather pesky if she is anything like her friend. And to add to this, she does not seem very enthusiastic to be a Vampire at all. Now the question begs, where is Eva Nikolai?


    "Edward what do you mean Eva is gone?"


    "Lilith has informed me that she has been absent since the evening that the girls went out to feed."


    "And this only alarms you now?"


    "I am afraid that my focus has been on rescuing the both of you."


    I turn my attention to Anastasia that has been standing in silence next to me. She does not seem to hold the same urgency as the rest of us do. Not that they have been true friends since the unfortunate incident, but should anyone know her best then it should be her.


    "My beloved, where would Eva have gone?"


    "Well as a human, if she was not at work then she would be with Zachariah at his pub."


    "And we know how much Mr Hunter loves us both. But surely she knows better now than not to go near him?"


    "They have had an on and off relationship for quite some time."


    "But how is that possible when he claims that he loves you?"


    "Come on Sebastian, you were once like him. In fact you are very much like him."


    "My beloved please do not refer to me and a man that plays with sticks in the same sentence."


    Well she does not find this as amusing as I do, this was after all a lover and a friend. My god this sounds rather terrible, it is Eva''s lover and friend too. What has ever happened to broadening ones horizons? Has London run out decent men and woman that they do it amongst themselves?


    And out from nowhere I feel her fist come crashing into my arm.


    "Sebastian!"


    "Yes my beloved?"


    "I heard that!"


    "What? Did I say it out loud?"


    Edward but only nods at me with his own little amused smile on his face.


    "My beloved, I did not mean it in that way."


    "But that is the way you said it Sebastian."


    "Well I truly hope that you do not intend in sharing me as well."


    "My god Sebastian, has the dungeon driven you insane?"


    "Just a tad bit my beloved. But let us rather focus on finding Eva."


    It is quite common for younglings to go astray, they normal tend to go on a feeding frenzy and leave a storm in their wake. But Eva is somewhat different, she does not wish to be a Vampire and I am afraid at the lengths she shall go to make this known. I have always thought that she and Anastasia would have a battle amongst themselves, therefore her unexpected disappearance has got me a bit alarmed.


    But the last place that we should be going to is Mr Vampire Hunter''s bar, but if this is where we shall find Eva then that is where we shall be heading to now. What is the chances that he shall harm the woman that he loves? Though after what I have just been told, there is two women and two very good reasons to put a dagger through my heart.


    So we are finding our way down the road heading towards this pub. Unlike any other night, tonight we are forced to travel by car. The rain has been coming down nonstop for several days. The atmosphere is thick and heavy as we all sit in silence. These silences has become all but too familiar these days. Some might say that Anastasia has brought nothing but trouble into my life. The honest truth is that I have never felt so much alive.


    I watch as she draws little hearts on the windows where it has fogged up. She is such a hopeless romantic and very much believes in true love. That night we met in that little dingy bar, I guess we both knew that we shall be spending the rest of our lives together. But she did not know then how long the rest of our lives would have been. I do though wonder if she does hold a love for this Vampire Hunter, but this is not the time or place for such a question.


    When we pull up into the parking lot, we find ourselves rushing inside to get out of the rain. And as was expected, we find Eva sitting at a table with Zachariah.


    ...Anastasia...


    I clearly thought I told her to stay away from him. She might know who he is, but he has no idea that she has turned. If he has to find out then he will definitely come after Sebastian and I am afraid to say that this time he shall not leave without Sebastian being dead. And then of course he shall have to deal with me for there will be no way that I shall let him live after that. He might be a friend but I do not hold the same love for Zachariah has I do for Sebastian.


    Now all we want is to get Eva out of here and peacefully make our way back home. But from the look on Zachariah''s face this might not happen at all. And as he comes walking up to us, I can hear every raging thought spin through his mind. It seems that I am going to have to use his feelings for me to our advantage.


    "What is the meaning of this Anastasia?"


    "Zachariah, I did not see the harm to come around here to have a drink."


    "The harm comes when the real drink you are after is not one that I serve here."


    "May we just stay for a while, I see that Eva is here as well."


    "By god, if this monster touches her, then this time he shall be dead."


    And of course Sebastian does feel the need to say a word.


    "Is that how you greet an old friend? My feelings are hurt that you shall refer to me as such a pleasant thing as a monster."


    "We both know you do not possess even the slightest bit of emotion towards others."


    "Does self-love count as a feeling then?"


    "The only thing that resembles emotion is that ego of yours."


    "Ah there is something pleasant about me then. But I do have something more superior."


    "Oh please entertain me and tell me what it is."


    If there was ever a part of me that thought Sebastian cannot get anymore cocky than what he is, well I am sad to say that I was wrong. The next words that shall leave his mouth will be the ones that might get us thrown out.


    "I have the love of the woman you love."


    I watch as Zachariah step two steps closer to Sebastian. He glares at him with eyes so hot it can easily melt his skin away. Sebastian just knows how to pull someone''s strings and he has just pulled the string of the wrong puppet.


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes Zachariah."


    "You can be glad that I love her enough to not kill you today. And let me tell you this, if you were not around it would be me that she would love instead."


    "Hahaha. You seriously are full of yourself. Maybe you should go to the gents and give yourself a hand."


    I look at Sebastian completely horrified, did he just say that? I have to get these two apart before they might just have a good old scuffle in the middle of the pub. So I lean over to Sebastian and softly whisper in his ear.


    "Sebastian, this is not why we are here. Can you focus please?"


    "Fair enough my beloved, his face is in anyway starting to hurt my eyes."


    With one last rumble of words, we make our way over to Eva''s table. She seems the least bit phased with the problem her absence has caused.


    "What are you doing here Anastasia?"


    "We came looking for you. Where have you been these past few days?"


    "I have been with Zachariah, and I did not expect you to make it out of there alive."


    "Your concern is so kindly appreciated. Now please come so we can go home."


    "I have a home and it is not with you. The arrangement was that I shall learn and then leave. Well I have learnt and I left."


    "That is not how it works!"


    Then I see something start to boil in her eyes, I have hit a nerve and I am about to get all the bitchiness that Eva can give.


    "I did not ask for this! This is not a life I chose. I shall live this life how and with whom I want and right now I want to be with Zachariah."


    "But you know who you are and what he is?"


    "Fine! I do not like this but I shall come, just allow me to go say goodbye to him."


    That went far easier than I thought it would. She is up to something, I just know it. What itis, I am sure I shall soon find out.


    ...Eva...


    Who does she think she is walking in here and tell me what I am supposed to do? I hate her every second of every day for this thing that she has done to me. I was quite satisfied with being human and living a normal life with an expiration date. I have never disliked anyone more than I do her right now. I have vowed to get my revenge and I think the opportunity has just presented itself.


    After getting her off my back, I decide to put this plan into play. If I have my way tonight, she shall lose a lot more than just her human life. And who is the best person to use to start this with, well of course that shall be a Vampire Hunter. So I find him where he is standing behind the bar and lead him into his office at the back of the pub.


    Once we step through the door, I slam it shut, leaving Zachariah with nothing but a smile on his face. He watches me while I slowly sway my hips as I step on closer to him, with each step I shred every bit of clothing wrapped around my body.


    "If it was not for that little tart, I would have had you more to myself. But lucky she has that monster now."


    I see him struggle to keep back his words. I know he has always loved her more than he ever did me. In fact everyone loves her more than me. She plays the stupid innocent blonde act and get them crawling at her feet, while I should be satisfied with yesterday''s leftovers. Well not tonight, tonight I get what I want.


    And the moment I come to stand in front of Zachariah completely naked, I can see by that craving in his eyes that I have just got what I wanted. In one swift movement he clears the entire contents of the table and have me pinned down between his hands.


    "Eva..."


    He tries to speak but I bring my finger up to his lips, I can feel his warm breath rapidly breathing against the tips. All I want to focus on is him, the warmth that is spreading through my body. On the soft moan he just made, on the intoxicating feeling of diving headfirst into an erupting volcano and most of all, the way he tastes.


    "I am so sorry Zachariah."


    "For what Eva?"


    I expose my fangs and drive them deep in the nape of his neck. With the rage of a wild animal, I start to draw each ounce of blood from him in delight. The power that runs through my veins consumes every corner of my mind. I am intoxicated by the ecstasy that I feel.


    But then the door swings open and all hell breaks loose.


    "Zachariah!"


    "Eva!"


    "Anastasia!"

 Chapter 34：The Death of a Friend

    They say that every man is entitled to be a fool for at least five minutes a day; I am afraid to say that Eva has just abused that privilege. Her first mistake was coming to the vampire Hunter and her second foolish one was to drive her fangs into his neck. So now we have a furious Anastasia pulling a somewhat naked Eva away from an outraged Zachariah. All hell is about to break loose.


    Edward and I are opting to be the spectators for this round, but somehow I think the vampire Hunter will not allow me to stand idly by. Now that is the last bit of my concerns as Eva and Anastasia are just about to face each other off.


    One can hear Anastasia''s voice thunder over the music coming from the inside of the pub.


    "Have you gone completely insane? Do you want to kill him? Your own friend?"


    Eva but laughs at her toyingly as she casually puts on her clothes.


    "I should have asked you the very same thing when you bit me."


    The Vampire Hunter, still dazed and confused, comes to his feet and faces Anastasia.


    "Anastasia, did you do this?"


    "It was a mistake, Zachariah; I was trying to mark her, but I am afraid I did not know how to do it, so instead, I nearly killed Eva. Sebastian and Edward offered her to live again. She said yes, even though she hates being a Vampire."


    The Vampire Hunter stands crushed by the words that he just heard come from the woman''s mouth that he loves. He is conflicted as to what he should do. See, our treaty with The Vampire Hunters is that we shall not turn any human against their will; in fact, we shall not turn humans at all. Even though Eva consented to be marked, Anastasia has gone against this with the near-death and forced transition. And as with any wrong deed, there is a consequence; this one will be death.


    Now we all know the love he holds for Anastasia; therefore, he shall not even entertain such a thought; what he shall do, is turn his anger towards me.


    "This is your fault, Sebastian; if you left Anastasia alone, then she would not have turned into this thing you made her in."


    "My dear friend, Anastasia, wanted to be with me. Don''t you think that if she wanted you, then she shall be with you now?"


    "You have made her believe this life is grand, that it is one to be desired."


    "And a life with you is grand? We are but the same creatures; I live longer than you."


    I can see the rage burning in his eyes, but I have also seen the dagger he has pulled from underneath the table from where he is standing. The question begs, who is he going to go for, Anastasia or me?


    The dilemma is that I am on the other side of the room from where Anastasia is. I might move fast, but these pesky hunters are known to move just as quickly when it comes to throwing daggers. So it is with horror as we all watch what his next move will be.


    And all the man does is say sorry. We stand somehow confused about what or to whom he is saying this to, then a voice echoes through the room for a second time tonight.


    "Eva!"


    We all watched in horror as the dagger left his hand in Anastasia''s direction, but instead of going for the offender, The Vampire Hunter went for the victim.


    Even though there should be anger towards him for killing one of my kind, my heart does bleed for him, for this man just had to kill a woman he cared for. That is the hardest decision that any man will ever make in his life; it should, in fact, be one that should not be made at all. It is with tears in this defeated man turns to me.


    "Please leave my pub and never come back."


    As I go to speak, he stops me and continues.


    "I want to see Anastasia once a week to know that she is well."


    "What do you serve here in your drinks? Have you completely lost your marbles?"


    "We both know the wrong Vampire died today; you shall be wise to grant my request."


    "Grant your request? I shall not even entertain it."


    "Then, you shall entertain my dagger through your heart, even Anastasia''s."


    "I know that you are idiotic, but I did not think you are that stupid. Your lonely heart will never slay the real woman you love; I think we can safely say that Eva was useful for only one thing."


    And before The Hunter can get another cent worth of words in, Anastasia interrupts both of us.


    "It is fine, Sebastian; I will do it."


    "But my beloved, this man has other motives."


    "And you should have trust."


    "Fair well, I shall allow it, but if I suspect anything untoward, then this agreement shall terminate."


    We nod in agreement, even though it feels like I am lending out my beloved, making her out to be some object. She is not some trophy that one can swop around, but if it spares her life, then I shall do it. Though this man should have defined the terms, she shall see him once a week, of course, but I shall be with her.


    With that, we make our exit from the office and from the pub into the crisp evening air. The rain has not ceased to drench the earth, and if the mood was somber, then it is now downright gloomy. I can safely say that we all, but Anastasia the most, had a place for Eva in our hearts. The events of this evening shall stay with us for somewhat of a time to come.


    But it is not me that I am troubled about; it is Anastasia, she shall not take this loss very well. I am even afraid to think that it shall break her; Eva was like a sister, family, and a friend. One does not come unscathed from a tragedy such as this.


    The thing is that my beloved is not a Vampire like any other; she possesses her soul; she can be brought to her knees by feelings that consume her. This very thing can break her into shattering pieces; it can destroy her, or she shall become a stronger woman. And as she rests her head against my chest, my shirt gets drenched from her tears. That dead heart in her frail body is crumbling and falling into dust


    And as Edward looks at me in the rearview mirror, there is a fraction of the pain in his eyes that is displayed in Anastasia''s. It seems that my dear brother is feeling the loss of his mate. I am so blind that I did not see this coming; I should know the bond he shares as her Maker. I am then afraid to say that I have devastated Vampires, and I have no idea how to heal what is broken.


    But then, after several moments, Edwards finds his voice to speak.


    "We seem to have a visitor waiting for us at home."


    "Please, god, don''t tell me it is a problem."


    "No, my friend, not this time. Breyden has come to visit."


    "Like he is heaven-sent. In fact, he is. But to what do we owe the pleasure?"


    "He has brought two guests with him."


    "Two guests?"


    "The girls, the girls are with him."


    "That is delightful, just what Anastasia needs."


    We a tiny newfound spring in my step, I pull my beloved tighter into my chest, and we make the ten-minute drive home in silence.


    ...Anastasia...


    I have just seen my friend die in front of me for the second time in only a few days. All I have done is to bring misery to the lives of Sebastian, his family, and my friends. I thought this Vampire live-for-eternity thing would be easy, but it is has been the most challenging days I have ever lived in both of my lives.


    And to make things worse, this will be a painful memory that I shall live with for eternity. Then once a week, I must face the man who had to kill a friend because of something I did. It is a tragedy, and it has left three people heartbroken. How do you even begin to forgive someone for such a thing? I will live forever; I am never going to be able to make any of this better.


    So apparently Breyden, one of my favorite people, just because he is an angel, has come to visit. I am hoping that he can tell me or even help me mend this. I shall do anything to make everyone''s lives better.


    When we are finally pulling up in the driveway, Sebastian shields me from the rain and walks me inside. Lilith does not even ask the question; the expression on our faces tell a story a thousand words over. But surprisingly, next to her is two girls more or less the same age as me, and from her smell, the one is a vampire. The other girl, there is something odd about her, she is human, but she is also something else. And I bet that is the reason why they are here.


    And from the side, I hear the familiar voice of Breyden. He walks up to me and embraces me in the perfect hug I could do with now. Then he whispers in my ear


    "I can take that away, just tell me, and I shall do it."


    "You mean..."


    "Yes. But let me introduce you to the girls. Teagen is the one with the wavy hair, she is a Vampire like you, and that is Tasnim."


    Tasnim has soft blonde hair the same as mine, but she has very light brown eyes; there is an immense pain hiding behind them. I do get the feeling that she has too lost someone very close to her, and it has been within the last few days. That might also be the reason why they are here.


    So out of curiosity, while Lilith shows them to their rooms, I follow Sebastian and Breyden to, the kitchen where Edward is already waiting. Sebastian sees me and is just about to protest, all I do is but raise my brows, and he carries on.


    "So Breyden, my friend, what is the matter?"


    "Who says something is the matter?"


    "You got the girls here, which means you are moving them again. Who was it this time?"


    "Tasnim, she bit a man and went and erased two people''s memories for this man."


    I stand in absolute shock. Can someone even do it? Is it why this girl smells so different. Forget the look I am getting from Sebastian; I am still going to ask.


    "What is she?"


    "She is just a girl that has been cursed for eternity."


    Then Sebastian cuts me off before I can even ask another question.


    "Then, why are you here?"


    "I need you to help find me a witch."

 Chapter 35：The Witch Hunt

    Well, we have been down this road before. My heart bleeds for Breyden. Since the unfortunate event, he has been searching for a witch that can break the spell inflicted onTasnim. Now it would have been ideal if he approached the witch that cast the spell, but he somewhat accidentally killed her. Now the man has been searching for a witch that shall be willing to help him in his cause. But alas, he is yet to find one, which brings him to my doorstep once again.


    Many of my kind prefer the company of mystical creatures such as witches. I, myself, have had many encounters with several of them in my younger years as a Vampire. There is one in particular that I have in mind, one that I have had several intimate moments with. This being said, I do not think it shall be wise to take Anastasia with on this one.


    But I am afraid that she is kicking up a storm, so I have admitted defeat and given in to her demands. While she is changing for the hundredth time, I am seated with Breyden in the common room, and as he speaks, there is great concern in his voice.


    "Sebastian, I am afraid that Tasnim had gone too far; I underestimated the severity of her curse. It troubles me that she created a Vampire."


    "My concern is having a rogue Vampire running around. He shall not only go on a blood rage but will have the urge to create more of our kind."


    But there is something else that is troubling him; I have come to know Breyden well. He does not easily respond to being questioned, I have learned to give him time, and he shall speak freely when he is ready. So after what seems like an agonizing five minutes, he finally says.


    "He shall keep coming for Tasnim. I do not know how much longer I can take moving them around. I might be immortal, but I am becoming tired of running constantly."


    "My friend, coming from a man that had to live in the shadows many years, I do understand where your pain comes from. You need to find your roots. Have you ever considered lettingTasnim live her life as she is?"


    "No, never. I cannot see how this can be a comfortable life for her; she will never find someone that she truly loves."


    "But so is Teagen; she is a true Vampire; she will never have the luxury to find the love that humans crave."


    But no matter what I tell him, there is no way of reasoning with him. There is one thing that he has never considered. Do I even dare to mention this to him? It would not hurt to see the reality of what his actions may lead to. So after careful consideration, I do decide to speak my mind.


    "My friend, you do know that if this spell is broken that Tasnim shall be human. She shall live a normal life and shall, in fact, she shall pass one day."


    "That I have considered numerous times, I cannot give up until I have done everything that I possibly can."


    "Then let me go find Anastasia so that we can leave at once."


    So I find myself making somewhat long strides as I head off to see what can possibly take this woman so long. But...


    As I step through the door, I am blown away by what I see. Now how do you describe perfection? Well, it comes in ten-inch red stilettos, wrapped around a considerably tight red dress that looks like she only has a piece of material wrapped around the essential parts. Now, this is posing a problem, and as I smell her arousal, he can safely say that she is experiencing the same as me. So this begs the question.


    "Sebastian, do you think we have five minutes."


    "My beloved, you have already taken so much time, and I am incredibly hurt that you see me as a five-minute man. You know I love taking my time with you."


    "You make me sound like I am a meal."


    "But you are Anastasia."


    "Sebastian, how you dare even say that."


    That horrible situation of putting my foot into things has gotten me into what she refers to as the dog box again. Now, who would ever put an animal in a box is beyond me, and for referring to me as an animal, well, that hurts my feelings.


    But I have gotten to know my Anastasia, so I find myself right in front of her in that one wink that she had just taken. It takes me even less than that to find my lips resting against hers. Then the true animal comes out of me, for her lips become my playground, and do Iplay with them. I prick her bottom lip and slow suck a small delicious drop from it. The moment that it hits my sensation, it is the end of me. I scrunch that dress between my fingers and start raising it over her hips.


    As soon as my arousal is at a peak, I find my fingers to where her panties should be. The girl had failed to put these on.


    "My beloved, did you run out of fresh ones."


    "I just feel like a cool breeze today."


    "Oh, I am guaranteed that you shall feel it. Now about that, five minutes."


    "It is already up, my love; we can''t keep Breyden waiting."


    With that, she steps in front of me and heads out the door. I find myself trailing like a puppy behind her, and behind is where the real torture is. This mind is swaying those hips on purpose, knowing very well what she is doing to me.


    "I am so going to spank that."


    "Sebastian, where in the world did you come up with that."


    "Oh, my beloved, there is still a lot you need to learn about me."


    And soon, we find ourselves driving out the driveway towards our destination. There are two ways this can go, and let us hope that it is a favorable way. But as I watch Anastasia, this woman is here with a purpose. She has seen what my scorned lovers are capable of doing. Her reason for wanting to come with me is purely to protect me. How much I love her, she shall do anything not to lose me, and if that means doing something she does not feel comfortable doing, then that is exactly what she shall do.


    So after several hours of driving, with Breyden refusing to at least stop to at least stretch our legs, we pull up off from the main road. We wonder our way through the forest and a gravel road. As we go in further between trees that tower up to the sky, there is a dead silence that fills the air. It only means one thing, we shall see the wooden house come up in front of us. But that is as far as we can go. Within seconds she had cast a protective spell around her and the cottage.


    That only means one thing: it is time for me to put on the charm and persuade her to let us in. So I find myself standing in front of the car with my most charming fake smile on. In a fraction of a wink, she is standing in front of me.


    "Well, look who has found his way to my doorstep again. To what do I owe this pleasure?"


    "Beatrix, it has been a while, but as always, it is a pleasure to see you. Pardon the rude interruption, but I have come to seek help; I have a friend that has been given quite a nasty spell."


    "And you have come to seek my help in removing it?''


    "Yes, may we come in and explain our situation? I can honestly say that these woods gives me the creeps."


    "Very well, but be warned that I shall act swiftly if I at any stage feel threatened."


    "My love, I shall never harm you."


    With that, I realize the meaning of the words that ran over my lips; I might have created a whole new problem for me, for I can immediately sense the very thing that might get me into trouble.


    And with that, she lets us through with nothing but a smile on her sinister face. She is soon shocked to reality when she sees Anastasia steps out of the car; she immediately put the pieces of this strange puzzle together. This might take a little more than begging, but the question begs, how far will she go.


    So we all take a seat in what she calls her living room; I guess she calls it by that names, for she is mainly in this room for most of the day. In saying that, what do witches do with themselves the whole day? But that is not why we are here, and this then starts my attempt to convince her why she should help us.


    "Beatrix, we have come to ask you to help in breaking a spell that has been cast on a very young girl that does not deserve every minute of living it."


    "What type of spell are we talking about?"


    "Well, let me tell you the story behind what happened."


    "Do I need a cup of tea for this? We both know that it is hard for you to come to a point."


    Well, I know exactly what she meant by that; I hope that Anastasia did not put that sentence together how Beatrix intended it.


    "The story goes...Two girls came in the pathway of a Vampire one night; the one girl was bitten and left for dead. Then when the Vampire turned his attention to the other one, my friend here, Breyden swept in and killed theVampire."


    "So, where does this curse come in?"


    "The Vampire was not alone; he was with one of your kind. So when Breyden killed this Vampire, the witch tried to cast a spell on him, but it did not work. See, Breyden is, in fact, an angel."


    "Wait, backtrack a few steps. Did you say, angel?"


    Well, I did not particularly want to reveal that information, but she would have asked more questions than I wanted. To her, this is very appealing because of the great power that an angel holds. I am sure that Breyden knows the risks he faces with given this information to a witch. But now to finish my story.


    "The witch then turned to the girl that was still alive and cast a spell on her. Now she has received the curse of a Vampire, but she only turns in moments of pure ecstasy."


    "Which means she can never come close to a man and therefore she shall never love. But there is something more to this story?"


    "She has turned a man into a real Vampire, and now he is running around looking for her."


    "Ah, forbidden love. Why not just leave her the way she is. Heis a vampire, and she had, in one cruel way getting the man that she shall love."


    This is the very thing that I have told Breyden this morning, but there is no reasoning. I vowed to always stand by his side, no matter how skewed things will get.


    "Breyden does not wish for her to live this life."


    "Mmm, I have never done this kind of spell; I shall need to go read up on this. Sebastian, you can accompany me, while the two of you can make yourself at home."


    So I find myself being forced in a room alone with this woman who could never keep her hands from me. And as I watch the pained expression on Anastasia''s face, I only shrug my shoulders and hope that this does not go as they would say...south.


    But it is too late...

 Chapter 36：The Love Spell

    It was the year 1841 when my path crossed with Beatrix Cockcroft. I was very much set in my ways and yet still did not crave the company of a female on a more permanent basis. I came across her while she was casting a rather nasty spell on a bunch of sailors. As a creature that desired nothing but power, she immediately had my full attention. But my only intention was to see if the myth was true. I wanted to taste her blood to feel her power.


    And she did make me feel that power in so many ways, more than once. We spend endless days and nights in each other''s company, For me her power, and for her the sexual experience, at first. The more time we spent, the more she grew an affection for me; I was not in the least bit troubled with this at first. Then it started, I lost interest as I always do, and of course, I was not faithful either. But my desire to feel the power she made me feel let me turn a blind eye.


    So it began as a once-off here and there to get me to give in to her demands. Then I soon find myself doing things that I would never have done even if you put a dagger to my heart. Beatrix was casting spells on me to get what she desired. And in saying desire, I o refers to her sexual kind, but not just that, the woman would have me in her bed do that awful thing that they call cuddling.


    The day I realized that she was using her magic on me was when I left some perky redhead in nothing but red stilettos to come to her call. I then used my power as the Vampire Master to run her out of town and banish her to these woods, where she finds herself still today.


    Now, if the desperation of Breyden did not pull at my heart, I would never have considered coming near these woods again, let alone her. And I honestly thought that coming unannounced would count in my favor.


    So I should have known the minute that I said those two fateful words that it would lead to nothing but trouble. And when she requested my presence with her, I should have seen her intention. But only once I stepped inside the spell room did everything become clear.


    "Beatrix, don''t."


    The last syllable has not even escaped my lips, and I knew what she has done and that I am powerless at this point. So I can not even say that it comes to me as a shock to me that the door is locked, and there is not even a damn lock to lock it in the first place. Then my instinct tells me to call for Breyden and Anastasia, but I soon realize that it is fruitless, for they shall not hear a sound coming from this room.


    Now I find Beatrix coming to me, and as she floats through the air, she comes to stand in front of me. I find myself pulling at the strings of her blue summer dress. I tangle my fingers in the seams, and due to pure frustration, I rip it off from her, leaving her completely naked in front of me. I stand in awe as I take the sight of her body in. It feels as I have left my body, and I am hovering above, looking down at me doing as she desires. And I am horrified.


    I have no control; my body has given into her. She slowly starts to unbutton my shirt, one button by one; then, she pushes it over my shoulders and down my arms. She runs her long red nails over my rippled abs. And as she touches me, even though my body welcomes the touch, there is a part of me that cringes. Then in one flick of her fingers, she drops my pants to the floor. Now she has me exactly where she wants me, but I have not completely gone under yet.


    Then she effortlessly pins me into the very door that I cannot get out of. She pushes her cold naked body up into me, and once again, I feel pleasure but with a lot less cringe. I can clearly smell her arousal as she drives her tight into my pelvis. Then she looks at me with the evilest expression I have ever known to be on her face.


    "You know you want me."


    "Beatrix..."


    "Drink Sebastian; I know you want to."


    And then she takes me completely into the spell. I tangle her hair between my fingers and pull her head to the side. With one sudden flick, I snap my fangs and expose them deep into her delicate skin.


    Then the worse thing escapes my lips.


    "Oh god, I forgot how good this tasted."


    "Drink Sebastian; you are mine now. I knew you would come back to me."


    Her words do not register; I am lost in the way the power in her blood makes me feel. So I drive in deeper and draw harder as bathe in the ecstasy.


    Then I throw her legs around my waist and carry her to the table. I sit her down, and for a brief second, I retract my fangs, then without saying a word, I slip them back in the very spot they were before. She allows me to take more than I need, for she knows that I always gave her what she needed in return.


    So as she prepares to take my body completely, I growl as my arousal now is at a peak...


    And then....


    The door swings open...


    "Sebastian!"


    Behind me is Anastasia; I am too entranced under the spell that I fail to see my error. I am just standing here with a very innocent look on a face that is clearly lacking any emotion. Next thing, I have Anastasia walking up to me. She shoves my clothes into my face.


    "Get dressed; we are leaving."


    But then Beatrix has to add to the tension that is about to blow up in the room.


    "Best, you run along, sweety; he is mine."


    "I am afraid you are mistaken bitch, he is mine. I bear his mark."


    "Well, then you are really mistaken; he just had his fangs in me."


    Then Anastasia goes to show Beatrix where I repeatedly took her while I was marking her. Beatrix has one moment of clarity, but if I thought she would give up, then I am sadly mistaken. She takes the grip on my spell and tightens it. Then she turns to Breyden that now has entered the room.


    "Take this woman and leave my place; you are no longer welcome in my home."


    I watch as Breyden takes Anastasia by the arm; she turns and leaves the room with him. The last bit that is left in me has now walked about the room, yet I still want to be with Beatrix. I have no power over this, and from past experience, I know that she will let these spells last for days.


    Without even have the ability to think twice, we carry on from where we stopped. I slam my fangs so hard that she cries out in shock. But this does not go unheard, for the next thing, I am pulled back and thrown back across the room. And when I get up, I see Anastasia lifting Beatrix up by her throat. I watch as she hangs her in the air, not even showing an ounce of strain on her arm.


    But she continues to hold her, while Beatrix is completely helpless, for she is unable to use her power. I fight the urge to cry out to them, for I know this will be a fight to the death, but my thought has not even run it''s course, for I call out a name.


    "Anastasia, don''t!"


    And this breaks Anastasia''s concentration letting Beatrix break loose. Beatrix smashes her palms against her chest, and Anastasia crashes into the far sidewall. She quickly recovers but is stop by one thunder strike bolting at her feet. Beatrix has cast a death grip spell on Anastasia. She hangs helplessly in the air with an invisible hand crushing her throat. I immediately call after her.


    "Beatrix, stop!"


    Beatrix looks at me in shock, for she cannot believe that I, as her supposed lover, does not stand by her side. While Beatrix is staring at me, Anastasia speeds through the air and has Beatrix push up against the wall. She is crushing her throat with each breath; the anger is boiling over her face. Then she speaks, and I can hear the pure raw white rage in her voice.


    "Get your own fucking man."


    Then she snaps her neck and drops her body to the floor. She gives me a once-over with eyes that are disgusted to see the sight of me.


    Once I have dressed, I check on Beatrix to see if she is dead. I then rush outside to where Breyden and Anastasia are making their way to the car.


    She stops to look back into my direction as she sees me coming towards her, then she looks back to Breyden.


    "How long, Breyden?"


    "A couple of days, I reckon two at most."


    With that, I watch as they get into the car. As I come to get into the back, they drive off.

 Chapter 37：The Heart of a Broken Vampire

    It is with somewhat of a heavy heart that I make my way back into the cottage. I know what Anastasia saw will stay with her, and it shall be something we both will need to live with for an eternity. I wish she could see that this was not something that I chose. If I were in my right mind and not being controlled, then I would never have done such a thing. I guess I was foolish enough to believe that another scorned lover would not do a thing. Well, I have a very long way home to come to terms with the fact that my past has come to haunt me. I am afraid this shall happen again.


    And with this in mind, I go to retrieve Beatrix''s body; I shall burn it so that there is no way in this world and the beyond that she can ever be brought back to life. Much to my relief, as bad as it seems, I still find her where Anastasia dropped her before.


    While I am standing at a clearing setting her body alight, I see a car coming up the gravel road. I immediately recognize it as my own and watch as Anastasia comes walking up tome. The anger on her face is still very clear. And she comes to stand by my side, she speaks to me firmly, and I am shocked by her resolve.


    "I am glad you have one brain cell left."


    Her remark amuses me, but the better judgment in me stops me from showing it. But one thing that I hope she bears in mind is that the spell is still very present. I am feeling great remorse for Beatrix''s death, so my feeling to her remains somewhat cold. Beyond what is believed, the spell does not end once the Witch is gone; this one shall take a day or two, as Breyden mentioned to her before.


    But what she says next does stir an emotion that shocks me to my core.


    "This is a second lover that I have had to rescue you from. I promise you, the next time, I will kill you both. Now get in the car; I would like to go home."


    As those words sink into my head, I know that she meant what she said. I can feel her pain and anger, but most of all, her disappointment.


    ...Anastasia...


    I have never felt so betrayed in my life before. I understand that he was under her spell, but the image of him standing over her naked body is one that shall stay with me forever.No woman, no matter what you are, you do not want to see the person that you love in such an intimate moment with another. So it is with a sad heart that I make my way back to the car with a Sebastian that craves his dead lover still.


    And with that somber mood, we drive in silence back home. I know that Breyden is very disappointed in me for killing the only Witch that might have been able to take the curse from Tasnim. There are no words that shall take his fury away. Needless to say, we all have suffered sadness today.


    Halfway through our trip, we stop at a gas station to fill up the car and take a much-needed break from the suffocating silence. Sebastian, who is feeling a little bit less entranced, comes to stand by me. I know that he shall attempt to make me forgive him, but I am afraid that shall not happen today. It still does not stop me from feeling his pain; after all, we have not only a physical bond to each other but also an emotional and mental one.


    I feel every second of his pain, but I also feel every moment of his desire. The very moment that he became aroused by Beatrix, I immediately felt it shoot through my body.


    So as he stands and tries to speak with a tremble in his voice.


    "My beloved, please can you hear me out for a moment?"


    I give him the cold shoulder and turn my back on him. Before he can say another word, I walk away from him even though every second kills me. But before I am totally out of distance to being able to hear him, he mumbles under his breath.


    "I love you."


    And with that, I fall into pieces; I know what I shall do once we get home.


    ...Sebastian...


    She is suffering pain so deep that no matter what I say or do, she is not bound to forgive me easily. I fear the damage that this has done to our relationship. Which brings me back to what happened; this spell is wearing off faster than any of which she has ever cast on me. Beatrix did this with the sole purpose of breaking Anastasia and me apart. She wanted me to feel the pain that she felt that day that I left her.


    And I do so desperately want to explain this to Anastasia, but she has totally shut me off. So we continue our way back home in silence. After several hours of driving, we finally stop at home. She immediately makes her way up to the room, and as I follow her, I sense that she does not want me in her presence. So I find Breyden in the common room, I too, need to beg for his forgiveness.


    "My friend, I am truly so sorry; if I knew what her plan was, then I would have taken you to see another witch with the same power as what Beatrix had."


    "Do not apologize, Sebastian; no one could foresee for this to happen. I was too blinded by my own intention that I did not sense the evil that she was up to."


    I know that he says this with his words, but I know it is not how his heart truly feels. It is time to consider how I will rectify this.


    "I shall immediately start looking for another witch that shall be able to help us."


    "Please do not be concerned with it any longer; I think that I should consider what you said. Maybe Tasnim shall be happier if she sees this man."


    "So you saying that you shall be fine if she lives with this curse?"


    "We have been looking for over two hundred years; I think I can safely say it is time for us to stop looking."


    "You do not know how relieved I am to hear you say that. I am afraid the rest of the witches that are left; I was bound to have had an encounter with."


    "Exactly how many women have you had encounters with?"


    "My friend, I am well past two hundred years; I am sure you can do the math."


    With only one stare at my comment, he refrains from saying a thing but only bursts out in laughter. And we sit for the next hour in each other''s company; as I am satisfied that his mood had lifted, he leaves to make his way back to Paris.


    So I find myself aimlessly wandering throughout the corridors and rooms. Every time my footsteps lead me to her door. I can hear her fighting her own turmoil amongst these four walls. And as I reach for the doorknob, each time, I need to remind myself to practice patience. In all my lives, I have never felt so pained and alone. I have no idea how long she shall remain this way; all that I know is that it is killing me slowly.


    Then as I reach the kitchen, I found that Edward has returned from Council business. As I step inside, at least he is welcomed to see me.


    "You are just the man I am looking for; there is an urgent matter that requires your attention."


    He looks at me for a few seconds before he dares to ask.


    "Should I ask how things went with Beatrix?"


    "As good as they can go with a scorned lover."


    "That bad; tell me, is she still alive?"


    I only but shake my head, and with this, he refrains from asking any further questions. And as it does, life goes on, so I might as well listen to what else he has to say.


    "Back to the business at hand, I am afraid another one of your past endeavors has come to raise its ugly head."


    ...Anastasia...


    And as I write every word, I know that parts of me do not truly mean to say it, but I need him to understand how this has faltered me in loving him the way I should. So as I write the final few words, a tear drops onto the paper, ruining half of what I have written. It is stained with pain and heartbreak. At times, such as this, I wish that I was a Vampire that did not bear a soul.


    In its own strange way, it feels that eternal love carries a far more profound meaning and lasting impact on the heart.


    So once I am satisfied that he is not lurking around anymore, I make my way downstairs to find an unusually quiet kitchen. I retrieve the note from my pocket and place it where I know he shall find it. And as I do, I find myself sobbing even harder than I had only done a few moments ago. My heart is breaking over and over in an agonizing battle to forgive myself for what I am doing.


    Then I gather my things and make my way out in the cold of the night. There is no rain, but a crisp cold breeze that is blowing icy on my skin. As I wander my way through the street, I keep reminding myself of the reason for my actions, and even though they seem selfish, I believe firmly that we shall come from this stronger if we are, in fact, supposed to be together.


    With this in mind, I find myself knocking on a door that I never thought that I would. And as it swings open, I am met with wide and confused eyes.


    "Anastasia, what are you doing here?"


    "I do not have any other place I can go."

 Chapter 38：A Tear Stained Letter

    ...Anastasia...


    The moment that he opened the door, I questioned if I did not perhaps make a mistake in coming here. But when he welcomed me with open arms, I forgot who we really are, a Vampire and a Vampire Hunter. And I overlooked that small part where he is in love with me. The point is, I needed a friend, and he is the only friend that I have left.


    And as he sees the mascara that is smudged between all the tears, there is anger that starts to boil in his eyes. I know exactly what he is thinking; he knows who has caused these tears, and there is no way he is going to overlook the pain that I am feeling. And there shall be no way that he will just let it go without saying a word. So he wastes no time in asking the question.


    "What did he do now?"


    "I am afraid there is a downside being with a man as old as he."


    "I am glad that you can refer to him as a man."


    "Just as I shall be glad you refer to me as a woman."


    "Anastasia, there is a difference between you and him."


    "And what shall that be?"


    I watch as Zachariah chooses his words very wisely as he speaks again.


    "You still have a heart, perhaps not a real beating one, but you still care. I am afraid to say that man is as cold as that icy wind outside."


    "I thought he had a heart, but there are so many bad things he has done in his past; I am shocked to say that it has a lot to do with women."


    "Has he been unfaithful?"


    This does make Zachariah burst out in laughter. He knows me as a woman that stays true to her word. And I am afraid to say, if Sebastian breaks my heart again, I shall kill his lover, and I will most certainly take my revenge on him.


    But now the question begs, I have run away from my life, I have run away from Sebastian, what am I going to do now? And if I do not want to answer that question, then Zachariah will ask.


    "So, what are you going to do now?"


    "Live in eternity alone. I guess there is a part of me that knew that this shall happen."


    "I can''t believe I am saying this, but maybe you are overreacting? I mean, these are old lovers that are only taking revenge."


    "The thing with Beatrix was too real. It seems as if he was almost enjoying it too much."


    "That said, he did not go all the way."


    "Yes, only because I stopped him twice."


    Then those awful memories come running through my head again, but then there is also the great remorse that he showed. I know Sebastian loves me, but for how long is the question. When do I become an old scorned lover on his list of women?


    ...Sebastian...


    So Edward has come to do what he does the best, be the bearer of bad news. And as I stand and take this in, I can only think of one thing. If this comes back to haunt me, then I am afraid that Anastasia shall take her revenge. He is polite in saying past endeavors as he refers to a woman that I used for my own sexual pleasure. I am indeed afraid to say this, not again.


    Now we find our way to The Council house; since the last disastrous events with The Council, we have set a permanent location where The Council shall convene. So this situation brings us here today, for it was Victor that saw her causing havoc around town. So I am finding this somewhat amusing, as going to catch her is going to pose somewhat of a problem.


    And it takes only one word from Edward to remind us of what she is.


    "Shapeshifter. How do we catch a shapeshifter?"


    "My concern is, what is Amelia doing in town?"


    "Well, my friend, there might be only one answer to that."


    "If you say my name, then I will knock you out."


    And Victor, who is watching our exchange of words, need to point the other obvious problem.


    "What is Anastasia going to about this?"


    "My friend, do you want to be knocked out cold too?"


    So now the amusement is on me. Do I go home and tell Anastasia or wait and see what itis that Amelia wants? Who knows that she might not even come for me at all, then I would have raised unnecessary concern.


    And with this in mind, we conclude our business; I shall not mention to Anastasia until we know why Amelia is in town. So with a more optimistic view of our problem, Edward and I leave to return home.


    While we take the drive back home, every part of me is hoping that she has forgiven me; I miss being present in her arms and holding her while we rest. I have never seen why it was necessary until it has become a custom for me and my beloved. This day has been to endless; all I now need is her.


    Then as we finally step through the door, we find Lilith as she usually does in the kitchen. But something is amiss; she has a look on her place that I cannot place.


    "Lilith, what is the matter?"


    "It is Anastasia."


    My heart immediately drops; the world around me comes to a stop as fear sets in. My breathing becomes more rapid as every possible scenario starts to run through my head. It takes me several failed attempts before I finally can speak.


    "What is wrong with Anastasia?"


    She hands me a white envelope that has got my name neatly written on. I have never seen her writing; it is the smell of jasmine and vanilla that lingers on the paper that tells me that it is her. So I slowly take the note and fold it open. What strikes me at first is to see the rundown ink where her tears have fallen onto it. Lilith sees the pain in my eyes, and she takes Edward to leave me alone. It is with hesitation that I read the agonizing words of my beloved.


    "My dear Sebastian, You have hurt me. I know that it is not by your doing, but it still hurts. I saw you with another woman the way you should be with me. I understand that it was a spell, but did you perhaps not think it was not wise to go there in the first place. Well, the damage is done; I do not know if I can be with you in that way again. I need time, and guess what, I only have eternity. So I beg, please let me go, and if I am ready, then I shall come back. Yours eternally. Anastasia."


    I toss the note to the side and scream out in agony. The anger and hurt overwhelm me as I smash a bottle of whiskey against the wall. Just as I grab another, I feel a gentle hand stop me.


    "Sebastian, that is not going to solve a thing."


    "Lilith, she is gone; she has left me."


    "She will be back; just give her time."


    "What? Wait for eternity? I have no time to wait for eternity. Itis foolish if you think I shall let her go."


    "I am not saying let her go; give her time to let go of her anger."


    "I cannot and will not be without Anastasia. I would prefer that she sits here and be mad at me rather than being somewhere completely alone."


    Then Edward steps next to Lilit, and I swear he speaks the wisest words that I thought I shall ever hear him speak.


    "Sebastian, I do not think she is alone; where do you think she would have gone to?"


    "I have only one person I can think of. I guess we are going to pay the Vampire Hunter a visit."


    ...Anastasia...


    But I am not here to dwell on heartache; I am here to find myself again. I have become dependent on a man''s love, and therein I am losing my identity. I have stopped being me; I have become a bitter and angry Vampire; I should be enjoying the gift that immortality brings, and with that, I cannot have any regrets. I cannot let these things haunt me even though they hurt me.


    So I can try to have a normal existence. I shall stay with Zachariah tonight, and tomorrow I will decide what it is that I shall do. But first, a suggestion, something that would normally be impossible, and that are having fun with my friend and of course our local Vampire Hunter.


    "Zachariah, what do you say we go down to the pub to have a few drinks?"


    "I did not know that Vampires drink?"


    "Of course we do; we are not completely cold."


    "I will reserve my comments."


    I playfully punch him on his arm as we make our way out the door. I cannot help but notice the big smile that consumes his face. I know that I am stirring things that should remain unstirred, but I know right now I need Zachariah just as much as he needs me.


    So twenty minutes later, we find ourselves walking through the door of his pub, finding the first seat, which by luck is our regular. For a brief moment, the hurt of the loss of Eva swims over me. While I seat myself, Zachariah goes off to the bar to get our drinks.


    But then I am ripped from my thoughts by someone standing at the edge of the table. I am taken aback by her pure raw beauty. And as she speaks, I am blown away at the softness of her voice.


    "Would you mind sharing a table? All the others are taken."


    "Of course not, you are more than welcome to join us. I am Anastasia."


    "Pleasure to meet you. I am Amelia."

 Chapter 39：The Animal Inside of Me

    It is with absolute haste that we find ourselves speeding towards Zachariah''s pub; yes, I am not allowed to set my foot there, but if my beloved Anastasia is there, then there shall be no way that you will keep me from it. So with every passing mile, the anxiety grows toa suffocating point in my heart. One thing that Edward and Lilith still do not know is that I still possess my soul; if I should break down and cry now, then they shall know it for certain.


    "I thought I made it clear to you, Sebastian, that you are not welcome here."


    "If Anastasia is here, then it is here that I shall be."


    "Did she not make it clear to you that she does not want to see you?"


    I watch as he tries to cover his words with a mumble, hoping that I did not hear what he just said.


    "So she is here; please, I beg of you. I need to see her."


    "Don''t you have a witch to go play with?"


    "And, I think your toy sticks are calling your name."


    "At least my stick knows that I am playing with it."


    "At least I am playing with a real woman."


    Then out of pure frustration to where this conversation is headed, Edward jumps in.


    "Please, may we see Anastasia for a moment. If she does not wish to see us, then we shall leave."


    "Only because her heart is broken and even because you are the cause, I am afraid to say that you are the only one that can mend it."


    With only but a nod of his head, he shows us in the direction where Anastasia will be seated. And as we force our way through the crowd, the scent of jasmine and vanilla comes even stronger from across the room. But what rips me to pieces is the pain I feel racing through her heart. I have hurt her deeply, and her body is radiating with the pain and heartache.


    And as we clear the crowd, I see her right in front of me, and by the look on her face, I can see that she has sensed me too. So I am waiting for her to tell me to get away, but instead, she moves up for me to come to sit next to her.


    Then she takes a deep breath and swallows hard. She has been crying, and it was only a few moments ago. But then surprisingly, with a smile on her face, she speaks to me.


    "I see you can''t read either."


    "I can read my beloved; I just chose not to listen."


    "Well, you can be glad that someone has talked some sense into me, for I would have kicked you out by now."


    "Well, guess I must thank our stick man for being a voice of reason."


    "Do you honestly think Zachariah will tell me to go back to you?"


    "I guess not; who do I have to thank then?"


    "She was here; Amelia was here just a second ago."


    The fear of seven horrors sets over me. Did she just say what she said?


    "Did you just say, Amelia?"


    "Yes, she is a rather beautiful woman. I am afraid I do not even compare."


    "You do, my love; you are the only beauty in my life. But tell me, what did this woman say."


    "She said that I should hold onto you, that you are one of a kind, and that she would hate to see me turn into a scorned lover too. She even went as far as calling you a prize trophy."


    "My beloved, did you perhaps let this woman touch you?"


    "What an odd question, Sebastian, but yes, she held my hands while she was talking to me."


    And with these words, I turn to Edward, that has himself stopped breathing. I do not need to be a mind reader to know what he is thinking. But he still asks the question of Anastasia.


    "Did you make any plans to see this woman again?"


    "You guys are asking strange questions, but we were about to when you guys showed up."


    "Can I safely say that you will be coming home with us?"


    "Yes, Edward, you may, but let me go say goodbye to Zachariah first."


    I watch as my beloved slide out from next to me, and with a newfound spring in her step, she walks off to say goodbye to our dear Vampire Hunter. While we get off from our chairs to head towards the door, I turn to Edward with fear in my eyes, which you rarely find happens to me.


    "Edward, we have a big problem. We don''t know who she is going to look like and when she is going to strike."


    When we are finally in the car, making our way home, I sigh in relief. I did not think it was going to be as easy as this. Guess I can thank Amelia for that. But let us not think of that woman; for now, what is most important is that Anastasia is back in my arms. She is still very much troubled, and I am unable to read her thoughts. She might still be very upset with me, but that smile on her face tells me that she is exactly where she wants to be.


    And yes, I have failed to mention that small detail, that I can, in fact, read her mind. Now it only happens with her and nobody else. So I can safely say our bond runs far deeper than just being mates.


    With this being said, we find our way home, and she asks me the only thing that would satisfy me now.


    "Do you want to go rest?"


    "Yes, my beloved, I shall be right behind you."


    And right behind her, I am, and does she sway those hips. She is swaying them on purpose, and the only purpose is to make me weak. But, she is aroused, I can smell the heat building up, and in only seconds I find myself craving for more than just rest. So I grind on my teeth as I growl under my voice. Then she looks over her shoulder and smiles seductively.


    As we step into the room, we come to a stop at the foot of the bed. As I turn to her, those deep blue eyes tell me so many stories, but what they tell the most is that she wants me just as much as I need her.


    As she starts to speak, I softly press my finger against her soft velvety lips.


    "Ssshhh, Anastasia."


    But then I add...


    "Unless if you want me to stop."


    She answers by loosening the buttons of my shirt slowly one by one; I watch as her hands are slightly trembling. I take her hand to stop it from shaking and let my lips seek hers instead; it is all she needs to take that edge off her nervousness.


    In no time, she has me bare in front of her; she runs her fingers over the lines of my muscled chest. It sends ripples of pleasure to every corner of my body. Then she slowly pulls my shirt off over my shoulders.


    I scrunch her top together; it finds its way over her head and into a pile next to my shirt. With very skillful fingers, I undo her bra and toss it to the side. I take that skimpy little skirt and wiggle it over her that right bum that she was swaying so freely.


    Then I push her body back onto the bed and watch how she sinks into the soft satin sheets. But wait, she is still wearing those red stilettos. I take her legs and run my fingers down her inner thigh very slowly; I drag them over her calves painfully long, and finally, Islip them off. Then I crawl up her body like a hungry animal.


    I slowly lower my body on top of hers, and it only takes one word.


    "Please, Sebastian."


    I settle my body between her thighs. She gently moves her long blond hair to the side to expose the one thing that I crave from her the most. With just one flick of my head, I slowly expose my fangs. I let them pierce her soft skin, allowing the blood trickle down and awaken my senses. In one sweep of my tongue, I catch every glorious drop. Then I slide the razor-sharp tips deep into her skin as far as they can sink in. I grip hold and begin to take every drop I have so desperately waited for.


    The more I take, the more I realize that she has never tasted this good. Every sip I take wakes up a dormant animal inside of me. I slide that tight ass over the sheets closer to the edge of the bed. She gasps as I grab both her knees and press her thighs open, baring her completely to me.


    I wrap my arms around her back. She squeals as I swing her onto my lap. In one brutal thrust, I sit her down on my length, filling her so suddenly she cries out in shock. My hands roam over her back and bottom, on her breasts, rubbing against her nipples. She is everywhere as I pull her back up then slam her down again. She is flying and spinning as I do it over and over. Waves of pleasure roll over me. My fingers dig into her shoulders, holding her down, filling her completely.


    I lower my mouth to her neck; my teeth scrape lightly against her skin...she moans...I kiss my way down her back. Her hands grab onto my head as she throws her body back into me. As I move to pull her closer, she takes my wrist and snaps her fangs deep into the thin skin. And, god, that feels even better than the sex. She sucks hard, and with so much pressure, she nearly topples me over the edge of ecstasy. And every time I moan, she does it harder than before. We are like two animals out of control.


    Suddenly, I stand up straight; I grab her under her knees and raise her hips for deeper access. My thrusts are ruthless now as I slam into her over and over. Our bodies slap together. My cries grow louder, more desperate, as the pleasure mounts. I am on fire and ache for release.


    I stop. She whimpers. I flip her over, positioning her on her hands and knees in the middle of the bed. My light fingers trace a path down her spine, and she shivers. Then I plunge into her; I steady her as I grip her by the hips.


    I remain still for a moment, filling her with my length until she wiggles against me, urging me to do it again. I wrap her long hair around my fist and gently tug her head back. She follows my lead, rising to her knees to meet my mouth in a firm kiss. I run my tongue down her neck and seek the spot where I have marked her. I slam hard into her flesh and let the ecstasy fill my fangs again.


    Finally, I release her, and she places her hands back on the bed. I slam into her so hard she falls forward onto her elbows. I go to do it again, this time grunting with the force of it. It has never felt so good, so erotic, so raw.


    Pressure builds within me; muscles are turning to jelly; pleasure is singing through my veins. I cannot take it anymore. I am going to shatter into a million pieces. I am so overwhelmed; my heart and soul are about to be ripped wide open. I cannot handle it anymore.


    "My beloved, I can not hold it any longer."


    "Let go, my love."


    She throws her head back as she trembles in orgasm. Her heart stops, and her body burns, releasing that ecstasy that her body was yearning.


    And I am right behind her. I feel my erection grow larger and harder. I feel as if I am about to burst wide open. All it takes is one fierce drive, and I am over the edge. With one hoarse groan, I find my release.


    As I fall next to her on the bed, I cannot help but be taken aback at the raw, animalistic moment that we just shared. But I am soon snapped back as I find her staring at me.


    Then she slowly gets up and makes her way so elegantly into the bathroom.


    But then another thought crosses my mind.


    "I hope that it is Anastasia that I just made love to."

 Chapter 40 - The Scorned Lover

    It is another cold and rainy day; the sun tickled over the horizon but only an hour ago. But you shall not see the sun today; it shall be another day of gloom. Though gloom is not what exists between these four walls, for in my arms is a rather exhausted Anastasia. We have indeed been busy the whole night through; now, I am not a man to complain, but some of my body parts are starting to feel the strain.


    One thing that truly amazes me is how she can close her eyes and drift her body to another realm. And this has me staring at her this very moment; she looks like an exquisite angel as she lies here covered in satin. The love I feel for her seems to grow day by day, and that is what forces me to get up from here to go and make sure that our love remains untouched and pure.


    Much against my better judgment, I have decided against informing her of Amelia. There is a chance that she shall find out, but not if I can draw Amelia out first. So as long as Anastasia stays here, I have nothing to worry about.


    Now how this shall be done, that is what we shall discuss at The Council House. I can not risk Anastasia hearing about my plan to lure an ex-lover out. We do not know what her intention is, but I can safely say that not one of us wants to find out.


    So it is with a long face that I pull my body away from her warmth.


    "Where are you off to Sebastian?"


    "My beloved, there is some council business that I need to take care of. I won''t be long, shall you wait for me here?"


    "It is gloomy outside; I think I shall lay here for a while."


    "Then, I shall hurry back as soon as I can."


    I place a tiny butterfly kiss against her forehead and make my leave from the room. But before I step outside the door, I turn to her.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes, Sebastian?"


    "I love you."


    I watch as her face sparkle with joy at hearing these very words, and I am even more surprised that she answers me.


    "I love you too."


    And with that, I leave the room a very happy but also a very lucky Vampire.


    Downstairs I find Edward waiting for me, ready to go, but he has an awful smile in his face, and I know exactly what the man is smiling about.


    "So, I don''t know if you noticed, but it was awfully noisy around here last night."


    "I suggest you wipe that smile from your face Edward."


    "This animal is going to slap that smirk off your face. I don''t know what got into Anastasia, but my friend, I am not complaining."


    It is with great effort that I fight the urge to give him some details of the things she made me do last night. But what I do definitely not mention is my moment of fear that I thought it was not Anastasia that I was doing those things too.


    After standing like two smiling pawpaws for a minute, we head to his car so we may take the drive to The Council House. And it is here where we found ourselves half an hour later. We are greeted by Victor that is eagerly waiting to hear about the encounter that Anastasia had with Amelia last night.


    So after filling him on the details, we all sit back with a whiskey glass in hand. The only odd thing about this scene is that the glass does not have a tot of whiskey in. In fact, Victor has requested the presence of an old lady friend who has very kindly provided the drink for today. Now I had my share last night, but I shall never say no to some human blood.


    Then Edward asks the most important question of the day.


    "What are we going to do about Amelia?"


    ...Anastasia...


    So I am sitting with Zachariah discussing the decision that I have made. I know that I am taking a risk to be with Sebastian again. But the thing is that I know he loves me more than his Vampire life itself and the truth is that I love him just as much. I know that I shall not be able to live without him. And the thought of being alone for eternity does sadden me. I might have Zachariah, but he shall only be here as long as his human body always him to be.


    But I know that I stand the chance of losing Zachariah if he is not happy with my decision to go back to Sebastian, and I hate to be the one to ask.


    "Zachariah, do you still want nothing to do with me as a friend if I go back to Sebastian?"


    "I would rather have you in my life than have to worry about what that monster is doing to you."


    "You do know I am a monster too."


    "No, you are just a girl that became a Vampire."


    With that, Zachariah pulls me into his big arms and places my head gently against his chest. I know I should not let him do this, but I feel so insecure about my life that I need to feel a place where I once know that I was safe. And as I lay hard again at his body, I can hear how heavy he is breathing. His heart hurts just as must mine do. So I let go, and I cry my heart out again. He looks down into my eyes and takes my chin in his hands.


    "I did not know that Vampires can cry?"


    "Yes, about that."


    I move a little closer to him, where we are sitting on the soft leather chair in his lounge.


    "See, I still have my soul."


    "My god Anastasia. So you are still half-human?"


    "Well, if that is the way you want to see it."


    "There must be a way to fix you then."


    "I did not know I was broken?"


    He pulls me back into his arms, and we both just laugh. I think that I might have just given Zachariah a reason to hope again. Do I not have my own scorned lover then?


    ...Sebastian...


    So, needless to say, none of the plans that we have come up with today will ever see the light of day. There is just no way we would know when and where Amelia will show one of her faces again. So after a whole morning waisted, it is with a troubled mind that we make our way back home again. The only thing that shall give me comfort is, hopefully, still in my bed.


    But as we get closer, Edward even dares to ask.


    "Will I require earplugs for today."


    He nearly swerves off the road as I punch him with a fraction of my power against his arm.


    "My body still needs to recover, perhaps only this evening."


    Well, that is just the typical answer he expects from me as he bursts out in laughter. And as soon as he stops the car, I am rushing upstairs.


    And there she still is, peacefully tucked under the sheets with not an inch of clothing on, just the way I left her this morning.


    So I make haste in undressing and slide behind her back. As I wrap my arms around her body, she smiles at me.


    "I missed you."


    "I missed you to my beloved."


    ...Anastasia...


    As I sit in Zachariah''s arms, my worries just melt away. My resolve becomes firm, I shall be with Sebastian, and I shall be with him for eternity. He promised me that none of his ex-lovers shall ever come between us again, now I know him as a man of his word even though I know that I should not count on something that is not a certainty.


    And as I watch as Zachariah''s heartbreak all over again, I decide that it is time to go home.


    "I am going to go, but I promise to come to see you soon again."


    "I would very much like that. Now can I follow you to make sure you get there safe?"


    "No, I shall be fine, and I am the one they need to fear in any case."


    With that, I pack my things in the car and make my way back home. And as I drive in absolute silence, the reality sets in that I shall love Sebastian forever, but I shall get hurt by him forever too. I have one scorned lover, and he has many; the fact is they shall always come. The question begs, will I allow them to ruin me like this again.


    ...Sebastian...


    As I lay curled up behind her, it feels if I am in absolute heaven. It has never felt this way; Anastasia is different. Did the thing with Beatrix open up something deep inside of her? Last night was raw, and now it is soft again. There are two sides to the woman I love, and I am not sure which one I like the most. Guess I am a lucky man if I can have the best of both worlds.


    So I let myself go and pull her even a fraction deeper into my arms.


    ...Anastasia...


    As I pull up into the driveway, the rain starts to beat heavy down on my skin. I struggle to get my bag, which only leaves me completely drenched. So it is with absolute haste that I rush inside.


    As I stand in the doorway, trying to shake the water from my hair, I hear Edward come from the kitchen. He looks at me somewhat funny, and then all of a sudden, his eyes grow wide.


    I ignore him and make my way up to my room. But much to my surprise, he is following me.


    I pretend that he is not behind me and continue to head for the door of my room.


    Then as I reach for the doorknob, I see he is still following me. Before he makes another step, I open the door open.


    ...Sebastian...


    I am lying peacefully in my Anastasia''s arms, but then nature calls as it does. So I slip from behind her back and get off the bed. I am about to make my way to the bathroom when I am stopped dead in my tracks.


    "Anastasia?"


    I look back to my bed where she lays.


    "Anastasia?"


    It takes the presence of Edward to confirm that I am not imagining things. So as I walk to the woman that is lying naked in my bed, I immediately know that she is not my beloved.


    "Amelia!"


    Then I hear the real Anastasia''s voice behind me.


    "Amelia?"


    And with that, Amelia turns into her true form.


    "Hello, Sebastian."


    I turn to Anastasia and then to Amelia; I have only one question that is burning a hole through my head.


    "Last night?"


    I stand in an agonizing minute to hear which woman I made love to.


    "It was me, Sebastian."


    "Thank god."


    I breathe a sigh of relief now that I know that it was my beloved, but it still does not make things better, for I have a woman naked in my bed, and it is not Anastasia. But...


    "Where?"


    "I went to collect my things from Zachariah."


    Then I think about the moment that has just now passed.


    "Thank god."


    I sigh in relief, knowing that I did not do a single thing to Amelia, but I am afraid that is not what Anastasia shall think.


    And as I look back to Anastasia, I can see the fury glow red in her eyes. I can hear her breathing is even faster than a speed train. And she is edging closer and closer to the bed.


    Is she coming towards Amelia, or is she coming towards me?


    She edges even closer and closer; the rage in her is building.


    Then Amelia steps off the bed, and she should not have done that, for Anastasia has now seen her naked.


    She edges and edges even closer. Her fangs are exposed, and she has turned into her pure, true Vampire form.


    And if it is not bad enough, Amelia comes to stand next to me to taunt Anastasia.


    With one final step, Anastasia comes to a stop a mere arm''s length away from me. And as she speaks, it is as if a thunderbolt hits at my feet.


    "What. Did. I. Tell. You. About. Another. Scorned. Lover?"


    The rage vibrates from her lips. And much to my horror, she waits for me to answer. And as I do, my words stretch in length.


    "That¡­you¡­shall¡­kill¡­us¡­both."


    Then all of a sudden, I hear a crack next to me, and as I turn, Amelia''s lifeless body falls to my feet.


    Next thing I feel, the claw of a Vampire draining every ounce of air from me. She slowly but surely starts to crack the bones of my neck between her long fingers. Her nails pierce into my skin, I feel the blood starting to trickle over my neck and down my chest.


    I hear as my voice comes through as strangled screams.


    "Anastasia, don''t!"

 Chapter 41 - Till Death Do Us Part

    "Anastasia!"


    Edward echoes her name through the hallways as her grip around my throat only but increases in strength. My muffled moans are barely audible as I choke on the very last breath that still fills my lungs. My fingers curl over her claws as I try to pull them loose one by one. I am a good few inches off the floor and rising higher by the second. She will not let go; today, I am going to die.


    "Anastasia, no!"


    Edward is watching in horror as Anastasia is squeezing the life out of me. He feels helpless, and I hopeless; there is just no comparison for her strength.


    "Anastasia, let go of him!"


    Her neck snaps to the left as she glares at Edward with the utmost evil in her eye. Anastasia has gone dark. A very unfortunate term in the Vampire world that does not mean night, but in fact, there is a great evil that consumes her.


    "Anastasia, I said, let go of him!"


    His voice rumbles against the windows, making them shake in their very frames. He is trying to warn her off, but she only smirks and increases her death grip on me.


    ¡­ANASTASIA POV¡­


    There is an evil that consumes me; it is a rage that is burning through veins that I can not control. The angrier Sebastian makes me, the longer Edward yells at me, the stronger the hold becomes. I am drowning in the fury, I have made my resolve, someone here shall die today


    And as my fingers are squeezing Sebastian''s last breath, I am shocked by the pleasure it brings me that he is near death. All I need is to snap my hand, and his cheating life shall end. I have warned him, and something he was yet to learn is that I am a woman of my word.


    So I squeeze and a squeeze, closing on inches, tightening my grip. I want to hear him choke on my name as he chokes on his last breath.


    But...


    I want to play a game instead...So as Edward yells my name...


    "Anastasia!"


    ¡­SEBASTIAN POV¡­


    She snarls, and then she releases the grip on my throat just enough to let me breathe again.


    "Anastasia!"


    "Edward, leave!"


    Edward slowly but cautiously starts to approach her, one side slap from Anastasia, and he shall find himself on the floor. But he is bound to protect me, and that is what he shall do to death.


    "Anastasia."


    She snaps her left claw to his face, but she misses him by a mere inch. Yet he takes one step closer, then another and another.


    "Anastasia, don''t."


    She flings her arm wildly to the one side. She strikes him squarely into his face, but he remains firm on the ground.


    "Let him go, Anastasia!"


    Then she loses her balance, and she stumbles to the back. Her grip slips from my throat, and my body tumbles to the ground. Edward rushes towards me and helps me to stand my frail from the floor.


    "Anastasia, get away from him."


    This infuriates Anastasia as she edges her way towards where we are standing. She might be outnumbered, but she is strong enough to take both of us out.


    I feel my throat scratch from the dryness as it takes me a few attempts to speak. And as I find my voice, it thunders across the room.


    "Anastasia! Stand down! I order you!"


    She bursts out in hysterical laughter at my command, mocking every word that I say.


    "Order? Ha! Is that what you do to your lovers?!"


    She steps two steps closer then stops. She cackles at the top of her tone.


    "Both of you shall die today."


    I hear as Edward gulps. Then all is silent.


    Then...


    The voice of the only other woman in this house steps through the door.


    "What is...?"


    Lilith is stopped dead in her tracks as she sees that we are in a standoff with Anastasia.


    I raise my voice even louder than before.


    "Lilith, leave!"


    But Anastasia speeds to her side; she smashes her body into the wall and digs her nails into Lilith''s face. They pierce her soft porcelain skin; blood trickles from a small open wound.


    "Anastasia, let her go. This is between you and me."


    She moves away from Lilith and rushes to the door.


    Then she is gone...


    ...ANASTASIA POV¡­


    As I slip out the door, I immediately turn to the left and decide to wait for him in one of the other rooms. If I can catch him off-guard, then I shall have the upper hand.


    I am slowly losing that last bit of me to this animal that I have become. I fear that once it has taken me that there shall be no way to turn back. The last of my rational thought is fighting my body. I do not wish to let go, but my anger at Sebastian makes me want to.


    And as I make my way into the one room, I find Josephine straightening the bed; out of pure shock, I claw at her face. She shouts in horror as I dash out of the door.


    But then I find Samual in the next room''s bathroom, working on some knob at the shower. Though instead of running this time, I shred his neck to pieces as I frantically try to feed this new beast that has now completely taken over my body


    ...SEBASTIAN POV¡­


    I am horrified; Anastasia wants to play cat and mouse. One of the most powerful Vampires I know has chosen to play a game with the only other Vampire that matches her strength. I fear to think where this shall lead.


    "Edward, we cannot let her leave this house."


    "Rest. I will find her."


    "No! Lilith, go to the armory. Edward, I will take the top."


    "And I will take the bottom."


    "Both of you, please, be careful."


    "What do I do if I find her?"


    "Wait for me."


    What am I going to do to Anastasia if I find her? Will I kill my beloved? Well, it is believed if you are in this state of dark for too long that you shall, in fact, possess the true form of an ancient Vampire. Now that is surely something to look forward to. But something I do not look forward to when I need to decide if she shall die by my hand.


    But that is not a decision that I need to make yet, so I leave the room and slowly start to creep up the hallway to the next room. Her breathing should be rapid; I shall immediately hear her.


    And as I reach for the doorknob, I close my eyes for a brief second and take a deep breath. Then I slowly turn...


    Then...


    Click...


    The door cracks open, and I grab it from swinging open...


    As I step inside...


    Nothing...


    I sigh in relief and make my way back into the hallway again.


    The next door is slightly open...


    I peek my head through...


    One swipe with her claw, and my head will find its way to the floor.


    But there is nothing...


    As I retreat, I stand up straight against the wall. I throw my head back as I wait for the tremors in my hands to come to a stop.


    I am terrified beyond the daylight of tomorrow as I move further to the next few rooms.


    Then...


    I enter the next room...


    Soft cries are coming from the closet...


    I slowly open the door I prepare for Anastasia to jump at me.


    But...


    "My god Josephine."


    One of the helpers is hiding in the far corner of the closet. Her face is ten shades whiter than fifty shades of white...


    But...


    "Wait here; I will send help soon."


    There is a gaping wound over the left side of her cheek; the skin has been ripped open to the bone.


    I fight the urge to gag and make my way back out of the room.


    As I enter the last room, I hear a scuffle come from the bathroom; the moment I step inside, Anastasia pushes past me.


    "Anastasia, stop!"


    She stands in the middle of the room, but my locked gaze is broken by the moans of a man behind me.


    With that, Anastasia leaves the room, and I walk up to the shower, where I find Samuel pushed up against the glass; she has ripped his neck into pieces. I close my eyes and snap his neck; there is nothing I can do to save him.


    Then...


    I hear Edward''s screams come from downstairs.


    "Anastasia, don''t!"


    I arrive downstairs, just as she enters the ballroom. Edward and Lilith join me by my side.


    "I thought I told you to stay in the armory?"


    "I am not going to sit and hide while some crazy lover goes on a rampage in my house."


    "Stay behind me. She has already killed tonight."


    I watch the terror set on their faces. Anastasia has turned completely dark, if I do not stop her, she shall remain this way for eternity, and I am afraid I shall not be allowed to let her leave this house alive.


    As we enter, she is standing in the middle of the ballroom...


    "Anastasia, I beg of you to stop."


    The most godawful rumble comes from her mouth. The exquisite beauty I know is turned into a monster.


    I close my eyes and squeeze on the bridge of my nose as the realization sets in...


    But I am pulled away from my thoughts as she launches at me...


    "My god, my beloved."


    Her skin has turned a deep shade of grey, with veins popping through her once delicate skin. Her face is completely deformed with a jaw filled with piercing razor-sharp fangs


    "My beloved, please stop, let me help you."


    But she fails to listen and scrunches her nails into my shirt; she grabs me and throws me with a loud thud against the wall.


    My bones crack as I stand to my feet.


    Then...


    She stands in front of me again.


    She digs her nails into my shoulder as she slides my body over the floor into a stack of chairs. They stumble over and land square on my back.


    "Anastasia, stop!"


    She glides over the floor and has me by my left foot before I can stand up; she flings me through the air...


    My body drops at Edward''s feet...


    Edward tries to help me up, but she slams him into the door.


    She lifts me up and raises me from the floor...


    Lilith smashes into her body, Anastasia stumbles, she retaliates and snaps at Lilith, tearing through her skin.


    As Anastasia rises to her feet, Edwards comes from behind, but she one step quicker and pounds him into the chest; he topples back and cries out in agony.


    Lilith comes from the sides to grab Anastasia by the arm, but she claws at Lilith.


    Then...


    I look over the room...


    Edward has a broken rib that is protruding through his skin.


    Lilith has a gaping wound through her neck


    I have a seriously injured Josephine and a dead Samuel upstairs.


    Then I try for one last time.


    "My beloved, let me help you. I beg you; please stop."


    I wait for several seconds, but she does not speak a word. Then it dawns on me; ancient Vampires do not possess the ability to speak. They are purely driven to feed, and of course, to kill.


    Then...


    I make the fateful decision to fight back...


    And the words that I said to her that night when I marked her...


    ''Till death do us part¡­

 Chapter 42 - The Battle Of The Ancient Vampire

    I fear that I have lost Anastasia, not to death but to an evil that possesses her. But I have to face this evil, and I fear to think that I shall have to take her life.


    So I rip off what is left of my shredded shirt and toss it over to Lilith to wrap around the wound around her neck.


    Edward rises to his feet and stands behind me. This is what I have always admired about him; he shall fight for me until he shall not be able to stand.


    And as I look over to Lilith, much to my surprise, she stands to her feet and takes her place next to Edward.


    I look at them both with pure sadness on my face.


    "Please try to take her alive."


    But as I say those words, I know that she is far more powerful than probably all of us in this room.


    We watch as she stands in the center of the room with her claws hanging loosely at her side. Blood is dripping from her fangs, her breathing is erratic, and the most grotesque sounds are coming from deep within her chest.


    Then...


    She is the first to make a move. Her body hovers over the floor as she rapidly approaches me. Lilith and Edward step two steps back, while I step one forward.


    I ground my feet and wait for the impact. As she reaches to grab me, I hold her by her arms and try to wrestle her to the ground.


    But...


    She frees from my grip and smashes her palms into my chest. I fly backward into the wall that Edward and Lilith''s bodies provide.


    I jump onto my feet and move towards her; I fly through the air and crush my fists into her chest. She moans and stumbles back.


    Then...


    She charges like a bull straight towards; I slide to the side and push her back into the wall. The wall cracks as I drive her deeper and deeper into it.


    "Anastasia, please stop! I know you are in there."


    But...


    She kicks as she wiggles her way away from me.


    Then...


    I pull her back as my hand tangles in her hair.


    Though...


    She spins loose and makes her way toward the door.


    "Stop her!"


    Edward smashes square into her body while Lilith puts force behind him to drive her to the middle of the room. She breaks loose and smashes them both into a table, cracking it right through.


    I push forward and scrum my entire body into hers. She drops to the floor, and I immediately get on top of her, pinning her arms to the floor.


    "Anastasia, please let me help you. It is not too late."


    Edward comes to help push her down to the floor; Lilith joins his side and pins even harder. She squirms and growls as she kicks up a storm.


    Then...


    She manages to free herself loose; she smashes Lilith through the face. I hear something snap, and Lilith drops lifeless to the floor. She turns on Edward, and with a loud thud, she pushes his body into the edge of a broken chair.


    She grabs me by my throat and starts squeezing firm; with every inch, she starts to play at the bones in my neck.


    Then...


    I turn into my true Vampire form and drive my claws into her shoulders; it pierces deep into her skin and draws blood that trickles down her white blouse. She cries out in pain and slips from my grip.


    But...


    She comes for me again. I wrap my claw around her neck and start applying pressure.


    Then...


    I lift her from the ground. The anger is now consuming me. In the back of my head, I know that Edward and Lilith must be dead. My beloved has become a monster. I cannot let this carry on any longer.


    I increase the pressure around her neck...


    And I drop her body to the floor...


    I fall to my knees as I cry out in pain. I cannot do this; I cannot hurt the woman that I love. And as this is running through my mind, I see her rise to her feet. And as she makes her approach for me, I launch off my feet and slam her body into that stack of chairs...


    They crack...


    Then...


    A loud moan...


    A broken piece of the chair pierces into her body...


    "Anastasia!"


    I run towards where she lays and drop down next to her. And as I look into her eyes, she slowly transforms back into her human form again.


    My cries echo through the ballroom and the whole house. As I look over to Edward and Lilith, I do not see them stir. I bow my head in defeat; today shall mark the day that I lost everything.


    But then there is a gentle hand on my shoulder, and as I look up, I see Victor stand next tome.


    "I heard you needed a hand?"


    "I fear that you are too late."


    Then he makes his way over to Lilith; she slowly starts to stir.


    "But..."


    "Just a broken arm, I am sure I shall survive."


    "And Edward?"


    I hear as he curses underneath his breath.


    "Just a stake in the leg."


    "And?"


    I look down at Anastasia that has a metal pole from the chair sticking through her stomach.


    "My god, no, Anastasia."


    It is with horror that I face the possible reality she might be dead to me. We are known to able to heal ourselves, but her body has taken a severe beating. And the strain put on her from the transformation is clearly visible. Anastasia is broken.


    "How do I fix her?"


    "Let me help you carry her to her room; we need to remove that pole."


    I gently lift her frail body from the floor. As she softly cries in pain, it breaks my heart ten times over. I should have checked where she was falling; I should not have struck her so hard. But she did not want to listen. Why did she not just listen to me?


    And as I hold her body, I feel the steel pole sticking out the back of her body. Her blouse is drenched in her own blood. What frightens me the most about is that it is thick and black. My beloved is dying, and I am sad to say that it will be slow and agonizing unless her body can find the power to heal itself.


    But there is another option, one that I know for certain would work.


    "Edward, once you able to get up, please will you call Brayden? He should still be in Paris."


    "I shall do it at once."


    This thought alone makes my heart crumble into pieces. No matter what I do tonight, I will be losing my beloved in one way or the other. The question begs, am I willing to give her up, or shall I meet the same fate.


    And as we try to get upstairs to her room, I watch as her body squirms from the pain; the pole is ripping further into her flesh with every twist and turn we make.


    Then we are finally laying her down in the room next to hers; the last thing I want her to see is the destruction that she has caused.


    But the challenging part is about to come, and Victor is already shaking his head. I am her beloved and her Maker; it shall be something that only I should do.


    So I grab gently onto the pole as Victor holds her body down. In one swift movement, I pluck it from her stomach.


    Then...


    Not a single word comes from her mouth...


    "No, Anastasia!"


    But...


    She gasps for air as more blood starts to flow freely from the wound.


    "Victor, do you mind getting some towels from the bathroom."


    As Victor leaves the room, I lay my head against hers and shed one single tear before he returns. He looks at me, asking the question with his eyes.


    "My friend, I am not even sure if it shall work. Her wound is more severe than what I thought."


    "There is no harm in trying. I shall leave you alone and wait outside of the room."


    With that, Victor leaves me alone with Anastasia; I do not know if she shall be able to hear me or let alone understand a word that I speak. I am taking a big risk in doing this. Should I continue and this works, she might turn back into the monster that was wreaking havoc only but a few moments ago.


    So I lean down and whisper in her ear.


    "Anastasia, please drink."


    I cut the soft skin of my wrist open and drip a tiny drop of blood on her dry lips. Then as she opens her mouth, my worst fears come true. She still has the fangs of that animal. Do I let her drink? If I do, she shall shred my wrist to pieces, but there could be a chance that she might turn back to who she was.


    But love compels me to do the only thing that might save her. I press my wrist against her lips and let her slip a mouth full of razors into my skin.


    "Aaahhh!"


    I shout out in agony as I let her dig them deep into my skin. As she sucks, it is with so much pressure that in less than a minute, I feel the dizziness set in. But as I try to pull away, she grabs firmer onto my wrist. For one second, she lets go but then slice her teeth back into me again.


    Victor hears my screams come rushing into the room. The sudden movement scares her, and she drops my wrist to the bed. I quickly move to hide it from him.


    Then he asks the burning question.


    "Do you think it worked?"


    I look at him, not knowing if I want it to have work or not. He raises from the bed again.


    "Let me go check on Edward and Lilith."


    "Thank you, my friend."


    With that, he leaves us in silence, well not complete, for I can hear her wheezing. And as I apply more pressure to her wound, there is a soft growl from deep in her throat. This alone makes me think that she still has that monster inside of her.


    Then a half-hour later, I pierce through the veins on my other wrist and let her rip my skin into pieces. I grind hard onto my teeth as she sucks and takes. The pain shoots to every corner of my body as she slashes at my skin. I am forced to grab my arm from her.


    As an hour approaches, I checked if my wrist has healed; but there is no way I can let her dig into these cuts again. So I refrain from allowing her feed, and I check on her wound. It is healing very slowly, much slower than she is bleeding.


    But then, an hour later, when I check again, it still has not healed as much as it should for her to survive safely. So against my better judgment, I roll up my sleeve again.


    But then Breyden steps through the door, and I have never been so happy to see this man.


    "My friend, thank you for coming so soon."


    "Sebastian, I am so sorry."


    "What can you do for her?"


    Then Breyden steps closer to her; he takes his ear close to her mouth. Her rapid breaths come through as whispers, but that is not what he is listening for. As he says the next few words, I slowly topple into my own grave.

 Chapter 43 - The Vampire Hunter Returns

    I have fallen into an abyss; my immortal life feels like it has come to an end. And as I look at Breyden, my eyes are pleading for him to check again. But I am afraid that every word he says is sadly the truth.


    "Sebastian, she does not possess her soul anymore. It seems the evil that consumes her has taken the last bit of humanity away from her."


    "So there is nothing that you can do for her?"


    "I do not want to take the risk; the last thing I want to do is kill Anastasia."


    And with that, a deep sadness overpowers me. She has only improved a fraction from the blood I gave her. At this rate, if I let her continue to feed from me, she shall rip my body to shreds. I am lost at a solution; I am her Maker, my blood is supposed to heal her, and I am ever more concerned that I feel my bond with her is slowly breaking.


    "What are you going to, my friend?"


    "Breyden, my only other option is to perish with her."


    "Don''t be foolish; if you continue to let her take from, would it not heal her."


    I slowly roll up my sleeves and show him the awful cuts her fangs has left on me. He gasps in horror as he opens her mouth gently, only to expose her mouth full of razor-sharp fangs.


    "My god Sebastian, she will not only drain you, but she shall take you apart. There must be another way."


    "If you can find it, then I shall forever be grateful to you."


    "What about human blood?"


    "I am afraid she shall need a human to suck completely dry, and in her current state, she shall kill him before she can even get there."


    But with saying this, there is only one other thing I can think of doing to save my beloved, but I am afraid that it shall mean the end of one of us. Do I dare to even mention to Breyden what I have kept from him for this long? Though he should have sensed it by now, guess it is time to stop keeping secrets and telling lies.


    "Let me drink from you."


    "Sebastian killing yourself is not going to help your cause."


    "I shall not die from it; what I shall die of is Anastasia ripping my body apart."


    "I am aware of that."


    "But why have you not said a thing?"


    "I knew it was not my place to ask, and I shall not allow you to do so."


    Well, there goes that plan out of the door. Now I have indeed run out of options to save my beloved. And then it occurs to me.


    "The Vampire Hunter. He has supernatural powers; his blood shall heal her faster."


    "Then let Edward come sit by her side; we need to leave at once. I can feel the life slowly drain from her body."


    With that, I make haste downstairs to seek Edward to keep an eye on Anastasia. Let us hope that the Vampire Hunter does not kill me first before he helps Anastasia. Never did I see the day that I shall go to a Vampire Hunter for help. But there is one thing that we have in common; we both have a deep love for Anastasia. We both shall do whatever is in our power to save her.


    And with that, we find ourselves on our way to the Vampire Hunter''s pub. I can honestly say that there is a fear that creeps up inside is me. I do not foresee that we shall have a problem convincing him to help us. The problem is, will he take Anastasia away from me. I know I shall not allow it, but she does, after all, not want me to be around her.


    The question begs, shall be if she will remember everything that happened before she finds herself where she is now. And an even greater concern is that will she still wants to stay with me whether she knows or not. She shall have questions as to why her VampireHunter friend is sitting by the side of her bed, allowing her to drink from him.


    So as we step through the door of his pub, it immediately catches his attention. And as he comes walking up to us, I can see the rage that consumes his face. I do believe he knows everything that has happened, and I am about to see him come down with all the fury he can offer. But there is no time to compare who is the biggest man for every minute we spend arguing; it is one less minute that we have to save Anastasia.


    "I thought I made it clear that you are not welcome here."


    "I have not come here to enter into an argument; I have come to ask for your help."


    "What help can I possibly be able to give a Vampire. And if I can, why should I even consider helping you in the first place."


    "It is about Anastasia."


    And in an instant, I see the rage erupt in his eyes. He does not even need to speak, for I know exactly what he shall say next.


    "What have you done to Anastasia?"


    "Well, the thing is that we got into a rather heated argument."


    "Oh, yes, about your scorned lovers that are popping their heads out from all over."


    "If you need to know, then yes, another one of my scorned lovers did come to the surface. That is not my concern, Anastasia and I got into a severe battle."


    "Battle? Can you not argue as normal people do."


    This man is frustration the daylight out of me. I cannot get to my point without him throwing a clever comment.


    "Anastasia got injured, and it pains me to say that she is busy dying."


    "Then why do you not mention this in the first place. You need to take me to her at once."


    "Finally, the only sensible thing you have said in the past five minutes."


    With that, the Vampire Hunter accompanies us back to Anastasia. But first, we need to explain why we have come to seek his help in the first place.


    "I am afraid to say that you shall not like what I am going to say next."


    "I never do like what you say; what makes this any different?"


    "Anastasia needs blood to heal her body."


    "Well, what is wrong with yours, Vampire Master?"


    "My blood does not hold the same strength that yours hold."


    And then that anger on his face turns to amusement. He is once again going to say something clever.


    "Finally, something that does not make you the perfect man for Anastasia."


    "Believe me is pains me to have to seek your help. There is only one thing that we have in common."


    "Yes, we both love Anastasia, but one of us does not deserve to have her presence in our life."


    "I have never in all my Vampire years met a man as difficult as you. How can you even think that a Vampire can be with a Vampire Hunter?"


    "Well, we shall see about that once she has been healed."


    With that, the fear I hold becomes a reality. What if she does choose this man over me. There is now Vampire Hunter in this entire world that shall approve of their union. In saying that, I can feel my body cringe, thinking that my beloved shall be with another. I can only believe that the remaining bond between us shall be a reason for us to stay together.


    So as we finally find our way back home, it is with absolute haste that we make our way up to Anastasia. His very presence is upsetting Edward and Lilith, but they understand that this is the only way to save Anastasia.


    And as we enter the room, the Vampire Hunter sees the state of her body. He does not even need to form the words on his lips, for I can immediately sense that he thinks that I am a complete monster. But I shall reserve my comments for later for now; I need to explain to him what is going to happen.


    "You do recall that night that she bit you?"


    "Yes, and I shall rather not mention how it made me feel."


    "She underwent a transformation; her fangs are not the same."


    With that, I part her lips to show him what I mean by transformation.


    "My god, what did you do to her?"


    "Can we please focus on why you are here? When she drinks from you, it is going to be painful, and she will shred your wrist to pieces."


    "So let me get this straight, how do I give her what she needs? Will she not kill me before that happens."


    "That is why Breyden is here."


    "What? Is he miraculously going to heal me?"


    "In fact, he is, he is actually an angel."


    I watch as he goes completely blank on his face. Well, I can safely say that he shall not be asking any question, but wait, the man does need to make a clever remark.


    "This shit has just turned fifty shades of grey. Can we please do this? I would like to get away from this circus."


    And so it begins. I let my hand transform into my claw, for there is no way that I bring my fangs close to any part of his body. So I cut a tiny wound open on his left wrist and let the blood slowly trickle from it.


    "Now drop the blood on her lips; she shall go for your wrist. But please brace yourself. There is going to be nothing erotic about this."


    Then he does as I instructed, it only takes her a second, and she is slicing her fangs into his wrist. A second later, I hear his agonizing screams echo to every corner of the room, and it goes even beyond that into the passageways of the house.


    "My god, how long do I have to keep it until it is enough?"


    "I am afraid for about at most a minute, but it shall take several tries for us to use if it indeed works."


    And with that, the minute is over. He looks down at the way she had clawed the wound open. Now, if I did not know any better, I would say he is near to fainting.


    So Breyden steps forwards and places his hands against his wrist, and in less than five seconds, the wound has completely healed. Then he looks at Breyden.


    "Why are you not going this to Anastasia?"


    "That is rather a long story which we do not have the time for it now."


    "You people are messed up. I was under the impression that there is something the matter with me, but you bunch definitely surpass me by far."


    Then eventually, the man keeps his wise mouth close as we all sit and look at Anastasia. But yet we do not show any improvement. Time is running out; I can feel our bond only as faint as a whisper.


    With this in mind, we go for his other wrist. This time he shows a lot less pain on his face. He is absolutely determined to save Anastasia. It hurts every bone in my body, knowing that I can not save her. Seeing her drink from another man kills me with every drop she takes.


    Now we wait again, but still, there is no improvement. We all are now frantic as panic sets in. But the Vampire Hunter is not about to give up. He goes against my better judgment and immediately let her take from his other arm again. Though this time, he does not show pain on his face. Instantly I grab his wrist away to look at her fangs.


    "Her fangs have returned to normal. It is working; your blood is healing her body."


    "Told you I am the better man."


    I refrain from commenting on his remark and continue to pierce into his skin. And this we do several more times until he begins to feel faint. Then the waiting begins. Now never in my two hundred and seventy-nine years did I think I would see the day that a Vampire, an Angel, and a Vampire Hunter sit together. This has indeed gone seven sides of strange.


    Then after hours of waiting, we hear soft moans come from Anastasia''s lips. In an instant, I am by her side; now, if I thought she might have forgotten what happened, I am sorely mistaken. And as she looks at me, I can see that very same anger in her eyes.


    "I do not want you near; please leave."


    "But my beloved."


    "I am not your beloved; now I said, leave me alone."


    The Vampire Hunter sees her pain and joins me by my side. But what he says next will haunt me forever.


    "Anastasia, do you want to stay here with Sebastian or come home with me?"

 Chapter 44 - The Best Man Wins

    ...Anastasia...


    As a human, I have never been good with making decisions; if I thought immortality would make it any different, then I am sadly mistaken. Of course, being made to chose between the man you love and your best friend should be easy. But if you are furious at the man you wanted to spend your life with, then it poses somewhat of a problem.


    If Sebastian is wondering if I can remember, I can remember every single moment. I watched him naked with another woman in our bed. Yes, she was a shapeshifter, but Sebastian should know the touch of my skin, the sweetness of my lips, and the scent of my body. Is he so blinded by feeling passion and ecstasy that he will fail even to notice the smallest of things?


    But that is not all that I can remember; the rage overtook me so rapidly that I was completely blinded by it. It started off as a trickle of a tingle inside my chest. The more I saw his lips move, the more that trickle grew. It became a rumble, then a terrifying roar. By the time I was squeezing the life from him, it was a raging animal that consumed every cell in my body.


    And if that was not horrifying enough, my body changed into this grotesque Vampire. Now, if the truth is to be told, it was the most excruciating pain I have ever felt in my life. As a doctor, I know how every part of your body moves; as every bone and muscle bent, I knew exactly what was happening to my body.


    With this being said, I did try with every fiber to fight this monster, but what I felt was beyond what was rational. I saw through my own eyes as I tried to kill the man that I love, and I had no control over it. Should I not have been injured, I am afraid to say that I would have for certain ended his life.


    Now I have Sebastian and Zachariah standing next to me, and I am being asked with who I want to remain. It is at a time such as this that I truly wish that I did not become a Vampire.


    This being said, I shall need a few moments to speak to each to help me decide what shall be the largest decision I shall have to make for eternity.


    "Please may I have a word with Zachariah alone?"


    I watch as Sebastian reluctantly leaves the room with Breyden by his side. I see both fear and anger lie within his eyes. Fear that he might lose me and anger that he might lose me to Zachariah.


    So without further hesitation, Zachariah takes a seat next to me on the bed.


    "Zachariah, I shall forever be grateful for what you have done for me today. You truly have gone beyond what a friend should do for another."


    "No thanks needed, Anastasia. I fear to think what would have happened to you should none of us been able to help you. That is why I insist that you return home with me."


    "I do understand your concern. The thing is, you shall perish and leave my life. I do not think I can bear to be alone."


    "How would we even know how to find such a thing?"


    I watch as Zachariah chuckles at me, for I have indeed asked such a silly question. Of course, the man would know.


    "You forget I am a Vampire Hunter."


    "But that is just the problem. No one shall approve that you have a Vampire living with you. You are supposed to be the one that kills them, not looking after them."


    "Anastasia, let us not wonder about that now; my only concern is for you to be safe."


    "But then tell me this, how are you going to feel if I have to kill another human to feed?"


    I see him struggle with this choice; he will have to make to turn a blind eye when I take the life of a human. The very ones that he is here to protect.


    "That shall just be something I have to come to terms with. But that being said, I would like to believe that you shall not be reckless."


    "Have you ever known me to be reckless? There is one thing that does puzzle me though."


    "What shall that be?"


    "If you possess supernatural power, why do you not live forever?"


    "It is purely to give me the strength to fight a Vampire and to heal faster than normal humans do."


    "But you can still die?"


    "Yes, unfortunately, that is the downside with being human."


    Maybe it shall not be a bad thing if I shall remain with Zachariah, for I do know him farlonger than I know Sebastian. He might not live forever, but he shall protect me just the same as Sebastian would. And as he says, I can always find other Vampires that shall let me in once Zachariah''s life has come to an end.


    "Well, guess it is time to speak to the man that started this whole mess in the first place. Will you please ask him to come in on your way out?"


    "I love you, Anastasia, please remember that."


    And with that, Zachariah leaves the room with the very same expressions on his face, fear he might lose me and anger that I might choose Sebastian over him.


    So enters the man of the hour, the man than indirectly caused all this pain and heartache, and let us not forget the death of an innocent man by both our hands. Yes, I do see that he is broken, but it is easy to feel that after the battle we have just had. And I am not only referring to the physical but the emotional part of this all. Though in saying this, I do not feel as deeply as I thought I would, I do feel somewhat cold towards the entire situation.


    But the situation, no matter how cold, is one that should be taking with the utmost seriousness. And looking at this man''s face, I know that this will by far be the hardest decision we both will face in our immortal life.


    As he sits near to me, he goes to take my hands in his, but my very first instinct is to pull it away. The pain shoots to his face in an instant, and I know that has just been a dagger I have driven into his heart.


    "My beloved, I beg for your forgiveness. Please just hear me out for a minute, then you may do whatever you wish to do with me."


    "Sebastian, I am not here to hurt you. You hurt me..."


    "But..."


    "Let me finish, please. I am going to tell you a story. You might think such a girl like me has seen her fair share of men?"


    "My beloved, you are beautiful; I can only think that many men had you on their side."


    "Wrong, Sebastian, you have been my first, and I can with certainty say my last very true love."


    He looks at me with a completely blank expression on his face; now, either he does not understand, or he is surprised at what I said. But let''s take whom it is that we are talking to; sometimes, he has even less common sense than a rock.


    "But what about the Vampire Hunter?"


    "Recall I said a brief encounter, and the only thing that theHunter and I did was kiss."


    "So does this mean...?"


    "Yes, Sebastian."


    "My god Anastasia, I am so sorry; there goes my horny ass and take advantage of you."


    "Oh my god, Sebastian. Horny ass? I have never heard you said that before."


    This should not be happening; I should not sit here and laugh with the man that I am supposed to hate. Yes, he has the ability to make me feel better, but it should not get me to that point where I need someone to help me feel happy again.


    Now, if he thinks I want to listen to apologies, I am not. I am looking for the solutions to our problems.


    "So you can see my frustration in having to deal with your lovers, for you are my only one. And I would think that your lovers would stay in the past."


    "My beloved, I am afraid I did not treat women very well at the beginning of my years."


    "Yes, that I do understand. But the witch, you could have stayed away from her."


    "I am sorry beloved; I did not think that it would do any harm."


    And that is my biggest frustration with him, he does not think, or maybe I have just come and messed up his existence. After all, he was set in his ways until he met me, for that is truly when he started to lose control over himself and his feelings. Maybe I am the problem.


    "Sebastian, have you ever thought that I am the one that has brought this on you? The problem is not you and your past but me upsetting your existence?"


    "I love you; whatever comes in our way is not by our own but by the obstacles that wish to tear us apart."


    "Do you think that this shall happen again? Maybe not this, maybe something different?"


    "I cannot tell you what the future holds, but such is life; your past shall always come to haunt you. And in saying this, mine was not always good, and I can not tell you what happens next."


    "But you will not always be able to protect me, and what if you find another that you wish to be with?"


    "You are the only one, my beloved. I will perish should I not have you in my life."


    "But what if...?"


    "There is no ''but''s, what if''s, why''s or maybe''s'' that will keep me away from you. If you choose the Hunter, then my life shall end. I am in no way saying this to pain you; I am just certain of how much I love you."


    "Can you leave me for a few moments alone? I shall call once I am ready."


    With that, I see a man that was laughing with me only but a few minutes ago drag his feet to a door that he does not want to step through. This could easily be his very last time that he will see me, the last laugh that he will share with me, and most frighteningly, the last bond he shall share with me.


    The fact is, I love both men. Zachariah is more the love of a friend. He shall do whatever he can to protect, but so Sebastian will. They both love me equally the same, but which one shall truly perish if they do not have me in their life? Though saying this, should I be with a man just because he cannot stand not having in his life? But Sebastian is willing to end his Vampire existence. He is willing to let go of the one thing that he treasures the most. His immortality.


    Do I want to be the reason for a man''s death? But what about Zachariah? What happens when the Vampire Hunters push him away for loving a Vampire, then will I not be ending his purpose in life and, in saying this, ultimately his life too.


    So it comes down to this, they equally love me the same, and the consequences of my decision shall be equally too. But who shall I miss the most if I did not have him in my life? Now taken the lengths of my relationship with both, I should easily find my answer to this.


    And with that, I call for them, for I know not one of them has moved from the door. They are stubborn; they will fight each over until the end. Now, as I see them both enter, for a very rare while they shall be the same...they are afraid, and that is what makes them men.


    "I have made my decision."

 Chapter 45 - The Vampire Slayers Are In Town

    There is a suffocating grip that has overtaken my body as we step back into Anastasia''s room. Never have I been so scared as I am at present. The air is thick and heavy; a dark mood has settled into each corner of every wall. I can genuinely say that I have never in all my years experienced such a thing. I use to be the one that rejected my lovers; never did I think the tables would turn.


    As I look at the Vampire Hunter next to me, he seems somewhat overconfident that he shall be the man with whom Anastasia will leave today. Arrogance makes you a fool, and fools never win. So if I were him, then I would wipe that smirk off his stupid face.


    But as for Anastasia, it is hard to read her face, and I am not able to read her mind either. Had she found the ability to shut me out? Or is the beast still somehow present deep inside? Can this man next to me not see that he is not able to help and protect her from these things. He is a killer; he will not be able to accept Anastasia for the Vampire that she is.


    So as we come to stand at the foot of the bed, I grab onto the post and wrap my palms firmly around it. My hands are trembling so uncontrollably that I fear that my entire body shall shake.


    And as she starts to speak, I can hear in her voice that she is sure of the decision she had made.


    "Sebastian, I do still love you, but I am still mad for what had happened. So forgiveness is not going to come easily. You shall have to prove to be worthy of my trust again."


    "My beloved..."


    "Please do not interrupt me until I am done."


    She turns to Mr. Vampire Hunter that is standing with a cocky smile on his face. How I wish I can slap it right off for him.


    "Zachariah, you do know that I love you as a friend and that I might never feel the same way as you do. What concerns me the most is being a Vampire alone in a Hunter''s house."


    "Anastasia, I shall never..."


    "Please let me finish."


    I watch her as she swallows hard and deep. This has not been an easy decision; why this stupid man suggested it in the first place is completely beyond me. If he does not shut that trap, then I shall gladly do it for him.


    Then with her next breath shall come the name of the man with which she shall share her life and love.


    "It had really been hard, and I hate every second that I was made to decide between the most important men in my life. So I have decided..."


    Just then, the man that has the worst timing on earth comes barging into the room. And by that look on his face, I already know what he will say next.


    "Sebastian, we have a problem."


    "Edward can you recall what is said I shall do to you if you ever utter those words again. Now can this not wait for we are in the middle of something?"


    "I am afraid that this can not wait."


    "Then what is the problem?"


    "The Windchasers."


    "Oh, god! I am coming."


    I turn to Anastasia with pleading eyes. She is already so mad at me; this will just make her more furious than she is.


    "My beloved, I beg your forgiveness, but these two men spell nothing but trouble. Can I please go see what it is that they want?"


    "I am coming with you; please give me a moment to change, then I shall meet you downstairs."


    And as I leave the room, I see this Vampire Hunter stay behind. Has he gone completely mad, does he for one minute think that I shall allow him to stand here while Anastasiachanges?


    "Mr. Hunter, it shall be wise if you leave the room now. I have no calm in ripping those grabby little paws off your arms."


    "I need to see that nothing happens to Anastasia while you are away."


    "Over my dead body."


    "We can always arrange for that."


    "You seem to forget that you are somewhat outnumbered, and I have been looking for a reason to slap that smile off your face."


    Then out of nowhere, Anastasia comes fully dressed.


    "How did you do that, my beloved?"


    "You two are too busy sizing up that not one of you have noticed that I am gone."


    "My beloved, it is really hard to refrain from punching him in the face."


    I hear as she softly chuckles underneath her breath. It warms this dead heart to know that I can still do the simplest things like making her laugh.


    Now before we get downstairs, I need to explain to her what is awaiting us in the common room. I have no idea of what it is that finds them on our doorstep. Therefore we need to be prepared for whatever comes. But of course, the Vampire Hunter seems to find this situation quite amusing.


    "My beloved, can I please smack him against the head?"


    "Sebastian!"


    "Fine then, let me tell you the reason why he has such a stupid impression on his face."


    "Okay, let me hear it then?"


    "They are Vampire Hunters."


    "My god Sebastian, what are they doing here?"


    "Don''t know, but it is never good. Trouble just seems to follow them around, almost like our little friend next to me."


    "Sebastian!"


    "Sorry, my beloved."


    And as we descend the stairs, we find them standing with Edward and Lilith in the common room. Now by the looks on everyone''s faces, I can safely say that nobody is feeling at ease at this present time. But I know for a fact that these two boys have stakes stuck in the back of their pants. Luckily our local Hunter has left his one at home.


    So it is with a tone of annoyance that I question their presence.


    "So what brings the Windchaser boys to my doorstep?"


    I look at Connor, the cockier one of the two; he does remind me an awful lot of our Vampire Hunter. I guess that it comes as a requirement for the job. But let me hear this man out.


    "We have been tracking a Vampire, and this is the last location he has been spotted. Now we can piss you off and do this ourselves, or you can help us get this guy before he causes any more bloodshed."


    "Do you know his exact location?"


    "No, and that is why we need your help; he has not been following the normal patterns of a Vampire. He seems to know the exact next move that we are going to make. It amazes me that your Vampire hunter has not noticed that something is off."


    "Oh, this one? He is completely useless. He can''t find his ass in a dark room."


    And in comes Anastasia''s fist into my arm. This little Vampire can still give a mean punch. And this does not go unnoticed by the other Windchaser.


    "So who is this young lady? Another addition to the family?"


    "Oh Ethan, excuse my manners. This is Anastasia, my beloved."


    "Beloved? So you finally find the one that has made you settle down?"


    "Yes, she has made me do quite some settling. This little Vampire Hunter is a pesky bug, though; can you not take him with you when you leave?"


    All I get is an angry glare from my beloved and a damn awful smirk from the ugly mut that is standing next to me. But revenge is best served cold, he will find his face on the wrong side of my fist before this day is over, and oh, how I will enjoy every second he experiences the sting against his skin. But first, let''s get rid of a troublesome Vampire that is causing havoc in my city.


    "Edward, send word to the council that no one shall hunt until we have captured this Vampire."


    Then I hear Connor laugh out aloud. I do not know what this man thinks is so funny at this inappropriate time. But I am certain that he shall let us know.


    "Why do you not phone the guy?"


    "That is what I said."


    "No, it is not."


    "Yes, I did. I said send for him. Edward shall immediately phone Victor."


    "Why do you not say that in the first place? Who talks like that in any case?"


    "You are just as impossible as my Hunter."


    So before I murder two Hunters tonight, we all make our way to this dinky toy that the Windchaser call a car. It shall be the three Hunters, Anastasia and me, that will go out to try and find this man. Now I shall have a connection with all my Vampires; therefore, it shall be easy to spot that it is him. Let''s just hope he does not cause a blood bath before we can catch him.


    But I am afraid to say, as we get to our very first alley, that we find the body of a young man. I guess him to be nothing more than twenty-one. He must have been attacked from behind, for his white shirt has been torn up at the back. The Vampire wrestled him to the floor, but what horrifies me is that the Vampire tore his neck apart. The chunks of skin are hanging loosely draped over his back.


    "Is this man going around feeding or killing? Because I think you might have forgotten a little minor detail."


    "He is killing," Ethan starts to explain. "We have only been able to find a handful that he has been feeding off, and I am afraid to say they look much worse than this poor man."


    "Well, I can not have a slaughter in my city. Best, we start picking up the pace and find this monster."


    With that, we hide the car and set out to prowl the street, only this time it is not for a human, but one of my kind.


    But we do not have to wait too long for we hear the agonizing screams of a woman from an alley up ahead. As we approach her, I am shocked to my core. How can she possibly still be alive? Her chest has been ripped to shreds; the Vampire has clawed at her with cuts so deep that you can see her collarbones clearly visible to the eyes. The sight is enough to make me gag and to make the situation even more horrid, I nearly slip in her blood.


    Then Connor looks over to me, "Are you going to do it, or am I?"


    "You may."


    I watch in horror and deep sadness in my eyes as he takes an extremely sharp wooden stake from his back and drives it straight through the woman''s heart. There is no way she could have healed from her wounds, neither as human or Vampire.


    But with this still stuck in our minds, we hear the screams of what sounds like a young couple come from one alley below. We immediately rush down, and just as we enter, we watch as this Vampire has a girl pinned up against the wall, squeezing the life out of her.


    So we approach with caution, he has not seen us yet, but he shall soon smell our presence. While we come from the front, Connor and Ethan have made their way around; they are coming from the back. The only way this man will get past us today is if he kills us all.


    Now I do not know if this Vampire has not caught our scent, for he sucks all the life out of the girl as he drives his fangs into her skin and takes a big chunk of flesh and spits it to the side. Once he has drunk enough to bleed her dry, he drops her body to the floor.


    Then I hear Connor warn him. "Step away from the man!"


    I hear the man mock him as he laughs and moves closer to the man curled up on the floor. The poor man is terrified to horror at the animal that is coming towards him.


    "I said, stay away from the man."


    Then we all start to slowly close the gap, and we walk towards the Vampire. He does not seem the least bit alarmed, but he only laughs.


    "Ah, look, the Windchaser boys. And the Master himself. Since when do you fight side by side."


    He only edges closer and closer to the man. He indeed isn''t that stupid to try and kill his victim while we are coming for him.


    But that is not my concern; his voice sounds somewhat familiar, and not only that, his scent does too. I rush through my mind to find to whom I can place this man''s voice with. The alley is dark, and by the way, the shadow falls; I cannot make out his face, but then...


    "I thought you were dead?"

 Chapter 46 - The Slaughter

    ...Zachariah The Vampire Hunter...


    Becoming a Vampire Hunter was not a life I chose; it is one of those things that you just shut up and accept. But what I did not expect was becoming one so soon myself. The story goes like this. My dear late father went on a hunt out of town; he was tracking a rogue Vampire that is acting very similar to what this one is doing. The Vampire created havoc as far as he went, leaving a string of deaths that were becoming hard to explain to law enforcement.


    So the stubborn man he was, did not ask for the help as he was supposed to have done. He set off into a nearby city hunting this monster, but the Vampire was always one step ahead. Now, this frustrated him to a point where he became obsessed. He stayed away for days on end; he only returned to check on me but never stayed longer than two days at a time. Then the Vampire made his way into London. The need to catch him became the only thing that drove his body through a day.


    He was tired and worn down; he was not even a fragment of the man he was before. He was cold and numb; he was not the father that I loved. Then one night, he finally narrowed his location down to a small warehouse on the outskirts of town. Once again, he refused to ask or even take someone''s offer to help. That night when he set his foot out the door, I knew that it would be the last time that I shall ever see him again.


    And as expected, he never came back home again. I never heard from him and then came to the sad realization that he is dead. It took me weeks to get myself together and let the Society know. I was not ready to step up and become a Vampire Hunter. My dad had been preparing me all my life, but he never prepared me for what I should do with a life I did not choose.


    That brings me here, hunting the same evil that killed my father. Is this the Vampire that took my father''s life? Well, Sebastian and I shall soon find out when this monster speaks again.


    "Did not think you would still be around Sebastian."


    "Did not expect you to be alive after all these years."


    And that is when it strikes me, this voice does sound very familiar, and as then Vampiresteps out into the light.


    "Father!"


    ...Sebastian...


    What a reunion, but wait for a second, what a twist in events. What ever are we going to do now? I do not foresee this Hunter allowing us to kill his father, who has become the very thing that he so passionately destroyed. I might not like this boy, but my heart does hurt for him. The fact is that we cannot let this Vampire live; there is no way to tame a beast that has blood lust as strongly as this.


    Now, who shall be talking sense into him? I sure hope that they do not expect me to be the one. This pesky Hunter might just take my beloved, who is yet to say whom she chooses, but now is not the right time to worry about that. My next question to the Hunter shall define what shall happen in the next few minutes.


    So I talk to Zachariah underneath my breath, although the Vampire will still hear what is being said.


    "Zachariah, do you wish to be alone?"


    "Why on earth would I need time alone with my father?"


    "You know that we cannot let him go. He shall only carry on doing as he does. If we place him in the dungeon, he shall face a long and painful death."


    "There must be another way I can teach him to control his hunger."


    "I am afraid blood lust cannot be controlled or cured. Your father has broken the Vampire code, and with that comes consequences."


    "Fuck your Vampire code. This is my father! Don''t dare come and tell me what to do. First, you take the woman I love, and now you want to take my father too."


    Well, if his cursing did not piss me off, then the fact that he claims that I took Anastasia from him, well, that is making me goddamn furious. He can be thankful we are even allowing him to speak to his father. If he so much as blink in the wrong way to me, I shall slap that disrespecting face for him. My patience is up; this Vampire is dying; I do not care who it is.


    So with much surprise, Zachariah steps up to his father, Josiah, with what can be clearly seen as a heavy heart. Fully trusting him, we all back off and stand to the side as we see him taking his dagger and stand his ground, ready to take his father down in battle.


    But the next thing we see is Josiah, taking off between the buildings, and far off, he disappears in the alley. The anger that was boiling just a few moments ago has consumed me.


    "Are you completely insane! You have no idea what you have done!"


    "He is my father!"


    "No, Zachariah, he is a monster."


    "But is that not what you are?"


    "I do not slaughter people!"


    "You still kill innocent people."


    "For godsakes, I hope for your sake; he does not kill someone else."


    With that, we cautiously set off after him into the alley he has disappeared into. And to our horror, we need not wait long for some woman''s screams to come traveling down towards us. There is a new set of determination on the Windchaser brother''s faces. This goes against everything they stand for; our Vampire Hunter has just broken their vows. I am afraid that might have their own set of repercussions later on.


    So as we approach the corner of the street, we need to go down; Connor tosses two wood stakes at Anastasia and me.


    "I want him as dead as they come, and believe me, the next asshole that lets him get away is going to wish he were just as dead."


    As we approach the woman that he has attacked, we find her lifeless. He has sliced her head completely off. She is lying in an ever-growing puddle of blood; her long blond hair is staining red. Which brings the question, what does he turn into when he is mad for only one Vampire to possess the claws to do as he did. I am afraid to say that only but a few hours earlier, I battled one, and one of us nearly died.


    And as I look over at Anastasia, I am so thankful that she has not been able to read my mind. But Ethan does not share the same desire, not to mention the reality of our situation.


    "It seems our dear Josiah is able to transform into an Ancient Vampire."


    Anastasia is immediately ripped from any thoughts that she was wrapped into.


    "What? You got to be kidding me. Not again. This is not happening. I am not getting involved in this fight."


    "My beloved, I do not wish for you to get involved. Leave this to Ethan and Connor. As for that one, well, he is pretty useless."


    Then we hear another scream; it sounds as if it is coming from up ahead. We make haste, hoping that we will be able to save his victim. But we are shocked beyond tomorrow as we find a gaping hole in his chest. Josiah is, in fact, an Ancient, and he has just pierced his claws through the poor girl''s chest and ripped her heart out.


    It is in complete silence that we make our way into the next alley then the next after that. We lurk in the shadows and move so slow that the eye would not even notice our presence. It has gone quiet; there have been no screams for a while now. But we know that we should not feel assured, for there is no way that he would be stopping now. This has just become a game, and believe me; he shall play it well.


    But nothing goes unnoticed by Connor, as he starts to question the very thing that Anastasia said.


    "So what do you mean not again. Have you guys battled an Ancient before?"


    "I might as well not even try to lie to you persistent ass. We might have had an incident where my beloved turned into an Ancient."


    "Well, which one is it? You might of, or you had?"


    "Some circumstances led to Anastasia turning."


    "Man, you must have pissed her off bad."


    "I am afraid it was repeatedly."


    "Well, best, you do not do it again. You do know that once you turn into one that there is no going back. You rage her; she goes go all monkey-shit again."


    His words hit harder than that stake he is holding in his hand. What have I done? Thank god she has not been listening as she is lost in conversation with Ethan. But one question begs.


    "Does she turn into a normal Vampire?"


    "Yes, of course, she only becomes an Ancient out of rage. So best you pick your towel up after you had a shower."


    "This is a Hunter thing, that wisecrack mouth. At least you don''t let a Vampire getaway."


    "Treat the woman right, and you won''t have a problem."


    "Well, talking about a problem, do you think this man will be able to kill his dad?"


    "I am afraid not, so be prepared for anything."


    And prepared should we be, for just as we thought things have gone silent, we hear the tormented screams of a man coming from two alleys away. So with absolute haste, we run to save this man, but we do realize that we shall not find him alive by the time we get there.


    As we come down the south side of the dark and deserted street, there is not a single noise to be heard. Then as we approach the body lying at our feet, we realize that the man is not in one piece. Josiah has torn his arms straight from his body. It is the most grotesque sight I have ever seen.


    But it does not end there; next to him, there is a small child; I do not guess him any older than about fourteen. I cannot see what he has done, but the boy is lying dead and holding onto his father''s leg. Fury sets over my heart; in all my Vampire years, I have never touched a human so young. And as I look over to Anastasia, she kneels down, and deep darkness settles over her face. I have seen this expression before.


    I turn to Ethan, that is standing next to his brother. The anger is burning deep into their eyes. And as I speak, my voice is trembling from the fear of what is going to unfold.


    "Boys, we have a problem."


    Ethan looks over to Zachariah, thinking that I am referring to him.


    "No, Ethan, my beloved. She has that same look as what she had just before she tried to kill me."


    Then out of nowhere, Josiah appears; he has been waiting for us. He has caught us off-guard and cornered us in a dead-end. He has taken the form of his Ancient, he is untouchable, but if you get a hit in, then you better make it count.


    As he corners us even further into the wall, I watch in horror as Anastasia turns into her Ancient. But she seems a lot more elegant, well apart from the claws and frightening fangs, I would say that she is damn gorgeous. Then she shockingly turns to speak to me.


    "Sebastian, this is the most inappropriate time to get aroused."


    "But..."


    I am ripped out of the moment as Josiah launches at her. In an instant, he has her around the throat, and my world stops.


    "Anastasia."


    Then Zachariah gets torn back to reality as Anastasia takes grip around his father''s throat.


    "Father!"


    We all stand in shock as he utters his father''s name. Then Anastasia tosses Josiah''sbody like a handkerchief to the floor. She stands above him, preparing to claw at his throat, but unexpectedly he kicks her from underneath her feet. She falls with a loud thud flat on her back, but she rises faster than Josiah can move. She then drives his body into the wall. She goes to claw at his face, but he pushes her back.


    Then they tumble to the ground; they throw each other back and forth against the filthy alley walls. And just as the one thinks they have got the upper hand, the next draw their claws and take a jab. It is horrific and damn right frightening as they go at each other. But then they both raise to their feet to start over again. Anastasia can not last any longer fighting like this. I look at Connor and nod at him.


    "You take Josiah, and I shall get Anastasia safely away."


    But then Zachariah shouts for us to stop.


    "I shall end this."


    We watch in horror as he firsts point his stake towards Anastasia, and then he points it at his father, then back to Anastasia again.


    And then...

 Chapter 47 - Ambush In An Alley

    It is with great horror as I watch Zachariah move towards Josiah and Anastasia with a stake in his hands. But that is not what frightens me; what scares the daylight out of me is the direction he is pointing his dagger at. The Vampire Hunter is going for my beloved.


    Has the man gone completely insane? Does he truly intend to hurt Anastasia? Well, that shall be the day. I immediately block his path, and in a flash, I have his back against the wall. But now he is pointing the stake at me. I see as the fury consumes Anastasia; if I were this man, then I would not mess with her.


    So while Connor and his brother take on Josiah, Anastasia strides her way over to us. This is when the Vampire Hunter realizes that he has just overstepped a boundary, but itis too late. My beloved has been infuriated, and as she turns in her true form again, I can yet not stop myself from thinking how elegant she is. Then she takes him by the throat and slowly starts to rise him off his feet. In an instant, he drops his stake to the floor.


    I see the terror creeps up in his eyes, and I have the urge to tell him, ''I told you so.''


    But then I watch as my beloved drops him to the floor, and before she walks away, she calls for his attention.


    "If you ever hurt Sebastian, then I will kill you."


    Then she turns around to see that Connor and Ethan have defeated Josiah. I see the Vampire Hunter rush over to his father, that has one single breath left in him. And with that single breath, he does not choose to speak, but instead, he snarls at him. And if Anastasia''s words are not enough, Zachariah realizes what consequences his actions have brought.


    And to cement them even more, Anastasia turns to me.


    "Let''s go home, Sebastian."


    With those words said, the Hunter and I come to see that Anastasia has just made her choice. Guess you can''t say the best man won; is it more a question of who did not try to kill her today. Even though I should feel joy, my heart is sad for the Hunter, for he was only trying to protect his father. Both Josiah and Anastasia are Ancients; the difference between them is that the one is not a monster. And it is the monster that has died today.


    And with that, we leave the Hunter behind next to the body of his dead father. I hope that he will one day come to see that this had to be done. But even if he does come to realize this, his hatred for me and perhaps Anastasia shall always run deep.


    So as we walk back to the car, I am burning with curiosity, for I shall not rest until I know what the real answer would have been.


    "My beloved, were you always going to choose me, or this makes up your mind?"


    "What do you think, Sebastian?"


    "I would be a fool if I thought that it would have been me."


    "Then you are a fool, for it always was."


    "But why?"


    "Do you like hearing people tell you that they love you over and over?"


    "Well, now that you mention it."


    She punches me, and with that, she hooks her arm through mine, and we walk side by side back to the Windchaser''s car.


    But then two very distinct things happen at almost the exact same time. From behind, we see the Vampire Hunter came charging back towards where we have come to stand. But that is not what alarms us the most; from one alley down, the horrific screams of a woman echoes the street.


    I look at the Windchaser brothers that have just joined our side again.


    "God, please do not tell me that he had another Vampirewith him."


    And then Ethan shocks the horror into me.


    "We suspected that he was traveling with a woman, but we were not certain."


    "Suspected? Did you not think this was important information that you should have shared with us?"


    "We did not wish to alarm yourself unnecessarily."


    "Well, I am alarmed, now please do not tell me that it is another family member of him."


    I watch as Ethan looks to his brother, and I swear I can see a damn smirk on his face. This truly is a Hunter thing. But as with all these Hunters, every word that comes out their mouths spells trouble. And as Connor opens his, I feel like slapping it closed.


    "Have you ever heard of the tale about the Vampire that impregnated a young woman?"


    "Yes, but I thought that it was just that, a tale."


    "Well, it is true. He entered her room one night; his desire for intimacy was far greater than his one to feed. So nine months later, she had his child."


    "So let me guess, they are living happily ever after?"


    "Not quite. The Vampire came for her and the child the day the child was born."


    "So he took the child?"


    "He wanted to, but he only got away with the woman, which he then turned."


    "So they are living happily after?"


    "No, the husband hunted them down and killed the Vampire."


    "So, what does this have to do with Josiah?"


    And I swear that smirk even gets wider by the second. I am going to smash the damn thing into his face.


    "Josiah is the man that killed the Vampire."


    "Of course, the man is a Hunter."


    "No, he was the woman''s husband."


    "Okay, just get to the point; I am starting to get old."


    Anastasia chuckles at me while she keeps an eye on what Zachariah intends to do. So much to my frustration, Connor carries on with telling his tale.


    "Josiah''s wife was the one that was impregnated. He killed the Vampire and let his wife live."


    "So what you are telling me is that this woman Vampire might be his wife?"


    "Yes, but that is not all."


    "Great, there is more to this twisted tale."


    And it is so obvious that I could nearly slap myself.


    "Our Vampire Hunter is the child. Which..."


    "Makes me half human and half Vampire."


    We all turn in shock as a somewhat furious Zachariah joins us. Now what I am not certain of, is this the very first time that he has heard this tale, or has he been aware of this the whole time.


    "How long have you known?"


    "I had the unfortunate privilege to discover it while I was in an intimate encounter."


    "Ah, that sounds familiar."


    I watch as Anastasia gives me an evil eye from underneath those fluttering eyelashes. Guess that she is not going to allow me to make fun of the Vampire Hunter. And just as his words turn cold, we find him rushing off in the direction of the screams. Well, this is not happening.


    "I do not care much for who this Vampire is; they shall both die today. Nobody shall come to make my city as their playground."


    With that, we make haste into the direction where the Hunter has set off. And in no time, we find the female Vampire of which I believe is his mother called Annabelle. And as we anticipated, he is standing by her side. And my god, is he standing, our little uselessHunter is an Ancient just as what his father was. And I am referring to his birth father and not that man that is lying dead in the valley behind us.


    So once again, our tired bones find ourselves at a battle. Guess joining forces is becoming second nature, and killing our own kind is just becoming as frequent. I can say that since I find myself out in the streets more often, I see that my reign over this city needs to be tightened.


    With Ethan and Connor next to me at the left and Anastasia by my right, we slowly take cautious steps forward. I do not wish for this to become a fight between Anastasia and Zachariah, but my heart knows that it is, but it remains if I shall allow it.


    It is with this in mind that I turn to a tired and fearful Anastasia.


    "My beloved, I know that you are the only one strong enough to fight him, but I beg, please let one of the boys take him."


    "Sebastian, I am not going to lie in a hole. He is my friend; he has lied to me for all these years. I can now see why he was so desperate for me to stay with him."


    "The man is selfish, and if anything, he is the monster around here."


    And then so it starts...


    There is one loud thud as the Hunter comes crashing down at our feet. He throws his head back and growls like an animal.


    "Leave us alone! We are not hurting anybody."


    "Then what are that dead woman in the dumpster? A midnight snack?"


    He stomps his feet forward and goes straight for Anastasia. The man has made his mark; he will not back down until she is dead. And as he approaches, she turns again. I can only imagine how painful it must be, but she gives me a smile with that godawful fangs. I can but only give her a nervous one back.


    While he is distracted by Anastasia, the boys move around and take Annabelle. Thank the pope; she is not an Ancient also. I watch as she nearly crawls up the wall as she tries to getaway. Then she shouts out for her monster of a son.


    "Zachariah help!"


    He swerves around to face her, and Anastasia claws his back. He howls as he cries in agony. He lunges forward and scratches the skin off her arm. She only flinches and aims to kick him off her feet. Then she loses her balance, she topples over, and he comes to stand over her as she turns back. Much to my relief, he does so himself, but it does not stop the fact that he wants to kill her. So I keep a close eye on the side; the first wrong step he makes, I shall rip his head off.


    For a brief moment, I look at the boys to see if they still have everything under control. Ethan has Annabelle firmly pinned to the ground, but then everything comes apart.


    Zachariah has Anastasia pinned against the wall, running his grabby paws over her slender waist. The look in her eyes is pure disgust; she wants to rip his throat off. But just as I want to step forward, I have someone pulling me back. It is not the hunter, and it could not possibly be one of the Windchaser boys.


    So as I look to my side, I watch as Ethan is pulled of Annabelle, but it is not by his brother. Connor is being held by what I fear is another Vampire. That makes me to believe that it must be, and as I get his scent, it is another Vampire that is holding me back.


    Then it hits me, as I am sure it does the boys, too; this was an ambush; they were waiting for us. The only thing that they did not count on was that we would kill their stupid leader. The question begs, though, did the Hunter play a part in their plan, or did he also walked into it himself?


    But that we shall ponder later, what does concern me is what they plan to with us. I know for sure their intention is not to kills us, well, at least not for now. I know what that pesky Hunter''s intention is though, if he does not get his paws off her, then I shall rip them off the very first chance I get.


    And with that said, I hear a car fast approaching. There is a black van that comes to a stop in front of us. Even a man with the brain capacity of our Hunter knows what is about to happen next. We are being captured.


    With that firmly in my head, they start shoving us one by one in the van. I watch my beloved, she might appear that she is strong, but behind those blue eyes, I know she is terrified. I move as close as possible to her in the corner at the back of the van. I take ahold of her hand and squeeze them really hard.


    "My beloved, everything will be fine."


    And then it goes black...

 Chapter 48 - The Prophecy

    We have all been forced in the back of a black van. The air is stuffy, and there is a small hint of rotten flesh that is hanging in the air. The air is hard to breathe, and it seems that it must have been cleaned it recently for the floor is wet. Which only lets me believe that they recently had a victim or even victims in the back here. I can hear the excited chatter coming from the driver and his passenger. We must be quite the catch.


    Now it is not quite clear what their intention is, but all I know is that we are being taken to god knows where. What their intention with us will soon become clear. I cannot see that it shall be anything pleasant. I have in all my years not come across a situation such as this. But more importantly, how did I not see a coven of rogue Vampires roam my city?


    What also does bother me is, did this pesky Vampire Hunter know all of this? Looking at him, I cannot quite say if he did, for he has a somewhat terrified look on his face. Then again, this is his family; one never knows what a desperate man such as him will do. But I have no doubt that we shall come to know the truth soon.


    My biggest fear is what they intend in doing with us. So as we are all huddled tightly in the back of this van, I can still not put the pieces together; I have no idea as to where we are going. But as the road seem to become more bumpier and the city lights start to disappear, it starts to make more sense. They are taking us into the industrial area just on the outskirts of the city. This leaves me to understand why they have been going unnoticed, for they have been living in one of the many warehouses out here.


    And as we are fast approaching our destination, I look at the face of Connor and his brother; I see nothing but a blank stare. These boys have been through everything; nothing scares them anymore. But as I look over to Anastasia, I can see the fear clearly build-up in those soft blue eyes. As for myself, I am terrified beyond compare. Not only do we have a bunch of blood-thirsty Vampires, but we also have a woman that shall be set on getting revenge.


    So as we enter the dark road that takes us into the middle between the warehouses, the atmosphere hits a terrifying high. There is a slight burst of cloud coming down, and the rain starts to pound down hard on the tar road, leaving big splashes of water all around. As they pull the door open, we a dragged one by one from the van. Somehow getting drenched in the rain is far better than the reality that today might be the day we shall die.


    And as I look at Anastasia, it is at a time as this that I wish that she could read my mind, for all I wish to do, is reassure her that all shall be fine. But the truth be told they I can not guarantee this. But what is much to my relief is when Connor motions to his leg. He has a dagger firmly hidden in his sock; the only problem is that our hands are being tied. I do know that it shall be futile for the ropes can not easily be broken.


    Yet this does not stop me from speaking to her; I have to let her know that everything shall be fine.


    "My beloved, please do not be frightened; we shall get through this."


    But the sound of my voice only seems to infuriate what appears to be the eldest Vampire between them.


    "Keep your mouth shut."


    "I do believe your name must be stupid. Do you have any idea who I am?"


    "The high and mighty Vampire Master. See me tremble in my boots."


    "I do believe that you are wearing shoes."


    I watch as Anastasia chuckles, but it is more of a hysterical giggle; the poor girl is terrified, but she does not know that she is the one that holds the most power. She only needs to be provoked to unleash it. Well, there is also the Hunter, but he is useless as he might play a part in all of it.


    And as we are forced one by one through the steel door, there are the agonizing screams from men and woman coming from every corner of the warehouse. And as I see theHunter gag at the smell of the old blood rising from the floor, I hear Connor mumble from underneath his breath.


    "This is just dandy. I should have known that you shall land us in such a situation sooner rather than later."


    "Well, I am glad that I could have provided the entertainment."


    "How about you un-entertain us and loosen these knots."


    I cannot help to break out in laughter, much to the annoyance of our captures.


    "My dear Connor, I have a tiny crucifix problem."


    Connor looks at the back where the rope is folded over my hands and notices the crucifix wrapped around my wrist.


    "I believe we are screwed."


    So we have one useless Zachariah, a terrified Anastasia, two tied up brothers that cannot get to their weapons, and one Master that is powerless. I do tend to agree.


    "I believe we are screwed."


    And my words are not even dry, and we are thrown down on the godawful floor. It is so slippery from all the blood that you move disgustingly up and down over it. Then as soon as they had all entered, they all leave the room and shut the door firmly shut. It is time to drag the truth out of Zachariah.


    "My dear Mr. Vampire Hunter, think carefully about your next answer, for you have a very pissed of Ancient next to you. Are you part of this?"


    "I was not aware that my parents were still alive."


    "I do not believe you. How can they have stayed away from their son all of these years?"


    "I have not known about their presence. Why would I be tied up here then?"


    "Maybe you have been a naughty boy."


    "Trust you to make a joke of everything."


    "My dear man, someone should see the lighter side of things. I do believe this shall be the first time that I have been tortured by one of my kind."


    Then I have three heads snapping in my direction; horror is not the word to describe their faces. So it is with some hesitation that I nod my head in the direction of the only table standing in the room.


    I hear Anastasia as she screams; I move on closer to where she is sitting.


    "My beloved, we will be fine."


    "Fine? Have you seen the size of those things? What on earth is that curly looking tool?"


    "I hate to know, and I shall not even try to answer. But you need to keep it together; you need to try to break your ropes; I am not able to do mine."


    And with that, the Vampires and Zachariah''s mother enter the room again. I believe the room of torture has just opened for business. Then Annabelle comes to stand in front of me.


    "The famous Sebastian Belmont. Must say just as handsome as they say, but I believe somewhat stupid for being caught."


    "Well, my dear, if your son were not so useless, he would have known that you found yourself in the city."


    "Oh, yes, my bastard son. Must say I have watched on in disgust how useless he has been to court your beloved now for years."


    "You can be glad she was not a Vampire then, or else he would have been her meal."


    "Ah, but she was always set to become a Vampire."


    "Not so sure about that one, for I have not known my beloved for that long."


    Then much to my very annoyance, she burst out in laughter in my face. I do not see why my union with Anastasia would be such a laughable affair. I shall not stand for this.


    "I suggest you shut that laughter up, or I shall tear you to shreds."


    "First of all, Master, you are a bit tied up, and second, it seems that you do not know of the prophecy."


    "What prophecy?"


    "Ah, it is said that there will be an Ancient born that shall become the Master of all Ancients. This coven shall overpower your reign and lead Europe into a new era of Vampires."


    "And let me guess it is your bastard son?"


    "Oh no, my dear Sebastian, it is your beloved."


    I turn my head in shock to Ethan; why does the clever one of the Windchasers not know of this. But as he speaks, I wish I was close enough to slap him through the face.


    "Oops."


    "Oops, Ethan, really?"


    That is when it sets in, my beloved has always been destined to be with Zachariah. But surely he did not know of this? They must have been placed in each other''s paths. So her being marked by a Master was definitely not part of the prophecy. This means that I am merely in the way and that all those curly things up there is meant for me.


    And as Annabelle speaks next, the whole plan starts to unfold.


    "Untie Zachariah and bring Sebastian to me."


    I am taken from the ground and strapped onto a chair. They pull a set of leather belts around both of my feet. And as I look down at the ones around my hands, I notice that they are covered in blood. They are far too strong to break free, for I can not even wiggle my hands in.


    Then the true fun starts. She goes to the table to fetch what seems to be a set of tweezers; I fear to think of what she shall be doing with them. But I need not free too long, for she stands in front of me.


    "Hold his head still."


    And as they do, she takes the ends and grabs firmly hold of my nail. I bite hard down on my teeth, and she starts pulling. And as I feel her tearing my nail from my skin in slow agony, I scream the loudest into myself. There is no way that she shall have the pleasure to see me show pain. But it is Anastasia that screams.


    "Stop! You are hurting him."


    Annabelle ignores her and moves to the other hand, and once again, she grabs hold of it, but this time she rips it in with a fast twist of her wrist. It feels like someone is tearing my fingers off my hand. But instead of showing pain, I foolishly decide to mock her.


    "You do know that those will only grow back?"


    "Oh, I am only playing with you. We have not started yet."


    Yes, maybe I should not have said a thing, for now, she goes to fetch what I fear shall be used to pull my teeth perhaps. But Anastasia immediately tries to stop her.


    "Please stop! Take me!"


    Annabelle faces her. "My dear, you are our Master; why would you want to be tortured?"


    "Then untie me!"


    "I am afraid only after we have dealt with this man you call your beloved."


    "I order you."


    "I am afraid that I am going to disobey you. You belong with my son, and this man is in the way."


    Then Annabelle turns to face me again. Two Vampires are standing behind me. The one is holding my head down, and the other is pulling my mouth apart. Then I slowly watch as she brings the plier closer and closer to my mouth. Then I see her slide inside. I can feel the coldness of the steel against my tongue; then, there is pressure as she gets a grip on my tooth. I hear a click as she clamps down, and with that, she starts to twist and bend.


    But it is not as easy as she thinks. The more she struggles, the harder she curses. Then I hear Anastasia as she screams once again.


    "Please stop! I will go with Zachariah."


    I watch her in utter shock. Did she just say that? And with that, I see Annabelle as she smiles. She shows for two other Vampires to go untie Anastasia. Then Annabelle turns to me. And as I see her turn around, my heart sinks. But if I thought that she was going to do it, I am sadly mistaken. She then turns to Anastasia.


    "Kill him, or everyone dies."


    Anastasia looks at the Windchaser boys, that at sitting helplessly on the floor. Then when her eyes meet mine again.


    "I am sorry, Sebastian."

 Chapter 49 - The Circus Is In Town

    There comes a point in man''s life where you question the love that those close to you have for you. Now I never once thought I have to question it as many times that I have had with my beloved. Our union has been riddled with troubles right from the start. One should think that it shall make you grow closer, but it seems that once again she might just kill me, though I do not know the reason thereof.


    So I find myself starting at the point of I very sharp dagger. I do understand that she is thinking of the Windchaser boys, but in what way is she thinking of me. Only but an hour ago did she confirm that she chose me, what has since then changed. Does she pity this Vampire Hunter so much? Or is she playing a game that I am once again too dense to notice?


    And it is then that she winks at me. She is indeed up to something. I just hope that she realizes that actually killing me is not going to help us. Even though I know that she shall enjoy piercing that dagger into my heart, I doubt that she shall go to such an extreme to prove a point.


    So this is how things stand now. A few feet away, I have the Windchaser boys who have their hands and feet tied up, but what I have failed to notice this whole time through my panic is that Connor has managed to get his dagger and cut his ropes off. WhileAnastasia is distracting Annabelle and Zachariah, Ethan is slicing through his ropes. It seems I am the only idiot that finds himself tied up.


    Now what should happen I am not quite clear of, for I watch as Anastasia grips hold off the dagger. Then in a short moment of one...two...three...She spins around and slams the dagger into Annabelle''s heart. The boys jump to their feet and in less than three...two...one...They have taken all the Vampires in the room out. But except for one. And as she unties my ropes, I do ask the question to the answer that all of us would like to know.


    "My beloved, what shall we be doing with him? Surely there is a little spot in hell for him."


    "Sebastian, do not be so rude. Even though I would love to end the pesky little Hunter, we do need him to protect the city."


    "But why not get another one, maybe one of the Windchaser boys?"


    I hear as Connor only but burst out in laughter. He seems something that I consider as serious quite humorous.


    "My dear friend, one more day around you, and I will kill you myself. You are a walking magnet attracting nothing but trouble."


    "I cannot help that trouble follows me around. And in turn, our dear Vampire Hunter keeps following my beloved around. That is why I say let''s get rid of the man."


    Then Anastasia gives me that glare that tells me that I am about to be slapped if I say another word.


    "Zachariah shall live, and he will continue to protect the city."


    "I love how you take charge, my beloved. I would not mind taking you to a place far more private than this."


    "Sebastian, I think you said that out loud."


    "Oh, dear, look at what I did. If I could blush, then I would be the red of your stilettos."


    "I somehow think you said that on purpose. Just keep those dirty thoughts in this warehouse; I would really like to go home now."


    I look at her with a cocky smile on my face, and she knows exactly that I am teasing our little Vampire Hunter again. With that, we once again make our way outside, and to the car, that is, if we had one, as we find ourselves in the middle of nowhere. I do know best not to say what else could go wrong.


    "Ah, guess we are walking home then."


    Then Connor turns to me, with a somewhat less amused expression on his face.


    "Do you think you can keep that trap shut?"


    "I am afraid that I am not capable thereof."


    "Goody, I rambling Vampire."


    "Have I ever told you the story of my first encounter with a Vampire Hunter?"


    "No, and I beg that you, please don''t."


    "It is rather funny; you really need to listen to it."


    "God, your whining is worse than you talking. Let me just hear the damn story."


    So we walk until we find a cab that can take us back to the car. Only minutes later, the boys are dropping us off in front of our home. I believe they are quite relieved to have me out of their hair. So once we say our goodbyes, we walk somewhat peacefully back to the house. To say that it has been a nightmare of a day would be quite an understatement.


    As we take a slow walk side by side, I take in a sigh of relief; I turn to my beloved, that seems quite drained from a busy few days. She has not truly had the time to recover from the wounds of our battle, a battle I wish not to speak of. In fact, I do not wish to speak of any of it.


    "My beloved, I think I can safely say that I might just see some peaceful days coming. It has been quite the ride. Next time I ain''t buying tickets for the circus."


    "Sebastian, did you just refer to me as a circus?"


    "No, I was just comparing our relationship to one."


    "You better take that back, or I shall put this dagger through your heart."


    "My dear, what are you doing with a dagger?"


    "Connor gave it to me just in case I really would want to kill you."


    "What a thoughtful man."


    And just as we are about to step through the door, I hear a car with screeching tires come into the driveway. As I turn to see who is making such a noise, I see Ethan jump out of the car. He is racing like a mad person up to us.


    "Do not go in the house!"


    "What on earth is the fuss about?"


    "Josiah and Annabelle was not the leader. The original is still alive. Josiah never killed him."


    "But you said...?"


    "I was wrong. He never killed him. He was the one that turned him."


    "Well, that is obvious. But why should I not go inside?"


    "I think he has taken Lilith and Edward captive."


    I am slightly getting irritated with this man. Can I not answer me all in one sentence. And he is sorely mistaken if he thinks that I shall sit outside while Lilith and Edward are being held captive. So I completely ignore his request and proceed to open the door. But just then, Connor comes up running to us as well.


    "I told you that you are a trouble magnet. Now let''s go see what awaits us inside."


    "Oh, let me guess, a bunch of mean-looking Ancients tearing my place apart."


    "Yeah, something like that."


    "Remind me to invite the sunshine to your face."


    Then we step through the door, and chaos truly erupts. For so many times today, I get overpowered by an ancient, but that is not going to happen anymore. In a complete fit of rage, I turn form, and the instant I get the opportunity, I rip his throat apart. They all stand just stare at me, not knowing if it is safe to say a word.


    "What? Stop starting and give me that dagger."


    As Anastasia throws it through the air, I grab hold of it and ram it straight into his chest. I watch in pleasure as his body stumbles to the floor. But as we come to face with another four of them, there is something that catches my attention in the far off corner of my eye.


    "Lilith! Edward!"


    My distraction gives them just enough time to overpower me and take me to the very place where my dear brother and sister are lying motionless on the floor. By the look of the room, it seems that they did put up quite a big fight. I am unable to see if they are still alive. From where they have tied me to a chair, I can only see their backs facing me. Thistying to a chair is no truly becoming too much.


    Why do these Vampires like trying their guests up? All they should do is tell me what they want, and I shall consider it. But I do somehow know what they want. This property is only becoming a thorn in my side. Who decides these things anyway, a bunch of bored Vampires. Well, I have had enough of seeing an Ancient. Once I shall be able to set my hands free, these clowns shall be leaving my fun fare.


    But I guess by the way that everyone is just standing around, that they are awaiting the presence of their Master. Well, there is only one Master in this house, and that is me. So as I look over to the boys who seem to be beyond frustrated, I hope that they will have some sort of a plan. I am soon ripped into reality as I see their hands are tied to the back of a chair; therefore, there is no getting daggers to cut this ever so right ropes from our hands and feet.


    Then suddenly, I see Edward begin to stir. I do not care much for our captures, for I shoutout for him.


    "Edward, are you fine?"


    "Apart from a head that feels as if a rock has been slammed into it, I do believe these few wounds shall heal."


    And as I take a good look at his arms and his face, there are several gaping wounds, some even showing straight to the bone. They must have clawed him as he was trying to put up a fight.


    "Edward, what about Lilith."


    "I don''t know; they did mess her up quite bad."


    My heart immediately drops out of my chest. This can not be happening. I have brought danger into my home, and now the people that I do care about the most are getting hurt. I shall never be able to live with my dead heart if anything must happen to Lilith. She was the first woman I have ever turned and the first woman that I have allowed to come into my life and share it in a way that a brother and sister will. She has been the rock that keeps Edward and me strong. Without her, we shall be lost


    Then suddenly, they are a few whispers and a scuffle. There is the click-clack of shoes coming from down the hallway. I think the Master has arrived. So I move my chair rather loudly until I am next to Anastasia. I slightly lean over into her ear and whisper.


    "No matter what happens, my beloved, please know that I love you."


    "And I shall love you until eternity."


    And with that, I hear a rumble of a voice come up from behind me. I am shocked to discover that I know it. With that, he is finally in front of me with a stupid grin on his face. I feel nothing but anger as I try to mumble with confidence.


    "Not you too?"

 Chapter 50 - The Misfits

    When things do not add up, you will find that the truth was not included in the equation. What is the truth behind this? I am yet to find out. Do I feel deceived? For certain. But what is unclear to me is how this is possible, for I distinctly remember holding his lifeless body in my arms. It will break me into shattering pieces if I am to find out that there was a plan that I did know nothing of. So if I do not display sadness in my eyes, then I would say that I am untouched by his presence, which shall be a lie.


    This was a Vampire that I held nothing but the utmost respect for. Not only did he give me the best gift that any mortal can ask for, but he gave me something else, a sense of belonging. The reckless man that I was could found meaning in life even though it was alife that not many would desire.


    But it is a life that I had embraced with all of my being. And as I was born into it, he was there by my side. As I looked at how gracefully he conducted himself, I knew that he should be a Vampire that I would wish to become one day. Having a Vampire that considers you as a great part of his family is something that one should feel privilege for.


    Now I may tell all the tales of our life together, which shall consume most of my next few days. The truth and very fact remain that this Vampire that is staring down at me as he did so many times, this Vampire, I was delighted to say, was my Maker and Master. But the biggest part that is making this hard to digest is, as I mentioned, he should be dead.


    And right now, I think it is not wise to demand the answers, but I do not wish to care, for I would like to hear how he finds himself alive again.


    "Baldassare, I am afraid I do notunderstand?"


    "My dear Sebastian, I can truly say that I am very pleased to see you again."


    "Then, if you are so pleased, why do I find myself tied up?"


    "Just a persuasive tactic, nothing personal."


    "It does become quite personal if you attack and tie the ones that are dear to me."


    I study his face as I did so many times. He held power behind those deep blue eyes, a power that I also crave for. But as then, it is now still impossible to read what his purpose behind an action is.


    So it does not pain me to ask him the burning question; I guess that is on all our minds.


    "How do you find yourself alive again?"


    "I am afraid to say that you should have burned my bones. Some disillusioned Ancients had it in their head that I am the one that shall fulfill the prophecy."


    "Well, they truly are delusional to think that my beloved would lead you into a new era of Vampires."


    "True, plans did go skew; it was the boy, Zachariah, that we''re supposed to turn Anastasia."


    "But Anastasia was just a girl that I met in a bar."


    Baldassare turns his head to the Windchaser boys, and I am afraid to say that there is something that they have neglected to tell me once again.


    "Out with it, Connor, and consider yourself lucky not being in arm''s length."


    "Well, the thing is that Anastasia''s parents are actually Vampires."


    "And?"


    "That is it."


    "Is that your explanation? Not when did they became Vampires? Why have they abandoned her? Where are they now? Is that it?"


    "Her parents are dead, her mom died during childbirth, and the dad could not cope without her."


    It is like drawing blood out of a rock; this man does not do well with telling a story. His brother seems to be far better with this simple thing. I have no patience and time for muscle over brains now.


    "Ethan, please finish his sentences for him."


    "Anastasia''s parents were Vampires even long before she was born. Her mother gave birth to a human baby. And that is why they believe she is the one that shall lead them."


    "And then just I thought I could not wrap my head around anymore weird."


    Then Baldassare steps in front of me once again, and for the first time ever, I so wish to knock him off his feet.


    "So you see, Sebastian, it is nothing against you. It is all about the prophecy."


    "So you bunch of god ugly Vampires think you can take over just because some bored man came up with a story."


    Then as I glance to my side, I see my beloved glare at me with eyes that could burn straight through my retinas.


    "My beloved, I am not referring to your beauty."


    "You better not, or else you can rest in the other room tonight."


    And as she confidentiality say this, Baldassare bursts into laughter.


    "What makes you believe that you shall rest together tonight? In fact, what gives you the idea that Sebastian shall live through this."


    "Oh, I would not mock her if I was you."


    "My dear Sebastian, she will be coming with us, for after you shall die, she would have nobody but the Hunter in her life."


    "Are you sure that you are not that delusional Vampire that has created this grand story in your head?"


    "I do see that your twisted sense of humor has not changed. Well, it has been fun catching up now. If you shall excuse me, we need to have council."


    "Council for what? Who shall think of your next brilliant idea?"


    Next, I feel the man I so respected slam the back of his hand on my cheek. And I can with confidence say that I have now lost all respect for the man that was my Master.


    So we find ourselves in a far deeper mess than what we have found us before. But this is not what is the problem that concerns me the most; it is the sadness on Anastasia''s face. Here she has thought for many years het parents had died, well they did, but there was no reason for her father to have taken his life and leave her behind. I need to get her out of the mess and take her away from here.


    But first, we need to get ourselves out these ropes, though from the look on Connor''s face, he has less than an idea than I have. Then there is a scuffle behind me, and I watch as Anastasia''s eyes widen.


    "My beloved, please don''t tell me there is another stupid Vampire behind me?"


    "Well, he is half Vampire, and indeed he is stupid."


    "Oh great, what does Mr. Hunterwant?"


    Then he comes around to face me.


    "Saving your own stupid ass."


    After he had untied me, he goes and put his filthy paws on my beloved, but for once, I shall refrain from speaking my mind.


    So as we all stand there huddled around, Connor lays out the plan for our attack. We shall remain here but hide out of sight; the boys will take the biggest of the four Ancients. Anastasia and the Hunter shall go for the two other. And I shall have the privilege to kill the man that once gave me life. Well, I shall think of it in this way; he is a monster now, so there is no alternative than to end his life. Even though it will pain me, but I need to protect my beloved.


    With that, we wait, and we wait for rather long as they only come back well into the next day. As they enter the room, their happy chatter soon fades into a panic. And as they scatter to look around, the boys overpower the two that are approaching their side. They wait until their backs are facing them. Then they have them down on the ground, driving their stakes deep through their chest, watching as their body relax into the ground as the life leaves them.


    Then while the other two Ancients got for the boys, Anastasia and Zachariah turn and take the two from the back. Grabbing them on their shoulders and tossing them to the floor. Two daggers come flying from the boys, and within a second, it is rammed into the Vampire''s hearts.


    But the noise does not go unnoticed, for next Baldassare comes rushing inside the room. He fully expects four of his disciples, but instead, he is faced with the five misfits that have just become his worst nightmare. And as discussed, or I should rather say, requested, everyone backs off and allows me to step up to Baldassare.


    "I truly did saw you as a mentor and a friend, but even more a Master and Maker. I must admit that the man in front of me sickens me for what he has become."


    "My dear Sebastian, I held a great affection for you, but I am afraid that I shall have to kill you now."


    And with that, he changes towards me. I will admit there is a tiny bit of me that becomes terrified. I have the battle with Anastasia still fresh in mind. And even more so, my body feels drained and weak, but this is not time to worry about that now. So beforeBaldassare gets the chance, I storm straight up to him. He stumbles but regains his balance again.


    Then he comes crashing through the air and knocks me completely of my feet. And then he has me pinned to the ground, but I spin him around and pin him in the very place. Connor tosses me a stake, but Baldassare manages to knock it away. It slides away, far from reach. This does not stop Baldassare from trying to get to it.


    But then I find myself in a scuffle on the floor to get to the stake. First...one...two...three Baldassare is on top of me and then...four...five...six...I am on top of him. We both are trying to get to that stake as fast as we can.


    And then he finally gets a hold of it. He is desperately trying to stab me into the heart, but I gather all my strength and flip it around. The sharp end slowly starts to press into his chest, but he holds it off and spins it once again. I feel as it starts to pierce into my skin, and I know that the only thing that is stopping it from piercing through is the strength in my heart that does not want to leave Anastasia.


    Then we roll and spin. The stake turns. An incredible force is pushing down, and then it breaks that barrier and in six...five...four...three...two...one... there is an agonizing scream that flies into every crack and crevice.


    Next, Anastasia comes rushing to Baldassare and me.


    "Sebastian! Sebastian!"


    My eyes flicker open, and I push Baldassare''s body of mine. And as I look at his face, I realized that I have just ended a big part of my life. The room remains silent until I have come to terms with this great sadness that comes with killing the man.


    But as soon as I compose myself, there is only one thing that crosses my mind.


    "Burn the bodies."


    So we find ourselves standing at an open grave. I watch as Ethan pours gasoline over the bodies of the dead Vampires. With one flick of my finger, I toss a match inside and watch as it sets alight. And that is where we stand. We watch the big bonfire while taking the glory of the sunset in. This has, by far, been the strangest days of all my lives.


    As I look at the Windchaser boys, then to Zachariah and then my beloved, I can not help but see the humor in all of this. We are indeed a bunch of misfits. So I grow a little cocky grin on my face.


    "What is next?"

 Chapter 51 - A Youngling In The Belmont House

    It is yet another day after a great battle of which I fear are also becoming quite frequent now. It makes me believe that they have always been lurking; I have just failed to see them hiding in the shadows. Does this truly make me the feared Master I believe I am? I believe I have lost the grip on my reign. But before I shall remedy this, I will do as I promised and take Anastasia away from London for a few days. Now from what I have been told, she has never set her foot outside these borders. So I shall take her to the beautiful countryside in Scotland.


    So we find ourselves packing a small bag with only the bare necessities that we require. To say that she is not excited shall be a complete lie. Now I do hope that we shall not be bumping into any other Vampires during our short stay. If this shall be possible is yet to be seen. I am afraid that having the Master in town, might set off some alarm bells. The very last thing I wish for is to deal with the issues of a bunch of unsatisfied Vampires. Reason for this being that I have had to clamp down on their feeding frequency as they were getting somewhat out of hand.


    With that being said, we are rushing at a great speed to leave the home unseen. Edward and Lilith are recovering from their wounds, so I wish to only leave a note and be gone before they shall notice that I am. Lilith, whom I feared was dead, came too but only a few hours ago. My relief was great, for I would have not forgiven myself for the danger I have once again put my family in. Can I prevent this from happening again? I am afraid I cannot say that for sure. I have said this before and shall say again, Anastasia has brought to surface all the demons that are hiding underneath the cover of this perfect city. It has become a breeding ground for trouble in any shape or form.


    The biggest question is, shall the bunch of Ancients that believe in this prophecy come back and try claim what they so rightly believe is theirs. What is Anastasia doing with this burden that has been put on her shoulders? She has not said a word, and I shall give her the time until she is ready to confide in me about what her action shall be. I do believe with my heart that she shall choose to remain by my side. I trust she shall not become a Vampire that defies my rule and continue to pursue this desire to as what they say, ''Take over the world.''


    And with that, it is time to clear our minds, for we are about to leave. But, and I believe I have said this before when Edward is lurking outside of my room, he only brings bad news to my door. Though this time he is hesitating, whatever has him troubled seems rather important, but something that he does not truly want to trouble me with. So much to my very own annoyance, I ask him what is the matter.


    "My dear Edward, I do believe you are here to ruin my trip before it has even started. What is it that has you spooked again?"


    "The Windchaser came across something while they had gone back to the alley to burn the bodies of the Ancients that we slaughtered there."


    "Let me guess, another Vampire?


    "Well, not completely."


    Yes, of course, trust Edward to talk in riddles at the most inappropriate time. I do truly have all the world of respect for him, but it does pain me when he starts acting like a useless fool. So it is somewhat frustrating to get proper answers from him.


    "Edward, I am fairly beyond being reasonably patient. Just get out with your story, for I am about to walk out and leave you with fixing it yourself."


    "You do remember the man with the boy."


    "Yes, very clear. It broke me into pieces to see such a young human has to be the victim of someone else''s rage."


    "Well, that is the problem; he was not a complete victim."


    "What on earth do you mean?"


    "You see, Josiah, did not drink enough from him to kill him."


    Then I feel a coldness set over my skin and a chill run down my spine. The fear of seven horrors takes a hold of me and every last breath is being squeezed from my lungs. Is he saying what he is saying? This cannot be happening. I have never, and I say never, had to deal with a child that has been bitten and not have yet died from it. He surely does not imply what he is suggesting. Should I even dare to ask?


    "Where is the boy?"


    "I have placed him in the common room."


    "And far along is he..."


    "I¡­He is at a stage where he should be turned or else he shall die from his wounds."


    "So I am guessing that you are here to ask me if I shall do this."


    "I am merely asking for your advice."


    But it is not advice he is asking; he is pleading for help, for I know his heart does become soft where it comes to a child. The day I turned Edward, he was with his young brother; by the time I came across their bodies, the poor boy had been dead for a while. It was a difficult decision for him to make whether he should die with his brother or live for eternity instead. After a while, I had convinced him that it is what his brother would have wanted him to do. Seeing this boy must bring the memories of that day come flooding back to him again. So this does put me in quite a difficult situation for what I do decide shall also be the light in which Edward shall see me from now on.


    "Take me to the boy."


    With that, he leads me to the common room, where I find Lilith sitting with the boy''s head on her lap. Now, if I did not find Edward''s eyes pleading bad enough, the sorrow in Lilith''s eyes is enough to make me die from inside. This shall be one of the hardest decisions I shall have to make in my life and as a Master. Should I turn this boy, he shall remain this young for eternity. There is the risk that he shall despise me for never being able to grow into a young man one day. Is this a fate that I wish to bring on his life? The decision, whichever way, is not easy to make.


    So I have three Vampires, Edward, Lilith, and Anastasia, staring at me with pleading eyes. Another question begs, shall this young boy be able to stand the excruciating pain that comes with being turned? His body is already in such a weakened state; I might even kill him myself instead. But does a young boy truly want to have a bond with a man? Yes, as his Master, he shall, but he will require a mother''s presence in his life. And with saying this, I have come with my decision.


    "I shall spare this boy''s life, but only on two conditions. You shall explain to him that he shall never grow old and therefore make more than a hundred times sure that this is a life that he shall desire."


    Then as I think of my other condition, I know that in a way, I am being selfish or maybe not, but I know that with my nature and the lifestyle I live, that I shall not be able to become a father to anyone. So this shall be my second request.


    "The boy shall turn only if Lilith wishes to become the guardian of the child, therefor Lilith, you shall be the one that will turn him. Now that is my decision; it is up to you to decide. But in the meantime, I have promised my beloved I shall take her out to the country."


    And with that, we make our leave and take the eight-hour drive to our destination. The first few miles, the atmosphere is quiet, but then I decide to ask the burning question that she so desires to ask.


    "You are thinking of the boy?"


    "Yes, I feel so bad for him. What does this mean?"


    "Well, it does not mean much than a Vampire boy is being born into the Belmont house."


    But this is not her biggest concern for it is clearly showing in her eyes, and I guess it would show in any women that do have a true motherly instinct.


    "You wish to return, don''t you, my beloved?"


    "Can we stay for only but a day? I wish to be there if the boy awakes."


    "Of course, my beloved."


    So we drive the rest of the drive in a far better mood than before. As we reach our destination, I see Anastasia''s eyes light up as she takes the landscape and scenery in. The towering mountains, glittering lochs, dense woodlands.


    "Oh, Sebastian, I think we should give up that horrible London and come live here instead."


    "My beloved, you shall become bored."


    "Bored of beauty, I do not believe I could."


    "Well, if you say it in such a way, then I do agree that one can never get bored with beauty in any way."


    Then she asks the question that seems to be quite clear as my own eyes are taking the scenery in with a longing and there is the obvious expression of memories that are playing over in my mind.


    "Are you from here?"


    "Yes, my beloved, but that is times that I do not wish to mention."


    "Maybe one day?"


    "Maybe one day?"


    With that night soon approaches, and like young fools in love, we find one of the many spots where we can marvel at the sparkling night sky. But this time, it shall be me what has a question; I need to know more than anything else.


    "My beloved, are you going to fulfill your prophecy."


    "And run around with a bunch of crazy Ancients, I am glad to say that I do not wish to do any such thing. I think that the entire family flew off the cuckoo''s nest."


    "Ha! That is true. And what about our Vampire Hunter?"


    "I do believe that we have come to an agreement where we shall continue working together, but he shall stop entertaining the thought of a union between us."


    "That I am yet to believe. But I am thankful that I should not have you on the opposite side, for I do believe, and as the Windchaser boys say, you shall kick my ass."


    And as the sun starts to tickle the horizon over the ocean, we prepare to make our way back to London. Even though this was only for a few hours, I can see that glow appear back on her face. But there is one thing that we have not told her yet, and I do beg if this is the appropriate time. Guess there is no better time than present to tell her.


    "My beloved, there is something that I need to tell you."


    "What is the matter, Sebastian?"


    "You see, the thing is that when you turned into an Ancient, there was an evil that consumed you."


    "Of course, something that I do not wish to be reminded about."


    "Well, you see, when you turned, you lost your soul."


    I watch as she goes silent; there is shock in her eyes but what makes her realize what I am telling is for certain, is that she does not have the ability to cry. There is an anger that creeps up in her eyes and a loss for the one thing that made her different from all other Vampires. And that is where I leave it, for I feel that she completely shuts me down, and I do not wish to bring up any further memories, especially not the reason why all of this happened in the first place.


    After another seven hours, we find ourselves stopping at our home. Anastasia is the first to leave the car and rush inside the house, I follow shortly behind her. We find Lilith and Edward sitting in the kitchen, this does seem quite unusual for why would they leave the boy if they were turning him. I cannot quite place the expressions on their faces. But I have to ask the question.


    "Where is the boy?"

 Chapter 52 - Death By Anothers Hand

    As I watch the faces of Edward and Lillith, I am not sure what to read behind their eyes, for their faces are as blank as a page. There is no sorrow or any joy reflecting in them. Has the poor child indeed passed away? Was it by his wounds or from Lilith''s decision not to become the guardian of the child? This I would find somewhat strange and yet sad in the same breath as this is not Lilith''s nature. And as with Edward, I know that he would not have let the boy meet such an ugly fate. But as with the last few days have proven, nothing amazes me anymore.


    So do I even dare to ask what went wrong? I have come to learn that if Lilith has a great burden on her shoulders that one should be wise to let her be until she has calmed down. Then I think this is best for me not to say a word at this present time. But if I thought that my beloved should share the same sentiment, then I would be rather mistaken, for she does not even blink once before she asks the question.


    "Lilith, where is the boy?"


    And as I suspected, Lilith does not pay any attention to her question, but she strangely only smiles. There is something going on that I am not aware of, and I know that I soon shall find out. So with this being said, I hear a sound that I have never heard in the Belmont house. And as the tiny figure comes around from the counter, I immediately know what the look on their faces meant. The boy is indeed alive, and I can confirm that he is a Vampire.


    But this is yet unusual in every sense, seeing such a small child that is a Vampire. I do hope that Lilith did explain the risk that he was taking. The last thing I need now is another that hates being a Vampire even after consent was given.


    Then the tiny man comes running up to me to where I stand; he grabs a firm hold of my leg and squeezes for dear life. This is how we found his body next to his father; it must then be a way of showing affection. Guess we shall need to become used to give small little squeezes and hugs from now on. I am not the affectionate kind when it comes to a child. I guess it is just one of those things that I never strived for, and I do not believe that I shall ever do. Being a Master is already such a big responsibility; I shall not be able to get the time to fulfill the duty of a father as well.


    So it is somewhat uncomfortable as I speak to the youngling.


    "And what shall your name be?"


    "Stefan, my name is Stefan."


    "Well, Stefan, welcome to our home. How do you like your stay so far?"


    "It is kind of boring; there are no toys to play with."


    "Then I shall ask Edward to take you and go buy some at once."


    I watch as Edward''s face turns into shock. Well, did he think he was going to get away with being the uncle in the boy''s life? The entry of this young man has brought a whole new world of responsibility on everyone in the Belmont House. And talking about responsibility, I need to make an appearance at the Council meeting this morning.


    So while all is playing house, I make my way to meet with Victor and another of the Council Members. I do say it is such a great pleasure to be back home in this wonderful weather; I do think I should reconsider returning to Scotland. But the rain washes those thoughts soon away as I step out of the car into the coldness that envelopes my body. Yes, I do feel cold, and so do I feel warmth; the day I discovered that my soul had returned, I was surprised that all of these little things that one takes for granted had made the entrance in my life again.


    And as I step inside the home where the Council meeting is held, I feel that dreaded feeling that I have felt too often over the past few days. Now for a Vampire to feel fear, there has to be a great deal of trouble. I can honestly say if those Ancients are at something again, I shall take each and everyone down. They shall become extinct in only a matter of days, and our dear Vampire Hunter shall have hell to pay for not keeping them under control.


    Now, do I even dare to be the one that asks? I know that I am going to regret every moment of what the next few hours shall bring. There is just no hiding from it.


    "Well, let me hear it."


    "I am afraid," Victor starts telling his tale. "The thing is that Vampires are dying; we have found six in the past two days."


    "Please explain dying. Is this the work of the Vampire Hunter?"


    "I wish I could have said it, but they are being poisoned."


    "What do you mean by poisoned?"


    Victor goes silent for a short while, is the reason so grand that it is difficult to mention. I do not know how a Vampire can be poisoned; the only thing that enters our bodies is the blood of a human and a very select few that prey on animals.


    "The humans they fed from, their blood was poisoned."


    "Poisoned by mistake or on purpose?"


    "I am afraid the latter. We have no idea where or why this is happening,"


    "So what you are saying is that Vampires are feeding on humans that have purposely been poisoned."


    "Yes, I am afraid so; the thing is, can we really ask all to stop feeding?"


    I do know that this shall be an impossible thing to ask, especially with Vampires that have not fed in a while. How can I say which humans shall be safe to prey on or even where they can go not to find themselves in danger. We need to act fast; I can not lose another of my coven.


    So it is with haste that we make our way to the only human doctor that we know that shall help us. We need to establish what the humans are poisoning us with and, even more importantly, do they live afterward.


    With that, we walk into Joelle''s consultation room only half an hour later, now if she is happy to see us is rather hard to determine. She knows that the only time we come around is when we find ourselves in trouble and on the odd occasion if we require blood rather urgent. That is why we are met by a somewhat crooked smile, but I do know that she has always been quite fond of me. I only but need to put on some charm, and she is like a ball of jelly in my hand.


    "Joelle, you look even far more beautiful than the last time I saw you."


    "Sebastian, do not think your charms shall get you whatever you are here to ask for."


    "Why would I lie about such beauty? It pains me to know that you have been taken."


    "Now, really, what is it that you want?"


    "I have a few poisoned Vampires; I need to know what they were poisoned with."


    "Well, now that you mention that, I have had some poison cases myself."


    This is now getting far more intriguing. Are the humans being poisoned themselves, or are they indeed doing it on purpose, knowing that they shall die? That would be an absurd thing to do; how can you possibly end your life on purpose like this. But then again, humans do some of the craziest things.


    But then the question begs, does she know what poison it is?


    "Do you know what they are being poisoned with?"


    "No, I have not been able to establish that yet. All I know is that it is not anything that I know of. The results seem to be long and painful for the human, and you won''t be able to tell me what it is for a Vampire."


    "Well, my dear, I am not bringing you a Vampire that you can poison. How long until you know what this is, and is there indeed something that can cure it once you have ingested it?"


    "I do not know, Sebastian; I need to find out what it is then I can only give you information then. Can you perhaps tell your Vampires not to feed in this time?"


    "Joelle, that is like telling a Vampire that he should die. I shall let the word out."


    With that, we make our leave but are soon called to the home of another council member; he has apparently just returned from feeding and is feeling rather sick. Now sick is not what Vampires do; we do not get ill, for our blood has the properties to heal itself. So we make our way with somewhat urgency. And as we find ourselves walking through the front door, we can hear the ghastly sounds of someone that is experiencing a tormenting death.


    And as we enter the room where his servant found him lying in agony, all I see is an absolute horror. The man does not only have foam coming from his mouth, but his body is being eaten, or I should rather it seems like he is melting away. In some places all his flesh is gone; you can see through his muscle, straight to the bone. There is no way he can heal himself; the poison is acting fast. There is no way that one can save oneself from this. I think Victor has failed to tell me a minor detail.


    "Victor this man is being eaten alive by his own body. Did you not think it was necessary to tell me this."


    "Well, perhaps I have omitted to tell you that?


    "Omitted, you omitted to tell me how one of our own is dying. Would you wish to be treated in the same manner? Does Joelle know?"


    "No, I have not mentioned it to her."


    "Then get yourself mentioning it to her now, and get the word out that nobody and I say nobody will go out to hunt."


    With that, I rush out and find myself speeding home; I need to make sure that my own know not to go out. But as I am on my way, I am called to another Vampire''s house. As I walk through the door, I hear the howl of an animal in pain; I know that he is about to meet the fate that so many of his brothers and sisters have. So as I step in, I am shocked into horror; there is a rather large pool of black blood where the Vampire is sitting in the flesh that has fallen from his body. I can see with the very last strength he has in his eyes that he is begging for me to help. And it rocks me to my core that there is nothing I can do for him now. The anger rises from deep inside of me; the man behind this is going to pay dearly for hurting my kind.


    So with a heavy heart, I make the final stretch home; I have to fight the urge to burst out and cry. However, it does not stop the tears from tricking in my eyes, and pain squeezing a suffocation grip over my heart.


    As I step through the door, I know that I need to change the expression on my face, for they cannot see that I am afraid. I find them sitting in the common room; the boy is playing with the toys that Edward had gone and bought him as he promised. And as I look at their faces, I can see the pure joy, but what I also notice is that one face is missing.


    "Where is Edward?"


    Lilith looks up from where she is watching the boy play.


    "He went out to feed."

 Chapter 53 - Extinction Of A Vampire

    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    I watch as horror consumes Sebastian''s face; I have seen him terrified, but this is terrified beyond compare. What could have him so spooked, just a few hours he had left to attend a Council meeting, and now has returned looking as if death is staring him in the face?


    I take him by the hand away from Lilith that is sitting with Stefan.


    "Sebastian, what is the matter?"


    "We need to find Edward at once."


    "What seems to be the problem?"


    "I shall discuss it with you in the car."


    With that, we excuse ourselves from the room and head out into the freeze of the night. It takes a few moments for him to compose himself to tell me what has us speeding down towards the alley where Edward goes to feed.


    "There has been a series of deaths; there seems to be a group of humans that are infecting Vampires with poison. A poison so strong that it eats you up from the inside."


    "Oh god, Sebastian, do you think that Edward shall meet the same fate."


    "That is why we need to find him before he feeds. We, unfortunately, have no idea what poison it is that they are infecting their victims with."


    I can see that this is killing Sebastian; I have never seen him with so much fear that is building inside of him. I know he shall not be able to live with himself if something has to happen to Edward. Edward has been like a brother, a friend, and some would say a son to him. He has been the longest with him through all of his Vampire years.


    And as we come to the alley, we do not find Edward. The panic overwhelms Sebastian, and I can see him visibly shaken. I hear his voice hitch as he curses underneath his breath. But what grabs me the most is see the tears of fear building in the corners of his eyes. I softly lay my hand down on his arm and try to reassure him that we shall find Edward.


    "Sebastian, we shall find him, and he shall be fine."


    But I know that I cannot guarantee this; from what Sebastian says, you shall not know that the human has been infected. He also does not know how long the poison takes to react, but once it does, it takes you at a rapid pace.


    I truly hope that I can believe my own words when I say that Edward shall be safe.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    I should have phoned Edward to advise them not to go out to feed; I should have let them know that it was not safe. I cannot believe that I did not think of it the moment I heard, and even more importantly, seeing it with my own eyes. Every part of my being is punishing me for being so forgetful. If something should have happened to him, there is no way that I shall be able to live with myself. I will be shocked into the terror of hell if I should watch him perish like that in front of my eyes.


    So as we do not find Edward in the alley where he usually goes to feed, a dagger is driven through my heart at an agonizingly slow rate. Have I just doomed a brother and friend to his death? How could it have taken so long for Victor to inform me of the situation? I am aware that I was occupied with stopping a bunch of Ancients from taking over the city. I never thought there would be a greater terror to fear that are roaming the streets.


    And as I look over to my beloved, I can see the same panic holding her body hostage. She has grown just as close to him; he is the brother that she never did have. He has been there to help her out of every bad situation that she found herself in. Even in our great battle, he still sees the soft and elegant woman that she is.


    Now, as we speed to the next location where we could possible find him, I squeeze her hand that she is softly laying on my arm.


    "My beloved, I do believe with the biggest part of my heart that the words you speak are true. I have seen what this does to a man, and it is not anguish I wish on anybody."


    "If by what you have told me, I sound like someone with a deep hatred for Vampires have gone to enormous lengths to attempt and make our kind extinct."


    "Hearing that word sends chills up my spine. We should not think this way; we need to have faith that things shall be fine with Edward and that we shall stop any other one of our kind to perish from it."


    "But Sebastian, should our bodies not be able to fight and heal ourselves against it?


    "Yes, it should, my beloved, which makes me believe that someone has gone to great lengths to created that a poison as this."


    "Which also means that they had to have had a Vampire to test this on?"


    "I am afraid to say that it is indeed what has happened."


    "So can we not track down any Vampires that has recently gone missing and follow his last steps."


    "I must say that you are not just a pretty face; we shall do this once we have found Edward."


    There is a small yet brief calmness that sets over our shoulders, but only short-lived as we find the next alley. And as I feared, Edward is not here either.


    ¡­Edward¡­


    The excitement of the past few days has left me somewhat drained. So it is without hesitation that I find myself walking down to the alley that ordinarily frequent. The air seems somewhat ominous on this dark overcast evening. This makes me wonder if I should rather stay clear and find another alley further down, closer to the city. I have always trusted my sense when I fear that something is out of place. And I do get a very clear impression that there is something lurking in the city that spells trouble for both human and immortal.


    With that, I finally reach my destination, and as suspected, this is not the ideal place to feed as there is a low possibility of traffic coming through here often. But I am not about to give up; I leave this alley behind and try the next one. This one, too, seems to be deserted, but I decide to wait for a while and see what it will offer. It is oddly strange not to find humans strolling the dark streets this time of the evening. It feels like one is being drawn to one location. Have the alleys become such a terror that humans do not wish to enter them?


    But I am not left to ponder for much longer, as there is a woman approaching me from the front. What does strike me as odd is she is already scared beyond fear; it is as if she knows what is waiting for her. This does not make me think that maybe I should just abandon tonight and come back when I feel less unsettled. Though that thought only sits for a short while.


    So as the young girl passes me, I wait for several moments and then sneak up from behind her. As I grab her by the shoulders to steady her in my grip, it is as if she is giving in freely. She seems to know what is about to happen to her and does not give up a struggle. And as before, I do again not listen to that voice in my head that says, rather not do this, for tonight is not the night for feeding.


    It is with ease that I slide my sharp fangs into her soft skin, and in a fraction of a second, I am taking what I have craved for this evening. But there is something different; her blood tastes somewhat bitter on the tongue. I immediately stop, I snap her neck and toss her body behind a nearby dumpster.


    Now when this does happen on the odd occasion, it would go and seek another human victim. But this one has indeed left a bitter taste in my mouth. I doubt that feeding again will somehow take this away. I shall wait for this to pass through my body and will come to feed tomorrow night again.


    And with that in mind, I make my way back home.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    We have not been able to find Edward; we have gone from alley to alley. But just as soon as we are about to give up, we find a girl tossed behind a dumpster. She has been the victim of a Vampire, but what does strike me as odd is that she has not been drunk dry; her neck has been snapped instead. Now this will only happen for two reasons, the victim is either drunk or has a great deal of drugs in their system.


    This does make me fear that perhaps this girl has been infected with the poison. So much to my utter disgust, do I throw her in the back of the car. If Joelle is going to take forever to get to the source, then I shall get to it myself. Many Vampires have practiced medicine for more than humanly possible. This is against how we normally manage things, but this calls for a special circumstance as our kind is dying. A human shall not take this as seriously as we would.


    So it is only about several minutes later that we find ourselves walking through the front door. There is the familiar voice of the man that we have just been searching for. For a moment, there is utter relief that flows over me, but then my mind is taken back to the big question. And as I call him to the side, I am hoping to hear the words that will set my mind at ease.


    "Edward, have you fed tonight?"


    "Yes, I did, but there was something rather off with her blood."


    "What do you mean off?


    "It had a very bitter taste to it."


    "Please tell me you just snapped her neck and did not take anything from her?"


    "I did take. Why is it that you ask?"


    I hesitate, for I do not know if it is wise to tell him what I have seen tonight and about the dangers lurking the streets. But he shall need to know for when he does feel something odd with his body; he should make me aware.


    "There have been Vampires that have been infected with poison."


    "My god, I do hope that they are doing well?"


    Then I reconsider my position, should I continue to tell him the entire story? I cannot play with his life like this. So much to my sadness, I continue to tell him what will send the sensations of terror through his body.


    "Edward, I am afraid to say that none of these Vampires have lived through the experience."


    "Do you wish to tell me that there is something out there that can kill our kind?"


    "I am afraid my answer is yes. Now please tell me, how are you feeling?"


    I study his face for a few moments while he analysis the state of his body. Now Edward is not one that shows clear emotion on his face. There is no way to tell what he is feeling. And do I even dare to read his mind? So I patiently wait for his answer.


    Then he looks at me with eyes that are stuck with sadness but consumed by horror. I do fear what his next few words to me shall be; I know what I wish it should, but if that is would be an entirely different case.


    "My skin feels as if it is on fire."

 Chapter 54 - The Fight For Edward

    I look at Edward, and in an instant, the world vanishes into a black abyss. The horror in my eyes reflects from his own. I can sadly say that he has come to the same realization; the same truth that is in my eyes is the terror that is playing over in his mind. The question begs, how long shall it take from now. There is no way in telling how rapid the poison shall rush through his veins and infect every corner of his body then. How long shall it take until it slowly starts to eat him from inside until the is nothing but a bunch of bone remaining in a pile of rotten flesh? This truly sounds like the most unbearable death that one could face.


    So, it is with a heavy heart that I am sending him to rest; at least I am hoping that the less he moves, the slower the poison shall take effect.


    "Edward, my friend, I need for you to remain in your bed."


    But he immediately protests, "Sebastian, I am in no way disobeying your orders, but I shall not sit by and let this thing take the best of me."


    Now, of course, the Edward that I know shall not sit and slowly rot away. I am not saying that he will, but from what I have seen, it does seem like the only outcome. That is unless we can name the poison and produce a cure. So, he remains in the common room with Lilith, should he feel that the burning inside become beyond what can be handled, only then shall he move away from the youngling Stefan. I can only imagine what such a sight shall do to a young man that has just witnessed the most terrifying death of his dear father.


    So, it is with absolute haste that we try and locate the most experienced doctors that we can find; the time that it shall take time to get here is already far too long. We send word to them, and as expected, it shall take but a few hours, which we do not have. With that in mind, we take the girl''s body to an empty room upstairs; I am afraid to say that the young girl has also been taken over by the burning inside as her body is slightly starting to fade away. Which brings to mind, does the amount of poison determine how soon the effects begin to take place?


    And as a few hours seem to pass, I look over to Edward, and he only nods, which I can safely say means that he still feels fine. So, we continue to wait. Then finally, the first of the doctors start to arrive, now; to say I have never been so relieved would be a lie.


    "My dear Johan, thank you for making the trip so fast."


    "Anything for you, my Master, now take me to the girl at once. If what you say is true, then we can''t waste any second."


    "I must warn you that it is not a pleasant sight, and I am afraid that it has the most unbearable smell that anybody can carry."


    I then immediately take him to the room where the girl''s body lays. She seems to have remained as she has previously done before. And just as expected, I see the disgust that fills Johan''s eyes; I can only assume he thinks the same as all in the room. Then moments later, the second of the doctors that I requested arrives, she has, in fact, and I am most sorry to say, been an ex-lover. So, it is with caution that I approach Anastasia.


    "My beloved, please promise me that you shall not become mad, but there is something I neglected to mention before."


    "Oh Sebastian, what have you done now? Please do not tell me that this woman is an ex-lover?"


    "I am sad to say that I have gone against your request, but please, I beg that you shall understand that she is the best resource that we have, and you know the importance in saving Edward''s life holds."


    "I shall overlook this, but please do not do anything to test my patience. I shall, therefore, remain present while this examination takes place."


    "I would not have it any other way, my beloved."


    So, I reluctantly introduce Anastasia; I can safely say that our encounter many years ago was in both beneficial ways. There shall be little desire that she shall try to rekindle an old flame.


    "My Gwyneth, thank you for making the long drive."


    "Anything Master, now let us begin; we do not have any more time to waste."


    And with that, they set out the impossible task that a human doctor has not yet been able to solve. But much to our advantage, we have hundreds of years of perfection.


    Then it is with somewhat amazement that we watch on as they produce sets of test tubes and what seems to be chemicals. It is the scene that one shall see in science school; at least we are not dissecting frogs. Now that is a sight that I will not be able to stomach, but what is happening to this poor girl''s body is just as grotesque to look at.


    But what puts the fear of seven Sunday''s into my mind is watching as Edward decides to make his way in the room. I know that there shall be no way that I will be able to stop him from coming to witness this. Though that is not what terrifies me the most, what I see does make me realize that we shall need to work faster than we are at our current place.


    Edward has become somewhat paler than before; I would say that he is whiter than all fifty shades of white. And there are signs that the skin on his face is slowly starting to peel away. There is a tremble in his hands, and his knuckles are showing the redness of flesh.


    "Edward, if you insist on watching, at least take a chair and seat yourself. And I beg of you please fight it, find that strength that I know that you possess and attack this thing."


    "My dear Sebastian, there is no other way I shall have it. Now hurry up, for I feel the burning is starting to burn at a hotter flame."


    ¡­Edward¡­


    Now, if I were not wise, I would have told myself that I should have listened to my common sense. But one does not expect that you shall get poisoned when you are only trying to survive. I might not feed the normal way, but that does not mean that I should be treated in any other way. Guess this must be my punishment for choosing this life, and in doing so, I have killed far more humans than I can remember.


    So, it is with a deep sadness that cuts like a dagger through my heart that I sit here and watch as the best doctors are fighting to save my life. What I have failed to say is that this is eating me up faster than I have admitted to Sebastian. I know that he does worry far more when it comes to Lilith and me; he does have that heart of gold towards those he considers as his family. The fact, whether it is said or not, is that I am dying inside. Not that I am alive, but the dead part of me is being torn to pieces. Now imagine such a thing, as a Vampire, you do not experience any pain, though someone has put an evil together that is making you feel as if you are dying all over again but only tenfold this time.


    I can see the flesh is starting to peel like a layer of an onion; there is an incredible desire to peel it from my body. The worst thing is that it feels like my eyes are starting to stick to my lashes, making it even hard to wink. Even moving my tongue has become the hardest of tasks; all the things that come naturally are becoming the most struggling thing to manage. The truth is that I am dying; the sad thing is that I will not tell Sebastian; it shall break him into pieces. And I do not think the glue that is Anastasia shall get him back to his normal self again.


    Sebastian has been like a father, a brother, a friend, and a Master to me for much over two hundred fifty years. To say that I have not grown completely dependent in some ways on him would be a lie. He has carried me through so many of the troubles in my life. And even sometimes, when I have done the most unthinkable, he looked the other way and continued to care the way he did for me. He ultimately gave me life, and I know that he is feeling helpless that he is not able to save me.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    I am watching Edward, and I can see that he is putting up a brave face, but I know he is not telling me how bad it really is. What he does not know is that I can read his thoughts, and I know that he is dying. I rip my heart to pieces know that right now, there is nothing I can do to save him. If Edward has to leave my life, it shall be like losing a limb. He is like a son, a brother and a friend, from that moment I turned him. I knew that we should stay together until the end. Well, I am afraid to say that it is not the end yet, but the time is definitely starting to run thin.


    I see how he is studying Johan and Gwyneth, hoping that each time they mixed a drop of blood and some chemical, he hopes to see the relief on their faces. But the time has not come; it has just been one failed attempt after the other. The frustration is growing. We all witness how the girl''s body is fading away, and the worst thing is that she is not even alive.


    So, I turn to face Edward again, but this time I plead with my eyes, I need him, to be honest with me. I do know that this is not the time to pull Master on him as it is already hard enough for him.


    "Edward, please, I beg of you, my friend, please tell me how you are really feeling?"


    "Sebastian, I am dying faster than I think what we would not have hoped for."


    "Tell me how you are feeling?"


    "I think that within the next hour that my organs, not that I need them, but they shall be detached from where they are being held in place."


    "My god! And the pain?"


    "I feel like I am being burned by the fires of hell. I did not think it was possible to feel pain in all my Vampire years again."


    "Edward, please, I beg you, lay down; we will get to the solution of this."


    But it falls onto death ears, but what he says next rips me to my core.


    "My dear friend, I think it is time that I shall make peace with my fate. I need to settle my affairs and say my goodbyes."


    I hear my own voice echoes throughout the room and the corridors. "No! That shall not happen!"


    Then I turn to Johan and Gwyneth, "Work faster! You are wasting valuable time! If you do not find this cure, then I shall rip you apart."


    But then Edward stops me, "They are working as fast as they can. I appreciate their attempt to find this cure, but it is futile, Sebastian. You need to let me go; I need to know that when I leave, that you are not mad at me. I do not want you to live with regret."


    "Regret is not finding a cure. I am ordering you to lay on that bed and fight!"


    Then I watch as Edward gets up, but in an instant, he drops to the floor¡­

 Chapter 55 - The Blood Rose Pack Returns

    They say that a Vampire has it all; he has the knowledge; the power, and the best of them all is eternity. But what they fail to remember is that we were once human; we know the pain that should come with the things that bring you heartache in life. Disappointment, failure; loss; fear; all these things we know the feeling that accompanies them. Even though we do not find ourselves crying, it does not mean we do not know how you should feel when you experience any of them.


    And as I watch how Edward drops to the floor in front of me, I am gripped by every single painful feeling that my body can think of. It is crippling me and tearing my heart into shreds. It feels like my life that once came to an end is ending all over again. Never have I thought that I should see a Vampire die as a human does, but Edward is not dying; I refused to let him go, he is intended to live for eternity, and that is what he shall live.


    I am moving faster than a single breath to grab before he topples completely over. He is not in the present; he has been drawn into a deep dark hole. Yet another thing that I have not ever seen a Vampire experience. The moment I find the person behind the cruel act, I shall rip him to shreds and feed his flesh to one of the Blood Rose Pack.


    Then that is when the realization comes to me; an ugly mut, all I need is an ugly mut. Their blood has by far stronger healing ability than a Vampire has. If I can get one to agree for Edward to feed from, then we can save him and still have time to save the rest of my kind. Yes, this does truly sound selfish that I shall put the life of my dear brother before the other Vampires in my rule. That, unfortunately, is a sacrifice that one shall be faced with the position as the Master.


    It is with much newfound purpose that I turn to Anastasia.


    "My beloved, we need to find Catarina at once; we, unfortunately, need to put our pride away and ask for their help."


    "Why on earth would you want to go to the muts that tried to end my life."


    "I shall explain on the way. But we can not waste any more time. I do not think Edward can fight this thing for much longer than he already has."


    With that, we make our leave, but not before I beg of Edward to fight for just a while longer.


    Now to say that I am not spinning around in my seat just from the thought that I shall have to beg the kind that I hate the most, that would be a blatant lie. And I can also safely say that our arrival shall not be received welcomed. So after explaining the action behind my madness, Anastasia feels the same hope that I do for Edward.


    Then as we approach their place of stay, we prepare ourselves for an unwelcomed arrival. The last time we did try to kill each other, and I remember distinctly telling them that the next time we shall meet that they will most definitely die. Now, I am being quite brave in coming to ask for their help.


    "My beloved, let me do the negotiating. And please, if for any reason we end up in a battle, do not show them that you are an Ancient."


    "But why not? It will scare the shit into them to help us, won''t it?"


    "I am afraid they shall try to kill you then. Many years ago, there was a group of eager Ancients that took it upon themselves to rid the world of werewolves; they were close to pushing them to the brink of extinction."


    "What makes you think that it is not the wolves that have created the poison?"


    "My dear, you did see how stupid they were last time? I highly doubt they can even find their asses in a dark room."


    "Sebastion! And I do need to ask, have any of these wolves been a lover?"


    "No, my beloved."


    I watch as she sighs in relief, but I am not done with my sentence.


    "Well, at least not in this pack."


    "My god, did you have sex with all the supernatural world? Wait, I do not even want to know how bad you were when you human."


    "Then I can safely say it is good that you do no ask."


    I only chuckle at the expression on her face, but that expression does soon disappears as we have just stopped at the entrance that leads up to the home in which the Blood Hound Pack stays. And as was expected, we are not met with any friendly faces. It only takes Catarina but a minute, and she finds us walking up to her with our own tails stuck between our legs.


    "Well, Sebastian Belmont and his beloved, to what do we owe this displeasure?"


    "We come seeking assistance."


    "Now, if I recall the last time you did say that you shall kill me should you ever see my face again."


    "Well, believe me, I still do not like your mut face, but sometimes there are just sacrifices that one needs to make."


    "What sacrifice do you expect this ugly mut to make for you?"


    I seem to have forgotten how much her voice annoys me and that I truly want to rip her apart and feed her to a troll. But there is only one thing that keeps me remaining in front of her, and that is Edward. If I had to sacrifice myself to let him live just for another day, that is what is hall does then. So I set aside my hatred for this woman and ask the question of all questions.


    "I need your blood?"


    "My blood? Why on earth would you need my blood? And what makes you think that it shall give it up to you?


    "Well, I can always kill you, but it shall be polite and ask."


    "Ha! Sebastian Belmont, be polite; that shall be the day. Now, do humor me and tell me why you should require our blood?"


    "My dear brother has fallen ill, and I need your blood to cure him?"


    "What happened to a Vampire healing himself?


    "It is somewhat complicated."


    She stares me down for a brief moment as she marvels at the idea that a Vampire has come to her for help.


    "So Sebastian, what can a pathetic little man like you give me in return."


    "My dear, I can guarantee you that I am not little."


    Anastasia shoves her arm into my side; it takes me a lot to refrain from moaning out aloud. But all Catarina does is laugh, though this does not stop her from carrying on.


    "Now, if you not that little, why do you have such a big problem?"


    "My dear, can we stop sizing up and tell us if you are willing to help us?"


    "Well, you do know that help does not come freely from here?"


    "I did not expect it any other way."


    I watch as she stews with the decision for but a fraction of a minute, and when she does open her mouth, I am fully expecting her rejection. So I hold my breath in anticipation.


    "I shall help you, Sebastian."


    "And what do you want in return?"


    "That I do not know yet, I shall tell you once we have concluded our business."


    "Trust a mut to refer to a man''s life as business."


    "Oh, but he is not a man; he is a Vampire."


    "Regardless, can we please do this before it is too late?"


    With that, much to my disgust, we leave together for the short trip back to our home. I hope with all my being that I shall find Edward still alive again. But my head cannot run through the bad that could have happened, I know that Edward is a strong man, but even the strong can falter. I do truly hope that it has not been such a moment for him.


    So as we come to a stop, it does not even take me a few seconds, and I find myself racing upstairs to Edward. When I come to face him, I gasp in shock; the visible skin on his body has started to peel away. He is breathing rather heavy, and the agonizing moans that are rolling from his lips only mean one thing, and that is that he is in severe pain. And I realize if there is any way of stopping this, then it has to be now.


    I turn to Catarina with eyes true with desperation and plead with her.


    "Please, Catarina, please can you help him?"


    "I need for everyone to leave the room, and that includes you, Sebastian."


    "I am not leaving his side."


    "Then there is no deal, alone or nothing."


    "Fair well, but I, please beg that you hurry up."


    So with much hesitation, we all step out of the room, leaving Catarina with Edward. Now, I usually shall not trust a mut at all, but I am desperate, so I shall allow it this time around.


    While we are standing outside the door, I can hear her speak, but her words are only a mumble. She must be trying to wake Edward up; I do hope that he shall have the strength to use his fangs. I do not know how this poison affects your bones; if he can not control his fangs, then this has been a futile mission. I have not thought of this; I should have mentioned it before and get her suggestion as to how she shall get him to drink from her. I am sure maybe this mut knows of things that I do not off.


    But what makes me worry is why she asked for us, especially me, to leave the room. There is no secret in how these things take place. Why now does she require privacy? This does make me wonder if I can trust her. Guess it is too late to worry if this mut shall double-cross me. I think she knows that if I catch her in doing so, I shall have no calm ending her furry life.


    Now while we wait for her to get done that she is taking forever to do, I have Gwyneth and Johan coming up to me where I am trying to keep a very close listen to the noises coming from the room. They do seem to have a very worrying look on their faces. They have not been present when Catarina and I arrived. So they are quite puzzled as to why we all are standing outside of the room.


    "Sebastian, what seems to be the matter?"


    "Johan, I have brought one of the Blood Rose Pack to help."


    "Oh god, you did not let that mut close to Edward?"


    "She is in there now. Why is there a problem?"


    Then Gwyneth stands closer and speaks underneath her breath for the fear that someone, I do not know who, though, but she is scared that they shall hear what she has got to say.


    "Sebastian, we found something very troublesome in the poison."


    As she steps even closer, I am shocked to horror at the words coming from her mouth. It only but take me a second before I realize my mistake. I burst through the door and watch where she stands over Edward.


    "Get away from him!"

 Chapter 56 - The Revenge Of A Mut

    The moment Gwyneth said those words, I found myself bursting through the door at such a speed that it completely fell off its hinges. I have never in my life seen one person, well I should say mut, I have never seen a mut so scared in its life. It seems that I have just caught our little werewolf with her hand in the cookie jar. That is if one can refer to a red potion bottle in her hand to such a thing.


    "Step away from him, Catarina!"


    She only but laughs at me with the worst cackle that comes from that beastly mouth. Now what she has in that little bottle is not quite certain, but I believe it is either a cure or a potion that shall worsen the state that Edward already founds himself in. But I am leaning more to the former. Now, if I were not so intrigued if the contents shall save Edward, then I would have ended her pathetic life in an instant. So even though I do not wish to, I approach the situation with the utmost caution.


    "Catarina, I shall spare your useless life if you can explain to me what you are doing? But more importantly, what is in that bottle."


    "Oh, Sebastian, did you truly think that I shall forget that you killed one of mine?"


    "The hybrid is not even one of you; he is a bastard child between two of our kind. How can you refer to such a thing as part of your pack?"


    "Well, since your kind push them away¡­"


    "You feel that you need to show that you are the better kind?"


    "If you wish to say it in such a way."


    And as she gets the most unattractive smirk on her face, I so wish that I can smack the thing off her face. But I still need to proceed with caution; then again, I need to act fast, for Edward''s health seems to be worsening by a far rapid pace than before.


    "So Catarina, why the poison? How did you manage to create such a fatal thing for a Vampire?"


    "Well, that was easy; you take the elements off every single thing that makes a Vampire weak and places them in the worst kind of poison these humans have produced."


    "And I am guessing that is a cure that you possess in your hands?"


    "What is a poison worth if it does not have a cure?"


    "If your blood is the only thing that shall save him, why put it in a little bottle, or are you too scared of a little bite?


    "Our blood is not strong enough on its own to heal his condition, so we added a few healing elements that was so kindly provided by a witch that seems to hold a great deal of hatred towards your kind."


    I do need to admit that she has gone to great lengths in the creation of this poison; what does make me wonder, though, why is she so freely giving it to Edward. There is not one supernatural creature that does a thing does because he felt in doing so. She has some other arterial motive, but what I shall soon find out.


    "Why? Why go to this great deal of trouble then offer a cure?"


    "If I bring you to your knees long enough, this city shall become mine."


    "Ha! You do make me laugh! What makes you think that this city would be yours? You can not even control your pack; how can you control a city and all its supernaturals?"


    "You are starting to annoy me now; I shall give you the cure if you give me what I want."


    "Over my dead body, I shall find a way."


    "He is dying; well, let''s say he is almost dead; it shall be wise for you to give in to my demands.


    I watch as Anastasia steps from behind me to join me by my side. This does spell trouble; I can smell the fury that is building up in her body. She is about to become Catarina''s worst nightmare. Now the question begs, do I wish to stop her from doing so? I need to get to that potion bottle; then my beloved can do what her heart desires with this stupid mut.


    Then as suspected, for I know that my beloved would not have listened even if I ordered her to do so, Anastasia turns into her true form. Now to say that Catarina is not scared beyond death, then that would be a blatant lie. I have just seen a werewolf turn a shade so pale that should she stand against the wall, she shall become one with it. But thank the pope, she has not dropped that bottle yet, though I do fear if Anastasia does continue to approach her in such a way that she might do so unwillingly by the tremors that are taken control of her hands.


    So I hate to order Anastasia, but she needs to back down, only until we have received the cure from Cataria. The question is, how do I do this? Well, the answer is quite simple. See the moment that Gwyneth and Johan became aware of the tiny bit of werewolf DNA that was found in the poison; they prepared for action. See, these furry muts let one of their hair fell in when they mix the deadly thing. Now while we have been trying to talk sense into Catarina, Gwyneth and Johan have gone to Victor, who himself has taken a group of our elite fighters and storm these muts'' home or whatever one calls that trashy building that they live in.


    And as if on perfect cue, Catarina''s phone starts to buzz; she does look at it in an odd way as this is the most inappropriate time. But as she sees who it is, she stares at me with the same fury that is building in Anastasia.


    "What have you done, Sebastian?"


    "Just motivating you to hand me the bottle, my dear."


    "You shall never get it?"


    "Then be prepared for my Vampires to take done whomever they find in their way."


    ¡­Victor¡­


    Catarina has declared war on the Vampires; there is no way that Sebastian will stand down. I am sure that even after the cure is in his hands that he shall still order for these muts to be taken in any way or form. So I find myself with the best of our best standing at the entrance leading to the wolf''s home. And as suspected, they have just become aware of our presence. I am sure this very second that Catarina shall receive a message from her second in command.


    Now, if they shall listen to her to back down and wait for her instruction is yet to be seen. But somehow, I do not see that they shall listen. So five or our best and I are starting to step through the entrance with the full intention to take down whoever stands in our way. I also do believe that there should be more cure held in here. And with that, I give the instruction to attack.


    With one swift kick, the door swings wildly to the inside. We are met by two werewolves that are still in their human form. But when they see our numbers, they morph in an instant. Their brown fur and snarling teeth are not intimidating to our true Vampire form.


    Then the leap towards us. With one swipe of the claw, the one finds him on his side, crying in agony from the cut that my claw has left on his face. With that, another one approaches; I crash my body into him and rip his flesh from his next wide open, he too falls flat on the floor next to his brother.


    But then, as soon as they turn back to their human form, I approach them again. I lift the one by the neck, and with one flick of my hand, I snap his neck. The other one gets on his feet and tries to getaway. I grab him by the arm and slam my fist straight through his chest; without hesitating, I rip his heart out, making him drop like a sack of sand to the floor in an instant.


    Then there is two more approaching; they meet their fate by one of my other Vampire''s hand faster than they are able to transform. There are howls and screams as we start taking whomever of the pack is present in the home. It is a blood bath with mostly the muts losing their lives. Here and there, my own gets scratch but nothing so serious that they meet their death.


    And then, as we clear out the last of the rooms, I send everyone on a hunt for anything that could possibly look like a cure. It does not take very long until we find a dozen potion bottles that are filled with what I believe to be what we are looking for. I immediately send Sebastian a message.


    "We have found it."


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    Victor has just slaughtered the entire Blood Rose Pack; I know there might be consequences, but those I shall deal with as and if they come, but I am now dealing with Catarina. So I turn to Anastasia.


    "My beloved, I wish to be the one to end this."


    She just nods her head and stands down, but not too far out of fear that I shall meet an unfortunate fate. So without even hesitating, I step two steps forward to Catarina.


    "I am afraid you have made a grave mistake."


    "What? Are you going to kill me?"


    "Well, you are the last of your pack left, and as I understand, you stick by each other''s side, so I might as well end your pathetic life as well."


    And then she grows an ounce of remorse for what she has done and tries to beg for her life and, most of all, my forgiveness. Well, what she does not know is there is no such thing as forgiveness when you hurt any one of my family. Should I let her live, then, she shall just find another way to find her revenge. I am afraid I am not the forgiving kind.


    So even before there is a moment for her to react, I have my claw firmly wrapped around her throat. Then I slowly, inch by inch, lift her from the floor, slowly squeezing harder than the fraction than before. I, one by one, harder and harder, tighter and tighter, start to increase my grip around her neck. I hear how she gasps for breath; the less air she has in her lungs, the more she starts to kick at my legs. Finally, I watch as the life drain away from her eyes. I give one last twist of my hand and let her drop to a pile on the floor.


    I immediately grab the potion bottle from her hand and race to Edward; then I slowly drop the contents on his tongue. I have not way how this should be given, so I guess this is the proper way how it is intended. So I drip, and I drip until there is not a single bit left. Then I toss the bottle to the side, where it shatters into pieces. I then gently lay my hand on Edward''s arm. His skin is burning to a fire, and it feels like you have rubbing your hands over a pot of jelly.


    So I sit, and I sit, the anticipation is killing every last bit of hope that I might have left. But I shall not give up. He shall be better in only a few moments. He shall not be leaving us today, not now, not ever. We must have been on time to still have saved him. His body did not look that badly affected. Maybe he is just resting and shall wake up soon. Or maybe the cure takes a bit longer to work. All I know is that Edward shall be okay. I shall not let his life been futile.


    And then, all of a sudden, I hear a moan, and as I look over to him, I can see his face starting to return to normal; the effects from the poison are still visible on the rest of his body, but that shall heal. I am just pleased that he has awakened.


    "Edward, my dear friend, I am so pleased to see you are awake."


    "Who are you?"

 Chapter 57 - Once Upon A Time In A Cave

    I look at Edward with some confusion. Did he just ask me who I am? I do believe I am mistaken. These might be some side effects from the poison. Perhaps I should not have killed Catarina until I have had all the facts. But patience is not in my true nature. So we shall have to navigate this one blindly.


    Now I watch Edward as he somewhat frantically tries to get out of a bed that he is not quite familiar with. True, this is indeed not his room, but he has been in here often enough to know where he finds himself. So I gently lay my hand on his arm to try and calm him from his panic.


    "My dear Edward, please calm yourself; you have only now awakened from a great ordeal."


    He instantly pulls his arm away from my touch; he looks at me with a great deal of anger in his eyes.


    "You have not answered my question. Who are you, and where am I at?"


    "Sebastian, Sebastian Belmont."


    "I do not know who you are. I demand of you to please let me go."


    "This is your home, my dear friend; where shall you go?


    I look at his face as he struggles to find the answers, but he cannot come with one valid explanation as to where I shall be able to go. He has just realized, more than I, that he does not even know who he is. It seems that he has indeed lost his memory. It is somewhat rare but very possible to happen to a Vampire. There must have been an ingredient in the poison that has caused this severe reaction.


    Now we shall need to act soon, for the longer his memories stay away, the bigger the risk that he shall never gain them again. One would think that such a thing would be welcomed, but there are some memories that we do wish to keep with us for eternity. I cannot begin to think of how lonely a man can be if he does not have his memories.


    So it is with great caution that I need to explain to him what should happen next. The thing is that we have created so much bad blood with the witches in Europe that should we require one, we should have to go quite far. But time is not a luxury that we possess; we shall have to take a far greater risk to get the help that we desire.


    But to even to suggest this is going to stir an unfavorable reaction from especially my beloved. We do not have to go into the details of asking whether I have been in a brief encounter with the creature, not quite a creature, but a once human that possess far greater power than I witch.


    Before we even get there, my question to Edward seems somewhat simple, but if he has no knowledge, then that shall be a far bigger problem than we anticipated. So here it goes then.


    "My dear Edward, do you know what you are?"


    "What do you mean? Know what I am?"


    "Yes, are you human, or are you, Vampire?"


    "My god, how can you even ask such a thing. I was not even aware that there is such a thing as a Vampire. Must say then I am relieved that I am human."


    And just as I expected, the man has no idea whom he truly is. Well, there is no question that he is indeed a Vampire, or should I even ask such a thing from him. The man shall topple from this bed if he gets the sight of his own fangs. The thing what can he remember, if at all anything.


    "My dear Edward, what memories can you recollect?"


    "I remember, I remember. I can not recall a thing."


    "Will you allow me to help you? Can I take you to someone that shall be able to help you to get all your memories back again?"


    "Would one want to do such a thing if you can start on a clean slate?"


    "But do you not wish to know who you are? If you have family or if you have love ones?"


    "If I have a family, why do I find myself in the house of a strange man?


    "What if I told you that we are your family?"


    "Well, then I''d say I have a rather peculiar brother and not sure if that beauty is my sister or your wife. But by the way the other woman with the black hair is standing and looking on at me, I would guess that she is indeed my sister and the young boy must be her son."


    I chuckle at him, for he nearly seemed to have gotten it down to the last fact, though he just does not know what a strange combination of a family we truly are. If he only can remember, he will see that he is loved and that we wish nothing but for him to return to his old self.


    But now the biggest question, do I tell I want to take him to a sorcerer. See, I have dangled enough in the weak power of a witch; if I wish to get the results that I desire, I need to take him to the most powerful sorcerer that I can find. And unfortunately, this one does find herself in the deep dark caves that are found in the lush forests. Why does she live in such an odd place, I hear you ask; well, her power is made absolute by the water that trickles from above the ground into her mystical cave. It does somewhat sound like a fairytale; well, in the supernatural world, fairytales are indeed to be found.


    So how do I get a Vampire that believes he is human, that he needs to follow me in a deep forest to go find a creature that shall return his memories back to him.


    "Edward, I need you to trust me. There is only one way that I can return a man such as yourselves memories back to him. Will you allow me to take her to you?"


    "Sebastian, why do you just not wait and let them return by themselves?"


    "I am afraid that if I do not take you there at once, you shall never regain them."


    "Then I shall come with you, but please just do not take me to a Vampire."


    "Oh, you have no idea, my friend."


    And with that, we set off to the woods out in the countryside. Now, if I were a man of nature, I would love the sounds of the birds that are singing their beautiful songs in the tall trees. I shall take in the smell of the wet sand and the scent of the hundreds of spring flowers that are pushing up between the green plants on the forest ground.


    The closer we get to the entrance of her cave, well, usually no man or supernatural shall know the entrance, but I had made this way so many nights when I was looking for a companion. So as we come close to entering the cave, I hear her voice come rumbling from inside; she still holds one of the most beautiful voices that one can find. And before we know it, she is right in front of us, staring me down.


    "Sebastian, now your face is not one I thought I shall ever see again."


    "My dear Aurelia, it is a great pleasure to see you again."


    "Well, I think your pleasure only comes with a favor?"


    "I am afraid so, you see that Edward has come into some trouble."


    She immediately pushes me to the side and walks up to Edward in such a way that makes me wonder. Did she and Edward have an encounter once? That is not something to ponder now, for she whisks him by his arms and leads him inside, leaving us alone outside by ourselves. So with slow, careful steps, we make the way down the pitch dark tunnel.


    I listen as Anastasia squeals and screams.


    "Sebastian! I think a spider just walked over my foot."


    "Oh, my dear, you do not wish to know how big they are."


    "You are not helping!"


    "My beloved, you can be glad that there is not a snake that is crawling up your leg."


    "As I said! You are not helping. Don''t you have a light?"


    "Oh yes, my dear, I walk around with a flashlight wherever I go. Let me quickly find it in my pocket."


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    And from out of nowhere in the dark, I see her fist come flying and punching me square on my arm. The little vixen then walks ahead in front of me, swaying her hips seductively from side to side. She is doing it on absolute purpose; she is going to leave me all worked up and frustrated while I need this darn confused mind the most right now.


    "You shall pay for this, my beloved."


    "You have a better chance than having one of those snakes crawl up your pants."


    Then finally, we find ourselves in a somewhat strange situation; Edward seems to find him engulfed in a kiss with Aurelia.


    "My dear Edward, have you lost your mind?"


    "The woman says that she is my partner."


    "My god! Do you honestly think that you shall be attracted to a woman that lives in a cave?"


    "Well, I did find that quite odd now that you mention it."


    "Can we all just focus on why we are here without playing with snakes and kissing strange women?"


    Aurelia finally lets go of Edward. "You are no fun; I was just about to get him to drop his pants."


    "I really did not need to hear that. Before you all go stark crazy, please tell me if you can help him?"


    "Of course, you know that I can."


    "And please do not tell me you have demands?"


    "Well, if you want to put it that way, there is a little something that I want."


    "Aurelia, that ain''t going to happen."


    "Oh, Sebastian, I do not wish to do it with you again."


    Then if I thought the punch on the arm was painful enough, the slap that makes contact with my right cheek stings like a hundred bees. When my head snaps to the side, I can only see the annoyance on my beloved''s face. But she has read this situation all wrong.


    "My beloved, Aurelia, and I have never had a sexual encounter."


    "Then how did she have you?"


    "I..well..I¡­She used to sing to me."


    I watch as Anastasia nearly chokes on her own breath, and she finds my answer the most amusing thing that she has ever found. I am glad my attempt at normalcy does seem so funny to her. So I did find Aurelia''s voice the most beautiful thing when I found that I needed to get away from the stressful life as a Master. I do see how I am going to be mocked over this fairly often now.


    "I believe we all have had a good laugh, please can we get to the real business at hand?"


    And while I was too busy finding a pocket to shove my head down, I failed to remember how Aurelia gives her power, and that is by a simple kiss. Of course, she knew why we were here before we even said a word.


    So as I turn to Edward that is still laughing on my account, I do feel that I can ram my own fist into that bloody smirk on his face. But that I shall do once I find that we have him back again, and by the look in his eyes, I am not sure if he faking it. Then without hesitation, I am even fearful to ask.


    "Do you remember who I am now?"

 Chapter 58 - The Calm After The Storm

    It is with great anticipation that we await Edward''s answer. We are counting the seconds off to hear his confirmation. So I am standing with somewhat of a building irritation as the man only stands there with on giant smirk on his face. It has either worked, or he is still living the moment of his kiss with Aurelia. And then¡­


    "My dear Sebastian, I have never seen such a concerned look on that face of yours."


    "I beg Edward, tell me what I am?"


    "You are by far the most peculiar Vampire that I have seen in my two-hundred seventy-six years."


    "If I were not so relieved that you are back, I would have slapped that ugly thing off your face. Now let us go home and bless the one that brings me any further news of trouble that requires my attention. I have grown about two-hundred years of age in the past week."


    After we bid our farewell to Aurelia, we make the drive home. Yet, once again, we find ourselves victorious after another battle. I believe we have become quite the team in saving whatever requires the saving. Never have I felt the need to get hands-on, but I do say it does feel somewhat good to accomplish what at the time does seem quite impossible.


    Arriving at home does bring much needed relief; my intention is to retire to my room and not to leave it at least for another day. And I do see the same sentiment on my beloved''s face. But what I also noticed is that cheeky smile that is starting to rise at the corner of her lips. In such a strange time, I become aware of her arousal.


    "My beloved, I do believe that you possess somewhat of a dilemma..."


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    "You shall possess your own dilemma if you wish to continue your sentence."


    So it is in awe as I watch her make elegant strides as she ascends the stairs. She moves every curve to perfect precision, her hips rock from side to side, and it peaks my arousal. I have to fight the desire to pull her back and take her right at this very moment. I can so easily push her petite frame into this very wall that is presenting itself at the perfect timing, and that is exactly what I intend on doing.


    It is as if an animal is awakened inside of me; my only desire is to feel every inch of her bosom pressed into my hard muscled chest. So I push her back into the very wall behind her. She gasps at my bold move and answers me with a soft moan that comes rolling over her lips. She slowly flicks just enough buttons open to slide that glorious fingers under my tight designer shirt. I shiver as she trails the tips over my rippled abs. Then she slips them between the seems of my pants, my body freezes in anticipation.


    I continue to press my leg gently between her own and slight part them; my growing erection is pushing hard into her thighs. My heartbeat is growing faster by the second, my body is burning, and an ever increasing hunger is beginning to devour every part that wishes to please her.


    Then in an instant, my lips come crashing against her soft and sweet ones. It feels like an eternity that they have been locked in a passionate kiss. It has been far beyond long that I have savored every part of her. And it is without hesitation that I slide my hands over her thighs and gently lift her legs and wrap them around my waist. And as I slide my hand further up her perfect curves, I let my fingers slide over the very part that I desire the most at this very moment.


    "My beloved, did you fail to wear such basic necessity as underwear."


    "It is all about easy access, no tell me are you complaining, for I shall go find myself a pair to wear this very moment."


    "Then, I shall find a way to turn down my arousal."


    "Ya, somehow I do not see that happen."


    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    As his face comes down, he lays his lips softly onto my own. His lips are soft, softer than I can remember, but there is a hard desperation behind them, a need. He is clasping my thigh, and as he draws me closer, I arch my body into him; the fire between us twisting and burning, the passion is building, I so want to lose control.


    I move my lips against his; I want more, but more of what I cannot say. He pulls me even closer until there is no space left between trembling bodies; his warm fingers are grasping my waist,


    I am lost in him, I am lost in his kiss, and all my defenses give way


    "Sebastian, we¡­"


    "Ssshhh, Anastasia."


    His lips brush against mine. Not innocently, but like a tease, it is burning hot. He tastes like honey and a bit of vanilla; I can smell his spicy cologne. I want to pull away before I lose myself, but I can''t; I hardly have a moment to react before he presses his tongue to the seam of my lips, and, at my grant of access, he delves inside my mouth. It is like my senses have l been seduced, and I can no longer think straight. He kisses me, fiery, passionate, and demanding.


    "Anastasia."


    He softly whispers my name; I smile, my heart flutters at his voice.


    His touch sends warm ripples of shock through my body, thinning the air in my lungs. His gaze falls down to my lips, parted and full, waiting to be kissed. In slow motion, he bends toward me, closing his eyes to caress my mouth with his own. A weak gasp escapes me. With a fierce hold, he cups the back of my neck and kisses me deeply, gently; he is possessive in his touch. His fingers twine in my hair, desperate to explore.


    And then, all at once, my body melts to his with an answering groan, and he was shocked when her mouth rivaled his with equal demand. Desire licked through him.


    And just then, Edward comes walking past us, "You do know that there is a room for such a thing."


    Sebastian only but laughs and continues to carry me to the room.


    The second we step into the room, he spins around and kicks it shut. I look at him and give him a tiny smile; he knows in an instant that I have other intentions. So he gives completely into my touch as I drive him back into the door with such force that there is a crack. He only but chuckles at me as his lips begin to seek mine, but this is not what I have intended,


    He gently leans in and places his soft lips possessively against mine. Without any warning, he presses through the seams of my lips and delves inside. With fierce and passionate strokes, his tongue entwines with mine. My brain lights on fire, and a warmth spreads throughout my entire body. Even if I do not wish to admit it, I am addicted to this man. I cannot bear not to be with him, and I can barely breathe when he is around.


    This man in front of me will be my death, but it shall be a death I will happily die if it means that I can have him by my side.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    She stands on her tiptoes and reaches for my lips; she only but gives me a peck. Her eager fingers move to my shirt, loosen each button painfully slow. She tips her fingers on my chest and starts running them over every toned muscles, drawing a line through every crevice. She draws my groin into her hips and starts laying tiny butterfly kisses on my skin. She slides my shirt off and drops it to the floor. As I reach to take off her dress, she stops me and moves away.


    "No touching, Sebastian."


    "But my beloved..."


    She places her finger on my lips; as her hands go to the seams of my pants, she moves quickly to unzip me. She grabs onto my ass and digs her nails in while slipping my pants over and to the floor.


    "Sebastian, why don''t you have underwear on?"


    "I think it must have slipped my mind."


    "Do you want to know what else is going to slip?"


    "Not sure, my beloved, but I bet you are going to show me."


    She kisses me softly over my rippled abs; my burning erection even grows more firm. I don''t know how much longer I can play this game, for I am going to burst if I don''t get to have her soon. But, I continue to watch her as she is teasing me. She is so painfully close to where I want her to be. If she can just move one inch down...


    "Oh my god, Anastasia!"


    She grabs the base of my erection, and I swear I nearly die. As she slips the rest of it into her mouth, a loud roar escapes my lips. I brace myself against the door and lean my head back with my eyes closed. She takes her tongue and, agonizing slowly, trace it from the base to the tip. Her tongue swirls around my tip, over and over again.


    My fingers tangle in her hair as she moves in sensual strokes up and down my length. I hear her moan, and she gently sucks, taking me in deeper and deeper with every head nod. I feel the warmth building up in my groin; I am so close to losing control.


    "My beloved, you better stop, or I am going to lose control."


    She continues to work her mouth and lips up and down my shaft. As the tip of my head hits the back of her throat, she starts to speed up. I grab hold of her head and start to moan. My legs grow weak as I get near to explode.


    "Oh god, Anastasia."


    In one last attempt to gain control, I throw my head back with a loud thud against the door. But I can no longer keep it in. With one thunderous roar, I let go.


    She looks at me, shyly from underneath her lashes.


    "So, how did I do?


    I smack her ass as she runs off to jump down onto the bed. I wait a few seconds for my legs to work and go make myself comfortable next to her.


    She might never realize it, but she gave me the biggest gift that anyone can give...hope...Hope for a future with a woman I know I will dearly love. Yes, our road ahead is going to be very bumpy, but alongside it can be overcome. I just want to spend every minute I can with her locked in my arms where she belongs.


    It is like a breath of fresh air has blown through our lives. We are finding each other in so many other ways. I take her face between my hands and look beyond her blue eyes; what lies there is what I am feeling deep in my heart. I have never been so certain about anything in my life before.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes, Sebastian."


    "I love you."

 Chapter 59 - The Truth About Stefan

    It is early morning as I found myself descending the stairs; I am making a very rare appearance in the kitchen for what seems to have been quite a while. And as I turn the corner, I have a very wide-eyed Edward facing me with somewhat of a wicked smile. I do know exactly what is on this man''s mind after last night. My dear beloved did some things that this Vampire has not experienced in his life before, and believe when I say she shall be doing it quite often from now. But first, I need to slap this man for his expression is starting to annoy my eyes.


    "You do know that there is a saying that should the clock strike twelve, that stupid grin shall remain on your face."


    "Well, then I am glad that it is only nine."


    "Always the wisecrack. Tell me, how are you feeling?"


    "Never better; I cannot believe you never kiss Aurelia before."


    "My Edward, there is a very good reason why I never did. Now tell me what lies ahead for us today?"


    "Only a council meeting at ten, and then Lilith feels the need to have one of her get-togethers."


    "Oh, god. We all know how well the last one went. And I guess the boy shall need to be introduced to the rest of our kind."


    "Speaking of which, please be prepared for the Council is intending to address this matter."


    "Well, let us go address this then."


    After a quick kiss goodbye to Anastasia that does not feel the need to get up at present, I make my way to where Edward is waiting. We take a slow drive through the city, passing all the alleys where we had trouble and assessing if there are any more poison cases. Much to our relief, the streets seem to have returned to normal; it is fair to say that we have won yet another battle. Victor did do our kind proud in getting the cure out to all the Vampires and humans that were infected.


    So we find ourselves stopping in front of the Council house. Now, as I have said before, the Master is not immune to the Vampire code, but since the incident with Genevieve, what I say is the rule, there is no need for discussion between the Council Members. That is why Edward''s statement did find me strange, for they should all know that there shall be no point in arguing with me. But out of respect, I shall entertain what their concern is for only but a short while.


    And with that, we find ourselves through the hallways to the very end where we shall find the study. It is only Victor and Drusilla that shall be joining us this morning. So not much worried, I take a seat.


    "Morning, Victor, Drusilla."


    They both but only bow and then take the seats of their own. Drusilla is the first to speak, thanking Victor for his bravery, and by a simple head gesture, I acknowledge him respectively in return. Then Drusilla faces me again, and I am instantly aware that she is about to bring up the matter of the boy.


    "My Master, there is somewhat concern amongst your following that you have turned a child to keep as your own."


    "My dear Drusilla, I do appreciate the concern, but do I need to remind you that I shall do as I see fit and that no one shall take my decisions as wrong?"


    "They say that since you have been with the Ancient Anastasia, there has been more trouble than there ever was before."


    "Well, then I demand their names for no one shall disrespect my beloved and if, in any way, she has only brought these matters to light which have been lying dormant for far too long. You do tell these Vampires that have this problem that they shall come to discuss this with me directly, and then I shall have their heads for doubting Anastasia and their Master. Now is this the only matter that you have called me to here for today?"


    "There is a slight other problem with the boy, which is the reason that the Council is concerned."


    I furrow my brows and start to growl from the depths of my chest. I do not wish to go into this matter any further, and neither do I want to put my authority down on them. But it seems that it has now become required.


    "Drusilla, I do not think I need to advise you that should you wish to remain in that seat, you shall refrain from continuing your sentence. I have had a rather dreadful week, I have only now started relaxing, and you are on a fast pace to upset my mood again,"


    "My Master, I am not questioning your decision; I wish to tell you who the father of the boy is."


    ...Anastasia¡­


    It is a buzz in the Belmont House this morning. I have a frantic Lilith running around in the ballroom, preparing for what I believe is one of her legendary cocktail parties. I do find strange why she calls it by the name, for it is a question of bringing your own meal and then quietly feast on it when you are slightly peckish.


    That is almost how it went with Sebastian and me that very fateful night that I discovered he was a Vampire. I can now honestly say that I would not change my decision to come back that evening; yes, he could have turned in a far greater way. But yet here I find myself as the lady of the Belmont House, even though it is a title that Lilith has held for years before my arrival. But I do believe her priorities have shifted once little Stefan came into her life, and then there is her companion Victor. Even though she shall never admit it to anyone, she holds a great affection for him. And I can say that she might even be considering settling with him and the boy.


    So it is with much amusement as I watch little Stefan running after Lilith. The boy is indeed a small miracle; I think he has made all of us see life in a far brighter light than a Vampire would normally do.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    Now, if I was not in a bad mood before, I have just grown somewhat irritated. Between all my Council Members, Victor and Drusilla are the most loyal and trusted. The disrespect that she is showing me now shall leave me with no option but to strip her from her Council duties, and should she go even further, I shall seek my punishment in any other way that I see fit.


    "Drusilla, I have had quite enough; you shall leave this house at once,"


    "But my Master, the boy¡­"


    "I said, get out!"


    "But¡­"


    "Now, Drusilla! Get out!"


    She scurries to get her belongings together and hurries out the door before my full wrath comes down on her. I feel as the anger starts to burn white under my skin; the rage has consumed my being. Edward that has been watching my frustration, hands me a glass filled with whiskey. Even though we as Vampires do not entertain ourselves by drinking, it does have the same effect it has on a human. So after tossing it to the back of my throat, I breathe out a sigh of relief even though relief is not what I am feeling.


    Then much to my horror, Victor starts speaking, and if I thought that he had something different to discuss, then I am sadly mistaken.


    "Sebastian, my Master, I beg that you do listen to what I have to say."


    "You have a minute Victor then I shall be leaving."


    "The boy, his father¡­"


    "His father is dead."


    "I am afraid the man you found him in the alley was only a guardian; the boy''s father is still very alive."


    I look at Victor, somewhat puzzled. Have we gone and taken a boy from his true family? But why is he lurking in an alley with a man other than his father?


    "Do you know who his father is?"


    "Yes, we do, and you are not going to like it?"


    "Oh god, let me hear it."


    I watch as Victor composes himself for a moment. I find it strange that he shall hesitate to tell me which human this boy belonged to. There is no mortal man that I fear, nor shall there ever be.


    "Victor, I am growing older; who is the boy''s father?"


    "Lucius."


    "Lucius as in Lucius?"


    "Yes, I fear that Lucius."


    "How is that possible?"


    I do not even wait for his answer, I hysterically start laughing, and Edward is right behind me as he joins in. Now I do feel bad for kicking poor Drusilla out when she was only trying to warn me. This is indeed a dilemma; should Lucius discover that it is me that has his child, well, then I do believe I will find myself extinct.


    "Victor, does he know where his child is?"


    "No, not yet; he is yet to discover that the guardian was killed by an Ancient."


    "Oh, and he is so going to love that idea. Now tell me, does anyone else but this room know about this?"


    "The secret is kept between these walls. But I must warn you that he shall find out what happened to the guardian, and then he will find himself on your doorstep."


    "Then that shall be the highlight of my day. Now I shall come up with a solution which is best for Lilith and the boy."


    "Lilith?"


    "My dear Victor, has she not told you? She is his maker."


    There is a wave of horror that creeps over Victor''s face, for he knows in an instant that his love, Lilith, might be in danger. He holds a far bigger affection for her than he shall ever admit. I fear that he shall do anything for her, and that includes facing a man like Lucius. And as he speaks next, I nearly begs.


    "Sebastian, please, please send Lilith and the boy away until we have been able to resolve this."


    "Victor, you of all should know that Lilith shall not listen."


    "Then at least let me take stay with her until then."


    "You are very welcome in the Belmont House. In fact, your love is organizing a little get together again. So do please come early."


    After making arrangements to discuss this later once Victor has arrived at our home, we say our goodbyes. And once we are in the car, Edward turns and looks at me strangely rather concerned.


    "Sebastian, this poses as a big problem."


    "My dear Edward, big is even a small word to describe it."


    With that, we decide to keep this between ourselves until we have come up with the best solution on how to resolve our rather big problem, which I must honestly say seem near to impossible at the moment.


    Once we finally step through the door, we put on our best fake happy faces as not to alarm the ladies. We find them standing inside the ballroom, rather out of breath; little Stefan is happily running around in circles, chasing a rather annoying puppy that Edward got him from the store this morning.


    I watch as Lilith looks at him with the loving eyes of a mother. I cannot take this child away from her; I shall not cause her that pain. We shall enjoy this evening, and then we will reveal all to her.


    "So, my dear Lilith, are you ready for this."


    "Oh, Sebastian, you do know that is a silly question. And yes, I am rather excited for everyone to meet Stefan. He, himself, is looking forward to, as he calls it, meet all his aunts and uncles. Now, if you shall excuse us, we need to go and change for the guests will be arriving soon."


    With that, she makes her leave, and Stefan is right behind her. Then as she said, the first of the guest rings the buzzer. Anastasia whisks off to go and greet them. But she does not seem to return with someone; it strikes me rather peculiar.


    "My beloved, who was at the door?"


    "There is a man looking for you."


    "And he might be?"


    "Lucius."

 Chapter 60 - The King Of The Underworld

    I was hoping that I would not face this man so soon, but I fear that I would not be afforded such a luxury. I do not find myself fearing any creature, but this is the only one you shall find to be stronger than a Vampire. Now years ago, we did not sit around the same table, then Lucius stepped in and created some sort of civilness between ourselves. Since then, our worlds did not cross into each other, that is until today.


    Now the story does go, Lucius was in love with a mortal woman, then one night she met her fate by the hand of another mortal. This woman had a son, not that of Lucius, but he vowed to her that he should raise him as his own, and so he has been doing ever since.


    This does explain why the guardian was taking the alleyways, for many who wish to seek revenge would not hesitate to cut Lucius where it hurts the most. So this does put us in a somewhat troublesome situation. We are about to experience the full wrath of the King of the Underworld coming down onto us.


    So with somewhat large strides, I make my way to the door to greet our guest of honor; one wrong step and my life shall be ended. And as I turn the corner, I am reminded why he is widely feared. So I put on my best attempt forward to hide my fear, but I am afraid to say he has most probably already got wind of it.


    "Dear Lucius, what a pleasant surprise, to what do we owe this honor?"


    "Sebastian, please do not insult me; you are fully aware of why I am here."


    "I am afraid I do not have an idea. Do you wish to step inside?"


    "Just give up the boy, and I will be on my way."


    Now, do I even dare to pretend that the boy is not upstairs with Lilith, though that is not the problem? Should Lucius sense the boy is a Vampire, then I know he surely would end all the lives of the Vampires present. It does only leave me with an option, and that shall force me to be honest.


    "Lucius, I insist that you step in for a moment; there is a matter we need to discuss with regards to the boy."


    "I do need to warn you, Sebastian, if harm has come to the boy, then I shall have no calm in ripping your head off."


    I swallow hard at the mention of his words; I have seen what Lucius has done to one of his own. I can only imagine myself to horror thinking of the way he shall treat a Vampire. I do believe that he shall not only rip your head to shreds, but he shall drive your heart straight out of your chest.


    Lucius has not always been the King of the Under World; he came to a head in a battle with the former King. Lucius''s kind has no problem in ending the lives of their own, but they spawn back just as quick as they seem to perish.


    Now can I convince this man to see that we were left with no other option but to turn the boy? There was just not enough time. There would have been no way for him to save the boy''s life by the time we reached him; I do believe that he shall see it this way.


    So as he agrees to step inside for a few moments, I send Anastasia upstairs to ask Lilith to remain there until I have spoken to Lucius. And as I seat him in the common room, I prepare myself for what would be the worst news I shall give in all my Vampire years.


    "My dear Lucius, I am sure that you are aware of how the life of the boy''s guardian ended?"


    "Yes, I am aware that you have a bunch of Ancients roaming the city. If it were not for the treaty, I would have ended them myself; they are nothing but a menace. I trust that you have got control of them again?"


    "I assure you they fully know their place. Now that is not my problem, well, you see¡­"


    How on this dear earth do I tell a man that his child has been turned into a Vampire. I have never once come to battle with a demon, but I think I am pretty much close to it at the present moment.


    "Lucius, the boy was injured by the Ancient."


    "Do you wish to tell me that he is dead?"


    "Well, not completely dead."


    "Sebastian, I am warning you, what have you done to the child? If he has become some vessel to feed from, I do not give a damn over a treaty. I shall serve your head for dinner."


    "Well, that is not quite the way I imagined I would finally end one day, not to mention my flesh being ripped from my body."


    "You make us sound like a bunch of animals."


    "I do wish to reserve my comments."


    Well, he does not seem to find that quite as amusing as I do. But I do think I can not stall this any longer. And how do I even dare to say it, just throw it out there and see how it grabs at is attention?


    "The boy has been turned."


    "You¡­did¡­what?"


    I hear as his voice roars throughout the room and further down the corridors; the deafening sound even causes the windows to vibrate in their very frames. I watch as the fury consumes his eyes, they are burning red hot and is near sizzling to boil over. In only mere seconds, he turns into his ghastly form. The heat radiates from his body, a body that is burning at a fire that is melting his skin. There is no resembles of a man left, but only pure horror.


    So it is with easy steps that he comes towards me; I can safely say that my own dead heart has come to a stop. I know if he only but lays his hands on my skin, it shall be burned to the bone in an instant. Now, if it really did make a difference, I rise to my feet to stand as much ground as I can gather. And from where I am standing, with the fury that is taken hold of him, there is not much standing that I can do at present.


    But as Edward shall do now and always, he comes to stand next to me. I am afraid to say that even two of us won''t be able to take down the King of the Underworld. Perhaps three, or am I being a slight bit optimistic. And that is exactly what happens; next to join my side is Anastasia. Now I do hope she realizes that this is not the perfect moment to turn Ancient. Then again she never seems to listen.


    Now this three against one might seem like a battle that is unfair but should you watch this man that has muscles bulging in places that are not even humanly possible; you can surely claim it to be fair in more ways than the other.


    This makes him only but laugh, with a rumble that sets chills to my skin.


    "Sebastian, give me the boy."


    "Lucius, you know that he shall never survive between your kind. They shall rip him to pieces the instant the moment presented itself."


    "No one shall dare to defy me."


    "Do I need to remind you how it was that you came to power? Not even to mention the war that was raging amongst yourselves?


    "And I assume that you shall look after the boy different?"


    His question does seem to bring me somewhat irritation. How can he even suggest that my kind shall think of defying their Master? The idea of hurting the boy shall not even come to the mind of a single Vampire. I guess in one way that we shall be compared to the other; we shall end the lives of those that shall bring harm to the boy.


    But this is not how he sees the situation.


    "Sebastian, your dear Council shall not allow such a thing to happen. When last did you turn a child?"


    He waits for me to answer; he knows that we have not done so in hundreds of hundreds of years. And yes, it is true that the Council should never allow it, but that is before I have changed the power that they possess. I can safely say that Lucius does not know of this.


    "Lucius, I am afraid to say that the Council does not have the ruling power that they used to possess. There shall be no way that any Vampire shall oppose my decisions."


    "I do not care, Sebastian; I want the boy."


    "He is better left with us; of course, you shall be free to see him whenever you please."


    "The child is mine; I shall provide for him the way a Vampire will."


    And as I am starting getting annoyed with his stubbornness, he does come even closer to me. Then without any warning, he grabs a hold of my arm. The pain of hundreds of razors slashing at my skin sends a tang through my body. And shortly after, the smell of burning skin fills the air. I watch as each layer by layer starts to burn rapidly off me.


    This does infuriate Anastasia; she immediately turns into her Ancient form; with one claw to the chest, she catches Lucius off guard, and he stumbles back a few inches. Once he has gained his ground, he steps forward once again, but this time towards Anastasia.


    "Well, I guess that prophecy is true after all. Guess we have a girl fighting the big Sebastian''s battles. Now give me the boy, and I shall spare all your lives."


    But as Anastasia goes to raise her hand, he grabs onto it firmly, and I hear her growl from the stinging heat. She continues to claw at him, but he only holds her at bay by an only simple lift of his hand. And as I hear my beloved plead, it sets my own fury ablaze.


    "Let me go you damn monster! Let me go!"


    "Give me the boy, and I shall be gone."


    Then Anastasia dares to answer. "You are never getting him."


    Julius grips her by the neck and slowly raises her from her feet. You can hear it sizzles as he clamps his hands firmly around. But if I think that my own pleas would make a difference, I am sadly mistaken. The more I beg, the more firmer he closes his hand around her throat. I watch him as he laughs from the deepest parts of his chest. My beloved''s porcelain skin is becoming a melted red mess of flesh.


    But then, from behind Julius, comes the voice that has caused all this outrage.


    "Dad, let the lady go!"


    Lucius swings around and faces the boy, but the minute he senses that he is a Vampire, his excitement drops.


    "What have you done to my child?"


    But this time, it is not fury that consumes him but sadness. He then turns to me and almost with pleading eyes.


    "Please let me take the boy, and I will make sure that he is safe and he feeds."


    "Lucius, the boy needs the guide of a Vampire."


    "Sebastian, the boy needs his father."


    Then at that very moment, to the heartbreak of us all, he latches himself onto Lucius'' leg. And if I say that it does not strike a heartstring at all in the room, it would be a complete and utter lie.


    But then I hear the most horrific words being spoken.


    "I will go with him."

 Chapter 61 - Entering The Belly Of The Beast

    A part of me is questioning if I truly did hear the words that were coming from a direction behind me. If there are ever the most terrifying words that have been spoken, then I am sure those will fit comfortably amongst them. I do wish that she did not say what has been spoken, for I see Lucius with the utmost expression of joy on that godawful face of his.


    This shall not happen, I shall not allow her to do this to save the boy, but in saying so, I know that she has grown fond of the child, it shall not be so easy to let go of him. And there is no way that Sebastian Belmont shall make a deal with a demon. I do not wish to sell one of the things that are dear to me.


    And as I turn to face her, I can see the pained expression on her face.


    "My dear Lilith, I shall not allow you to do this."


    "Sebastian, the boy needs a Vampire to guide him."


    "Then we shall find another, but I am not sending you deep into the belly of a known enemy. What shall stop them from killing you the moment you set your feet on their territory?"


    Then Lucius, who has now returned to his human form, tries to convince me of what I believe is nothing but a bunch of lies.


    "I shall ensure that Lilith is kept safe; no harm shall come to her."


    "Forgive me if I sound somewhat skeptical, Lucius, but you are one of the creatures that are driven by nothing but lies. What makes you think that I shall listen to a word that you say?"


    "My child needs the assistance of a Vampire, and which better one than the one that is his Maker."


    "I shall not allow this; we shall find you one that will fit the same purpose as Lilith."


    I watch as Lucius becomes increasingly frustrated, he has a better chance of burning in hell than he shall have in taking Lilith with him.


    So with that, he takes the boy by the hand and starts to take his leave. And as my gaze makes contact with those of Lilith, I can see the most profound sadness find its way to every corner of her face. I cannot, and I will not let this happen; Lilith shall not sacrifice herself like this. I ultimately believe that this should be a decision made by the boy. One can only imagine the terror that he has to face every day he finds himself there. So with not even considering Lucius''s opinion, I bend down to speak to the boy.


    "Stefan, where, with who do you wish to stay?"


    It only takes a few moments of hesitation, and with clear resolve, he looks up to his father, "I want to stay with Lilith."


    And if Lucius was not infuriated before, he has found a newfound urgency to rip every Vampire in this room apart. It is clear that the boy has not only defied his wishes but he has disobeyed him. But it shall not be the boy he directs his anger towards, but to Lilith instead.


    "You are a witch; you have deceived my child to believe that he shall get the comfort of a mother that he so desperately seeks."


    The accusation sets a spark of rage from Lilith as she steps closer to him.


    "The child does not need a father that feast on the flesh of others."


    "Oh, but he does deserve to witness your kind slowly draining the very thing that gives a human its life."


    "Well, Lucius, sorry to be the one to make you aware, but that is what your son shall be doing. So does that make him less than a Vampire?"


    "You shall listen¡­"


    I immediately cut his words before they are spoken, "You have not the authority in this house, now you have far overstayed your welcome, I insist that you leave."


    "Not without the boy."


    "The boy made it clear that he wishes to stay here, now I shall not request from you again. My beloved has not killed something for a day, and I am sure she is burning to."


    But much to our horror, he picks the boy up and makes his leave. I watch as Lilith is ripped into reality, her face has gone somewhat paler and words elude her, and under her breath, I hear her utter but one word.


    "No."


    ¡­Lilith...


    I am witnessing how this monster is taking from me the one and very own thing that I have grown to care for a great deal. Not only is he taking a part of my being, he is robbing me of what I have desired for so many years, not only as a human but as an immortal. The day that Sebastian came across my torn body at the hands of a wolf, I knew then that I should never become a mother. I was with child when the monster was slicing at my skin, and as one, unfortunately, does as a Vampire, your body dies and therewith everything that it carries. Sebastian did try his utmost best effort to save my unborn baby, but he was far too young to take from my womb. I do know that until this day, he carries somewhat enormous guilt on his shoulders. In a way, I do understand why he has asked me to turn the boy.


    Now this man is breaking a heart that has, for a brief moment, experienced such a magnificent thing. I understand the turmoil that Anastasia has to suffer from the raging emotions in her heart every time she is faced with a trying moment. She seems to have become somewhat immune, but is this a feeling that I wish to push to the side and leave forgotten? I am afraid that it shall not happen.


    I know what I shall do, but first, I need to pretend that this is leaving me unaffected. And what better way to fool Sebastian then to move my focus and this now dreadful party which seems empty without the presence of Stefan.


    And with a fake smile on my face, I turn to Sebastian and Edward.


    "I guess this party must go on, now get yourselves ready for the guests shall soon be arriving."


    With that, I make my way into the ballroom, and soon I am joined by Victor. He immediately sees through my fa?ade and gently pulls me into his arms. Now Vampires rarely show such affection, but the only man I can ever see myself settling my Vampire years with is this man whose embrace I find my comfort in.


    "My dear Lilith, we shall find a way to bring the boy back home."


    "Victor, there is no way to reason with the man; he is beyond what one can call stubborn. And let us not forget is a pure monster."


    "All monsters have their weakness. There shall be a way to convince this man of what shall be best for the boy."


    "Has he not broken the treaty by taking one of ours?"


    "I am afraid the way it shall seem is that we have taken the boy in the first instance. Since the Supernatural Council was dissolved, we had to live by these simple rules."


    "Well, I say these rules are a bunch of hogwash; the boy deserves the right to choose where he wants to be."


    Pushing that to the back of my mind, I do not discuss the matter with Victor any further, for if I do, he shall learn of my plan. A plan that shall stew in my head while I entertain these guests I no longer wish to be here. And between moving from Vampire to Vampire, entertaining their useless conversations, I notice that Sebastian is studying me closely. I smile and wave as he frowns at me curiously; he might be suspecting something.


    After doing all my chores expected from the host, I excuse myself to go up to my room with the pretense to collect something. The minute I step inside, I dress into something more comfortable, and as I did in my early Vampire years, I step outside the window and climb onto the branch of a nearby tree. I chuckle at myself as all the memories come flooding back of Sebastian''s times has caught me sneaking away into the night for hours on end.


    I soon find myself leaving the grounds unnoticed, and in absolute haste, I make my way down the street. Now I wish that I did make this trip by car, for there is a slight drizzle tickling like feathers on my skin. But that is the least of my problems; I have only one thing a wish to achieve, and not the slightest of bad weather will stop me.


    And as I make my way through the city with rather hasty steps, my mind keeps traveling back to Stefan. The one thing that I am already missing is that sweet laughter, he is untouched, and even though he has seen the horrors of the Underworld, he remains innocent. His youth brings a breath of fresh air to my lungs, and I have noticed in his eyes that he has found in me the very thing that he has been lacking.


    So in what seems like forever, I find myself where I exactly want to be. And it is with no hesitation that I slide the steel gates open. I cringe as they make a high pitched noise as they scratch against the cement floor. But this does not stop me from entering and find the first corridor that shall lead me to the center.


    As I enter, the stench of rotten flesh attacks my senses. The walls are wet to the touch; they are covered with the blood of the humans that have been slaughtered inside here. But this shall not stop me; I have seen Vampire gatherings that have been far worse than this. It will take a great deal more to frighten me, I might seem like a gentle woman, but I served for years in the Vampire army when the great war was threatening to cross our borders.


    And as I am starting to get closer, I hear the ghastly sounds of so many that are feeding; then there is the cackle that sends chills to my spine. For a brief moment, I think how foolish I was to come here, but then the thoughts of Stefan enter my mind, and I know I am exactly where I want to be.


    I then find myself slipping unnoticed around the corner, and I am horrified by what I see. There is a pit filled with humans, some dead and ones very much alive. The ungodly creatures are pulling them one by one and devouring every part of their skin. But what is the worst is seeing so many of them in their true form. The heat that they are radiating is so hot that I can feel it burning my skin. This does look like hell has come to earth. To think that this place even exists sickens me, and they wish to call us the monsters. It is pure chaos and horror, but I need to make peace with where I find myself; there is no way the sight of this shall make me go back on the one thing I desire.


    So I take a deep breath before entering into the belly; my presence shall soon become noticed. Then the question begs, what shall they do to me? After all, I have crossed into their territory without permission, and they might perceive my intentions as sinister.


    Then I step forward, and in an instant, I hear a voice rumble behind me.


    "I was wondering when you would come."

 Chapter 62 - A Declaration Of War

    It has been over an hour that Lilith excused herself to her room; it is unlike her to even step away from a party. I guess she is still shaken from the incident with the boy, which is entirely understandable; she grew very close to him in only but a few days. I could see the pain that was hiding behind those deep blue eyes. She always wanted to be a mother; in fact, she would have been if it was not for that wolf that attacked her and took the life of her baby. I am yet to forgive myself for not being able to save him, which I can safely say will not happen. As a Vampire, we should not feel remorse, especially for lives that are being taken, and neither shall we take the life of a child. Thus it is why it infuriates me that a mut could have done such a thing. Unfortunately, until this day, I have not caught the disgusting beast.


    So I shall give her the space that she needs. Her longing to have the boy shall remain for some time to come. But as I say this, I do hope she realizes that this is not resolved; there shall be no way that I allow Lucius to get away with taking one of my kind. I shall get the boy back, no matter what it takes. If I need to kill the King of the Underworld, then so be it. He does not enter my home, threaten my family, and then take the boy away from his mother.


    I shall give Lilith the time to be at peace tonight, but tomorrow we shall plan how we will get the boy back. And that, unfortunately, leaves me to entertain a whole bunch of Vampires, who I am afraid I can not even remember half of their names. So I make my way deep into the crowd with my beloved by my side and do the thing I hate the most, as they call it, making small talk. Well, I can officially say by the third Vampire couple that I am completely failing at it, which makes their departure the most welcome event of the evening. I do hope that these shall become less frequent once we have the boy back, as Lilith can shift her focus elsewhere instead.


    But her absence does have one Vampire deeply worried, for Victor has now come to express his concern about Lilith.


    "Sebastian, I am afraid that Lilith has been gone for far too long."


    "My dear Victor, I think we need to give her the space that she needs."


    "It troubles me that she did not mention a thing, the Lilith that I know would have made her anger known. The thing is, she never once expressed that she is broken by not having the boy present. It is not so much what she said that concerned me but what she did not say instead. I beg, please could you send for Anastasia to check on her."


    "If it shall put you at ease, Anastasia, she does this at once."


    With that, I send Anastasia upstairs to check on Lilith


    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    My heart does bleed for Lilith; the poor woman had her heart set on being a mother to young Stefan. The bond she created was, and I even dare to say, it is far stronger than Sebastian and me. Sebastian has told me about the very unfortunate incident with her own child. I can''t even begin to imagine how important this must have been for her.


    Then for someone as that ungodly Lucius to come into our home and taking one of our own. Can the man not see that if it was not for Lilith turning Stefan, that he would have perished. And as I understand it, the Underworld is not one of the best placed to live, and even far worse, a place for a child to be. I do hope that in all my Vampire years, I would not have to see it.


    So as I approach her room, I softly knock on the door waiting for her to answer, but there is only silence. I wait for a few seconds, then I knock again, but yet there is no answer. So I announce myself.


    "Lilith, may I enter?"


    But as I get no reply, I enter the room only to find it empty. As I scan the room, all I can see that appears out of place is an open window.


    I immediately rush downstairs to make Sebastian aware of my discovery.


    "Sebastian, she is not in her room."


    "Have you checked elsewhere in the house?"


    "No, but her window is open."


    "Oh, god."


    ¡­Victor¡­


    I know exactly what an open window means. In the early years of Lilith''s Vampire years, she used to sneak away from her room often to meet up with me at the local park. She did stop this after a while once she made our relationship known to Sebastian. Now has she done this once again?


    But it is not so much the fact that he has slipped away again, for I know she is not seeing another man; what does frighten me is where I think she might have gone. And even worse if she is already there. I do hope she sees that Lucius cannot be trusted; not a single word that leaves his mouth is the truth. It is, after all, his nature to deceive and lie to get what he needs.


    So absolutely shaken to horror, I turn to Sebastian.


    "Sebastian, you do know what this means?"


    "I am afraid so Victor, she has snuck outside, and I somehow don''t expect it to be with another."


    "Does she know where to find the entrance?"


    "I am afraid that she does."


    "And we have no idea how far she has gotten, but taken that she has been gone for an hour, I think we can all agree that she is already in the belly of the beast."


    And the mere thought of that sends a chill down my spine; I have always said that I shall do anything for Lilith, and I think that the time has now come. If it means that I shall need to kill the King of the Underworld, then so be it.


    Without even further hesitating, I turn to both Edward and Sebastian.


    "I am going after her. Are you with me?"


    ¡­Lilith¡­


    If I thought I could get to Stefan without this monster knowing, then I would have been sadly mistaken. I am aware that I will not be leaving here, not now and most certainly forever. I want to be a mother to the boy, which shall, unfortunately, be the only place that I can be. So I have come to my resolve that this is where I shall spend the rest of my years, which means an eternity in the pit of hell.


    So as Lucius stares down on me, for a brief moment, I think that I have just made a grave mistake, but as I see Stefan sitting in the distance happily playing with some of the toys that Edward bought him, I am convinced that I have made the right choice. But that does not change the fact that Lucius is scaring me beyond the terror of seven horrors. Though it becomes quite clear very quickly that he sees my presence as an opportunity for his own sadistic needs.


    And with that thought lingering in the back of my head, he steps one step closer and slowly drives my body back into the wall that has so conveniently presented itself. I can feel the heat radiate from his body, but it is not the heat of the pit; he has a deep desire that I can feel slowly building up inside him.


    Then he runs his hands softly over my shoulder, twisting his fingers in the straps of my dress. There is a deep growl rising from his chest. Then he moves further down over the curves of my body, where they come to rest around the small of my back. He pushes his groin deep into me; I feel my body tremble as his semi-erect length press into my thighs.


    Then he runs the edges of his lips softly against her cheek. I softly whimper his name. He runs his warm, hot breath slowly over my soft cheek to my deep red velvety lips. His lips are but an inch away from touching mine.


    "You are mine now, Lilith."


    He moves but a breath closer until we touch.


    Lucius'' intention is clear, I shall not only be a mother to the boy, but I shall be here to satisfy his every need.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    I wish that Lilith had come and spoken to me; she would have known that I won''t let Lucius get away with the boy. Now she has gone off and try to get him by herself, but that is not what I fear; I do think that she might be offering herself to be with the boy. And as I know Lucius, he shall get what he desires, in any way he wants.


    Now we can not just walk in there and demand both of them back. Should we even consider this, we shall only be taken down in an instant. I am afraid that four Vampires shall not be able to overpower what I could safely say could be more than over a dozen of his. But I should now consider my options very carefully for my next decision shall determine if we start a war again.


    So I look over to Edward and Victor.


    "This is my suggestion; now, please, I beg, let me know if I am being drastic and hasty."


    They both only nod while Anastasia raises her brow slightly; well, I myself do not even believe what I shall say.


    "Regroup the Vampire army; it is the only chance we have to take them on."


    The room, as expected, goes even more dead quiet than before. Well, this was the reaction I was expecting, but the question begs, do I even care for what their answer would be? I need to act, and I need to act soon; I fear for what this monster would do to my sweet Lilith. There are some horrors you never return from, and this is one of them. No matter how charming the Kind of the Underworld can be, you do not wish to find yourself in his bed.


    So I wait for a few moments longer, and after several minutes in silence, finally, speak again.


    "Your silence makes me believe that you are not in agreement with my suggestion. But let me pose you with this problem, not one of us four shall make it out there alive. With the army, we have a far better chance, yes we might lose some brothers and sisters, but we live by a code where we shall always protect each other. Now Lilith and the boy are in danger; we need to get them from there before that demon touches her skin."


    The mere thought of the image awakens a beast inside of Victor.


    "I will call for their gathering immediately."


    But with that, he goes silent, for he knows what needs to come next.


    "Sebastian, you shall need to lead them because¡­"


    "Yes, my dear Victor, I am aware the leader is the one that needs to be saved."

 Chapter 63 - The Land Of The Dead

    It was the year 1781; there was a war raging between Vampires. It was the battle for the claim of the North, the North which was under my rule. So the Vampire that ruled the South decided that he shall attempt to overthrow my power and take over as Master. Now I could have told him from the start that such an attempt shall be futile, but yet he pushed forward. There was absolute carnage as the South crossed into our borders. Now in those years, you did not get the class of Vampire you get these days. They were utterly ruthless; there was nothing they would not do. It sickened me to see what my kind was capable of.


    To gain control over my territory, I created the Vampire Army, the best men and women that came from all classes of our kind. At first, they were merely there to hold these Vampires at bay, but as things started to spin out of control, they were faced with the task of ending the lives of so many of their own. Now, these soldiers were tough and determined; if it meant that they could see the light of another day, they would do what I tasked them. It was a difficult decision to come to at the time, but after a battle that lasted for days and days, I did not only remain steadfast in my place as Master of the North, but I came to rule the South.


    For years I kept the army running at its full force, saving us from countless attacks from the werewolves and every other creature that came in their masses and threatened to take what is ours. But as years went by, it became clear that we are a force to be reckoned with. So with many years of peace behind us, I decided to dissolve the Army. I can safely say that we have not had any reason to call upon them again, until now


    But in saying this, these men and women do not know which enemy we shall go up against. As they say, this is a suicide mission. Now the question begs, is it worth sacrificing the lives of many for the lives of only two? Well, this is my decision, and if I am making it for my own selfish reasons, then so be it; it shall not let Lilith perish in that pit of hell.


    And what my dear beloved does not know, for she was not paying attention when Edward spoke, I shall need to lead the Army. Lilith is their rightful leader, but she shall be the one that we are saving, and thus in itself should give her loyal soldiers the reason to push ahead.


    So without sugarcoating it, I turn to Anastasia; she looks from underneath her fluttering eyelashes as she has no idea what is happening.


    "My beloved, we are leading the army into Lucius'' pit. I am afraid that I shall need to be their commander."


    "What? What do you mean to lead an army? Have you all gone crazy? Just go get her back."


    "I am afraid it does not work like that when it comes to Lucius; he has by now claimed her for himself."


    "Define claim?"


    "I am afraid it does have many meanings."


    "Don''t you men know how just to ask?"


    I softly chuckle as her, yes somewhat inappropriate, and she does share the same sentiment as she crashes her fist rather fiercely into my shoulder.


    "Well, let us go fetch her then, and I warn you, Sebastian, do not even think of telling me that I cannot come with."


    I then turn to Edward, "Give Victor word to meet us out by the old park, the one near the entrance."


    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    I do believe stupidity is the first word that comes to mind, but stupidy and the instinct of a mother is so far from the same. I am driven here to save Stefan; what is stupid is that I thought that Lucius would keep his hands to himself. Well, thank god one of those ugly creatures needed his presence somewhere else, for I was just about to become his first Vampire; well, I do not believe he has had a sexual relationship with a Vampire before as not one of my kind will indulge in his sick pleasures.


    So I finally get to what I came here in the first place, and as I see the light spring to life in his blue eyes, I know for certain that I did not in any way make a mistake.


    "Stefan, are you okay? He did not hurt you, did he?"


    "Oh no, mom, dad will never hurt me. He does not even allow those ugly creatures down there to come close to me."


    "Is that true? I would think that he would leave you with them if he needs to go elsewhere."


    "No, he gets some girl to do it; I think he calls her Babysitter."


    I cannot help but laugh at how innocent the boy is, "Well, Stefan, from now on, I will be here with you."


    "But why does dad not let us go home."


    "Stefan, I am afraid your dad is not going to allow it."


    "But then will you be fine living here."


    "As long as I can stay with you, then I will stay here."


    But I do not truly mean those words; I wish that Sebastian shall come for us soon. I know there is no way that he shall be able to stand up to Lucius, but I know him very well to know that he shall not give up without at least trying something.


    ...Sebastian POV¡­


    Now, if this was 1781, then we should be making the trip to his lair by horse; it would have indeed been quite a spectacle if we did make this one in true battle style. But my dear beloved did not find the suggestion quite as amusing. I do wish these two will just be a bit more optimistic; I have all faith that we shall win this battle. I do know that this man is stronger than us all combined, but one thing he lacks is something we have a lot amongst ourselves. Our brains are not as dense as his one track mind; the man only thinks of satisfying his need to feed and his need for sex. Well, that does sound somewhat like me.


    But all silliness aside, we have just come up to the old deserted park. Now, if it was not scary before, well, it has only grown terrifying. To the unknown eye, we would be seen as a cult convening in a deserted park, but in fact, we are thirty Vampires all dressed in black. Now, if this is not worth taking your legs and run the other way, then you must be just as dead.


    And as I stand upon a rock to face the Army, I do feel some sort of achievement and a sense of closeness, that all these men and women have come to save in their own.


    "My fellow brothers and sisters, I have a few words to say before we go into this blindly. Kill them all!"


    With that, there is a cheer and apparent fear that this might be the last breath for some, but it shall be a breath they will gladly take.


    So taking the lead, I swing the steel gate open with ease; this was put here with the very purpose of keeping them in, but that purpose has obviously failed.


    Then I take the very first step into the tunnel, "Oh my god!" the stench of dry blood hits my senses; it burns my mouth just by the mere touch of smell that hits the tip of my tongue. I have never smelled something as horrid as this in my life. My dear beloved next to me choke on her own breath as she is knocked back with the terrifying smell of burnt flesh.


    But then, all of a sudden, her legs give in as she slips from the blood that is running down from the walls. I hear her gag, and even further behind her, I hear one of the soldiers almost getting sick. Well, that is impossible, but the sight brings the worst turning of senses in your stomach.


    We soon come up to a slip in the tunnels; Victor, Anastasia, and I shall go straight ahead with a few soldiers following behind. The rest split of to the sides. It feels like we are walking into our own death trap, which in a way, is very true.


    The minute we step into the opening that leads to a giant pit, my first reaction is to gasp; I have never seen such a sight in front of me; there are so many of them just lurking below. Some are just lying in their own pool of mess, while others are feeding. The word runs true; they are a bunch of monsters; there is not one thing good to say about their species.


    And as I watch the rest of the soldier step inside the edge of the hole, we are officially noticed. It is here where all hell does truly break loose. I watch as so many of my kind plunge into the pit, and by pure will, they start to fight as hard as they have been trained. But I see how one Vampire here and another one there get defeated and drop to the floor. I do not know if the sounds coming from there are screams from being overpowered or if it is the laughter of the enemy.


    I find all my strength, and with Anastasia by my side, we go in search of Lilith; I do not think that she has heard the craziness that is unfolding in the pit. But what does bother me is that Lucius might have her held captive somewhere. So it is with caution that we make our way deeper into the lair. We then come up to what seems like a small room on the one side, but before we can step in, Lucius comes from the side to block us from entering.


    "Sebastian, I do believe you have declared war. Now I shall spare your lives if you leave at once."


    "Not without Lilith and the boy."


    "You have a better chance with your head on a stake. Now leave before you truly upset me."


    "And I said not without Lilith and the boy."


    Then out comes Lilith and Stefan; I can see the terror written on her face, but her resolve is clear, she shall not leave the boy''s side. But what I also see is that she has a plan to run from Lucius, so with the boy''s hands firmly in hers, she sets off, but Lucius immediately grabs her by the hair. The jerk makes her let go of the boy''s hand, then the most horrific thing happens, the boy slips and falls straight into the pit where his body disappears under the sea of demons below him. Lilith screams out in agony.


    "No!"


    Then out of anger, Lucius lifts Lilith from her feet; I hear Lilith beg him.


    "Lucius, please don''t."


    But he only ignores her please, and in as little as a fragment of a second, he snaps her neck.


    My own voice rumbles over the raging down in the pit. "Lilith, no!"


    Out of her own rage, Anastasia throws the ancient dagger that the Windchaser boys gave her straight into Lucius'' chest. We all watch in horror as his body then sets on fire and then falls to ash to the ground.


    I immediately run to where Lilith lies, hoping that she is still alive. But as I lift her body, her head falls limp to the back. I throw my head back in despair and growl from the deepest part of my chest. It is not soon thereafter that the tears come in raging rivers down my face. Not caring about having to answer why I can indeed cry, I sob my heart until the hurt has me completely numb. I have failed Lilith, I have failed her as a Master, but more importantly, I have failed her like a brother. I would rip my own heart out if she can just wake up and join the land of the living dead again. But my world is now the land of the dead; I will never be the same.

 Chapter 64 - A Horror Of A Dream

    In an instant, I am snapped back into reality; it feels like I have been awakened from a really bad dream. Just the mere thought of losing Lilith terrifies me; I shall rather sacrifice myself to let such a thing happen to her. And she is far stronger than most of the Vampire woman that I know; she shall not let Lucius overpower her so easily. So I but only shake my head from the ugly scene that just played over in my head and push on forward.


    But my beloved has been watching me having this inner battle with myself, and she looks somewhat concerned.


    "Sebastian, what is wrong?"


    "I just had the most horrible thought run through my mind, but let us not worry about that, let us go save Lilith and the boy."


    Then we step into an opening that leads to a giant pit, my first reaction is to gasp; I have never seen such a sight in front of me; there are so many of them just lurking below. Some are just lying in their own pool of mess, while others are feeding. The word runs true; they are a bunch of monsters; there is not one thing good to say about their species.


    And by Victor''s signal, I watch the rest of the soldiers step inside the edge of the hole; we are officially noticed. It is here where all hell does truly break loose. I watch as so many of my kind plunge into the pit, and by pure will, they start to fight as hard as they have been trained. I see how one demon after the other gets defeated and drops to the floor. I do not know if the sounds coming from there are screams from them being overpowered or if it is the laughter.


    Satisfied that we are gaining the upper hand so soon, we set off down the path that seems to lead to a small open, shall I even dare to say it is a room. From inside, I can hear the terrifying whispers of a child; Lilith knows that we have just entered and it is indeed the Vampire Army that is causing the terrifying screams that are coming from the pit.


    But we have not seen Lucius yet, which makes me believe that he is not around, which seems that it is going to be far easier than we anticipated. Though that is only short-lived, for as I step closer and closer to the room, I hear a rumble start to rise from behind us.


    "Do not dare to put a foot closer."


    We all spin around to find Lucius fast approaching us, and believe me, as they shall say it, he is pissed. Well, we seem that we are going to have a little rumble ourselves after all. So it is Victor that launches himself at Lucius first, but by the mere slap of the hand, he tumbles to the floor rather frustrated. Then Edward that lead another group of Vampire comes rushing up from the side. He pushes Lucius with such force that he nearly stumbles and falls headfirst into the pit. While he is off-balance, Anastasia heads for the small room.


    This only but infuriates Lucius even more; we gained the upper hand for only but a second. We need to distract him long enough for Anastasia to get them to safety.


    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    I can honestly say from all the things I have come to face; this is indeed the most terrifying. To say that we are overconfident is as real as a truth can get. But we have the upper hand for but a slight moment; we need to remain calm and get what we came for safely out of here before Lucius decides to go after them. Who knows what this monster is capable of.


    So as I enter the small room, I find Lilith and the boy hiding behind a bed that is in the middle of the open space. But the instant she sees my face, she seems relieved.


    "Thank god, it is you. Where are the others?"


    "Sebastian, Edward, and Victor are standing ground with Lucius, and the Vampire Army is taking care of the rest."


    "I thought it was them that I heard; Sebastian must be beyond enraged."


    "Oh, you have no idea. Now let me get you guys out of here."


    As I peek out of the room, I see that Sebastian has Lucius distracted. I watch as Victor tries to claw at Lucius'' face to catch him off-guard for us to slip by unnoticed. But as we pass behind Sebastian, he sees us trying to sneak away. Sebastian immediately turns to me.


    "Anastasia, run."


    I throw him the ancient dagger and run off into one of the tunnels with Lilith and the boy.


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    I think that we have now officially pissed the King of the Underworld off by taking his son for the second time. And if I would say that he is taking it rather well, I would be just a liar as he is.


    "Do you think you can come here and take my son from me again? You have only but now declared war."


    "What makes you think that we shall make you live long enough to even start one?"


    "You shall be overpowered in seconds."


    "You think? Then why are your men perishing one by one like little ants?"


    I watch as he sees the true horror that is unfolding down in the pit. And if the man was furious before, then he is boiling over from red hot rage. He truly did underestimate what a few Vampires with a purpose can do to his kind.


    "Well, my dear Lucius, it does seem that you have a problem. We have only but been polite to have kept you alive this long."


    "Do you believe that three of you can attempt to take me on?"


    "I do not believe, I know. Now, normally I shall give you an option to live, but this time I am afraid I shall not be so kind."


    And my words are not yet cold, for he comes charging at me, and just like we hoped, he tries to tackle me head-on. As part of the complete insane plan, I stand completely still and do not move one foot. I hope this plan of Victor is going to work, for I shall come to hunt him for eternity shall this fail, and I find myself dead.


    So Lucius reaches his hands forward and tries to grab me around the neck; with quick reflexes, I shift only but an inch to the side. He then stumbles forward, nearly crashing with his face forward in the muddy floor. But Edward and Victor are immediately behind him to grab him by his arms. He regains his balance far quicker than we anticipated, and they fall back.


    Then Lucius swings back around, and this time he seems to be one smarter than us; well, that is what he thinks. As he tries to walk up to me to where I have moved away, Edward goes for his feet, completely pulling his legs from under him. He lands smackdown on his back, and I cannot help but laugh at him.


    "Well, look who has a problem? I told you on many occasions, do not underestimate a Vampire. No, look what has happened, well I wish  you would be on your knees, but I guess your back will just have to do."


    "You know that I shall only be back in a matter of time."


    "Oh, that is where you are mistaken; I got this little present from two Vampire Hunters that shall have you trembling in the mess that lies thick on this floor."


    "And what shall that be?"


    I produce the dagger that the Windchaser boys gave to Anastasia if she ever feels the need to kill me, but it just found another use instead.


    "How? You won''t dare."


    "I would dare! You have been nothing but a pain in my ass. You are a worthless piece of shit. There is no purpose for your kind. I have warned you there will be one day, and guess what, my dear friend, that day has come. And I am going to love every second I push this through you rotten flesh. Now kindly go and burn in hell, and please do stay there."


    With that, I stand with my feet on both sides over him, and much to my disgust, but purely necessary, I lower my body down onto him to a point where I am nearly sitting. And this time, it is me laughing.


    And then¡­one¡­two¡­three¡­


    I slam the dagger straight into his chest. We all watch in horror as his body trembles and falls into a pile of ass underneath me.


    Somewhat satisfied that he is dead, Victor turns to check on the Army and to assure that every single monster finds himself dead. Edward and I nod and leave in the same direction as Anastasia and Lilith. And as we step into the early morning sunlight, we are relieved to see them all standing safely outside waiting.


    Lilith immediately runs straight for my arms, now she is not one to lose her composure, but as she throws herself in my arms, I cannot help but feel all warm and fuzzy inside.


    "Thank you, Sebastian."


    "I will do anything for you. So what do you say we get home, for we do all smell rather, fowl."


    The thing is that at one stage, I thought I would lose her as that horrible story did play over and over in my head every moment that we were trying to defeat Lucius. I do believe that the fear of failing her as a brother is what drove me the push on ahead.


    So it is only a much-welcomed pleasure as we make our way home in a joyful mood. Do I even dare to say that this is yet another battle that we won?


    Hours later, we find ourselves standing in the kitchen happily as none of this has ever happened, when Victor finally comes to join us again.


    "Sebastian, I can confirm that there is not a single one left."


    "And?"


    "I have placed that inside the vase and in the safe at the Council House."


    "Perfect, no, you do smell awful. Can you kindly go clean yourself off in your room?"


    "My room?"


    "I have officially decided that you need Lilith just as much as she needs you, and the boy needs a father. So if you do not have an objection, I ask if you shall consider moving into the Belmont House?"


    "Sebastian, I do not know what to say."


    "Please consider it. Now, if you shall excuse me, my beloved and I need to rest."


    Edward but only smiles at me, and I know exactly what is running through his mind. And if I think he would keep it to himself, well not.


    "Try to rest in the room and not in the hallway this time."


    "It is not my fault you have bad timing, Edward."


    "Now that you mention."


    "Don''t even dare!"

 Chapter 65 - Eternity Beyond The Stars

    I need to stop for one moment and take a step back, for beyond all the craziness that fill our lives, I need to allow myself to remember what drives me to make this city, and I shall even go as far as to say the world. What makes this all worthwhile is the beauty that lies in my arms. Should I not have had her presence in my life, I would not have had the sheer willpower to take the impossible on. Not that I say as Vampire Master I would have looked away; I would have left it to others to resolve by risking their lives for our kind. But with Anastasia, I need to prove myself not only as a leader but also as the man I wish she would desire.


    To have beauty in your life is easy, but to have the beauty of the woman that you love and the one that loves you in return is the greatest gift that one can experience. I can, with all honesty, say that there is no doubt that she completes my life. To be lonely for eternity can be seen as a life sentence, but having what you crave, is the greatest blessing.


    I have never been more assured to have chosen her to be mine for life. I promise her my deepest love, my fullest devotion, my tenderest care through the pressures of the present and the uncertainties of the future. I commit myself to love her. I know that our love is heaven sent, and I promise that I shall be there forever and always. My heart will be her shelter, and my arms will be her home.


    She does not only live in her own body; she lives in mine too. We are part of each other; we are one. I hear her footsteps in the passageways of my heart. Her voice echoes through my veins. I can see her face in the mirrors of my memories. She has engraved herself deep into my soul. She will forever be a part of me.


    Who would have guessed that I would find her in the last rays of the daylight? That she would look up and smile at me, that she stopped me from running away. Where would I have been if she did not ask me to come back and stay, and I stayed long enough to have her in my arms.


    What she brings to my life lay like the beautiful colors of a perfect autumn in my soul. She has made me change in so many ways; I lived with myself for so long that I did not know that I could be a better man. But yet she excepted me the way I was; it scared me that she gave up everything to be with a man like me. She took my loneliness away and vowed herself to spend eternity with me. I pray every day that I shall be good enough for the woman that loves me unconditionally.


    The woman that is staring at me with that beautiful smile is the love of my life.


    "Sebastian, what has got you so deep in thought?"


    "Only you, my beloved."


    "I do hope that it is only good things that are running circles in that small mind."


    "You say small? Well, I do have something else that compensates for that then."


    She only but chuckles at me, then she reaches over to me, and her hand slides around the back of my neck. I lower my head to hers, and our lips touch.


    At first, my lips are gentle, exquisitely careful, as if I fear bruising her. She moans at the back of her throat, begging for more; my mouth settles more firmly on hers. The taste of her, her intimate flavor affects me like a drug; I kiss her more aggressively, hunting for the deepest, sweetest taste of her. The tip of her tongue slides through my lips in silken exploration. I am stroking the slick insides of her cheeks, slow and insistent. She has never kissed me like this, feeding her rising passion. I hold her tightly and lock her full body against me. I consume her mouth with patient hunger. Her hands flutter to the sides of my face, stroking the bristle of my cheeks and jaw. I make a quiet moan in my throat. Suddenly she takes hold of my shoulders and eased her way into my body. I gently hold her, still ignoring her whimpering protest. Her gaze is locked with mine for a moment. The stillness is broken by our panting breaths. I want to possess every inch of her body and every flicker of her soul.


    I slowly slide from her body and come to stand in all my glory beside her. As I start to drop my pants, my erection pops out, and the expression on her face tells me that she knows that tonight she is getting this full six-seven inches.


    "Oh god, Sebastian."


    "My beloved, we have not even started yet. I am going to drive you crazy then make you drop down the abyss of pleasure."


    I start to move my way up her body. With gentle teeth, I slide and nibble my way to her calf. My wandering hand slide up and but only tickle the edge of her clit. And the moment she gasps out of pleasure, I slowly take it away; I want her to ache.


    I run the tip of my tongue from her inner thighs in slow but hard circles, pressing fiercely into her skin.


    "You have such soft skin..."


    I whisper as my fingers played along the inside of her thighs, driving her mad with desire.


    My finger turn in circles around the string of her panties. I tangle and twirl and slide them slower than honey down the hot flesh of her body and finally slipping them over her feet. As eager fingers find their way back to the only place that I desire. I part her legs wide until they but only invite me to delve into her clit that by the mere sight is hard, and I can only smile at the thought at the rate the ache is throbbing. She will beg.


    Then I twirl my tongue in circles as I edge my tongue inches and inches deeper inside her. With each turn, I hear her purr like a cat. Then I push harder and slip every length of my tongue into her tightness. She squirms underneath me as she lets out a roaring moan.


    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    He moves up my trembling body and settles his mouth upon mine, robbing me of thought.


    As he speaks between long, drugging kisses that consumes my senses, he cups one cheek in a strong, warm hand and meet my gaze with a searing look. He kisses me again, growling low in the back of his throat. My hands find their way into his thick, dark hair as he catches my bottom lip in his teeth, nibbling and licking at it until I think I might perish from the intensity of the feeling. I whimper at the sensation, and he rewards the sound by deepening the kiss, giving me everything I desire.


    With a wicked grin, he cheekily flips me around. Positioning himself behind me, he wastes no time at all, pushing his hard length to my entrance. Leaning my upper body back, I hook my arm around his neck and kiss him again, and he edges himself into me. The sense of being filled from this position is almost too much. He takes one of my ass cheeks and lifts it slightly so he can ease himself all the way in. I could feel every inch of him along my tight walls. He feels heavenly. As I look back at him and cradle his neck in my hand, he starts to explore my breasts. Molding his hand to them and massaging my already erect nipples. I lean forward away from him so he could take me deeper


    He slowly slides in and out of me; I look back as he moves to lift himself over me. It is deep this way, he hits my sweet spot perfectly, and it is almost too much for me to cope with. He knows what he is doing; I see the mischievous grin on his lips and can''t help but smile back. I feel myself build again; a flash of heat spreads over my body from my stomach. It feels like my entire body is blushing. Keeping still, I feel the tip of his throbbing erection hit the core of me over and over again.


    He positions his erection at my entrance again, and slowly drops me down, impaling me on his hard length. Spreading my legs wide again, he thrusts up into me; the feeling of him pushing all the way inside me, filling me right to the top, is deliciously tight. I heave in passion, my resisting flesh split, and he slides into me. He keeps up the rhythm relentlessly. With each stroke, he slides his hot throbbing flesh completely into me. He drives in deeper, with each thrust increasing pace


    He can no longer resist the increasing pressure, pushing him into me even deeper. With one final thrust, he shudders and explodes inside of me. I can feel him spill into my moist depths. He pulls me against him and begins gyrating and grinding himself into me. I heave and convulse into a chain of explosions.


    And not having to ask this time, I give him freely what he desires the most beyond these moments of ecstasy. With only one tilt, I lay exposed the throbbing vein in the nape of my neck. I hear him growl from inner pleasure as he sinks his glorious fangs in me and sips the inches and inches that he craves. I feel as every drop leaves my body, and the harder he sucks, the arousal grows in my body once more. Fueled by passion, I give into his touch.


    As we lay and wait for the room to slow down from the raging high, I can only smile at the man I gave my life up for. I can honestly say that I do not regret one moment of it. If one could give me the chance to do it all over again, I can, with confidence, say that I shall do it the same way. Sebastian does believe that I am the one that brought meaning to his life, where in fact, he has brought meaning back into mine.


    How I do love the way that he carries me on his hands like a porcelain doll. He has seen me at my worst, he has seen the cracks in this perfect woman, yet he does not show them to others; he just but loves them. I love him for making this cracked porcelain doll a better woman again.


    If I look up at the dark skies at night, I look beyond the stars and even beyond the ones that one cannot see, and I know that even if I live for eternity, I shall never know the space we live in. Sebastian is like my night sky; I know that I only know him but a small bit, but I know that I look forward to a lifetime of getting to know him. I shall never stop discovering him.


    And as this man that I love stares at me, I can see the love boil over in his eyes, but beyond them, there is something else.


    "My beloved, will you make this man happy for an eternity and become my bride?"

 Chapter 66 - The Countdown Begins

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I cannot believe the words that have come from Sebastian''s lips. I cannot say which I feel the most, shock or surprise. Never have I taken to the idea to become someone''s wife serious. I never considered it in my mortal years, and when I became immortal, I did not think that something such as this would be possible. Do Vampires even get married?


    Now it should be an easy answer, for I love Sebastian with more than every fiber of my body, and we shall, after all, be together for eternity. Why then is there hesitation for me to answer him, should I even dare to say that I shall considerer his proposal?


    But now another idea comes to mind. Does he mean this, or did he indeed only say this in the moment of ecstasy. I am sure a man such as Sebastian, who lived a life where he had women in abundance, has never considered such a drastic step in any relationship.


    The thing is, why am I even having this inner battle with myself. The answer is easy; it should be yes and nothing else. But somehow, I cannot get myself to say the words to this man that is staring at me, waiting for me to come to a decision.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I am taken back by the hesitation of my beloved. Surely the answer should be simple; we love each other. We shall be spending eternity together, yes maybe such a step is not necessary, but it is something that shall complete our bond.


    Now it is true that I have been much of a lady''s man for much of my Vampire years; never did such a commitment appeal to me. I can not even go as far and say that it would have been something that I would have considered in my mortal life. The idea of being with only one terrified me, but now it only sounds natural to me. After all, she is my beloved; whether we shall perform such a ceremony, we shall still remain bound to each other for eternity.


    But with saying this, I do believe that she thinks that I am referring to that dreadful word, marriage. Of course, a Vampire does not get married; the mere thought of dressing up in a designer suit and watching her standing in front of me in some unsightly white frilly dress scares the living daylight out of me. No, a Vampire wedding is I only but a ceremony where one declares that you shall only stick with one person. Not that I do wish to have another woman, but there are just some things that a man needs assurance with.


    Yes, it does sound like a human marriage still, but believe me, there is a distinction between both. So I believe I should put the poor woman out of her misery.


    "My beloved, I see your hesitation; please let me explain what I mean by bride."


    "Well, does bride not mean get married?"


    "Well, not truly in the sense that a human does."


    "How can a Vampire wedding not be the same as that of a human one."


    This is now starting to confuse me for the more I think of it; it does sound like a marriage to me. What makes a Vampire ceremony so much of a difference that a human one?


    "First of all, my beloved, I do not wish for you to wear such an awful thing as a white dress that has more lace than your panties."


    "Sebastian!"


    "My beloved, there is nothing as unsightly as a dress that is covered in lace. Now give me satin and chiffon, and I will desire you more."


    "Sebastian, will you only desire me for the clothes that I wear?"


    "No, my beloved, let me rather carry on before I find myself in a world of trouble again."


    "Please do."


    She only but chuckles at me; I have come to know by a certain why that she says my name that she is only joking.


    "My beloved, it is only but a simple ceremony."


    "Fair, but does a human wedding not have a ceremony?"


    "There is not a priest present; there shall also be only Edward, Lilith, and of course now Victor."


    "And rings, do we wear rings?"


    "If you wish to not, then we shall not. You can say it is a wedding, but not with all the silly things that humans find necessary."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Now that he does explain it, it is merely a ceremony where you vow to be with one Vampire for the rest of eternity. I do not think I should even mention the word divorce to him, for I am sure the man will die all over again. It is truly not a point of getting clarity; it is the seriousness that a Vampire marriage shall present. I do not wish to, and never have I been, a woman that had the desire to be with more than one man.


    So I meet his gaze with a smile on my face, and I can see the light brighten in his eyes; I have witnessed Sebastian happy but not as this.


    "Yes, Sebastian, I will become your Vampire bride."


    With that, he pulls me deep into his arms; if there was comfort there before, it has just grown in intensity. It is amazing how a small human pleasure can bring joy to a hardened Vampire such as Sebastian Belmont.


    "Wait! Does it mean I become a Belmont?"


    "In human tradition, yes, but not in Vampire union. Why is my last name such a bad one to have?"


    "No, only wondering."


    "Well, then we should start planning at once. I think this shall be a good distraction for Lilith after all that has happened."


    "How soon did you have this in mind?"


    "Well, my beloved, we do not know which monster shall surface next, so I do want you to be my bride by the next sunset."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    To describe what I feel as excitement would be a weak word to express my feelings. I can honestly say that I have only felt joy once like this in my life before, and it is the day that Anastasia decided to become a Vampire. I can clearly remember that day; even though it might have been terrifying for her, it was the best moment of all my lives.


    So it begins, the countdown to our union once again.


    With great joy, we decent the stairs, where we find the entire Belmont household as per usual convening like humans in the kitchen. I yet to understand this somewhat rather peculiar tradition they practice. It is not that they are having coffee; they are only but standing and talking about ancient old experiences. Between all their doom and gloom, the cheerful Stefan is running, chasing that rather pesky and noisy little puppy. I swear the thing yaps more than a normal human baby does.


    Then I get a rather splendid idea, which does not go unnoticed by my beloved.


    "Don''t you dare, don''t you even think about it."


    "What might I have been thinking of now?"


    "The poor child is not carrying our rings on a stupid pillow. I will smash that thing into your face until the things shreds to feathers."


    But it is not the violent pillow slapping that catches Lilith''s attention; it is the mention of rings. And I swear this woman can read minds, for she immediately knows what I am referring to. And if I thought that Sebastian was excited, then the delight on her face is nearly terrifying.


    "Did you say rings? I believed I heard the word rings? Please tell me that you did say rings?"


    "My dear Lilith, you did indeed. I have asked Anastasia to become my bride."


    "Oh my, we better start preparing. How long do we have? When do you plan to have the ceremony?"


    "Before next sunset."


    I watch as Lilith frantically starts to look for a pen and paper to scribble her ideas down. But wait, I need to make something quite clear.


    "Lilith, I warn you if you dress her in lace, then I shall have your head on a stake."


    "Just for that, I shall make sure everything on her shall be lace."


    I only but chuckle at her while I turn to Edward and Victor. I watch them stand there quite dumbstruck with the most stupid grin on their faces. I know what their terrified minds must be thinking. Well, more Victor than Edward''s, for I might have just planted a seed in Lilith''s head. Shall we have another Vampire wedding soon?


    So as we leave them to brainstorm their ideas, we make our way outside. Even though the preparations for the wedding have begun, we still need to deal with the matters of the Council. And I must add that if there is any sort of a problem, then I shall have the head of the one that presents it to me today.


    It is only a half an hour later that we find ourselves stopping at the Council house, and what we see shocks all of us down into our core. The front door appears to be wide open; now, the only one with a key is the two men that are in the car with me. And as I look over to their faces, they have gone paler than all fifty shades of white.


    We immediately make a hasty exit from the car, not considering if whoever has forced their way in is still inside. Now the unfortunate thing, by the nature of some of the articles that are kept in here, we are not able to call on law enforcement to come and assist us. We shall have to face the danger ourselves, which I know we are more than capable of.


    So with absolute careful and very soft steps, we make our way through the front door. It seems that the door has been forced open with some instrument or tool. As we enter, the very first room is thrown in absolute chaos; it is very apparent that whoever broke in here were looking for something. Well, thank the pope we keep everything locked behind a very solid safe.


    The same with the second and third rooms, it is turned upside down, but something does look very strange.


    "This has been done on purpose, Edward."


    "It seems they are trying to distract us from what truly has been taken."


    But then Victor turns to me; he seems to be even paler than I noticed before.


    "Sebastian, the only things of importance is locked behind a steel door."


    We abandon the search of the rest of the house and head for the safe; what we see in front of us is beyond possible. The door has been broken through; now, if I say through, I indeed mean that it has been forced right open. Now I fear to say that it has been done by hand, but there is a part of me that wishes to say that it was some other instrument of tool.


    We wait for Victor as he steps inside to survey the damage that has been done. But when he steps out again, I wished that he did not come out in the first place.


    "It is gone."


    "Everything? Is everything gone?"


    "No, only it."

 Chapter 67 - Are You Ready For A Vampire Ceremony?

    Today I choose to look the other way.


    I will wed my beloved before next sunset.


    Whatever requires our attention here shall have to wait. So we find ourselves in a nervous but joyful mood returning home several hours later. Now, if our ceremony is not creating absolute chaos, then I would say that poor Lilith is headed for one major hysterical breakdown. She is going beyond what is required. She is making this look more and more like a true wedding. All I do is watch poor Anastasia just look on, far too scared to stop the crazed woman that is running from one side to the other in the ballroom.


    "Lilith, please don''t tell me those ungodly things are flowers?"


    "Sebastian, they are red."


    "Your point being? They are still flowers. And why in god''s name is there chairs?"


    "To sit on Sebastian."


    "You can stand; there is nothing wrong with your perfectly good legs."


    "Sebastian, the way you talk, we shall be here forever. Now please get out my face."


    So I take my beloved away and whisk her upstairs before she has her very own panic attack. I must say by the relief on her face that she is eager to getaway. Even if she wanted to assist, there should be no way she will get a word in with Lilith to give her the slightest bit of suggestion.


    "Sebastian, I think that you have created a monster. She has not stopped since you left. The woman is gone stark crazy."


    "My beloved, it is going to be quite the affair at the rate our dear sister is headed. Now tell me, are you excited?"


    "Somewhat nervous but never been so excited to experience something too scary. But tell me, are we not suppose to spend the night before the ceremony apart."


    "Now, why on earth would you want to do such a thing? Are you joining Lilith on the crazy train?"


    "Sebastian."


    "My beloved, it is the excitement talking."


    "Your excited mouth is going to get slapped."


    "Mmm, maybe I will enjoy that. But yes, I can agree with you that this is somewhat scary. So what do you say we find a way to relieve the anxiety.


    Well, if I thought that she would find that somewhat amusing, I am sorely mistaken; the poor woman is a ball of nerves. But it does not mean that I cannot play with it.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian finds this rather amusing; I guess the man laughs when he finds himself in a stressful situation. Well, me, I am about to go off my mind; this is insane. Who gets married so quickly, but he as het keeps reminding me, it is a ceremony. Guess what, Sherlock, a wedding also has a ceremony. I think it is just a bunch of Vampires that believe that they are doing something different.


    And what else is different, where is my wedding dress? Am I not supposed to be doing all those girly things, or is that a part of the ceremony that they do not follow? I have no idea what is going on; all I know it is happening, ten hours and counting down.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Well, it seems like my stupid bone has come to the surface, for I will say the most ridiculous things that can come to mind when I am nervous. But wait, why am I not finding myself fitting on some designer suit. Oh, that is not part of this ceremony. Though maybe I should ask if that can be? If I think of it, what shall I be wearing? Now I do sound like Lilith, and perhaps my beloved.


    The thing is, I want to have some normalcy; there needs to be some part that shows that we were once human. We are not completely gone from the world, from the land of the living. And I have one perfect way that we can do this.


    "My beloved, I want to suggest something. I need this whole wedding Vampire ceremony might sound so impersonal."


    "I don''t think impersonal is the word to use, but yes, go ahead."


    "Would you object if I place a ring on your finger?"


    "A what?"


    "Nevermind, silly idea."


    "No, no, I do not think so. I think it shall give me peace of mind when you are parading yourself between all those ex-lovers?"


    "Parading? Well, that is a new way of describing irresistible."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    A ring, my god! A ring, has this man gone completely insane? Now he wants to show the world that I belong to him. But this is, after all, what marriage, wait, what do you call this again? Well, whatever it is, I am devoting myself to him for eternity.


    "Yes, you may, you may put a ring on my finger."


    "Fantastic, I must go at once."


    "Sebastian, it is ten in the evening."


    "Oh, but my beloved, I know people that can assist me at such an hour."


    "It can wait in the morning."


    Now things have just become real, and something gives me the idea before the sun is even up, Lilith will be knocking on this very door to shove me into a dress that is a wedding dress but is not a wedding dress either.


    Things are starting to sound more real as the seconds pass. It is seven hours and counting down


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I can not sit myself down for longer than five minutes, and I am afraid to say that my beloved has left the room, for I am driving her crazy. Well, I hope she realizes that I shall now for definite be driving her crazy for the rest of eternity. This eternity thing is starting to scare me even more and more by the minute. And what else is scaring me is me; I need to get out for fresh air, not that it does anything truly.


    So I find Edward in the kitchen just as terrified to say a word to Lilith that has not much to my horror dressed Stefan in a little suit.


    "What are you doing, Lilith? The boy looks like a dressed-up toy."


    "It is a doll, and don''t you worry; you are next."


    "I am afraid I need to be somewhere else."


    "Oh no, you are not."


    "My dear sister, I need to get a ring."


    "In that case, get out of here."


    I drag Edward out by the collar, who is finding this whole fiasco rather entertaining. Well, if he does not wipe that smirk off his face, then I shall damn well slap it.


    We soon find ourselves in front of the shop of a fellow Vampire, Klause, to pick out the all-important ring. Now there is no pressure here; I have not idea what it is that Anastasia likes. Well, she will either let me put it on her finger or throw it at me.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    What I feared has happened, Lilith has dragged me into her room and is now forcing me to get into one dress after the other. Now the thing is that I cannot say that they are ugly, they are just all a different kind of red, with some black. Now I know Sebastian said no white, but surely red cannot be the only option here.


    "Lilith, is there no other color than red?"


    "Blue?"


    "No!"


    "Purple?"


    "God, no! Give me that thing."


    I study her catalog from one of the bridal shops in town; now I thought this should not be a wedding! Needless to say, this makes me bend the rules slightly.


    "I want that one."


    "Sebastian is going to kill me."


    "Tell him I picked it; he can kill me then."


    "I am telling you, Anastasia, he is going to have to kill both of us."


    Well, she can forget, I will get married in that dress. And it is three hours and counting down faster now.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Now, this is one thing I never thought I shall see myself doing. Not in my human years, perhaps maybe one day in my Vampire years. But let me say this, no matter which it would have been, I would still have made the same choice to spend the rest of my life with my beloved.


    But one choice I certainly am not going to do very well is choosing the right ring. I have this arrangement of beautiful dark stoned bands on a tray displayed in front of me.


    "Edward, what would you say that Anastasia will like?"


    "To be honest, not those ugly gothic-looking red and black things that you are looking at."


    So I shift my attention to a tray further to my left, and it immediately catches my eye. I know this is not Vampire tradition, but this sums my beloved up. It is elegant, glistening, and glamorous; it will win her heart the moment I slip it on her finger.


    "My brother, what do you think? It is absolutely exquisite, the shimmering stone that sparkles in the centerpiece. With blue side stones that adorn a butterfly-inspired shank."


    "Now that Sebastian, that is something I see Anastasia wear with pride."


    And as we finish off ready to leave the shop, Edward turns to me.


    "You are going to hate me now, but Lilith just phoned and said that I need to get you in a suit."


    "A what?"


    "You know it is best not to argue with her."


    So it seems I am going to wear that dreadful suit after all, which I actually do no mind in a way for who would want to see me in my old Vampire attire. I myself do not wish to find myself lying in it in a gutter dead.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    So in no time at all, Lilith has the dress delivered to the door. These Vampires surely get every fast and ready for them in an instant.


    Now while we were waiting for the dress, she was pulling my head in every direction to get the perfect do that, as she says, will complement my face and, of course, my dress.


    With only the dress next, I find myself ready with about an hour to spare


    We have been planning for this for almost a day; I have been waiting for it just a slight bit longer. This is the day that dreams are made of. It should be the happiest day of my life.


    I have dressed for the part, a classic white princess dress with a modern twist, a beaded lace bodice with a thin beaded belt, a dreamy and voluminous tulle skirt that gorgeously flares out underneath. My porcelain skin is composed to perfection, and my hair is tucked neatly into place. And to finish off, a pair of stilettos that hug my feet and glimmers as it shines.


    This is my wedding day.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    This is it; I stare at myself in the full-length mirror. I am everything I said that a Vampire is not on the day of his ceremony. I am dressed to perfection in a black tux with a white designer collar shirt. It is silky to the touch and just as easy on the skin. This feels right; this is what I want to be.


    We have been preparing for this moment; this is the hour; this is the minute my life will change. I am taking my beloved as my bride, and she shall be mine for eternity as I have desired from the very second that I laid my eyes on her.


    The only step that is left in our relationship is for me to make my way downstairs and wait for my bride to give herself to me. So I can say this with a proud heart.


    This is my wedding day.

 Chapter 68 - A Vampire Wedding

    I never have before experienced excitement and yet been more terrified at the same time as I do now. It is truly amazing how the things you desire can bring you to your knees. In saying things, I do mean a woman, that one such a creature can break down your defenses. I always believed that a woman should be my undoing, but this is an undoing that I do welcome. And as I stand here, I have never been so sure about anything in this life and the lifetime before.


    But let me tell you a story of a man so lost and incomplete that he dwelled for years in trying to find that one thing that he eluded him so, love. The man that tells you that they do not desire to experience love and not be love in return is not only a liar and a fool. The craving to be loved is a desire that every mortal, and believe me when I say, that every Vampire does have.


    Now how do you love? You love with your heart and your head, your instinct and your experience. Should you lack any of these, there shall always be another way; you shall find a way to complete that perfect love that dreams and fantasy are made of. If you do not live with wanting that fairytale ending for yourself, then what is it worth dreaming for in the first place.


    Does love come easy for a mystical creature? Well, not truly so, for if you think that it shall be easier to find that true love between a realm that is made of miracles and the unexplained, it is so far from the truth. With a being that could most possibly be considered as perfect, the one you seek shall have to be beyond spectacular. So is it not so unusual that creatures from our realm shall seek the love of a mortal that brings so many unknown and amazing experiences to your life.


    I never did think that the evening I enter that pesky little Hunter''s establishment that I shall find the meaning of why I have existed for all these years. It is true what they say that everything that you have done in your life has lead up to this very moment, this very hour, this very minute.


    So this ceremony that was not supposed to have been a wedding has now become one very much so. The only thing that we lack is the presence of a priest, and do believe me, if there is one that pops out these walls that Lilith shall have hell to pay.


    But everything else except Anastasia and me has now seized to exist, for, in less than a minute, she shall appear around the corner, and I shall set sight on my bride. And I do know that Lilith would have gone to such lengths to present me with not only the woman of my dreams but one that fairytales are made of.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    And so we are having this ceremony that has now turned into a wedding in little less than a minute. I am standing around the corner of the ballroom waiting to enter and walk up to my groom. Now, if you were human, there should have been a fianc¨¦ before, but it seems that these Vampires do things very much in their own way. I would even go as far as in saying that they have created this ceremony that is not a wedding, for they are indeed scared that they shall need to spend eternity with one person alone.


    Now before I walk into the scariest experience of my love, let me do tell you about a woman that has been terrified her own lifetime to spent it with only that one person. I did crave the love of only one man, yet I looked for all the reasons why I should not settle with this man. I was perhaps ridiculous in my requirements of such a man, but should you not be since this shall be the one that you woke up every day? I think for a mortal, these things do carry more seriousness as you only have so many years to live, and making a wrong decision can set you for a rather miserable and unfulfilled time until your death.


    So it is with confidence that I can say that the moment I laid my eyes on Sebastian Belmont, that I did look at him to be such a man in my life. Of course, I did not expect it to be for eternity but does a full life for a mortal not mean eternity for them. Regardless of how long eternity is, I found that man to fill that space in that night in Zachariah''s pub. I would even go as far as to say that it was fate that brought us together that nights for I really did not frequent that establishment that much.


    I can go even as far as to say that should Sebastian have asked me to turn under normal circumstances, well, not that it is a normal thing to do, but I would have said yes. My life did not have much meaning until he walks into it that night in that alley where he brought me to my knees. I do believe that I always knew that a man should be my undoing, and he did break all my defenses down.


    And the minute that has now arrived that I shall step into a new beginning in my immortal life.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    That is when I see her, elegant and exquisite as if she is floating on air. Her skin is glowing from the afternoon sun that is falling through the window from outside. The curves of her body are softly covered in layers of chiffon. The hint of lace does captive the beauty she holds in its own perfect way. Her long locks of blonde hair are neatly tucked into spirals of curls that are flowing in and out of each other like a perfect masterpiece. I can nearly smell the sweet scent of jasmine and vanilla as she comes closer up to me. But what captivates me the most is those velvety Iips, and let is not forget those stilettos.


    And as she comes to stand next to me, a small tear starts to tickle the corner of my eye. Beauty indeed lies in the eye of the beholder, and at present, beauty is flooding my sense of vision.


    "My beloved, I am at a loss for the perfect word. If I thought that your beauty could not go beyond compare, I would say that I have been proven wrong."


    "And I much say you are wearing that rather well."


    "Well, I am not shy to say that I am wearing a ball of nerves somewhat better."


    "So how does this go from here, for I am very pleased to see that there is a priest present."


    "Oh, just tell me how perfect I am, and I shall tell you all the reasons why I want to be with you for the rest of eternity."


    She only but chuckles me nervously; well, we both did not quite know what happens from here, so we will go into this as blind in as we went on the first day we met.


    But as they say, love is blind, and I am going to be the fool that rushes into it.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Well, I guess that we are going into this blindly, but not truly blindly, for I know what I feel for him. I have never been asked to confine it in a few sentences, in a string of words, broken down into syllables that should escape over my lips easily. I guess you can put it down to fate.


    So it is without even having to hesitation that I take his big strong hands into my tiny ones that are trembling visibly to the eye. But the moment he envelopes them, all the anxiety and nervousness slip away. His smiles grow even fonder around the corner of his lips. Those big brown eyes sparkle like crystals in the sun. And I know this is right where I need to be.


    "Sebastian, you were built for me. We were meant together; you are the sea under my sky. You are the sun to my horizon. I knew the second I met you that there was something about you that I needed. It turns out it wasn''t something about you at all; it was just you. I belong to you. I had belonged to you since the beginning, since before I even knew that I did. It only took one minute to fall in love with you; if I only had one minute to live, then I will spend all sixty seconds to tell you how much I love you. Of all the things I have started, loving you is the one that I never want to finish. Here, now, a million lifetimes from this one, I will love you."


    ¡­Sebastian¡­


    Now, if the day was not overwhelming enough as it is, those words coming from my beloved''s lips have laid deeply in the deepest passages of my heart. I do not even think that my words can compare to hers. But it is not a question of comparing, it is what the heart feels, and even though our hearts might not feel love the same way, it is love that we both feel. So I do not even know what to say, but I know where to start. And as I lace my fingers between hers, I start to fumble at my words.


    "My beloved, ever since our first kiss, the only sweetness I crave is the one that comes from your lips. My soul made love to your soul long before our bodies met. When I first laid my eyes on you, I recognized you. You held my future in your hands. It is because of you that I am deliriously happy. You make my cheeks ache from the smile you put on my face. I am completely at home anywhere you are. My love for you spans over the lines of my past, present, and future. You are what I love remembering, what I love experiencing, and what I love looking forward to. I would have exchanged my immortality if it meant that I could only touch you once. I want you to be the first thing I touch in the morning and the last thing that I taste."


    And with that being said, that tear that tickled my eye has not rolled down my face. It seems that I am going to have some explaining to do after this. So as we get lost in this moment, I take my beloved for one of the very rare moments in front of all present and pull her slowly closer to me and wrap my arms around her shoulders. She loses herself in the warmth of my embrace. The world around us melts away; I never want this moment to end.


    Once the emotions have faded away to a normal pace, we find ourselves seated to catch much needed breath. I can say that I have seen my beloved happy before, but she truly shines from the pure joy she feels. But then, I remember.


    "Oh god, the rings."


    I go to my beloved and kneel down in front of her, presenting the ring I wish for her to wear to complete this eternal bond. And as I slip it gently onto her finger, I can not only see how relieved she is that it is not some unsightly thing, but it does not compare to her beauty. When she slides mine into place, I cannot say that this Vampire Master is now wed.


    With the festivities dying down much later, I have the very one and only Edward coming up to me to whisper a few words in my ear.

 Chapter 69 - A Fairy In A Forest

    I have just experienced what the best day of my entire existence is, now I would be foolish if I believe that things shall now go back to some kind of normal. Though in saying normal, I am referring to a life where a Vampire spends his life peacefully in the comfort of his home. Now in the Belmont house, what can be seen as normal should be absolute chaos. And chaos is exactly what is about to erupt as Edward confirms what item is missing from the Council house. Now another word that should be accompanied by chaos is pure horror. I think that there should be nothing that scares me by now, but I have just been proven very wrong once again.


    The tale goes such as this. It was many years before I was even destined to become a Vampire. There was a group of supernatural creatures, to be precise, a witch, a wizard, a sorcerer, and yes, a fairy that decided to compile a book with the strongest and some very dangerous spells the entire supernatural world has seen. It carried spells that were fail-proof for killing even the strongest and mythical creatures to resurrecting the most dangerous ones too. Now the last one that possessed the book was a warlock set in creating a dangerous army. After defeating him, the book was placed in safety in the hands of the Vampire Council. That is until now.


    Now take the way the safe door was pried open; I think we can safely say it is a creature that possesses great power, and I fear to think of the ones that carry these. But my biggest concern is for what purpose did they take it.


    So taken the way that Vampires conduct this ceremony, I can say that there is no such thing as a honeymoon. This does not change the fact that I am still scared to mention this to my beloved. It is with great caution that I approach her where she is happily having a conversation with Lilith.


    "My beloved, I fear that¡­"


    She does immediately interrupt me, looking somewhat annoyed. I might have just become the same bearer of bad news that Edward is. So it is with daggers in her eyes that she turns her full attention to me.


    "Sebastian, I warn you, if you open that mouth with trouble, I am going to slap it back closed for you."


    "I see the ring has not yet settled, and you are already taking charge."


    "If you have not noticed, I have been in charge from the start."


    "Yes, that is, in fact, very true. I have, as they say, not worn the pants for some time now."


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my belove?"


    "Get on with it."


    I am unsure who between Lilith and Anastasia will kill me for ending the ceremony on such a note. I fear that I am going to lose a limb. Never have I seen a Vampire Master fear the very thing that he was chasing for many years. But this is about the Book of Spells; setting all silly aside, we need to locate it.


    "Well, ladies, we seem to have misplaced the Book of Spells."


    Lilith looks at me with a look that varies between horror and fear. I know what she is thinking, and I do share her sentiment.


    "Sebastian, how do you intend to find it?"


    "My dear sister, Edward was indeed one wiser to put a location spell on it."


    "So then all you need to do is find the witch that put it there?"


    "This spell was cast by a fairy, and as you know that they all have gone in hiding since the war that raged amongst themselves."


    Anastasia does seem a bit amused; what on earth does have the woman so captivated in inner laughter at a time like this. With a tiny giggle, she soon speaks her mind.


    "Sebastian, did you just say fairy?"


    "Indeed, my beloved, I did."


    "Like in Peter Pan, that little girl thingy with the wings? Did that little tiny person cast a spell on a book? How big is the book?"


    "I see you have grown a funny bone in your body. That little fairy is actually very much the size of you and me. You should not believe everything that you read."


    "Then how do you intend in fighting this fairy? Does she live in an enchanted forest? You know maybe there where the trolls live to?"


    "In fact, my beloved, the troll lives under the bridge."


    Yes, this she does find somewhat funny, as she does burst out in hysterical laughter. She almost topples over and falls from her chair. So I patiently wait for her to get over her hysterics before I continue.


    "Lilith, you do know what this means?"


    "Yes, I shall have to accompany you on this little mission as you call them."


    Anastasia looks at her quite confused; well, the best part of this is about to come; I can almost guarantee that my beloved will find herself on the floor this time. Do I even dare to tell her the reason, but it does not stop her from asking still.


    "Don''t tell me that Lilith is a fairy?"


    "Ha! No, of course, she is not, but her sister is."


    "Oh my god! You people are weird. Come on! You are only playing with me?"


    "No, my beloved, Lilith''s sister is indeed. Her mother had relationships with a male fairy."


    "Wait, stop. You get men fairies.? You know, the glittering things with the pointy ears?"


    "They do not glitter but do have pointy ears, and no before you even ask, they do not have wings. Now can we focus? I don''t think I need to explain to you how babies are created?"


    She gets up in a big huff. Sometimes my beloved can be like such an innocent child who plays these silly games to remind her that she was once a mortal. I do love her for being true to whom she was before turning in what she considers at her bad days as being a monster. She is yet to learn that any creature that you can think of, and I can go so far as saying that you can create, it shall be real.


    So after waiting for the ladies to change, we make the trip to the woods outside the city. I have not visited these parts in many years. And the burning question, no, I have not had any relationship with a creature such as a fairy. It is not that I have anything against the species; I just do not sit well with a woman that is continuously trying to teach me the lessons of life.


    These woods hold many other creatures that shall not be so welcome to see a bunch of Vampires enter. But this is not a piece of information that I shall tell my beloved. She will fall flat on her face out of horrific laughter. Me, myself, I do find myself scared at some of these. Let us hope that we do not encounter any as we enter the woods.


    And with much relief, the first thing that hits me is the serenity and the fresh air filled with the scents of wet sand and bark laced between the hundreds of flowers that cover the ground. The beauty that beholds the eyes, the lush green tries, makes you appreciate the finer things in life. This does give one clarity of mind and can even be found as inviting to stay in such a place that brings great comfort.


    But the second we step inside for at least twenty steps, we hear the rustle between the leaves. Our presence has just become known, and I fear that my beloved might see some of those creatures that live amongst the fairies here. She is not going to like the least bit, for apart from the fairies, these are some of the ugly things I have ever seen.


    Then all of a sudden, I hear Anastasia shout at the top of her lungs. She points in the direction behind a tree and nearly jumps up and down in the very spot that she is standing.


    "Sebastian, what the fuck is that."


    I only but chuckle at her, "My beloved, that is a halfling."


    "Well, no shit Sherlock I can see that; what is it doing in here."


    "It lives here."


    She looks at me horrified as the little creature waves at her; in an instant, she is walking on the other side of me. She only looks up at me in anger; she knows that I am holding back on her. The poor creature is as innocent as a little child apart from where he always finds himself in trouble.


    But then there is a very familiar smell that fills the air. Lilith looks at me, for she, too, has caught wind of it.


    "Sebastian, we have a problem."


    I grab hold of my beloved''s hand; I look at her with a concerned look on my face, but with eyes that are filled with clear regret, regret for bringing her into this trouble for I don''t know how I can protect her.


    "My beloved, please stay close to me."


    "What is going on, Sebastian?"


    "I fear we have been ambushed."


    "Ambushed? Like ambushed take prisoners?"''


    "Well, I cannot quite clearly say what their intention is, but yes, we are being taken, prisoner."


    With saying that, we nestle our feet firmly into the mud as to stand our ground. With backs turned to each other, we wait for them to present themselves. I can hear my beloved''s rapid breaths as the stillness fall over the forest; Lilith''s hands are trembling worse than the leaves of the trees above us, and I can not get out a single word to let them know that things will be okay. Three Vampires that are supposed to fear nothing do now find themselves trapped in the forest, and as I said, we are going to be taken, hostage.


    Then we hear the whispers come from behind the trees; then bushes start rustling as we can see them step from them. The more they present themselves, the louder the ghastly noises become that they are making. The closer they get, the scarier they seem to become, and their numbers increase by the second. There is no way that we are getting out of this.


    They overpower us with their numbers in an instant, pulling Lilith and Anastasia away from me. The agonizing screams of my beloved travel far into the forest, I try to break free to get to her, but the have me chained in only a few seconds. The moment I watch them wrap the very same chains around her wrist, I growl loudly.


    "Let her go! Let the women go! You can take me!"


    But my please fall on death ears; they circle us to make very sure that not one of us will get away from them. The anger burns deep inside me up to a raging fire as I watch them look my beloved over with clear lust in their eyes. The second I break free from here, I shall kill every one of them.


    I can hear the satisfaction in their voices as they finally get us to where they intended to bring us. Much to my horror, I watch them slam three wooden poles in the middle right before where we are standing. Once they are convinced that there is no way that we shall break free they go to tie us each around one like a bunch of animals.


    They stand and watch us intently like they are waiting for something to happen. It feels as if this goes on for hours on end. They are standing there tempting and taunting us. My eyes never once leave my beloved.


    There is a silence that settles amongst them and then enters the reason why we find ourselves here.

 Chapter 70 - Death By A Ripper

    It was the year 1745, Europe was riddled with Vampire killings, more so London in particular. At first, I thought that the Vampire Hunter had gone insane and gone on a killing frenzy. That time there was no treaty between the Vampires and Hunters, so naturally, I descended down on his home and threatened to kill his entire family if he did not stop killing my kind. But I was very much surprised when he had said that he had not killed a Vampire himself and quite a few years. Now, this did alarm me for what creature would then be behind the killings.


    Now there was something different about these killings; the Vampires that have been slain had been somewhat mutilated, more ravaged, I would say, they were killed beyond the point of death was truly necessary. But not only did we find Vampires killed this way, there were humans that met the same fate, but the majority was Vampire, I would say.


    So as what it was now, it was then a custom to use a Vampire or, in some instances, a human as bait. This we did on several nights, and just before we felt that we wanted to give up, we finally attracted the attention of two men that spotted our Vampire. But I can until this day say how beyond shock we were to find out that these two men were, in fact, Vampires. Now, unfortunately, we could not save our Vampire and witnessed how he was ripped apart by two of his own kind.


    But kind is not quite what they could be described; they were different, not in only the way they fed but in the way they conducted themselves. As we tried to approach them, they growled, hissed, and snarled as they flaunted their fangs. Their faces were somewhat grotesque.


    As we start to close down on their lair, we find that about a dozen of them found themselves living in the warehouses on the south side of the city. I always believed that the myth of their kind was just that, a myth that did not carry any weight. I was horrified to find that they have been living in my city for a number of years.


    The story goes, there was a virus created that would turn a Vampire into such a creature called a Ripper. Now a Ripper preys on other Vampires as they have been given an insatiable hunger for Vampire blood. Rippers are extremely feral, predatory Vampires that are far more savage than a normal Vampire. Unlike the average Vampire, the enjoyment of hunting and terrorizing their victims is far more entertaining, as they destroy the life and sever the limbs without hesitation or remorse.


    They say that some Rippers are capable of human emotions, such as compassion, love, protection, respect, and self-control. Not all rippers are evil killers with no conscience, but I was yet to find one that was not so affected by the virus.


    The Ripper Virus was a chemical compound created through the genetic alteration for the purpose of transforming Vampires into cannibalistic, anti-Vampire Rippers that prey solely upon their own kind.


    So after forcing their kind out of the city, with the promise that we shall not harm their kind if they do not set foot into town again, I never quite knew what happened to them. Well, I guess now I know, but the question begs, why have I not heard of any unusual killings all the way out here. I do not think that in all of the two hundred and seventy years that he had changed his ways. They were monsters then, and by the very looks of him, they are still one now.


    But his foul face does not scare me the least bit as he comes to stand right in front of me.


    "Sebastian Belmont, now to what do I owe this pleasure of."


    "My dear Sertius, pleasure is the very last thing that I wish to give you. Now you know fair well that we have a sort of treaty in place, so I do believe that you need to untie us."


    "I am afraid that applies to your city, well this here is my playground, there does not exist any treaty here. Now I would have liked to demand why you are here, but I shall be foolish to turn my meal away."


    "You shall be foolish to think that we are your meal; don''t you feed on rats these days? Has your kind become such a bunch of monsters that you need to live in the wild? You are truly not clever if they do not come search for you here in the woods."


    "See that you still find everything so amusing."


    "And I see that you are still in need of a good plastic surgeon."


    I see as Anastasia stares at me with a face that clearly begs me to keep my mouth shut; well, the poor girl does not want to know what these Vampires are capable of. And by the dead animals around, I can safely say that this bunch of Rippers has not ripped a human or even a Vampire in some time. I guess we have just changed their eating plan for today.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    My god, I have never seen such ugly creatures in my life before. Well, they are clearly Vampires, and what an odd place to run into them, in the woods, in the middle of nowhere. Something I do not quite understand is why do they have us tied up. We look like one of those pictures you see of a campsite where your food is wrapped around a stick; the only problem here is we are missing a fire. Now there would be no way why these rather moody Vampires would want to make us their meal. I have never heard of such a thing of a Vampire feeding on another of his kind.


    So while Sebastian and this Sertius are having their stupid squabble, I turn to Lilith to ask her the very question. I try to whisper as softly under my breath that I possibly can.


    "Lilith, why are these Vampires living in the woods?"


    "Sebastian banned them from the city."


    "Why? What was so bad that they did for him to do that?"


    "They¡­well, you see, they kind of feed on other Vampires."


    "What?"


    My once silent voice echoes through the forest, causing such a stir that the birds start to scatter. This Sertius comes walking up to me with a somewhat amused smile on his face.


    "I think I will keep you for a while; you are still fresh. Now tell me, is old Sebastian here your Maker?"


    With my best effort, I avoid his gaze that is burning like fire through my skin. He somehow suspects more; it is only minutes from now that he shall place my side next to Sebastian. But unfortunately, minutes change into seconds as he circles my body and catch a glimpse of Sebastian''s ring on my finger.


    "Ah, what a privilege it is. It seems that we have the Master''s beloved in our presence. You sneaky bastard, Sebastian, how long have you taken her as your bride?"


    "None of your business fudge face."


    "Fudge face, you say? It is this face she shall see when she screams my name."


    "You have a better chance of being healed from that wretched virus."


    Then this Sertius nods for two of his men to come and untie my ropes. The fear of seven horrors creeps over my body as I desperately try to pull away from them, and they are trying to get a hold of me. I push the one to the side while trying to shove the other one to the back, but their grip is firm; I can not get away from them. And as they clench onto me, I kick and snarl; they only but laugh at all my attempts to get away. The sound of my screams shakes the horror into Sebastian.


    "Let me go!"


    My please fall on mocking ears as they clasp around my arms tighter.


    "Let me go!"


    They look at each other, and my voice disappears under their thunderous laughter.


    "Sebastian."


    Sebastian furiously tries to pull his ropes as he watches them carry me off into a little selfmade wooden shack.


    "Let go of her!"


    Then Sertius stops to look at him, with a teasing smile on his face.


    "And what are you going to do?"


    "Oh, believe me, you shall see soon enough."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I know that my beloved can handle herself, but that does not stop the horror from creeping up deep inside as I watch them take her away. The feeling of hopelessness settles over my body as there is nothing I can do. There is going to be hell to pay when I get free from these ropes, but something gives me the idea that their biggest threat is one that they just carried into the wooden shack.


    So I patiently wait, killing myself with anticipation. Why has it not happened yet? There are not terrifying screams coming from within. But then¡­one¡­two¡­three¡­


    "What on heavens earth."


    My laugther comes deep from my belly as I watch Sertius coming, speeding outside faster than a bullet. And from casually behind him comes Anastasia that has turned into her true form. Instantly the total of Sertius men is surrounding us. Now the question begs, can Anastasia get to us before these Rippers can. We are on the slight outnumbered side here, and the only one with enormous strength is surrounded by a bunch of bloodlust Vampires.


    Now it takes one remark from Sertius for Anastasia to react.


    "I have never fed on an Ancient, but I think you shall make a delicious meal."


    "Feed off your fudge face friends."


    Anastasia charges for Sertius, knocking him square of his feet, he lands on his back, but in mere seconds he jumps up again. With one quick snap of his hand, he smashes Anastasia through her face, leaving one gaping gash; she falls down in agony as she grabs at her wound. That is going to leave one unsightly scar. Out of pure rage, she launches at him and knocks him down again. With all her strength, she straddles Sertius and snap at his face. Much to my own terror, she claws out pieces of his flesh. The minute they hear the agony of his voice coming from beneath her, they rip her body from him and press her with all their combined force firmly to the floor.


    It all happens so fast, I pull, and I pull, and Lilith even pulls harder to free ourselves from our ropes. Anastasia will be ripped apart in seconds the moment they slam their fangs into her soft skin.


    "Sertius, take me instead."


    "My dear Sebastian, why would I take such a measly monster such as yourself. You are going to watch how I rip every piece of skin off your beautiful bride."


    "I beg Sertius; please let her go."


    "A man never lets go of his meal."


    With that, he turns back to where Anastasia is laying bare naked on the floor. She finds my gaze and looks into the deepest part of me. I can see the pain in her eyes, but there is something else, she has made peace that today she shall die. And as she calls out my name, my entire world crashes in.


    "Sebastian, I love you."


    Then all chaos breaks loose. There are the most horrific sounds of agony and pain shooting up into every root of every tree over the entire ground of the forest. Between the rumbling voices, I can hear Anastasia. There is blood running down the pathways of the forest, staining the leaves.


    Then everything goes dead.

 Chapter 71 - Welcomed Distraction

    There is a sound of absolute terror that fills the forest as chaos erupts before my very eyes. It is hard to see under the struggle that is a bundle in a ball of tumbling bodies if my beloved is still moving. As I watch one Ripper by one get pulled off from her lifeless body, it is pure agony that shoots through my body. It is with absolute impatience that I wait to be untied. The minute my hands are free, I leap to her in an instant. While I kneel next to her, I watch as the Rippers get ripped themselves. Well, I guess it is true that every dog has its day; in this case, a Ripper has gotten what he had coming.


    So as I shake my beloved, I need to find the urge not to cry in front of all that is present. I know that she is okay; it is only the terror that has her beyond scared.


    "My beloved, they are all gone."


    Very bewildered, she opens her eyes; her voice is a soft whisper underneath her shivering lips.


    "Sebastian, what happened?"


    From behind me, a very dear friend steps in front to join Anastasia and me.


    "You had us all a bit worried there. And I must say I have been wanting to do that for some time now."


    Anastasia looks somewhat confused at me. Now I know how intimating this man next to me must appear. In all his six foot five inches, he towers me, with a body that is rippled to perfection. Every crevice and curve is covered in the perfect vision of ink that makes his body a story to be told. With piercing blue eyes and his head of absolute insane perfect hair, he is standing over my beloved to gently pull her off the ground. Now, if I have not known him for as long as my Vampire years, I would, at this point, have slapped that charm right off his face.


    So after his elegant entrance, I can see by his relaxed calmness that every single Ripper has met their fate. Still captivated by this god of a man, my beloved whispers under very shaky breaths.


    "Who are you?"


    After being satisfied that he is still very much a charm around the ladies, he hands Anastasia over to me.


    "The name is Connor from the Crimson Shadow Pack."


    "You are a bunch of muts?"


    "Ha! I see that my dear Sebastian still likes to refer to our kind as a bunch of muts."


    I watch as clear confusion runs over Anastasias face; I know what the poor girl is thinking. How can we so casually sit next to a bunch of werewolves that has just saved our lives from the Rippers? Well, it is kind of a very long tale to tell, but the short of it is that Connor was giving a chance to immortality if his pack shall protect the very thing that a wolf is supposed to despise the most. Of course, immortality is such a thing that can not be turned away, so he decided to take the oath and have been protecting our kind from the other lurking dangers that we find ourselves unable to defend ourselves. Well, only in a present situation such as this.


    And do believe me that it is somewhat embarrassing to be saved from our own kind, but what does make me wonder is why they are here.


    "Why do you find yourselves out here?"


    "We got wind of a bunch of Rippers that moved in here, now they did create some havoc in the start, but they soon stopped the minute they became aware of our presence. We were waiting for them to make a wrong move; unfortunately, it had to be you. But I am relieved that we got to you before it was too late."


    "So you staying here?"


    "No moving on, you know how it goes; there is always some Vampire that needs saving."


    "Well, my dear friend, I am eternally grateful for saving my beloved''s life."


    "Beloved? Well, look at that. Mr. Casanova has been tamed."


    Then Connor turns to Anastasia, "My dear, I would say he is a gem, but the man can be a hand full."


    "Oh, believe me, that once we are out of here, he is so getting every piece of my mind."


    Then Connor turns back to me, with a look of questions on his face.


    "What is it that you find yourself out here?"


    "We came looking for Elloise."


    "Well, we shall accompany then, for I fear there are a few other creatures that wish to see you dead."


    "You make it sound that I pissed the supernatural world off."


    "Do you truly want me to answer that?"


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I thought I was going to die there, never and I say never have I been so scared in my life. It seemed as if they were just about to eat me alive. Well, in fact, they were, but just imagining my limbs being ripped from my body does make my stomach turn in such a way. The moment the biggest one of them all came close to taking a chunk of my flesh from my neck, I hated every moment of being a Vampire. The hissing, the snarling, the way they snapped their fangs, has my body shiver in such a way that I wished that I was dead.


    But then this man came to my rescue; no man is not a word; this is a god. If Sebastian even knew the improper things that I am thinking of this Connor, he would take me away in an instant. I am captivated by the way the sunlight bronzes his skin, by the way those muscles fold and twist with every step that he takes. That body is so hot that you can melt honey on it, I can¡­well I can think of¡­


    "My beloved, come walk on the other side of me."


    "But Sebastian¡­"


    "My beloved, I insist."


    Well, there goes my fun, still cannot help me to stare at him. If I can just run my finger over those abs, they seem rock hard, but god so inviting.


    But out of nowhere, Sebastian stops and looks at Connor with somewhat frustration.


    "My dear friend, can you perhaps put some clothes on. I am starting to blush just knowing what these two ladies are thinking."


    Connor laughs from deep in his belly, for he knows exactly the thoughts that are rushing through Lilith and my head. What is that saying, if you have it, then use it? Well, this man is using it to his full advantage. He is¡­


    "My beloved! I insist that you focus on the task at hand."


    "What? What did I do, Sebastian?"


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    This is frustrating; my beloved is thinking of these inappropriate things about another man. My ears are hurting from listening to what she is thinking. The very thought of her imagining another man is driving me absolutely sick.


    So it is with much relief that we step into the opening that leads us into the valley where Elloise and the other fairies live. Now, this is beauty; this is something that the eye should look upon and say this is what I want my mind to be filled with. Not some buff wolf that is making the knees weak of two very worked up Vampires.


    Now imagine a field of pink and white flowers as far as the eye can see, big lush trees towering to the blue sky, a small river that leads into one giant pond under the biggest tree in the valley. And that tree is where we shall find Elloise, but we are not allowed to enter without the blessing of someone that lives here. So we are patiently waiting for someone to grant us access. And much to my frustration, Connor remains by our side, for he shall need to accompany us out of the forest again.


    It takes only but a few minutes, and servent of Elloise come up to us, and no, the poor creature is not flying as my beloved is just about to ask me.


    "Sebastian, why is she not flying."


    "My dear beloved, she does not fly. Do you not remember me telling you this, or is your mind too flooded with everything that is Connor?"


    "Sebastian, how can you even say such a thing."


    "Believe me; I know exactly what you are thinking. Now can we please focus? This is a rather serious matter."


    But yes, that is not about to happen, for this damn Connor bends to pick up a little stone, and of course, Lilith and Anastasia are getting a perfect view of his ass. And without even thinking what I am doing, I slap him, not against the arm, not in the face, no, on the ass.


    "Sebastian!"


    "Anastasia, look what you made me do now."


    "Oh no, you are not blaming me for that. Now can you stop messing around?"


    With all jokes aside, we are finally escorted to where Elloise has been quite amusingly looking at this group of silly Vampires.


    "Well, Sebastian, to what do I owe the entertainment?"


    "Good to see you again, Elloise, we, your sister included¡­"


    Everything goes dead quiet as Elloise immediately seeks Lilith, and if I thought that I had not seen all the strange of what I can, now I am seeing a Fairy and a Vampire locked in an embrace that looks very much like a loving hug. We quietly step aside and let the moment play its course. It is very clear that these two, despite their different species, have a great fondness and very evident love for each other. What the mortal world cannot seem to grasp at the best of times is that no matter differences, we see and appreciate each other; that is when we are not trying to kill each other.


    Once the emotions have calmed, and everyone seems to be at themselves, I proceed to try and tell Elloise of the reason we find ourselves here. But wait, Connor has just been spotted. The thoughts from Elloise that just ran through my head put me to shame. That thing my beloved loves to do with her tongue, well I think that Elloise has just defined a whole new meaning to that. To think that she wishes to twist her body¡­


    "For god sakes, can all of you women stop fussing over Connor. I swear if I hear one more dirty, disgusting thought, I am going to get sick to my stomach."


    But yes, they do not even grasp what I just said; I might as well just sit back and let the drool fest carry its course, not that I think I will. Now, after a frustrating discussion of the girls over how far more superior this man is over me, I casually interrupt them.


    "Elloise, I have got some business to discuss, now if you wish for me to leave Connor here, trust me, I would gladly do so."


    "Yes, Sebastian, you need not say a word; I do know why you have come to us."


    "You do?"


    "I felt the presence of the book was being moved from its intended place of rest."


    "Well, then I am hoping that you will be able to tell me where it finds itself now?"


    Then Elloise stands from where she is sitting to approach me, but not before she makes a circle around Connor, running her fingers over his sculpted chest. I take one deep breath and pray that this nightmare will soon be over.


    Finally, she comes close to me and whispers the very exact address where the book is.


    "My god, what is he doing with the Book of Spells?"

 Chapter 72 - Who Shall It Be?

    After what seemed like the longest hour of my immortal life, Connor and his pack safely escorted us out of the forest. With this new information in hand, we make our way back home to share our discovery with Edward and Victor. The big question begs, how are we going to resolve this matter without drawing too much attention to ourselves.


    With that in mind, we soon find ourselves walking through the front door, where we are met by a very frantic Victor and a somewhat worried Edward. Unlike Edward, I do believe that Victor does not carry the same faith that I shall, no matter what, always bring the ones that are dearest to me and that accompany me on such a mission safely back home. He seems to have built a somewhat stronger bond with Lilith since the whole incident with Lucius, which I understand, but the man has grown slightly overprotective.


    Now, if this is welcomed by Lilith, I do not know; I have never seen her to settle with one man for a period of time. That in itself, explains why she has not yet done so with Victor. But in saying this, she, too, has changed since her encounter with Lucius. I do foresee that there shall be a rather big shift in their relationship soon.


    ¡­Victor POV¡­


    It is with great relief that I see Lilith walk through that door. I will admit that it has been the longest day of my immortal life. Now I do believe that I shall need not to be concerned that Sebastian shall return them all safely back home.


    But then I am overwhelmed by the thought of what shall happen to my poor heart if I have to find that one day she shall not return, or even more that I myself do not make my way back home. This is not a thought that a wish to entertain. As a Vampire, you feel that you are untouchable, but as have been proven now over and over again, that we found ourselves as a relatively easy target. We are too assured that nothing can happen to us and as one of the strongest of the mythical creature that no other shall dare to take us on.


    Well, by the look of my dear Lilith that is covered in blood, which I can safely assume is not her own, I do believe that they have encountered one of those that wish to overthrow our power. Now, do I even dare to ask what did cross their path today? But what I do hope is that they did find themselves ultimately dead, for the last thing one wants is for some creature to descend down and take their revenge.


    So I take her by the hand and lead her away from Sebastian that is talking to Edward about something rather serious. Well, my concern does not lay there; I wish to take my love and get that filth off from her porcelain skin. Yes, council business should come as a priority first, but the wellbeing of Lilith shall now and always take president.


    And it is in silence that we make our way upstairs; once we are behind the privacy of her bedroom door, she finally turns to me.


    "God, Victor, I thought that we were going to die. I have never seen such a vicious creature. Well, I am sure there are worse, but to be eaten by your own kind is a death I would now wish myself to suffer."


    "My love, what was it that was out there in the forest? I am horrified to even ask if all this blood belongs to something else?"


    "Rippers, it was Rippers. They nearly made Anastasia their midday snack. It was the most terrifying few minutes of my life. If it were not for the man Connor, then we would have been dead."


    "Connor? That ridiculously, overly insane man that looks like a god himself?"


    "That very one. But we did manage to make it to my sister, which I must add, I was never so overjoyed in my life to see her again."


    "Did you locate the Book of Spells?"


    "Yes, but only Sebastian knows the location."


    Now never would I have thought they would cross the path of a bunch of Rippers; I would have thought they would have been long dead by now. This does go to show you that nowhere is safe anymore. And should Connor not been there to destroy all of them, they indeed would have been dead.


    I cannot live without Lilith; I will simply not bear being without the one thing I have desired since the very first time I laid my eyes on her. Her exquisite beauty was only but an addition to the gentlest of hearts that she possesses. For a Vampire, she displays a rare kindness and concern for those of her kind. My heart belonged to her from the very moment that I ever spoke to her.


    Thus I think she shall share the very same sentiment as me as I believe the time for this has come. This is something that I have desired more now since Stefan has come into our lives. There is a greater need to assure that both of them are safe and away from all this danger that the Belmont House has been attracting of late.


    "My dear Lilith, can I be so frank and ask you something that shall need great considering from your side."


    "Of course, what is it that has that great mind of yours so bothered."


    "Please let me take you away from here. Please let me take you away from all this danger."


    "I do not quite understand? You want me to leave here? You want me to leave the Belmont house? Leave Sebastian and Edward behind?"


    "Yes, this is not a safe place to be anyone; I need to know that you are safe. You and Stefan, you need to be away from where all these creatures can harm you."


    "Oh Victor, I don''t know if I can do such a thing. I have been with Sebastian and Edward since the beginning."


    "My dear, we need to think of Stefan now. Who knows what dangers are coming with whoever has possession of the Book of Spells."


    "You do state a good point; I am afraid of what is to come. Sebastian did seem very concerned after Elloise spoke to him."


    "That is more of the reason why we should leave. Please tell me that you will come with me?"


    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    What Victor says is, indeed, the truth. Once again, I have been shown the dangers that lurk in this city and beyond. Now I would not have come to face with these if I was not with Sebastian, for he has become rather dangerous to be around. I do understand his quest to ensure that the city shall not only be safe for Vampires but the humans too. The problem is that the lives of the ones that chose to go on these missions of his are being placed in danger far beyond is necessary.


    Yes, there are some awful things that lurk in the shadows, some of which I hope that I have never seen. And some things that a human should not see himself either. There is a very big possibility that should they become aware of the mythical world surrounding them; they shall not only try and harness our power but we shall also be hunted and killed like animals. But then there are some of us, not animals, creatures that should not roam this earth at all.


    Yes, I do believe that the Belmont House shall continue to attract the danger that it does. And let us not even mention the danger that lay within the pages of the Book of Spells. It is truly beyond me why they never destroyed the book in the first place. Now for someone to have gone through the great trouble that they did to steal the book from where it was thought it could never be taken from. This only means that there is a power out there that has a great evil planned for this city. The question is for which kind it shall be, for the mortal or, in fact, the immortals such as ourselves.


    Now I have known Victor for a great few years. The moment I was captivated by the way he carried himself. He was not an arrogant Vampire that chased every woman that came in his way. In the beginning, he did carry a few partners, but the moment he started to enjoy my company, he immediately stopped his ways. He has been by my side ever since then, and despite my somewhat difficult nature at times, he had always remained by my side. Even after I said that I was not ready to settle down, he still remained loyal to me, hoping that I shall come around.


    So here I have a man that I have come to grow very fond of asking me to leave my life behind and start a new one with him elsewhere. I do believe that it is in the best interest of Stefan to do such a thing. But I do not know what I shall do without Sebastian and Edward, though I need to give my son the best life and do I even need to mention the safest to live.


    "Victor, when do you wish to do this?"


    "Now, today, before the true intention of the one with the Book of Spells becomes known."


    "Please give me a few moments."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    After cleaning the horrible stench of that Ripper off my skin, I find myself with Anastasia and Edward discussing the way forward. I have not yet made it known to Anastasia, who is in possession of the Book of Spells. It is not that I wish to keep the location a secret; I just have no idea how I am going to approach this. This shall, by far from all the battles we have found ourselves in; this shall be the one that holds the biggest danger of all. But what makes this even more terrifying is that there are so many ways this can go for there is hundreds of spell within those pages. We have no way of knowing which one the book was taken for.


    So while we are awaiting the return of Victor, it is Lilith that makes her way into the common room. Though she carries a very concerned look on her face, I am not sure if I can say it is the same sentiment that she holds with what danger lies ahead. But one thing is for sure, that there is a burning concern on her mind. And as she comes to stand in front of us, I know that this shall be a life-changing event.


    "Anastasia, I do not wish to be rude in any way, but please, can I have a word with Sebastian and Edward alone."


    "Sure, Lilith, I shall be with Stefan in the ballroom."


    As Anastasia makes her departure, it does take Lilith a few moments to find the words that she has come to say to us. Now I am not sure what to expect; I have never seen this much turmoil on her face. Is she truly still so shaken from our encounter with the Rippers? But there is a different look in her eyes, more than the fear of an enemy; there is a fear of loss. There is a choice that has been placed on her shoulders that has lead her to come face Edward and me. This is making me rather concerned.


    "My dear Lilith, what is the matter?"


    "Sebastian, Edward, you do know that my heart carries a great deal of love for you both. You are not only my brothers, but the father that I lacked for most of my mortal life."


    "You are scaring me. What has happened?"


    "Victor has asked me to leave with him. Today."


    I am taken aback as the shock fills every fiber in my now trembling body. I can not allow this to happen. She cannot leave; Victor is not thinking with a sane mind. But then this is ultimately her decision?


    "What are you going to say?"

 Chapter 73 - The Darkness

    This bears too much for my heart to take; there is no way I have ever imagined that I shall lose Lilith in such a way. I do understand that she requires companionship, but why can they not remain here in the Belmont House. What I am also aware of is that they do fear for the safety of Stefan, for she does not have to mention a single word. I do know that both Victor and she believe that I am a danger to be around. This does sting my heart, I have, and I shall always ensure that she and the boy will be safe.


    Yes, there is a great enemy waiting for us to face; I would prefer that she remain here until the threat has passed.


    "My dear sister, there is a monster that is lurking in the shadows that are threatening to step forward. Please can I beg for you to hold off your decision once we have safely retrieved the Book of Spells?"


    "I know we are all in great danger; I have not made my decision yet. I felt I need to discuss the question that Victor place in my path with the two men that mean a great deal in my life."


    "I am very pleased to hear that, please may I also request that you and Stefan stay inside. I shall request that all doors and windows be locked down immediately."


    "Do you fear the holder of the Book shall come after us?"


    "I believe that nobody is safe. No mythical creature and no human also. We shall be leaving in the next half an hour, and I do believe that Victor is joining us."


    "I beg that you both be safe."


    With that, Lilith makes her exit; to say that Edward and I am not relieved would be a lie. But this shall be a shortlived for we do need to make our departure. I do believe that we are being optimistic walking into this with only four Vampires. The question begs the Book of Spells does require some skill to master, has the holder managed to do so? This I am afraid I do not know, for we have not seen any unexplainable phenomenon.


    So after gathering as much courage that four trembling Vampires can, we step outside the door, requesting Lilith to lockdown and not open it for anyone. It does appear that we are taking this to some extreme, but I do fear that we are not merely going to walk in and get what we want. And by the force they went through to get the Book in their possession, let us all believe that this shall be a formidable opponent.


    It is with nervous laughter that we all get into the car. The plan is to drive halfway there and make the rest of the way by foot. Now we will be expected, the question of how welcome we shall be received, well that clearly is not a question that needs to be answered. But what needs to be asked is how many are involved, and even of more importance if they have used any of the spells that give them great power.


    The drive is made in utter silence. The silence is so deafening that one can clearly hear the heartbeat of the one sitting next to you. Victor, who seems to babble the moment he gets nervous, is driving not only me but Edward insane. Anastasia has completely shut off. Ever so often, I reach behind my chair and rub her leg in my own way of assuring that it shall be okay. The fact I can not guarantee any that anything is going to be. Of all the enemies we have taken, it is a Book that we end up fearing the most.


    But then Edward turns down a street I am not expecting him to have turned.


    "Edward, where are you going? There is no time for any other things now?"


    Well, I need not even ask anything further, for I know exactly where we are headed. This has been a road I have traveled down with my beloved more than we quite often should have.


    "My beloved, is this your doing? Are you the one that has requested his presence?"


    "Sebastian, please, we need any hands we can get, and right now, his will do just as good as any will. And if you think of it, he is supposed to be the protector of the city."


    "Yes, against Vampires. He has no business with the Book of Spells."


    "I said it has become his business, now play nice."


    With that, we are stopping in front of the pesky little Vampire Hunter''s home. And as the man gets into the car, I already wish that I can slap that smirk off his face. But wait, give him one more minute, and he will have something smart to say.


    "Well, it seems you not man enough again, Mr. Vampire Master."


    "And it seems that you still don''t know when to keep that stupid mouth shut."


    "It is this mouth that our beloved has asked for; guess your mouth has worn out its purpose."


    "If this mouth has worn off his purpose, why is she wearing my ring then?"


    "Your what?"


    "Ha! Who has worn out his purpose now."


    I watch with utter satisfaction as my beloved continues to inform my dear little friend of our union. Well, to say that I am not devilishly satisfied that she has once again burst his tiny little bubble that there shall and never will be anything but a very odd friendship between themselves. But such feats are of no importance as we are coming up to where we need to be.


    "From here, we shall walk on foot. I do believe that our presence is expected, so do be alert to your surroundings. Any person that we encounter on the way can not be trusted. Please do stay close and my dear Hunter, touch my beloved, and I will make sure you die first."


    "Sebastian!"


    "What, my beloved? I saw the way the man was staring at your ass."


    "Then why are you staring at my ass as well?"


    "My dear, cause it belongs to me."


    "Last time I checked, it was attached to my body. Now stop being silly, or we all are going to end up dead."


    So I believed I have, as a term that what explained to me by Edward, I have just been whipped. Not a whipping that I would like to receive, I would lean to the real kind instead. But all jokes aside.


    As we pass each side street, we look from side to side to see if there is any danger lurking there. It is eerily quiet, and the roads are deserted. Yes, it is fairly late in the evening, but there should at least be a car or someone wandering the street somewhere. This does put the fear of seven mortal deaths in me. The light are dimmer than they usually should be, it feels like a graveyard, but even more, it feels as if we are walking in the danger of our deaths.


    So after terrifying miles in dead silence, we find ourselves standing outside the building where Elloise said the Book is being held. A building that I know very well. I have been on many occasions in this residence myself; never did I think I would come here for any reason here but for a friendly visit. Well, believe me, we are not here in any familiar way at all.


    With each hesitating step, we make our way around to the back to where we intend to sneak our way in. Now I do believe that there are security cameras here; there is no way we will be sneaking at all. But if it pleases Edward, then we can do it this way.


    As we make our way through a back gate that strangely is open, I immediately know that something is wrong. But we push our way forward through green gardens which are surrounded by the most beautiful white lilies; we are for a second distracted by the danger looming within. Through a maze of trees, we find our way up to a back door, and as Victor turns the knob to find it open, only one thought occurs to me.


    "This is too easy; this must be a trap."


    Anastasia, not wanting to wait for further instructions from either Edward or me, flings the door right open. As we step through the door into the kitchen, there is nothing, nothing all but pitch darkness. In the distance, I hear something that is beeping at a pitch too loud. I believe we have just set off the alarm. Even if no one is here aware of our entrance, they shall soon be made aware of the minute they are phoned by the security company.


    We quickly step outside and make our way back the way that we came. Satisfied that we have not been seen, we regroup. There are two things that are very clear, the Book has been moved, and the holder now knows that we are searching for it. This does mean only one thing; we shall have to get Elloise to help us track the Book, for I fear it shall be moved again.


    So with much disappointment, we turn down the road to walk back to the car; I still cannot understand how this road can be so awfully dead this time of night. And if the silence is not enough, the skies are turning darker than before.


    "Lovely, all we need now is to walk back in the rain."


    My words are not even dead, and I hear the rumble of thunder, but thunder in more of an ominous way. So as I lift my head to observe how hard the rains shall come down onto us, I stop in my tracks.


    "Edward."


    Edward casts his eyes up to the skies. He sees the same vision that I have only but seconds ago. The sky is dark, with rumbling clouds that are turning over and over each other, but that is not the problem; this is not clouds of rain. They are very much clouds that are aflame.


    My beloved that has noticed our distraction, now also looks in the same direction that we are.


    "Sebastian, why are the clouds that awful dead red?"


    Then the Vampire Hunter turns to me, not to crack a joke, but with concern on his face.


    "I have read of this before, in old legends. Is it?"


    "My dear friend, I am afraid that the first spell has been cast."


    Edward, who has now picked up his pace, tries to encourage our nervous minds to get to the car as soon as we possibly can. "Sebastian, you know what creatures shall now come to the surface."


    "I am afraid I do, and there is no way of warning any soul, whether immortal or mortal in kind."


    Once we are finally back in the safety of the car, everyone except my beloved knows what is about to happen, and there is no way to beat around the bust; it is clearly going to have to come in the most forward way which will scare her to death. But before I can even muster the words, she takes me by the hand.


    "Sebastian, what is going on?"


    "My beloved, within the Book of Spells, there lies a spell so great that if it succeeds, it shall build the perfect race."


    "What do you mean perfect race?"


    "There shall be seven spells that shall test mortal, immortal, and the dead to see who lasts through the process. That shall be the perfect race that shall be under the rule that man that cast the spell."


    "What seven spells?"


    "Well, the first has just been cast. The Darkness. The one that shall cleanse the mortals."

 Chapter 74 - Cleansing Of Mortals

    I have a very worried Anastasia staring at me; now I know what the poor girl is thinking; she is wondering what does ''cleansing of the mortals'' means. Well it means, the strongest shall survive, for the darkness shall unleash every creature that nightmares are made of. And these creatures prey on the lives of mortals; they range from taking their souls to ripping the very thing that beats which keeps them alive. These creatures shall eliminate those who are too weak to be part of the perfect mortal race.


    So it is with pure panicked horror that Anastasia asks the question that I am sure even the Vampire Hunter knows the answer to.


    "Do I even dare to ask what the other spells are?"


    "My beloved, there shall be a spell that will, if you wish to say, cleanse immortals too. Now, if he follows the book to perfect detail, the next shall be to cleanse the very creatures that have just cleansed the mortals for him.


    "And when you say him, you say you know exactly who this person is?"


    "Yes, we do know who is using the Book of Spells."


    "Who is¡­"


    Just then, from out of nowhere, one very terrified woman comes running up to the car and furiously starts pounding against the window. Behind her is a creature that I have not seen in over a hundred years; I am aware of their existence. He is clearly chasing her for the very thing he craves the most. I never was quite sure if they were living around these parts of London. So before my poor beloved is scared beyond belief, Edward brings the car alive and slam the pedal to the floor; we off to a roaring start towards the safety of our home.


    There we find an even more concerned Lilith, pacing the stretch of floor between the entrance and the stairway. The poor Stefan, his running up and down as she takes every step in fear of our safety. I can honestly say that I have never seen this much relief on any one person''s face.


    "My god, Sebastian, you guys are alive."


    "Oh, my dear Lilith, we are immortal; it is not yet our turn."


    "That is not funny; how can you see the humor at a time such as this."


    Then I get the look from Lilith that I have been getting from every single one that was present in the car, and I can not honestly say what my answer is going to be.


    "Sebastian, what are you going to do. You know how long this spell will last; we can not just sit by."


    And Lilith just had to go and say this, for now, Anastasia''s curiosity is peaked, and I do not think I wish to answer the question.


    "Sebastian, how long does this spell take?"


    "My beloved, I am afraid to even mention, but it does take seven days."


    "Seven days? A week? Some of us have not fed in a week already. And do I even dare to say, these poor people of the city? Who is going to look after them? We need to get word to them."


    "Even if we do, these creatures shall just enter their homes, that is, those that are not clever to lock them down with whatever they could find."


    "Well, I say we leave and go try and save as many as we can."


    "My beloved, I don''t even know where we shall start."


    "Anywhere, anywhere we can."


    I do admire her determination to help those who cannot help themselves, but it is futile; not only shall we place our own lives in danger, it shall not make any difference. Yes, sitting back is not my ideal solution, but I cannot put the lives of my family in danger. I believe that she shall understand this. So I make my leave to phone the rest of the council and elders to get word to all of my kind to not try and make their way into the streets.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I will not sit by and let innocent people just die like this because some man has become power-hungry and unleashed and evil over the city to satisfy this need of his. If Sebastian will not do anything about this, then I shall defy every word he said. He might be over two hundred years old, but he does not possess the power that I do. And let us not forget there is one other that also does, and it is him that I shall ask the impossible from.


    "Zachariah, I am going outside to help those that find themselves helpless on the street; now I know that you are human, but you are also Vampire, and may I add one of the two strongest in this room."


    "Anastasia, your beloved will not only kill me, but he might just chain you up."


    "Ha! I want to see him try that for one second. If you are not going to come with me, then I shall do this alone."


    "Well, Sebastian wants to kill me whether I help you or not, might as well give him a good reason to do it."


    While Sebastian has retreated to the study to contact the elders to get word among the Vampire community, Zachariah and I sneak out the back door to make our way into the city. I snatch the keys to the car that is parked at the back of the grounds. Zachariah, who knows well how to steal cars, which I do not want to know the details of, sneaks our way out the driveway without being heard or seen.


    Once we have made it a safe distance from the house, Zachariah, with a newfound urgency, has us racing down the first of the many alleys that we shall check. We shall cover these before making our way into the streets, which are eerily completely deserted and dead. Have so many humans already been taken, or have the ominous clouds kept them inside? Which does make it true what Sebastian said, that these creatures shall enter their homes. There has to be a better way to do this.


    "Zachariah, we need to find a better way to warn these humans; I am afraid going down alleys and roads trying to fight these monsters is going to take up too much of our time."


    He sits for a few moments and ponders what I have just said, and then I watch as his face lights up.


    "I have the perfect plan. Strap in. We are going for a fast drive."


    As Zachariah drives the pedal into the floor, my entire body pushes back into the chair, and adrenaline sets in. Something gives me the idea that we are in for a thrilling ride this evening. But just then my phone starts to light up.


    "Anastasia, where are you!"


    I then look at Zacharia, which knows exactly whose message I am staring at.


    "I guess your beloved has noticed our absence."


    So as it is somewhat hard, I ignore his messages, which continue to fly in one after the other. We have a mission at hand, and there shall be no way that I will back off. I have already come thus far; I am not going to give up before I have even started.


    And with every road we pass on the side, we find people running scared for their lives. If we thought that all the humans have taken to the safety of their home, we have now just been proven wrong. But it is not so much the idea of humans running down the streets, but what is running behind them for god; I have never in my life seen such hideous creatures. But it is not just one kind, there are so many different ones that are getting the pleasure of the satisfaction of the way they are sending the mortals down the streets screaming.


    Then soon I see the destination where we were heading; as soon as we stop to change from a civilian car to those of law enforcement, I immediately know what Zacharia had in mind. I do smile and wink at him, for he has always had quite the naughty streak; I think speeding down the road with the megaphone in a cop car is his idea of fun, not even to mention breaking the law while doing it.


    With a newfound urgency, we hit the first of the residential roads; with a slow drive, and me on the megaphone urging for everyone to stay inside, we begin the long process of trying to help the people of the city stay safe. But some are not so lucky, for we can see these creatures breaking through the barriers of their homes that are meant to keep them safe. The only thing we can do is but ask them to lock down and stay somewhere it is safe for the next seven days. There is no way that we as two Ancients can take these monsters up by ourselves, and do I even dare go say not even with Sebastian and Edward by our sides that it would have made much of a difference.


    But through all this, Sebastian has not once tried to stop phoning me. So while Zachariah is concentrating on the task at hand, I call Sebastian, knowing that I am so getting it from them.


    "Anastasia, where are you?"


    "We are downtown now."


    "Do you have a death wish? Come home this instant!"


    "Sebastian, I cannot let these people just get slaughtered like that."


    "You cannot fight every damn monster lurking out there."


    "I know, but I can still warn them to stay inside."


    "Good luck with that one; it will take you years. Now get back home!"


    I take a deep breath before I tell him about our crazy plan.


    "Well, we perhaps have stolen a cop car and are driving with the megaphone on."


    "You did what?"


    "We stole a car."


    "Oh my god, have you gone insane? Come home!"


    "No, you either join us, but I am not going home."


    "Guess I am stealing a car then; I will see you shortly."


    I hear him chuckle just as I am about the put the phone down; well, that did not go as bad as I expected. It is with much relief that I see him and Edward, and very much to my surprise, Lilith and Victor as well. Guess this is one for the storybooks, how five Vampires and a Vampire Hunter stole a bunch of cop cars to save the lives of a bunch of mortals that would have their lives in the first place.


    Now, of course, Sebastian shall not allow me to be in the car with Zachariah, so after a bunch of egotistical comments, I change cars with Edward. As I get in with Sebastian, he just smiles, and we set down the roads. Road after road, street after street, we try our best to warn all the humans to stay inside their homes. It takes us hours and hours as we go into day time and even hours later into night time again.


    As we see that we have made much progress, we all group together close to what I believe is the cemetery. It is far more quiet from the nightmares that we have just seen; the peace and silence are much welcomed at this moment before we shall be heading back into the belly of the beast as we have come to call it now.


    Sebastian looks at me somewhat concerned; I have grown pale and are feeling weak. I have not only fed for a week, but all this excitement has drained my body.


    "My beloved, do you wish to carry on? We have done truly more than what we can for now."


    I still try to find the very words to argue with him, but there is something else that has now got my attention.


    "Sebastian, what is that?"


    "Some idiot that decided to walk through the cemetery at this ungodly hour."


    "Well, he looks more drunk to me. Are you going to tell him to go home, or should I?"


    Just as I am about to get out of the car, Sebastian pulls me back by the arm.


    "Anastasia, that is not a human."

 Chapter 75 - Land Of The Undead

    They say that life is made up by a series of defining moments; it shall define who you are and whom you shall become. I do believe that the way we shall overcome the Book of Spells shall define the legacy of the Vampire. Now, this will never be one that we shall outlive, but it shall be the one that we shall gain the respect of other mythical creatures in this realm and even beyond what the eyes can see.


    Now, why should such a feat be tasked to a Vampire, for the simple fact that we are the superior race. There are the ones that compare in strength, but they are only but set to reap destruction between themselves. But then you find a human that wishes to harness the power of something he truly does not understand. Even worse now, he wishes to speed up the pace at which the Seven Spells should be cast; this is a recipe for disaster that is about to unfold rapidly.


    So I am not sure if it is with pure luck or plain stupidity that we find ourselves standing next to a cemetery. I would like to say that it is the latter, but I guess the former should do. The big question is why such ungodly creatures were ever made part of the spell, and even more so, how did they come to prey on the creatures of the night? Guess it is a question one kind seeks the other.


    In a way, you might say that we should be the same species; they do find themselves undead, but just not as natural that a Vampire is born. We do die before we are born again, but we do not find ourselves rotten in a hole before such a thing happens. And there is the tiny fact that they shall be born if someone wishes to raise such a useless thing, for all they do is feed on the flesh of whatever they shall find in their way. Now give them a supernatural creature, and it shall give them power which they are not so familiar with. Power is what drives us all, no matter which creature you find yourself as.


    I can safely say that this is not a creature that I wish to gain power from; not only does the thing smell of rotten flesh, but it is the most unsightly thing a mortal can become. So as my beloved looks at me, I cannot help but laugh at the horror that is written all over her face.


    "My beloved, it seems as if you have seen a ghost."


    "Well, I would have sat far better if it what indeed one and not some monster that is the walking dead. Surely this is something that horror movies are made from?"


    "If you can dream it, then it is real. Yes, you shall not see these things as a mortal for the mere fact that you do not know where to look for it."


    "So what do we do now?"


    "Unfortunately nothing; they shall cleanse the creatures that are cleansing the mortals at present."


    "Does this mean that they shall stop cleansing the mortals then?"


    "Yes, for they shall be going into hiding because of the undead."


    "Well, then I guess we are going home then."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Just when I thought that things could not get any weirder, it has just become. Now to say that things are horrifying would be an utter lie. Who even makes up these things? How can you ever imagine things running around the city, killing amongst themselves? But there is one concern though, Sebastian said that there is the spell to cleanse mortals, then I am assuming this is to level the score with those creatures. Now, who cleanses the new walking dead, or do they too become part of this perfect race?


    "Sebastian, what happens to these ungodly things? How long will they last?"


    "As I said, the skies remain for seven days; once the darkness is over, they shall return from where they came. They have no purpose but to kill; they do not possess power, nor can you control them for any length of time. The last thing he would wish for is for his perfect race to be taken out but such a filthy thing."


    "Do I dare even ask when it is our turn?"


    "My beloved, you make it sound that as if we are standing in line at a funfair."


    "Oh, Sebastian, trust you to find the humor. But I am curious; please humor me."


    "Well, my dear, can we get home before we learn how we shall meet our fate?"


    Now, if I was not reassured before, I am definitely not anymore. Do I even dare say that I am worried that we have a Vampire Hunter amongst us now? But in saying this, I need to remind myself that he, too, is a Vampire. I don''t see how any of those creatures that are roaming the city will come and take all the Vampires out. So I put my fear aside as we drive through hundreds of walking dead mortals that have now taken to the street. I am glad to know that these creatures shall return to where they have come from. It is the ones that are still causing havoc in the city that is the concern.


    So as we finally arrive at home, we make our way inside with absolute haste, for those creatures will have no calm in trying to overpower us. Not that I think they are allowed, but who knows how dumb these things are. After making sure that we are well locked down, and all seem to be safe, Sebastian and I excuse ourselves to go change into something that smells far less creature like. Their stench is hanging thick in the streets of the city.


    As we make the way into our room, Sebastian looks at me somewhat concerned.


    "My beloved, I thought that I was going to lose you. Please do not ever run off like that again. You should by now know that you need not take a lot to convince me."


    He slowly walks up to me with that cocky smile on his face, and god, there he does that thing with his lip again.


    Unexpectedly, he presses his fingers in my thighs and lifts me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. The moan that escapes my throat only fuels the lustful craving hidden in his brown eyes. Our lips crush together; he kisses me softly at first, soft enough to send a spiraling warmth throughout my body. He deepens the kiss, deep enough to awaken the aching between my legs.


    Then he drops my legs to the floor, pushing my body into the wall. With his muscled chest pressed against me, I can feel him grow hard under his tight jeans. He pins my hands above my head, placing his hungry kisses all over my mouth. His mouth is insistent, his lips trembling; it is sending wild tremors along my nerves, igniting sensations I have never known I had before. I kiss him back; I match his every movement; when I gently suck his tongue, he lets out a shallow groan. But as soon as he began, he stops.


    "My beloved, let me run you a bath; I do not wish to make love to my wife with some ungodly smell upon her."


    As he disappears into the bathroom, I hear the water running; I make my way up and find him standing there. He does not say a word. He keeps his eyes on me as I slip the straps of my dress over my shoulders. He steps forward and slides my dress down my body, resting it on my feet. He steps backward, admiring my body, still not saying a word.


    "Please get in so that I can bathe you."


    He stands there for a moment, unable to move; he watches as my body disappears into the water. Without further hesitation, he begins to soap my breasts, which glistens under the flow of the water. Next, he scrubs my back, rubbing the cloth gently between my shoulders. When he moves to my neck, he lays down a soft kiss, which shoots sparks through my veins.


    When he is done, he wraps me in a towel and carries me to the bed. He gently lays me down; slowly, he begins to draw the towel apart until I lay exposed. His hands are floating over my body, discovering every bit of me


    "Now, what do I do with this?"


    "Well, hopefully, not just stare at it."


    He lowers his lips onto mine; in an instant, we melt into each other. Then he kisses me, he kisses me with purpose, like his lips have a plan. He possesses me; he owns me. I look into his magnificent eyes; the swirls of emotion I see there makes me gasp. I never knew a kiss so innocent could be so intimate. I feel like I am walking on air. The way his lips connect with mine. His mouth is so warm, the caress of his lips so soft. He makes me breathless.


    His fingers land, warm and radiant against my skin. His rough hands wrap around my hips, hands that are skillful dive deep into my body. He kisses me; the touch of his lips makes the world fall away. It is slow and soft, comforting in ways that words would never be. His hand rests below my ear, his thumb caressing my cheek, our breaths mingle. Unable to contain ourselves anymore, he pulls me deeper into a fiery and passionate kiss. When we broke apart for air, I rested my forehead against his.


    "I love you, Sebastian Belmont."


    "And my beloved, Anastasia Santi, I loved you more than those three words contain."


    I raise from the bed and slip my fingers around his buckle, and in no time at all I have his pants unzipped. I gently slip them down over his firm ass and drop them next to the bed into a pile on the floor.


    He knots my legs around his waist. I fall back, the soft red satin sheets wrapping around me. My body quivers as his naked body lowers on top of mine. Our hips move against each other as he settles between my legs. His erection is growing larger and harder, the desire in him growing deeper. Absolutely nothing in this world feels as good as the sensation of him slowly sliding into me.


    We are moving purposefully, into and against each other. I am holding the top of the bed, my eyes falling back into my eyelids; he arches his back, letting moan after moan leave his lips. We are following our desires, such as we understood them.


    Twisting and gasping together. We are drawn close to that sensation that only goes beyond sexual pleasure. It feels as if something inside me is slowly working its way through him. It''s hard to experience desire while at the same time controlling it. We are trying to lose control, and when he takes my head in his hands, we know we on our way, like two solid worlds trying to come into one. We fall back on the bed, staring up into the ceiling and feeling the presence of a world we were for the better of an hour, not part of.


    Once the ecstasy subsides and we find ourselves present in this world again, I turn to Sebastian as he pulls me deep into his arms and I rest my head on his chest.


    He has yet to answer my question, which he has been doing everything possible to avoid. But this very serenity that we experience is being threatened. There are two different worlds outside these walls at war with each other, a war that we cannot do anything about. But are we truly going to sit by and let these spells just run their course?


    "Sebastian, when is our turn?"

 Chapter 76 - The Eve Of Extinction

    Every man''s life lies within the present, for the past is spent and done with, and the future is uncertain. Even though the future is uncertain, you should choose to embrace the unknown and have faith that everything is going to be okay. This may not be tonight, tomorrow, or the next day, but everything is going to be okay.


    I, myself, am a strong person, but every now and then, I need someone to hold my hand and tell me that everything shall be all right. But if all of those around you are wanting for you to be that person to them, you need to be the one that rises through the storm, forget about your own fears, do not wonder, do not imagine, and most of all, do not obsess about the things that make you feel uncertain. Breathe and believe that everything shall be fine in the end; if it is not, that only means that it is not yet the end.


    The question begs, do I tell the truth and tell them what it is that they need to hear, or do I tell them what I feel I want them to hear. And as Anastasia is looking at me with nothing but horrific fear in her eyes, I do feel the need to lie to her, but should I do so, I might put her life in danger. I do wish that I am not tasked to be the one that shall give her the answers that she wants to hear.


    "My dear beloved, the mortals have been cleansed, the creatures of the night has too, the undead shall return to from where they came. The next step is for the cleansing of any mythical apart from Vampires."


    "Why not Vampires? We are mythical creatures, aren''t we?"


    "Yes, we are the strongest of them all. Harnessing our power will make him near invisible."


    "So why shall he cleanse a race that can be just as strong as him?"


    "My beloved, the spell cast for Absolute Power is one meant to leave no Vampire alive."


    I watch as that fear creep deep within those blue eyes and grab hold of her heart. I know very much what she is thinking, and yes, it might even be true; we have come to the brink of extinction again.


    "Do I even dare to ask how this shall happen?"


    "There shall be seven horsemen, with seven mythical swords that shall wipe our existence from this world."


    "Seriously? Seven horsemen? And how will they even be strong enough to take out a Vampire to begin with?"


    "My beloved not really seven men on horses, just seven men that is so foolish to join him on this quest. These seven men that have the power bestowed on them that was gathered from the cleansing of the mythical creatures."


    "So he is not alone?"''


    "God, he is too dumb to do it himself."


    "Who is he¡­?"


    With that, my dear Edward comes knocking with some bad news again; I have come accustomed to being the harbinger of anything bad that is to come. I think this time I am going to ignore him, but by his persistent knocking, he is not about to give up yet. So I gracefully step outside the room.


    "My dear Edward, do you wish to break this door again."


    "Do not blame your wild escapades against the furniture as my fault. Now can whatever it is that you are doing in there not wait for we have a problem."


    "How dare you say that making love to my bride should wait?"


    "That is not something I quite wanted to hear. And for god sakes, next time you answer the door, please make sure you answer it with some clothes on."


    "It is not like you have not¡­"


    "Do not dare finish that sentence. I shall meet you downstairs."


    I only chuckle as I make my way back to my beloved, that is so gloriously spread naked across our bed; if I can only take her for another second, I would be so satisfied. Watching her every curve move as she stretches out to kiss me sends me raging and ready to go in an instant. So it is without even hesitating that I trail very eager fingers up between her thighs to find the very spots that make the elegant legs quiver.


    Then I slide the tips of my fingers through her lips; she moans in a way that I cannot help but answer her in a very growl of my own. I am just about to push through her entrance¡­


    "Sebastian, I know what you are doing in there, and my dear friend, we do not have time for it."


    "My god! This man has surely grown brave. Give me five minutes."


    "I do not see how you can be a five-minute man. Now you have already wasted a minute arguing with me."


    "Then, I have four minutes to pleasure my beloved then."


    "Sebastian, you truly need to learn when not to speak. Now we are all waiting for you downstairs."


    "Tell everyone that I shall be down almost immediately. And be so kind as to tell the Vampire Hunter what we have discussed."


    "What did we discussed? Me telling you that this is the most inappropriate time to have sex?"


    "Exactly!"


    "You are absolutely terrible; just get yourself downstairs."


    Well, looking at my beloved, she too did not find this as amusing as what I did. So in another five minutes, I do find myself staring at a room of people that do now wish to look me into the eyes.


    "Edward, did you tell them what I said?"


    "Of course, you told me too. And I guess we all can do with the humor. Now my reason for interrupting you, the undead have started making their way back from where they came from."


    "We must act immediately then. Victor and Lilith, you shall go to Elloise. My dear Vampire Hunter, you and Edward shall go to Connor. Anastasia and I shall go stop this from happening."


    Anastasia looks at me horrified, and she need not say a single word, for she does not want to ask me the question that is burning on both her and Zachariah''s minds.


    "My dear beloved, the devil''s trap is about to be opened; it shall gather all the mythical creatures as I told you earlier about."


    "Devil trap? Like a spider web?"


    "Not quite, perhaps like a tear between reality and an alternate realm."


    "Ok, I have had far too much craziness for both my lifetimes. Can we not just catch this man."


    "We need Elloise for this, and that is why we need to go make sure she is okay."


    "And why Connor, apart from being ridiculously over insane attractive."


    "Now, that is something I did not wish to hear. But yes, that very same wolf is going to save us from our imminent death."


    "Well, can we get this done? I would really like to return to a normal life."


    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    I do share the same sentiment as Anastasia; things have kind of step way out of the normal life that I want to live. I wish to spend my days planning parties and running around with my child as he chases after his puppy. I do not wish to hunt things that are not seen, whether it is a mythical creature or a slit in reality.


    I have always known of this alternate world, but we, and that includes Sebastian, have never got involved unless it was completely necessary. With the arrival of Anastasia, these things did change. And as I have said once before and I shall say it again, I am not saying it is a bad thing. In fact, I have never seen Sebastian so alive. The man has found a new purpose as Vampire Master.


    So this is a rather dangerous and crazy quest that we are finding ourselves on. I need not say how relieved I am to have Victor by my side. But in saying this, I have given it much thought for the past twenty-four hours, I cannot and more importantly that I do not want to leave here and move out of the Belmont House. It is a family that is more important to me.


    And talking about family, we are at the clearing that leads to Elloise''s home. But something is not right; something is seriously wrong.


    "Victor, they are all gone?"


    ¡­Zachariah POV¡­


    To think I have become part of a world of complete chaos. I only read about these things in the journals my father kept, and even then, I thought they were the ramblings of a mad man. Only the day that I turned into a Vampire myself, that is when I knew that these things were more than probably real. I never did want to admit to anyone that I was indeed the very monster I was saving the world from.


    But the day that I saw that Anastasia was indeed a Vampire, that was when I thought that there was indeed a future for us together. I knew that Sebastian was her Master, but I thought that after seeing the man''s true nature that she shall be with me instead. Now I have come to learn that it shall never happen, so I have come to live with the fact that if this is the way that I can be in her presence, then that is the way that I shall become part of her life then.


    So this is a rather crazy and dangerous path we are finding ourselves down. I have not had much experience with wolves before, but I can think that if it is Sebastian''s friend that he shall be just as arrogant as him. And if we need these creatures to save Anastasia, I shall put any reservations aside and do this.


    But as we step to where the wolves'' home should be, Edward faces me with great trouble on his face.


    "They are all gone."


    ¡­Edward¡­


    While everyone is concentrating on the task at hand and trying to save this city, I am left to think of how this has happened. How can this man have known of such a book as this? How would he even know where it is and then even to further know and steal it in the way he did. It does seem somewhat too easy for this to have happened. I do believe that I am starting to have my suspicions. But do I even bother Sebastian with it at a time as this? The very things that we are saving could be the very thing that shall be causing our death.


    None of us know if we shall return home tonight after this. Can one person be so cruel to end so many lives, not only human but all supernatural? It has taken one person that has started this string of events, and do I even dare to say I know who it is.


    ¡­Anastasia¡­


    Craziness is all that fills my life; I must be honest in a way that I am addicted to it. I have always loved living on the edge, and I guess the danger that Sebastian brought to my life is the danger that I have craved the most. But let us just go back and define the term danger, for what we are doing now is downright stupid; I am sure there is a place where we can go and hide this out. But is Sebastian truly a man that shall be doing such a thing? He has, after all, been tasked as Vampire Master to ensure that the supernatural world is safe.


    And that is why I carry this ring on my finger, for this is the man that I truly admire the most. Not to mention the love I feel beyond compare. Should we perish, then the least we can say is we did it as a husband and a wife.


    Now talking about husband, he is standing with a peculiar smile on his face. It is as if this man can read my mind, so I give him a shy smile from underneath fluttering eyelashes. But just before we send our bodies in a raging desire for each other, he turns to me.


    "My beloved, something is not right."

 Chapter 77 - Cheating The Seven Spells

    It is said that if you follow a plan step by step that it should not fail, so why do we find ourselves facing an empty void of nothing? If this man is casting these spells in the order that it should be done, then there should be a rip in reality, a tear from which bright light should come. But instead, we are standing at the entrance of the crypt, where many of the elder Vampires have come to their final resting place. Perhaps he just finds himself to be slow, or he is having trouble in performing the spell as they do become more difficult the stronger they become.


    So while we patiently wait for something that is best to not happen at all, I dial Edward to find out how things are at his end.


    "My dear Edward, any sign of unrest with Connor and his pack?"


    "Sebastian, they do not seem to be here."


    "Like taken or just gone?"


    "That I cannot tell you, but something does seem odd."


    This news does bother me somewhat, for Connor would not leave his home unless if by some chance that someone has taken him by force, which for such a strong wolf seems quite impossible, which leaves me with phoning Lilith, hoping for far better news as Edward.


    "My dear Lilith, please tell me that Elloise is safe."


    "I am afraid, Sebastian¡­"


    "Please do not tell me that they too are gone?"


    "I am afraid something eerily has happened here. They are not here at all. It almost seems as if they have just left."


    "Meet us back at home then, and please be safe."


    With that, we decide to abandon our own quest; let is hope that he shall not bring them here if he has, in fact, has taken them prisoner. It only takes for the leader to be taken, and the followers shall willingly come with. I do fear that this might have been what has happened here. The question begs, why, if indeed true, have they gone to such lengths?


    So within the hour, we find ourselves back at home, and as we bring the car to a stop at the top of the driveway, Edward and Zachariah walk up to us. Now Edward did say that something seems odd; he still carries that expression on his face as he calls me to the side.


    "Sebastian, I think there is more to this disappearance of Connor and his pack. Please tell me that Lilith has found Elloise."


    "I am afraid not; they too seem to have fallen off the radar. But this is not all that has you worried; there is something far greater than a wolf and a fairy being gone."


    "I have some suspicions that there be more to how the book found itself lost."


    "What are you saying?"


    "I think that someone of our inner circle might have been involved."


    His mere accusation knocks me back; how can he even suggest such a thing. So I pull him aside to listens to the grounds of his statement, and even as I question him, he stands his ground firm.


    "Edward, why should you think such a thing?"


    "The book was taken far too easy; there should be no way that a mortal shall know of its existence unless he has heard this from the mouth of an immortal. And then to know where to find it is very odd."


    "So I am going to assume that you know who this immortal is?"


    "I have my suspicion; I think that it is¡­"


    Just then, before Edward can say another word, Lilith comes very much relieved through the door and up to us.


    "Sebastian, Edward, my god, I am glad to see you. Edward, please tell me that you have spoken to Connor? Elloise was not there; nobody was there; it seems as if she has just disappeared."


    "I am afraid that we have not found Connor either. But where is Victor?"


    "He is outside speaking to the Council and elders to make sure that they brought all the Vampires to the place he has set up for their safety."


    But this immediately infuriates me; my instructions were clear; each Vampire should have remained locked down at his own home. I did not wish to have them all in one place; I did not wish for them to become an easy target. Victor has clearly disobeyed my order; he has possibly lead them all to their death. I do hope for his sake that he has a very good reason for going against my will.


    And with this in mind, I see him coming through the door, but something strikes me as odd. There sure is a whole lot of odd going around and something makes me wonder. So to not alarm any of our group, I pull Victor aside into the common room while the rest remain in the kitchen. He can see the rage in my eyes, and even though he knows that he should not defy me, he is not showing much remorse for doing so. I have found Victor to be a very strong-willed man; he would not have done this if he did not have a valid reason. But yet, he should have discussed this with me.


    "Victor, why have you gone against my order to request each Vampire to remain at home?"


    "Sebastian, you are aware that they have a mind of their own and will not hesitate to disobey you if they feel the need to go feed. I thought it to be better to have them all in one place where you can control them."


    "Fair, I did not think of that matter. Well, thank you for taking it upon yourself to consider the safety of our brothers and sisters. Now, we need to establish what has happened to Connor and Elloise."


    Then I hear the horrific screams of Anastasia, then shortly that of Lilith, a loud roar from Zachariah, and a scuffle from Edward. Something is amiss, but before I can even make an attempt to run to their call, there is a group of four men approaching Victor and me.


    Their presence is ominous, their attention clear. They are here to take us and take us by force. And by what force? By the dagger that yields the hand of one of these mortals, by its deep blue, purple shine, it is very clear that these are indeed part of the seven horsemen, and the very dagger is the Darkmoon blade, a blade forged to kill even the strongest of mythical creatures. If you can master the power of such a blade, then you can harness all the power that it does possess. But this still does not explain why Connor and Elloise are missing, for their power is meant to power the blade.


    So as we, or should I say me, I reluctantly give up and surrender into their captivity, for I do believe that it shall be shortlived and that I shall soon find a way for us all to break free. And, well, I have two Ancients with me which shall not give up that easily to surrender or bend to the orders that are given by any mortal.


    It is much to our horror that they chain us up in pure silver and then take us one by one to a big black van out the back door. They knew we were coming back home; they were just waiting for us. I am really starting to consider Edward''s suspicions that it is one of our inner circle that is behind all of this. The question then is, is it one of the ones that are present here?


    I am left to wonder this as we drive down the dead quiet street of the city. As I look out the window at the back of the van, I see the roads are covered with pools of blood. There are the bodies of humans, scattered between them in some places; there are the creatures of the night that came to their sudden death. Here and there lay parts of the body of the undead. It is absolute chaos; it will take the biggest spell of them all to undo what has happened to the mortals in what was once a beautiful city where a human did not know that the supernatural world existed.


    Now, if this spell will be cast, it all depends on what happens to us today. I do wish that by some miracle that Connor and Elloise will come to our rescue. It seems that battles are not the only that that has become a custom in the Belmont House, but we do seem to have to come to someone''s rescue. In fact, I can say that all the residents of our home have required rescuing at some point in time over the past few weeks.


    With rescuing in mind, we have come to our destination, and if I say that I am not surprised, then it would be a lie. But let me just keep my suspicions aside, for once we have stepped through, I might know what has just happened.


    So we are kind of roughly pulled out from the truck into the chill of the night, this even though the skies are still aflame. Next, we are taken through the big gates, then into the passageways, and as we go into the open field, there is nothing but bright light that awaits us. But that is not the only thing that awaits us.


    In clear horrific horror, I can only but utter under a trembling voice.


    "Good god! What have they done?"


    Here amongst us is Elloise and all her followers, then in the far off distance, there is Connor and his pack. But what is the most frightening of them all, every single one of my brothers and sisters is among them.


    Edward then turns to me, I can see the same fear that was there before, but only this time he has come to his resolve.


    "I knew it, just as I suspected it."


    But I am not even given a chance for him to explain his remark, for we are taken further into the stadium to the booth where one would normally commentate from. This does seem to look like the scene set for one big show; it seems that one certain body is trying to take a shortcut. Well, what I have learned if you want to take magic and work it in your own way, you shall only get burnt.


    So as we are being led through the field, we pass the worried face of Connor and Elloise and not even to mention so many of our kind. They are looking up to me to save them from whatever it is that is about to happen.


    And when we finally reach the booth, we are taken inside where the very one and only man are awaiting us, but this is not my biggest surprise, for the insider is finally revealed as they unchain him.


    "You! I would never have guessed, of all the people in this world, you are the one I least have suspected this. Why have you done this?"


    But he is not given time to answer; I watch as he takes his side next to which I guess shall now be his Master. Then the man of the hour finally raises his voice.


    "I have never liked you, Sebastian Belmont."


    "Believe me, my dear friend, the feeling is mutual. But I do believe that you have abused your power to get the immortals to do your bid."


    "Offer a man power, and he shall do anything for you. But even though I love to chat, it is time for the next show."


    I listen in horror as he starts to recite the ancient words of a spell I know that is not in the Seven Spells. This man is clearly trying to take a shortcut, though now is not the time for me to worry about how stupid he truly is.


    The voices of the fairies screech over the howls of the wolves. The Vampires start to scatter around as I watch in horror as the ground beneath them begins to open. The Devils Trap, a spell that consumes the earth and everything above it, the process has started and will not stop until all in the stadium has been sucked in. This will go wrong; this spell will not work, and it will turn into a horrific end.

 Chapter 78 - The Devils Trap

    Life does not flash in front of your face when you stand death within the eye; it is, in fact, all just pure horror. Who has the time to think about the things you have done and should have done in return when you are staring your end into the face?


    Now the last thing I was to stare into the face now is the man that betrayed me and let us not forget the man that started this all. Which one do I wish to punch first?


    "Victor, why? Why have you gone this far?"


    "It is obvious, Sebastian, for love."


    "My dear man, you have the wrong impression of what love is and even more skewed the way you find yourself to keep it."


    "You have been nothing but trouble since Anastasia set foot in your life. You have put so many of our kind in danger, and let us not forget about the most important..."


    "Lilith? Well, I have known my sister for her entire Vampire life, and this is the very last way she wishes one to express it to her."


    While I am saying this, the deep sadness, but most of all, betrayal is reflected in those beautiful blue eyes. To think that Lilith was considering to leave with this man. Well, I guess he was trying to prove to her by doing this that it is indeed the right decision. What he has now failed to notice is he has left her as a woman scorned, and believe me, I do know all about them.


    So he, somewhat rather optimistic, reaches his hand to Lilith and begs for her to take it, but she only turns her back on him. Now his complete plan has failed; his only problem now is that he needs to pray that he does not come alive through this for revenge is sweet. If not today, then definitely sometime in the very near future. I do not see her being able to forgive and let him live among our community.


    While this display of rejection fills the moment, I turn to our dear friend, which I believe was convinced by Victor to put this grand scheme into action. The only thing that Victor did not realize is that whatever has been promised to him was, in fact, just a bunch of lies, which man in his right mind shall share any amount of power that has been given to him.


    Now time is not something we have, so talking this man down is a possible option, but I believe that he shall have to be taken down by force. I shall calmly talk to him for just long enough to have the Book of Spells taken from him. As my beloved said, "Well, good luck with that." She has always been such an optimistic creature, so just because she shares this sentiment, I think she shall be tasked to remove the Book from the hands of the monster. But she is a monster too, so this does work quite out well. Now enough of my inner chuckle; I wait for Anastasia to free herself from her chains. I need to distract this man.


    "So, my dear friend, why now? Do you not have all the power that you desire?"


    "Sebastian, the moment that Victor came to tell me about this supernatural world and all the power, I could no even think of rejecting his proposal."


    "Well, I do understand the power, but have you seen some of these creatures you shall rule over?"


    "No need, I was going to destroy them once I shoved you down the Devil''s Trap."


    "You do realize that there are consequences if you alter a spell?"


    He only but brushes me off, believing that he has fully mastered the Seven Spells. The way he is trying to let this go is by shoving three spells into one. But of course, my dear beloved, who has taken her eye off her task, has now grown curious about who this man is.


    "So you are the idiot that has set this city into a mess. Who the hell are you anyway?"


    "Is this not cute? I was told that Sebastian has got a new toy."


    "I will show you what a toy I am. Now just hand me that Book before you really burn your fingers with it."


    "You are quite feisty; think I might just keep you on."


    "Listen, you are starting to annoy me, Mr.?


    "I feel quite disgusted that you do not know who I am?"


    "Well, you must be really shitty at who you are, for I have to no idea."


    Yes, my beloved has grown some more courage in the past half an hour; in fact, this is just a mere man. So before Anastasia gets us all killed, I softly whisper into her ear.


    "Oh my god! Really Sebastian?"


    And her laughter makes him so enraged that he stand from where he was sitting, not thinking, which I believe his real brain capacity is, he places the Book on the chair. In an instant, Anastasia sweeps in and grabs it. Now, this girl is quite a clever minx.


    Once he realizes his mistake, he lashes back at her. The Vampire Hunter is right there as he turns into his true Ancient form. He grips him tightly around the neck. I can hear the bones slowly starting to snap as he closes and closes his claws around his throat. This is giving me much please, but I need to stop him.


    "Zachariah, stop! We need him alive."


    "What purpose can this man possibly have?"


    "Apart from being rather horrible at playing balls, he is the only one that can reverse the spell."


    "And what give you the idea that he will."


    "Well, what he does not know is if he does not cast the Spell of Absolute Power in the right manner, then he shall be sucked into the very same Devil''s Trap."


    This comment does grab our dear friend, who is now very curious about what I just said.


    "There is only one way, my dear Sebastian and I have made sure of it. Your kind along with the fairies and wolves shall be dragged into the ground, and with that, the Spell of Absolute Power will be complete."


    "Oh, I do believe that you do not know how to read. Shall I even dare mention that there is some fine print?"


    "What on earth do you mean? Who does put fine print on a damn spell?"


    "A very wicked witch. Now, if you read, and believe me, I am not handing you back that Book, but if you have read carefully, you shall see that you required Elloise alive. Though I am still alive, without her, your spell means nothing."


    "She is not dead; she is down there¡­"


    And much to his surprise, he does not find her there. We perhaps have hidden her, but he does not need to know that bit of information, and just to be very sure we have taken Connor to safety as well. Now we must rather hurry, for all this chatter has wasted a great amount of time. The ground is starting to grow apart even bigger than before. Though at this stage, I can safely say that nobody has been dragged under yet.


    It truly is a horrendous sight; it appears like someone has made a tiny cut in the grass and is slowly but surely tearing it open. Everything around it is being sucked in like a giant vacuum. Sand, stone, grass, and even chairs nearby are disappearing into a gaping hole from which smoke is rising. You can see the rivers of fire boiling underneath it. It is a true Devil''s Trap from which there is no escaping. We need to stop it now.


    So after Zachariah manages to free the rest of our hands from the chains, I find myself staring at this man who will see no reason why he should stop now. After safely handing me the Book, my dear beloved takes her place by my side. If this poor man knows what is about to happen, he would beg me to break this spell.


    Without hesitation for another moment, my beloved turns into her true form in a thundering roar. With snarling teeth exposed and claws sharper than a knife, she moves toward Robert. The look of fear sets deep into his eyes, and I can visibly see his hands are trembling. He stutters with somewhat short breaths as he begs for me to make her stop. But I am afraid that it shall not happen.


    Anastasia yanks his head back to the side as she pins himself firmly down onto the ground. With every wink she takes, she moves her hungry fangs closer to his throat. Her row of razor-sharp fangs will rip him apart in an instant. She hisses at him as she comes to a stop only but inches away from where she so desires them to be.


    "Sebastian, please, can I have him?"


    "My beloved, just a few minutes, we need him to break the spell."


    So as she has him tied down to the floor, I read him back the part of the spell he needs to cast to break the Absolute Power one. Every single word I speak, he returns at the same speed, the same pace, even the same tone. Every word should bring us closer to closing the void that is opening in the ground. I can see from where I am standing that the Vampires are completely squashed up against each other. There is no place to move, as with for the fairies and the wolves. In only mere seconds, the ground shall start to take its victims.


    The fear in their eyes is like a giant wave of horror that flows over my body. I pick up the pace of the spell. As Robert goes slower, Anastasia urges him on. There must be nothing more terrifying than being ripped apart, and it is with this very thought that he starts to match my pace once again.


    We soon find ourselves at the end, but as I look over to the field, the void has not shrunk at all. It is still only but increased in width. I watch in horror as so many start to slip, but they are held firm by so many of their brothers and sisters.


    There must be something wrong; I must have missed a step. So I force Robert to race through the spell again only to find that the hole is growing wider. This must be the wrong spell; there must be something that I am missing. And that is when I see it, that very fine print that I mas mocking about, it is as clear as day it is at the bottom. It seems that we have hit a snag.


    I did not foresee such a thing to happen; now, there is only one concern here. Whom do I sacrifice? The conditions of the spell are very clear; you shall need to sacrifice one supernatural creature to close the void. Well, there is no one that I shall sacrifice in this entire stadium. But the fact is if we do not, then we all shall die.


    But that is when I see it; in all the time that I have been fighting this inner battle with myself, I did not notice that Lilith read every word I read, and that includes the one about the sacrifice. So it is with horror that I see her step closer to the hole.


    And then, she tosses him inside. Yes, I believe I did warn Victor about a woman being scorned.


    All she does is smile up at me, "My dear brother, let us go home."

 Chapter 79 - Love In An Alley

    Betrayal and revenge have become a frequent feeling that we have come to experience for so many times within the past weeks. Does this make the betrayal of a dear friend somewhat better? I do doubt that one can look past this and walk with a heart free of hatred. This man was a part of our lives for a great number of years; he was a confidant and, most of all, a trusted member of our Council. Did this give him the right to abuse what was given to him? Not only power but the hearts of so many that believed and had faith in him, he did walk all over that for his own misguided reasons. But one thing that never will be forgotten is the fact that he had betrayed the only woman that would have ever cared for him. So should I even dare to say that revenge was sweet once again?


    Now, this brings us back to our leader and his seven horsemen; what shall their punishment be? How do you deal with a human that has abused the power of the supernatural world? Not only the power, but he has been made aware of the existence of us. But before I can come to a reasonable punishment, Edward has just raised another valid question to me.


    "My dear brother, are we destroying this book this time around?"


    "That is indeed a question that is hard to answer, for it does carry a lot of useful spells; I hate for such knowledge to be thrown away."


    "So you are saying that we shall keep it in existence?"


    "I say hand it to me, and I shall be the only one that knows what happens to it."


    I watch the horror in my beloved''s eyes at my mere suggestion; she does know it is futile to argue with me against it.


    "Then let it be seen by all present that I have taken possession of the Book of Spells. But before that completely happens, I wish for you, Elloise to cast a spell that shall rob these men of the thoughts that shall remind them of this and that of the city as well."


    With that, Elloise disappears into the ballroom to do this very thing that I have requested. As for the rest, well, we shall go our own separate ways and deal with the happenings of the past few days. It is Lilith that is my greatest concern at this stage, but as experience has taught me with women, give them some time to stew over their feelings. She shall come to me when she is ready.


    As for my beloved and I, I think I can safely say that we can spend a full night as a wedded couple. But before we even get to that matter, we do need to feed. With thanks to the spell that Elloise cast the city has no knowledge that any of this has happened. So my beloved and I make our way into the crisp evening air, down to a road that we have come to be familiar with.


    It is quite strange to say that we are, in fact, for one brief moment happy that these mortals are still alive. Life is back to the way that it should be, we live to prowl the night, and the rest of the other creatures stay where they are remained to stay.


    So as we make our way to the alley, the dark, ominous light is welcomed once again; the eerily silent alleys are like music to my ears. But the best feeling that springs back to life is that adrenaline that runs through me is like a spark of electricity. This is a spark that is desired; I am not running to and from danger; I am taking willing steps into a danger that we provide.


    We need not even have to wait for our victims to come, for that are so eagerly standing there, do I even dare and say that they are asking for danger to come their way. Now, as my beloved and we have discussed numerous times now, that she is the only one that I drink from unless if she is present, then she shall allow me to take a woman for myself. And it is with luck that we find two young ladies standing outside the back door of a very dingy nightclub. I am sure these girls have no idea of the danger lurking in alleys. Well, they are soon to find out.


    So as we walk up to them casually with smiles rather of the over smiling kind. They do not even hesitate to strike up a conversation with us. Now, this is a prey that one does like, the willing kind, well only willing until they are made aware of our true intentions.


    I watch my beloved as she is the first to take the girl down that is next to her; by just one mere sweep of her hand, she has the poor girl pinned to the wall. Now I wish is could say the remainder of what she does is graceful at all, for she has chosen to turn into Ancient form. I don''t know if it is that she is feeling evil or that she is just that hungry. So I stand and wait for her as she takes far beyond what she needs, but I do not wish to reprimand her for doing so, as she is the most beautiful creature that I have ever seen. Watching her feed, the way she does is somewhat sparking my arousal.


    And when she is done, I push the small blonde next to me into the very same wall. I slide her blonde hair off from her shoulder and expose the delicate part of her neck. I slowly step two steps closer and instantly expose my fangs. With one flick of my head, I slam them into the tender skin that is so graceful lying in front of me. Gently I start to suck, and bit by bit, I draw her sweet blood through my fangs. When I hear her moan and scream, I tighten my grip and suck ever harder.


    I completely ignore her pleas for me to stop but only drive my fangs harder into her skin. I suck even harder and harder than before. I feel her kick and scream as she furiously wishes to push me away, but this incredible power I feel keeps her firmly pinned into place.


    As I finally feel that my craving has been satisfied, I pull my fangs from her and let go of my grip. Her body drops to the floor.


    My beloved walks on over to me; she takes the two girls and tosses their bodies into the rubbish bin nearby. As she comes back to stand in front of me, I sweep my arms around her waist. It feels as if a new breath of fresh air is searing through my body.


    "My beloved, would you slap me if I kiss you now?"


    "I would slap you if you did not."


    Slowly I move breath by breath close to her trembling lips until there is nothing but skin touching skin. The mere touch makes me growl in anticipation. Without another moment to spare, I take her lips by force. Not even waiting for her to grant me access, I slip my tongue through the seams of her lips and delve deep inside. The instant we ouch, I feel that electrifying sensation shoot to my core.


    I place my hand at the back of her head and tangle my fingers in her long silky hair. I gently pull her closer to me to even further deepen the kiss. We are moving passionately in perfect sync. As she makes soft little moans in my mouth, it only but fuels my lust to feel that pleasure that I am looking for.


    "Anastasia."


    I am barely even able to form the syllables of her name as I speak through short and shaky breaths.


    Not wasting another moment, I push her step by step back into the wall behind her. The minute I have her firmly against the wall, she slides her hand underneath my shirt, feeling every crack and crevice around my perfect physique. She goes to unbutton my shirt, and I slip her tiny skirt over her bottom.


    I am driven to do nothing but growl at the way she is making my body feel.


    "Oh, Anastasia, I want you so badly."


    I can smell her arousal even stronger than before; the aching inside of me is burning like wildfire through my body. I can see the veins in her neck throb and throbbing, just inviting me to take her. As she moves to run her hand over my hard length, all restraint I had goes out the door, and in an inch of the second, my fangs pierce her skin.


    "Aaahhh."


    I hear her screams echo through the alley to every corner.


    "Oh, Sebastian, I want you too."


    I bring my finger up to her lips; I can feel her warm breath rapidly breathing against the tips. She tries to speak, but I suddenly cover her mouth with mine and make her stop. All I want to focus on is her; the warmth that is spreading through my body. On the soft moan she just made, on the intoxicating feeling of diving headfirst into an erupting volcano, and most of all, the way she tastes. I feel as she tries to loosen her hands, but I only pin her harder into the wall again. I grind myself into her as I move my lips to her ear.


    I slide my hand over her tight ass and push her deep into my raging erection. My mouth moves away from her lips and runs slowly down her neck; I rub them gently over her collarbone and softly bite into the edge of her shoulders.


    Before she can possibly hesitate, I expose my fangs and drive them deep, even deeper than before, in the nape of her neck. With the rage of a wild animal, I start to draw each ounce of blood from her in delight. The power that runs through my veins consumes every corner of my mind. I am intoxicated by the ecstasy that I feel.


    With each drop I take, the anticipation starts to build; I can feel myself getting aroused. Then the moment even becomes harder to bear; I rip her blouse open with buttons popping everywhere. I press her harder back into the wall. With my left hand, I pin her hands even tighter above her head and drive my body into her, pinning her completely so she cannot move. My right-hand drops to her thigh, pulling down her skirt so that it hangs loose just above her knees.


    "Sebastian, we can''t do it here."


    "Why not?"

 Chapter 80 - The Price Of Beauty

    Normality has returned to the Belmont House and the city; it has been three days since all chaos erupted. And believe me, when I say that I welcome the peace and quiet, I would think that the supernatural would have been stirred to such an extent that no creature would wish to stir for a very long time to come.


    These past few days have not only been draining but very emotional, some more than others. Lilith has not been seen around much; she and Stefan have kept to the confines of her room. Edward is left to pick up the pieces at the Council business and with the daunting task of finding a replacement for Victor. Our dear Vampire Hunter has retreated to his own little nest and is happily carrying on with his life. Anastasia, well, there is something eating at her mind.


    "My beloved, what does have you so troubled?"


    "Sebastian, do you like it when I turn into an Ancient?"


    "Well, do you wish for me to be honest or lie?"


    "I think I don''t even need to answer that."


    "My beloved, it is a hideous creature which I have become accustomed to."


    "So you are saying that I am hideous?"


    "Not in that manner."


    "But you just said it."


    Why did my better part of my judgment not listen to that voice that says do not even attempt in answering such a question? But let us try to amend the situation.


    "My beloved, I do prefer when you are a normal Vampire better; you do have the ability to mutilate me when you are an Ancient."


    "Now I mutilate you?"


    "You have so many teeth, what else shall you refer the, if I dare to say, slicing to?"


    "Slicing? You are seriously for real now?"


    "Let me state it this way. When last have you drank from me?"


    "I can''t remember."


    "And why would that be?"


    "Don''t think you are clever now."


    I can honestly say that I do not know where her question is going, but with each step, I am just putting my foot deeper into it. So let me be the one asking the question instead.


    "My beloved, do you like turning into an Ancient?"


    "No, I did in the beginning because of the power, but not anymore. I can honestly say that I hate it."


    "Why? What has changed your mind?"


    She proceeds to slide her hair to the side, revealing the soft, delicate skin, face, and neck to me.


    "Look how it is ruing my body, look at my skin. All the Vampire healing power cannot heal skin that is being stretched beyond what is normal. It is unsightly, don''t tell me that you have not noticed?"


    "You are pure beauty to me; I have not noticed anything. I do think that it shall not get any worse."


    "So it is bad? You just said you see nothing but beauty, and now you say it cannot get worse."


    "Oh my god, this conversation is not going in my favor. Please, I beg, you are beautiful, no what you look like."


    "It matters to me."


    She goes quiet for another few minutes, clearly stewing with something in her head. I can see by the way she is twirling her hair around her fingers that this has to be something big. She only ever does this when she is in deep thought.


    But she is right, not about being ugly, but about her skin stretching, for as an Ancient, you turn into something a bit bigger than your own form. And please let us not forget all those teeth that make her mouth open to an unnatural size. So I would in my head firmly agree that this is not the most pleasant of creatures to become apart from her power.


    The question still begs, why does this have her so worried.


    "My beloved, please tell me what is truly the matter."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    With all the craziness that has been happening, I really have not stopped to take note of what is happening to my body. The first time, yes, I did see this, but I thought that it would go away, that it was only because I turned a few hours before. The second time, it was once again the same, coming home after a big battle. So this did not alarm me until now. It has been three days, it has not improved, and I dare to even say that it has worsened.


    Now, I do enjoy have great power, but at what risk? Becoming a really old wrinkled Vampire? This does explain why Ancients are actually so ugly and old-looking; turning has made them into what they are. Well, I do not wish to be such a Vampire. There has to be a way to reverse what has happened to me, and I do know exactly where to look. But unfortunately, it is only this man next to me that shall be able to help me. Do I even dare ask?


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    "Please, will you help me get rid of it?"


    "Get rid of what?"


    "Being an Ancient. I don''t want to be an Ancient; there must be a way to reverse it. Please, will you help me?"


    "Are you being serious? I thought the power was something that you desired?"


    "No, not anymore. I would rather have my youth than power."


    I can see the way he is staring at me as if I have gone completely insane. I think he will only understand if his own beauty starts to fade. He has not experienced the ecstasy of me drinking from him gives his body and a long while now purely because I cannot control not turning into Ancient and then end up ripping him apart. There are truly so many other things that are far better than what power can bring.


    Now there is the biggest question apart from him being willing, is if he can.


    "Sebastian, do you still have the Books of Spells."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I was waiting for someone to bring up the question, now if being an Ancient does not hold great power, then having the Book of Spells truly does. But the question begs, do I want to harness the power? Even if I still have the Book, would I take such a risk? There is for sure no way that I shall try cast these spells myself, which does make me wonder if I do want to let anyone still know of its existence.


    But in saying this, Anastasia is my beloved, my heart, my world, my everything. If she asks this of me, should I not then be honest to her, for we have said before and still stands that there shall be no secrets between us. I can, for certain, say that she shall never betray me.


    "My beloved, why do you ask if I still have the Book of Spells?"


    "I was hoping that withing those pages; there shall be a way to cure me of this godawful thing."


    "You do know that if we do find one that it cannot be reversed. Your power, your legacy, it all shall be gone."


    "Yes, Sebastian. I do not wish to be this way at all."


    "Then let us get ready. I shall go retrieve the Book, and then we will set to go to Elloise."


    "Why Elloise? Can you not do it yourself?"


    "And risk turning you into a frog? That is not a risk I wish to take, for even though I love you, I shall not share a bed with such a slimy creature."


    "God, you are full of compliments today."


    I do hope that this one does not blow up in our face; we have done some silly things but playing with the Book just after we got it out of the hands of another greedy man. Does this make us any better then?


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian has just proven to me once again that no matter what, he shall do anything for me, and that means even going back on his own words. I do believe that he did have a great inner battle within him, for he is not known as a man to do so. Does this then mean that he wants me to be a normal Vampire just as much as I do?


    But now, in saying this, there shall be someone else that shall not be happy with my decision for me being an Ancient Vampire gave him the hope that one day I shall want to be with him. So in a way, my decision might make Sebastian happy, but it shall bring Zachariah pain. Then again, I am destined to be with Sebastian, I love him, and most of all, I carry his ring. There is no hesitation in me to do this.


    So while he is retrieving the Book, I stand in the tall mirror in the bathroom and give this horrible creature one last look and bid it goodbye. Let us just hope I come home in return.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I do believe in my heart and in all honesty that I shall prefer for my beloved to be a normal Vampire. So it is without even hesitating that I find here in our room, and we make our way to go see Elloise.


    Now we should not get excited, for we do not know if there is a spell in here that shall reverse such a cursed, if I may call it that. There might be no way for us to turn Anastasia back to what her normal self was; that is a disappointment that we shall have to live with as well. But the most important thing is that we have tried.


    So we soon find ourselves at the entrance of the same woods where we nearly got ourselves killed. I can gladly say that there are not creatures in here that would wish to harm us this time around. We make the way in a slow walk down to where Elloise and her village shall be found. The fresh air and the smell of wet sand make you think of the simpler things in life. This reminds you that Vampires do as well wish to have their own normally in life, and this is what Anastasia craves.


    Then what seems like a good half hour, we find ourselves in the clearing being escorted up to Elloise, and let me say she is indeed happy to see us, that until she sees the Book of Spells.


    "Please don''t tell me that you have that thing?"


    "I thought it might come in useful some other time, and I think that it might just have, though I would add that it is for myself."


    "Out with it then, let me hear what you want?


    "Well, not me, but my beloved Anastasia. She was hoping that within these pages there would be a way to reverse the curse of an Ancient."


    "I have not heard of one, but sit, and I shall look."


    And so the wait begins; I do not need to mention that this Book has thousands of pages, we might just be here for a week. So with only an hour in, I finally hear Elloise speak again.


    "Here, I have found one. I do not see any record that it has successfully been done."


    "What do you mean by successful?


    "Well, she can either end up a human again or die. And it has to be done at a full moon, which is in your luck tonight. So you want to do this, I need to source some of the ingredients?"


    I then turn Anastasia, that too has heard every single word, and I can say that my heart is hesitant, for I do not wish to lose here. But I promised I would give her everything that she ever desired.


    "My beloved, do you wish to go ahead with this?"

 Chapter 81 - Under The Full Moon

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I should know by now that with every step we chose to make, that there shall always be some sort of consequences. Now it would be foolish to think that these consequences are in any way something that shall be welcomed. Well, let me think of it this way, is it such a bad thing to be a human? Only when the love of your life is a Vampire. Then take being dead; that is one which will rather be irreversible. But with that, another thought comes to mind, though, that is just completely absurd.


    But decision time has arrived for the full moon is starting to rise in the sky. Do I wish to end my legacy? Or stay this ungodly creature forever? My decision is as final as this spell.


    "Please let us go ahead with this."


    Then Sebastian, with absolute horror on his face, turns to me as to plead the last time.


    "My beloved, are you certain of this?"


    "Please, Sebastian, let me do this. If I die, then you can get a spell to raise me from the dead."


    "That does sound like an option, but I am afraid you shall smell like rotten flesh. With that, I do need to disagree, for I do not wish to have a dead corpse bride. You know that there is that story¡­"


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes."


    "Focus! You always think of the most inappropriate thing at the wrong time."


    "So I guess it is out of the question to send Elloise away for a few minutes before she turns you into a frog?"


    "Sebastian!"


    "Fair, I guess it is better than you being with our pesky Vampire Hunter. Then let us get on with this."


    I know that with every moving bone in his body that he wishes that I would not go ahead with is. But my mind is made up. I shall go ahead with this.


    ¡­Elloise POV¡­


    I have known Sebastian for many years but never has he once come to me with such a ridiculous and a rather dangerous request. There is no record whatsoever that this has ever been done, for there is no Ancient that would wish for his power to be taken away. I do understand that Anastasia wishes to keep her beauty, but there are so many other medical ways that are proven to work that she can explore. For me to have her death on my hands is not a burden I wish to be.


    But Sebastian is the Vampire Master, and all in his rule shall do as he asks for if he should even have to dare disobey his command, then you shall have hell to pay. And hell, I am going to pay when he finds out the true result of the spell as it comes to its end. I think I might just find myself come to my end today.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I am not happy to give into my beloved''s request to go ahead with this spell even now that we know what the consequences are. Do I truly wish to raise a body from the dead? I do love Anastasia, but that could be the most horrific experience. She shall not only smell rotten when we are having sex, but she shall have the urge to eat my flesh. Well, that I do not wish to experience.


    As with being human again, well, I truly have not ever given that much thought again. Yes, I do have the ability to change into one myself, but do we truly wish to die one day? I know that on many occasions, I have said that I would rather die than spend my life without her. The thing is, we have the opportunity now to live as forever as we can. Why do we want to go change things in such a way? To risk everything that we have built together?


    But she is my beloved, and I shall give her anything that she desires, no matter what the risk. There is always a way out of a situation.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I am ready to take this risk; there is nothing that can go wrong. I have full faith in Elloise that she can pull this off completely flawless.


    So I am made to stand in a clearing where my body is enveloped in the light of the moon. I watch as light shines and glitters on all the beautiful pink flowers that surround me in a perfect patch of green grass.


    I am then handed a big ancient cup, which is filled with the juices and spices of the ingredients she had gathered earlier on. It tastes sweet to the tongue and most definitely the only fluid I have had in my body for since I was turned. It is quite awkward to feel something fill your stomach that has absolutely no use to you.


    Then she starts chanting her spell. By the way, she is circling me; I do wonder if the purpose is to knock me out dizzy for another act to come. But as the dizziness does come, I start to fear if something else might be happening to me. I can feel very obvious twists in turns moving about in the inner side of my body. Something is indeed happening.


    In the far corner, I can see Sebastian, and he, too, has sensed that something is happening to my body. Though by the look in his eyes, I cannot place is he is nervous or looking forward to the good outcome.


    So as Elloise keeps chanting, she hands me a second cup of god knows what to drink, for this one is bitter to the taste. She could have easily gone and mixed all the nasty weeds she shall find in the forest and handed to me to drink. Once I am finally able to let it float down in the hollows of my stomach, she once again goes to walks in circles around me, saying the same three words over and over again.


    And that is when I feel it. First, it feels as if someone has kicked me hard in the gut. Then a feeling and ten daggers piercing through my heart. Finally, the feeling of someone placing a single bullet in my forehead. And as I start to topple over into darkness, I can see Sebastian coming running up to me.


    Then it goes black.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I have watched my beloved fall too many times to let it go by as just a simple dizzy spell. Yes, she just had a spell cast on her, and she does perhaps just got dizzy from it, but it still not stops the feeling of horror and helplessness settle over you.


    But as I observe that calmness of Elloise, then I feel the need to be relieved settle over me, for this must clearly be part of the spell. Does this give me the hope that the spell was performed with a preferable outcome? No. For we have been through too much and too many disappointments to let our hearts lay in faith. The only faith created is a certainty, and certainty does not come without being disappointed in the first instance. But strong and resilient, now that is things that we can say is for certain.


    And for certain all that I know is that my beloved needs to be in my arms until such time that she wakes. So I pick her from the soft patch of grass that she is lying and carry her up to where Elloise is waiting for us. The only three words I wish to ask her right now are burning on my mind until I get to her.


    "Did it work?"


    "I am afraid we shall have to wait for the full moon to have passed. You are welcome to take her in the back to the open bed there, or you can remain here in front."


    So I carry my dear Anastasia to the back and lay her body gently down onto the blanket, and softly place her head down on my lap. With these old Vampire hands, I run my fingertips over her porcelain skin. Twirling her hair between my fingers, I move them from her face and place them behind her ears.


    But what strikes me is that her skin is not cold, so does this mean that she is not dead? How long does this damn moon take to make its way across the night sky? Much to my frustration, through hours and hours, I lay with Anastasia on my lap. The closer the night becomes to being over, the more my excitement grows, though I know I should not count my blessings before they have been hatched.


    Then finally, as the last hour comes, I can now for the first time hear that she is breathing. I can safely say that dead people do not breathe. But we are yet to learn if she is human or Vampire. Only a few minutes and then we see the sunrise start to tickle the horizon.


    I can see her eyes starting to flicker open; it is the most beautiful thing that I have seen since a few hours ago. She smiles at me and looks at me from underneath those thick eyelashes.


    "Sebastian, did it work?"


    "My beloved, I am not sure. Elloise said we must wait for a while before we try to make you turn into an Ancient."


    "But can we go home now?"


    "Yes, let us go."


    As we make our way out to the front where Elloise is sitting, I watch her face turn into horror as I whisper the words of warning into her ear.


    With that, I take the Book of Spells and make our way out of the forest; the drive home is rather excited as Anastasia believes that she feels that the spell has worked.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    My entire being is filled with excitement, but I am not too sure if I am excited about the thing that I should be excited about. For there is something wrong, Sebastian has it written all over his face, or is it just what he spoke to Elloise about that has got him so upset. He told her that she is going to wish she was dead if this spell did not work out.


    And then I feel it, "Sebastian?"

 Chapter 82 - Forever Until Life Ends

    So goes the story of my life; nothing can run smoothly before something else goes wrong first. Taken all the battles we have gone through, I can honestly say that I always thought that the last was the worse than all the others before.


    Now what has become quite a custom is that I have been the one whom they shall turn when things start to fall astray. Not that I do mind this, but the pressure for failure lies even heavier on my shoulders. Despite what is assumed, I do not possess all the answers, nor do I have the ability to make things right all the time. Even though I shall strive to do so, I can not guarantee that if you come to request my help, that you shall find a resolution.


    But with saying this, I do and always will make sure that my loved ones will be safe and that they shall have whatever their heart desires. And in saying this, I would never regret a decision made to give them the safety and things that they desire.


    That is up until now.


    It is with a heavy heart; now, let us not joke about a Vampire having a heart any longer. For it is indeed dead. Though before we get to that part, I need to get my beloved home that is staring at me with bewildered eyes. I do not wish to break the news to her while we are speeding home, for I need to sit her down and explained that not on purpose but by fear, the spell has gone wrong.


    I am sure that she heard my last words to Elloise as we left. Well, I do not have a treaty with the fairies, for they have never been trouble, that is until today. Will I take my revenge on her for what she failed to mention? That will happen for certain; no creature, no immortal and even mortal, shall ever betray me in such a way. So I shall return when she least expects it, and I shall end her miserable supernatural life.


    What also pains me is how do I tell Anastasia this without her thinking that I did this to her knowingly. I did not see the Book of Spells until after the spell was cast. For if I knew that there was only one outcome, I would not have allowed her to go ahead with it.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I have an old familiar feeling that has just crept up its, do I even dare say, ugly head.


    Sebastian is ignoring my question, and I can understand, for he knows that if I do not like the answer, I might throw a good old tantrum. Do I feel betrayed? Let us see once we have settled at home, and we have gone through what this change is that I am feeling. But I know I do not need to sit and wait for someone to tell me what it is that I already do know.


    There is going to be hell to pay, I know that Sebastian would have never done this knowingly, so my next stop shall be back to Elloise. I shall show her that there is no way of crossing Anastasia Santi and get away with it. I don''t care if she is Lilith''s sister; I shall take Edward, and if he refuses, then I shall take Zachariah, but her life will come to an end.


    So after a frantic fifteen minutes, we finally stop in front of our home; Sebastian comes around, as he always does, he comes to open the door for me. He gently takes my arm, I do know why, but I shall not say a word. I continue to let him lead me inside.


    As we step through the door, Edward passed through the common room on his way to the kitchen. He has that strange look on his face, the same one that I held. Do I even need for someone to explain to me if two now suspects?


    But wait, the best is to come; as we enter the kitchen, Lilith shouts from the back where she is standing.


    "Who brought the¡­?"


    She stops dead in her tracks as she turns around and sees that it is indeed me. Sebastian shakes his head for her not to say another word.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Well, that did go rather well; everyone knows that Anastasia and I are home, and we did not even have to announce ourselves. Thanks to Anastasia''s new state of being, she has announced our arrival. But jokes aside, for the seriousness, has no come. I wish that someone else could explain, for I am about to have a pair of perfectly manicured nails dug deep into my skin. Now I am all for the kinky scratch and the deep nail diving, but this is someone not going to be one of those kinds.


    So let us begin and explain the very obvious pink elephant in the room.


    "My dear beloved, I do believe there is an elephant in the closet."


    "Sebastian, what are you talking about?"


    "The pink elephant, the one that is in the room."


    "Are you referring to me to an elephant?"


    "No my beloved, you are not an elephant; in fact, you are human."


    "What?"


    "Oh, I believe I said that out loud."


    Her next scream echoes into the corners of the kitchen; the crystal glasses are clearly trembling as they vibrate. There is a plate that goes flying in the direction past Lilith''s very nervous head. Poor Edward jumps behind me until he realizes that I might be the target that she is aiming for.


    "Is that that damn pounding in my chest? My damn heart is pumping blood? Human blood?"


    "Yes, my beloved on all counts."


    "Sebastian, do not tell me I am human again?"


    "Are you going to throw a plate at me if I say yes?"


    "Fan fucking tastic. That Elloise is dead!"


    The mere mention of her name sparks Lilith''s attention, which now means that I will have to tell them of our use of the Book of Spells."


    "See, my dear Lilith, we went to your sister to perform a spell.


    But then Edward jumps in, "Have you not learned your lesson with that book. What on earth was it that you were trying to achieve?"


    "Well, Anastasia wishes to have her curse of being an Ancient reversed, so Elloise found a spell in the Book, but she failed to inform us that the only result of the spell was that you should become human again."


    "Really, Sebastian? You think that she is going to tell you the complete truth when you come down descending like that on her."


    "She shall pay for that in time. I do apologize, Lilith, but you shall understand my displeasure."


    Then I turn back to my Anastasia, that has now started crying like a little baby. I am immediately horrified; I have no experience, well not of recent, with a woman that is crying as much as that. I don''t even want to dare and think that she now wants to place her head against my chest and that my designer suite shall become a wet mess. So I show for Lilith to go and comfort her, but she only laughs at me and turns her back to carry on with what she was doing with Stefan.


    "Edward, please."


    "Oh no, you are not getting my help."


    "Then at least tell me there is a spell that can fix this?"


    "You want to try another spell? Just now, you turn the poor woman into a frog. You know there is only one way for her to become a Vampire again. Maybe this is a second chance for her at a normal life?"


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Just as I suspected, I am a damn human again. I won''t lie when I say that I feel fresh and alive, that the breath that flows in my mouth is one that truly means something. My heart does not lie dead and heavy in my chest; it is beating at a drum that I have not felt for such a long time.


    Do I even dare say that it feels great to be a human again, but then there are all the things that being a Vampire brings. If I have to sit and sum up these two lives now, I am given the great opportunity to decide which is the better life for me. I am left to make a choice myself and not by someone through a reckless decision.


    But should I even consider that there is a decision to be made? Should I not just expect my new fate? Is human truly a fate that is considered bad. But the question begs if I do decide to remain as a human, would I still have Sebastian in my life?


    I know that he loves me more than life itself, but would he truly want to be with me if I was human? As we all know, that I shall become older and die; this too was what made me decide this the very first time around. But then I was dying, now I am perfectly healthy and alive, yet like a porcelain doll that can break by anything that the human life brings.


    This is indeed something that I did not foresee to come into my life. But someone else that did not see his to happen, is staring at me with pleading eyes.


    "Sebastian, what do I do now?"


    "My beloved, if you wish to remain human, then there is nothing to consider, no choice to make."


    "But shall you always remain by my side?"


    "There is nowhere else I would rather want to be. We were meant to be together forever; it was never said which forever. Does a human not also has a forever until his life ends."


    "Yes, but a Vampire''s forever is truly forever."


    "True, but something might happen tomorrow, and I might die, and same as you."


    "Sebastian, I think that it has always been my fear. I do not wish to die, but yet I came very close as a Vampire."


    "And so did you come when you were a human."


    There are so many infinite possibilities; when I became aware of the Vampire race, I thought them to be untouchable, but I was soon proven wrong. We have been through so many battles that got us close and even some of us, dead.


    All I know is that I love Sebastian, then should it not be easy then? Where am I going to go now that I am human again? Back to work and back to Zachariah, who funny enough is a Vampire, but he is more human. Was this not our legacy instead? I never once stopped to think of all these questions; all I wanted was to be a normal Vampire again. Guess I have truly messed things up completely again.


    So with a very much worried heart, Sebastian pulls me closer to him.


    "My beloved, I can see the questions rumbling around in you mind. I do wish for you to become mine again, but I do understand if you do not wish to do so."


    "Sebastian, if you were me, what would you do?"

 Chapter 83 - Like A Moth To A Flame

    I cannot truthfully answer Anastasia''s question, for the only option for me is being a Vampire. She shall always be my one and only true love; the question is not what I will do; the question is, what part she shall play in my life. Not that I shall ever shy her away, it shall be more like if she will choose to have a Vampire in her life. For one, I can say that it shall be a rather dangerous lifestyle for her, and not to even mention that the community shall not approve of a human residing in the Belmont House.


    This is indeed a problematic situation that we do find ourselves in. I cannot tell her what to do, and neither can she expect me to choose between immortality and being a mortal. And as we have seen with these things, you cannot trust for something to go as planned. Who says if I taste Breyden''s blood, that I will for certain become a human again.


    So it is with somewhat mixed emotions that we find our way up the stairs to our room; now this shall be where she shall be sleeping from now on. It feels like the very first time that we met. The excitement and danger, wanting something that I cannot have. With saying that, shall, she allow me to drink from her now? For we all know that human blood is far heavenlier than that of our own kind. This opens the door for not being able to control myself again. Should we become intimate, then she does stand the chance of being turned against her will once more.


    But god, that smell, forget the jasmine and vanilla, but the human scent that she carries so well. Yes, I do believe that I have not grown a rather big problem, not only a somewhat large arousal but the need to taste my bride, that as of this morning is a human.


    And as I stand and admire her beauty where she is standing in front of the tall mirror of the wall, all I can think of his touch those deep cherry lips of hers. But I can see that she is torn between what choice to make, so I stand to go to her; I am such a danger to be around right now, I do not even think that I should make such a bold step.


    Here is this girl, she has taken away all my senses; she has come and brought me so much pleasure. But now, once again, she has become the forbidden fruit which I can not taste. I know that wanting her should be so wrong, but right now, wrong surely feels so good.


    "My beloved, I am truly sorry. If I knew that this would happen, then I would never have taken you there. Do I even dare to say that this was meant to happen?"


    I see her smile, but her eyes are filled with disappointment. What have I done wrong? Is it something I perhaps said? She steps a slight bit forward and gently reaches out to touch my hand. A million sensations shock me to my core. Even though she is cold to the touch, her hands are as soft as feathers.


    "Sebastian, I do not even dare to use the word fate."


    Her eyes seem sincere as she looks at me with concern. She still has not let go of my hand; I feel her as she gently squeezes my palm. She sees me smile at the comfort of her touch and slowly lets go. Her fingers drag softly down my forearm, leaving tingles on my skin. I must fight every ounce of me not to grab hold of her hand again.


    I move a slight step closer. She wants to move away, but she seems not to either. I find my hand wandering to her lips, and I do what I have been craving to do so...I touch them...I touch her lips. I run my thumb across them and can feel it slightly tremble.


    "Sebastian."


    "Ssshhh, Anastasia."


    I softly whisper in her ear, which is now only inches away from my face. She is so close, so close that if I turn my head, I could so easily just kiss her. The jasmine and vanilla that she wears so well smell even stronger. I can hear her gasps as my warm breath reaches her skin. The heat between our bodies is undeniable.


    "My dear beloved, I want¡­"


    I want to spend the night with her. Being in her presence makes me feel alive. The waves of emotions she brings to my body just make me beg and scream for more. I know I should not, I know I should turn around and leave the room, but I cannot. She has me captivated once again; she draws me in with every inch of my skin.


    Looking at her beauty does not only take my breath away; it knocks all the air out from my chest. Now she is standing here and doing this damn seductive thing with those supple red lips. I have never been known as a man that loses control, but I would lose every bit that keeps me together just to spend tonight with her.


    "What is wrong, Sebastian?"


    I look down at my feet as I step one step closer. I am doing this again, and I know I should not. But I am like a moth that is being drawn to a flame, and nothing is telling me I am in danger.


    I look up into her eyes; her lips are but less than an eye wink away. All I need to do is lean an inch forward, and mine would be against them. But mine is trembling, and how I would love us to tremble together.


    I take a lock of her hair and twirl it around my finger, then gently pull it closer. The scent of honey fills my nostrils as I feel the soft touch of her hair against my skin.


    "If I knew what the scent of an angel was, then I would say it was you."


    "I see you are already flirting, I have not been human for but a few hours, and Sebastian Belmont is already claiming what is his."


    "You would know when I am flirting with you, and this is not it," I lean in closer. "Do you want to know something else?" My lips touch the delicate tips of her ear. I hear her gasp, and the pace of her breath increases. If she is feeling anything as much as I do now, then she knows how much I need to be with her.


    "Plea...please tell me."


    "That I can so easily kiss you right now, but I won''t."


    "Why, why not?"


    "Oh, so you do want me to kiss you, then what do you say we both get burned."


    "Who says I am going to allow you?".


    "I know you will."


    I take my thumb to her bottom lip and gently run it from one corner to the other. They are soft and smooth, and her lipstick makes it slide with ease. She nearly stops to breathe as I move over them between the seams and slightly begin to part them.


    Her breathing is short and shallow. She whispers, but her trembling lips only cause her words to whimper. I see my name forming around her lips, but I do not hear it. She is drowning in the power I have over her body.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes, Sebastian."


    "Please let me."


    "Let you..."


    I do not let her finish; I move my lips breath by breath even closer to hers. We are so close now that we are breathing the same breath. I look down at her lips and back up to meet her eyes. She closes her eye, and I move forward, closing the space between us. The first thing I notice is how much she tastes like cotton candy. As I tuck at her bottom lip, she stops and pulls away.


    I slowly move her body backward and push her back against the wall behind her. With every breath and wink, I move my lips closer until I finally feel her skin touching mine.


    As her soft velvety lips begin to move against me, she rips open my soul, and the world falls away. My thumb caresses her cheek. She encircles my body and runs her fingers down my spine.


    I slide my hands down her waist and rest them at the small of her back. She moves and arches into my body; I moan at the contact and the heat of our bodies so close against each other.


    At first, the kiss is soft and gentle, like tiny butterflies on your skin. But the more she pushes into me, the more demanding they become. I let go of her waist and pin her between my hands. The kiss grows deeper and passionate by the second. The heat between our bodies raging like a fire out of control.


    "Sebastian, we must stop."


    But I ignore her, please. I take my right hand and pull her long blonde hair away from her shoulder. Before I know what consumes me, I lay my lips against her naked soft skin. The scent of her perfume attacks my senses, making the desire to kiss her even more intense. I kiss her from her shoulder up the sensitive parts of her neck.


    She scrunches my shirt in her hands and lifts it up until she finds her hand underneath it. Her hands are exploring every crevice of my sculpted chest. She moves her nails down and scrapes them hard against my rippled abs. But as soon as she realizes what she is doing, she stops.


    "Shit. I am so sorry, Sebastian."


    "Don''t be; you can take it off if you like."


    As I run my hand down the tender skin of her neck, she slowly starts leaning her head back. I take my lips to the side of her neck and pull her shirt to the side. As I start to bite into her shoulder, she starts to quiver into my trembling body. I slip my hands up underneath her skirt; I grab hold over of her tight ass and draw her even closer into me.


    The cool room feels hot and heavy. I am finding it hard to hold back. I am caught between the intoxication; I want this moment to end. She trails her fingers down my chest to the seams of my pants. Her fingertips are burning like flames into my skin. As she reaches the seams of my pants, I let out a deep, low moan.


    I grab hold onto the ends of her shirt and slide my hands underneath it. Then as if in slow motion, I start to lift it over her head. As I finally have it on the floor, I shyly look up at her supple breasts that are firmly tucked in under a red lace bra. Her stomach is flat and toned, the contours of her waist in a perfect pear shape. She is absolutely beyond what beauty can compare.


    But she goes to lay her soft lips against mine again; the very thing that happened with us happens again, the pure ecstasy exposes my fangs faster than a breath. In an instant, I pull away, and as if fate is playing a hand in this.


    "Anastasia, we must stop, unless if you want me to carry on?"

 Chapter 84 - Divine Delirium

    D¨¦j¨¤ Vu, a feeling that one has experienced a present situation.


    Anastasia and I have been here before, and do I even dare to say that it might go the same as the first time around.


    I do not wish for her to be accidentally bitten and then be turned into a Vampire against her will. There is a very big part of me that wishes that she would allow me to do it again. What does truly trouble me is that she seems to be considering staying human.


    But I do not wish to think about that now, for, at the present moment, there is the beauty that I want to lose myself in tonight. I genuinely believe that I can control my hunger for human blood, for she is my beloved, and that is what makes it different this time.


    So once again, "My beloved, do you wish for me to stop."


    "No, but I beg, do not turn me against my will."


    "I shall never harm you in any way, foolishness does carry itself as my middle name on the odd occasion, but this shall not be one of them."


    "Then take me, Sebastian."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Taking Sebastian''s hand, I slide it up my thigh, slipping his fingers under the seams of my dress, his other hand gripping tight onto my waist. My hand is moving up his leg, my fingers gently grazing his hard length. His body is trembling as he moves his hand further under my skirt. I am becoming a wet mess, my body aching for him to be between my legs


    He spins me around and pushes my chest hard into the wall, pinning my hands firm above my head. He is grinding his aching groin deep into my ass. He scrunches up my dress and shoves the material all the way up to my waist. When he catches a glimpse of my naked ass, a groan escapes his lips.


    Then, all at once, there is nothing else in my universe but Sebastian kissing, touching, biting, and exploring every inch of my body with his mouth, his tongue, and his hands. For the first time in a while, I forget everything else. The bliss sends an earthquake through my loins, causing my body to tremble.


    Nothing in all my experience can prepare me for the sensations he is making my body feel; the tingle in my neck, arms, and hands; the tightening of my belly when a wave of lightning engulfs it; the escape of moisture as it saturates me. My passion is urgent, desperate, but Sebastian is forcing me to yield to his slow pace, his unhurried touch, bringing me, again and again, to the edge of rapture and then denying me; he is set on me to beg for it.


    Without further tormenting me, he leads me to the bed where he lays my body down between the soft silky sheets. They envelop my body and cool the burning ache that I feel down to the core. I watch in awe as this godlike man slips his pants down that firm, sculpted body and lifting every inch of cloth from his chest to display perfectly rippled abs.


    He lowers his hot skin down onto mine and starts to unbutton my chiffon blouse, which finds its way to the pile of clothes on the floor. As he pulls my skirts slowly over my thighs, he wastes no time and pulls my panties along.


    As elegant as a tiger, he crawls his way up my body; the moment his soft naked skin presses against mine, I unravel entirely; my body is his to do as he pleases. And he does, as his lips devour mine; his tongue explored my mouth, my neck, and my ears. His tongue tortures me until I moan.


    With a movement that startles me, he forces my legs open with strong arms, cups my ass in his hands, and lifts my hips to meet his mouth. With gentle, delicate flicks of his tongue, he brings me close to the edge of delirium. Afraid of toppling over too soon, I squeeze the blankets.


    His hands finally open my soft folds, slowly, gradually, insistently. With his thumbs, he spread the softness, the moistness. He dives deep, his tongue running from my clit down between my folds.


    He rubs the flat of his tongue over my clit, letting one finger, then two fingers invade me, making me moan. His fingers begin to move, pumping and twisting deep inside me. He starts increasing the intensity and the pressure. Licking, sucking, and biting, as if he is eating me alive.


    He slips his fingers out and moves back up through my lips, taking them, rubbing them tight together, causing my legs to tremble. His thumb moves to my clit, finding my sensitive center again; he presses deep and starts rubbing hard. I feel the warmth start growing in my body. He continues rubbing over and over again, building and moving me ever so close to my climax. He is going faster and harder and deeper; I can feel myself go harder with every stroke.


    Then he slips another finger inside; then, he starts pumping in and out. He is twisting his fingers, increasing the intensity and the pressure every time he thrusts in and out. He curls his fingers, my back arches, and my eyes roll back into my head.


    I can barely control my body anymore. The edge seems on the horizon; every cell inside me is contracting. My legs are starting to shake; the warmth between my thighs are ready to explode. I am aching; I am quivering, pushed to the edge, my body shatters, and my cum flow over his fingers.


    Grabbing my wrist, Sebastian moves my fingers to the soft head of his erection, where I let them linger and explore, running the tiny, delicate pads over the heavily veined skin. I can feel myself become more aroused as prickles of pleasure moved through my arms as he grows harder in my hand. I squeeze instinctively, feeling the muscle throb and flex, forcing me to tighten my grip. More moisture drenches me in anticipation.


    With much force, I flip him around and lay his body next to mine. I wrap my hot hand around his erection, making it pulse. He pulls a gasping moan into his lungs. He can only watch as I slid down to put my mouth above his agonized erection.


    I brush my tongue several times across the tip then pulled it hard into her mouth. Barbs of lightning convulse through his body, intensifying his senses. The sucking sound of my mouth against his flesh, the sweet smell of my juices mixing with his own musky scent, the feel of my hot soft lips caressing the sensitive flesh as they slid over the head of his erection, and the firm grip of my warm hand, all seems too hard for him to hold back anymore.


    He gently pushes me back down onto the mattress. He places his pulsating erection between my legs; I slowly part my folds, so his strong, hard manhood slide effortlessly into me. I scream with pleasure. My whole body screams with pleasure. It is obvious that the teasing and taunting of foreplay are over.


    His chin rests on my shoulder as his hips drive hard, his hard length furiously thrusting into me, over and over again. His unique scent overwhelms my senses; his breath at the nape of my neck tickles and makes me shiver. He slams into me, struggling for breath, desperately trying to hold on to his crumbling restraint. There is nothing controlled about his actions.


    "Oh god, Sebastian," I whispered. "More. Faster."


    I gyrate in slow insistent circles; he rocks with every thrust. Our bodies are bucking and arching and colliding in almost perfect rhythm. He keeps up the rhythm relentlessly. With each stroke, he slides his hot throbbing flesh completely into me. He drives in deeper, with each thrust increasing pace.


    "My beloved, you are going to be the death of me all over again."


    He impales me with his hot bulging shaft deep into my depths. I clench and shudder and raise my hips slightly to further drive his swollen erection into me. I heave in passion, my resisting flesh split, and he slides into me slowly and gently until he was completely inside me. I could feel his hard length pulsating, contracting and releasing his erection as he eases himself back for fear that he would explode.


    "Sebastian, I¡­I¡­fuck."


    My first orgasm comes within seconds, the second minutes later. He picks up speed, slamming home even faster. I am delirious with pleasure. I have never experienced anything like this before. He is man enough. That is for sure.


    One¡­Two¡­Three more thrusts, and I am there. He plunges deep inside me; I feel the full thrust of his hard length inside me. Tension built, deep at my core and coil up, arousal mounting inside until finally, without warning, my climax charge up, and I lose all control.


    "Cuming," he roars. "Oh fuck," he groans.


    The hot waves of pleasure started to build up deep within his core and shoot out in every direction, turning his limbs to jelly and his mind to mush. He shudders and convulses in a chain of explosions. His release fills me, dripping down his still-hard length.


    He falls down next to me on the bed with a very satisfied look on his face, a typical Sebastian grin on his face. We both lay in silence for a few minutes, waiting for the world to stop spinning and our breaths to slow to our normal heartbeat.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Her naked, heaving breasts come into view; as I start to slip out of bed. Her long hard nipples are peeking my arousal once again. My fingers stretch to pinch them, making them longer, more rigid. The triangle of her pussy is bald, the slit dark and inviting.


    The covers glided slowly down my body as I stand from the bed. The soft-touch of the silk makes my cock twinge in agony; I grit my teeth as my arousal has now been peeked.


    Then she calls me back.


    "Sebastian, yes, you may."


    "May what, my beloved?"


    She sits up straight and slides her hair away from her neck, from which her veins are throbbing.


    "Please, I insist."


    With hesitant steps, I make my way back to the bed where she is inviting me to take her even more intimately than before. As I come to rest next to her on the bed, I can see the most peculiar desire in her eyes. If not before, then now I know that she does not carry a problem for me to taste her sweet nectar.


    Gently I place my lips at the very same place where I know that I have marked her not so long ago. Feeling the veins pumping below her skin does not make me hesitate any longer. With an elegant snap, I open my mouth and slide my fangs with enough force to make her jump but an inch off the bed.


    Once I am assured that she is fine for me to go further, I nestle my fangs deep into her soft skin. The minute her first drops of blood flows through, electric shocks ignite every nerve in my body. Pulling harder, I drink glorious drops of nectar from the woman that I love even more than life itself.


    The more I take, the more it becomes clear to me, I shall do whatever I have to do to be with her.


    After several seconds of divine pleasure, I slip my fangs from her neck. She turns to me, and strangely I see the exhaustion on her face. I have forgotten that she is human now. So I place a tiny kiss on her forehead and leave the room.


    Much later, do I return, only to find that she is not where I left her? I rush down to the kitchen, where I find Edward still.


    "My dear Edward, have you seen Anastasia."


    "She left with a bag saying that she has an errand to run."


    This immediately troubles me; Anastasia does not run errands; she hates being out in public.


    "Edward, where is the book of spells?"


    I only need to wait for but a few minutes for Edward to come back from the study where he left it.


    "It is gone."

 Chapter 85 - Beauty Lies In These Pages

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I have just experienced another moment of ecstasy that goes beyond being able to be described by a single word. Sebastian has proven to me that no matter if I find myself a mortal or a Vampire, that he desires me the same. To him, he sees no difference as it is love that drives him; his passion for our love, for our union, is beyond compare. For him to have not lost control and drive his fangs into me without my consent proves once more how much he cares for me.


    To think I was sitting and pondering if I should stay human is something that I cannot understand. There should not even be a question, a choice to be made. I want with all of this beating heart to be back with Sebastian, yes I do know that as a human, I can experience this desire, but I do not want to see my life just end if I can extend it.


    So I have foolishly taken the Book of Spells and am on my way to Elloise. As I leave the Belmont House in my rearview mirror, I pray that this shall not be the last time that I shall see it. What I also wish for is that Sebastian will not be that mad at me, but I do fear that I cannot have both, for he is going to furious.


    Now the question begs, why do I not just let Sebastian turn me again. Well, I don''t want a makeover of a time that, though given the circumstances, meant a great deal to me. So I am racing to Elloise with the Book in hand, hoping that she can reverse my reckless decision. And do us not forget that she shall meet her fate for betraying us in the first place. They say revenge is sweet, well I believe it is better not to mess with a woman scorned.


    I do believe that Sebastian must have become aware of my absence and shall soon thereafter find that the Book of Spell has mysteriously disappeared as well. Therefore doing this must happen with the utmost speed and perfect precision. And believe me, right now, this car can not go fast enough.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    If ever there was something foolish that Anastasia has done, then it surely should be this. What was running through that mind as she took the Book of Spells only she will know. But I do have a fairly good idea what her purpose with it is.


    Even though I wish for her to go back to her immortal self, I do not wish for her to play with a power that we clearly know that we have no control over. It does pain me, though, that she has not told me of her intention. Yes, I would have stopped her, for there are other ways for her to become a Vampire again. Even though the first experience as Maker and Vampire was the most intimate thing that I have experience with her, I would easily do it again. Take it as sealing our marriage and completing our union again.


    So it is with absolute haste that Edward and I pile into his car and make the long drive to Elloise as fast as we possibly can. And while we are making our way there, Edward turns and looks with concern to me.


    "Sebastian, you are my dear friend and my Maker. As a friend, I wish to say, and stop me if I am out of line, but this thing, this search of danger between you and Anastasia, is not healthy. You complete each other, but your quest to save the world is going to break that bond. I am even too afraid to say that it has now gone too far."


    "My dear friend, I appreciate your concern, and I can with total honesty say that you are correct with what you are saying. This has reached a point that is beyond craziness. I do know that we shall live forever, but it should not mean that we should make as many reckless decisions as we possibly can. Yes, there shall come dangers; the fact that we do seek them makes me just as concerned as you."


    "So let us be reckless for one final time and get this car to take us to Elloise as fast as we can. I believe that we are not far behind Anastasia."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    As a human, I always lived my life on the edge; it was the ecstasy that I craved. That was until I met Sebastian, and he brought a new danger to my life that I desired even more. But then things just started to get out of hand, monsters, and creatures, what you can dream, you can name. I would rather prefer the ecstasy that he brings to my body between the sheets.


    And this is why I am racing as fast as I can to find Elloise, which I am afraid to say, I can not completely be for sure how to get to her. My determination is strong; I shall not waver or give up on it. As each mile pass, I cannot help but think that maybe I am running out of time to have this reversed, I do not know why, but the thought does come to me. It shall, after all, not be a surprise if Elloise deceived us over what she already has.


    So I look into the rearview mirror once again, paranoid beyond belief that Sebastian shall soon appear in it. But then something else catches my eye, something in the mirror itself, the reflection staring back at me. Something has gone horribly wrong.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    It feels like Edward is not going fast enough, miles in the wrong direction he is going; that is what it feels like. If we go any faster, I can say that we are near close to flying. But yet we do not see the tail end of Anastasia''s car coming close up in front.


    The urgency is growing for the thought that I might not be able to say goodbye in case that something goes horribly wrong. Not a thought that I should entertain, but there is a nagging part of me that says that something is wrong.


    But just then, there is a thought that occurs to me, why have I not thought of this before. I take my phone from my pocket and immediately find the number of Connor to dial. Much to my relief, he answers in an instant.


    "Sebastian, who do you need to be killed today?"


    "My dear friend, I do appreciate the humor, but today I am looking for someone to be alive."


    "The Vampire Master phoning me for a meal?"


    "Ha! I do not require your services for that as, believe me, these hands are fully equipped. I am looking for Anastasia; she is on her way to your direction."


    "My man, did you go and lose your bride?"


    "The bride is being stubborn and about to do something which might have severe consequences."


    "Well, in that case, I shall have some of my men monitor the entrance and try to keep her back. I do not know if they can overpower her."


    "She is human; please be delicate with her."


    "Human?"


    "Will explain later."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I am horrified at what I am looking at, the reflection staring back at me; it is not me. Well, it is, but I have aged at least another five years since the last time I looked at myself in the mirror. What is going on? Why is this happening to me? Is it the spell? Or is my body simply dying?


    Oh, how I wish that Sebastian was here with me now; I cannot bear to think that if I might die that I might die alone. With the thought in mind, I bring the car to a screeching halt. There is nothing but open fields with tall green grass and colorful blossoms around me; the beauty makes me cry, for I am losing my very own.


    Have I become so vain that beauty is all I desire? If I did not make a fuss over a few wrinkles and stretched skin, we would not find ourselves in this trouble. Or I should rather say me, I did this to myself, evil fairy or not, this is my doing. I am the reason I am coming undone.


    This sets the fear of seven horrors through my body. Should I phone Sebastian before it is too late?


    Without having to hesitate, I take my phone from my purse and dial his number.


    "My beloved, where are you?"


    "Does not matter anymore, Sebastian."


    "Anastasia, what do you mean, what does not matter anymore?"


    "It is futile for you to try and come stop me; there is nothing that can be done anymore."


    "My beloved, please wait where you are; we are on our way."


    "I love you, Sebastian."


    With that, I click the phone dead and toss it back into my purse. That was hard; even though he did not tell him what is going on, I knew that there was not very much that I could say.


    How will Sebastian love me like this? Is it even worth going to Elloise then?


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Something is wrong with Anastasia; there is a fear in her voice, the same fear I heard coming through the corridors of her old home as she was busy dying that night. She is scared; something has her running even further away from me. I need to get to her before she does anything else that will harm her in any way.


    So I dial Connor once again.


    "Sebastian, my men just saw a woman enter, she did not come by car, and she is far too old to be Anastasia. My friend, we shall keep out watch for her."


    "Thank you, Connor; we should be there within the next hour."


    As I drop the call, my heart is saddened; it is impossible for the older woman to have been Anastasia disguised, for there is no way that she is able to get there so fast unless if she left much earlier than I noticed.


    And as this spins out of control in my head, I cannot shake the feeling that something is horribly wrong, we must go faster, I fear that we are running out of time.


    "Edward, we need to go faster; I fear that Anastasia is in a different danger."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    As I step into the forest, I am met by three men that I believe are part of Connor''s pack. They only but give me a glance and let me pass by with no problem. Guess the fact that I have aged another ten years does make me a bit unrecognizable, well, that is, if you do not expect me to be this age.


    So after having my little meltdown, I decided to give it one final try; if there truly is nothing to save me, then at least I will die knowing that I have tried my all. One last shot of living, surviving as a human, not even the life of a Vampire. I guess this shall teach me not to take what I have for granted.


    Well, I can now honestly say that life does indeed flash before your eyes when death stares you in the face. And the best part of experiencing this all is that my life experience is those moments that I had with Sebastian.


    And so it comes; I am standing in the clearing as I watch Elloise come down the stairs; I am filled with so must rage that I can rip her apart. As she comes to stand in front of me, I can see her eyes question who the person is that she finds staring back at her.


    The anger boils even further until I finally explode.


    "Fix your damn mess!"


    "Anastasia?"

 Chapter 86 - The Distances That Keeps Us Apart

    Anastasia is in great trouble; I can feel it in my whole being. The strangest part of this is that I am feeling our bond dying. It seems that she is fading away from me. Is this what is suppose to happen now that she is human again? But there have been many Vampire and humans that have shared this bond; why should ours be any different? Did the spell indeed break all contact that she shall have with a Vampire?


    I do not wish to think which is the most logical explanation, for I do not want to discover one. All that I do need to know now is to get to her as fast as this car can possibly travel. So as I stare at Edward, I do not even need to make my question known, for he knows the exact thought that is burning a hole through my mind.


    "My dear Sebastian, we shall get to her, and I want to promise you that we shall be in time. I have to fear, though, what time it shall be. Do you know of such a spell that can reverse this one?"


    "Edward, I was not even aware of the first one, there might be a possibility that there shall be one, but my biggest fear is what is the consequences."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I have a very shocked fairy staring back at me now; if she is merely acting because she is aware that this would have happened or if she truly had no knowledge, it is not the problem. The problem is, how does she fix this mess?


    "Anastasia. My god, what has happened."


    "Unless you have gone blind, I am nearly fifty, soon going on sixty. Now you better find a way to reverse, or I send a different kind of evil loose in your village."


    Well, not that Zachariah is an evil, but I am sure he shall not have a calm to get rid of a few fairies for me. God, to think that if he has to see me at this age, it will break his heart to pieces; in fact, so will it Sebastian''s.


    And talking about Sebastian, I can feel that bond we share is fast fading into nothing. I know that is he is feeling the same, that he is probably past halfway here; therefore, this woman must act fast.


    "Do you know of a spell that can reverse this?"


    "Which? The aging or the one we performed in the first instance?"


    "Well, obviously the one before. And I warn you do not turn me into an old Vampire, for then I might as well kill you now. Now, do you know of a spell?"


    "I am honest that I do not know; I shall have to go through the pages."


    "Well, as you can see, I do not have a thousand pages, so best you start from the last time you stopped. I am sure you can find the spell that you so kind screwed me over."


    "Anastasia, I¡­


    "Yes, I know that Sebastian can be scary, but he is also a man in love, and if you gave him half the chance and explained it to him, then he would have advised me against it. Now you are wasting time; please get on with it."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    With each passing mile, my heart is feeling smaller and smaller; it is as if pieces are breaking away with each second. There is some force, something out there that is consuming my time and changing my life in an instant. Something so great is happening; I do not know what; the only thing I have is this feeling.


    It is time for the truth to be set free, "Edward, there is something that I have been keeping from both Lilith and you for a while now. And I believe that it might surface the second that I set my eyes on Anastasia."


    "My brother, it is fine for you to experience fear; I think we all have done our fair bit for this past few weeks."


    "Fear is not quite the word that I am saying. I do refer to heartache, pain, the loss of a loved one. The pain that one experience with that. I am talking about the action behind the feeling. It is good to say that I love you, but what action can you experience behind such a feeling."


    "Our words come with feelings, but actions, now saying that you will cry tears if you have to find that Anastasia is deceased. That I would say is not possible."


    "My dear friend, that is exactly the very thing I am speaking of. See that I have for some time now become aware that I do in fact possess my soul, and thus I am very caple of crying my heart out."


    "Your soul? Why have you not mentioned it before? You know your secret would have been safe with me?"


    "You do know that I am extremely sorry when I say I did not want to keep it away from you. But I do not wish for us to speak of that now. I do want to tell you that if Elloise cannot be reverse this spell, then I shall ask of Breyden to turn me back to human."


    "Sebastian, you can''t."


    "I am afraid my mind has been made up."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    This lady with her Book of thousands of pages is taking far too slow; if I knew what we were looking for, then I would have torn that stupid Book in half. But one thing I can truthfully say that this time she is taking this far more seriously. At the sight of a relatively workable spell, she goes to read the possible outcomes to me, which so far has not to sound like anything I wish to consider.


    With this in mind, I am starting to get somewhat nervous, I have just looked at myself in the mirror as I have for the past hours, and I can now positively say that I have just hit my sixties. But it is not only my face, but my body, my hands, my arms, my legs, and even my feet that is beyond what can be describe as wrinkled. It is as if loose flaps of skin are rolling over each other. And as with so many times now, I feel like smashing this mirror against the tree where my frail body is leaning against.


    So it is with pleading eyes that I turn to Elloise again, "Please tell me that you have something? I am afraid to look into the mirror again."


    "Then give me that thing because you are going to drive yourself crazy. Why don''t you phone Sebastian while there is still enough time."


    "What do you mean enough time?"


    "Anastasia, have you considered that there might not be a spell? You need to phone Sebastian before your time runs out. You do know humans do not truly live after a hundred?"


    "I have considered, but I do not want him to see me this way. It will break his heart into a thousand pieces. But you are right, maybe at least I can maybe say goodbye over the phone."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    We are now very close, just another half an hour, and we should find ourselves there. I do truly hope that they have not attempted any spell yet. I wish to make sure that Elloise does not betray us again, even though I think that Anastasia would have made her aware of the consequences she shall face if she even dares to even think of it.


    And as I sit here in silence while I wait for our imminent arrival, my phone buzzes in my pocket; as I check, I see that it is my beloved.


    "My beloved, we are nearly there, only another twenty minutes. Please hold on if you can; I need to be there before Elloise performs another spell."


    "Sebastian, I don''t think we are going to find one, well, at least not in time."


    "In time? What do you mean in time? There was no limit to the other spell?"


    "Well, in a cruel way, there is one. I am even horrified to mention it."


    "My beloved, nothing can be so bad that we cannot overcome it. There is nothing that can keep us apart. I will not allow it."


    "Sebastian, you cannot stop time, nor can you reverse it."


    "Yes, there is a spell to reverse what happened."


    "That is not the time I am referring to. Put your videocall on, and then you can see what I am talking of."


    "My dear Anastasia, I have no idea what this video call is? Where do I get it?"


    "On your phone, the camera, it should be at the back."


    "Oh, that thing is broken."


    I am not quite sure if she is bursting out in laughter or tears, but there is not something right with her voice; I cannot place it, but she is not the same. Anastasia is losing herself; I can feel it. She is fading away, maybe it is not our bond, but she that is fading. Is she busy dying?


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    What was I thinking, a Vampire like Sebastian being able to operate a simple thing as a phone? Guess he does not feel the need to use the thing unless he needs to call upon of as he says it ''Spread the word.'' So needless to say, he has no idea what I am talking about, but at least he says that he is only twenty minutes away; he shall at least them be here with me as I hit the good old seventy mark. And by the feel of it, it is not getting pleasant, my bones are feeling all crooked, but not only that, I am tired, and my mind feels a bit absent. For a doctor, I pretty much neglected my body; I should have spent more time at yoga than at the pub; well, at least I can say that it was worth it.


    I met Sebastian there; for somehow, I don''t see a Vampire doing yoga.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    We have just stopped at the entrance of the forest, only a couple of minutes of walk, and we shall find ourselves at Elloise''s village.


    I have tried calling back Anastasia to press her for answers, but she has not been answering my calls; my heart fears that something might have happened. I am as scared that I am already too late to save her from a fate, a fate that she did not quite describe clear to me, but one that has her very frightened.


    So we are nearly sprinting as we get further into the forest, my legs not even nearly traveling as fast as I want them to go. I must say, for a Vampire that is quite fit, my legs are surely not keeping up with my motivation.


    And then we find are at the valley; I can see Elloise sitting outside, I can see that she has the Book within her hands. She is frantically going through it page by page. She, too, seems to have this urgency that time is running out. Something has both of these women spooked.


    But I do not see Anastasia around; there is only a significantly older woman, perhaps the older woman that Connor was referring to. Perhaps an old relative that is visiting, well I do not care much for that now. Anastasia must be inside resting. This whole ordeal might be too much to bear, and she has grown tired.


    Well, it is time for us to speed up this process; we are two Vampires that have enough strength to take out a big part of this village. And I will make it clear to Elloise as I can to stand in front of her.


    "Where is Anastasia?"


    She seems quite nervous as she hesitates to speak.


    "Elloise, I am not asking you again where is Anastasia?"


    "Sebastian, she, well, you see, there is a problem."


    I slam the Book closed on her lap with enough force that it squashes her hands between the pages.


    "Where is Anastasia?"


    Then from behind me, I hear the older woman try to speak. She is stuttering, and by her short breaths, I hear that she, too, is scared. Then I turn around to face her to ask her the very same question."


    "Where is¡­Anas¡­ My god Anastasia!"

 Chapter 87 - A Race Against Time

    The eyes are easily deceived, and so does the mind play tricks on you. Magic has a way of betraying you, and it shall betray you even harder if you wish to use it for your own benefit. These are all facts that we should have taking into consideration.


    But what should I be considering here? The fact that in front of me is a woman that is a fair age of seventy is by all possibility, my beloved. This truly has become insane, so I close my head for but a brief second and shake all the images out of my mind hoping that I would see different.


    "Sebastian, it is me. Anastasia, the woman you call your beloved."


    "My god! What has happened to you?"


    "Well, it seems the spell had some other consequences."


    "You are here to reverse which one?"


    "Well, I am truly hoping both."


    "My beloved, it pains me even more now. I should have turned you when we had the chance."


    "I thought you might say that, now that I have lost my beauty."


    Now, what do I say to this, of course, I would prefer with all her beauty, for as it stands now, I shall cringe at the thought of making love to a seventy-year-old. Who knows, by the time we get home, she is eighty. This does bring a frightening reality to mind."


    "We need to hurry up, Elloise; I suggest you do this faster. My dear friend Edward here has not had a fairy in years, and believe me; it is not in a way that you shall derive pleasure. Now tell me what it is that I can do?"


    Then right in front of my eyes, I watch, much to my horror, as Elloise tears the Book of Spells into three parts and hands us each one. Yes, there is that part of me that wishes to give her a scolding, but I know this is to save Anastasia.


    So I go to sit by my beloved and place her head gently on my lap; there shall be no way that we shall be apart if this is indeed going to be the last hours of her life. I gently place a soft kiss against her pale skin. Even though she is all wrinkled up, she still has the most delicate skin that I have ever felt in my immortal life. Then I tangle a loose strand of her now grey hair around my finger and tuck it behind her ear. I softly whisper in her ear for nobody else to hear.


    "I love you with all my heart, my beloved. I shall be with you every step of the way; I shall follow you in death."


    If my beloved, for any reason, does not make it through today, I will be joining her shortly into the realm of the afterworld.


    But put this thought beside, with my part of the Book in hand, I start to flip page after page, and as I go along, I mention each spell that I believe that shall work.


    "Elloise, here is one that says "Eternal Beauty?"


    Elloise takes the Book to inspect what I have found, "Sebastian, it says, "Eternal Beastly."


    "Well, slap me silly and call me a Delilah, but that does not look like that at all."


    "Focus; you are wasting precious minutes."


    I do so wish to tell her that it is her fault that we are stuck in this situation, but it truly is Anastasia and mine, for we should have never played with the power that the Book holds. But it is this very power that makes us rush to save her life.


    And my thought has not even run its course, when I come across another one, "Mmm, Elloise, we have one here that says, "Instill Mortality."


    "Sebastian, do you care to read that again?"


    "Oh, morality, never mind then."


    I am starting to think that I am far more useless than I am useful. Have I lost the ability to read, or is fear crippling my mind and making me see what I wish to. If only they had these spells in sections, or at less in some order. They are all jumbled up as they came to mind by whomever, which or fairy. And just to think that every one of these spells has been performed at least once. This does bring the question, does power really corrupt those that seek them? Well, if we look at Anastasia, I would say that it is a definite yes.


    So from turning people into gnomes, giving trees life, and by life I mean talk, then to making water creatures wake the earth, one after one of these spells do seem to get crazier. But not that this one would help Anastasia, I do feel the need to mention.


    "Now Elloise, I have not read this one wrong, so do tell me "Return Of Manhood" is it truly implying by what the picture is showing?"


    "Ha! You would have had that one performed on many occasions; faithfulness never used to be a trait you held well."


    "But can''t they just like stitch it back together?"


    "My dear Sebastian, in those days, there was no way that you can¡­stitch¡­it¡­back with. Now please find something useful, for I hate to point out that your beloved is looking far worse than she did but an hour ago."


    As Elloise says these words, I look down at Anastasia that is resting on my lap. What I have failed to notice is that she has aged even further; why have I not felt it? Well, how do you even feel someone''s age? But aged, she has done a great deal, was truly under the impression that it happens gradually, but it seems to happen on every hour. So if we take this happens every hour, it¡­


    "Elloise."


    "Oh god, Sebastian, what now?"


    "Is there not a spell that can increase time, like giving Anastasia more time, adding more time to an hour?"


    Then Edward comes with and even far brilliant idea, "What if you put her in a bubble or cocoon and freeze all time?"


    Elloise looks quite impressed by the babble of two old Vampires, but then she needs to remind us, "That is a rather great plan, the problem, we still need to find one, thus still leaving us with our current problem."


    And just at once, like that, my heart drops back onto the floor where I but a moment picked it up from. So I go ahead with far more haste in finding whichever spell comes first. But then there is a thought that jumps to mind.


    "Elloise, what if we can''t find one? Can you create one from scratch?"


    "Sebastian, you know that it is not just that easy."


    Well, I think I should officially shut my mouth, for I am only but upsetting myself at my frustration with not being able to help my beloved.


    So it takes me and half an hour of nothing, and as I look down at Anastasia, I see that she is still fine; she is still eighty.


    Then it takes me another half an hour for more of nothing, and as I look down at Anastasia, I see that she has now indeed turned into a ninety-year-old woman.


    With that, I spend the next half an hour going through pages and pages of absolutely; you can guess it, nothing. As I look down at Anastasia, I am relieved to see that she is still the age of ninety.


    Time is no creeping closer and closer to an hour, and soon she shall come to an age where very few mortals pass.


    And what is also creeping close is my part of the Book is nearly finished. I have been through this whole godforsaken thing, and I have found nothing. None of us have found a single spell that shall reverse the one that we used to reverse the curse of an Ancient. If I think about it again, it really was not worth taking that risk in the first place. We played with fire with someone''s life, and it has come like karma and bit us even harder than a bitch.


    Then it happens¡­


    The pages of my Book come to an end, and as I look over to Edward, he too is sitting with his on his lap. I can see the sadness in his eyes, as with everyone around this table, we all feel as if we have failed Anastasia.


    So comes the time, and how I wish it would not come to an end; Elloise gently places her Book down next to her and reaches out for my hand.


    "My god, Sebastian, I am so sorry."


    With that sad realization that we have done all that we can, I pull my beloved even closer into my body, and as I whisper, "I love you." There is a reality that knocks me straight back. In a mere instant, I have risen from my chair. Then searching for eyes that I was so hoping I did not have to find, I look at the blue bottomless pools that are the eyes of my beloved.


    Then it happens¡­


    The fountains erupt; there are tears that tickle my eyes and come streaming down my face. They are flooding my eyes and drowning my mind. I have never in all my life felt this much pain; agony is not even a word that can define. My beloved has passed away, and I did not even notice it. She is gone from me; she has lost that battle that every mortal fight when it comes to their end. The only problem is that her mortality did not give her a full life; it was ripped away by some force that not even a supernatural can tame.


    The hell with this force; it is just life; life is not fair and will kick you in the gut when you least expect it. It has taken the only woman that I will ever love and ripped her out of my hands. It did not ask; it did not demand; it just took. It took what was not its; it destroyed a life. It destroyed a love; it destroyed hope. It crushed hearts. It stabbed me in the heart with a thousand dagger. It stabbed all those that love her even deeper in the back.


    Now, my summer is gone; it has grown into autumn. There is an icy coldness that has now set over my heart. There is sadly, and bitterly, not even a warmth that is coming from her body. She has gone as cold as death. Death stood waiting for us when we entered this door yesterday, and today we came back for it to take her. We have fed into its hands.


    There is no such thing as fate. Yes, I am fated to be alone now, but is being alone what I truly choose? I can not live without Anastasia, and I have made this very well-known. My life without her is nothing but getting lost in a maze without any sight of getting out.


    There is no way around this for me, I am, and I have when I was rushing to come to be her side, made the decision that should she perish, I shall join her side. Anastasia is the end of my beginning and the beginning of my end.


    And as I look at Edward with tears covering my face, indeed he is shocked, but he is also broken beyond a point. And I am afraid that I am about to inflict a pain on him so great.


    With what shall be my final words, "Edward, my dear friend, I love you as a brother, and please give the same message to our dear sister, Lilith."


    I, from the back of my pants, where I had hidden it before we left, I take out the Ancient blade. With my resolution clear, my love strong, I slam the blade deep through my heart.


    "Sebastian, no!"


    I drop to the floor, and everything goes black.

 Chapter 88 - The Essence Of Anastasia

    Death is peaceful. Death is calm. Death smells like cherry blossoms.


    Wait!


    "Fuck, I cannot even get this right."


    As I slowly open my eyes, I see what I suspected. I am very much alive; I tragically missed my heart by inches. Some will say it is luck, I, I say I am cursed. While Edward and Elloise seem to be relieved, I am slightly annoyed that I cannot accomplish one simple thing, such as dying. Yes, I do sound like a Vampire that is trying to commit suicide, which by all fairness is impossible. Maybe next time, I should consider asking someone else to kill me, or just not try to do it at all.


    While it takes me a few minutes to retract the Ancient blade from my chest, it need not take me a second to see that my dear Anastasia is still very much deceased. Her frail body is lying next to me, and there is no sight of movement at all. Dare I even try to drive this dagger through my heart again? Guess in a way, we are like Romeo and Juliet, only Romeo is not dying, and Julliet is not waking up. Crooked fantasy or awful joke. Fate or pure damn stupidity.


    It takes me several moments in silence before I finally find the courage to speak to Elloise and Edward.


    "Well, that did not work. So what do we try next?"


    "Sebastian, please," I hear Edward beg, for he knows more than anyone else that I am not about to give up yet. "Sebastian, I think we have tried everything that we possibly can."


    "My dear Edward, there is always one thing more that one can try. Now Elloise, do you know of any such spell that can resurrect a human."


    "Yes, Sebastian, like the undead."


    "Not quite what I have in mind. What about transferring her soul in the body of another?"


    "And have you look at a woman that does not look like the one that you fell in love with?"


    Fair, I do see her point; I do not wish for any of these to happen to my beloved. I guess and do I even dare to say; there is nothing more that we can do. Fate has run its course. My heart is heavy and shattered. There is only one thing left to do.


    "Edward, we shall take her to the catacombs, where she shall be given the farewell that her beauty deserves."


    With that, I gently lift her body from the floor where she is lying. She is as light as a feather, and as her limp hand drops down, I am once again ripped to my core at the thought that she is no longer in the living with us. Her essence has drained, and all that is left is an empty vessel.


    And as for the last time, I turn to Elloise to thank her for the effort that she has taken to save the life of a woman that she does not know. A woman that would have most certainly killed her should any of these spells have been successful. It is sad that all words that will be spoken when referred to my beloved shall now be that of the past tense.


    Trying to hide the tears that threaten to burst its banks, I look at Elloise, where she is still seated, with clear shock on her face. "Elloise, I bid you farewell," and just as we are about to make our leave, I turn to Edward. "Edward, please collect the pieces of that book and make sure that every last page is burned."


    As we step into the valley and make our way through all the cherry blossom trees, I know that this shall be the parting scent that I shall know my beloved as. But what moves me beyond the beauty of their pink flowers is the rows of fairies that bid us farewell as we leave. They, too, do not know my beloved, but my beloved is receiving their blessing into the world beyond. One small tear escapes my eye; I believe these shall become frequent for a long time, if not forever.


    And forever is what it feels like as we make our way through the forest, the wet earth shall be a reminder to me of how she always stood her ground. Thick green brush, the abundance in heart. She carried so much love for so many. Many of those are Connor that we are approaching. He bows, and god knows why, but he gives my beloved the greatest respect that anyone shall know.


    I have to swallow hard and deep as he walks up to me, "My dear Sebastian, I am a thousand times over sorry for your tragic loss."


    "Connor, my friend, your words are kind. I am sure my beloved shall remember all that tightness around your body."


    We cannot help but burst out in laughter. These sounds that will travel through every corner of this forest, the sound of the birds doing their chatter, the cackle of the tiny creatures living amongst the trees, they shall all be music to my ears in the days that I miss her the most.


    After a few moments in silence, I bid Connor farewell, and Edward and I take our final steps out of the forest. The sun is sitting high with a few fluffy white clouds teasing the sky. The sun brings life even though life has been taken away. The way the rays glitter off her skin, it makes her seem, in her own way, to be alive again. I shall forever remember the brightness that she brought to my life. She taught me how to love, how to live.


    All this, the earth, the sky, everything beyond I always wanted to give to her. She gave and never took. Even though I seemed quite selfish and set in my ways at times, she still saw past my stubbornness and loved me no matter what. The one thing, the one thing I failed is to give her something that she should have never excepted. Regret does always come too late, but common sense should have come first.


    And she shall come first for, and do I even want to say; she shall come first for one last time as we make our way home. We shall take her body to the catacombs the instant that we arrive in the city. I shall rest her down, and return home to fetch Lilith and return where she shall help me to prepare Anastasia''s body for the ceremony. Edward shall call upon all the elders and those that were dear to her heart, and yes, this does include The Vampire Hunter, but that shall be a call I will make myself.


    But for this time being, I do not wish to say a single word; sometimes, grief is not a feeling that you wish to share. I do not, by all means, have any Vampire sit and feel anything but sorrow for Anastasia; there is no need to feel sorrow for me. I carry enough pain in my own heart; the loss in my heart is for no one to share. Do I want to be reminded by each Vampire how I have failed my beloved? That is between her and me. I can by all certainty, say if there is anyone that disrespects a single syllable of her name, they shall have my full wrath coming down on them.


    After what seems to be a drive to hell and back, we arrive at the catacombs. These catacombs hold the bodies are many great Vampires; it is considered as a great honor to find your final resting place here. My beloved has proved herself over many occasions that she is worth the respect of every one of her kind. She shall receive the greatest honor of all and shall be put to rest in the same chamber where my own body shall one day be taken. It is true that she did not die as a Vampire, but that is quite frankly not the business of any but Edward, Lilith, and me.


    As I place her down on the concrete slab, I place a gentle kiss on her forehead, and what shall be the last for anyone to see, I small tear drip down on her cheek. I kiss it away and whisper softly in her ear. "I shall be back shortly, my beloved."


    With that, we make our leave and head home, where Lilith and Stefan are already waiting for us. I can see that Lilith''s face carries a deep sorrow. Stefan, a little boy that knows all about loss, turns to me and with the most innocent eyes that speak a thousand words.


    "Dad, she is going to heaven, please don''t be sad; she will be okay. You must just look up at the sky at night, and you will see her there."


    "My little Stefan, you are such a clever boy. Thank you, I think I will just do that."


    Before I burst out in tears, I follow Edward outside. The very hole that we stood over with the Windchaser boys where we burned the bodies of the Ancients is the same hole where Edward tosses every single page of the Book of Spells. It only takes him one flick of his hand, and it is set alight. We stand and watch as every corner of every page is burned to asses.


    Very strange, I do let out a sigh of relief, but once again, I scold myself. Why did I not do this earlier when I intended to do it. I guess I, too, was corrupted by the power it possesses. Anastasia''s death is the price I have to pay to be something bigger and stronger than I already am.


    With not many words spoken, Edward and I make our way into the house. It has now started to pour down; the rain is raging with force down onto the earth. It feels that it, too, is saddened by the loss of someone special.


    "It seems that even the heavens are crying."


    "Everyone and everything is feeling your loss, Sebastian."


    While back in the kitchen, I wait for Lilith to go change into something more comfortable, for I wish to make my return to the catacombs; I decide that it is the perfect time to phone our dear Vampire Hunter. Yes, the man is going to kill me, but I think that he shall be more forgiving if he discovers that she has died like a human.


    So I take my phone and with trembling hands, I dial his number. I wait for several seconds as it only rings at his end. Well, I guess he shall call when he is available. I shall not take away that he has to be present while we put his friend and let us not forget, the one he too does love; he has all the right to be there.


    With all these thoughts, these consequences, the lives that have been touched and are now hurt, with all this pain, I sit and let it turmoil my mind. I do not think from here on end; I am going to be the same Vampire. Should I even deserve to be Vampire Master?


    But I am soon ripped from everything that is plaguing my mind as my phone annoyingly starts to ring. As I stare down at the screen, I have no idea who is on the other side, for I do not recognize the caller. So very abruptly, I answer the phone, hoping that this person shall end the call and refrain from disturbing me at a time such as this.


    "Yes." Is the only thing that I can utter. Then from the other end, a woman is yelling at the pitch of her tone.


    "Sebastian! Why am I locked up in a hole?"

 Chapter 89 - The End Of A Legacy

    If I were not a Vampire, I would consider myself as sleeping. At the other end of this call, I have a very pissed off lady asking me why I locked her in a catacomb. I am for certain that when I left her there, she was very much dead indeed.


    So with the phone still held firmly to my ear, I run out of the house and very speedily bring my car to a roaring start. I need to get to her; I need to see that she is real.


    And as I come to a screeching halt, there right in front of me, she stands in all her glory. There is no doubt that at the entrance of the catacomb, my Anastasia is standing and patiently waiting for me.


    I rush toward her; there is no doubt, I am not dreaming. She looks at me rather frustrated, "Can you please get me out of here, its smells like a bunch of dead Vampires.


    I unlock the gate, and in an instant, she leaps into my arms. "Sebastian, you have no idea how much I have missed you." I hold her as tight as I can, squeezing her so hard that she shrieks.


    "Sebastian, you are going to break me."


    She lays little butterfly kisses on my lips, holding on tightly as if she is never going to let go of me. "I never want to be apart from you ever again."


    But then I pull away and take her whole body in; my eyes cannot believe what I am seeing. She is her same old youthful self. There is not one trace of a wrinkle on her soft porcelain skin. And do I even dare to aks, "My beloved, do you have your fangs?"


    I am much delighted as she snaps her mouth at me; there in its beauty is the very thing that makes her a Vampire. Without any warning, my eyes built into tears of you. I do not know what happened, but all I know is that I am very grateful to have her back.


    It is with a joyfulness that we make the slow drive back home. I do not let go of her hand; I need to hold on; I need to make sure that she is never going to leave again. I have my beloved back; there shall never be anything that comes between us again.


    Then as we stop at home, there is a very eager Edward and Lilith waiting outside for us. My beloved skips the formalities and pulls both of them closer. I can see the awkwardness in Edward''s eyes, but most of all, I see the relief, the very same relief that Lilith expresses.


    Once all the excitement dies, I take her to our room and lay her gently down on the bed. I look at her; I study her carefully. "My beloved, did it hurt? Did it hurt to die like that?"


    "Sebastian, it is the worst pain that I have ever felt. I felt as the bones in my body started to bend and ache in such a way as I was aging. I felt how every part of me died slowly; it was agonizing, it was slow, but most of all, it was terrifying. And no, there was no light at the end of a tunnel waiting for me. It was complete darkness, a darkness that was suffocating me. It had a hold on my heart and was squeezing."


    "I am sorry that you had to endure that. Please know that I never deserted you; my very failed attempt at killing myself speaks of it."


    "Kill? What on earth did you do?"


    "That is not important; the only thing that matters is that you are back."


    "Me too, I am back, and I will never leave again."


    ¡­Zachariah POV¡­


    It felt as if something died in me; there was a part lost of me. There was an indescribable pain that I felt. It struck me and knocked the air from my lungs. It was a suffocating grip that held my heart tightly. I have never felt anything like it in my life.


    But just as fast as it came, the faster it had left. So with very much aching bones, I try to lift myself off from my bed, but then there is a force that pulls me back.


    There is a new feeling that is consuming me; there is something wrong with me. There is something that is happening to my body. So very reluctantly, I decided to remain in bed. Maybe if I rest some more, the feeling will disappear. But after an hour of tossing and turning, I finally give up and make my way to the bathroom for a shower. For a brief moment, I stop in front of the mirror.


    "What the fuck!"


    Are my eyes deceiving me? In the mirror, staring back at me, is a man that is slightly older than he was only but an hour ago. I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the horrible dream that I am experiencing. But as I walk closer and stare at my reflection, I feel my skin; I am very much awake. How on earth is this possible? Maybe it is this Vampire thing that is having an effect on me.


    As I step into the shower, I watch as the droplets from the showerhead beat against my skin. If I was not sure before, I am now definitely convinced. I have grown into a far more mature man, if there is such a thing.


    Once I have drenched my skin in the cold water, I dry myself and make my way to the lounge. I lay down on the couch, thinking of the strangeness that has taken my body. Then much to my relief, I manage to fall asleep, only to be awakened by a rather strange but very much terrifying thing.


    "God, my bones feel like they are breaking."


    I find myself back in the bathroom seeking painkillers, but I am pulled back to the mirror again.


    "No! Seriously?"


    I am now very much convinced that this has to do with this Vampire thing, so I rush into my room to give Anastasia a call.


    "Zachariah, it is good to hear from you."


    "Anastasia, I need help."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Something sounds wrong with Zachariah; I have known him for a long and that tone on his voice says that he is scared. He did not want to tell me what the problem is. So Sebastian and I are on the way to go see him. I can see that he is clearly annoyed that we have to make this trip. But I need to remind him that Zachariah is my friend.


    "Sebastian, I beg of you, please play nice."


    "My beloved, I always play nice when it comes to our Vampire Hunter."


    "Yes, that sounds very convincing."


    "Fine, I shall not challenge his manhood."


    "Sebastian!"


    We soon find ourselves at his home; he is waiting to greet us. But I am immediately blown away.


    "Zachariah?"


    "Yes, yes, please start to joke."


    "Zachariah, when did this happen?"


    "It started a few hours ago."


    I look over at Sebastian and pull him aside, "Sebastian, am my eyes deceiving me? Zachariah seems to have aged?"


    "My beloved indeed. I can for certain say that he has not come in contact with the Book of Spells."


    With so many questions, we follow Zachariah into his home. He looks at me with eyes that are pleading, "Anastasia, what is happening to me? Is it because I am an Ancient Vampire?"


    "Oh, Zachariah, I wish I could tell you. Please tell me how else you are feeling.?"


    "Anastasia, it is the worst pain that I have ever felt. It feels as if the bones in my body are starting to bend and ache in such a way as I appear to be aging. I feel as if every part of me is slowly dying; it is agonizing; it is terrifying. There is a darkness that welcomes me. It is suffocating me. It feels as if it has a hold on my heart, and it is squeezing."


    The fear of seven horrors rolls over my body; I look at Sebastian, trying not to give away that I know what exactly is happening to Zachariah.


    "Sebastian, that book?"


    "Destroyed my beloved."


    "But how did I?"


    "That I do not know, but I shall get in contact with Elloise; perhaps she has a better understanding of what is happening."


    While Sebastian goes to make the call outside, I pull Zachariah into my embrace. I can feel his body trembling. He is beyond terrified. I wish there were something I can do for him. It breaks my heart that I know that he is dying. I cannot bear to make this known to him.


    It is in silence that we wait for Sebastian, that does not seem to bear any good news by the look on his worried face. He tries to say it as calmly as he possibly can.


    "My beloved, it is the same that happened to you."


    "But how? How is that even possible?"


    ¡­Zachariah POV¡­


    I hear as Sebastian and Anastasia talk about something, something that seems to have happened recently. I do believe that they are not telling me everything. What can possibly be that bad that has them shocked to silence? I can see that it is a fear of something that is to come.


    So I take Anastasia''s hand, much to the annoyance of Sebastian, that the man would challenge my manhood at such a time. But I know that it is innocent; he does hold a place for me somewhere in that dead heart of him.


    "Anastasia, please tell me what is wrong with me?"


    "We, Sebastian and me, we are trying to figure that out."


    "Please, I beg of you, do not lie to me."


    "Zachariah, we will get through this."


    But she is not truthful; she is hiding something. She seems to forget that we have a bond; I can sense that she holds a great fear in her. But there is something wrong with her. She feels differently.


    "Anastasia, what has happened to you?"


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    It pains me to have to tell Zachariah what was wrong with me, but I need to be honest with him. He knows; he has sensed that there has been a change in my body. How do you tell someone that you died but a few hours ago, and now you have returned to the land of the living? How do I say to him that he, too, is now dying?


    So as Sebastian whispers into my ear, I know that the time has come for honesty.


    "Zachariah, a few hours ago, I met the same fate as what you are now experiencing. I¡­I¡­I died. I got so old that my body gave in."


    "But you are here then? How is that possible?"


    The tears start to grow in the corners of my eyes. They threaten to burst, and the more I think, the more they are ready to explode. I need to be strong for Zachariah; I need to give him hope.


    With short stuttering breaths, I shift even closer to him. "Zachariah, you are busy dying." The tears come flooding down my cheeks.


    "But if you are here, then I will come back as well?"


    "I am afraid it is not going to work like that."


    "What do you mean?"


    "It is our bond, our legacy. I have seized to be an Ancient, there is no purpose for you."


    He swallows deep and hard and tries not to show his shaking hands. "Why?"


    "It is a life for a life."

 Chapter 90 - Fated Destiny

    I watch in silence as this terrifying moment plays off in front of me. I have never in my Vampire years encountered such a thing. I guess this is the result of playing with a power that one does not know of. It is unpredictable. Most of all, it is dangerous. It is something that we have not taken with the seriousness that it deserves.


    This is not fair on the Vampire Hunter. He has innocently lived his life without any knowledge of the powers we were playing with. To have him suffer the consequences is unjust. Watching the pain that he is suffering brings a sting to my heart. Yes, the pesky little man can get under my skin. But this is not something I would wish upon him.


    My beloved has just informed him of his fate. There is nothing as horrifying to hear that you are staring in your face the end of your life. Yes, the man is half Vampire, but not enough to make him survive. I know that in just a few hours, the inevitable shall happen. It will tear my beloved apart.


    I have seen this earlier, and now I see it again. I am watching as someone is dying. Not a pleasant sight at all. But the worst is being absolutely powerless. One would think that after so many years that a Vampire would have mastered all power. But there are just some things that can not be controlled. One cannot play with life. It is either given or taken.


    And to have to say, a life for a life, that sounds the worst thing that one can say. It is as if one is being forced to choose who is the strongest one to survive. I did put it quite bluntly. I know that the words came harsh as I explained to my beloved. But that is the situation that we are now faced with.


    ¡­Zachariah POV¡­


    Pain, what lies in the word? The torture your body feels as it is playing a cruel joke. Well, I have laughed my laugh. Now can this not come to an end. Of course, not the true ending, but a different outcome. Death. What a thing to face so young. Can I say I have lived my life? Not even close enough.


    But here I am, I have only but a few hours left; there is nothing I can do within such a short time. I guess, and I can gladly say that I am grateful to have Anastasia here with me. Now, that man that lacks manhood, now he is not one I would have expected to be here. Well, he does, after all, follow her around like a lovesick puppy. But is it no something that I have been doing?


    The true thing that does come to mind as my insides are twisting and turning. The way my body is shifting out of place, through my body is dying; there is one thing left to ask. Why does such a powerful creature such as Sebastian not know how to take this away? Do I even dare to ask the question? Now, if I take what they said much earlier, Anastasia met the same fate. She died. He could not save her. What an awful thing to experience. Well, I am going through the exact same. It does pain me that I cannot have her in my arms.


    But she is next to me, and she is concerned; as she lays her hand gently on my knee, I can feel her body shake, "Zachariah, how are you feeling."


    "Let me think of that? Like Sebastian losing his manhood."


    Well, I just had to go say that for I have left the door open for him to make a smart come back, "Well, my little friend, define manhood, for from I am standing yours are becoming somewhat wrinkled."


    Anastasia gasps in shock, "Sebastian! How can you say something like that at a time like this?"


    "But my beloved, he started it, and I am only pointing the obvious."


    "Sebastian, why are you even looking at him?"


    "I am waiting to slap the very life out of him if he as much as find him getting aroused by your touch."


    "Sebastian!"


    Well, putting aside how inappropriate, I do say that the humor does lighten the somber mood. What I also feel starting to lighten is the firmness of my skin against my body. I am rapidly turning into the very thing that I have always feared in my life. I have never had a desire to grow old. And now I am facing it, and I can sadly say that it is a battle I had lost even before I had the chance to fight it.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    A man that I care for dearly is slowly busy dying in front of my very eyes. I can now say for sure that I know exactly how Sebastian felt as he watched me fade away. The first word that comes to mind is helplessness. It is agonizing to think that there is nothing that one can do. But what heightens this feeling even more, is that it was my wrongdoing that has brought this onto him. I craved beauty; I craved something that makes one vein, that makes one greedy, but most of all, something that truly, in the end, makes no difference. Sebastian will love me no matter how I look. Now Zachariah has to pay the consequences.


    So it is with deep regret that I look him in the eyes, I can see the pain; I can see that he is on the brink of bursting into tears. But he is a strong man; he shall not falter for one second. Once more, I take his hands in mine; I can see the slight irritation grow in Sebastian''s eyes. That this man can be so green of envy. Then again, they do both hold the same love for me. But there is the very clear look of fear in his own eyes.


    "Zachariah, please, I beg your forgiveness. If I knew that something like this would have happened, then I would never have played my hand in the magic of unpredictable spells."


    "Oh, Anastasia, I know you had your good intentions. I guess we have been fated. Even though we were supposed to have been together, it never seemed like it was meant to be. I was going to live my life without you, as it is. But I can truly say that I am thankful that you are here now."


    And as I squeeze his hands a bitter firmer, he cries out in pain. His bones are turning crooked. The tears that threatened to burst its bank come crashing like a waterfall down his face. I gently run my hand through his air, but as I pull away, there is a chunk full that remains in the grip of my hand. He watches as I try to hide it away from him. The mere sight of it brings a loud roar deep from in his belly.


    Then all of a sudden, very much unexpected, that is a knock at the front door. We all look confused among ourselves, "Zachariah, are you expecting someone?"


    "No, I have asked them at the pub to leave me alone for the day."


    He tries to rise from his seat, but the pain is too much to bear; I call for Sebastian to go check whom it could possibly. From in the lounge, I hear him speaking, "What are you doing here?"


    A few seconds later, he comes walking in with no other than Elloise. I look at her very much confused, "Yes, what are you doing here?


    She fumbles over her words as she takes a piece of paper from her pocket and hands it to Sebastian. I watch as the anger sweeps over his face, "Where did you get this?"


    "I¡­I took it from the book."


    "And you did not feel the need to hand it to me?"


    "Well¡­?"


    "Well, what? You purposely held this away; why would you even do such a thing?"


    "She¡­she is just in the way."


    Sebastian slams his hand against the table in front of him. The rumble of his voice carries the sound so far that the windows start vibrating.


    "In the way with what?"


    As I immediately realize what has happened here, I turn to Sebastian with irritation in my eyes, "You told me there was nothing between you two?"


    "There has never been my beloved, I promise you. I have never laid my eyes on her in such a way."


    "Well, she is surely laying it on you." Then I turn back to look at Elloise again; I can almost swear that she has a wicked smile on her face. Well, she has another thing coming to her, but first, "Can you perform this spell on him?"


    "Yes, I can."


    "And what are the consequences."


    "Nothing, he will be as he was before."


    "You better not be lying to me."


    Sebastian follows my answer, "Elloise, I shall have your head on this Vampire''s stake if you as much as say a false word."


    "Sebastian, I promise you."


    "I do believe that you have not the privilege of such a word. You have deceived us twice. Now, will you get on with it? The man is in agony."


    She lays her greedy eyes on Sebastian for far too long. The woman obviously has a stupid schoolgirl crush on him. How desperate she must be to have been wanting for it so many years. I do feel the need to applaud her; she sure has a world of patience. She does seem to believe that she has had her luck to stand such a chance. But then I came into the picture. I guess killing me will leave open the gap that a grieving man would need.


    "Elloise, get your damn focus on Zachariah before I pin you glance in place."


    So I watch as she places the page in the middle of the table. She begins to chant, a spell in a language that I do not understand. And all the while, she walks in circles around Zachariah, who is lying dead still; it is as if he is in a deep trance. With the scent of vanilla essence filling the air, she carries on.


    The worry is now beginning to fill every fraction of a corner in my body. I have never felt so much distress. And as I see Zachariah''s body jolt, my heart breaks on come to a stop. Whether it is from the spell or his body dying, that I do not know.


    Then she retreats and sits down. Her calmness makes me gasp. I look at her and only but shake my head, "Is that it? Is that going to help him?"


    "Yes, all we can do now is wait."

 Chapter 91 - Finding Love In Paris

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian and I are standing in the kitchen while Elloise is keeping an eye over Zachariah. I move towards him, slide my arms on his waist, and chuck my hands in his back pockets. He looks at me with a sweet smile on his face. He loves it when I touch him so intimately, as he calls it. Yes, there is the danger of someone dying, but we can, in the depths of deep darkness, still express our love for each other.


    He slowly lowers his head and rests his lips softly against mine; from under his breath, he softly whispers, "I love you."


    It brings butterflies to my stomach every time he says it, "And I love you even more than I did a moment ago."


    "Well, that cannot even near to be possible, for a moment ago, it was me loving you more."


    "Always the wise ass. Now, do you think that we shall be able to enjoy some quiet time after this ordeal?"


    "Now that is something that we definitely can seek. But our first point of business, what shall we do with another little problem?"


    "Oh, the problem that is disgustingly covered herself in pink. Now, Sebastian, please do not tell me that your favorite color is pink."


    "My dear beloved, it is only that deep red of your lips that captures my imagination."


    "And the red of these stilettos?"


    "Oh, those I am ripping off the moment I set you down on the bed."


    "Now, Mr. Belmont, this body is still tender; there shall be no fooling around."


    He looks at me with that undeniable passion in his eyes and takes his hands to the small of my back. Gently he pulls my hair away from my neck and lays a gentle kiss on my soft, delicate skin.


    "My beloved, I promise that I shall never leave you again."


    "And me too, my love, Sebastian, from now until forever, there shall not be one moment that we shall ever be apart.


    And then, if the most imperfect timing, Elloise steps into the kitchen, rather loudly clearing her throat, "Zachariah is has awakened, Anastasia, he is asking for you."


    Without hesitating, I leave Sebastian and Elloise behind in the kitchen and rush to Zachariah''s side.


    "Oh, Zachariah, please tell me that you are feeling healed?"


    "I have never felt greater, Anastasia; I shall forever be in both of your debt. Where is that stubborn man? I wish to thank him before I start driving him insane."


    I  go to call for Sebastian, but I do not find him or Elloise where I left them. "Sebastian. Sebastian. Where are you?" I run to the outside, and I do not find them there. I raise my voice rather louder than before. "Sebastian! Sebastian!" I burst through the door and enter the house once again; frantically, I run from each room, desperately trying to find where Sebastian is. "Sebastian. Sebastian." Just then, Zachariah appears in the last room, where I find myself huddled on the floor, where I stay in turmoil until my heart breaks from my chest. "Anastasia, what is wrong?"


    "I can''t find him. He is gone. She is gone. I know that she has taken him. I just know it. I have never trusted her for one second. Zachariah, will you please help me look for him?"


    With a frantic race, we find our way back to my home, where Edward is sitting in the common room, just finishing off a meal. He looks at my face and senses the dread that followed me in from through the door.


    "Anastasia, what is the matter?"


    "I can''t find Sebastian; she has taken him."


    "Who, who has taken him?"


    "Elloise, she was there helping us save Zachariah, but the moment I left him alone with them, they disappeared into thin air."


    Edward gasps, for he knows the way that her love runs deep for him. "Have you gone to the forest?"


    "Yes, Zachariah and I just came from there."


    "Zachariah?"


    "Yes, he is alive." Just then, he steps out from behind the wall where he was standing, for he would have taken Edward down if he had to see him kill an innocent kill in front of his eyes.


    "Do you know where she took him?"


    "No, not even her closest confidant knows where she is."


    Edward stands for several moments in uncomfortable silence; I can see the trouble in his eyes, "Anastasia, where do we even begin?"


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    "My beloved. I am somewhere in a small room in Paris. It has been twelve hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty seconds since I have vanished. I have spent my time in the very same chair for what seems like endless hours, hoping that somehow this spell shall fade away. I hope that I shall catch a glimpse of you down at the bottom of the streets desperately looking for me. Any sane person would have given up by now, but I know that you will never stop to try and find me. You are a part of what makes me this man, your bond with me shall never die.


    Even though I do not wish to be in this place, it is peaceful, and in these quiet moments when she is not around, I can sit and think of you while I write the words in my heart to you. Regardless of my constant silence, the moment that I speak, I drive her beyond insane as I speak your name. I think that she is about to throw me off the Eiffel Tower if I say your name one more time.


    Between you and me, that is the only way that I will finally get away from her. You are forever carved into my heart, in my soul and she would have to kill me before I give up on you. She shall have to kill me before I would ever lay so much as a finger on her.


    She has taken me to wander the streets, to see the beauty that fills this City of Lights. The City of Love. I know that you would love it here. One day, when we find ourselves back in each other''s arms, I will bring you here. We will get lost in the city that is known for its romantic ambiance. One day I will make this trip with you.


    For what seems like one too many days away from you, she took me to see such things as the Eiffel Tower, Versailles Palace, Sacre Coeur and lastly to the Notre Dame Cathedral. She believes that is she takes me to the places that present everything that encompass Paris that we shall find ourselves as being a romantic couple. That we are meant for each other. That this City of Love shall bring us closer together.


    Every night as she takes her rest, I am reminded of the sweet scent of lily and vanilla that has so drawn me to you. I find myself seeking it between the millions of woman that roam these street. Not for one minute do I regret choosing you as my eternity. I broke my promise, and in doing so, I ripped us in half.


    My beloved, I am so sorry, I should have known that she would have deceived me.


    I know that after everything, after all this, my words are worthless, but I have to believe that there is a chance that we shall be together again. Please, please, I need you to find me.


    For now, I have to go; she has come back. Please, I ask once again, please come find me. If not, I miss you, my beloved. Maybe one day you will find this letter in your hand. But until then, please remember, no matter the distance, my heart will always find yours, and I will love you with everything that I am. With all my love, for an eternity, Love Sebastian."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    We have been sitting for an hour; in fact, it has been twelve hours, fifteen minutes, and twenty seconds since he has vanished. We have no idea where she could have taken him. We are hoping that it is close, but knowing her, she would take him to the last place that we would expect. But that thought is still not very reassuring. That does not give us a starting point, least not a clue or even a direction to head him.


    The loss, not having him here, is tearing my heart to pieces slowly and with the most unbearable pain. I so want to get mad at him for leaving me again. But I know it is not him, and if he could, he would come home to find me. I cannot even begin to think about how helpless he must be; he must be hopeless that someone is not going to find him. Well, my love, I will turn this earth over and over again until I find you. There is no distance that shall ever keep us apart.


    Once I have composed my sad broken heart, I return to Edward and Zachariah, which with a new determination, look at me. We will not stop, not day or night; there will be no end until we have found where she is keeping him. Then Edward looks at me; he has just ended a call with one of her old lovers, with certainty; he speaks, "I think we have found him."


    "Please hold on, my love; we are coming for you."

 Chapter 92 - From Italy To Greece

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I have never been to Paris, never have I thought that I would find myself walking through a city of lovers looking for my very own love.


    It is by pure fate that we do find ourselves here, or should I say luck? Locating one of Elloise''s lovers was easy, for she had so many, and almost every one of them told us the same, if she had a man that she loves with her, this is where she would take him. In a city with millions, where do we even start?


    He can be in any of these thousands and thousands of little buildings with these hundreds and hundreds of little rooms. With total disappear, I look at Edward, who holds very much the same feeling, "Edward, where do we even begin? Did this man not so where she would go?"


    "I am afraid that he did not have much to say but give a location."


    Feeling defeated, I sit down at a little bistro; as I look over the beauty of the city, I cannot help but stare at the hundreds of lovers holding hands, happily sharing a moment; these are moments that I should be sharing with Sebastian.


    But some evil woman in pink decided to rip him from me. "Wait, Edward, do you find cherry blossoms in Paris?"


    "Well, we can soon find out," he hands his phone over to Zachariah, who in only mere seconds bring us the answer.


    "Twenty-six, seriously, twenty-six places," I throw my arms in the air, "How long is this going to take us?"


    "Well, if we slip up, then we can get there far quicker," Edward says as he shoves each of us in a direction.


    "I am coming, my love, just hang on."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    "My beloved, it has been six days, nine hours, and twenty seconds since she has taken me from you. I write to you from some cafe in Piazza San Marco. I am in Venice with a godawful pastry covered in pink stares me in the face. She has for the past half an hour tried to convince me to shove this down my throat. I can just imagine how hard you must be laughing right now; well, she says that it makes us blend in as if her pink does not stick out enough.


    I thought by now that I would be safe back in your arms. Unfortunately, it appears that we are so far away that you would have no idea where even to start looking. Still, I am not without hope that you shall find me. I was so hoping that you would have found my first letter to you by now.


    So here I am¡­Surrounded by hundreds of people scribbling on a piece of paper that I hope that shall find its way into your hands one day. She has been too far away in her delusional mind that she has not noticed that it is not pictures that I am drawing.


    It seems the more that I sit at peace, the more I realize what I have done wrong. Yes, it is true that all these lovers came from my past, but if it were not for the way I lived my life, then we would not be with you chasing my shadow. I truly hope that you are chasing it. I believe that fate brought us together, and it shall be fate that shall guide us back.


    I have a newfound breath to chose to show you every day that my past is not what defines me. That I shall take you down a path that only defines us. All these streets have led me to so many places, but the one place I want them to lead me they have not shown me.


    Now more than ever did I wish that I appreciated all those tiny moments that I took for granted. The small little things that make you the perfect fit for this Vampire Master. If it were not for you, I would be lost, and once again, I am lost, my beloved. I need for you to find me.


    You are the air that I breathe, the air that fills lungs that no longer work. You are the blood that beats through a heart that has stopped beating for so long ago. Yet you are the one thing that has stayed constant, and that is my love.


    Your love is the only thing I want; there I nothing else in the world that I want more. You are everything to me, and I will simply perish if after this all you do not find me. I love you, Anastasia. Love Sebastian"


    ¡­Anastasias POV¡­


    It has been six days, nine hours, and twenty seconds since she has taken Sebastian. Thanks to a very helpful gentleman that saw Elloise and Sebastian at the Montmartre, we have been led back to a small room overlooking the very bistro that we found ourselves when we came here the first day. The man''s exact words, ''She looked like a pink fairy.'' Well, if that was not a dead giveaway. We then followed her trail back here.


    Now we find ourselves in front of the door, with a very over-eager Edward ready to storm through the door. Behind him is Zachariah, prepared with the Ancient blade. He is set, with the first sight of her; he is forcing it through her little pink heart.


    So with one loud thud, Edward kicks down the door, I immediately rush through. As I get into the room, the anticipation of seeing is the only thing that is pushing me into danger, but¡­there is nothing. I rush to the bathroom, then back to the room and the balcony; there is no sign of them ever being here. The guy was absolutely certain; he saw them here. Could he have been wrong? Have we been chasing a ghost all along?


    A deep sadness grabs hold of me, then, out of nowhere, Edward hands me an envelope. I can see clearly that it is Sebastian''s writing. Edward and Zachariah step out to give me the privacy to read in private.


    His words seem comforting, but there is a sadness behind them. It appears that he has lost faith that we shall find him, that we shall never find him. Well, he is wrong; I shall not give up for one minute until I have him back in my arms.


    So, I meet Edward and Zachariah outside, "He does not give any clue to where they might have gone; I don''t know where to next."


    Edward makes a call to Elloise''s lover; he comes back with half a motivated smile on his face, "Italy, he said Italy or Greece."


    I am not one to gamble, but having to choose an option that could possibly be between life and death scares the hell out of me. What if I make the wrong choice, and we put ourselves even further behind. Italy or Greece? Greece or Italy? Sebastian, where are you? Please give me a sign; please help me find you. I do not know where to go.


    "Come, I have decided, let us go."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    "My beloved, it has been twelve days, three hours, and nine seconds since she has taken me away from you. I write to you from a place of restored faith and renewed determination. She dragged me away from my den of despair to Delphi.


    She has nestled me far away what she believes is as far away from you as she possibly can. This woman sure has one delusional way of thinking, and to think that I once¡­well, let me not even finish that sentence.


    Being here out here that should resemble the center of the universe reminds me that you are everything to me and that I have sadly lost you again.


    My beloved, I wish so that you shall prove me wrong. I wish that when she drags me out this hole that I shall be face with our beautiful face. But fate seems to remind me over and over again that it shall never happen.


    I am so sorry, my beloved. I did not know that she would trick me; I desecrated something special for letting yet another woman come between us. Apparently, it is one of my talents; I hold too much faith in others. And once again, I did it with this woman, and believe me; I will always regret it. As with everything that I have done, I can only hope that you will let me right that wrong.


    Anastasia, no matter the distance, my heart will always find yours. I keep repeating these words in my head, the words that on a day like today keep me hoping. Please, my beloved, I need for you to find me. I know you will. Please come save me from this loneliness and the evil that surrounds me.


    My beloved, I love you and much more than my heart can ever hold. I am holding on; I am still waiting. Love Sebastian."

 Chapter 93 - Follow The Breadcrumbs

    "My beloved, it has been three weeks, six days, and nineteen hours since I have vanished. We crossed into Sweden yesterday.


    She has taken me from one country to the next in a seemingly endless attempt to keep me away from you. At least, that is what I think. She had a call from someone who was an ex-lover, the moment she ended her conversation; she made us pack up again. This means, my beloved, you are looking for me and that you are getting close.


    It hit me with the greatest of joy that my breadcrumbs, my trail I left for you, was not all for nothing. I have feared so many times that I would just drop off the face of the earth and would spend the rest of eternity going to every corner of every continent until I died from a broken heart. Personally, I don''t care how I go as long as you are with me at the end of my Vampire days.


    You might think that being a Vampire, your memory will stay forever, they say, yet my memory seems to fade even more every day. The thing that is slipping me the most is the beauty of your face. Those bright ocean eyes that see clear beyond my soul. Your long locks of blonde hair that dance on your shoulders. Your soft, supple lips that curl into the most desirable smile. I have not seen it for so long; I fear that the memory might not last for too much longer.


    My beloved, I won''t waste this letter begging for forgiveness or praying endlessly for you to come. Instead, I will use this as an opportunity to tell you some of the things I do miss.


    Anastasia, you cock your head when you are thinking. But most of all, you cock it just before you are about to scold me about something silly I have yet done again.


    What enchants me even more, is the smell of jasmine and vanilla that lies like a hint on your skin. It was the first one thing that drew me to you from our very first encounter, and it is still the very thing that keeps drawing me in. A million others can wear the same fragrance, but none of them will ever compare to you.


    Then who is to forget the sweet taste of you, whether it is those lips or the taste of your very essence. There is nothing more intoxicating than it. You are my poison, and I will keep on drinking.


    But the one thing that brings this old man joy is to hear your laughter as you chuckle at that very odd joke that you do find funny. Even when you topple over and you cannot laugh anymore, you yet find that breath to express your happiness.


    I love you, my beloved, I love you.


    I believe that one day, I will be back where you belong. I will hear that voice that is sent from angels; I will taste that essence that is you, and most of all, I will hear that voice that is like a thousand melodies that brings nothing but pure joy to my life. I can only hope that I shall have you back in my arms back soon.


    My beloved, you are close. Don''t give up.


    With love Sebastian.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    It has been, do I even dare to say it, it has been three weeks, six days, and nineteen hours since she took Sebastian from me. We have been to Venice, where we found a trace of him, Caffe Lavena, in Piazza San Marco, which led us to Delphi to the lower slope of Mount Parnassus. It has been long, hard days, which for a Vampire is easy, but Zachariah is exhausted; even though he does not show it, he is pushing on. I am starting to wonder if he is doing this for me or truly for Sebastian. This calms my heart, for he has to been captured by the essence that is Sebastian.


    But for our next step, we are not certain. We have sent the word out for any Vampire that sees Sebastian to inform us immediately. As for Elloise''s ex-lover, he has gone quiet and is not giving any further information, but we did squeeze two more locations out from him. So once again, we are left to make such a choice.


    "Edward, which way shall we go?"


    "God, Anastasia, I wish that I did not have to make this decision. I don''t think she will take him as far as Sweden; I say we head for Switzerland."


    "I hope you are right. I think the travel will do Zachariah good. The poor man is exhausted but foolishly do not want to give up."


    "The man has a purpose; we all have a purpose. Even if it takes me forever, I will find my brother and your beloved. Now let us get going."


    We soon find ourselves boarding a plane to Switzerland. Huddled in a little ball, I call over for an air stewardess, "Hi, do you perhaps have pen and paper." When she returns, I try to open my heart and write the words Sebastian has been so easy to find.


    "My dear love, I cannot believe it has been so long since I have heard your voice. I have almost given up counting, but how can you stop counting the hours, minutes, and seconds that you are away from your dear love. Your love is precious, priceless, and I can not live without it. No, I refuse to live without it. I told you once, I can be very persistent, and I will do whatever it takes to have you in my life, wherever you are, wherever you go. I am right behind you. One day, you will turn around, and I will be there. Until then, I love you. Love Anastasia."


    After an endless five-hour flight, we finally step into the coldness of Switzerland. My very first question, "Please tell me there are Vampires living here. This is going to take us weeks again."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    "My beloved, it has been so long since I have been ripped from your arms. I was hoping with my last letter that you would be far closer, but I am yet again proven wrong at how wicked this world can play a joke on a man in love.


    Well, today I write to you from some snowcapped mountain. It, too, is peaceful here. Who would think that a Vampire would seek peace in such a way? It helps me to clear my and allows me to think. It makes me understand that no matter what the world brings between us, we shall forever be together.


    I am going, to be honest; I am losing it. I have, for what seems to have been the hundredth, sworn that I have seen your beautiful blonde head bouncing in the streets, and every time I find myself staring at a complete stranger. I am losing hope, my beloved, and it scares me more than anything. If I give up now, then I will be lost, and you cannot find me. I don''t know how much longer I can hang on.


    I feel that with every ticking of my watch that it is ticking away precious moments. I don''t think she is ever going to let me go. She is hiding deeper than she did in the beginning. I have to keep moving forward and believe that you will find me. If I stop having faith in our love, my heart will go as frozen as these mountains.


    Not being with you feels like being at odds with the universe. The longer we are apart, the more stretch I feel, like hanging by a thread to life, and if I let go, I won''t survive.


    Even now, when it feels that we are apart farther than is meant, I know that the only place for me is to be with you. You are my love; you are my beloved, but most of all, you are my wife.


    But let me run off, for I see someone that I pray is you¡­Until we meet again¡­I love you. Love Sebastian."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    It is cold here, just as cold as my heart is getting. We have been going from one Caffe to the other in the hope that she shall have him there. I don''t know why she has taken him this far. Does she think that I shall not follow him all the way here?


    "Edward, where on earth will she take him? Why here?"


    "I think she lives in her own delusional world. This must have been something that she has been planning for a great deal of time."


    "And my presence made her want it with every moment. Well, she is going to wish; in fact, she will die at my hands when I find here."


    "Well, hold that thought for one second; let me see how the Vampire Hunter is finding things at his end."


    As Edward breaks off to phone Zachariah, I find myself in thought once again. I walk around in circles as the desire to feel Sebastian in my arms starts to consume me. When I come to a dizzying stop, from across the crowd of people, there is a man that catches my eye.


    "Edward, is that Sebastian?"

 Chapter 94 - What Are The Odds?

    It seems that my eyes might be deceiving me once again, for I could have sworn that I did see Anastasia stand across the crowd from me. So without having to even reconsider, I stand from my seat and head in the direction, but even before I get two steps away, she calls for me to come back.


    "Now, where do you think you are going?"


    "A walk Elloise, I want to go for a walk. My legs are feeling uncomfortably stiff from sitting here. Now, do you think you can loosen the spell in order for me to take a stroll?"


    I watch her with intent as she decides if she should take the risk and allow me to walk even further away from her reach. "Fair well, but don''t let me regret it," she says as she gives in; I secretly smile to myself at the small victory that I have won.


    She shall now, of course, tighten the spell so that it will keep me in her grasp. She has been hoping that by now I would have wanted to stay with her without having the need to cast the spell that keeps me by her side. Sadly to her own disgust, I have not for once given up on my beloved and faltered in my love for her. This madwoman can hold me for a hundred years, and still, it would not change the way I feel for Anastasia.


    I immediately, but not showing much haste, move into the direction to where I have seen the image of the woman that looks like my beloved. Winding through the masses, my heart does start to sink; I do not see this woman anymore; she has disappeared. Was it just an image of my lonely mind? Once again, I feel defeated, but I am not giving up until I know for a certainty that it is not my beloved that I saw out there.


    I turn in a different direction; there is still no sight of the beauty that captures my senses only but a moment ago. I spin on my feet for the third time; not trying to make my search obvious, I push further into the crowd. I wait for a few seconds, knowing that she is going to pull me back any moment. But she does nothing. Then I as I spin once more around, I see her. It has to be Anastasia.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    We have traveled from one country to the next, crossed an entire ocean, climbed mountains, and combined labyrinthine streets among the ruins of an ancient civilization; none of this has returned Sebastian to my arms. Every day there was a new location, a new experience, but with each empty room, it was another stab in the heart. I came to Switzerland with so much hope, with the belief that the universe wanted us to be together. We soared into town, ready to find him. And I think we might have just.


    "Edward, that is Sebastian. I swear that is Sebastian."


    But just as I want to rush off into his direction, Edward pulls me back. "Anastasia, if it is Sebastian, it means she is close by. We need to take her by surprise and not get Sebastian hurt in the process."


    "What is the plan, Edward?"


    "Zachariah is on his way; she won''t sense him."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Just as I leap one giant leap forward, she strengthens the spell and pulls me back; in one but seconds, my hope of being free is crushed to pieces.


    "Best you come to make yourself comfortable again," Elloise says as she shows for me to come to sit next to her ugly pinkness. "It seems you are trying to run off today."


    "Maybe I am running away from you and that godawful pink dress. I thought you were done with that?"


    "What is the chances that a Vampire comes to Switzerland? No one will ever guess for us to be here. Now, blend in and do something useful."


    "Ha! The only useful thing I want to do with you I won''t be allowed to do here in public. And before you get all excited, it is not something that shall give you pleasure."


    "My god, how does that woman even put up with you?"


    "Her name is Anastasia, and she is far better than you and you fairy ass flowers."


    "Hush!"


    With that, I am forced to silence, but not to seeing, for the moment she glances away, I look for the woman. I know it is Anastasia. And as I scoured the floor underneath the feet of so many people, that is when I see them.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I am so close now; we are so close to getting Sebastian back. We know where they are sitting; there is no more guessing, no more hunting. No are no more soul-crushing near misses. In a few minutes, we will have him. The moment Zachariah takes hold of Elloise, I will be there right next to him to pull Sebastian back into my arms and feel the taste of his sweet lips.


    It has been four goddamn weeks that I have dreamt of this moment. Now, that it is here, now that I know the waiting is over, you would think that I am relieved; the truth is I am terrified. For the first time since Sebastian has been lost to me, I have to look into his enchanting eyes. I am afraid that I would see something there that would bring more pain than there was what I faced that I am losing him; I am afraid that he will tell me that he does not love me. But he wrote all those letters which I still hold close to my heart as we are standing here. There is no reason to doubt; there is no reason to fear.


    The only fear is how we intend to get Sebastian from Elloise. With much relief, Zachariah makes a quick appearance; if not, he, maybe even more, wants this to be over with it. So we get out the way of sight of Elloise and move off to the side.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    She has gone; she is not where she stood before. I am certain, my mind is playing tricks on me. Has my desperation come to a fool''s delusional being. Do I create what my eyes want to see? Is the sadness so thick in my heart that I need to find a way to lift the burden that I am feeling? But I know, I know that I saw her red stilettos stand out from all the hundreds of feet. No other beauty wears them so well, and no other beauty will be brave to wear them in this coldness. It has to be Anastasia.


    But my obsession with my own delusional thought does not go unnoticed, " You might as well give up Sebastian. You shall, never, and let me say never, see your beloved again. The same chance you see these snowcaps melt that shall be the chance you shall ever see Anastasia again. I have gone far and wide to make sure that this shall happen."


    "I guess I am not the only one being delusional over here. My dear Elloise, I think you should start to reconsider your position."


    "What position?"


    "Well, first of all, your sense of style does leave much to desire. For a second, if I have not fallen in love with you by now, then my dear, it is never going to happen. And lastly, I think you have underestimated the love of a human for a Vampire."


    "What do you mean the love of a human for a Vampire."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    There is absolutely no way that I can carry on waiting in suspense. The plan is clear.  Zachariah shall sneak up from behind. He will press the tip of the Ancient blade into Elloise''s side. Force her to stand to her feet. Our hope, it will be just enough to render her scared. Edward then shall move in to keep her under control. Me, my only priority is to get to Sebastian. Now he will still be under Elloise''s spell. Our aim, to convince her to come peacefully with us. And that is where the planned part of our plan ends.


    So here goes nothing.


    I watch as Zachariah sneaks up to Elloise that has her back facing him. But Sebastian immediately sees him, and of course, the man gets a stupid grin on his face.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I smile with the most satisfying smirk on my face, very much to Elloise''s annoyance.


    "What do you have that stupid damn thing on your face for?"


    "Stupid? My beloved goes crazy for it. Don''t tell me that you do not find it attractive?"


    "Just as attractive as my pink dress?"


    "Hey, you said that. Glad we can finally agree on one thing. But there is one other problem that you face now."


    "Please humor me and tell me that has got your small brain fascinated."


    "Well, lucky that is the only small thing I have. But we guess you shall never get to see that."


    "Get to your point Sebastian."


    "The snowcaps are melting."


    "What?"


    "I said the snowcaps are melting."

 Chapter 95 - The Sweetness Of Cotton Candy

    I have been waiting for this moment for far too long, and the pleasure it is bringing to my very bones is near that of sexual satisfaction. Not truly, but there is nothing so satisfying than the dumbfounded expression on Elloise''s face. Her face has gone from that awful pink, I truly need to understand why she is consumed with pink before her existence is brought to an end, but that is a story for later. Her face is as pale as the snow covering the peaks of the Alps.


    But before she can ask me once more what it is that I mean by my words, I watch as my dear little Vampire Hunter, who is only but for a few inches, presses the Ancient blade into her side. Her voice hitch, and her entire body stiffens. She drops the cup of tea that she has been sipping on. In a total surprise, she looks at me.


    "Oh, my dear Elloise, you do need to be careful what you wish for. You of all know that you should not tempt fate. Well, my dear, fate has come to take a rather large chunk of your fairly big bottom."


    "You, you," she stutters as she feels the grip of her spell starting to wear off, "You will pay for this."


    "Now, do you really want to come back for revenge? Please let us save ourselves the miserable chase and grand build-up, for I shall get mine first."


    "But, you,"


    "But? You think that I am not a man that is capable of such a thing. You have one wrong impression of me then. And in any event, if I do not, my beloved shall gladly hand what you are so deserving."


    As the final strings are being unstrung, I watch as Edward makes his appearance and takes a firm hand around Elloise''s arms. But I do not care for these displays of victory. My only victory is a rather petite blonde with the deepest of sparkling blue eyes, and god, where is that body in the red stilettos.


    Not able to move yet, I scan the eyes of Edward and the Vampire Hunter; surely they did not achieve such a feat by themselves. I did see her; she is here, she has to be; my heart can not take this dreadful trip back home if she is not there sitting next to me in my arms.


    Then Edward, fully aware of the anticipation he is creating on purpose, smiles, and with one tilt of his head to the right, I see my beloved in all her splendor leaning against the wall of the Caffe. The moment that Edward and Zachariah have Elloise under control. It only takes three steps, and Anastasia has her legs locked around my waist as she leaps into my arms.


    "Oh, Sebastian. I never thought I was going to find you."


    "I knew you would. Please tell me that you received my letters?"


    "Every one of them, I don''t know if luck was leading us, but we were always just a few steps behind."


    "But how did you know where to find me."


    "Thanks to Miss Cotton Candy, it was not hard to do at all; we only had to find the right person that saw you two together."


    With a cheeky smile playing at the corner of my mouth, I can not help the incredible urge as I look at Elloise; I only but chuckle at her, "Told you that you had poor fashion sense."


    She just grunts and waves me off as the final link to her has completely faded away now.


    Just then, a group of men forces themselves past where my beloved is locked onto my body. The scent of sweet vanilla and hints of honey attacks my senses. It knocks my breath away, and beyond my control, I press my head even closer to hers. Her scent is beyond intoxicating; I want more of her. And as I listen, I hear her soft rapid breaths singing like music in my ear. There are tingles of pleasure running down my spine, oh how I have missed this, I have missed this woman.


    I softly moan deep in my chest; once again, it has been proven that we are destined to be with each other for eternity.


    "My beloved, do I even dare to beg for forgiveness?"


    "Sebastian, you have not done anything wrong. It is not your fault that she tricked you."


    "Well, in a way, it is."


    I watch her with amusement on her face, which is turning into a slight concern of anger. "Please do explain what you mean."


    "You see, my beloved, I can simply not help that I am so handsome."


    "Sebastian! I am serious. What have you done?"


    "Nothing much but my presence of perfection."


    "Oh my god, you are so full of yourself."


    "Indeed, full I am."


    I run my hands over her waist and resting them at the small of her back, but as I find my hands trail the way, her expose skin melts by only my touch. If I was not captivated before, then I truly am now.


    But as soon as I rest my hand just above would possibly is the tightest ass I would ever feel in all my life, then out of nowhere, the flat of her hand comes crashing into my cheek.


    "Ouch! What was that for my beloved?"


    As she speaks, her angel voice peeks, "Sebastian, what are you doing? You are acting creepy."


    "Well, I have been called a few things, but I can honestly say that creep is not one of them."


    "You are making me starting to think that I should have left you with your fairy friend here."


    "No, please don''t."


    Then I hear Elloise utter with the most confidence, "Please keep him. He is a handful; I don''t know how you put up with him."


    "A lot of patience," Anastasia says, "And love, something you lacked from the start," she adds.


    And as Anastasia turns to face me again, and I look into those blue eyes, "You have proven you shall go to the ends of the world for me. I can never repay such a deep affection."


    She waves her finger up and down my body, "Now why won''t I go look for this? I love all the craziness that is you, your silly jokes, your insatiable drive to please me. I love you, the way you care for me."


    Then beyond what I can ever imagine, she pulls me closer to her once again. I feel seven sensations of pleasure as her long delicate fingers find their way underneath the buttons of my black designer shirt. She runs her nails over every inch of my rippled abs. That frustration has now hit an all-time high, and high is what I want to find myself in every corner of her body.


    Then she softly whispers in my ear, "Even if you were a frog, I would love you."


    I cannot help but chuckle at her; I lean closer until my breath is lingering on the tips of her ear, "What do you say? Come swim in my pond then."


    "I am already drowning; guess it is your turn to save me."


    I get the biggest smirk on my face.


    Then as she realizes that her body is still tightly pressed against mine, she slowly steps away. I immediately feel the void that she leaves behind. I step one step closer to her and slowly drive that gorgeous body back into the wall. I pin her gently between my arms, not being able to keep the words at bay; I say what I have desired to say to her that very moment that she leaped into my arms.


    "You smell sweeter than honey; I bet you taste far better."


    I run the edges of my lips softly against her cheek. I hear her breath hitch, and then she softly whimpers my name.


    "Sebastian."


    I run my warm breath slowly over her soft cheek to her deep red velvety lips. They are but only an inch away from touching hers. Then with only one wink, they touch. I cannot help but close my eyes as my senses are filled with the sweet taste of cotton candy.


    I can feel her heart rate as it picks up a pace; I have her right where I want her to be. With the utmost confidence that I have her hooked, I step one step away from her body. But she pulls me back in.


    "Sebastian."


    I gently nudge her chin between my fingers. And if all at once, she stops breathing and the crowd disappears, it is her and me alone.


    Slowly with each breath, with each inch of a second, I pull her deep cherry lips closer to mine. She splays her hand against my chest, intending to push me away, but she lets it rest against my pounding heart. As she studies my eyes, I reflect back into hers; there are so many emotions swirling around in them.


    Then, I claim her lips in a gentle touch, nothing but my lips resting on hers. Just before I pull away, I nibble at her bottom lip. I feel as her body trembles. I have achieved what I have intended.


    But Edward that has been watching the rather strange exchange in our reunion clears his throat rather loudly, "You two do know that we are still in public?"


    Just then, she steps back and leaves my body cold. I reach out to pull her close; I want to feel the raging fire between us.


    "This is not over, my beloved."


    "Oh, I am counting on that. Now let us take her to her fate."


    I glance over at Edward, for I believe the man would have come prepared with a rather fitting suggestion.


    "So, my dear Edward, what have you resolved on punishment for her."


    "Well, Sebastian, I did get a nasty little spell, that for one, is true payback and, secondly, no possibility of reversing."


    "Oh, do tell?"


    "She shall live the full life as a human. Her beauty will fade, her body will ache, she shall die alone with some poor soul that loves pink."


    But then I do get quite a marvelous idea, I wink at the poor exhausted Vampire Hunter, "Do you favor yourself something sweet, my dear friend?"


    "Yes, in fact, I do, so why don''t you hand over Anastasia, and you can have your little fairy."


    "Well, I do believe your exhaustion does bring extra humor out in you. But all jokes besides. Thank you for being by my beloved''s side through all of this. I do hold it dear to my hear."


    "Any time Sebastian, but please not anytime soon. I am not a Vampire; this body does grow old."


    "Do you mean¡­"


    "Yes, I don''t know if I am happy or sad; still a bit divided, but I am not an Ancient anymore."


    "I guess everything is back to normal."

 Chapter 96 - An Act Of Revenge

    I might have said this before, and I shall say it once again. Life is defined by a series of moments; whether they are good in nature or bad in kind, these shall define you as the person you are or the outcome of your life. Now, what have these four weeks brought to my life that can possibly make it better in any way, for they should indeed be one of the most awful times that I have known in my Vampire life, and I shall even go as far as in saying my human one too? Yes, I have seen great beauty and treasures that I have never known there to be, and I can truly say if she did not drag me to the ends of the world, I would have never even thought to come to know of them. The best part, the part that brings great pleasure to my heart, is that I have grown so incredibly close to my beloved.


    This, though, is not the only thing that has captured my heart, but that three people, especially our Vampire Hunter, has gone to incredible lengths to find me, such an old fool with nothing but sweet words and tricks up his sleeve, does leave me to appreciate things far deeper than I have done before.


    So it was with great pleasure as we returned home for one long final stretch. To say that I do not wish to see another plane or a train in quite some time would be a slight understatement. And to not see Elloise''s face for this lifetime would be such a pleasure, for the spell was cast, and she is much to her own annoyance living a human life between all of those of her fairy kind. Well, she did lose her title of queen and is, much to her own disgust is now a mere simple worker. This once again proving you should put great thought into it if you wish to take on the Vampire Master or, should I add, his beloved.


    And it is with my beloved that I am sharing one of the very rare moments we have in the confines of our room. I know that somehow this moment is short-lived and that there is bound to be another problem that will be surfacing its ugly head soon. But do I even wish to tempt fate, for we have not had time yet to spend our wedding night or even celebrated our union in peace? Therefore I shall savor these few blissful moments with her to as much extent as the heart can.


    With one of these very moments in mind, while I have been scrubbing myself ten times over, she sits next to the tub on the floor, reading the letters that I have written her back to me. I can say that even listening to my own words does bring tears to my eyes. I was always left to believe that men and the crueler of the species, but what Elloise did, was fart beyond cruel and unkind; though I could thank her for also bringing this part to the surface where I found a new meaning in the feelings I held in my heart.


    Then she reads me a part from a letter that she never managed to finish writing herself, "You have taken me on a ride, a life I can almost say is fulfilled. I am grateful for it; sure, it is crushing me that you are not here with me. Everything you have done has made me into this girl, this woman that I am today. You know, the first time something truly rendered me speechless was the first time I saw you. Not the first kiss or the first time we made love. No. the moment you walked into that room, I was shocked to silence. Sebastian, you are breathless and beautiful. Nothing I can offer will equal what you have given me.


    I don''t want to share my future with anyone other than you. I don''t want someone else to try and make me happy. Is it selfish? That I will only ever want you and you alone. Maybe. Probably, but honestly, I don''t give a shit what everybody else thinks. I want you to be the only man that watches me smile when I explore new and exciting places, wrapping his arms around me, touching, kissing. I want to belong to you and only you!


    Sebastian, I am hurting, and you are the only one that can heal me; I know you need time to heal, but can we not heal together. I don''t know what I have done wrong, what we did wrong. But if they can just bring us back together, we can prove to them; I can prove to them that we belong together. All I want is one more chance. Just one more chance. Was it because I did not appreciate what I had? It did not mean that; it was what I felt; I appreciate you. I see it now that the only real thing is you. I am supposed to be your wife; they cannot take that away from us."


    I look at her with awe and tears that are building in my eyes. I have never heard anything that held so much love on a paper. This does come from the deepest depths of her heart.


    "Sebastian?"


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    "Are these the only ones you wrote?"


    "I am afraid that you might have missed a few places; there are indeed a few more out there."


    "Do you think that we can go find them, you know when you feel up to traveling again?"


    "Of course, my beloved."


    She studies my hand for a while as she is holding onto it where it is floating just above the water, then her eye reflects back to me, "Did you enjoy it?"


    "The time apart was agonizing; I did see so many things and went to so many places, it was incredible. But it held no meaning, for I was not there to share it with you."


    "But, she showed you something that I can never show you."


    "My beloved, it is not that she showed me parts of the world that matter; it is that behind me every step of the way, you were there, and you, too, saw all these things. You were not afforded the luxury to stop and notice it. Don''t you ever think that Elloise''s gave me anything but torture. She is evil; evil cannot give joy."


    "Do you think that we are rid of her?"


    "Well, I think that we are, for there is not much that she can do as a human."


    "Oh, Sebastian, I don''t think we should say that out loud so soon. She has a good fifty years still left in her. It is enough time to build up an act of revenge in her heart."


    I foolishly brush of her comment and feel that we have done enough. Then, once I am satisfied that there is no inch of fairy near my body, my beloved hands me a towel and collects her letters from the floor. She slowly makes her way past my cupboard, grabs one of my oversized shirts, and slips it over her naked body.


    Back in the comfort of our bed, we lay in each other''s arms, staring at the ceiling in absolute silence. I close my eyes, and all I can hear is her soft breathing. The scent of her perfume fills my senses, and for the first time in weeks, I feel at peace.


    But there is something wrong.


    "Sebastian, something is wrong."


    "Yes, there¡­do you hear that?"


    "That crackling noise?"


    "Yes, there, there¡­something is burning my beloved. Stay here while I go investigate. Might just be Stefan that accidentally set something on fire."


    With absolute haste, I slip on a pair of pants and make my way out the door. I make my way down the stairs and into the kitchen. There is nobody here. They must be all in their rooms. Stefan must have set something alight in Lilith''s room.


    I dash upstairs again to make my way to Lilith''s room. It is on the far side opposite side from my room. There I get Edward that is frantically trying to free Lilith and Stefan from the room that is filled with flames. But as I look past him, back further down the hall, I see that everything is engulfed in flames. I am shocked to horror.


    "Edward, what happened?"


    "Sebastian, I don''t know; the flames came from the back of the house and started to overrun each room."


    "What? You mean that Stefan did not do this?"


    "No, where is Anastasia?"


    "She is back¡­"


    I immediately stop dead and turn to run to get Anastasia, but as I approach our room, I can see the fire starting to crawl up to me at a rapid pace. It has overrun the entire left-wing and is leaving destruction behind every flare that it makes. It is consuming the wooden doors and soft features like a hungry animal, devouring everything in its wake.


    My body goes numb, and I am trembling beyond restraint as I realize there is no way that I can get into our room. There is no clear way past the fire. I cannot get to Anastasia.


    My mind goes blank, and my body freezes; I have no idea what to do, how do I get through to her. I should have told her to come with me. How could I have been so stupid and ask her to wait in the room if I knew there was danger.

 Chapter 97 - The Fall Of The Belmont House

    First, there was the barely audible crackling that came carried on the waves of the wind blowing. Then the distinct smell of smoke starting to fill the empty spaces and corners rather urgent. That is when the realization set in that there had to be a fire brewing somewhere in the Belmont House. The flames could be felt as they were warming the hallways at a rapid pace. But the moment that I stepped outside to see Edward frantically trying to save Lilith and Stefan, the reality became real. But my own reality soon set in, for I left my beloved behind in the comfort of our room, foolishly thinking that it was indeed the safest place to be.


    As I now face a door that has been engulfed in flames, I am reminded how many times my judgment has proved me wrong. And yet again, it has tricked me beyond deceiving.


    So it is with complete and utter frustration that I rush to a nearby room that has not yet been taken by the fire. I rip one of the blankets from the bed. Then I return to my door that is starting to burn hot red. I throw the blanket over my head and wrap as much of it as I can around my body.


    "My god, I better hope this works."


    I take one giant leap toward the door and reach out for the knob. But then, all of a sudden, there is a high pitched voice that rises from behind me.


    "Sebastian! What are you doing?"


    I immediately spin on my heels to see, "My beloved! But?" I turn to face the door that is beyond reachable now. "How? How did you get out?"


    "You should know by now if you tell me to do something, I am going to do the exact opposite."


    "I am pleased to see that you do not listen. But that aside, we need to get out; the house is taking the fire on rather rapidly."


    "Edward and Lilith? Where is Stefan?"


    "They should be all outside."


    As we rush to get out of the house that is being taken over by red flames of destruction, it breaks my heart to see things that have carried value are now being left meaningless in one mere prick of flame. What was once still and untouched is now lying overpowered by a great force of destruction.


    But if I thought that seeing the inside being laid to ruins would break me, my eyes soon see the sight of the Belmont House going up in flames. From where we stand on the green grass far off from the entrance, I can see every inch of what used to be my home for over two hundred years, now been ravaged. Not one room untouched, not one memory left intact. Everything wiped away with one spectacular display of the greatest force of nature. The downfall of the Belmont House is lightning the skies up for miles.


    We stand in total awe of shock as the men from our fire brigade try their damndest to save our home. But not even the downpour of rain is making the fire settle. It is taking its time to reap the destruction it was set to cause. This is only prolonging the agony that fills my being. This was a home of so many things; yes, they shall come to the bunker where all the most precious and priceless items are held. But it does not bring back the memories, the moments, the things that made this home. One should not easily think that because I am a Vampire that I do not hold any of these things dear. In fact, a home has more meaning to me, for if you live for your life for so long, you do wish to settle your roots. And the Belmont house is where I found this.


    But the Belmont house was not only a place I could settle my feet and build a life, it is where I started a family, not family the way a human would see, but the family, the comfort of the people, having the ones that I care for dearly close to my heart and close to my home. There has, until only recently, only ever been three members to this household. We might have had our partners and our fair share of relationships, but it has always just been the three of us. Then a great deal happened, and we were soon joined by my beloved and the sweet child Stefan.


    Push the feeling of needing this intimate bond aside, there, too, where all the memories. Very fond, mostly humorous, but definitely fond memories, that, can be gladly said, the flames have not touched. But where they truly memories up until the fire ravaged the place where they made it? They are imprints in our minds of a good time once held between these walls. Let us not forget about our recent memories of overcoming evil, of a great battle. Those, by far, were never memories I thought that I would make in the Bellmont house.


    What also can be said is that the Bellmont house created dreams. Dreams in the way of bringing things that I might of having one stage desired but that I have given up on ever achieving for the opportunity just never presented themselves. Now, this does sound rather odd, but I am referring to my beloved. I did truly, without having had to admit it to myself, wanted that one true love that I can settle my Vampire life with, but there was never one that presented herself. But in came Anastasia, and she filled that gap; this is where she became my beloved, my mate, my partner, and not least my wife. Sadly, the place where this dream become real is now lying in ashes.


    I can stand here for hours and watch every last part turn to dust and tell so many memories that were behind these walls. But what I can also for sure say is that the longer I stand here, the more anger is boiling in my heart.


    "This was not an accident."


    I watch as all eyes turn their attention to me. Finally, someone has said what everyone has been thinking all of this time.


    "Someone is going to pay for bringing the Belmont House down. And I have a fairly good place where to start."


    And as I give one last glance at the mountain of nothing in front of me, I know that I shall be back the day once they have rebuilt these grounds, but for now, we shall have to move to a different location.


    "Come, my beloved."


    "But where to Sebastian?"


    "Oh, Anastasia, this is not my only home."


    "What? You have another house?"


    "In fact, several. More to mention, on the one hand, perhaps even two."


    "Sebastian, are you holding secrets from me?"


    "No, my beloved, you just never asked."


    "Well, I shall ask the moment we get to our new home."


    "I am afraid there is only time to change, and then we are visiting our dear friend."


    "If we are killing someone, then I prefer not to change."


    "Always the eager Vampire, but please, this one I am doing."


    After seeing Edward and Lilith off to our new home, my beloved and I make our way down a road that we have travelled far too oftern for the past few months. I must be honest that I am truly looking forward to something that should have been taken care of in the very way that I am intending to end it. Yes, hindsight sometimes comes with a slap in the face, but one only know once something has been done in the course of action in the first place was successful.


    So after several, mostly spent in quiet, we arrive at the very clearing where I can safely say this started. We are soon greeted by Katalina, the new fairy queen.


    "Hey Sebastian, did not think that we would see you here so soon again?"


    "My dear Katalina, I wish it was a social visit, but I am afraid that I am here for Elloise."


    "Oh, I am so sorry. I did not think you would come so we already went ahead with it."


    "Ahead with what? Please do not say that you have killed her?"


    "Oh no, even though I wish, she sadly did it to herself."


    I gasp, and terror immediately sets into my eyes, "Did she? Did the silly fairy kill herself?"


    "She forgot she did not have powers and tried to cross the magic river herself. I am afraid she drowned."


    "Oh god, the woman was never clever. Well, she can be glad, for I was on my way to seal her fate. But tell me, when did this happen?"


    "Early morning."


    Saddened, which does sound cruel, but with knowing that it has not been Elloise that set the fire, we make our way back home in a state of confusion. Is there someone that has come back to take revenger on me again? I have played it save and stayed away from any scorned lovers; well, I would truly like to believe that I have. And as I look over to my beloved, I know that she is thinking exactly the same thing.


    "My beloved, I have no idea who would have done this."

 Chapter 98 - Hiding In The Shadows

    I watch as the doubt fills my beloved''s eyes; I do understand that she would think that it has been a scorned lover that has done this awful deed. But it does hurt me a slight bit that she shall think that all problems that we encounter are due to me being a rather unfaithful man. I have had numerous sexual encounters in my years, but not truly all of them hate me so much as to go so far and set fire to my home. This goes far deeper than just a simple act of revenge.


    Now, who will carry such a big hatred in their heart? Perhaps it is targeted at us as Vampires and not for one individual. This does bring the question, which of the supernatural creatures is behind this act. I can understand if it is one of Elloise''s followers that are displeased about her being stripped of her powers and being a fairy. Though I do highly doubt that they shall, for they know the consequences they will have to face if it becomes known to me that they are behind this.


    This can also have been the act of a mortal, but then the question begs, did our presence become known? I always doubted my decision to let David live after he tried to take over the town, but he himself shall not be that foolish to come and take revenge for there are a few demons he wishes to keep away from his humankind which I have no calm in revealing.


    So this begs as a rather disturbing question if the purpose of this fire was to kill the inhabitants, shall they be coming back again? I do fear even to have to mention that we are not safe wherever we go. But this mortal or creature shall not have me hiding away in my home. Next time they come, we shall be prepared, that is, if we knew what to look out for.


    But how do I calm the fears and questions of my beloved, which is rather far more quiet than usual? Is she still so traumatized by the situation?


    "My beloved, are you okay?"


    "Sebastian, I am concerned by who will go to such a length, which I am assuming, is to kill us."


    "I am afraid that it can be anybody. Two hundred and seventy-nine years does bring an awful lot of enemies."


    "Yes, but so does twenty-seven years."


    "Mmm, I hate to break this to you, but you cannot count."


    "Sebastian!"


    "My beloved, I was turned at the age of twenty-nine."


    "I am not referring to you."


    In an instant, I snap my neck to the right, rather shocked and very amazed at the words that have escaped her lips. This has now sparked my interest; why shall she say such a thing as this?


    "Anastasia, why would you say such a thing?"


    "I am, I," she stutters at her words, "I am only saying that maybe by some strange coincidence that it shall be a mortal in my past that is seeking revenge?"


    "Is there something that you are not telling me?"


    "No, Sebastian, I am just stating that it could be possible."


    She immediately shuts me off and turns to look out the window. I find her answer and her behavior surrounding the remark rather suspicious, but this is my beloved; I shall not question her. I think she is merely trying to, in her own way, apologize for saying that it is always my fault.


    Once we are safely in the comfort of our new home for the next few months, my beloved settles into our room while I meet up with Edward in the study. He, too, looks somewhat rattled; let us hope that he does not also blame me for this incident. But the way I know him, I will have his support no matter which way.


    "My dear Edward, please, I beg, tell me if you too think this is revenge from a scorned lover?"


    "Oh, Sebastian, the rate you moved around town in your early days would have had all our homes burned down by now."


    "Now, you do make me sound like filles de joie. I was merely making us much use with what I was gracefully blessed with."


    "You do make screwing around sound like a Sunday pudding."


    "Ha! Now there, I can tell you a few tales."


    "Let my virgin ears rather not hear it."


    "Virgin, my friend? Then you can call me St. Mary."


    "Well, St. Mary, what do you think was the purpose of this fire?"


    At this mention of this, my mind wanders back to the words my beloved spoke earlier. Does it constitute a mention?


    "Edward, I believe something is troubling Anastasia. Did she mention anything during your trip?"


    "No, why, what is the matter?"


    "Just something she said, guess I am just reading into things that ain''t there. Now, onto other business. The contents of the bunker need to be moved before they start clearing out the debris."


    "Already taken care of. And I can confirm that all the helpers were rescued."


    "Ah, splendid. Then onto council business, is our presence required?"


    "In fact, there are a group of rogue Vampires that needs to be heard and sentence. But this can wait until we have settled."


    "No, this incident shall not halt our lives; I shall go say goodbye to Anastasia and meet you outside."


    As I make my way back to our room, where Anastasia is patiently waiting for my return, I cannot help but feel half of a relief that we find ourselves in almost a state of normalness. Would it be the life of Sebastian Belmont if there is not some drama? Well, burning my house down is not quite drama; that, in fact, is a declaration of war. But believe me, the full wrath of my hand shall come down on the one that has done this.


    This has not only me, but my entire family scared to the bone. My poor heart can not even imagine what Stefan much be going through, but then again, he was living with the King of the Underworld; nothing should frighten the boy. But frightened is my beloved. As I come to a halt in front of our bedroom door, just as I am about to reach for the knob, I hear her speak inside. She does have a funny habit of talking to herself, but this does not sound like one of these times. So I stop to listen for a second before she becomes aware of my presence.


    "Who are you? Stop phoning me!"


    I hear her shout in frustration into what I am assuming is her phone. I gently open the door and attempt to make as much as a normal entrance that I can.


    "My beloved, are you talking to yourself again? Is something the matter?"


    "Oh, you know me, just going a bit stir crazy. There is nothing to worry about."


    "Well, I just came to bid you farewell. There is, unfortunately, some council business. I shall not let this act disrupt our lives. Now, will you be fine?"


    "Yes, I think I might go check on Zachariah and see how he is feeling."


    "Ah, our dear Vampire Hunter. Well, slap him against the head and say my hello."


    "Sebastian!"


    "Then punch him."


    "Sebastian!"


    "Fine, tell the man to keep his hands to himself, for I shall cut them off."


    "You are impossible; just go."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    The man is impossible, but I can full-heartedly say that I am happy to have him back. But being back to this, this horror that just consumed our lives again, is not something I am not happy to have back so soon in our lives again. I have never experienced anything so terrifying. I fear if I did not leave the room when my instinct told me, then I would have perished in that fire that brought the entire Belmont House down. My heart breaks for Sebastian as well as Edward and Lilith that lost so many memories in a matter of only a few minutes.


    To say that I am not scared beyond belief and that I am not feeling safe alone in this house, well, that is a blatant lie. I am making my way out of here and seeking the security of the only other place that I know. But this I shall not tell Sebastian, for then he will have so many questions that I cannot answer at present.


    So I make my way out the door the exact moment that Sebastian leaves. There is not one single minute that I want to be alone by myself. As we both get into our cars and I watch him drive off, I make sure to check around me, I don''t know what I expect to find there, but I double-check over my shoulders and in the rearview mirror. I check the back seat and to the sides of the car before I speed my way out of the driveway.


    Much to my own annoyance, my eyes scan every mirror as I make the drive to Zachariah. I am beyond terrified that there is a danger that is lurking in the corners that my eyes cannot see. I guess terrified is not quite the word to use, but more like paranoid.


    In no time, I find myself pulling up in front of Zachariah''s home, which quite surprisingly is sitting outside. "Well, you are back so soon; where did he disappear off now again?"


    "You, know, Vampire business, I thought I would come to check up on you?"


    "Always the caring one. Whose car are you driving?"


    "Long story, how about you give me a beer, and I can tell you about it.''


    "Mmm, Vampires don''t drink. What is up?"


    After trying to drag every single bit of information out of me, we get comfortable in the lounge, where I tell him about the exciting evening that I had.


    "Damn, this man is really not safe to be around. Do you want to stay here until he has figured out who it is?"


    "No. I don''t think it is someone that he knows or that he might have pissed off."


    "Why do you say that?"


    "Well, I think it is me."


    I watch as clear shock settle over Zachariah''s face; he did not quite expect to hear this. With brows furrowed, he cocks his head in a rather suspicious way.


    "What do you mean it is you?"


    "There is someone that has been phoning me, and I have had this suspicion that I am being followed too."


    "My god, Anastasia! Do you know who it is? How long has this been going on?"


    I shyly look down at the beer bottle that I am now clenching with all my force; if I squeeze it any tighter, then it is going to break. After several minutes of gathering the courage, I look up at him from underneath my eyelashes.


    "It has been about two months."


    "Two months? Did he? Well, I am expecting it is a he, but did he follow you while you were looking for Sebastian?"


    "I think he did, but he did call. I thought that he just had an obsession."


    "So you think that he set the fire?"


    "Yes, I think I did. I am terrified of what he will do next."


    "Anastasia, do you know who it is?"

 Chapter 99 - A Betrayal That Cuts Deep

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I look at Zachariah, somewhat hesitating; I know I need to give him a truthful answer. But admitting it is like admitting I made a mistake, and by acknowledging that, I need to own up to a lie. A very blatant lie that I have been keeping from both him and Sebastian. The truth is, do you expect your past to come back to haunt you. But then again, that is such a stupid question; Sebastian has been a perfect example of this very thing.


    So, I truly should just admit to myself that it was a bad error in judgment. Though, I did go there knowing full well what it would lead to. Not truly the end part, but definitely that there was an obsession, which I only but fuelled with my presence that night.


    Now, this has become a secret that I need to reveal. Somehow I don''t think it is going to hurt Zachariah quite as much Sebastian.


    I know this needs to be done, and do I think by doing it that it shall make me feel relieved? I do hope so, but I also know for a fact that I am only going to feel so much worse. It is with a very heavy heart that I finally build up the courage.


    "It is Augustus."


    "Augustus? The doctor you used to work with?"


    "Yes, the very one."


    "Anastasia, why would he do this, though. It just makes no sense."


    "Well," I shyly look away. "He, we," I continue to try to say. "I kind of slept with him."


    I watch in horror as Zachariah finds it very hard to process the word that has just come flowing from my lips. Now the big question is about to follow.


    "When? When did this happen?"


    "That night," I stop as I feel as if my dead heart is going to burst through my chest.


    "Anastasia, it is fine, you can tell me. I promise I will understand."


    "Zachariah. That night when we came back after that damn stupid witch hunt."


    If there was horror before, then I am not sure if this is disgust or just plain stunned silent shock. After a few minutes, he turns to me again, with somewhat of concern on his face.


    "You need to tell Sebastian. Does Augustus know what you are?"


    "I am afraid he does."


    "Anastasia, I am your friend. But how could you have been so careless?"


    "I know Zachariah. I was just¡­You know that is not even an excuse. I should have never gone there."


    "We need to go tell Sebastian. You cannot deal with this yourself."


    "I know, let me speak to him myself. I made this mess; I need to get myself out of it."


    After trying for the better part of an hour of Zachariah trying to talk me into him coming with me, I manage to convince him that I shall call for him should I need his help.


    "Promise you will let me know the moment you get home."


    "I promise."


    And that is just one more lie that I shall tell. I have never been one to keep secrets, even more, doing reckless things that I cannot bear to explain. At least Zachariah understood in a way why I did what I had done, but I know that Sebastian is not going to be quite as forgiving.


    So I find myself taking the very road I took that fateful night I made the decision that is going to ruin my life. I should have gone straight to Zachariah that night, but along the way, as I was wandering the streets, I bumped into Augustus. He saw that I was in pain and offered me to have a drink with him. So very much in a daze, I followed him home, and not to cause any suspicion, I had several whiskeys with him. Now I would have been fine if I did not consume the amount I did, for, after a while, I did start to feel somewhat out of it. Much later that evening, I woke up in Augustus''s bed. The moment I realized my mistake, I rush out there as fast as I came and made my way to Zachariah.


    So it then began, Augustus was obsessed, he backed off for several months, but just before Sebastian disappear, he came back lurking in the shadows. I know that it is him that set fire to the Belmont House. I have not only destroyed my love, but I have destroyed his home.


    After trying to convince myself to go home instead, I find myself knocking on the door, and as a smiling Augustus opens, I knew that I have just made my second mistake. I cannot turn back now; I need to get him to stop before Sebastian gets to him.


    "Augustus, do you mind if I come in?"


    "You need not even ask. Can I get you a drink?"


    "I am not here for a social. I need you to stop."


    "Anastasia, you know that I cannot do that. You know that we belong together."


    Just his very words send a sickening blow to my stomach. Yes, Augustus is a man that every woman will desire, but the mere thought of him touching me makes my body cringe.


    "Augustus, you know how dangerous Sebastian is. If he has to find out you are behind this, he will have no calm in killing you."


    "You know that you do not deserve to be with that monster."


    "And you seem to forget that I am one too. What happened that night was a mistake."


    "You know it was not. You would not have come here if you were not looking for more."


    This man is completely obsessed. I don''t know why I even came to him. I was foolish to think that I could talk sense into him. I guess it is time to go face Sebastian and tell him the truth about what happened.


    "Augustus, I am leaving. Please, I beg of you, stop following me. You need to understand that I am with Sebastian."


    As I spin on my heels to leave, he grabs for my arm; in an instant, I swing at him with so much force that his body crashes against the wall. Before he can get to his feet, I rush out the door. He is furious now; he is for certain going to come for me. I need to get home; I need to tell Sebastian.


    And just as I step through the door of our new home, I find Sebastian waiting for me. He seems very troubled; now, I am not sure if he is concerned about where I was or if he is, in fact, mad at me. We shall soon find out.


    "Anastasia, where have you been?"


    He is calling me by name; he is definitely mad at me.


    "I¡­I went for a walk," my third lie flows much easier of my tongue.


    "Please do not lie to me. I had a frantic Zachariah phoning me asking for you. According to him, you should have been home hours ago."


    "I told you that I went for a walk."


    "Do not lie to me," his voice thunders to every corner of the small room that is starting to feel like it is closing in.


    "I am not Sebastian."


    "I can read your goddamn mind! Who the fuck is Augustus?"


    I am completely blown away. Did he just say he can read my mind? When? When did this happen? Why has he not told me about it? It seems I am not the only one that is keeping secrets.


    "Anastasia. I beg of you, do not test my patience. I want to know who Augustus is?"


    "He is a friend I use to work with."


    "Really? Is that going to be your answer? The way Zachariah explained, he sounds to be rather dangerous."


    "Sebastian, get off my back. I cannot deal with your shit now."


    It does not even take a moment of hesitation, and I rush to the safety of my room. So much for telling him; he probably already knows what happened.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Never did I think that my beloved shall betray me in such a way. I know that something happened between her and this man, but I do prefer for her to tell me instead of me intruding on the privacy of her mind. I have done fairly well with not doing it thus far, but my temper just boiled out of control. This is not in any way going to be left unsaid. I immediately follow her close to her heels.


    Before she even can slam the door shut, I push my way through and kick it with so much force behind me that you can hear it crack.


    "Sebastian, I told you to leave me alone."


    "Well, I am afraid that is not going to happen, my dear. You, and I dare even to say, you go on a rampage, nearly killing the members of this household because my scorned lovers came back to take revenge. Now somehow, I do believe that this man Augustus might just be your very own."


    "That is absurd."


    I grab the bridge of my nose as I feel the anger swell up. Grinding as hard as I down on my teeth, I slam my fist into the wall.


    "Anastasia. Stop lying to me. The sooner you tell me what happened, the sooner I can deal with this man."


    "Fine, it is a man that I had a brief sexual encounter with."


    "Do I dare and even ask when?"


    "Well, you can read my mind; what do you think."


    "Anastasia, I shall not ask again."


    She nervously starts fidgeting with her fingers as she looks down to her feet. I refuse to read her mind; I want to hear the truth from her lips. Every aching bone in my body tells me that I am not going to like what I am going to hear.


    "Anastasia."


    "After the witch hunt."


    "You¡­did¡­what?"


    That anger that is boiling has now reached its peak. I cannot believe the words that are coming from her mouth. Do I even ask what kind of a sexual encounter, for I know the things that body can do. I am sickened to think what they did, not truly a thought I wish to have in my mind.


    Now let us take this into perspective, my scorned lovers come from my past before I ever set my eyes on Anastasia. Her very own, is from when we were very much together, yes, it might have been at a rather trying time in our relationship, but nothing justifies it.


    This stings my heart beyond belief, being betrayed by the woman you love, the woman that I have put my life in danger for, the woman that is my wife. She shall not see my tears; she shall not have the satisfaction of seeing me break down. Yes, I have done this so many times in my earlier years, but god, this hurts hard. It cuts deeper than a thousand daggers.


    And before I even know what takes over my mind, I utter the words that I shall probably regret later.


    "Get out!"

 Chapter 100 - The Dark Side Of A Vampire Master

    Betrayal cuts deep. Betrayal by the one that you love with all your heart and soul is a death sentence. Did I ever see such deception be done upon me? Never in all my years that I explored the female kind so recklessly did I once foresee that I shall be on the receiving end.


    To say that I am not feverishly mad shall be an understatement. I want to lay waste to all that I see in front of my eyes. I want to rip everything by the seems apart. God forbid the one that shall cross my path, I shall tear their skin off, each layer by layer until they are but only bone.


    And as for this Delilah that is standing in front of me, the mere sight of her repulses me. It burns a hole through my heart just having to face a woman that I have given my all to. I want her to be gone; I want every trace of her to be removed from my life, from my existence. I shall not stand for one being unfaithful when you find yourselves in a soul-bonding union. She is my beloved right now, and as for the immediate future, she does not exist.


    "Anastasia, I said get out! I do not wish to have you in my sight."


    "But, Sebastian, where shall I go?"


    "I am certain that our Vampire Hunter shall take you in, even far better; why do you not call on your Augustus? But I want you gone from the Belmont House. I do not wish to see you in my presence or any of the ones in this household again."


    "You can''t do that."


    "I am the Vampire Master; I can even go as far as to stop the entire community to even glance in your direction. You have deceived me; you can be grateful that I do not lay the severest punishment down on you in this instant."


    "You cannot kill me; you won''t dare."


    "Do you wish to test that theory out? I suggest you leave before I bring your miserable cheating life to an end. My dear, one thing that you do not seem to realize, I hold the power, and I shall enforce it as and when I see fit. Now for the final time, please leave this house."


    It is with great anguish that I watch as she gathers her belongings in one mere suitcase and slowly makes an exist. But she does not leave before she has one final attempt and salvaging the wrong that she has done.


    "Sebastian, please, can we talk?"


    "Anastasia, I said get out!"


    My voice rumbles in vibration as I demand her to be gone, with one parting thought.


    "Consider our union as man and wife dissolved. Your presence as my beloved shall always be there, but for me, as of now, it does not exist. Now get out of my house!"


    As she descends the stairs and makes her way to the front door, the tears that have been threatening to consume my eyes and edge their way down my face come rolling with such great force. Down in the foyer, I see Edward standing with utter confusion on his face. With one glance, he knows that it is best not to ask any questions at present.


    Back in my room, the raging anger that is suffocating every corner of my body lets loose like a beast. As far as my feet take me into the room, every single object that finds itself in my path shatters in pure brute force against the wall. The very bed that we made love in only but a few hours ago is torn to shreds until there is nothing but small pieces of fabric scattered over the floor. The chair she sat on where she so elegantly took those red stilettos off, finds its way through the window, glass shattering into fragments of nothing. I ram my fist with a hatred so raw in the mirror where she watched her reflection, hundreds of pieces cutting at the skin of my hand.


    I lay complete destruction to everything that is and was a part of her until I can say that for now, for this minute, I shall be rid of any thought of her. And when she returns into the passages of my memories, I shall do it again and again until every trace of her has been taken from my life.


    But this thought only but exists for a few moments, and she finds her way back into the very place I do not want her to be, she is in my head, and I want her out. So I make my way out of the chaos I created and find myself in the kitchen where Edward is on the phone discussing council business. As he sees me enter, he ends his conversation.


    "My dear Sebastian, do I dare ask what is the matter."


    "She deceived me. She was with another man."


    "But I don''t understand, when? For she is always with you?"


    "The which hunt, when she scolded me for my ex-lovers, she went and sought the arms of another man."


    "You mean she¡­?"


    "Yes, I have asked her to leave and to never return. Now, if you shall excuse me, I have built up a rather nasty appetite."


    As I make my way in the drizzle of the night, I find my way wandering a street that I have not been down for a rather long time. The street lights are falling in shadows down a very ominous path. There is absolute silence, but only my footsteps that echo over the pitter-patter of the raindrops beating onto the sidewalk. There is a danger that is lurking here. There is a danger that is hiding in the shadows that is ready to step out and destroy what is in its path. That danger is me. My heart is destroyed; I shall reap destruction.


    It does not take very long for her to appear, now let us think about this, I am not allowed to drink from another woman. Shall I uphold this promise? I do not see why when the very woman that made me promised the very thing, his laid ruins to every single bond that we held.


    So I slowly wait for the petite young blonde to pass me where I am hiding in the shadows. The trick is not to startle her; I wish for her to see me as charming, someone that she shall find inviting. Someone, and do I dare to say, shall have a sexual encounter right here for all to see. But that is not my intention; I am here to kill.


    But before I shall send her on her final departure, I have this incredible urge to taste every sweet part of her heavenly nectar. I slowly step out and take her by surprise from behind; there is no intention, there is no need to be gentle. I want to devour her; I want to rip that beautiful skin apart.


    In only but a split second, I have her pinned against a wall; I rip her blouse open. I want every single inch of her neck bare for me to take. In one flick of my neck, I expose my fangs. Her screams flow through the night air, but this will not stop. There is no time for elegance; I do not want elegance. I slam my fangs hard into her tender skin.


    With nothing but pure excstasy, her blood flows trhough me and sparks every feeling I have not felt in such a long time. I can feel her give into my touch; she allows me to take, she allows me to push her own arousal, which fuels my desire to take her even more. And just as I think I can not take anymore, I take more, and I drink her dry. But then pure anger consumes me again as I see this woman that can so easily resemble Anastasia. In an instant, I rip the skin from her neck and lay every part of her to shreds until I am satisfied that I have ripped Anastasia from my mind.


    As I dispose of her behind nearby building debris, the sounds of click-clack come from down the road; I find myself hiding in the very shadow that was my cover only but a few moments ago. I watch as a petite young blond with the deepest red stilettos pass by me. I do not even have a split second of thought. I overcome her from behind and rip her body to pieces, but not until I drink as much as I desire. She meets the very fate of the girl before.


    Once I am satisfied that my needs have been fulfilled, I make my way to my true destination, but another site sparks my attention. She is blond, she is petite, and she is wearing that same deep colour red dress that Anastasia wears so well. All reasoning leaves my control, and I find myself pinning the girl to the ground, slicing every part of her delicate skin to pieces, taking as much as I need, and dumping her body in a bin.


    Making my way further into the city, I notice the blood that is covering my white designer shirt. I do not care; I do not have any concern for the person at the end of my destination to see the proof of my rampage. They shall meet the same fate, they shall feel my wrath come down upon them. No one shall escape their fate tonight. Shall you make your way in my path, you shall find the same unfortunate ending. I shall not stop until I have come for what I want to achieve. You do not defy the Vampire Master, and that they shall soon learn.


    I soon find myself standing across the road from the Vampire Hunter''s house. Through the open windows, I can see them sitting huddled closely together. Shall this be another betrayal that I need to deal with tonight? Shall Zachariah defy me in such a way after what we have been through? I would like to believe not. I would like to believe that she has not gone this far as well. But do I really care? I want nothing to do with her; I want her to be gone from my life. How many other men has she been with? Do I wish to even ask such a question?


    I find myself walking away before my heart gives in to what my head doesn''t want. I do not want Anastasia. I am hurt; it is only natural to have second thoughts after such a bad experience. I know I need to come to do what I am set to do. I shall not let a trip of guilt make me falter. They shall pay.


    It is with an utmost determination that I find myself knocking on the door.


    "What do you want?"

 Chapter 101 - A Love That Has Died

    Revenge is sweet. Guilt is a bitter pill to swallow. A man scorned is a lethal dose of chaos waiting to erupt. I have laid waste to all that has crossed my path, and my destruction is not done, for I have one true wish I want to achieve as I stare at the reason for my heartbreak in the eyes. This is what my life has come to, a ruthless killer that shall reap justice as he sees fit.


    Shall I show remorse? Remorse is not a word that shall cross my lips. I shall relish in satisfaction as I stand over a body that I shall rip to shreds. But first, I need to hear for one last time what drove such deceit from a woman that I once loved with every part of my being.


    "Sebastian, I asked, what are you doing here?"


    "I do not know if I should be honored that you know who I am."


    "I do know of your stature in the community."


    "My friend, you shall refrain from referring to the Vampire community so loosely. I believe that our dear Anastasia has told you everything."


    "Well, you will be surprised what a woman shall share when she is scorned."


    "Oh, believe me, I do. She very much shared your bed."


    A sudden burst of shock sets over his face. Did this man for one minute think that he shall make love to my once beloved and I shall not find out? The guilt in her head would have tormented her for an eternity; it would only have been but a matter of time before I would have learned of her deceit.


    Am I taking my revenge on the person that truly deserves it? By all means, I do not feel the urge even to care. Did they care about the love I held for her while they so passionately laid between his sheets and take each other to heights of ecstasy? The mere thought of hearing her moan as another man possesses what is mine makes me sick to my stomach. It is an image that is playing a ruthless game of agony in my mind.


    This man, he shall die today, I shall slowly rip his skin from the bone and break every single bone thereafter. There shall be no part of his body I shall leave untouched. I shall have my pleasure with him, and once I am satisfied, I shall rid Anastasia from every part of my being. There shall be no further minute spent having her drag her endless misery through my body.


    Not even having to hesitate, I grip him by his throat and squeeze my fingers one by one tighter until his voice is only but strangles of pleading. With the greatest of ease, I drive his body back through his door to the very far side of his kitchen wall. I feel him kick and squirm, and I lift his body higher up in the air. His terrified eyes are looking down on me; I see as the life starts to drain from them one by one. But his fate will not be this easy. I toss his weak body to the side.


    It only takes me one swift movement, and I find myself towering him in all my splendor. With only but one foot, I trample his chest, and with the utmost force, I hear his ribs starting to snap. It is like a sweet symphony to my ears as he begs for his life.


    "Ha! Do you think I will spare you? I won''t even be gone a second, and you shall have that Delilah back in your arms. What is it that makes you superior to me? You are nothing but a measely man."


    "Perhaps," he stutters on his words as he is now coughing up a great amount of blood, "Perhaps because I am not a monster."


    "Oh, my dear friend, you shall see a monster tonight. But I do need to remind you that your dear love holds the very same name of that being a monster."


    "She is a gentle soul. She shall never hurt one the way you so easily do."


    "Pity you are not going to live long enough for her to prove you wrong."


    As he manages to find the strength to sit up straight, I bend down and grab him by his shirt, tearing it from his body. I expose my claws and drag my razor-sharp nails down his body, loving every minute as the blood comes pouring for it. It does give me the incredible urge to feed, but I shall not touch the filth that Anastasia lost herself in. For all I know, she drank from him; what is a promise worth then. Why should I promise that I shall have not another woman if she can have as many as she desires? I shall show her what she desires, a corpse.


    I completely catch him off guard as I rip him up in the air by his ankle, his hands furiously trying to grab hold of my body.


    "I am going to bleed you dry. I shall get your dear love to come to your rescue, and she shall see how you lose every ounce of that light that keeps your body going."


    "Well," he stutters uncontrollably as the rush of gravity to his head shakes his mind off balance. "You shall get your wish."


    "Oh, and what shall that be? To see you die? I am fulfilling my wish with the utmost of pleasure."


    Just then, I hear the scuffle of feet behind me. I need not even have to turn my head. The scent is unmistakable.


    "She has come to your rescue after all. How touching." I turn around to face a very horrified Anastasia, "I am so glad that you could join us. I think I have truly underestimated your level of unfaithfulness."


    "Sebastian, let him go."


    "Why? So you can let him loose on your body? Have you not had enough of the sin that he so easily provides? Have you not hit that dagger hard enough? There shall be no way that I shall let this mortal go."


    "Please, I do not wish to hurt you."


    "Ha! You know that I am far stronger than you are. There shall be no way you can overpower me."


    "Please just let him go."


    I watch as a very fearful Anastasia tries to make her attempt and save her loverboy. Just when I thought she could not hit a further low, she shows up at the man''s house that started this all. Has she come to seek the comfort of his bed again?


    "Why are you here, Anastasia?"


    "I needed to talk to Augustus."


    "Well, you have seen him, you have spoken. Now leave. You should not underestimate my hatred for you. I shall have no calm in turning the rage onto the one that truly does deserve every ounce of it."


    "Sebastian, please."


    "I said leave!"


    "You can''t make me leave the house of a friend."


    "I can. I am the Vampire Master, and this fool has done a wrong to me. He shall receive the punishment of death. Now leave!"


    Not waiting for any further protest from her, I slowly swing the man around; I want him to watch me in the eyes as I rip his throat to pieces. I want to show him what a monster I am. With my right hand, I yank his head to the side, exposing my fangs; I slice his skin open in shreds. His agonizing cries fill the silent air of the night.


    "Please stop," he pleads. "Nothing happened. We did not do anything."


    I stop for a brief moment; taken aback by his statement, I turn to look him in the eyes, "What do you mean nothing happen?"


    "We did not have sex. Nothing happened. I drugged her, but I used too much, and she became unconscious. Please. I promise you. Nothing happened."


    "And you think that I need to take your so-called confession serious. Do you think for one minute I shall believe you? I, my dear friend, I do not care to see you die today. The fact remains, she ran to your arms; I do believe she was in your arms. Or do I find myself wrong?"


    The man goes silent, not admitting to a word that I have just spoken. Silence is always an admission unsaid. Does she, does he, do they both think that this makes things somehow better? I shall not stand for any form of betrayal. My heart can sit well if she seeks the comfort and support of the Vampire Hunter, but a random man, a man that I do not carry knowledge of, well, that does not sit well with me at all.


    So, it does not take me a moment of hesitation; I rip a chunk of his flesh from his neck. He shall slowly bleed to death, and his love, Anastasia, shall watch him perish. I have settled the score. A life for a life. My life ended the moment she admitted that she was with another man. His life, now, has too ended.


    But as I make my exit, I turn to look at her in the eye. There is no emotion behind those blue eyes that I have grown to love. I can see that she is torn between which way she should go. There is nothing she can do for her love anymore, and as for me, there is nothing that she can even achieve.


    Yet, she calls back for me as I finally step out the door, "Sebastian, please, can we talk?"


    "Anastasia, I have nothing to say to you. You broke my heart. I do not care if nothing sexual happened between you and this man. The fact is, there was some sort of intimacy, there was some sort of contact."


    "But you and¡­"


    "Do not even dare to compare me to you. You came with the full intention of being with this man. I don''t want, and I will repeat it again, I don''t want anything to do with you."


    "But where am I going to stay? I cannot stay with the Vampire Hunter. You know the Vampire community will frown upon that."


    "And I guess you are getting satisfaction in telling me something that is the truth."


    I watch as she gets that innocent smile on her face, the one that has turned my body into a complete mess every time I laid my eyes on her. There is a new sting to my heart, a new hurt that drives a nail into my coffin. She might be right about one thing, but that does not give her the right to my heart still.


    So it is with very much frustration that I need to make a choice that shall keep the peace between the Vampire community. I cannot have a Vampire living with a Vampire Hunter, regardless of all the battles that we have fought together. The word shall come out that she is no longer my beloved and my wife, but I cannot let word travel that I have lost control over a rogue Vampire.


    "You shall be free to remain in the Belmont House, but let me make this clear. There shall not now or ever be any relationship between us. You shall refrain from being in my company. I, Anastasia, my love for you died."

 Chapter 102 - Black Stilettos

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian has made it very clear that what we had, our love and our bond, does no longer exist. This, even after Augustus admitted that he, in fact, drugged me into believing that I was in his bed as a result of a sexual encounter.


    I always firmly believed that Sebastian is a man of reason, but the man that I saw in front of me, the man with a blood-stained shirt and that evil look in his eye, that is a man that I do not know. There is an evil that has consumed his being, and I, sad to say, I am the reason behind that. I have driven a man to his brink, and he has now toppled over. He has fallen into an abyss of darkness. Shall he return? Shall he stay? That I shall never know, for I am not allowed near his presence.


    Beyond anything that ever existed between us, our love and our bond, he is and remains my Vampire Master, and I shall do as he says. I know, and as I have seen on so many occasions, he shall bring his full wrath down without even having to blink for a second.


    So as I once again find myself in the Belmont household, my presence is somewhat welcomed in the way of common courtesy. I can see the way that Lilith and Edward look at me now; I am not the Anastasia whom they have cared about. Now, I am the woman that broke their brother''s heart. With saying this, Sebastian has moved out of what used to be our room and boarded the room so that no one shall ever enter it again. He has taken a room in the west wing where Lilith and Edward also keep themselves. As for me, I am all alone in the east wing. Pushed aside and, with even more convenience, it has a separate exit and entrance to the main door, thus, once again proving that my presence here is only to keep the Vampire community from saying a word.


    Once I have gathered all my belongings that have been scattered among the common room that we salvaged from our burnt down home, I make my way with somewhat difficulty up the stairs. At the very moment I reach the top; I see Sebastian approaching the very same set of stairs. He stops for a brief moment and looks at me with a look of total disgust in his eyes, that evil is still there. As he snaps his head from the trance he finds himself in, he turns around and makes his way back to his room. The simple gesture brings a sting to my body; even though I do not have the ability to cry, the feeling of rejection still cuts like a knife.


    Once I step into the confines of my room, I slam the door with the utmost force that the windows vibrate, carrying the sounds down the corridor. I kick off my black stilettos and drop down onto the bed and stare at the roof. What have I done?


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    She is not wearing her red stilettos. Should I be bothered? Should I even be looking at her in such a way?


    No.


    Anastasia has made a bed, and she can lay in it, she can stew in her own betrayal, she can turn over in her own deceit. She is merely here for the simple fact that I do not wish to have my kind, the Vampires that follow me without fail; I do not wish for them to lose faith and judgment in me. Therefore, I do not care for what the color of her stilettos is. She shall come and go as she pleases, just as long as it is not in my presence or in my way.


    Yes, her beauty still captivates me, the way she swayed those hips as I saw her disappeared down the corridor, the way her hair was waving over her shoulders, the way that body moved in perfect precision. But beauty only runs so deep; it is what is inside her that makes me want to run as far as I can away from her. The desire to take her into my arms and ease that pain that she feels, that I feel, it lays within me, but I shall rather be sucked into a black hole than give her what she desires. She shall not have her way with me, not now, not ever again.


    After making confidently sure that she shall not return from her room, I make my way down the stairs only to hear her slam her the door to such an extent that it vibrates down the corridors. Every inch of my body fights the urge to walk up to her room and demand her not to act like a woman any less than what she already is.


    As I enter the kitchen, I find Edward there with a very worried expression on his face.


    "My dear brother, do I dare even to ask if this thing with Anastasia is permanent, for I can sense the tension thick in the house."


    "I apologize for that, Edward. But, yes, I am afraid that this is how my feelings for Anastasia be from now on."


    "But did this man not say that nothing happened."


    "Indeed he did, but it is the fact that she ran to the arms of a stranger in a time that we had difficulty in our relationship. I do not even want to know if she drank from him. But seeing his obsession, I can gather that she had."


    "How long shall she stay here?"


    "Well, hopefully until she finds another Vampire to stay with. We cannot have her stay with the Vampire Hunter; it shall cause alarm in the community."


    But there is a different kind of worry that lies in Edward''s eyes; I have full knowledge of what he wants to ask, but yet he is afraid to. As with any truth, it only becomes real once you have asked and received an answer to your question. He seems greatly terrified and deeply disturbed. Shall I put him out of his misery?


    "Yes, Edward, it was me. I slaughtered them for my own satisfaction, and I can say with all honesty I have not felt so alive in a very long time. If I did not have the desire to be with a mortal, then I would have never found myself in this position. I have no calm in destroying every single one of them that comes in my way."


    "But Sebastian¡­"


    "Edward, I need not remind you who your Master is. Now, if you shall excuse me, I would like to be alone."


    With that, I leave the kitchen; as I move down the corridor on my way to the study, I find that the door is wide open. An immediate anger sets over my body; the staff knows that this door shall remain closed at all times. Someone is going to have hell to pay for disobeying my very orders. But as I set my foot inside, I find that it is Anastasia; she seems to be running over the books held on the shelf as if she is looking for something. Once again, her presence sets an irritation over my body.


    "Anastasia."


    She jumps at the mention of her name, but I believe she has an even more fright as to know that it is me that find myself behind her.


    "Sorry, Sebastian, I will leave at once."


    "What is it that you are looking for?"


    "Something to read."


    "Read?"


    "Yes, a book to read, something to pass the time."


    Her very words knock me back; I have never known her to read. Then again, have I ever stopped to learn who she was as a mortal. Truly I have not; the mere fact that she finds a book to pass the time somehow sets a spark alive.


    "I have never known you tor read."


    "You never asked."


    "Well, I shall leave you to it then."


    "No, please don''t leave on my account. I shall be finished in a minute."


    As I sit down in the chair behind the desk, I cannot but help study her intensely. She is still not wearing her red stilettos; in fact, she is not wearing any shoes at all. Why on earth am I finding it so goddamn sexy. But the way she wiggles her ass up that ladder to get to the book that she wants sets my body aflame.


    In an instant, I find myself behind her, lifting her off the ladder. She turns around to face me; there is clear confusion in her eyes. Underneath this raging animal, there is a fire waiting to be released. I tangle my hands in her hair and seek the softness of her lips. With every wink, I pull her closer, and then I pull away. I taunt and tease, slowly claiming her as mine.


    The carnal desire to feel that raw passion takes over my body. I clear the entire contents of the desk onto the floor, the whiskey glass falls and shatters to pieces. I grab her ankles and slide her closer. With gentle but tremble hands, I lay her back on the table.


    I stare into her blue eyes. She arches her back and pushes herself into my raging erection. Her body whimpers and begs to be touched.


    "Sebastian, take me,"


    As she says these words, I feel a sharp bolt shoot straight through my heart, knowing that she will give me everything that I desire. My mind says no, but my body says yes; how can one have what you desire within arm''s reach but not want it at the same time. Then all reasoning steps out the door.


    Her arms clasp around my neck as she needs to have my body closer. My body jerks at first, but then I allow myself to give in. The thought of her naked body fuels the raging fire within me; she consumes my body. It is not her lips that I reach for; my tongue finds the sensitive parts below her ear. The moan that escapes her lips awakens an even greater longing for her body and soul. The touch of her skin against my tongue sends a fiery passion throughout my core. I cannot keep my self-control any longer, my mouth finds her lips, and I prepare to take him, take every bit that I can have. It''s like a battle raging in my mouth as my every stroke is aimed to make her body quiver.


    Her hands unlock behind my neck, and they are moving all over. First down my shoulders, then down my chest, I can feel my heart pounding beneath my flesh. Her touch sends my blood racing as she moves further down to my waist. My body freezes, and for a moment, I stop breathing, then her hand reaches between my thighs, finding my erection. A growl escapes my lips.


    "Stop! I cannot do this. Please leave."

 Chapter 103 - Raindrops On A Hot Summers Day

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    It has been a week since my encounter with Sebastian in the study. My body has not forgotten the craving that I feel for him, the absolute desire. I know his body desired me, but that mind that always gets in the way soon pushed me aside. I truly believe that I need to come to the realization that he shall never be mine again. Who would have thought that his stubbornness runs so deep, but then again, I would have done the same? In fact, I have done worse, and that is with the woman from his past.


    Today I am dressing up in an exquisite deep red ball gown; there is a ball that is being held at a Vampire of high stature''s home. I must say that I have not heard of him before, but from what one of the servants tell me, he is rather stunning on the eye and even more charming. Now I do not think I would have been allowed to attend as Sebastian shall be there, but they shall honor me for my heroics for saving the Vampire community on numerous occasions.


    "Breathe... Breathe Anastasia... Breathe...You can do this."


    I say after giving myself a once over in the tall mirror hanging on the far sidewall. Red chiffon and cotton lace cover my slim toned body in just all the right places; a pair of red stilettos is the perfect contrast to finish my ever so seductive image off. I am dressed to impress, but I am nervous.


    After straightening my black lace bra for what is the fifth time now, I make my way outside the room. I give Sophia my best smile and pouts my red lips at her.


    "Good luck, Miss Anastasia," She winks as I make my way out of the back entrance.


    As I get into the car, Lewis looks back, "You look beautiful, Miss Anastasia."


    "Thank you, Lewis; it is so kind of you to drive me."


    "Anything for you. Are you looking forward to the ball?"


    "I am indeed, I have never been to one since I have been turned."


    Lewis focuses his glance back on the road and pulls out from the driveway at the very time that Sebastian does. I do not know if it is irritation on his face or just his normal dead stare when he does not care for anything.


    "Miss Anastasia, he will come around. Just be patient with him."


    "Lewis, somehow I don''t think that is going to happen; he does seem quite set in his way."


    "I am afraid he is."


    After a half an hour drive, we arrive at the mansion, "God Lewis, this is spectacular; I have never seen so many windows, I never thought it would be modern. I am looking forward to meeting this man."


    "Be careful; he will sweep you off your feet without you even knowing."


    "Thank you, Lewis; I will call for you when I am ready to come home."


    "Enjoy, Miss Anastasia."


    With that, I make my way to the door where there is a man in a black designer suit greeting the guest. This must be this Vampire that everyone is talking about. And as I come to stand in front of him, I am blown away by his beauty. He has the lightest of blue eyes; his hair is a deep color black; it is spiky and perfectly messed up. His lips are full, and as he smiles, there are sexy dimples that appear at the corner of his mouth. But by far, the best part of him is the sculpted muscles that are toned to perfection underneath his black shirt.


    He shamelessly hovers his eyes over my body for more than a few minutes; the mere attention sends a spark to every corner of my weak body.


    "I believe you must be Anastasia," he says in a soft, husky voice.


    "And you are¡­?"


    "Dante. Your beauty is far beyond what they have described; I say you are exquisite. Now, why is such a queen such as you all alone."


    "I prefer the solitude of my own company."


    "I find it hard to believe; let me take you on a tour."


    My mind screams against it; what if Sebastian sees me on the arm of another man, yet another nail in the coffin. But the desire to feel desired allows Dante to take my arm. Lewis did say I should be careful; well, I think I have just stepped with one foot into the sin of the unknown.


    And as we pass the massive reception hall, there I see Sebastian talking to Edward. The instant he sees me with Dante, I see a look of utmost anger spill over his face. He only gives us one brief glance and turns his back on us. But this does not go unnoticed.


    "Well, my dear Anastasia, seems that our dear Vampire Master does not think found of you. What on earth have you done to the man, for he does not seem his old self."


    "Yes, about that. See, I used to be his beloved.."


    Dante freezes in his steps and turns to me with once handsomely wicked smile.


    "Now that is quite interesting. What do you say we test his patience?"


    "Why on earth would you want to do that?"


    "Well, our Master has always been at odds with the woman I keep my company with."


    "Odds?"


    "Let us just say that we have on occasion seek the companionship of the same woman. But that is not the only reason, I find you irresistible, and the craving you are building in me is a feeling I would love to explore."


    And with that, Dante takes me upstairs.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    My irritation has just grown past a level that I cannot handle. If my presence were not required at the ball, I would have excused myself a long time ago. She has now attached herself to Dante, a man that is known for his charm. But his charm goes far greater than just a flirt. This man shall, without any shame, lure you into his bed, and I believe that they have just made their way there. I do not know what the game is that she wants to play, but that shall not hurt me anymore than she has already done.


    So much to my own very annoyance, I find myself staring at the stairs waiting for them to come down. But that is not happening soon enough to my liking. I shall for certain cut this woman from my life is she as much as lays her lips on him. I, in fact, have already done so, but the way she carried herself as she walked up those stairs in those goddamn stilettos drives me insane every time. Deep red, why did she decide to deep red today? Why does she do this to me every time I need to stay mad? I do not want her in my life; I need to cut my feelings off.


    Then a few moments later, I see Dante and her coming down the steps again. I can smell her arousal. Does she think that I won''t? If laying in another man''s bed is not enough, now she is turned aflame by a man she does not know. I will rip this man apart if he so much as lays his lips on her. But then again, I do not have the right.


    And much to my very disliking, they walk up to where Edward and I are standing.


    "Sebastian, it is great that you could join us tonight."


    "My dear Dante, it is Master, and you know that I shall come whether I am invited or not."


    "Well, Master, I believe you have made acquaintance with our lovely Anastasia."


    "Yes, I am afraid I have had the displeasure."


    "Well, that is no way to speak to such an exquisite woman."


    "Oh my dear Dante, let you not be fooled by beauty that only lies skin deep. I am afraid there is a rather nasty creature lying inside."


    Then the damn asshole gets the newfound idea that is only setting my temper to a new height.


    "Well, would you be so kind and speak a few words about Anastasia?"


    "I shall not say a word about this vixen. Now, if you will excuse me, Edward and I were in the middle of a conversation."


    With that, I do not know who is more satisfied; Dante and Anastasia make their way into the crowd. And at that very moment, the music starts. I watch as he rests his hands at the small of her back. He pulls her far too tight into his body. I can see him smile as he tilts her back and kiss her on the sensitive parts of her neck.


    Edward sees the fury in my eyes, and he knows what I am about to do. He grabs hold of my arm, "Sebastian, it is not worth it. Please do not give them the satisfaction; they both are playing a game with you."


    "Edward, my dear friend, I want her out of our home. Will you please find her a place to stay?"


    Before my words are even cold, the man decides to make his announcement now. Thankfully he does not ask me to speak, but what he does next is unthinkable.


    "Shall our Master be so kind and have a dance with our dear Anastasia."


    My blood boils as I make my way up to them; there is clear satisfaction on his face. From under my breath, I whisper to him, "Consider yourself dead."


    The next moment, I have my arms wrapped around Anastasia''s shoulders as we turn and turn as we are dancing in a circle around the dance floor.


    "Sebastian."


    "Anastasia, it is Master. And I am only required to dance with you."


    "Can you stop whatever game it is that you are playing?"


    "I beg to understand how my heart a game is. Yet again, you have proven that you can not keep your hands off another man."


    "But we are not together."


    I stop dead in our waltz; the fury is wrapped over my face, "Bullshit. And you know that. We have a bond, and that shall never die."


    "Does it mean I should be faithful to you even though you don''t want to be with me?"


    "Yes."


    "Sebastian, that is unreasonable."


    "Anastasia, what you fail to understand is you belong to me even though I do not want any part of you."


    My gaze lasts but for a full second as my eyes moved to the fullness of her lips. Then I returned my eyes to her very own blue ones that are still reflecting the irritation of my statement. With a look of heat in my eyes, so comes the lust and desire once again. It is undeniable; the chemistry is still there. In the room full of Vampires, we stand apart. I know that once I kiss her, my resistance will crumble. Without thinking much, I slide my hands down her waist to lay it at the small of her back. She does not protest, yet she allows me to pull her further into my craving body.


    Now there is only one desire, one wish, and it is just a matter of time before it happens. I can feel her lean her body up against mine, completely closing any gap that existed before. I begin to lay smooth kisses against the delicate skin of her neck, rendering my body even weaker than before. I know that what I am doing is wrong. After just a few delicate touches, my warm lips fall down on hers like cool raindrops on a hot summer''s day.


    In an instant, sooner than I laid my lips on hers, I pull them away. Only one thought consumes my mind.


    "I shall arrange for other accommodation."

 Chapter 104 - Fools In Love

    My desire to feel the ecstasy that Anastasia brings has once again overcome my common sense. Not only have I declared herself as mine in front of a room full of Vampires, but I have pushed her away in the same breath.


    Now, if I thought this forsaken ball was over, I am so sorely mistaken for Dante has decided to have a sit-down. Why does one come with the idea that a bunch of Vampires should sit around a table and drink blood from a wine glass is purely beyond me.


    But do wait for the worst part of this; the man has so conveniently seated Anastasia next to me. Now is this tortured bliss or a pure act of a game that we have played for many years. I am hinting at both, for that vanilla is attacking my senses, but there is something else this time. It is lily; she has adorned her body in the sweet smell of lily and vanilla. How have I missed this before? The mere thought of the sweetness makes me want to delve my body into hers.


    But then the man makes one very fatal mistake; he comes to take a seat on the other side of Anastasia. Now, who is feeling the most uncomfortable pressure between Anastasia and me is yet to be known. Though, I yet again feel that this has been done on purpose. And this shall be purposely hard as I once again feel the urge to take the woman that I love and express with my lips what some parts of me still feels for her.


    And when she speaks next, my body tingles at the mere words that sound like the whispers of angels. That carefree laughter that comes so easily sends a toe-curling electricity to every corner of my being. But what is the most torture is when she accidentally brushes her hand against me, my entire skin goes numb, and every bone in my body feels that it will simply break apart if I cannot feel one brief moment of it again.


    Then from nowhere whatsoever did I expect, I watch her uncup those deep red stilettos off her feet underneath the table. She slowly hooks her foot around my leg, rubbing strokes that can set my heart bursting out of my chest; my body freezes, and I choke on the glass I am holding in my hand.


    Dante, very well knowing the game they are playing, has the nerve to ask, "Master, are you okay?"


    "Perfectly fine Dante, I thought I felt something creeping up my leg."


    But her game is not yet done; she gently lays her hand onto my knee and slowly, agonizingly slowly, run her delicate fingers up between my thighs. My breath hitches and I spill half the contents of my glass over the table.


    Once again, the man just smiles with a goddamn smirk on his face that I so wish I can slap off, "Master, are you sure that all is fine."


    "Yes, Dante, some pesky insect just landed itself on my knee. You surely should look at exterminating these pesky little bugs."


    And just as I thought she could not do any worse, those damn fingers, long eloquent fingers, slowly slides over an ever-growing hard-on, only caused by her. The mere touch of her hand sends me over the edge.


    "Oh my god," I exclaim while she wickedly smiles at me. I return mine with a somewhat frustrated and pained grin on my face.


    So much to my delight, the evening winds down, and Edward and me, find our way faster to the car than any man can breathe. Once I fall back into the seat, I sigh in relief, much to Edward''s amusement. It takes a few rapid breaths to gain my composure again.


    Then Edward very bravely turns to me, "My dear brother, please explain why you insist to be apart from the woman that clearly sets you aflame?"


    "It is that damn perfume; it captivated me the very first day I laid my eyes on her, and yet it still captivates me, but only this time the was wearing a far greater fragrance than I have ever had the privilege to smell on her body."


    "Did you have any idea what you just said?"


    "No, and kindly do not ask me to repeat it. Now please get us home before I have to accidentally bump into her again."


    "Do you still want me to find her another place to stay?"


    Now the true question begs, do I want to keep a woman that I clearly do not want around. Whom am I fooling in saying this? I do truly want her to be so close to me. My problem, if I should admit, is that I do not take well with rejection. Now any man with such an ego as me shall feel the exact way.


    But further, though, does she want to stay in the Belmont House, even if she might feel that she is not welcome. In fact, I can gather that she might, in fact, do, for I have made it very clear that I do not wish to have her around.


    Running with a million thoughts through my mind, I soon find the comfort of my room. Here I can hide with my thoughts, and no one shall see the battle I am fighting with myself. So the question once again comes to mind. Do I wish for Anastasia to stay?


    Then before all reason can stop me, I am standing outside her room, trying to find the courage to knock on her door. A few attempts close, she slowly opens the door; of course, she is going to sense me. How absent-minded I can be, or shall I say plain well dumb.


    Before I can get the words to flow from my lips, she cocks her head and questionably stares at me, piercing those blue eyes completely through me.


    "Sebastian, is something wrong?"


    "May I come in?"


    "Of course," she says as she straightens her lace underwear, god; she is not dressed. Maybe I should come back later for this conversation. But seeing her sway her hips torturously stops all reasoning, and I follow her like a hungry animal that is about to consume the very thing he is desiring at the present moment.


    So it is with a rather big lump in my throat that I try to speak the very words I came here to say to her.


    "Anastasia, if you wish to remain here, I can gladly say that I shall not have any problem in allowing you."


    "Are you sure? I do truly not want to go stay with Dante."


    A new rage of fire sets aflame in the deepest darkest corners of a heart that is now about to explode, "In that case, I insist."


    "Are you perhaps jealous?"


    "Me? Jealous? No such thing. The man shall take your heart and break it too easily."


    "Almost like you."


    Her words hit me like and knock every reason to have felt an ounce of kindness towards her. But I stop and think that this is such a truth that she speaks. I shall stick this ego where it belongs and take whatever needs to come to me.


    "I am so sorry, Anastasia. Never was it my intention to hurt you."


    She reaches her hand out to me, that scent of Lily and Vanilla captures all my senses again; I stop for a minute and say what I truly feel, "I love that fragrance on you."


    "Thank you; I bought it in Paris when we were looking for you. I thought that you might like it.


    Then all those memories come flooding back to me, the way she gave everything she had to find me after one more woman tried to take revenge on me. I take her hand in mine and place it gently against my face; I need to feel the softness that she brings. The thought of her body near me, just the whisper of my imagination, and I am incapacitated. There is no thought, nor focus, only the desire and the pain of wanting.


    With every craving part of me, I shift closer to her. I can feel her lean body pressed up against mine. I feel her warmth, and already my mind has placed our lips together. But instead, she leans in to caress my neck, slow and gentle. She is making me wait, and I can hardly bear it. I want her lips now; I want her kisses. Then she cups my face in her hands and gives me what she knows I want. Just one kiss starts a fire within me no one else could ever ignite.


    I close my eyes and savor every feeling, every sensation she brings to my body, then slowly I pull away. I want to take her body; I want to make love to the woman that I know brings the only joy to me. She looks at me deeply, beyond this man that is trying to hide behind his anger.


    "Sebastian?"


    "Ssshhh. Before I go, I want to say something. You have bewitched me from the very moment that I laid my eyes are you. I am not going to lie when I say this, but you are mine. You are the only one that could reach inside me and tame this beast."


    I watch as the words come to mind but never leaves her lips, she has been rendered speechless.


    "The thing is, Anastasia, there is no perfect lover; we are all flawed, but knowing those flawless and still loving with all your heart creates perfect love. I will never look further than you, my love. If my heart is a flower waiting to bloom, your love is the only sunshine it needs."


    "Sebastian?"


    "Wait, I am not yet done. I love you like you are the last of my kind. It is as if you speak the same language as I, yet no other is able. To be around you is like finally not being alone, as if all my life I have been isolated, in a windowless room, in a doorless room, and then suddenly you walk in as if strolling over a summer meadow. How is it that you are so much more than sunshine? How is it you breathe life when no other can? Why is it you are my medicine? Who could love me more than you? So, my love, know this, while I still walk this plain, I am yours in mind, body, and soul."


    These words bring tears to my eyes, and I know that if she were able to, she would be locked in my embrace and allow the same emotions to consume her. But the question here really is¡­


    "Anastasia, I have been a fool. But a fool with a cautious heart. Would it be so selfish to beg for you to just give me a little bit more time?"


    "Sebastian, I love you. Love says I forgive you when you falter. Love says though life may test me, I am yours into eternity, and I will never abandon you. I will even if it takes longer than an eternity."

 Chapter 105 - Sent Into A Bliss

    It has been one long torturous week. I have seen her come and go as she had to, sadly, go feed by herself. The desire to take her in my arms and make sweet love to her drove me silently insane. I can honestly say, being a Vampire with a soul is a death sentence. The pain that is cutting through me piece by piece is beyond the sleekness of a sword that is being driven through the softness of your heart.


    I wish there was a way that I can rid myself of such a curse. I have had, with our brief encounters, the urge to lose myself in her mind and get a glimpse of what she is feeling. Then I need to remind myself that she is but a mere Vampire; she will not feel the endless pain that runs through my body.


    The question begs, do I want to give in and push the pain away. Truly I have, but then from out of complete nowhere, that demon comes creeping its head up again. Yes, I did ask her for time, but how long will this lasting stay in the abyss that consumes me. It is not that I have not tried or wanted to; it is plainly the barrier that allows me to open up again.


    They say that love is a quiet emotion that, in time, becomes part of the oxygen you need to breathe, so is this why I feel like I am choking. I feel that I need to breathe. I need a heart that is pumping life through my body. I need to feel the ecstasy of being completely alive. Shall I then stop this punishment and let it leave my body fully satisfied that it has run its course?


    As I said that this life is a curse and a curse is hard to carry on your shoulders. I need the love of the woman that loves me. But, god, I cannot bear to stop thinking of the very thought that I am so desperately trying to rid of my mind.


    I am dying inside, and there is not one person alone that can save me. Sadly not even the woman that I called my beloved.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian said I must give him time. Time is a slow killer; it is like the sleekness of a sword that is being driven through the softness of your heart. I might not possess my soul, but the feeling, the only way I can feel, it does kill me inside. I am slowly dying. If Sebastian will only allow me to save him. He needs to know that I am here to pick him up and make him whole.


    It is actions that broke his heart apart, but with my words, I know that I can soothe that deep agony that tortures him still. With my words, I can soothe him until the cage around his heart snaps as if it is made of thin caramel strands rather than a cast iron. With words, I can take what is broken inside and make him willing to walk the hard road of recovery. I know that if my words are not backed up by love, they will all be as valuable as the print on a letter that is charring and burning in the earth


    I want to be there to wrap him in my arms when the bad memories threaten to pull him under again, every time, for eternity. He might not believe a word that flows from my mouth now; I am not even asking him to; I want to prove it to him every day. Why? Because I love him.


    It has been a slow death having to go out by myself to feed; what Sebastian does not know is I have not been to go feed at all. I find myself wandering the streets alone. How can I find pleasure in doing something that I only treasured when I did it with him. Needless to say, I have not fed in over two weeks.


    Thanks to the miracle that is face powder, I have been able to hide the paleness of my skin. I know he shall be mad, but right now, I do not want to make him ever more disappointed in what he already is.


    I feel like I am dying inside; I will now remain in the confines of my room. He cannot see me this way.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I have not seen Anastasia for a few days; I am left to believe that she purely does not feel as if she wants to be in the presence of anyone. This I do find understandable, for I have not yet let go of the thing that is haunting me the most.


    So once I have gathered my thought and put up the courage, I make my way out of my room for a very rare occasion. It has become my sanctuary, a haven for my heart, and the peace I feel behind these wall brings me comfort that no other thing, and yet do I even dare to say, the comfort of any other being, whether it the company of both the immortal word and even strangely the humankind.


    It is without fail that I find Edward and Lilith in their usual spots in the kitchen.


    "I am going to start forcing you to have a true meal in here. You are in here far too often."


    Lilith that is delighted to see me again only but waves me off. She holds a concern in her eyes, and I do know where this is about to lead. Now shall I entertain the questioning? If it settles her at ease, I let her continue.


    "Sebastian, when last have you seen Anastasia?"


    "I have not seen her in several days, but yet again, I have been spending a far great deal in my own room to have really noticed."


    Edward that seems to hold the same concern as Lilith does look at me with rather worry in his eyes, "Sebastian, I have been told that she wanders the streets at night."


    "Of course, she has been out to feed."


    "I am afraid not; they have not seen her doing such a thing at all. She spends a great deal of time sitting in the park."


    There is a darkness that rolls over an already aching heart, "Edward, we have not seen her for several days; I would lean towards a week at best. The last time we were out was two weeks before that. Anastasia has not fed in three weeks."


    "And," Edward adds, "On our trip to find you, we were just getting enough to get us by."


    Then there is a whole new feeling, a feeling of loss, a feeling of been terrified that my stupid stubbornness could have caused the life of the woman that I truly love.


    It is without any hesitation that I make my way to her room; not even bothering for asking permission to enter, I burst through the door.


    "My god! No!"


    Her body is lying softly wrapped between the sheets; she seems that she is lost to the world. Her body appears to have lost all will to stay in the land of both the living and the dead.


    It takes me less than a second to find my way to her bed; there she is, laying as pale as a ghost. As gently as I can, I start to shake her; she does not respond. She does not move. She is completely dead still.


    This is not happening. She is not gone. She is not going anywhere. She can''t just leave like that. She has to come back.


    It is with a sob that echoes through the house that I howl in agony. My tears are dripping on her frail body. Look what my pride has gotten me. It has taken my beloved away. Was it worth grieving like a fool in my room? Was it worth pushing her away when I know she would heal me?


    Now how do I save her if she is gone? How do I heal a body that has gone far too weak? What do I do with a woman that had said her last goodbyes when no one was around.


    My sorry means nothing now, "Oh, Anastasia. I am so sorry for being an even bigger fool than before. I should have known in your words I am safe because they aren''t just words. You were there every day. You were there in the good times and the bad. You knew all my faults, of which, my beloved, I have so many. You understood my anxieties, my triggers, and the ghosts that haunted me. Your words kept me safe, you were there when I acted completely silly, and you were there when I tried to keep myself serious. You were there no matter what. So now, as I sit here, as full of the darkness, I feel now even more in my heart; I want to paint you a picture of my love in words. I wish I treated you better."


    "Sebastian, you are squeezing me to death."


    "Anastasia! My god, you are alive."


    "Well, bearly," she smiles, and I just swear that my heart just flips over in my chest. "My beloved, please forgive me. Please let me help you."


    "But," she softly whispers.


    "No buts, as of this very moment, I do not care for anything, but I only want to be back with you again."


    I gently pull her up closer and pull the collar of my shirt away; I know she needs this, and god, I need her.


    With her tiny fangs, she gracefully exposes them and lay them softly against the smooth skin of my neck. It is in anticipation that I wait for her. I wait to feel her inside. After letting them eagerly linger for far to what seems as torture, she slides them effortlessly into my veins. The sweet ecstasy that runs through my body as she slowly sucks every drop that brings me glorious pleasure. And just as she is about to stop, I beg for her to do it just for one minute longer.


    But before she slips her fangs back into my tender skin, she lays the most tender kisses down my neck, setting a whole new craving to a spark. While I let her in to take me to a peek of heaven, she lays her hand gently on my shoulder and whispers under the most seductive voice I have ever had the privilege to come from her lips.


    "Sebastian, please make love to me."


    "My beloved, I am going to send you into bliss."

 Chapter 106 - Crossing Borders

    Today we are crossing borders. We will find ourselves in the Americas, where a very good friend rules as Vampire Master. He is, by all means, forty years younger than me and far too charming around the ladies. I am a bit nervous about letting my beloved make this trip with me. My heart has forgiven her for the difficulty that we recently experienced. My mind still somewhat wanders to a place beyond my control. Now I am in no way saying that this Vampire shall seduce her, but yes, the man is a real Casanova; words roll from his tongue even smoother than melted honey.


    Now I shall be the one to admit that we did in our days together get up to some rather questionable things, things mainly with the female kind. If my beloved thought that my encounters only spread as far as Europe, well, she might just hear a few stories that shall make her eyebrows raise. So, I am indeed somewhat nervous, for I shall either receive a slap through the face and more certain a very cold bed from her tonight.


    So as she is taking, as per usual, a great deal of time to dress herself, I have come to a frustrating point where I feel the need to do it for her. She, for some unknown reason, feels to wear white today. Now according to her, there are different shades of white. It is beyond me, for they all look the same. In fact, as she claims, there are fifty-two shades of white. Well, I just thought that was an expression to describe a pale face. But I do not care for the tight white pants that she is wearing, what captures my intention, and not the attention of the eye, a far greater one that can cause an incredible aching. She has, with utmost encouragement from me, gotten herself the goddamn seductive stiletto boots. And, of course, they had to be red. Now this vixen is swaying that ass to perfect precision as she is taking those babies for a perfect spin. Yes, this somewhat creates a rather big problem just as we are about to leave.


    "My beloved, I do believe we might have a few minutes to spare."


    "No, Sebastian, we are already late for our flight."


    "I do not believe anymore."


    "What have you done," she asks as she cocks her head and frowns at me.


    "I think I might have just accidentally postponed it to a later time."


    "You think? Or you know?"


    "A bit of both."


    She chuckles at me and pulls me off my chair with a rather raging beast, now; if I thought she is taking me to that bed, I am sorely mistaken.


    "Come, we can act like we are humans and sit in the airport lounge."


    "Or we can act like we are teenagers and do it in the airport lounge restroom."


    "Sebastian, you are absolutely terrible."


    With that, she but only gives me a peck on my cheek, leaving me very much frustrated, which I know is completely on purpose. Well, I do need to admit, I have never done it in such a confined space, and right now, that urge to conquer something new is running like adrenaline through my veins.


    But putting that aside, for now, the reason being for our visit to my dear friend, he has learned about ours, if I even dare say so, our adventures for the past several months. He has come into some trouble with some supernatural creature that is causing havoc around the city. Unfortunately for us, he has no idea what creature we are talking about. It seems that we are going into this one blindly. The thought, and most definitely not appropriate, but rather amusing, comes to mind. That Sebastian Belmont has become your, who do you call guy for a monster. Well, I do say I am relieved that we do not hunt ghosts. Though I truly in my lifetime have not seen one.


    So not only is this trip going to extremely interesting, but I do believe it might even get more horrifying. Perhaps I should inform my beloved that her white pants are going to be red once we are done. But who am I fooling? The fact that the damn woman lacks the basic necessities, such as panties, is not going to bother me the least bit at all.


    Now, if she thought I was joking in delaying the flight, she has just become aware of it, for we frustratingly find ourselves acting like humans. She should know by now that I am not able to act like a human; I am far too strange for that.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    This man is acting far too strangely today. He is either about to do something, or he has, in fact, already done. I am leaning toward both. Something gives me this idea that my dear love is about to have some secrets revealed. He has, on numerous occasions, now told me that I need to keep my distance from this Vampire Master. His name alone sends shivers up my spine; I am yet to decide if it tingles of pleasure or tremors of horror. This man is far older than Sebastian; he has seen a great deal more of the supernatural world.


    Though not completely, for we are headed his way to help him hunt a monster that is wreaking havoc. Now he has been very secretive about the details; we have no idea what we are walking into. I am almost sure that we are going to be terrified of horror and be totally out of our league. But talking about being out of our league, we are being accompanied by our very own Vampire Hunter. Yes, Zachariah has become part of our ghostbuster team. Much to Sebastian''s annoyance, but I think he secretly enjoys Zachariah''s company; that is when he does not tease the living daylight out of him. As for Edward, Council business has kept him back this time, but should the need be; he will come at a call''s notice.


    So Zachariah shall meet as at the airport, and this man with his insatiable sex drive is trying his absolute damnedest to drag me into that restroom which he now is saying is intended to rest, and rest equals pleasure and pleasure equals whatever it is that he wants to do in, conveniently, in the ladies. I am telling him he is crazy, and he says, with a wicked smile on his face, that he is crazy for me. The real fact here is, it is the shoes, not even me but the damn shoes. I think if I make him wear it, he would get just as much satisfaction out of it.


    And after whining like a little boy, he successfully sneaks in behind me as we find our way inside the lady''s restroom. They think I will do to keep this man happy. So just as I am trying to step out of my shoes, he stops me.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    As we finally make our way to the airport lounge, we find my little pesky Vampire Hunter waiting for us. The boy has somewhat started to grow on me. Yes, very awkward. The very person that should be killing me has become, and I can say it with confidence, a friend. But that I would never admit to him, well, not even to Anastasia. So while he is perfectly blending in as a human, I, in my own strange way, attempt to look as normal as I can, but that is a total failure.


    As I sit next to him, there is a rather young boy staring at me to such an extent that I feel robbed from my body. Then the little creature leans in and talks to me, "You are weird."


    "And what makes you say that," I ask the little boy.


    "Well, you look very old."


    "A two-hundred-seventy-nine years, that my little friend is not even nearly old."


    "Well, if you are that old, why do you not have wrinkles?"


    "I carry my years well."


    He seems to study me a bit more with intent and comes to a rather surprising conclusion."


    "I know why you are weird."


    "And why would that be?"


    "You did not eat your vegetables, so you never grew up."


    The pesky little Vampire Hunter bursts out in a burst of annoyingly uncontrollable laughter. The man is laughing so damn hard that he nearly topples over and falls flat on that goddamn ugly face. He can be so glad that he is nearly on his face, for I would have slapped it off for him. But just then, the boy''s mom comes and takes a seat next to him, and she softly whispers in his ear.


    "Benjamin, do not talk to weird men."


    His little face lights up, and he turns back to me, "See, even my mom thinks you are weird."


    My very much embarrassed face goes to take a seat on the other side of the pesky Hunter, only for another little kid to stare at me in a very uncomfortable way. So that is me; I do not, for another minute, attempt to look in any normal way. And I can gladly say that we are soon boarding our plane, and much to my surprise, probably by complete mistake, the little boy finds himself across the aisle from me. The moment his mom looks the other way, he tilts his head and speaks to me.


    "I also don''t eat my vegetables. Am I going to get so old too?"


    I hear Anastasia next to me giggle; she is so going to get it when we find ourselves off this plane. It seems that I have become the inflight entertainment, which is going to be a long and frustrating flight. The boys soon comes with a complete know question.


    "Are you ever going to die?"


    "Well, I don''t believe that will happen any time soon."


    That seems to satisfy his little mind for only but a brief second.


    "Why do you speak so funny?"


    "Well, my little man, why do you speak so funny yourself?"


    "I don''t pay attention in English class. You must have failed English too?"


    "Ha! I think I failed a lot of things."


    "So if I fail everything, will I become as cool as you?"


    "But my friend, you just told me I am weird."


    "Well, that was until I saw your pretty girlfriend. Is she also as old as you?"


    Anastasia sits with a very wide small on her face waiting for me to answer.


    "No, she is probably younger than your mother."


    "Awesome. I want to be exactly like you."


    "My little man, be careful what you wish for."


    After an endless conversation with the little boy, we finally step off the plain again. Waiting for us there is my very dear friend. We use to roam the streets of Europe until he decided to come to this side of the world and became the Vampire Master here.


    Without wasting another minute, I walk up to him and embrace him in a brotherly hug.


    "My dear friend Lestat, I am so pleased to see you."

 Chapter 107 - Who Will Play Bait?

    It is hard to say who is more in awe of Lestat, my beloved, or our Vampire Hunter. The man does carry a rather, how shall I say, a fairly attractive face. There were many occasions that we had to compete against one another for the attention of the lady that we had set our sights on that particular night. And I can almost proudly say that I lost the majority of the time, yet it did not stop me from stealing what he so gladly called as ''mine.''


    So after the introductions and, rather amusingly, a moment of pure horror when he learned that the young man in our company is, in fact, a Vampire Hunter, we make our way to his home. Now the man has always lived lavishly; seeing what he calls home is just beyond crazy. It is a rather mega-mansion, which he refers to as the Golden Palace. In my honest opinion, it is rather bright and unsightly. But that is beyond the point; we are here for a creature problem, which I would like to exterminate.


    While we all sit around some fairly large dining room table, he calls out for a servant to bring us something light to feast on. Well, this is just plain absurd; I am in no way going to feed on another in front of this Vampire Hunter that has conveniently retrieved his dagger from his belongings. The man seems to not trust Lestat and his smooth words. So pushing his request aside, I go straight into the details.


    "My dear friend, now please do explain with what we are dealing here."


    "Well," he starts to explain. " It is rather hard to explain."


    "Please do try, for I cannot read your mind." Well, that is a complete lie, for I can hear every single indecent thought he has running through that head about my beloved; if I did not wish for my ability to become known, I would have slapped him.


    "Now, please explain, for we have seen a number of questionable creatures of late."


    "The mortals are being eaten alive like they are a meal."


    "But is that not what they are?"


    I watch as the Vampire Hunter starts to shift uncomfortably at Lestat''s words, making him pull that dagger even closer to reach. I only but look at him and shake my head; he cocks his head and whispers to me, "What?"


    "Play nice," I speak under my breath, well that is just pointless for Lestat, and my beloved can hear me as clear as the light of day.


    Shifting my focus back to Lestat''s observation, there are only one species that come to mind, "Wolf?"


    "No, I have spoken to the pack leader, and he assured me that it is not one of his kind."


    "Then it has to be hybrid."


    "I am afraid not; they too deny that this is the work of them."


    "Maybe it is a mortal that craves fresh meat."


    My beloved looks and frowns, the next thing those red stiletto boots come crashing into my leg. I only but jump from my chair and gasp, "What is that for?"


    "For acting like an idiot. People are dying, and you are making fun of them."


    "Well, my beloved, they are already dead; I see no reason why they will be insulted if I do."


    "Sebastian!"


    "Yes, I know. I have been whipped. I still do not understand this term, for I do not see it bringing me pleasure."


    Well, I can honestly say that I am relieved that I find myself on the other side of the Vampire Hunter, for I do believe I would have been slapped. And thankfully, this little boy next to me cannot slap hard at all, let alone punch.


    Though the amusement on my face is still very clear, I get that look of death from my beloved. I shall refrain from making any further attempt to lighten the somewhat serious mood that has settled over the table.


    Yet, though, I have no knowledge of what can be responsible for a human to find himself cannibalized in a dark, dirty alley. None of the creatures that we have come up against in the past shall do such a thing. But, then again, this is America; there are far more savage creatures that lurk in the shadows here.


    Now the best part, as it always is, we shall need to go find the creatures that are or play bait and make them come to us. And just lucky for us, we seem to have a mortal in our midst. And I need not even have to say a word, for he is already protesting.


    "Sebastian, you can scrap that idea from your head; there is no way that I shall play bait. In all fairness, I think you shall."


    "My dear friend, they only eat humans; I am not human at all."


    "Well, I am glad we settle on that," he laughs deep from his belly as he finds his own joke rather amusing. "I am still not going to play your bait."


    Well, this now means that we shall need to go find this creature ourselves, for the luxury to have it come to us will not be afforded. It is with great frustration that we find ourselves waiting for nightfall to come. After what seems like endless hours that slowly crawled up like seconds, we finally make our way into the alleys where these victims have been found. Now, if we thought our presence would go unknown, we are sorely mistaken, for there is the fear that they shall not come tonight.


    And, this is how we wait. There is the deathly silence that sets through a very poor lit alley that runs through one of the shady parts of town. Then again, there are too many shady parts around, and there is no way that I am allowing us to split apart into separate directions.


    We wait for nearly what seems the better part of three hours behind a rather big dumpster that has god knows what in, for the odor is foul, enough to make you sick to the stomach. Now, it does look that we are the ones that are the danger lurking here, for we do look like a bunch of criminals.


    After giving up on this part of town, we find our way to another location where the same has happened. There is the unmistakable smell of deep blood that lingers through the alley. To my very horror, the smell does not come from the floor, but in fact, the walls of the buildings that are much more ominous down here.


    The fear of a thousand deaths consume my body, and I pull my beloved closer to my side, "Please stay close, I fear that we are going to encounter something that none of us has yet seen."


    And I am yet to learn not to speak my mouth so soon, for we come up to a mortal that is lying on the floor motionless. With every bone in my body, I do pray that he has met his fate by the hand of another mortal. In fact, I think we all hope that perhaps it is only a Vampire, but Vampires are not such a careless species. Then another terrifying thought enters my mind, has this human been eaten as Lestat has seen the rest of them are.


    It is with very careful steps that we slowly approach the body; not once do we stop to check over our shoulders. We keep Zachariah encircled for the fear that he shall be snatched without being noticed. Do we regret bringing the boy out here in danger? Yes, I do. I do not wish to play lightly with the lives of ones that are far weaker, but then again, he says that he can hold any Vampire at bay, which is true.


    So as we are going up to the body, there is a horrific sight that awaits us. There, to the eye, is something I have never seen in my lifetime before. There must be a great deal of anger that lies behind this act. It is savage and pure evil. And true to what Lestat has said, the woman has been eaten alive. You can, almost, between the mutilated face see the horror in the woman''s eyes. As for her chest, well, it has, it seems it is just ripped open and do I dare even say, feasted upon.


    The sad fact is that we are too late; should we have perhaps left sooner, we could have saved her life. But the other question begs, will this creature come out and do it once again tonight. Will, it even comes back to the same alley we are finding ourselves in. If this animal, if I can even care to mention it by that name, but if it has seen us here over his last victim, will it move to the next place that Lestat has come across a body. In fact, there are several places throughout the city. Is it only one? Or do they travel with others? I can honestly say that we are not at a good advantage here.


    Then as we retreat to the dark corners, Lestat is the first to speak, "Shall we move to the next place?"


    "No, I think we should stay here. At least just for one more hour."


    "Do you truly think it would be as stupid to stay here?"


    "I think we are the ones that are stupid to think it shall move on."


    "What makes you so confident."


    "It finished its meal without the care of being noticed."


    With this, we yet again find ourselves hiding in the shadows. The endless minutes take far too long to come up with anything. The feel of the group is that we should give up for the evening and return tomorrow night. But I am not yet to give up. I do not know if it is fascination or me wanting to save the humans that make me want to remain here. It does sound somewhat cruel, but if this is not a wolf, what shall eat a man alive.


    And we do not have to wait any longer, for we see in the very distance a shadow starting to appear in the alley, but as it seems to grow closer and closer, it is only a simple man that approaches. Now, do we warn the poor man that he is in danger or wait and see if this creature shall step into the light? With much debating, we decide to let the man make his way through. Not thinking much, we see yet another man entering the alley. What we thought would have been our attacker has ended up being two humans.


    So with much convincing, Lestat convinced me to head home. Before we leave, I turn around with one glance over to the two men that are now fast approaching.


    "Wait!"

 Chapter 108 - Toss Of A Coin

    We have just seen somewhat of a rather strange situation. I did, and by all fairness, the rest in our group, we have come to believe that both men that have just come down the alley are, in fact, men. Well, we have been sadly mistaken, for the one man, and it is not quite clear from where we are standing, has overpowered the other and is now, in fact, eating him alive.


    The terrifying screams are near enough to make my skin crawl. The sudden flush of blood in the air is telling us that this animal is ravaging this poor human at an alarmingly fast pace. Now, why one of us is not moving, that I do not know, though that is what we came here for. So much to my horror, my beloved starts approaching this creature.


    "My beloved," I try to whisper as softly underneath my breath as possible, "Where are you going?"


    "To help the man, of course."


    Lestat that has seen the extent of the wounds that these victims have started to laugh softly from his chest. "My dear Anastasia, it is pointless; that man was dead the first minute his body hit the floor."


    "Well, then I am going to see what monster we are dealing with." She says, rather confident in herself.


    Now, this makes it my time to chuckle over with great laughter; even though she is finding it rather annoying, I still carry on with my boldness,  "My beloved, are you going to go shake the creature''s hand?"


    I can only be thankful that I find myself between the Vampire Hunter and Lestat, as the look of death that she carries in her eyes is somewhat unnerving. But if I thought she would take Lestat and me seriously, she does prove me otherwise, for she does slowly, don''t know why, but she finds herself crawling up a pace to go ascertain what type of monster we are dealing with.


    So it is with much horror that I see her only but a mere twenty odd steps away from this creature, then out of what I am assuming is fear, she joins us again. Now I only have two questions, what is it, and why have we not even scared it away? Well, it only scurried away once she was almost on top of it. Oh, perhaps I have answered my own question on my own, we are Vampires; they do not consider us to be fit as a meal. This makes me think.


    "My dear Zachariah, please will you walk up to that creature? I wish to test a theory."


    "The only theory we shall test is how fast my dagger goes into your heart. Now, why is this creature not even merely interested in even attacking. Oh, I forgot, you are already dead."


    "Zachariah!" I watch as my beloved''s flat of her palm makes contact with a very much flushed cheek now.


    "Ha! You have been whipped, my friend," I loudly claim as my voice echoes through the alley. But that is when we see it, between getting whipped and laughed at; the creature finds the lovely idea in his head that it feels the need to creep up to us.


    What we see is one thing that only the two Windchaser boys can explain. So with a clear image in our heads, we find our way out of the alley even faster than we have entered. There is an immense fear that sets over my body, never have I seen any such thing in my life before. So much so that my beloved comes to take my hand, and thank god she is not an Ancient anymore, for she would have broken every bone.


    With that, we soon find ourselves back at Lestat''s home, phoning the clever one of the two boys. But if I think that my call was welcomed, well, I am highly mistaken.


    "What have you summonsed now?" I laugh nervously as Ethan answers the phone promptly. Why would the man think every time I phone him that I am in trouble, or that trouble seemed to have found me.


    While I wait for Connor to make a string of jokes as he is speculating the reason for my call, I begin to explain as much detail as I can, "Well, my dear friend, I do not know what it is. But it seems to enjoy the buffet that your humans bring."


    "Wolf?"


    "No."


    "Hybrid?


    "No, established not either."


    "What does it look like?"


    "A human, well until its teeth appear."


    Ethan goes silent for several minutes as he tried to play the possible list of creatures in his head.


    "You are sure it is not a Vampire," he stupidly asks.


    "Well, why would I hunt my own."


    "Uhm¡­because you do."


    "This is not helping my friend. Now, will you be helping me or not?"


    "Fine, we shall see you in a couple of hours."


    "We are not at home; we are with Lestat."


    "Oh my god," I hear him slam his hand against what is possibly a table, "Are you sure it was not him?"


    "No, he witnessed it with us."


    "Fine, we will see you in less than a couple of hours."


    While waiting for the boys to come, the Vampire Hunter nervously goes to rest for the evening; he is almost sure that Lestat will kill and make him dinner while he is sleeping. I do not blame the young man for Lestat had done some questionable things in his lifetime. But I think my dear beloved will drive a dagger through his heart if he so much as touches Zachariah.


    As for my beloved and me, we retire to a room to rest; this habit of her does still finds me odd, if you know me, it is an excuse to torture me and drive me to a craving for her body that is so immense that I will go as much as pull my very hair from my head. And let us not forget she has those damn seductive red stiletto boots on, which she is refusing to take off. She, too, like the Vampire Hunter, fear that Lestat might listen to us should we make love. Which I can also in confidence say, it is something that he has done on numerous occasions.


    But thankfully, he does seem to behave himself for the period that we await the arrival of the Windchaser boys. Now there is no love lost between Lestat and them. They will, and have, on many occasions, threatening to kill the man. Why they have not done so yet is beyond my understanding. And quite amusingly, for but only the first couple of minutes, Lestat, much to my enjoyment, hides behind no other than the Vampire Hunter.


    "Well, well, is it not our dear Lestat," Connor slaps him on the shoulder as he pulls him from behind Zachariah. "What have you done again? Is it some scorned lover that has come to piss you off?"


    Then the pesky little Vampire Hunter seems to feel the need to add, "Is it a male Vampire thing, this scorned lover? Can you men not control yourself."


    "My dear friend," I answer, much to the shock of my explanation, "If you are doomed to live for eternity, then staying with one woman that long does become dreadful."


    "Sebastian!"


    "Yes, my beloved."


    She but only remain quiet and give me a rather strong look of dissatisfaction.


    But dear Windchaser boy, Connor, adds, "you have been whipped."


    I stop him from continuing, "What is up with this whipped then? Why do one call it whipped when you do not use the actual item."


    "Stop over analyzing and tell us about this monster," Connor says as he is getting irritable with Lestat hovering around him like a rather large piece of meat.


    "Well, as I said, it is human, and it has got a lot of teeth.


    "Yes," Connor says. "Generally, humans do have a lot of teeth. You have to be more specific."


    "Let us take when my beloved was an Ancient, and she had all those ugly teeth," Connor looks at me and shakes his head.


    "No, no, big no, no," yup, and with that, her palm comes crashing against my face, which would not even turn rosy if I tried it too. But let me carry on, "He had those teeth, but the man could open his mouth really big, like extremely largely over big.


    "Take us to the place where this creature was before," Connor says as he goes to fetch a rather thick book bound in leather. "I think I have an idea what this might be."


    So for the second time this evening, we find ourselves heading into a dark alley where we for certain know there lies a danger in, and as always, it is not the Vampire that holds the danger here.


    Much to our utter disgust, the body of the man still remains where we left it several hours ago. The question begs, it truly does not care for how it leaves its victim, or do they, in fact, keep it for a snack later. Needless to say, whichever one, the boys still go to investigate the wounds on the man''s body. But they are not yet convinced what creature we are dealing with.


    To my total surprise, at the toss of a coin, the boys flip to decide who shall play the bait. Now, if I knew that, I would have tried it with our Vampire Hunter a while ago. So as we all once retreat into the darkness again, we patiently hope that this animal shall come to show his face again. And we need not have to wait for long, for out of now where the man goes straight for Connor and attacks him.


    As the man tries to overpower him, he exposes whatever those godawful things in his mouth are and goes to mangle Connor''s face. Connor seems to be able to hold him at bay, but then he slips a wooden stake, for he was fairly convinced it was a Vampire being the cause of the attacks. Once this man sees the stake, it startles him, and he disappears into the darkness of the alley.


    As he comes back, reeking of something that is not nearly pleasant on the nose, he confidently turns to his brother, "I know what it is."

 Chapter 109 - Pulling Strings

    It is clear that we have once again met our match by some unknown creature. Very unknown to us, but something which I believe the Windchaser boys have dealt with. I do really find it horrific the things that they deal with. Here I worry about a Vampire that is throwing its toys out the cot, where these two see things that one can not even sit and imagine up yourself.


    So as we all stare in anticipation at this man that seems to find this exciting, I am near damn ready to slap him.


    "Out with it, boy."


    "Now for calling me a boy, I shall gladly feed you to it." He but pauses for a few brief moments, "Oh, but I forgot you are already dead."


    Well, this is only a Vampire Hunter joke for Anastasia; Lestat and I do not find this amusing whatsoever. And as expected, they are just about to carry on with their laughter at our expense, so I rudely interrupt them.


    "So how do we kill this monstrosity. In fact, what do you even call it?"


    "It is a Leviathan," Ethan starts to explain. "Or Chompers," Connor laughs.


    "Well, that does still not explain what they are to me?


    "Let me try this in simple terms," Connor comes to place his hands on my shoulder, now I do know that he is only but mocking me now, yet I let him continue. "They used to be primordial creatures from the sea, that through evolution became able to possess other creatures to survive on land."


    Somewhat still confused, I ask, "Like humans?"


    "Yes," Connor continues. "They are immensely powerful, hungry, clever, poisonous, and as some stages rather entertaining."


    "I do find it really odd how you can find a creature that feeds on your intestines as rather entertaining."


    "Well, whichever way, Sebastian. They will consume and destroy everything."


    "Then how do we kill them?"


    "There is a weapon that needs to be created," Ethan explains. "A bone of a nun that needs to carry the blood of a fallen angel."


    "Oh, that is easy. We can ask Breyden."


    "Fair," Ethan continues, "The ruler of the underworld."


    "Mmm, I am afraid that we killed him."


    "What?" Ethan shouts out in shock.


    "But we have his son," I say, trying to reassure him.


    Dean cocks his head and looks at his brother, "It might work. Then lastly," he adds, "We need an Ancient."


    "Mmm, we killed them too."


    "What?" Ethan looks at me for far too long to feel comfortable with, "Do you kill everybody?"


    "Pretty much," I answer, this time they do not find my answer the least bit funny at all.


    "Well, what about Anastasia."


    "No, we reversed the spell."


    Ethan once again only but shakes his head at me."


    "And the Vampire Hunter."


    "I am afraid too, we have reversed his spell."


    The two Windchaser boys stand dumbstruck at each other; well, I do not know if they think our conquers are outstanding or rather a bunch of silliness combines with stupidity. But there has to be another way to kill these beasts, as I have learned now that there is always another way. But do I even dare to ask?


    "Is there no other in killing these creatures?"


    "You shall have to cut his head off," Connor says.


    "Well, that seems easy enough."


    "Good luck with you cutting that things head off. You have seen that mouth. He will bite your arm off before you even get to it."


    "Then cut if from behind," is my addition to finding the solution.


    But from behind, I feel the very flat of a very well-known hand making contact with the back of my head. My beloved has just slapped me for my silliness, which I truly do not find silly at all. So I guess this comes to one thing.


    "Who shall be the idiot to attempt such a thing, now let me just tell you that I have a very unsteady hand due to my current age."


    "Come one, seriously?" Connor now to slaps me against the head.


    "What is up with the head-slapping," I ask, extremely frustrated. "We need to come up with a solution before another human meets its untimely fate.


    So we find ourselves, guess how, we find ourselves pulling a string, or shall I say paper. That silly game you played when you were still yay high to decide who is going to be the fool that is going to knock on Miss Wilson''s door. Now I never have been one to be good at games, even the female ones, as we have learned. The possibility that this shall be me, well, the odds are definitely in my favor.


    But whether the odds were in someone''s favor, I shall with certainty say that my beloved has now pulled the shortest piece of paper. Now I need not even have to mention; she shall not be doing this; I have no care if she is a powerful Vampire. She has lost most of her power since she is not an Ancient anymore, and from what Connor has mentioned, these creatures are immensely powerful. So without any hesitation, I take the piece from her hand.


    "I shall do it instead."


    "Sebastian," my beloved protests. "I can do this."


    I look at her with the utmost love in my eyes, for I do not wish to think that I am belittling her in any way. Yes, I hate that great disappointment that I see in her eyes, but I am sure she understands why I need to do this instead. I have come too close to losing hers so many times that I shall simply not bear it to see her to come once again. I do know that she feels the same way, but as I have said, I am far more powerful than her.


    But then the boys hit me with another joke, and I must by far say it is the funniest thing I have ever heard. Now I truly wish I can stick a sock in Connor''s mouth.


    "You do know that they have a leader, and this dude is probably not the only one."


    "Are you just not a ray of sunshine. How on earth do we find them and not even mention kill them all?"


    "Well, that, my dear friend, is where you become a hunter."


    "Well, my dear friend, Mr. Windchaser, I have no desire to become a hunter. We have our little Vampire Hunter here. Can you three not go play hide and seek?"


    I watch as pure terror creeps over our little Vampire Hunter''s face at the mere suggestion to go hunt other creatures apart from Vampire. Now our Vampire Hunter does possess a great deal of power; I might even dare to say that he matched that of my beloved, if not perhaps a bit stronger. The fact, though, is that it has become our problem, or should I say our responsibility to protect not only our own kind but the lives of the mortals. Then this is not my city, so the question begs.


    "Lestat, do you have the means to take down this creature as and when you find them?"


    He stares at me with somewhat of a hesitation; yes, this man has never lifted a finger of that claw to get it dirty, let alone save something he does not care a great deal about. But there is the fact that if we ever, and if we do not already, if our presence is known. This shall be something a Vampire shall be blamed for. Now there is no way a Vampire shall go to this extent to kill one, but that is something a mortal would not know.


    So I shall take this creature out; after that, I cannot quite say that I can spend months in the Americas and find creatures that need to be declared extinct. Yet something gives me the belief that they shall not be quite that extinct after this.


    Now I have just become the bait, so I shall be the dumb one who goes into the next alley and stands there and just wait to be attacked. This is by far the most idiotic thing that Sebastian Belmont has ever done in his life.


    As I stand here in the total darkness of the alley, I can hear every single sound. Whether if it is a car honking its hooter on the main road or some girl screaming at her boyfriend as they are fighting. These sounds are intimidating, for I have no idea if I shall hear such a monster approach. But he is in a human body; therefore, I shall hear the click-clack of feet coming down the alley.


    And just as I am near to give up, I hear the very sound coming from far away. I clench the dagger that our little Vampire Hunter gave me in squeeze my eyes real damn tight. Yes, the Vampire Master is scared. Who shall not be scared if you have a creature from hell descending on you?


    So I casually wait for this creature to decent on me. I am trying hard to blend in, but we all have recently established that I cannot blend into anything.


    Then, what almost seems as instantly, the man starts to clearly approach me. But this is not where my problem lies, there is a group of two men approaching as well. Are they approaching me or just merely in the same alley as our creature is hunting.


    I give a brief glance at where the rest of my group is standing. There is a worried look on my beloved''s face; the Windchaser boys are moving around nervously. Then before I know it, it all happens at once.

 Chapter 110 - Unexpected Detour

    I have just agreed to be the fool that shall play bait. Well, there shall be no way that I shall allow my beloved to become bait. The only one that shall be attacking her is me. And let me tell you this, I much rather want to be somewhere else than here, for I have three men, whom I believe are Leviathans that are making somewhat of a nervous stroll up to me. One shall think he shall launch himself at me and turn my insides out, but no. He is, with his two friends in tow, coming up to me rather slow and ominously.


    And then.


    The man is in front of me so fast that one would think that he is a Vampire. I watch as he unhooks his jaw and opens it so wide that his entire face has become a set of teeth, but wait, that godawful split tongue seems to horrify me even more than the teeth. I know that any minute now, he is going to make mince of my face. But then I do remember the dagger that I hold in my hand. Now my great idea to take him from behind is just not happening. The thing is so fast, and he just does not miss any move that I make.


    So it is really frantically that I try to outsmart him with my own speed, to avail, the man and those teeth are determined to make me his meal for only but a very few minutes until he moves on his neck. I am not even coming close enough to make the tiniest slice in this throat. The boys should surely be far better at this. It is making me consider that they have done this only to have their few minutes of entertainment.


    But wait, I have completely forgotten about the two other men that were approaching; they seem to have not turned into this dreadful monster. Perhaps they are waiting their turn at having a piece at me. I guess that saying os sharing is caring is definitely a reality. Now that person that also said that your life flashes before your eyes should be shot or fed to this creature, for believing me, the only thing that is flashing in front of my eye is the razor-sharp teeth of the thing that is about to mutilate me.


    Then something rather strange does occur, the two men that have been standing there like they have been waiting for something, come towards me. And yes, I have just met my maker. I am going to be ripped to pieces by something that I cannot even pronounce the name. So it is with a final look that I look over to my beloved, which in the far distance I can see her biting those blood-red nails.


    And then it happens.


    The one mane retrieves a dragger, pretty much the same as what I am holding, and with the greatest of ease, detaches the head of the creature. He rather strangely takes the head and gives it to the other man beside him, "Burn it," I hear him say, nearly falling on my face at his bold request. But I do not care what they burn on the monster''s body; I want to know who they are.


    "Please accept my gratitude," but before my words even run course, I see the very man with the dagger step closer to me.


    "You are a Vampire?"


    "Well, I am glad that you noticed. Now would you kindly not point that thing at my chest."


    "What are you doing in the alley? Busy killing some helpless woman?"


    "No, my beloved does not approve of me drinking from a woman."


    He looks at me rather oddly and continues his question. "You are not from around here?"


    "Well, I am glad that you notice that. So seeing that I am not from here, you cannot kill me."


    "Who are you?"


    "Sebastian Belmont, and I, my friend, are from London. Now kindly return the favor and tell me who you might be. And for god sakes, take that dagger away from my chest."


    Much to my relief, I hear as Daniel''s voice comes from behind me, now if I think the man is here to help me, he only but encourages the two to tab a literal stab at me. Yet I am not yet easily going to give up, and something does make me believe that he knows who the two are that is yes about to make a rather large hole through my body. And as he speaks, my suspicion is confirmed.


    "Well, is it not Alard and Raj, what finds you here in this alley?"


    "Ah, you know, a bit of this and that. Felt like getting myself some action," the man called Raj says.


    The man named Alard then adds, "We have been tracking these Levitians for a while now. Thanks to you bait here, we are closing in on them."


    "Well," I exciting say, "Now my beloved and I can return home."


    For a brief second the Hunters, stop closer to me, but Daniel pushes his hands in the way, "He is good; the man has been helping us a lot. So we kind of return the favor not to kill him. Though some days I do regret my choice in doing so."


    The entire group of men finds this somewhat amusing, where I, I am just thankful I have not been turned into a ball of mess. Well, the creature, for somehow did not realize that I am a Vampire, for there is not much left of my organs inside to feast from.


    So I leave the boys behind to play catch up, and we, Anastasia, our dear Zachariah, and I much gratefully make our return back home. Well, that is what I thought. As we find our way in the cab on the way to the airport, the drive does act somewhat oddly, way too oddly for my concern. The is something truly wrong with this man. Or he has, as they would say, fell into the bottle. And the odd description that I do remember from my early years as a human, for I too fell too deep into the bottle on plenty occasions, and that is to entice the female kind.


    But regardless of this, we are nearing the airport, and then, much to my surprise, the man does not turn down the slipway that shall take us there. In fact, he goes into a completely different area, far into what seems like an old industrial areal. My beloved that has grown rather concerned, softly whispers to me.


    "Sebastian, where are we going?"


    "My beloved that I cannot tell you, but I do believe that it cannot be any good."


    Our Vampire hunter that is now too concerned tries to make sense of our surroundings and to where this man is taking us. He had come from the Americas himself before he settled his business in London. The concern has also grown on his face us none of us, first of all, know who the man is, and second, we do not know where he is taking us.


    Soon we find ourselves going up a dark, deserted road, which has now become far too often. There is an eery light that is casting into the buildings creating a very ominous mood. The further we head between the warehouse, we soon come close to what appears to be the docks. Now I have heard of Mafia Bosses doing ungodly things to people out in this area. I can safely say that I have not ever known one, and I somehow doubt that we are being taken to one. So with a new brave intent, I call for the man.


    "Where are you taking us?" I ask.


    "Well, can you not see?"


    "Yes, my friend, I can see, but why are you taking us here?"


    "Would you not love to know, now shut your mouth. I do not want to listen to you whine; I am much rather going to enjoy hearing you scream."


    "Well, my friend, if you have taken us hostage, then you would know who I am. My kind does not scream."


    "We shall see about that soon."


    With that, he turns up his awful music as he wishes to not hear my voice. If he does know who I am, does this mean we are taken to another Vampire? Or perhaps it is the leader of those Levithians. Even perhaps it can be the two Hunters that we came across now. The possibilities are endless. But then again we have a human with us or is he but just in the way. Well, whichever we are, we shall soon find out, for we have just reached our destination, which conveniently seems to be a deserted warehouse right next to the docks.


    So the annoying little man forces us one by one out the car; as another man approaches, they proceed to tie our hands behind our backs. The second mand shows for us to follow while the one at the back holds a gun to our backs. Well, this man is truly stupid, for he should know that is not a way you kill a Vampire, yes, a human, though.


    Then is sits us down onto the floor into a rather filthy pond of water. And in he walks.

 Chapter 111 - An Odd Affair

    I do believe that we have found ourselves in a bit of trouble once again. Now this one is truly a first for us. We have managed to move from one really horrific situation to one that seems at this stage only bizarre. We have not yet come to known who is behind this kidnapping. There is only some oddly dressed cab driver that has taken us to this rather disgusting warehouse with the foulest stench.


    Now I do believe that my beloved is taking this one fairly well; as for our dear Vampire Hunter, well, I do not know if he is irritated or terrified. At the best of times, the man''s face is rather hard to read. Then again, the Windchaser boys come with the very same package; therefore, I do believe it is a Hunter thing.


    So as I try to whisper in my beloved''s ear, this rather annoying little cab driver keeps telling me to remain quiet. Well, he can count himself very lucky, for I would have slapped that annoying face so hard it shall spin beyond tomorrow.


    With this thought in mind, I do find myself wondering who would have taken such a clearly dumb man in his employment. I do not believe that he knows which place in the alphabet his name sits. But what I do know sits is a slight hint of fear that is running through my beloved''s mind; yes, I do know I do not intrude the confines of her personal space, but I can clearly not hear her speak, so I am left with this only other option.


    She has run through a dizzy circle in her mind, the very thing that I, too, have. Who is behind this? We do not travel this way, I can with certainty say not often at all, so it does puzzle us who is behind this act. It does bring to mind, we did upset a rather angry Levithian leader, but shall he have acted so soon. Though we have not truly killed him, those two other Hunters did a rather stunning job of it themselves.


    But I think we are soon to figure it out. From in the distance, there is a rather heavy steel door that is being pushed open with a rather loud screeching sound. The sound it makes as it slowly closes is enough to send a shiver up your spine. Then the slow click-clack is approaching us; there is no way to tell if it belongs to those of a man or a woman. But what does become evident is a very distinct smell. Yet, I am not going to anything to it just yet until I have its very appearance in front of me.


    And with that, the silhouette of what seems like a woman, judging by the fairly long hair and the long black coat. But then there is that saying, do not judge the man by his clothes, and same to say about a woman. For as this person steps from under the darkness of the ominous light, it is as I first suspected.


    "Lestat?"


    "Surprise, Sebastian."


    "My friend, what is the meaning of this?"


    "Please refrain from referring to me as your friend."


    Now I would have never in all my years seen this coming: a man that is, and as he now refers to as was, a friend. And let us not forget that I did look up to him in a way as he taught me things that experience can never tell. We were unstoppable in our years together in London, and very much the rest of Europe. We were as we never went anywhere alone. We conquered the female kind with perfect art. And we were ruthless as Vampire Masters. So this does somewhat baffle me.


    "Lestat, why have you gone this far? Have I done something that has offended you?"


    "Sebastian, do you even have to ask. You took what is mine, over and over again. You kept on taking what was mine."


    "What are you referring to? I mean, there were plenty of ladies to go around, and if I  do remember correctly, you always won their hand ."


    "You are so foolish; you still act completely absent-minded when it does suit you."


    "Well, if you tell me what I am supposed to act absent-minded to, then I shall gladly make my admission."


    Yes, he is true though I did take his; I kept taken the woman away from him but is that truly a reason to tie me up in a warehouse? There must be more to his craziness, and well, he expects me to know what it is. But if I read his mind, well, there is a way to resolve this thing far quicker, and we can go home. But his head is such a bundle of nonsense with words and ideas flying all over the place, needless to say; I have a very good idea of what he has planned for us. So let me try this again before we find ourselves hanging from the roof and bleeding dry. As for the poor Vampire Hunter, he shall become his afternoon snack.


    "Lestat, I am very afraid, but I do not know what you are talking about."


    "Then let me make this clear. Who was Master in London and Europe."


    "Me and you."


    "Yes, who was the first."


    "You."


    Ah, I see what he is getting at; I perhaps did sort of in my own way forced him to come to the Americas as I wished to remain in London. Though what the man does not understand is that I was the eldest; therefore, I had the first right.


    "Well, my dear friend, I do beg your pardon. What do you want me to call you?"


    "Sebastian, do not mock me. You know what you did wrong. You drove me out of London so you can have it all for yourself."


    "Now that is how it works; you cannot have two Masters and that you do know."


    "I was there first."


    "And I am the oldest."


    Then from next to me, I hear the voice of my beloved raise above those of Lestat and me, "God, is this a pissing contest? Can you make up? I do want to go home."


    "My dear Anastasia," I immediately stop him before he says another word and make my request. "I do warn you not to refer to my beloved as dear. Her name does need to be dirtied from your foul mouth."


    "Then I shall say, Anastasia, you are not making it out here alive. I am claiming what is mine and getting out of this place."


    And if I think that my beloved has not lost her mind completely, she informs Lestat, "Then you shall claim your grave for I do believe there is one held for you in the catacomb.


    Yes, she did indeed say that. Now I wish she did not, for it has only infuriated this already crazed man. But lucky for me, the very clever cab drive that is now casually playing with his gun, and might I add the safety is still on, he has taken his eyes off us and also neglected to search us for any weapons. It is with a rather satisfied smile, well an inner one for Lestat knows me rather well to know that I am up to no good.


    So I find myself cutting through the ropes that, which is probably the only skill our cab driver has; he did tie quite a mean knot, but I am happily cutting my way through it. Completely oblivious, Lestat is having his own pity party, not knowing what is about to come his way. I will as always take what is his, and this time it shall be his life.


    But then I am thrown with a completely new cliffhanger, in steps another rather a monstrosity of a cab driver through the door. Now that is a man that I would not like to take me anywhere. That is beside the point; he has in front of him the very unfortunate prisoners, which I really do find odd, but with him is the Windchaser boys. Now how he managed to tie them up, that I do not know for not even I can come remotely close to any one of them.


    Then there is a question that begs, and do I dare to answer. I am finding this whole hunt here rather strange now. There must be more than this. There is something that does not quite make sense, but I cannot ask the boys as they seem to have a sock stuck in their mouths. This does make me chuckle, once again only but to myself inside. Though the look in their eyes clearly wants to tell me a story.


    A story that well, I hope they do not find if I invade the privacy of their mind, but the damn clever Windchaseer have over years of experience learned how to block their mind off, whether intentionally or just by pure habit.


    So I find myself in a rather bad predicament. I have cut my ropes and are very much ready to take Lestat on, but I need someone to help me with these idiotic cab drivers. Though next thing I hear that very steel door open to a screeching pain, and in steps what is most definitely a woman for I know the clear sound of stilettos.


    And am I surprised.

 Chapter 112 - Sebastians Little Secret

    It was the year 1751. I had gotten involved with a woman, one of those that at the current time I felt that she was the one. I gave up my ways to spend what I thought would be our eternity. Now I shall admit that having a sexual appetite as I do, it made me do this rather foolishly. But yet I thought this woman was to be my beloved, which I was later relieved, I did not mark. The problem is that we lived together with this illusion in my head that we were the Master and his beloved, it was a notion that I became accustomed to. When Edward finally spoke some sense into me, when he showed me the wrong in my ways, I immediately, well, it is rather ugly to say, but I did throw her out and ordered her to never come near me again.


    And so she did, I never heard or saw her again, so I thought that I could confidently say that she was no longer part of my life and that she had moved on. Later years I did learn that she had encounters with Lestat while we were together. Now it did infuriate me, but I thought if I felt the need at the time, I would have cheated on her as well. That is where my knowledge ended with her, until now.


    "Well, Sebastian, my beloved, it is so great to see you again."


    I watch as my real beloved''s eyes grow rather wide, and next to me, I hear Connor whisper under his breath, "I see someone has got some explaining to do."


    He sees that I do not find his remark rather funny at the moment and still continues to chuckle at himself. The man is rather peculiar at the best of times.


    So my delusional lover steps forward to me, much to the annoyance of my beloved, let us rather refer to her as Anastasia at present. So it is with much annoyance that this woman lays her lips against mine. If it was not that Anastasia would get upset, I would have bitten the damn things off. Yet, I think that will give her some twisted form of pleasure.


    When she sees that this act has rather no effect on me, she looks over to Anastasia, "Ah, how cute. Let us guess you also told her that she is your beloved?"


    "No, Cassandra, she is my beloved. Now, what is the purpose of this charade?"


    "Well, my love, is it not clear?"


    "Let me guess, our Lestat here has promised you the universe, and you help him get London back."


    "Not quite; I have no desire to have Lestat. The man has been with some questionable woman in some questionable places for two-hundred-forty-nine years. I truly have no desire to find myself into that as well."


    Well, now if she has any thought of me taking her back, I shall gladly chew off my own foot before any such thing happens. So I guess the only thing left as with them all is revenge. But there is one thing that I have not been truthful with, and she has just made her entry.


    "Daddy," Lucy runs over and gives me one rather big hug, which I must admit is something that still feels awkward. Why do humans feel the constant need to wrap themselves around each other? Yes, by all means, wrap your legs around each other in moments of ecstasy. That is beside the point, my mind is being distracted by my own ramblings. Why? I am going to have help to pay to explain this one to Anastasia.


    And yet again, Connor, now really having a rather large smile on his face, whispers once again, I have no idea, for Lestat and Cassandra can hear every word he says, and he fully knows that. The man is just taunting me. But it does not stop him from saying, "Now someone really has some explaining to do."


    "Yes, that explaining shall need to come from Cassandra," with my best attempt, I try to get Anastasia''s burning eyes of me, but underneath her breath, I can hear her clearly say, "Sebastian, you are dead." Yes, I am, in fact dead. But I am sure that after she is done with me I shall be what can even possibly be, beyond dead.


    Then completely out of place, the Windchaser boy, Ethan, feels the need to start filling some gaps in, "So this entire Levithian thing. Is that your doing?"


    "We used them as a means to draw you here," Cassandra explains. "We made them an offer that they simply could not refuse."


    "What?" Connor asks, "Like offering them the city as a platter?"


    "Yes," Cassandra admits. "Something pretty much like that. Now we also offered them a little bonus, though we did not expect that the Hunters would show up. They already feasted on your two other friends, but of course, they rather prefer the main meal."


    Well, this woman must surely be dumb, for I think she must know that Vampires are pretty much dead inside, what on earth is she going to feed them, and do I even need to have wondered, yet though a still ask.


    "Have you lost your ability to think over the years, Cassandra, for our guts are pretty much nonexistent?"


    "Oh, who said that they are going to eat that. I offered them the thing that you truly lack."


    "Well, you truly lack one to my dear, for do you think for one second that they shall leave you untouched?"


    "We made a deal," she rather firmly try to convince me.


    Connor, who seems to have a laughing issue when he finds himself under pressure as they say in a tight spot, finds the breath to once again make his vocal cords known, "Well, I hate to burst that bubble, but their word is not good for anything. They even kill their own."


    There is a very clear shock that reflects in her eyes as the possibility comes to mind that her brain shall also be offered on a plate. Well, I don''t quite think so, but we all are going to be eaten today thanks to two imbeciles that think they can take over Europe. I think by now, they should learn that you shall only find yourself dead if you try to take Sebastian Belmont.


    So it is in rather amusement that we sit and watch Lestat and Cassandra reassess their situation. Now I can clearly hear Cassandra''s solution, leave us here and make a run for London. Lestat, on the other hand, is under the impression that no matter where they go, the Levethians will still come for them, so I turn my head to Ethan and try as softly as possible to ask him, "Will they follow them?"


    "Of course, if they think they can make another deal, then they would. The world is their hunting ground."


    Now that just terrifies me, thinking that these animals shall make their way to London and into Europe and lay waste to all that they see. I cannot let that happen; the biggest problem here is how do we find ourselves out of this situation. And Lestat and Cassandra seem to have the perfect solution.


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, Lestat."


    "We have been friends for years."


    "A friendship that ended the moment you tied these ropes on our hands."


    "Then let me say this. You are a reasonable man."


    "My reason only goes as far as your intellect, and that is not far at all."


    Well, there, I think I made my own personal joke that our Hunters find kind of amusing. The fact is that he has never been on the clever side. He got himself in an awful lot of trouble and an awful lot of time. The man''s brain only functioned in one way, and that did not even function properly at all.


    But yet I shall entertain him, "We shall abandon our plan if your Hunters help us with the Levethians."


    "Well, you missed your opportunity with that. I am sure the Windchaser boys would have helped you with that one. But rather, I think the only thing they want to do to you is drive a dagger through your heart."


    "Then," Cassandra starts, "Then we will just have to kill you."


    "Kindly define who we are?"


    "The four of us."


    "Sorry to inform you, but your two cab boys left about ten minutes ago."


    With that, I see them turn to the back to find that the cab boys are, in fact, still sitting there, but before they can make sense of what has happened, I jump from where I am sitting and move straight towards them. This is a battle that I am so much going to enjoy. Yes, it is never easy to kill a friend, but betrayal leaves a rather nasty cut, and I do not wish to have my skin mutilated.


    So while I approach Lestat, I see Cassandra trying to get away. At the very same moment, the boys are trying to loosen their hands themselves.


    Then the doors swing open.

 Chapter 113 - The Loss Of A Friend And Lover

    The door has just come to a screeching open. Now, who possibly can be next that is here to demand what is not theirs. Well, I do believe that I should not even ask such a question for I have learned that you shall get the answer that you do not which to hear.


    So it is with utmost patience that we wait for the face of this person to appear that shall be next to want to kill us. And as he approaches, I look at him rather oddly.


    "Now who shall you be?"


    From next to me I hear Connor speak, but with a voice that sounds oddly puzzled, "Dick Roman. I thought we killed you?"


    "Well next time try to burn my head."


    I look at Dean somewhat puzzled, "Why would you want to burn the man''s head if he is already dead?"


    "Because he can reattach it."


    "Oh, I don''t think if I should like or hate the creatures. But that is beside the point. What is it that you are doing here?"


    "I came to see that my friends are upholding their end of the bargain. I do look forward to sinking my teeth into the Windchaser boys."


    "Well," I start to explain, which I probably should not have done in hindsight. "I am afraid to tell you, Dick." I stop for one moment and chuckle to myself, the poor man, I can only imagine how he was bullied at school. But I am losing focus so I continue, "Your friends were about to bail on you."


    And I should have definitely not said that for in walks another bunch, of which I presume is Levithians into the warehouse. I guess the man meant by checking, he actually meant eating. It seems that there is a buffet being serving and we are the main course. Well, I do wish I could rather be the desert. Which brings me to the fact.


    "My dear Dick," yet again that chuckle. "You do know that we are Vampires?"


    "My dear friend, I do not care, you were part of a deal."


    "But you never intended to keep your end of it."


    "Well that is pretty obvious," then though there is a whole new person in the room that catches his attention. "Who is the girl? I cannot recall a girl being in the deal. Not that I am complaining, but she seems to be Vampire too?"


    "That my dear Dick," yes I need to chuckle, but back to being serious once again I need to explain who the little girl is.


    "She is Cassandra''s idea of creating a family."


    It was the year 1756, it was during this period when I foolishly thought that Cassandra was my beloved. We were, for all intent and purposes living life as a couple together and we were, at that time still fairly doing well in our relationship. Then we started to experience some problems in our relationship, and times were rather shaky and unsettled. She thought, and believe me she had alright, but she thought that I was going to leave her, which I wanted to yes. This was the period when Edward started to talk some common sense into me. Well, she saw the changes in our relationship and thought that if we had a child, which is impossible for a Vampire, but she thought if we had a child that it shall bring us closer together. So what she did go out to do, is to get us one. Now there is no such thing as a bird bringing you a baby, she went and got herself a child her way.


    So lured a poor child away from her mother one night and dragged her into an alley, and as we all know what happens there, she had bitten the child and changed her. Now for a child that pain is rather unbearable, I thought that the poor girl would never make it, but she surprised me and she did. And with this, I all of a sudden had this child in my home.


    Now I will be honest that I did grow fond of the kid, but it was wrong to me. There was no reason for her to have gone and done so, yet she did not see the problem with her actions. So I did the thing that any father, even though I was not really hers, but I remained there for her. Then as Edward started to convince me more and more of the illusion that I was living under, I made the hard decision to leave the child behind and go my own way.


    Yes, this did make me feel somewhat of a big sorrow, but it consoled me to know that at least, even though it was not the best, but she had someone that shall look after her. Now I always thought that one day she too would see past Cassandra, but I seem to be fairly mistaken.


    This though is one that is going to require a great deal of explaining to Anastasia. It seems that there is always some small matter that shall surface itself. The thing is though, how on earth should you remember all when you are a man of my age.


    So this brings us back to the present situation, this man Dick, yes it still gets me. But this man probably thought that she is some young meat. Well, he has been fairly mistaken. What else he should consider himself as fairly mistaken is that the Windchaser boys have themselves now freed their hands and all chaos is about to break loose.


    They immediately launch to their feet, with Ethan keeping his attention on the Levethian, Connor goes to untie Anastasia and the Vampire Hunter.


    "Now look here," I say as I loudly count out loud, "It seems that we are five against three."


    Then as if she wants to enlighten me, Cassandra confidently says, "You cannot count, we have two men at the back."


    I only but laugh at her and she turns to see what I do find so funny, "They in fact really just left when our Levithian friend decided to show up."


    "Well then they have a problem," Dick explains, "My group of my followers most definitely feasted on them already."


    My body slightly shudders but I do know that there is no way that he or his followers are leaving here today, we, and with emphasis on the Windchaser boys, they will not stop until every one of these monsters has been exterminated.


    While Connor focuses on bringing down the Levithian, with I might add is a great skill, for he does it so elegantly in one smooth moment, just chopping his head off as if it is a hobby in his spare time. Then again this is what the boys do all the time. Once he has taken care of Dick, Connor and him proceed to the back to take on whatever awaits them there.


    Anastasia takes the girl to the side, not to kill, we shall find her a good home that is not with a delusional Vampire.


    The Vampire Hunter goes for Cassandra, well I hope he knows that he is in for a hard battle as I have taught her well.


    As for me, well, I am taking on a friend, which I truly feel troubled with doing. But he was going to kill me so as they say and eye for an eye. In this case a heart for a heart.


    I am the first to launch at him, elegantly yet with great speed, I attack his body with great force. Now of course I should kill him instantly, which I know I can do fairly easily, but I want to play a bit. So I slam my hand into his chest and drive him into the far side wall within only mere seconds.


    He retaliates, as I want him to, for it is no fun playing by yourself, he grabs me by the shirt and scrunches his fingers rather tightly. He flings me through the air and I land with a loud thud. There is a sting that shoots through my body, not pain but the adrenaline of enjoying this far too much.


    As he walks towards, finding his own dagger from the back, I jump to my feet, and with great precision, I kick it from his hand. He scurries to grab it from where it has skid over the floor. I am the first to get to it. I slowly push it towards him, of course, a battle is not fair if you both do not have weapons.


    So we take a stance, ready to move forward to attack. He flings his hand wildly through the air and cuts a rather deep gash into my arm. I only but laugh at him and return the favor.


    He leaps in a great jump and brings the dagger but mere inches away from my heart. He drives deep, but he misses. I slowly lean into his body and plunge my dagger straight on target. And with a sad but yet relieved mind, I let him drop to the floor.


    "Goodbye, my dear friend."

 Chapter 114 - Looking For Forgiveness

    It has been yet another eventful day for the Belmont trio. Yes, I am referring to out Hunter as being part of the Belmont House. The only thing left to do is invite the boy to stay, and that shall not even happen over my dead body.


    The Windchaser boys have stayed behind to see that all those godawful creatures have been exterminated and they shall then carry on with every other creature that needs to be killed. I do honestly say that I do not wish to have their life, but I am also confidently saying that ours are becoming very much the same.


    What else is going over my dead body, is my beloved. I very much got the cold shoulder the entire flight home and are furiously trying to convince her to hear me out for only but a few minutes. But to no avail. My heart shall be rip from my chest even though it finds itself dead. She is however at least allowing me in our room.


    And the minute she closes that door, I make my move; I spin her body around and pull her into my embrace. The sweet Jasmine and vanilla that she carries so well attacks my senses. Her tiny figure presses against my body, her tight bosom is pushed into my sculpted chest. I feel her top but lift an inch, and her naked skin touches the exposed skin of my abs. She tries to pull away, but I tangle my hands in her hair and pull her even closer.


    "Sebastian, let me go. I am mad at you."


    My voice is gentle but somewhat trembling as I speak to her. "Please, my beloved?"


    She does not say a word, but instead, she grabs onto me and pulls her body is tight against mine. I feel her warm breath on my ear while she slowly whispers.


    "No, Sebastian, let me go."


    "Let me explain," I gently place my lips against her ears. I want to feel her skin. I want the closeness of her for as long as I can keep it.


    Yet she splays her hands against my chest and pushes me away. I look at her with a mischievous smile forming around the corner of my mouth.


    "No," she only but says it once.


    My laughter vibrates through the room to every crack and crevice. I look at her, slightly amused, "Come on, my beloved."


    "No," she says twice.


    She looks at me and studies me from tip to toe. Maybe a bit too long to make me feel comfortable. Her voice is soft as she speaks once again.


    "No," she says for the third time.


    She spins on her heels and dashes to the bathroom. I shortly follow her behind. What her purpose was for coming in here is not known, for I find her only standing in front of the mirror.


    But looking at her beauty does not only take my breath away; it renders my body out of control. She is standing there and doing this damn seductive thing with those supple red lips.


    "My beloved."


    "No," she says for the fourth time.


    I look down at my feet as I step one step closer.


    "My beloved¡­" I step another step closer. I am close enough to reach my arms and fold them around her waist. The closer I get, the softer my voice becomes.


    "I am¡­" I step another step closer. I am close enough to feel her warmth radiate from her skin.


    "Sorry," I look up into her eyes; her lips are but less than an eye wink away. All I need to do is lean an inch forward, and mine would be against them. Mine is trembling, and how I would love us to tremble together.


    I take a lock of her hair and twirl it around my finger, then gently pull it closer. The scent of honey fills my nostrils as I feel the soft touch of her hair against my skin.


    "If I knew what the scent of an angel was, then I would say it was you."


    "Flirting is not going to get you out of this, Sebastian."


    "You would know when I am flirting with you, and this is not it."


    And then I move yet another inch closer, "Do you want to know something else?" My lips touch the delicate tips of her ear. I hear her gasp, and she slightly becomes aroused.


    "No what," she says through stuttered words.


    "That I can so easily kiss you right now, but I won''t."


    "Why, why not?"


    "Because you are mad at me."


    "I can see what you are doing and it is not going to work."


    "But my beloved."


    She breaks free from my arms and rushes to sit on the side of the bed; I immediately miss the warmth that her body brings. For yet another attempt, I move on over to where she is. All I want is to have her as close to me as I possibly can and beg for the forgiveness that I so seek.


    "My beloved please?"


    "No," she says for the fifth time.


    I slide next to her on the bed, and she moves away.


    "You can''t be that mad at me."


    "Oh, try me, I can."


    I once again slide closer to her, and she slides away.


    "Sebastian, stop it."


    As she wants to move even further, she realizes that there is no further space for her to move into. I only but wink at her and smile.


    "Sebastian, if you come any closer, then I am going to kill you."


    "My beloved, I am already dead."


    She gasps and tries to stand from the bed but soon realizes that there is nowhere for her to go.


    "Sebastian, please let me go."


    "Not until we have spoken, my beloved."


    "We have spoken, now please let me go."


    Without the most perfect precision, she slides that body past me and heads for the door, but yet again, I am there to stop her.


    "Please, my beloved."


    "No," she says for the sixth time.


    "You really do like saying no, my beloved."


    "Well, get used to it, for you are going to hear it a lot more."


    As she goes for the doorknob, I spin her body around yet again and pin her into that very door she is trying to make her exit. I step and gently rub my body up against hers.


    My hand trembles as I take it to her cheek; I softly tuck her hair away from her eyes. I lean in a little closer, our foreheads now gently touching. I cannot fight against the thoughts that are going through my mind. She is flooding my senses in every possible way.


    I take my thumb to her bottom lip and gently run it from one corner to the other. They are soft and smooth, and the lipstick makes them slide with ease. Her voice hitch as I move over them between the seams and slightly begin to part them.


    The heat between our bodies is now unmistakable. She whispers, but her trembling lips only cause her words to whimper. I see my name forming around her lips, but I do not hear it. She is drowning in the power I have over her body.


    I move my lips wink by wink even closer to hers. We are so close now that we could almost breathe the same breath. I look down at her lips and back up to meet her eyes. She closes her eyes, and I move forward, closing the space between us. As I tuck at her bottom lip, she stops and pulls away.


    I stare into her deep blue eyes; I cup her cheek, which is now slowly turning red. This woman that has so much power over me is like jelly in my hands. I smile at her before I slowly lean into her. My hand is shaking slightly; my mind is repeating the same sentence over and over. It feels like I am going to explode. I so desperately want to claim those lips.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes, Sebastian."


    "Please, I am sorry."


    "It does not work like that; saying sorry every time does not make it better."


    "What can I do then?"


    "Letting me go is a good start."


    I softly chuckle at her and close that gap between our bodies again, "I am sorry, but I cannot do that."


    "Why?"


    "Because I need to do this."


    I instantly lock her lips into mine. As her soft velvety lips begin to move against mine, she rips open my soul, and the world falls away. My thumb caresses her cheek. She encircles my body and runs her fingers down my spine.


    I slide my hands down her waist and rest them at the small of her back. She moves and arches into my body; I moan at the contact and the heat of our bodies so close against each other.


    At first, our kiss is soft and gentle, like tiny butterflies on your skin. But the more she pushes into me, the more demanding they become. I let go of her waist and pin her between my hands. Our kiss is growing more passionate by the second. The heat between our bodies is raging like a fire out of control. Then finally, I pull away.


    "Am I forgiven, my beloved?"

 Chapter 115 - The Act Of A Child

    It seems that normalcy has once returned to the Belmond House; my beloved is no longer furious at me for my little transgression. But let me not get ahead of myself, for my beloved has once again gone against my orders. Now, if I were not so eager to beg for her forgiveness, she would have felt the wrath of disobeying me come down on her. So this leaves us with some explaining to do.


    Now, if this will go down as desired with Edward and Lilith, it is yet to be seen. I am leaning yes to Lilith and no to Edward, and as for Stefan, well, the boy shall be quite ecstatic. So this is how we find ourselves; my beloved and I are making our way to the usual spot where they occupy themselves. Though the thing is that we are not alone, with us is who is referred to as my daughter. Yes, my beloved has so kindly brought the child with us after I clearly instructed her that we shall find her a place with a good Vampire home.


    Well, I guess I should have specified what I meant by a good Vampire home, one that is not ours. So this is the rather pressing situation that I now find myself in, for I need to convince Edward and Lilith that it is indeed a good idea for Lucy to stay with us. Now, there is no way that I shall turn the girl away now. The truth is, I do not need the blessing of either of them as what is say is rule. But I do believe, as being a part of the Belmont House, that they do have the right to have their opinion, after which I shall still do as I please. I truly wish that my beloved did not put me in this peculiar position. But as they say, the damage is done, now we need to find the solution.


    So, my beloved shall remain with the child in the common room while I go share the news with Edward and Lilith. I am expecting full resistance; this shall not playoff well. As I near the corner, I take a few hesitating steps to a halt, and once I am satisfied I have gathered the utmost authority in me, I make the corner.


    It is Lilith that is the one first to greet me, "My dear Sebastian, it is great to see that you are back in still intact."


    "Oh, my dear Lilith, it will take more than a face-eating monster to bring me down."


    "Well, you did come in quite late last night. Is Anastasia still upstairs."


    "She shall join us in a moment."


    Next, I direct my attention to Edward; now, I need to be careful that my hesitating words are not going to give away my true intention why I am here.


    "Edward, how is council business doing?"


    "Rather quiet at the moment; guess we can thank you and Anastasia for that."


    "And let us not forget the Vampire Hunter."


    "I do beg you forgiveness, but why are you running around with a man that most certainly displeases the Vampire community."


    "Because he is a valuable asset when it comes to fighting whatever comes our way. And in some  way, it keeps us safe from being hunted like animals."


    "Fair enough, but I do wish that you do not keep his company, for I need to explain this on quite a regular basis."


    Well, his demanding attitude is rather starting to annoy me; it seems that I need to make his place know, "The next Vampire that says a word, you shall send him to me."


    With that, I immediately cut the conversation off. Edward seems rather on edge already. Is this such a good idea at present? He is going to see the child, and he shall ask questions, so I shall try to sugar-coat it as much as possible and in no way make him aware that this was, in fact, Anastasia''s idea. That is most definitely not going to sit well with him at all.


    So I begin, "There is something that I need to discuss with the both of you, and before I begin, I need to make clear that you are able to give your opinion, and it shall be considered. But as for the final outcome of the decision, well, that totally rests on me."


    Lilith frowns rather strangely, causing her perfect porcelain skin to wrinkle up for just a few seconds. Edward, on the other hand, is standing motionless and rather still upset with our previous conversation. Well, I am the Master; I shall not stand for his rebellious behavior. The man is purely acting like a child now.


    "Well," I continue, "During our battle with Lestat and Cassandra, there was something brought to my attention that needed a rather urgent solution."


    "What is the matter," I hear Lilith ask out of deep concern.


    "All shall be reveal soon, my dear Lilith."


    But just when I thought that Edward had his final say, he turns to me and looks me directly into the eye, "I can see that nothing good is about to come."


    Now, if I was not furious at him before, now he has just stepped over the line, "Edward, I need not remind you of your place."


    He only but rubs me off and continues with his stance. This is now most surely not going to go well at all. And if I thought it was going to come from my mouth, in comes Stefan, who rushes straight to Lilith, "Mommy, who is the girl with Anastasia?"


    "Which girl?" Lilith asks.


    "Her name is Lucy; she is with Anastasia in the common room."


    Out of the corner of my eye, I see Edward becoming increasingly upset, I don''t know if he has just put together who the girl is, but I am about to find out.


    "Yes, Sebastian, who is Lucy?"


    I swallow rather loudly and feel the need to start fumbling with my shirt. I feel like a naughty kid that is just about to be scolded. And yet, I need to remind myself who is in charge here.


    "Well, Edward, if you can recall Lucy, the girl that Cassandra turned."


    "Yes, Sebastian, I am fully aware of who Lucy is. My question is, what is she doing here?"


    "The girl''s mother has been killed, and I can simply not push a child onto the street."


    "So let me then get this straight. Lucy will be staying with us now?"


    Now, if I thought he could not get any worse than furious, well, I have been sadly mistaken. If it could even be possible, there would be daggers coming from his head that has just exploded into fire.


    "Yes, Edward,  you are correct. Lucy shall be staying with us now."


    "Now let me think, somehow I do not think that you made this decision."


    "Yes, Edward, I did."


    "Come one, I have known you for over two hundred years. You were a bad liar when I met you, and you are still one."


    "Edward, I need to warn you; you are now overstepping a line, my friend."


    Then the full-on rage comes flooding from his mouth. This is now coming to a head, and by all means, this is truly going to turn seven shades of terrifying.


    "Sebastian, I am going to be quite frank. Before you met Anastasia, you were a reasonable man that would not even dare to set a foot wrong in the Vampire community. Since you met Anastasia¡­"


    I immediately stop him mid-sentence, for I am very much sure that he is about to make a fatal mistake that he shall not be able to take back.


    "My friend, I am warning you. Your direction is going to find you in trouble, and believe me; you do not want to overstep that line."


    "No, Sebastian, ever since you met Anastasia, there has been one problem after the other. Problems that I need to explain to the Vampire community. Fires that I need to put out. She is reckless and out of control. And you, my friend, you have become the same. You are like a wild animal that cannot be tamed, and you are happily strung along by your dear beloved."


    "Edward."


    "No, I have had enough of these games that you two feel that you need to play. Leave the monsters to the Hunters; why should this become your concern. Not only are you running with Zachariah, but now you are running with the Windchasers. I am seriously beyond fed up with you acting like a goddamn child."


    Well, that is me; you do not disrespect me in my own home. And you definitely do not attack my beloved.


    "I say the girl stays, now if you do not like it, then you are very much welcome to leave. But I shall not stand for rebellious behavior from a man that needs to prove a point. If any man around here is an immature child, then my friend, it is you."


    Now I should have thought twice before completing that sentence. It is as if it happens in absolute slow motion but yet even faster than a speeding bullet. In an absolute instant, with complete fury and rage, Edward launches himself into the air and slams his fist deep into my chest. I stumble backward and fall over the chair behind me, falling with a loud thud on the floor. And just as I thought that it was merely an act of rage, he pulls me from the floor and smashes his fist square into my face. From the other side of the kitchen, I can hear Lilith scream.


    "Edward, don''t."

 Chapter 116 - A Game Of Dance

    I find myself being dragged by the collar by Edward as he lifts me from the floor. Never once would have I ever imagined that a brother would have launched himself at me the way that ever did. If it were not for him that had me to the floor from the start, I would have frankly fallen off the chair myself at his rather surprisingly outburst and furious rage.


    He has now shown me and my beloved disrespect, and therefore he shall pay.


    And pay he shall. At his attempt to pull me from the floor, I grab him by his shirt with so much force that it rips from his body, the buttons pop off one by one and drop like little peas to the floor. He immediately spins around and rids himself from his now shredded jacket as I drag my claws through them. He is now from mid to top bare in front of Lilith and me; she has sent the poor boy Stefan to Anastasia. It shall only be a matter of time, and she shall come to see what the commotion is about.


    By now, I would think that this man shall stop and realize his foolish mistake, but I am somewhat sadly mistaken. He only but advances for me again; this time, though, he is moving rather slow, ominous, he is taunting me. Edward knows what drives me, but he also what drives me mad, and it seem like he wants to play a little game; well, by all means, let us do.


    I see as he patiently waits for me to remove my shirt as well. Now unlike the beast that he has just turned into, I slowly, just to annoy the man even further, I take my time in popping each of my shirt buttons open with but a few flicks of my fingers. I fold it up neatly and place it on the chair; then, I take my stance.


    But before a single move is being made, I hear Lilith shouting in the far corner of the kitchen.


    "Please stop it! Both of you!"


    It only falls on ears that are not about to listen. The time for listen has passed, not after a blatant attack of war was made to my face. Does this man for one moment think that I shall let this go because he was a friend and even, rather, more importantly, a brother? Well, I am his Master; there shall be no forgiveness given here today.


    Yet it is the brother part that makes me stop and warn him once again, "You are making a fateful mistake, Edward. I heed you to think of what it is that you are about to set into motion."


    "The only thing that needs to be set in motion is for your beloved and the child to leave this home."


    "She is also my wife."


    "Yet another thing that Sebastian Belmont felt that he needed to do differently. Or was it perhaps her idea as well. Because god forbid everything is her idea lately, and most of the time, it gets us all into trouble."


    "Edward, I have warned you for the last time."


    "Save your warning Sebastian; this ends here, today."


    With his words not yet from his lips, he shifts his feet at an incredible pace towards mine and reached his claw for my face. With one snap of his arm, he slashes open the skin of my cheek. He retracts his arm to launch at me once again, but I grab it in midair. I twist it behind his back; I step closer.


    "You are going to regret that."


    My grip goes firmer, and I push him off from his feet; he slides across the length of the table and crashes over the side with a loud thud on the floor.


    I make my way to where he finds himself and yank him up by the shoulder; with utmost ease, I lift him in the air and toss his body to the other side of the room.


    He rises to his feet and reaches me in less than an inch of the second; as he looks to the side for a brief second, he fools me to do as well. Then he slams his hands around my shoulders and tosses me into the foyer where Anastasia has now shown her face.


    "What is going on here?"


    "My beloved, he does not know how to show respect."


    "Well, can you not talk it out?"


    "Oh, we did, it failed."


    "Now you are going to kill each other."


    "Oh, I am killing him. He won''t have the chance to get even near enough to take my life."


    She only but shakes her head and goes stand by Lilith that is beside herself. I am sure she shall fill in the blanks, and then I am even more convinced that she shall be just enraged.


    But besides that. This has now moved to the ballroom. It seems that he wants to play a game of dance, well we shall dance to the death then. He was a brother and he friend, and with much emphasis on was. There is no purpose in this house for him any longer; if he does not want to leave, then I shall make him leave. Will I regret what I am doing? Of course, I shall, later when my moral curse of a soul comes back to haunt me. But the question begs, shall he? No. He is a mere Vampire that has gone insane.


    "Edward, I will ask you again. Stop this insanity and just leave. There is no further need to prove a point. Point taken. I appreciate your concern."


    "No, Sebastian, that is the thing. You do not appreciate anybody''s concern."


    "Since when have you taken the moral high ground? Since when do you care? You a Vampire for godsakes, it seems that you have grown a heart."


    "No, I have grown a level of frustration that only your beloved fuels."


    Now, if I was not enraged before, then I truly am right now. All rational thinking has now left the door, just at he needs to.


    "I want you out of my house. Get out!"


    "You think you just say one word and all need to listen to you, or is it your beloved that holds the word these days. You do her bidding even when it is yours to bid."


    "You are a fool."


    I expose every nail from my claw in pure elegance, and slowly and with the utmost dept, do I drag it down his chest. He screams out of horror, and he sees his skin is being split open slowly, bit by bit. Without even flinching, he draws one very same claw and slams it into my stomach. Driving them in with utmost force, piercing deep, and as he slowly pulls them out again, he drives it back in even further. I watch done and see his fingers that are completely soaked with my blood. And with soft little pitter-patter, it drops to the floor.


    The agony makes me topple over in pain, but this is not a pain that I will show him. As I rise up, I rip him by his feet and rise his body in the air.


    "Today, I will let you drip dry. And then I will see you in hell."


    "Oh, my dear friend, you will be going there first."


    "Ha! You think I am your friend?"


    I rise him even further into the air, with only but one hand, I slice him by the throat. I watch as his blood splashes to the floor. Then I drop him and toss him toss him in his own pool of mess.


    "Leave my house, and I shall let you live."


    But the man is a fool, for her slams his claws in my chest and drags me back just as I am about to walk away. With only one flick of his finger, he drags his nail around my throat and slowly whispers, "Not until you are dead."


    "Well, you are making two fatal mistakes. One, my beloved will come for you. Two, the Vampire community will come for you. Now leave while you are still welcome in this community."


    Death is thy ears, I may say; he slams his claws in my chest and drives my body straight into the far side wall, mere inches away from a pole of a chair that Stefan broke earlier the week.


    Then he looks at me, "I could have killed you so easily there, Sebastian."


    "It is Master, and no, it is not that easy. For I can."


    I close my hand around his throat one by one and grip as hard as I can. I snap him off his feet and spin his body around. I drive him into the very pole that I just but missed inches ago.


    Next, I softly whisper, "It is Master, and I told you to leave my house."


    As I make my way out of the ballroom, Anastasia and Lilith come running in to see Edward driven against the wall.


    "Sebastian, what have you done?"


    "Nothing to worry about, my Lilith; he is alive. Help his miserable body off and make sure that he leaves this house."


    "But Sebastian, he is our brother."


    "Then do tell me, does a brother always try to kill another brother?"


    "He is only upset and blinded by it."


    "Well, I am blinded by rage, and I will not be upset about it."


    "Sebastian, please." I hear my beloved say as she comes with the very man that she has helped from the stake. I do not know if I should see her compassion or if she is willing to look the other way after what the man has said and done; whichever way, it does not even cause me to stir. I shall not show pity. He had his fair warning, and he continued to disrespect me. No one, but no one disrespects their Master.


    "Edward, get out of my house!"


    As he is about to make his way upstairs to gather his belongings, I call after him, "You shall stand council for this."

 Chapter 117 - A Case Of Memory Loss

    Today shall be the day for Edward''s council. Yes, I am indeed the only one that has a say and hands sentence down, but it still requires a hearing to justify. The question is, why have I gone as far as this and not just simply let the man go. Well, the simple answer is respect and tradition, and perhaps my way of showing authority but not revenge as what my beloved claims.


    Revenge is a word that shall not be lightly used; if I wished for him to have been dead, then I would have finished him off in the ballroom. The thing is, why do I even bother holding a hearing and not just sentence him? After all, I do know what his reasons are that made him think that it can be justified to attack me in the way he did. Well, the true justice is something that I shall instill today. He has been spent his evening in the confines of his room, mostly as I have declared the dungeon as off-limits and that it should never be used again.


    He shall be taken by Matias to the council house which I shall follow thereafter; there is no way that I shall be traveling in the same vehicle as him. Rather childish, as my beloved also claims, but these are ways I have set to keep myself protected from those that chose to bring me harm. And as for the reason why this whole incident has taken place, I am taking the girl with me today to introduce her as part of the community and mainly to show what shall become of you should you defy my decisions.


    Now Lilith that has spoken to Edward this very morning, she still has advised me that the man simply does not show remorse for what he has done, but yet again, he is only but a mere Vampire; there should be nothing such as remorse that crosses his mind.


    But if I think that his council shall be quite easy and go unsaid, well I am sadly mistaken for there is nearly a group of fifty Vampires that have taken stand outside the council house. This is truly unusual and somewhat disturbing; who would have told them about the sentence that shall be handed down by the Master onto the man he calls his brother. This seems like the work of one of those that wishes me to show remorse. And that shall be either my dear sister of my beloved or even perhaps both.


    Not thinking much of this any further, I make my entry into to council house, where I indeed find them both. "Please do not tell me that one of you is responsible for the crowd outside?"


    "Only trying to get the support that Edward needs," Lilith explains to me, but then when my beloved wants to add, I immediately interrupt.


    "I do not wish to hear of it. The man shall stand council, and he shall be punished as I see fit."


    "But Sebastian," my beloved starts, "You cannot just go kill him."


    "I can; in fact, I should have. He would have done it if I had given him the chance."


    "He was simply upset."


    "My god, if that is upset, then I do not wish to see what he looks like when he is enraged. Now you can stand by my side or take a seat in favor of him, but I wish to get this show over. There is about to come questions as to the reason for the gathering of so many outside."


    With that, I take my seat at the head of the table and wait for them to bring the man of the hour inside. We need not have to wait long, for he is soon brought to receive his sentence. As he stands, I see him for the first time since our battle, and I can honestly say that the man is half of what he used to be. Does he, in fact, show remorse? But should I go easy on him, I shall show for all that this is how they can freely go about treating not only me but one another. Regardless, he needs to stand council for his action. And as it is unfortunately required, we need to run through the details of what occurred.


    So let us begin.


    "Edward, did or did you not attack me, Sebastian, as your Vampire Master?"


    "I am afraid I do not know what you speak of."


    "You shall know that it is wise to admit to your transgression and for us to proceed with your sentence."


    "I am afraid, as I said, that I do not know what you speak of."


    "Did or did you not attack me in the home that we used to share?"


    "I do not know what you are talking about."


    Now, if this is going to be his game, we might as well get chairs for those outside and have some tea as we go, for this might just take a great deal longer than we anticipated. I do not truly understand why the man is set in denying what he has done as there were two witnesses to the affair, and I shall be calling on them to bring testimony if he continues to fail at admitting what he has done wrong.


    So let us begin again.


    "Edward, what was it that you did yesterday?"


    "I do not recall doing anything."


    "The day before?"


    He takes for but a brief second and comes up with a definite answer, "I spent some time with Lilith and Stefan and went out much later to the Hunter''s bar and had a few conversations with a lady."


    "And yesterday?"


    "I do not recall anything specific."


    "So you did not see me at all."


    "I am afraid that I did not see you at all."


    "And Lilith?"


    "I did not see Lilith either."


    Out of clear frustration, I slam my hand down onto the desk; the cups held on it starts to vibrate as they fall over. My very act startles all present in the room, and for some truly odd but probably expected reason, it does not seem to move him at all. He is acting rather coldly towards the whole situation, but yet I see that there is a great deal of trouble on his face.


    "Edward, why do you hold sorrow in your face if you have not done anything as what you claim?"


    "For I do not know why I have been forced to take council for something I did not do."


    "So, did you find it odd that you were held in your room and taken by Matias this morning?"


    "Yes, I do."


    Somewhat grinding my teeth, I clench my hand in a fist and call for Anastasia to approach, "Anastasia, what happened yesterday, and please, I need to make you aware that, as my beloved, you are not immune against punishment for lying."


    She only but scuffs at me and looks at Edward with true pain in her eyes, "Edward, you tried to kill Sebastian. Lilith and I bear witness to it."


    "This is absurd," he bursts out in a rumble, "Why shall I ever do such a thing."


    "We shall come to that in a while," I explain, "But do you now confess to what you have done."


    "I did nothing, I did not, nor do I remember that I tried to kill you as they are stating."


    "You are wearing my patience thin. I am not going to ask you again."


    "Then stop asking for the answer will be the same."


    Now, if the man is going to insist on this kind of behavior, then I shall hand sentence down as I see fit. Sentence for this action should be death, do I show kindness as he was a close dear friend, or do I let it be known that it does not matter whom you find yourself to be you shall get the ultimate punishment for wanting to kill the Master.


    So the decision has been made, "Edward, you shall hereby have your fangs removed, which shall ultimately lead to your death."


    There is rumble that settles between the crowd as they hear the sentence leave my very determined lips. There are very clear sounds of shock that fill the air as most disapprove of the sentence that I am handing down on my friend but also my brother. However, there is a hush sound and a few whispers that settle as I hear the footsteps of a man approaching through the crowd. He is not Vampire, it is a mortal, and as he makes his entry into the home rather daringly, I am shocked to see.


    "Our dear Vampire Hunter. Now to what do I owe the pleasure?"


    "Edward is speaking the truth."


    "My dear friend, you were not present; how can you possibly know if Edward is speaking the truth?"


    "The same thing has happened to me. I have no recollection of what I did the day before, and apparently, I wreaked havoc of which I know nothing?"

 Chapter 118 - Another Day In The Belmont House

    Our dear Vampire Hunter has so boldly walked into the Council House amongst over fifty Vampires, which if it was anybody else, they would have had his head. Now he too claims that he too has no recollection of the day before. Do I see this as a way for Edward to get out of the predicament that he seems to find him in? Now of course I do. But do I also see this as something that I should consider as worthwhile to note? Well, indeed I do.


    "Now my dear friend Zachariah, please explain to me how you believe that you had the same reaction as Edward."


    "Well, there is the rather questionable sexual act."


    "Mmm, I am intrigued. Please explain."


    "Now I might appear to you as your regular Casanova."


    "Really? I never thought I would say, but please do carry on."


    "I apparently, or I should say finding them in my bed is not guessing. But I indeed had an encounter with three ladies last night."


    "Well, damn you. How on earth did you have the stamina for three ladies in a row."


    I watch as my beloved gives me one look that sends me close to murder, yet it shall not refrain me, after all this does count as part of the hearing.


    "I am afraid they were at the same time."


    "Then I do take it back, you are quite the Casanova. But I fail to understand what does have to do with your amnesia?"


    "Oh, that happened before. See I, and our dear Anastasia knows how I value my pub." Anastasia, now holding the man''s hand as it seems to be too difficult for him to say, she nods her head and shows for him to carry on.


    "I completely trashed it. It has been ripped apart by a crazed animal. By me."


    Then I turn to Edward, "Did you have an encounter with three women as well?"


    "God, if I did, I am sure I would have told you but I cannot recall."


    "Who is the woman you gentleman are referring to that you engage over a round of several drinks?"


    Our dear Vampire Hunter clears his throat rather loudly, and I do believe what is about to come might shock me even more, "It was three in fact."


    "My friend please don''t tell me?"


    "Yes, indeed."


    "Well, I do not know if I should applaud you or merely slap you for such foolishness."


    But there is something rather odd here, their story, well the small, let me rephrase, the rather big encounter that they had does raise some questions. Therefore I will accept that something has happened that cannot be explained at present.


    So herewith my decision, and I rather relieved face Edward, "I shall hold off sentencing until this matter has been further investigated."


    With that, there is a rather loud cheer outside amongst the crowd. And so Edward shall be taken back to his room that is still at the Belmont House where he shall be further questioned and from where we shall establish what indeed has happened to both him and the Vampire Hunter.


    So as we find ourselves driving in different cars back home, he is the first to get there and I am just a few seconds behind him. He sees me and immediately excuses himself to return to his room, but I stop him before he can do so.


    "Wait, let me walk with you."


    "You sure about that Master."


    "Yes, I wish to have a word with you regarding the things that you said."


    "But I cannot remember what I said."


    "All the more reason, for now, you shall not lie to me for I do believe that I know the truth."


    He looks at me hesitantly, yet he has no option but to agree with my request for he truly cannot refuse. And of course, I can read his mind, which if I now think of it, and not really noticed before, is rather fuzzy and unclear.


    Yes, the man has been through a great ordeal, but some things can simply no go unsaid. I shall not invade the spaces of his mind but yet we shall have the conversation that men require.


    So as I sit from him across the corner of his bed, there is that part of me that pushes me to be cautious around him. But this man is my friend, he is my brother, but most of all he is a part of me, I shall not show him any disrespect or make him feel uncomfortable in any way. Yes, he did try to kill me and so did I, but we both find ourselves here with the opportunity to make things right.


    "My dear Edward," I see there is a sparkle that returns to his eyes as he hears me speak of him in such a loving term. "There was only one thing that you repeated over and over that caused you a great amount of pain. Do you still have no recollection?"


    "No, I have dug deep into my mind, and yet there is nothing to be found."


    "Fair, let me then tell you and I do ask that you shall be completely honest with me."


    He but only nods his head, not knowing what to expect. But the thing is there is only but one way to ask this, "Edward, you in so many words said, and please don''t ask me to exactly recall for having your claws in my face did kind of block any intake of memory." I start to move rather uncomfortably around, I do not know how he is going to take me mentioning what he truly felt, but yet there is no sugar-coating. So with a rather uncontrollable fear, I speak once again, "You mentioned that Anastasia has been nothing but trouble since she entered the Belmont House."


    "Sebastian, my I be very frank?"


    "Indeed do, just do not attack me this time."


    "We all know that she is trouble, she lives for it, she attracts it. And yes, I do sometimes think that she is bad for you, but you complete each other," he pauses for a few moments as to find the right words to say. "I think in a way I feel left out. It always used to be me and you, and now it is Anastasia and you. I do not see much of you unless if we have to go kill some ungodly creature."


    "My dear Edward, I so wish that you did not try to kill me for this, you should have come the minute that you felt this way."


    "Well, you know what they say about hindsight."


    "Yes, indeed it bites you in the hind."


    We both burst out in a burst of laughter that we have not shared for quite some time. So with that, I give him a rather awkward hug, for what even perhaps seems too long.


    "Well I guess I need to get to Anastasia"


    So I make my way to our room where my beloved is indeed waiting for me, yet she needs to hold on to that thought for but one second for I need to make an important call.


    So while waiting patiently for the slowest man in the world to answer his phone, my beloved feels the need to at the present time, to start tangling those delicate fingers around the buckle of my belt.


    "My beloved, you cannot do that now, I am on a call."


    "You are not on it yet," she only continues to wrap her fingers all over it as she pulls it gently from my pants and drops it to the floor.


    Next, she brings those skillful fingers to work the buttons that are covering a rather growing erection in my pants. I growl in the back of my throat as I grind hard down onto my teeth.


    "My beloved you are driving me insane, I am on the phone."


    As she unclips those buttons one by one, she slides her fingers deliciously slow into my pants, scrunching them in the seams of my underwear.


    "Oh, my god."


    "Well," Daniel says on the other side of the line, "I have never been called god before."


    "Ah, hush you, silly man. I have a problem."


    "Well sir, there is nothing I can do with that. That you have to blame genetics for."


    I hear him burst out from his belly in laughter, as per usual it is only a joke that he finds amusing. But put the man''s poor sense of humor aside, he does seem to sound rather out of breath.


    "What are you doing, Daniel?"


    "Chasing a woman."


    "Rather odd, but anyway. I have an odd problem, the non-body part related."


    "Then phone Dr. Phil, I am in the middle of bashing someone with a bat."


    "But I thought you were chasing a woman?"


    "Yes, never mind, what can I do for you"


    "Well, both Edward and Zachariah had an encounter with three women after which they seemed to have turned very violent."


    "Violent how?"


    "Edward tried to kill me."


    I hear as he stops chasing his woman and goes quietly out of breath, "Not another one. You say very violent? Did they touch?"


    "Ha! They did more than touch."


    "You know that you attract any type of shit to you. I will send someone to come to help you, Samuel and I are on a hunt."


    "So do you know what it is?"


    "Yes, but let me go bash this thing first, I will talk to you later."


    With that, he rather annoyingly just drops the call leaving me irritated. I have no better idea what is going on around here than what I was before.


    So as per always all we can do is wait, and as I look at my beloved that has now spread herself over the bed completely inviting, it seems like it has been far too long that I have had those soft lips against mine. Looking at her, she not only takes my breath away; but renders my body out of control. I can smell the scent of her sweet perfume as I lean in closer to her body. She presses her bosom tightly against my sculpted chest. Then she slowly slips her hands underneath my shirt and touched the exposed skin of my abs. My hands move to find their way through her hair and I tangle my fingers in them as I pull my way through. My entire body is burning to get completely lost in her.


    As I move my hand slowly to her cheek, I can feel them tremble. I cannot fight against the thoughts that are going through my mind. She is flooding my senses in every possible way. I take my thumb to her bottom lip and gently run it from one corner to the other. Her lips are soft and smooth as I slide my thumb over them with ease. I hear her voice hitch as I move over them between the seams and slightly begin to part them.


    The heat between our bodies is now unmistakable. She softly wishers my name, but her trembling lips only cause her words to whimper. She is drowning in the power that I have over her body.


    Then I move my lips breath by breath, wink by agonizing wink closer to hers. We are so close that we are almost breathing the same breath. I look down at her lips and back to meet her eyes. She closes her eyes in anticipation as I move forward to close the final inches between our bodies. And as I claim those lips the first thing that touches my senses is how much she tastes like cotton candy. This woman that has so much power over me will is like jelly in my hands.


    But next thing there is a knock on the door, "Sebastian, we have a problem."

 Chapter 119 - Time For A Lesson

    Well, I can with all confidence say that this time it is not Edward at the door announcing the arrival of what perhaps could be trouble. This time in fact it is my dear Lilith, who is still very much shaken up as it is clearly evident in her voice as she speaks .


    "Sebastian, there is an odd-looking man at the door that has asked for your presence."


    "Has he perhaps said his name?"


    "He says that he is the Hunter that you have requested."


    "Well, I do not believe that I have, but I shall be done within the minute."


    I turn to look at my beloved, that does look rather annoyed and frustrated that I need to make my leave.


    "Can he not wait a minute?"


    "My beloved, I do feel offended. How can you even suggest that I am but only one minute''s pleasure worth?"


    "I am sure if you set your mind to it then you can be?"


    "I would rather not waste a minute on an act that should at most last the most part of an hour."


    I drop my face until my soft lips meet her supple ones. I brush them against hers, the touch sends a sensation of shivers over my skin. There it is again, that cotton candy that does drive me mad;but what drives me even far beyond is her sweet perfume that is radiating hotter form her skin than before. I hardly have a moment to react before she presses her tongue to the seam of my lips, and, at my grant of access, she delves inside my mouth. All my senses have been seduced, and I can no longer think straight. My brain has gone mush, and my legs numb. She kisses me with so much fire and passion, yet keeping it gentle and demanding. Her tongue is stroking the inner sides of my cheek, and we intertwine. The way she moves with her tongue feels like she is making love to my mouth.


    Then to set the frustration even further in, she grinds herself hard against me, and I growl deep from inside. I feel my erection growing harder with each burning move that she makes.


    "You are playing with fire, my beloved."


    "And what if I want to get burned?"


    I can see the lust and craving in her eyes as she runs her fingers closer to my erection. I want to take every inch of the elegance that is spread out in front of me. I drive my fingers deep into her ass and crush my lips into hers. I get lost in her taste. I feel the heat of her body glow through her lips, they are hotter than the sun itself but nothing as  hot as this body that I am holding in my hands. I push away all my inhibitions and claim her mouth, devouring every inch of her.


    Her tender blue eyes are like bottomless pools, pleading, and hesitant. Her eyes telling me all I need to know, she wants me and she will have me in any way that she can. My hands move up to her waist and to her breasts, I squeeze them firmly and she moans in my mouth. As I cup them in my hands, I feel her grind and squirm.


    I pull her shirt over her head and take those double Ds in full sight. Then I pull her hair off her shoulder and kissed the length of her neck. I crawl down her body, careful not to miss an inch of her glowing skin. I catch one of the hard nipples between my teeth and pulled it gently, but then I stop.


    "I think I am reconsidering that minute."


    She only but chuckles at me, "Best you go sort out your odd friend and we can truly take that hour as required."


    With somewhat of an uncomfortable erection, I try to make a slow pace towards the common room, just slow enough to settle the raging beast in my pants. Yet the thoughts of my beloved and the smell of her arousal is thick and heavy in my head. Trust when I wish to have my own moment pure of ecstasy that I shall be interrupted. This man must have a rather good excuse to come at such an inappropriate time.


    So as I turn the corner, I can honestly say that I am most surprised and I know who exactly is beyond the reason for this last-minute visit.


    "Well, look whom we have here. Now my dear old friend, did you ever thought that you shall be finding yourself in the house of Sebastian Belmont?"


    "Well if the boys did not ask me then I promise you, I would not be here. In fact, I would be here to chop off that head."


    "Bobby, please admit that you carry a soft spot for me just as the boys."


    "The only spot I have for you is my fist connecting with that pretty boy face."


    Now Bobby, as a sort of guardian to the boys, he has not quite sat with me around the same table. Well, perhaps because we have tried to kill each other on several occasions. Finding himself in my home must prove rather difficult for him, but I can guess that he has been sent here for one reason only, which I can happily admit I am relieved about.


    "So are you here to help me with a rather strange creature trouble?"


    "Yes, you seem to attract them like woman."


    "Oh my dear friend, my woman will never try and kill me. But if I think about the little encounter our Vampire Hunter had, well that will be worth being killed for."


    Then the man gets a rather strange smirk on his face, he either approves of my statement or I have, well in fact, next comes the reason for that ungodly thing on his face. My head soon comes in contact with a gentle but rather firm hand.


    "Sebastian, you can spend that next hour in the study and realize the mistake that you have made."


    "But my beloved¡­"


    "No buts, what is going on here?"


    "This here," I begin to explain, "This here is Bobby, he is like the father to the boys. He has come to help us with our problem."


    "Well, what is this problem," she asks.


    Bobby, rather strangely, or should I say obviously lets my beloved take a seat next to him. Now he either does not know my beloved is a Vampire or the man is doing so to piss me off. Well, it is working, so I show for him to carry on with his explanation.


    "You are dealing with a Siren."


    "My dear friend, do they not belong under the sea?"


    "Sebastian, unlike Vampires, some creatures do evolve."


    "Fair, but why make Edward want to kill me?"


    "They compel a human to perform drastic acts to prove their love and devotion."


    "Well, won''t a simple hug just do? It still does not explain."


    He very frustratingly rubs his brows and grunts at my complete lack of understanding, and then continues, "The acts they make you perform are destructive or violent and result in the death of one kind or another."


    "That explains Edward, but what about our Vampire Hunter?"


    "Well, the man obviously has noone in his life that he truly loves."


    "Now we all know that is not true, but he did state the love for his pub."


    "Did these two men came in contact with the Siren?"


    I smile rather wickedly at myself thinking of the encounter our Vampire Hunter did so shamelessly admit to, but if I think my beloved did not see the personal moment, I am sorely mistaken for again there is a tongue lashing coming stern from her side.


    "Sebastian, I think you can spend a rather frustration week in the study."


    Bobby only but rumbles with laughter from his throat as he has now caught on to the reason for my visit to the study. But he knows best to rather keep his comment and rather continues.


    "So I am taking that they did come in contact with this Siren."


    "Well, in fact, there were three."


    "You did mention to Connor it was three, but we did not take it serious? We know you have the habit of making things far bigger than they seem."


    "Well I do not think my beloved complains there."


    And if I think that hand is very much occupied with her manicure then I am sadly mistaken, for next comes a rather earth shattering palm into the back of my head. Well it seems both of them are not taking my jokes very amusing. Which leads me back to the situation at hand that by the very sounds of it, does not seem amusing at all.


    So my question begs, "Would that be a problem?"


    "Yes, Sebastian, who is going to kill all three of them?"


    "You of course."


    He bursts out into that rumble of laughter once more again, "I am not that good my friend, and if you have not noticed, I am getting old."


    "Then what do you suggest?"


    "The boys are not going to be done for at least a few more days, we either wait, or I teach you and your beloved how to take these creatures down."


    "Do I need to point out the obvious to you? My beloved is a woman?"


    "Well, who says that they cannot turn a woman against their love as well. From where I am sitting it seems that she will do it without any motivation,"


    "Fair then, how do we do this?"


    "Well go get out your fancy suit and we can get started."

 Chapter 120 - The Touch Of A Siren

    I do not know what makes this man think that I require a lesson on how to fight. I have had my good amount of battles over the past two-hundred-and-eighty years, and even far greater when I was a mortal. There is no need for me to be taught how to handle myself or any such weapon of sorts. But I shall in all fairness do this as my beloved is no staring at me rather peculiarly because of my reluctance.


    So we make our stance, my beloved who finds herself in front of me, is wearing what they appropriately call tights in a rather deep shade of red, it is only but peaking my arousal, the only lesson I wish to be taught is the one she teaches so well in between those soft satin sheets. Now if I think that my obsession has gone unnoticed, then I am somewhat mistaken, for Bobby has seen the direction of my attention.


    "Sebastian, I believe you are dead already."


    "Well do tell this vixen that she cannot wear that."


    "I would not tempt the vixen for she has a bronze dagger in her hand," he feels the need to warn me about the obvious, for she has now in fact started to sway the thing very largely in my face.


    "Fair, let us get this over with, I do have a better place to be than hunting woman," I stop for a brief moment and evaluate my words. "On second thought, I think hunting women would rather be fun. I have not done so in years."


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved."


    "Has Bobby told you how these women infect you?"


    "No, but please do tell."


    "They have rather large teeth, and possess a venom that infects their prey."


    "Oh, but does that not sound like a Vampire."


    She only but grunts at me and waves me off at my silly observation. So needless to say, not one of them is finding my remarks amusing therefore I am left with no other choice but to join in on our lesson.


    So the just of it all is, try and drive this very dagger into this Siren, but what Bobby has failed to explain while I am furiously stabbing a pole dressed in one of my very own suites, is that there is another ingredient to this. And yes, I do not know how much is required, but I do believe that giving me some of his blood is going to be troublesome, well that is our Vampire Hunter. As for Edward, the man would not have a problem.


    Now let us get back to this lesson. So I find myself staring at this very well dressed pole, now I am imagining how attractive these very women would also look, and I begin to hesitate if I truly want to waste such beauty. But yet, nothing goes unnoticed with this man, so he is standing here next to me showing me,


    One¡­two¡­don''t breath¡­three¡­attack. Drive. Slice. Breath. Pull Out.


    I only but chuckle, then he goes to demonstrate behind my beloved, now I am supposed to be doing this part, the part where I am behind her. Guess I should not even bother passing the joke. But the thing goes as this, you shall face the Siren at all times, the very last thing you wish is to try and grab it from behind and have the possibility of being off guard and receiving a dose of the very thing that we all would like to avoid.


    And just for a bit of effort, I watch my behind spin around and grab him firmly on the shoulder, exposing her fangs just the smallest of bits, and wrestle him to the floor.


    "Well, Bobby, I guess you are dead."


    So next, he is trying to show us where exactly to aim, you need to have perfect aim, which believes I, Sebastian Belmont does not lack. Well, if you wish you may ask my beloved, which has once again seen my distraction at Bobby''s remark.


    Yet we move one, so at all times, keep a safe distance from this creature, and with the precision, I am not allowed to mention, you step forward in but one¡­two¡­don''t breath¡­three¡­attack. Drive. Slice. Breath. Pull Out. And for extra effort, you can do it again.


    But, while we have been endlessly trying not to really touch someone and yet to try and kill them at the same time, it has come to our attention that Bobby has now only dragged us through this entire lesson for his own amusement. My reason being, well you can kill this said creature with a mirror as well. Now it does reveal their true form and I do wish not to know how ungodly this creature must be for it to be scared by his own reflection. Lastly, which are bound to sound like my favorite is bashing their head in with a baseball bat that is wrapped in barb wire.


    Now, just to quiet my nagging down, Bobby goes to retrieve a very baseball bat like this from his car. One pillow on top of the pole and with great joy beating the thing to pieces. My beloved, and Bobby take their place at the far back, it seems like my fury has somewhat scared them.


    So we have our options clear, the only thing is finding these women. Lucky for us, Zachariah has managed to fix the rather big destruction of his bar and we shall return there tonight, well at least not my beloved. She shall, unfortunately, wait in the shadows, she has refused to wait at home, should I believe that I can successfully take all three ladies home. Well, I guess a man can only dream.


    With all the arrangements in place, a rather big dagger, and an even bigger bat in the car, we find ourselves entering the bar. We are hoping that they shall be as foolish to enter the same place twice. We need not have to wait long for soon there are three rather breathtaking women that approach our table. Now, of course, it shall be the blonde that strikes me the most, and out of the corner of my eye and that fact that my sense of hearing travels so far, I watch my beloved utter a few words of displeasure. Well I am on the job and I need to work it, that is what our dear Bobby says.


    Now, if I thought it would not be touch by the words that flow from their mouth, I am sadly mistaken. No disrespect to my beloved, but these women are exquisite, they have the voices of an angel, their skin seems softer than a feather and the scent that radiates from their body is intoxicating. If I was not betrothed to one, I would easily find myself losing it into one, if not even all three of them.


    And yet this is where I have started to fail to notice the true effect they have on a man, for as it goes, they lure you in with their beauty, and then they shall move in and do as they desire. It is believed, rather said, that they feel an intense rush of pleasure when their victims carry out atrocities against their loved ones. Like the people they infect, they feel intense feelings of euphoria. Yet this does not last long that is why they get easily bored and venture off to find others.


    Now, Bobby, I can say is handling this intense moment fairly well compared to me, he has in fact been in contact with these creatures before. He has even been infected by one and our dear Connor had done an excellent job of beating her with a bat. Now normally that would be some awful thing that I would never even dare to say, but I saw what this Siren did to Edward and I do not wish for any of that to happen again.


    And so we find ourselves having a rather pleasant night talking to three ladies whom we fully intend on killing. Now if that does not spell serial killer for you, I don''t know what will. So I can happily say that I, with all my charm, managed to convince the three ladies to accompany me to a far quieter place. Well, it is my hunting ground and also the place to where my beloved has made her way to. The plan is easy, I am offering them a little favor for, as per me, which truly is, I have a rather nagging sexual appetite that I need to satisfy.


    So while I follow them with the greatest confidence outside, I have Bobby following me not too far behind. The minute I step outside the door, I press the perky blonde against the wall with her believing that I have the full attention in ravaging her body. And as she surprisingly yields to the power I have over her body. I step one¡­two¡­don''t breath¡­three¡­attack. Drive. Slice. Breath. Pull Out. And for extra effort, I do it again.


    But god, if I think that was easy, the next turn into raging animals that are bound to attack. I step that very three steps back and nearly tumble over my own feet. My beloved, armed with that rather large baseball bat, throw it on over to me, and with one large thud, I rapidly start beating her soft little head in just as I practiced, but before I can even catch a third bang in, I see her face reflect in a part of the broken glass in the bin. And do I wish that I never saw that, she is the most grotesque and deformed grey pale creature that I have ever seen in my life? There is a sad look on her face, but I know she is a monster and there is no remorse shown for those that come to play in my city.


    While I lay complete rampage down on her, with each swing a satisfying growl escape my list. She tries to squirm away at times and at others she launches towards me until all attempts are futile. It only takes one last snap of my arm and her body goes crashing to the floor. I look over to Bobby that seems to stare at me rather oddly.


    "Don''t you think that was a bit overkill?"


    "I was merely making sure that she shall not return."


    "Oh believe me she is dead. Now I need a real damn drink."


    As Bobby and Anastasia make their way to the table, I step into the gents to clean off my hands that have a tad bit of blood on them. But just as I am about to leave, there is this beautiful brunette that walks smack bang into my chest. As she softly whispers in my ear, I can feel a slight sting. My body shivers and I pull away from her in a daze.


    Once I reach our table again, I seat myself next to my beloved, who has taken a seat from across from Zachariah. She holds his hand softly to reassure him that all is fine now. The minute I see the action playing in front of my eyes, there is a complete rage that bursts through my body.


    "Ah, I see you are back to being your unfaithful self."


    "Sebastian, what are you talking about?"


    "You are sharing another man''s bed again."


    "Sebastian?"


    "No Anastasia, you sicken me. I cannot believe that I have fallen for your betrayal again. Well not this time, this time I truly want you gone. You are only a burden in my life. I want you gone."


    "Sebastian what is wrong with you."

 Chapter 121 - Tonight Will Be Your End

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian is acting somewhat odd, he is under this impression that I hold a relationship of that more than friends with Zachariah. Now I am in no way or form going to put up with his accusations. So I bid Zachariah a good night and Bobby shall return to where he came. We all being satisfied that the problem has been taken care of. As for Sebastian, well, I do not care where he finds himself at the present moment. Whether he stays here or return home with me is purely up to him.


    So I rise from my chair and politely ask the man if he will be riding with me. Well, I think I should have just refrained from speaking,


    "Not that I particularly wish to share the same space as you, but by all means let''s do."


    "Sebastian, what is your problem. What seems to be the deal with your temper."


    "Oh my dear, I am just slightly annoyed."


    "More than slightly if you may ask me."


    Brushing off his rather nasty remark, I find myself being the one driving home, I fear the way his temper has flared we might find ourselves in the river. Now if I thought that this was going to be a slow pleasant drive, I am sorely mistaken.


    "So, Anastasia."


    Well, what happened to beloved? But let us not ask as he is now starting to raise his voice.


    "So, how long has this little thing with our Vampire Hunter been going on under my nose? Or has it always been there and I was too foolish to notice it?"


    "Sebastian, I have no idea what you are talking about."


    "You know exactly what I am talking about. How dare you share another man''s bed while you find yourself in mine."


    "Sebastian I don''t."


    "Anastasia, do not lie to me!"


    "I am not!"


    But he does not leave it there, he refuses to believe any word that comes from my mouth, so yet he continues. "You are nothing but a lie, you do not exist, I do not know who you are. You are not the woman I fell in love with. Even worse, you are, and you were deceiving me from the very moment."


    "Sebastian I have not lied to you, there is nothing between me and Zachariah."


    "Anastasia, I warn you once again. Do not lie to me!"


    "I am not lying."


    "Anastasia, you are lying to me! I will not stand for it."


    "You have gone crazy."


    "Yes indeed, your betrayal and unfaithfulness have driven me thus far."


    "Just listen to yourself, Sebastian."


    "Anastasia, just tell me the truth and this will be over with far sooner."


    Much to my relief, we arrive at home, for a brief moment he steps into the kitchen with Lilith and Edward. As he comes back from there it seems that he has turned back to his normal self again. I am hoping and truly thankful that one of them has spoken some reason into him.


    So as we make our way to the room I start feeling that nagging feeling I get whenever we return from a hunt. I am aching deep in my core and all I want is this man that only but a few moments ago accused me of being unfaithful. Am I left to ask? But he soon senses my arousal and I need not even have to say a word.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    The moment we step through the bedroom door, it is as if passion and lust collide. Without any urging, she removes every part of cloth that is covering the parts of my body that she so desires. I make absolute haste in ripping her clothes off, which hinders me from what I am going to take.


    I reach my hand to her chin and look into her eyes. Her tender blue eyes are like bottomless pools, pleading and hesitant. Her eyes telling me all I need to know, she wants me, and she will have me in any way that she can.


    "Tonight will be the end of you," I softly whisper in her ear.


    My lips collide with hers. I feel the heat of her body glow through them; they are hotter than the sun itself. As our lips part, my breathing becomes heavy. Her mouth opens to play with my lower lip. My hands land on her tiny waist, and I pull her tightly against me. I kiss her with so much power and passion, exploring her mouth carefully with my tongue.


    My erection is wet and hard and throbbing, pressing in the inside of her thigh. All I need is to do is move an inch over, and she will be mine.


    "God, Anastasia, I want to fuck you so hard, but not until you beg for it."


    My hands slide up her waist to her breasts. She moans in my mouth as I squeeze them firmly. Her small nipples grow hard and erect as I pinch them between my thumb and my index finger. We fall down on the bed with her quivering body beneath me. I pulled her hair off her shoulder and kiss the length of her neck. I move down to her breasts, and I catch one of her nipples between my teeth and pull it gently.


    "Sebastian!"


    I ignore her but softly kiss her succulent nipples instead. Her entire body quivers beneath me as my tongue teases her little brown pearls. Slowly I move down her stomach, gently kissing every inch of her glowing skin. As I approach her sweet softness, the muscles in her stomach tighten. She spreads her legs wider apart like she is inviting me in.


    "Fuck Anastasia, you taste better than any taste that has ever fallen upon my tongue; I just want to taste more and more of you."


    "Sebastian, what has gotten into you?"


    "If you don''t want me to, then I understand."


    "No, it is not that I don''t want you to; you are just acting strange."


    "Do you want me to stop Anastasia?"


    "No, Sebastian please don''t stop; I want you to."


    She slides her hands through my hair and knots her fingers in it; she slowly pulls me closer to her, so close that I can smell her. The sweetness of lily and a touch of powder fills every corner of my senses. She is a breath of fresh air on a bed of wet flowers that is burning hot in the sun. Just thinking of letting myself get lost in her sends a pure ache of craving to my very much throbbing erection.


    I look up into the raging oceans that are her eyes to make sure that this is what she truly desires, for I know now more than ever that I do. Every time she thinks of my tongue, this shall be the place that she shall be reminded where it has been.


    "Sebastian."


    "Ssshhh, Anastasia. Close your eyes and enjoy it."


    I gently part her legs even further; there is a slight tremble of anticipation in them. My fingers slide down the inside of her thighs, then I dig them into her ass and pull her even closer and closer by an inch. My hot breath sends shivers over her body, and I hear her softly whimpering my name. Give me just another half an hour; then she shall be screaming it over and over again.


    I take but a moment to admire her. She has small and thin lips; she is compact and ever so tight. There is nothing but a tiny strip that leads you to her most desirable part. Her lips are a lovely rose pink, and god, how surprisingly wet she is. Her sweet softness and the deep intensity of her wetness sends an undeniable ache to my throbbing erection that is dripping on the inside of my thigh.


    I trail my fingers down with my tips only grazing her clit; then I gently sink in between her lips. I circle them in slow motion through the wet path that leads me to her entrance. Without even hesitating, I push my finger through ever so deep into her. I wait for a second, then slip in another. She gasps as I knot them and start to pump in and out of her. The sounds of the thrusting in and out of her pussy are like music to my ears.


    I stop for a second and wait until she meets my eyes. There are mixed emotions of lust and confusion on her face. I swear if she could shoot daggers, I would be dead.


    "Are you okay, Anastasia?"


    "Oh, god, Sebastian! Why did you stop?"


    Unable to resist any longer, I press my lips against her. My tongue rolls out and slides through the soft wet valley up to her clit. As I press my tongue deep into the center, her body starts to quiver. I start to flick my tongue ever so skillfully against her hard pearl. I continue to thrust my fingers in and out of her, matching my tongue to the same rhythm. She gasps at the ever-deepening probing of my tongue into her slippery softness.


    With my hands firm on her thighs, I try to keep her hips from moving; her body is beyond her control. As I continue to play my tongue around her clit, my fingers only increase the speed that I am pumping into her. I can feel the heat starting to build up in her body, and I know she closes.


    "Anastasia, I am going to make you cum."


    She only nods, for she is unable to even form a single word. I smile at her with a near, satisfied grin. I got her close to shattering, now only one little push, and she falls over the edge.


    I slip my fingers out and replace them with my tongue. I drive my thumb into the center of her soft spot and start circling her hard. My tongue drives deep in and out of her. Faster and faster, deeper and deeper, she is building up to a climax. The warmth in her body is near burning; her legs are shaking beyond a quiver.


    "Let it go, Anastasia."


    "Oh god, Sebastian."


    I feel her clench tight, and her warmth erupts over my tongue. With one last lick, I move up her body and drop down next to her.


    She is a beauty to behold, but she is a beauty that has betrayed me once again. The first time forgiveness came with great pain, the second time it will be near too impossible. I have made my orders clear, any Vampire that betrays me shall meet only but one fate. Death.


    So it is without hesitation that I retrieve the dagger under the pillow where she did not see me place it. I clasp it ever too tight in my hands, slowly raising it above my head. With pure brutal force, I bring it down.


    "Sebastian! No!"

 Chapter 122 - Rendered Unconscious

    Sebastian has just done things to me that he has never done what I am guessing is his life before. But he was so different, he was passionate but there was a roughness behind it and not to mention the way he spoke to me. It was not him.


    And now.


    I have him over me with a dagger in his hand and he is bringing it down with full force. Thank god, he is not completely on top of me, so I manage to squirm underneath from him and jump with absolute haste and terror from the bed.


    "Sebastian, What are you doing?"


    "I want you gone, Anastasia. You have betrayed me for the very last time."


    "I did not betray you. Put the dagger down."


    But yet he does not listen. He launches over to me, dagger firmly in hand, and drops in a loud thud in front of me. I try to move but he has taken me by the arm, and is now slowly, well to me it seems, but in fact, it is with great speed that he is pointing it to my very much dead heart which is going to render me dead as well.


    But there is no way that I am going to get away from him, he is far too strong. Then as he slams the dagger into my chest, he misses and I stumble to the floor. I rise to my feet and I make a dash to the door. He is immediately behind me as he shuts it firmly closed. Once again he slams the dagger into my chest, strangely he misses yet again. Is his purpose to torture me or kill me.


    That I am soon to find out for he lets my body drop to the floor and as he stands over me, I can see a great evil that is in his eyes, "Did you think I was going to make it easy for you? You shall feel this dagger enter you until there is no place to enter anymore."


    "Sebastian please, why are you doing this?"


    "You have betrayed me. Betrayal means death, my dear. And die is what you shall do today."


    He yet once again, lifts me to my feet and slams my body against the far side fall, he hastes his steps and comes pouncing the dagger below my breast bone. The force is brutal and drives with so much power that there is a slight crack in the wall. My blood is pouring from the deep gashes he is driving into my skin.


    With the fourth time that he drives the dagger, he but only laughs as my body start to crumple to the floor. I am unable to get up, there is nowhere to go. He shall keep on coming until there is nothing to come for.


    My only option is to plead, but yet will he listen, "Sebastian please, I beg you," my voice comes under the strain of a body giving in, a body that is dying. "Please stop."


    "The only one that is stopping Anastasia is you that will stop to exist. I warned you the very first time, there shall not be a second."


    "Sebastian please."


    Yet, he shall not end it here, next as I prepare myself for the impact, I can hear that Edward is coming up the stairs. My only option, yell and hope that Edward shall hear. So at the utmost pitch that my voice can take, I scream Edward''s name.


    "Edward! Please help."


    In less than mere seconds, I have Edward standing in the doorway looking at the scene that is unfolding.


    "Sebastian put the dagger down."


    "Edward, this is none of your concern. She has proven once again that she cannot be faithful, and I have made it clear that betrayal shall lead to death."


    "She has not been unfaithful. She spends nothing but all her time with you. Where would she have done such a thing?"


    "She and that Vampire Hunter."


    Edward merely just shakes his head and moves a few steps closer to Sebastian, "They are friends, you are aware of that."


    "Well, from what I saw earlier tonight they appear to be more than just friends?"


    "Then explain to me what they did?"


    "I saw her holding his hand."


    "Oh, god, Sebastian, really?"


    Edward advances a few steps even closer. Sebastian is fully unaware of this as he is too busy focussing the dagger on me, but yet Edward continues to plead.


    "Sebastian, the Vampire Hunter, as with me, have been through an ordeal, she was only but consoling him."


    "Yes, consoling him to his bedroom."


    "You have gone completely insane. If you are so convinced about her infidelity, then please do read her mind."


    For a brief moment, Sebastian comes to a standstill as if the thought has only but now occurred to him for the first time. Then he turns to face me once more, he slightly cocks his head as if he is truly reading my mind. But yet not.


    "I need not to read her mind to know that she is a Delilah."


    "Listen to yourself," Edward urges him, "You are a man that cannot talk about things such as this. Your lifestyle has been rather questionable and not to mention all the past lovers that have been popping up of late."


    "My dear Edward, that is not the point here."


    Then totally unexpected, Sebastian rushes towards me and tries to pierce the dagger into my chest. This time I do believe he is aiming for the true intended place, but Edward with a great speed grabs the dagger from his hand and throws it out the nearby window. Sebastian is immediately enraged, but before he can make his stance once again, Edward lifts me from the floor and rushes me from the room.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I do not wish to see this woman before my eye, I have given her nothing but my loyalty and my love and all she does is lay complete waste to it. I have not, and I will not give up, but she shall die today. If they believe that there are no other daggers that I possess, well they are sadly mistaken.


    So I find my way downstairs to go retrieve yet another dagger that I hold in the study. As I pass by the common room I hear them frantically speaking to someone whom I believe is on the phone. Well, who do they think that they can possibly call on me? The Vampire Police. Ha! They are but such fools, I rule here and nobody shall tell me what and how to do it. If I see that death is fit for Anastasia''s crimes, then that is the punishment that shall be laid down.


    And it is with this in mind that I find myself at the draw to retrieve the very dagger that shall lay that punishment down. But as I stand here with my utmost determination, I feel as there is a rather large blow to the head. It is within an instant that the darkness of night sets in.


    ¡­Anastasian POV¡­


    Bobby has just hit Sebastian over the head with the baseball bat. Now if you ask me he did enjoy it tremendously. Well, I would have loved to do it myself but my body is far too weak. I can almost for certain say that Edward wished to do it himself as well, for let us all agree that Sebastian was acting like a rather idiot.


    But that is beside the point. What did happen is that Bobby saw another scene playoff in front of him while we were at the pub. There was another rather attractive woman that had her way with a man that simply did not sit right with him. Well, I would have never spotted her, but he is the expert in these things. So after following this woman into the ladies, he saw her very reflection in the mirror, and well, she was a Siren. Now, Bobby believes that Sebastian has come in contact with this woman and therefore his complete outburst of madness.


    Though Bobby has successfully killed this woman, Sebastian should have returned to his normal self. Guess that is not the issue here, perhaps yes he has been returned to normal, but he still believes that I have done him a great harm by being unfaithful. So we are hoping that by keeping him unconscious that he would soon get over his rampage. And if we have to knock him out again then that is what we shall do.


    Now that is what we hope, for I have firsthand seen his dark side and that is very much the dark side with consumes him now still. Sebastian firmly believes that I have been unfaithful to him. I am afraid that if he gets this notion in his head he will never let go of this. So we are only but left with one choice.


    We wait.

 Chapter 123 - Tormented Dream

    The darkness of night sets in.


    Last night was torture as she ran circles through my mind as I sought the comfort of my bed. Never has one woman consumed my dreams in total ecstasy yet bringing me pain at the very same time. I could almost feel her delicate fingers running down my sculpted chest. She laid spread over my body in nothing but red lace, but yet all there was is an empty space that is only meant for her. Anastasia Santi has been my undoing in more than one way.


    So with what can only be described as endless hours, I have been counting the seconds as they crawled in anticipation, I find myself waiting for her. I have never felt so much nervousness creep up my spine. My heart will simply fall into an abyss if she refuses me again. But even if she does, I will not give up until I have her in my arms once more. She has become my now, my present; she is the driving force that will determine what I do next.


    Then I see her, she is wearing a leopard-print dress with¡­she is not wearing her red stilettos. Why is she not wearing her red stilettos? Should I be bothered? Should I even be looking at her in such a way?


    But yet, her beauty still captivates me, the way she sways those hips as I see her disappeared between the crowd, the way her hair is waving over her shoulders, the way that body moves in perfect precision. But beauty only runs so deep; it is what is inside her that makes me want to run as far as I can away from her. The desire to take her into my arms and ease that pain that she feels, that I feel, it lays within me, but I shall rather be sucked into a black hole. She shall not have her way with me, not now, not ever again.


    This raging battle in my mind does not go unnoticed, Edward, that had been listening to my tormented feelings, turns to me, "Sebastian, how long is this thing between you and Anastasia going to carry on?"


    "I am afraid to say that this is how things will be from now on."


    "But did you not apologize?"


    "Yes I did, but the fact is that she does not want to listen. I went down on my knee and she rejected me like a fool. It is as if I meant nothing to her."


    With that, the flood of emotions comes streaming but into the anguish of my mind, and as what I have learned for the past day, that whiskey does numb the pain and the memory. Well, that is if you consume it at a constant pace. But as I throw the shot to the back of my throat, I see her take a seat at a table with two other guys. There is that gorgeous smile playing on her face as she leans in and talks to them. That smile is only meant for me, she only smiles that way when I push her to pure moments of bliss. And now, now she is giving it so freely to a man that she does not know.


    Edward, sees my irritation and gently rests his hand on my now trembling one that he knows is about to toss this glass over the room, "Sebastian it is not worth it."


    Well, he does make a very good point, but it still does not make it better. And what makes this even beyond understandable is that she is supposed to be with me. But then yet again, she does not want to be with me. I need to remind myself that, I need to play that damn image over and over in pain that she rejected me.


    So, here I am in absolute agony in this godforsaken pub, watching her laugh with another man. Another man, that now has casually set his arm on her chair and is wrapping his fucking grabby paws around her. Well, that shit does not shit here. Even before Edward can grab me by the arm, I am there, and I am there with a good damn punch in his goddam ugly face.


    "Take your fucking hands off her."


    "Sorry, man, I was just resting my arm."


    "Resting your arm, do you want me to show you where you can rest that arm?"


    "Damn man, just chill, I said I am sorry. Who the fuck do you think you are anyway?"


    And yes, my temper blows out in full force, now this man can be glad that I left my dagger at home for I would have rested his head all over the floor. But in a flash, before she can even try to tell the guy to back off, I have him by the collar, "Sebastian Belmont, that is who I am."


    With that, I toss him over the table and walk away. Fuck this.


    I take my bottle of whiskey and make my way back home, where I will still be able to see her, she just won''t go away. Even though every part of my body screams that I should just stay away, I cannot find myself doing so.


    So as I step through the door of the study, I fall back into the black leather chair, spinning myself around. An immediate anger sets over me, I need to stop this. I cannot obsess over a woman that I can clearly not stand at this very moment and let us not forget that this very woman wants nothing to do with me in return. As I shake my head to rid myself of these thoughts, I hear a soft knock on the door.


    As I spin around, I find Anastasia standing in all her glory, has she come to her senses? Is she here to give us another chance? And when she speaks I am waiting in anticipation.


    "Sorry, I was looking for Edward."


    "Is there something that I can help you with?"


    "No, it is fine."


    "Anastasia, I wish¡­" I immediately stop the very thought that was about to leave over lips that cannot be trusted now.


    But then she steps into the study, somewhat hesitating, though there seems to be something on her mind. This sets my heart full of hope and desire again. And that very angel voice that can peak me to an utter mess softly fills the corner of the room, "Can I just get that book up there in the corner?"


    "Of course."


    As I lean back in the chair, I cannot but help study her intensely. She is still not wearing her red stilettos; in fact, she is not wearing any shoes at all. Why on earth am I finding it so goddamn sexy.


    In an instant, I find myself behind her. She turns around to face me; there is clear confusion in her eyes. Underneath this raging animal, there is a fire waiting to be released. I tangle my hands in her hair and seek the softness of her lips. With every wink, I pull her closer, and then I pull away. I taunt and tease, slowly claiming her as mine.


    The carnal desire to feel that raw passion takes over my body. I clear the entire contents of the desk onto the floor, the whiskey glass falls and shatters to pieces. I grab her ankles and slide her closer. With gentle but tremble hands, I lay her back on the table.


    I stare into her blue eyes. She arches her back and pushes herself into my raging erection. Her body whimpers and begs to be touched.


    "Sebastian."


    As she says these words, I feel a sharp bolt shoot straight through my heart, knowing that she will give me everything that I desire. My mind says no, but my body says yes; how can one have what you desire within arm''s reach but not want it at the same time. Then all reasoning steps out the door.


    Her arms clasp around my neck as she needs to have my body closer. My body jerks at first, but then I allow myself to give in. The thought of her naked body fuels the raging fire within me; she consumes my body. It is not her lips that I reach for; my tongue finds the sensitive parts below her ear. The moan that escapes her lips awakens an even greater longing for her body and soul. The touch of her skin against my tongue sends a fiery passion throughout my core. I cannot keep my self-control any longer, my mouth finds her lips, and I prepare to take her, take every bit that I can have. It''s like a battle raging in my mouth as my every stroke is aimed to make her body quiver.


    Her hands unlock behind my neck, and they are moving all over. First down my shoulders, then down my chest, I can feel my heart pounding beneath my flesh. Her touch sends my blood racing as she moves further down to my waist. My body freezes, and for a moment, I stop breathing, then her hand reaches between my thighs, finding my erection. A growl escapes my lips.


    Then, she pulls away, "Stop, I cannot do this."


    With that she is gone, leaving my body cold and once again rejected.


    And somehow it feels like I have been here before.


    I slowly start to open my eyes, and it all comes flooding back to me.


    "Anastasia!"


    Then.


    The darkness of night sets in.

 Chapter 124 - Fantasy Or Reality?

    The darkness of night sets in.


    The minute I stepped through the door, I see her, her long slender legs with a perfect hourglass waist, a body so hot you can melt honey on it. Long locks of blonde hair elegantly drop off over her shoulders. She is a beauty beyond compare. I have seen her here before but never once have I held her in my company. To be honest, a girl like her is out of my reach; she is but a mere mortal. Even if I am lucky enough to have her by my side, it will be a union that will be frowned upon and most certainly not allowed.


    Edward sees me admiring her intensely as we walk downstairs into the pub. "Why don''t you just talk to her? I see the way you look at her every time we get here?"


    I continue to admire her body, my eyes not leaving her once. "Edward, I admire her body as for the rest, well...there is...there is nothing". I know that I am lying to him and most definitely lying to myself.


    Edward does not take notice of what I am saying and only urges me on. "Take the risk Sebastian; you will never know until you have tried."


    "You know that even if I tried, it would not be allowed," I explain to him as the sad reality sets into my eyes.


    We find a table close to hers. Her sun-kissed skin is glowing in the soft, dimmed lights, but it is not her body that captivates me the most; it is those deep cherry red lips. Every time I see her, she seems even more exquisite than the time before. She sees me staring at her in so much detail, and for one very rare moment, she smiles.


    Edward sees me staring at her once again, "Come on Sebastian, just talk to her."


    "You know what my dear friend, perhaps tonight I will."


    And as is see her stand from her chair and leave to go to the ladies, I follow with the sheer determination of finally speaking to the woman that I have desired for such a long time. But yet she does not make her way to the ladies, she, in fact, steps outside into the alley. Well, this indeed presents a better opportunity.


    As I find myself leaving through the back door, I see her leaning up against the wall, getting as these mortals will say, some fresh air. She looks up at me for but a brief moment and smiles at me once again.


    "Hey, I am Anastasia."


    "Sebastian."


    She comes to stand closer to me. Having her so close sets my heart racing. The sweet smell of her perfume attacks my senses, jasmine, and just a small hint of vanilla. She bites into her bottom lip, which sends me over that restraint that I was trying to hold. I look at her intently. A deep red dress covers her slim-toned body in just all the right places; a pair of red stilettos is the perfect finish to her ever so seductive image off. She is dressed to impress; and god, I am nervous even being so close to her.


    But closer I do want to be, so beyond what consumes me, I step even one step closer to her. And if I thought she would step away, she steps but one step forward as well. She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Then she closes that one final gap and opens her eyes once again. She possesses the most beautiful blue eyes, my body melts as it whisks me away as I feel myself drowning in them.


    She looks at me from underneath her dark lashes. I press her body into the wall; I pin her hands above her head. I can feel the heat between our bodies rising. She splays her hand against my chest, intending to push me away, but instead, she leaves it there.


    Sebastian."


    "Ssshhh, Anastasia." placing a finger on her sweet lips, preventing her from saying yet another word.


    My hand trembles as I take it to her cheek. I lean in a little closer, our foreheads now gently touching. I cannot fight against the thoughts that are going through my mind. She is flooding my senses in every possible way.


    I stare into her deep blue eyes; I cup her cheek, which is now slowly turning red. This woman that has so much power over men is like jelly in my hands. I smile at her before I slowly lean into her. My hand is shaking slightly; my mind is repeating the same sentence over and over. "Don''t do this... don''t do this." But the sound of her heart is beating so loud I cannot concentrate at all. It feels like I am going to explode. I so desperately want to claim those lips.


    "I am going to kiss you," I boldly state; not waiting for her answer, I start moving my lips breath by breath closer to hers.


    The moment our lips touch, the world vanishes in an instant. Her lips are softer than I ever imagined, and she tastes even sweeter than heaven. My lips are firm against hers, but the kiss remains soft, gentle, and slow. We hold it for a few seconds before our lips begin to move in perfect sync. My eyes fall closed, and all I could feel was her. Her warmth, her touch, her being.


    Drunk on endorphins, my only desire is to touch her, to move my hands over the smooth curves of her body, and feel her perfect softness. Overwhelming passion and clear lust have taken over my entire body. I move my hand from her cheek to the back of her head, my fingers tangling in her long, blonde hair, lightly pulling her into me, adding more pressure to our lips, deepening the kiss.


    My insistent mouth is parting her trembling lips; she is inflicting sensations I have never known I was capable of feeling. The kiss is getting deeper, deeper than all the galaxies in the universe. Her velvety lips are imprinting themselves like a footprint in the snow.


    Then.


    Her tiny hands work at the buttons of my dark blue shirt. Her soft fingers run down my muscled chest and over every single edge of my rippled abs. I hold my breath as she moves to my buckle and her fingers find themselves at the seams of my underwear. Her hands work their way around my body, feeling each crevasse, each line along with my perfect physique. She presses her soft lips against my warm naked flesh.


    "Anastasia."


    "Ssshhh Sebastian..." she softly whispers, as she lets her lips hover over the tip of my ear.


    "You know you can''t stop me," she says, smiling at me with an ever-growing smile on my face.


    I bring my finger up to her lips; I can feel her warm breath rapidly breathing against the tips. She tries to speak, but I suddenly cover her mouth with mine and make her stop. All I want to focus on is her; the warmth that is spreading through my body. On the soft moan, she just made, on the intoxicating feeling of diving headfirst into an erupting volcano, and most of all, the way she tastes. I feel as she tries to loosen her hands, but I only pin her harder into the wall again.


    "Sebastian."


    When she says my name this time, it is as if she is begging. It only makes me crave her more. I slide my hand over her tight ass and push her deep into my raging erection. My mouth moves away from her lips and runs slowly down her neck; I rub them gently over her collarbone and softly bite into the edge of her shoulders. I grind myself into her as I move my lips to her ear.


    "You are mine, Anastasia. Please just give in."


    She immediately stops fighting and lets me roam her again, coming inches close to her breasts. I can hear her breathing heavily as my tongue finds her cleavage, but as soon as I start, I stop again. I move back to her lips and let her kiss me, to let her be in charge for only a minute.


    I can feel her heart rate as it picks up a pace; I have her right where I want her to be. With the utmost confidence that I have her hooked, I step away from her body.


    "I do believe I need to get back inside."


    With that, I return to where Edward is rather impatiently waiting to hear of my encounter.


    But just then I see the beauty that is mine, returning to the table. Then rather oddly the Vampire Hunter seems to join their table. What happens next though does send somewhat of a fury through my body. She pulls this man tight into that chest where my lips were only but a moment ago and their lips lock in a rather passionate kiss. Has she just let another man claim the lips that were mine?


    And with that¡­I slowly open my eyes.


    "Anastasia!"


    The darkness of night sets in.

 Chapter 125 - Heaven Or Earth?

    Then the darkness sets in.


    But yet the light soon makes way. And as my eyes open slowly one by one, I find a man with a rather stupid grin on his face smiling at me.


    "Do we need to knock you out again?"


    "My dear Bobby, you hit me with that darn bat again and I shall chew your hands off."


    He looks over to Anastasia still very much amused, "I think we need to hit him again, he still sounds a bit violent to me."


    Anastasia only but chuckles at him as she comes to sit by my side, "Bobby, I think you are enjoying this far too much."


    "Hey, I don''t know if I will ever get the chance, so hell, by all means, let me knock the shit out of him."


    But just then much to my relief, his phone starts to persistently light up, as he looks down at the screen, he rather amuses me with this every time, "Balls, it is the boys, I have to go. The Siren is dead and you should be fine now. Now for god sakes, leave the hunting to the Hunters."


    I only but wave him off as he disappears out the door.


    Now I do believe that I owe my beloved a big apology, so as I take her hand she but gives me one look, "Don''t you even dare, it was not your fault Sebastian so do not apologize."


    "But my beloved, is that not how I should then feel deep down in the dark side of me?"


    "Well, let us hope that your deep dark side never comes up again, and I am leaning towards agreeing with Bobby, I think it is time we leave the hunting for the Hunters. This time things truly got scary, we could have lost two of the Belmont house by our own hands."


    "I do agree with you there, but also, I am going to add, that one never says never."


    "Let us at least try to keep it to never. Now if you feel up to it, there is a guest that has been waiting for your presence for the past two days."


    "Please do not tell me that it is a guest with a problem?"


    "He indeed has a problem, but that I shall leave for him to discuss with you."


    And that but only sparks my curiosity, now who shall wait for me patiently to return from my madness only to reveal a problem that he could have resolved himself by now? Well, I need not to ask any further, for as I descend the stairs, I immediately become aware of his presence. As I turn the corner, I am delighted to see a very dear old friend of mine.


    "Breyden, my friend, it is so good to see you."


    "Sebastian, I heard that you are being beaten upstairs there. Now I would have loved to see it but you know that I do not take kindly to see my friends get hurt."


    "Ah, I do appreciate the concern then. So I am guessing that you are not here to bring me flowers."


    "In heavens name, no. I have come with news."


    "My beloved said you had a problem?"


    He looks somewhat nervous, now that is one thing I never see Breyden do and that is to look nervous. He is carrying a great deal with him. Something does have the man spooked, I am going to go out here and guess that it has to do with the girls.


    "My friend, is there something wrong with the girls?"


    "Oh no, not at all."


    "Then tell me how are they doing?"


    "Teagen has settled with that friend of the man, he is fully intending to claim her as his beloved."


    "And our dear Tasnim?"


    "She and this man, Carson have completed their union. So the girls my friend, they are both doing fine and living the happy lives that they are supposed to do."


    I look at him somewhat confused then, he is at the best of the times on the slower side, but he seems to be really holding something back this time. It is giving him a great deal of pain for that I can see in his eyes, as for his mind, well that I cannot read. He has come all this far to give me the news that is troubling him and I can by the way his heart is beating, understand that this news will be changing both our lives.


    So I turn to my beloved, not that I wish to be rude, but I turn to her and softly whisper to her, "My beloved, can you give us a few moments, I will come up in a short while."


    With that, she leaves the common room and I can immediately sense some relief in Breyden, but yet this does not get him to speak freely at first. So I patiently wait until he can gather the strength to get off his troubled mind. And as he finally speaks, I can honestly say that the man is near to the brink of shedding a fountain of tormented tears.


    "Sebastian, I have decided to return."


    "Return to where?"


    "My home, my real home. I think it is time. The girls are safe in their own rather abnormal way. There is no further need for me here. I have learned the lesson that I had to down here and I feel I can return."


    "But your life is here my friend."


    "And my family is up there. Yes, I am going to miss all the friends that have grown to be family down here, but I do miss the comfort of home. I only but dwell by myself now."


    "Then come live here, there is more than enough room."


    "Sebastian, you have Anastasia. And Lilith has Stefan. Then Edward, well Edward has many."


    The very mention of Edward and his many makes me chuckle and even brings some nasty reminders back of the two past days of tortured dreams, which by the way I still need to explore for a Vampire should not dream, well that is what I know. But that is beside the point, my friend wants to leave from here and I feel I have to stop him from doing so. But, then again, shall I not be selfish to keep him away from what he desires. Perhaps. Maybe. I don''t know.


    "Breyden, have you given this some great thought? This is such a tremendous change in your life, and I am guessing that once you leave you cannot return?"


    "Not unless I get kicked out again, which I do not foresee in happening at all. You have taught me a lot about the values of life. I have had more meaningful lessons from immortals than I had from mortals. Your friendship and guidance are what brought me through this journey, through this lesson that I needed to learn."


    "But there are always other lessons to learn. I, myself are still learning them every day. I too thought that I knew everything until I met my beloved, she has also taught me things that I never knew existed and even far better made me feel all these things in return. Is it not possible for you to find yourself such a companion?"


    "You are asking me to find another angel on earth?"


    I see as he studies me intently, and by the way, he is slightly tilting his head, I am very sure that he is now reading my mind. So as his face lights up rather awkwardly, he looks at me and smiles.


    "You are surely not suggesting a Vampire are you, Sebastian?"


    "I am saying it is a thought. But even a human, why can''t you find a companion and build a new family here?"


    "My biggest desire is to go home. And my friend you have forgotten that if a Vampire drinks from me that they shall die."


    "Yes, but I am not saying that they have to drink from you. The companionship, that is what counts my friend. You need not to taste someone''s blood to have an intimate moment with them."


    "You do make things sound so appealing sometimes. It is funny how I was supposed to find myself between the mortals and learn their lesson on caring for another, yet I found that in a creature with a big ego and a lust for blood."


    "Well, which ego are you referring to?"


    There is a rumble of pure laughter come from his belly, for just a moment he seems to forget about the difficult decision that lies ahead for him. I want to believe that as he said that he has made up his mind, but I have known the man for long enough to know that he came here looking for advice, and advice is what I shall give.


    "My dear friend, I, not because I am trying to be selfish in any way, but I think that you should remain here. And when I say here, I mean in the Belmont house, there is always room for another and we all shall have you gladly."


    "Sebastian, I appreciate the offer, but¡­"


    "I know, I know that you need to have a companion, and I think I might just have the right one for you."


    I slowly nod my head and show for him to listen, and as his eyes widen, I know that he is very shocked at my suggestion.


    "Think about it, don''t leave yet."

 Chapter 126 - A Suggestion Of Love

    One never wishes to lose a friend or as what Breyden has become, a member of the family. Yes, I do know that the man came from a family that he did not choose to leave on his own. But he came here to the land of mortals to do right for the wrongs that he has done. Instead of finding the answers, he was supposed to, he found a whole different calling.


    Now the story goes.


    Breyden was, as one would say, a rogue Angel. He was constantly disobeying the rules and not following orders. He was causing absolute havoc in Heaven. His very many adventures caused him to hurt and disregard the needs of his family. He was creating far more enemies than one could desire, his menacing ways were becoming a slight bit of a problem. So he was cast out to our dear home to learn the valuable lessons of caring for others, not only learning to love but to put others before himself.


    And so he was sent here and the moment, the very second of his arrival, he carried his ways on here as what he did above. Not wanting to learn his lesson at all, he did miss home, but not because of his family, but because he simply did not wish to be here alone. There was unfortunately no way for him to return until he has come to learn the thing that he was sent for here.


    So he dwelled and caused chaos for many months, and this is where I met him. We both were out having our fun on one evening, him with his many women and me with mine. While he was drinking up whiskey and having encounters, I was drinking up blood and having encounters. So while out on a hunt after have had an encounter that I wished to have again therefore my reluctance to kill her, I find my way in an alley where I overpowered my victim. Now at this very moment is when Breyden was returning to his home at that time, he found me in this alley drinking from the woman.


    Now he could have killed me there and then, but he did not. I think in a way he understood that I need to do what I needed to survive just as he had to do so himself. And from that very moment, we have been like brothers. We had our years of causing havoc together, but up until one night when he had an experience in an alley where a Witch and a Vampire were attacking two young girls. But yet, instead of looking the other way, that nature of him that should be caring came through and he saved the two girls. And those two girls he spent with for years and years trying to protect them and undo the evil that was done to them. And now, as he can proudly say, he has got them to the sort of normal safety that he could get and in doing so he has learned that valuable lesson that he was required to do so for many years.


    But now, now he wants to return home and I don''t want him to. So I have asked the man to stay in the Belmont House. The first reason I have mentioned, the second reason, I know of someone that holds a great love for him. She has for many, many years, though she has fought the urge to confess, she has ultimately given up to silence. Well, I have decided that the silence ends today. So Breyden has now been told, which yes, I know, I should not have for it is not my secret to tell. But something has to be done that I can keep him here.


    So while he has gone off to consider my proposal, I am returning to my beloved, which I have only but have had back for a few hours now. It seems that losing her is becoming a new trend as well. Well, perhaps with an Angel on our little hunting team, we might have a bit more, firepower, as they would say. But I promised that I will stop the hunting, though she did not ask for how long.


    Now back with her in the room, I am struck by her absolute beauty once more again. As has become a custom, the vixen is not wearing any clothes. And she is ever so impatiently waiting for me to come tell her all about Breyden.


    "So what did Breyden say?"


    But not so easy.


    "Ssshhh, beloved." I place my finger over her lips and kiss the thought away from her mind. "Let me just have you back in my presence first."


    I start, and one by one, I undo each button of my shirt, then I begin to unzip my pants; I kick them off in a pile next to my shirt. As I have my underwear halfway down my legs, she stares at me in total shock, standing in front of her with a full erection.


    "Oh, god Sebastian, what are you doing?"''


    "Making love to my wife, we do not seem to do this as often as one would desire to."


    "But tell me about Breyden first."


    "You do know that is such a mood killer, talking business when I am trying to seduce you."


    As I settle between her legs, my erection starts to grow even harder. I slide my hand up her thighs and dig my fingers deep into her flesh. She trembles as I move closer and closer. My body aches to be deep and throbbing inside every inch of her. A faint moan escapes her lips as the heat of my touch leaves her weak and wanting. My mouth roams at will; I am no longer gentle as I devour her, against the smooth curve of her throat, the soft flesh of her ear. My mouth is consuming her.


    Our eyes gradually meet; I lower my head and begin biting and kissing down her neck. I continue downward until my lips are locked around her quivering nipple. My tongue circled the swollen tip as my hand strokes the other. She tosses her head back, thrusting the tip further into my mouth.


    "Sebastian, please."


    Cursing softly to myself, I hold her up by her ass and dig my fingers deep into her flesh. Then I slowly drive deep into her inch by glorious inch. She is soft and warm and every bit so inviting. A deep growl escapes through my lips. It is raw and fierce. No woman has ever made me feel this way.


    "Oh, god, my beloved."


    ...Anastasia POV...


    What he is doing to my body should be a sin. He slowly starts to move within me, taking the edge off the ache, but only to make it so much worse again. With every move, he slips his thick erection in a little deeper but then pulling all the way out again. Then once deeper in and all the way out again. Teasing me painfully slow.


    My inner muscles clamp around him like a hot, pulsing glove. The sexual excitement burning in my blood is stronger than any burst of desire I have ever felt in my life.


    He keeps up his rhythm relentlessly. Teasing me agonizingly slow. With each stroke, he slides his hot throbbing flesh completely into me. As he drives in deeper with each thrust, he increases his pace.


    There is an ache in my hips as I clamp my legs around his waist, curling my fingers into the sheets; I surrender to all he is doing to me, surrender to everything I am feeling, everything he was feeling.


    He hits my sweet spot perfectly, and it is almost too much for me to cope with. He knows what he is doing; I see the mischievous grin on his lips and cannot help but smile back. He is going to fuck me hard and deep.


    I feel a flush of heat spread over my body from my stomach. It feels like my entire body is blushing. Keeping still, I feel the tip of his erection hit the core of me over and over again. I relaxed into my orgasm, relishing in the waves of pleasure tingling over my skin


    All I can do is but utter his name as I cry out in pleasure.


    "Sebastian!"


    "Oh, my beloved, I am not done yet."


    He positions his pulsating erection at my entrance and plunges fast and deep into me again. Spreading my legs wide again, he thrust up into me; I feel him push all the way inside me, filling me right to the top. I bounce as he thrusts upwards, and I feel him become bigger as he quickens his pace.


    He slams into me, struggling for breath, desperately trying to hold on to his crumbling restraint. But there is nothing controlled about this.


    He plunges deep inside me; I feel the full thrust of his length inside me. Tension builds deep at my core and coils up. My arousal mounts inside until finally, without warning, my climax charges up, and I lost all control for the second time again. I throw my head back as I tremble in orgasm; it is like stepping into a room engulfed in flames. My heart stops, and my body burns, releasing that ecstasy that my body was yearning for


    ...Sebastian POV...


    I am thrusting into her mercilessly as she is being driven from one climax to another. I am fucking her then fucking her again, over and over thrusting into her, delving and diving, pounding and pumping.


    The sex is loud and brutal. With every sharp thrust, our skin slap together. My cries grow louder and more desperate as the pleasure mounts. My erection grows larger and harder. I feel I am about to burst wide open.


    All it takes is one fierce drive, and I am over the edge. The hot waves of pleasure start deep in my core and shot out in every direction, turning my limbs to jelly and my mind to mush. Still blinded and out of breath, I fall down next to her with a hoarse groan.


    After several moments have passed, she finally speaks again.


    "So, are you going to tell me?"


    "I have made Breyden a proposal that he can simply not refuse."


    "And that being?"


    "Lilith holds a very dear and long love for him. I suggested he stays to explore that."

 Chapter 127 - The Warmth Of An Angel

    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    Tonight I find myself here in the same place where I have found myself for centuries. The land where mortals live. It is a place between excitement and danger. This is a place where you live on the edge of pleasure, of pure adrenaline that flows through your veins. I love every minute of the thrill. I did not get to be here by playing things safe or obeying the rules. I am here as a rebel, a rogue angel, and most of all, a lost man. And today, I find myself somewhat normal, in my own awkward way.


    So the question begs. Do I desire to live here for the rest of my eternity?


    Yes.


    So I sit here outside the Belmont house before is shall go give Sebastian the great news, which is rather daring at the current stage, for they seem to have another one of their get-togethers that Lilith has arranged, which I have been reluctantly agreed to attend. Now we all know that Sebastian is trying his hardest to play matchmaker between Lilith and me, which I do wish he did not do. I want to be the man that tells her how I have felt about her for so many years, but I am afraid I do not know how long our dear Vampire Master can keep that a secret to himself, so it seems that my confession shall happen far sooner than I anticipate.


    As I enter the Belmont house and watch the Vampires that fill every corner of the room, I can''t help but to chuckle at myself. An Angel, an immortal, seeking the company of another immortal, a Vampire, in such an odd way, I can only but imagine what the chatter is up there.


    So I find myself surrounded by more Vampires than I can possibly feel comfortable with. Some of these Vampires I have known myself for years, and we have been on rather good terms, but then there are some that I have on my own occasion tried to end their lives. To say that my presence is not well received by all shall be a rather big understatement.


    But as I do look at all these male Vampires, a sad fact does settle into my mind. Why would Lilith want to be with a man such as me when she can have all of these. She was, after all, tied to Victor for so many years; surely she shall not now seek the companionship of an Angel?


    I am very frustrated as I find my way to wander through the masses of Vampires, just aimlessly greeting one after the other. Not truly paying much notice, the next moment, I feel someone walk smack bang into my chest.


    The impact is so hard; the woman utters only but one word.


    "Ouch."


    Just then, a group of male Vampire forces themselves past us at the very moment, which causes her to push even harder into my body.


    The scent of sweet vanilla and hints of honey attacks my senses. It knocks my breath away, and beyond my control, I press my head even closer to hers. Her scent is beyond intoxicating; I want more of her. And as I listen, I hear her soft rapid breaths singing like music in my ear. There are tingles of pleasure running down my spine, something beyond what I have ever experienced with a woman before.


    I softly moan deep in my chest; this is something I want, this is what I want to feel from a woman. This is a woman that I want, not just now, but I can find myself getting lost in her over and over again. And my first instinct is to run my hands over her waist and resting them at the small of her back, but as I find my hands trail the way, her expose skin melts by only my touch. If I was not captivated before, then I truly am now.


    But as soon as I rest my hand just above would possibly is the tightest ass I would ever feel in my life, then out of nowhere, the flat of her hand comes crashing into my cheek. And as she speaks, her angel voice peeks the very thing that had me coming down here in the first place.


    "Let me go, you creep."


    "Well, I have been called a few things, but I can honestly say that creep is not one of them."


    But still, the moment I see who has found herself in my arms, I still do not let go. It is the woman that has brought me here to the Bellmont House, and for the first time ever, I have her in my arms, the closet that I shall most probably ever will. And I do not wish to let go.


    "Please dance with me, my dear Lilith?"


    "What makes you think I want to?"


    She waves her finger up and down my body, "What makes you think I want to come dance with this?"


    "I can see it in those deep blue eyes."


    And just for a brief moment, my sugarcoated words bring a rosy color to those already burning cheeks. Then beyond what I can ever imagine, she pulls me closer to her once again. I feel seven sensations of pleasure as her long delicate fingers find their way underneath the buttons of my black designer shirt. She runs her nails over every inch of my rippled abs. That frustration has now hit an all-time high, and high is what I want to find myself in every corner of her body.


    Then she softly whispers in my ear, "You have a better chance at kissing a frog."


    I cannot help but chuckle at her; I believe that our dear Sebastian has told her about his attempt at playing matchmaker. And guessing by the protest in her voice, she is not pleased with it all. But yet, I lean closer until my breath is lingering on the tips of her ear, "Consider yourself a frog then."


    Well, if I thought she would slap me there and then, she turns her head to face me. Those deep cherry lips are so close to me that with only but one wink, I would claim those lips.


    "Well, I am not your type of frog then."


    Oh, she is my type of frog. She exquisite; she needs to understand that she has now unknowingly become everything I desire; she is mine; she belongs to me now.


    I get the biggest smirk on my face as I realize that she has not yet let go of my waist, which tells me that she is feeling the heat between our bodies just as much as I do. Then as she realizes that her body is still tightly pressed against mine, she slowly steps away. I immediately feel the void that she leaves behind.


    She looks at me and studies me from tip to toe. Maybe a bit too long to make me feel comfortable.


    "It was a pleasure walking into you. In any way, I must be off."


    Her words are not even cold, and she is gone. I watch as she elegantly disappears off into the crowd. She knows that I am still staring, so she sways those hips, and god does she do it with a purpose; the only purpose is to create an even larger ache that won''t be scratched tonight.


    But this is not happening, she is not getting away so easily, so I push through into the direction she left. I catch a glimpse of her just as she exits through the back door. So as I step outside, and once I have closed the gap, I call after her.


    "You should not run off in the middle of the night; there are a lot of creeps that hang out here."


    "The only creep is you."


    "Now I thought I was a frog?"


    "Whichever one, you still ugly."


    "Can ugly then do this?"


    I step one step closer to her and slowly drive that gorgeous body back into the wall. I pin her gently between my arms, not being able to keep the words at bay; I say what I have desired to say to her that very moment that she walked into my chest.


    "You smell sweeter than honey; I bet you taste far better."


    I run the edges of my lips softly against her cheek. I hear her breath hitch, and then she softly whimpers my name.


    "Breyden."


    I run my warm breath slowly over her soft cheek to her deep red velvety lips. They are but only an inch away from touching hers. Then with only one wink, they touch. I cannot help but close my eyes as my senses are filled with the taste of cotton candy.


    I can hear her breathing picks up a pace; I have her right where I want her to be. With the utmost confidence that I have her hooked, I step one step away from her body.


    "Now, will you come dance with me?"

 Chapter 128 - An Sinful Angel

    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    Does this not scare me? It scares the hell out of me. Here I go and meet the woman that I most probably have dreamt of all my life, and she is a Vampire.


    The very thought of her sends those sensations that I felt not so long ago. I have not felt such a truly amazing feeling for as long as I can possibly remember. Thinking of her brings me warmth; it fills me up and threatens to consume me in every possible way. I would simply die if I could not be with her.


    But do I really want to shy away from her?


    "Can I kiss you again?" I boldly ask.


    "You are so polite in asking."


    "I cannot go¡­"


    She places her fingers against my soft lips and wraps my face in her hands. She pulls my face closer until there is nothing but a mere breath between our lips. Then she softly whispers. "I thought you would never ask."


    When this evening started, not once did I thought that I would find my way to the Belmont house and meet this captivating woman. She swept me off my feet the moment that her gorgeous body bumped into mine. If I did not seek to be lonely, then I would have never found her. Right now, every bit of this is scary, but I''d rather be frightened with her near me than be alone. I have what I desire, and nothing will take that away from me.


    I take my right hand and pull her long black hair away from her shoulder. Before I know what consumes me, I lay my lips against her naked soft skin. The scent of her perfume attacks my senses, making the desire to kiss her even more intense. I kiss her from her shoulder up the sensitive parts of her neck.


    We stare at each other, deep into each other''s eyes. Her eyes are soft and full of wonder; mine is full of curiosity and passion. No words are spoken, but a story worthy of them is communicated. I lean in and softly kiss up and down her neck. She lets out little whimpers of anticipation. I work my way up to her tender, smooth lips.


    She moves closer until her forehead touches mine. Her lips are shaking as she breathes little, short breaths. I gently lean in and touch her warms, velvety lips. I hold her head in my hands and pull her into a fiery, passionate kiss. Unable to control myself anymore, I press through the seams of her lips and entwine her in a deeper kiss.


    She scrunches my shirt in her hands and lifts it up until she finds her hand underneath it. Her hands are exploring every crevice of my sculpted chest. She moves her nails down and scrapes them hard against my rippled abs. But as soon as she realizes what she is doing, she stops.


    We stand in silence few moments, and then she turns to me.


    "Thank you," she finally says.


    "For what?"


    "For not running away."


    I look back at her, and there is a softness in her eyes. She looks down. I only but take one finger and lift her chin up so I can meet her eyes. Although her eyes are soft, I notice the feelings behind them, as if she were longing for something. She touches her forehead to mine, and I feel a warmth, one that I''ve never experienced before. It fills my body, from head to toe, invigorating me and filling me with passion and hope that is so powerful. I lean my head closer until our lips meet. Gentle but passionate, I press my lips into hers. The world around me slows so that I can savor this moment. My heart flutters as she kisses me back. Her lips are soft and warm. I put my hand on the back of her head, pulling her closer. We pull back then she smiles and lays her head on my shoulder.


    "Breyden"


    "Yes, Lilith?"


    "Please promise me that if you feel this won''t work out that you will not stay with me out of blind faith."


    "Deep inside, I know that it is something I will not need to do with you."


    I pause and look at her for a second; I wrap my hand around her waist. In one swift movement, I lift her body off the ground and ever so casually throw her over my shoulder.


    "Breyden, what are you doing? Put me down!"


    "Not until I have made love to you, Lilith."


    She kicks and squirms as I carry her into the house to what shall now become my room. I drop her body, and she gracefully bounces into the black satin sheets. Then I pull her dress over her head and push her hard onto the bed. She sinks down into the mattress.


    "Breyden?"


    "Ssshhh Lilith"


    She smiles at me and obeys my single request. With her pinned between my two hands, I drop my lips to meet hers. Our lips fit perfectly as if they are meant for each other. To move and feel each other, in passionate moments like these. I grab the back of her neck to deepen the kiss even further; I growl in the kiss as she whimpers in pleasure.


    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    This man is absolutely sinful. I can so easily get lost in that body; every inch of him screams perfection. Who knew that perfection could come in such a tight package? If he does not stop me now, then I might just devour him. I have not been with a man for what seems like forever; if I had my wish, I would be with Breyden tonight.


    He rips me from my thoughts as he slowly moves away from my body and raises himself off the bed. Then as I slowly open my eyes, "Oh my god."


    I am met with the image of a man''s bare-naked chest. It is hard and sculpted and bulging in all the right places. It is so damn hot you can melt honey on it. Those rippled abs have crevices so deep that I can get lost in them. His sun-kissed skin is glowing in the light of the moon that is pouring through the open window. The scent of his cologne radiates out every pore from his body. But that is not all that captivates me.


    "By the time you are done, there would be nothing left of me," he stands with his one hand on his hip as he stares with his seductive eyes at me.


    "Uhm¡­what?" I try to find the closest hole to stick my red face in.


    "I think you have just eaten me alive," he says what that damn cheeky smile.


    "Uhm¡­no¡­I was just¡­Damn Breyden."


    "Hahaha. I am going to take that as a compliment. "


    I press his shirt that he has just tossed onto the bed to my face and take a deep breath from it. It has the unmistakable scent of softwood and musk on it and somewhere in between the small hint of cinnamon. This is the smell of Breyden, a smell I can so easily drown in.


    "Mmm¡­Do you like what you smell, Lilith?"


    "No¡­I mean yes¡­I am just making sure."


    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    I pull her beauty back into my presence and lay my lips against hers once again.


    Every kiss has a raw intensity, we are breathing fast, and our heart rates beat even faster. I can simply not hold back anymore. As I slowly pull away from those sweet cherry lips once more, I take in the beauty that is her. Her body glows under the moonlight that is coming through the windows. She is bare with only her black lace lingerie in front of me.


    As I crawl up her body, I twist her panties around my fingers. Before she can even protest, I have them over her knees and lying next to us on the floor. She sits up straight on the bed and pushes back my body. In no time at all, she has me naked in front of her. She straddles me on my hips and pins my hands against my body.


    Then before I know, our naked skin is touching and moving softly together, just like the finest of silk. Our bodies fit together as if we were made just for this, to fall into one another, to feel this natural rhythm. Both of us move in an intoxicated dance of limbs, never making the exact same moves twice.


    The cool room is starting to feel hot and heavy. It is too hard to hold back anymore and to make the moment last. We are caught between the intoxication of the climax and extending this moment forever.


    Her face glows as she is about to give in, her back arched in anticipation. My head rocks back hard against the pillow, and a moan escapes my lips.


    I close my eyes and savor this last moment. As I slowly open my eyes again...


    "Lilith, don''t!"

 Chapter 129 - Fear After The Passion

    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    I grab my clothes in the corner and rush out the door to my room. The mere thought of what I have done terrifies me beyond belief, and I soon find myself outside the Belmont house staring into the darkness of the night. The icy wind of the night cools my heated body as I make my way to the nearest alley. Once I am finally in the cover of darkness, I drop my body to the floor. Every single second of every moment plays like a film over and over in my head.


    "Oh Lilith, what have you done?"


    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    My god, I thought I was going to die. But let us forget about that part where the woman nearly killed me and go to the part where the sex was amazing. Now she has run away, there is no answer at her door, and I do somehow doubt that she has return downstairs. She has run off into the night, and I have no idea where to find her; I shall simply wait for her to return.


    So as I settle down for the first time tonight, it finally comes to me; I am in love. The thought totally sinks in; I am not such a lonely man; after all, the problem is where do I find the woman that I gave it all up for. With this thought running through my mind, I wrap a towel around my waist and head out onto the balcony. Here I can get a full view of the city, here is where I can be free. But here, I cannot help but wonder which one of the specks down there is her. She must be out there somewhere; she probably thinks she had hurt me when all she gave me was a fright.


    Maybe I should go look for her? But where do I even start? The direction she has run off in? But that is like a hundred different ways. I need to see her now, or maybe she shall come back again to see if I am okay?


    After taking the crisp cool air of the night in, I step back inside and look up at the clock on the wall, and I am shocked. I have been so captivated in this night; the sun is near to coming up. I rush on over to the bathroom to get myself ready for the day.


    I drop the towel and step into the shower. The water runs down my hair, all over my body. The droplets do nothing but accentuate my strong shoulders; it glistens off my arms and trickles down my chest. I watch the droplets travel further down my chest, down to my semi-erect length. God, how I wish Lilith were here now; there is nothing more I would love to do than conquer her with this.


    Once I am done scrubbing myself down, I head out to the basin to shave. As I look up at the clock in the room again, the time now is near six; I need to get out of here and very soon. Not paying much attention to what I do, I nip my chin, and the blood comes flowing down in a tiny stream. I grab the closet towel to stop it from dripping on the floor; once it is finally settled, I drop it on the bed. I quickly dress, I slap some cologne on and head out the door.


    I need to collect the rest of my belongings in the city where I stayed with Tasnim and Teagen for so many years. It is going to be one long and very torturous flight back home, but I am coming home to a new place where I know that I have found love.


    ¡­Lilith POV¡­


    After sitting in the darkness for a while, I make my way down the deserted road that leads back to the Belmont house. I know I have messed up, but I am too scared to go back to see how badly I have done. I need to get Sebastian to come with me and check. The ball would have cleared out by now, and all guests would have returned home.


    When I walk through the door, the first thing Sebastian sees is the trouble on my face. "Lilith, what is the matter? I have been worried sick about you." he runs over to me and pulls me into his embrace. "Where have you been?"


    "I was with Breyden." My voice is shaky, and I am still finding it very much hard to breathe.


    "What did the man do now? What did he do to upset you so?"


    I hesitate for a moment or so, "Oh, Sebastian. It is not him; it is me. I think I have hurt him."


    Pure horror sets in his face, for she immediately knows what I am referring to. "Where? Take me to him."


    As we make our way to Breyden''s room, I keep playing the whole scene over in my head. The sex was amazing until I had to go turn. How am I supposed to find love if I can not get close to Breyden without getting him hurt? Trust me to fall in love with a man that I cannot have.


    Sebastian, who has been watching me deep in thought this whole time, stops and turns to me, "What has you so troubled, my dear Lilith."


    "Oh, Sebastian, how shall I ever be with Breyden if we are doomed from the start. How can a union between an Angel and Vampire even be possible?"


    "Lilith, love asks not what type of creature you possess; love asks what your heart possess. Now a Vampire might not possess such a thing as fragile as a heart, but he possesses the feeling."


    "Well, let us just trust that the object of my feeling is still very much alive."


    As we make our way up the stairs to his room, the fear turmoil around in my stomach. I don''t know what to expect and if it is even as bad as I think. I am preparing myself for the worst, but all of me wants him to be alive. Somehow I don''t think I will be able to forgive myself for this one. I really liked him a lot; there was a big part of me that actually saw that I could have a future with him.


    So it is in no time at all that we find ourselves in front of his door. Sebastian goes to knock at the door; he waits several seconds and knocks again. It is only just after six; surely, he must be home. Then again, is he alive?


    "Try again."


    Sebastian knocks again and then another two times again. "He is either dead or not here."


    "My dear Sebastian, thanks for the reassurance. Do you think you can open the door?"


    "Is there anything I cannot open?"


    I wave him off as he has the door open in less than the time that it would take me to answer. We slowly step in, and it seems eerily quiet. I can smell his musky cologne thick in the air; it takes me back to only a few hours ago when I had my head nestled in his chest. But smelling his cologne does not mean he is alive; if he is not here, then he must be in his bed.


    "Where did you guys...."


    I stop Sebastian before he can finish his sentence. We both move sneakily quiet until we are standing in front of his bed. But the bed is empty. It only takes me a second to smell it as Sebastian lifts it off from the bed.


    "Lilith, I think you have a problem." He points to the bloody towel.


    I drop to my knees and the howl from the deep of my throat.


    "No, Breyden, no."


    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    As I step onto the plane to take me back to my old home, my head cannot stop but wander back to Lilith. I do hope by now that she has found her way back home and that she is not too worried about me. I only wish that she returned before I had left; then I could have explained that she only gave me a fright.


    But god, then it strikes me. The bloody towel on the bed. I do hope that she does not find it; she shall be worried sick if she does. How could I have been so careless? Guess my heart is so in love that my head is not thinking clearly.


    What else my head does bring to mind is how will this ever work? Are we not doomed from the start? How will a union between an Angel and a Vampire work? Then again, love does not see differences; love sees with the heart; love is a feeling that binds two together no matter what creature they find themselves in.


    I have found my love in Lilith, and there shall be nothing that will keep us apart.

 Chapter 130 - A Taste Of The Forbidden

    ¡­Breyden POV¡­


    I have just stepped off a plane into what is possibly one of the places that have the worst weather. The wind is icy, and there is a slight drizzle of rain that only but dampens my shirt as I make my way to find a cab. This shall be my new home from now on; I guess I should get used to the weather and the unpredictability it brings. This shall be my new life.


    So as I find the dryness and comfort of a cab, I pull my phone closer and dial Sebastian just to let him know that I am safely back home. As I wait for him to answer, I relish in the thought that somewhere close to him is Lilith. And as he answers, that feeling of excitement even tenfolds.


    "Sebastian, hello?"


    "Sebastian, this is Breyden."


    "Where have you been? I feared that you were dead?"


    "You are not very clever, my friend; if I were dead, I would not be talking to you, would I?


    "Needless to say, we, and may I emphasize, Lilith shall be glad to know that you are indeed well and okay."


    ...Lilith POV...


    I watch as Sebastian is pacing the kitchen floor to such a degree that he shall be wearing his shoes off. He just had a call from someone that seems to have left him quite troubled. He is not a man that easily gets nervous, but the person that he has just spoken to has him somewhat worried.


    I slowly walk up to him, and I swear as I touch his shoulder, he nearly gets a fright.


    "Sebastian, what is the matter? What has got you so spooked?"


    "Breyden."


    "What about Breyden?" I immediately stopped and realized what I have just missed. "Was it Breyden you spoke to just now?"


    "Yes, it was indeed."


    "My god, he is alive. Tell me he is alive?"


    "Well, unless the man is phoning from heaven, yes, I do believe that he is alive."


    "Please phone him back. Please, Sebastian, I need to speak to him."


    "Lilith, calm yourself; he is on his way back."


    Without any warning, I leap into his arms, giving him one big warm hug that makes him feel a bit uncomfortable.


    "Thank you, Sebastian."


    "You can thank me once the man is back in one piece. I wish to know why you are not dead if you have, in fact, drank from him."


    ...Breyden POV...


    It must have taken like what seems to have been hours in this dreaded drive home. I have never felt misery and yet excited at the same time. Now misery, I do not know, but excitement to see Lilith is what made this even more bearable.


    Then exactly as the clock strikes one, my eager feet step through the front door of the Belmont House


    As I fling open the door...the familiar scent of lily and vanilla attack my senses.


    "Lilith!"


    "Oh my god, Breyden, it is really you!"


    She steps forward and leaps deep into my arms. I raise her from her feet and squeeze her so tight that her body shall be stuck to mine forever; I shall never have to let her go again.


    And then, from behind, I see this Sebastian step up to me with a reaching hand and gives me a firm shake. "Breyden, it is good to finally have you back home. My ears have gone deaf from hearing your name."


    With that, he turns away and makes his way to return to his room, leaving me with what I desire more than immortality itself. It is beyond belief that she is, in fact, here in my arms. I am scared if I wink for an inch of a second too long that she might disappear again.


    "Just stand there for a second; I need to really make sure it is you."


    I chuckle at her as she steps closer to me again. "If I pinch you, will it work? I know what is far better than that."


    "What...?"


    I bring my finger up to her deep cherry lips as she tries to speak. I place my warm lips firmly against hers. They are even softer than I can remember; I can taste the sweetness of her as I kiss her slow and gentle. My entire body is taken over by the overwhelming feeling of relief. I move my hand from her rosy cheek to the back of her head; my fingers tangle in her long, black hair. I lightly pull her into me, adding more pressure to our lips to deepen the kiss.


    A wave of warmth fills me up that spills out from my heart and rushes to every corner of my body, the cracks in between my toes, the crooks of my elbows, the tips of my ears. Every inch of me is saturated by her.


    "I missed you."


    "I thought you were..."


    "Ssshhh. I am not."


    "But now you are..."


    "We can talk about that later. Right now, all I want to do is feel you."


    I lace my fingers in her hand and lead her upstairs back to my bed room. As we step through the door, I gently press her back into the wall behind her. With my left hand, I pin her hands above her head and drive my body into her, pinning her completely so she cannot move.


    "I see you still have a thing for walls."


    "Hahaha. I still have a thing for you."


    My right-hand drops to her thigh; I slip my hand under her dress and knot my fingers in her panties. She stops me and whispers.


    "Breyden."


    When she says my name, it is as if she is begging. It only makes me crave her more. I slide my hand over her tight ass and push her deep into my now raging erection. My mouth moves away from her lips and runs slowly down her neck; I rub them gently over her collarbone and softly bite into the edge of her shoulders. I grind myself into her as I move my lips to her ear.


    "Breyden, can I?"


    "Lilith, it will kill you."


    "But it did not last night."


    "Oh, my dear Lilith, I caught myself shaving."


    So goes silent for only but a few moments, still having the same want in her eyes.


    "Yes, you may, Lilith."


    "Is it your first time?"


    "Yes, well, I have never tried before. But yet I do not know if this is such a wise idea."


    "Please, just once."


    Her words send me spinning, my craving soars, and all I can think of is giving her the pleasure.


    "Close your eyes; I promise I won''t hurt you."


    I slowly close my eyes, and I give myself completely to her. I hear her short rapid breaths as she leans in and softly lays my head to the side. She slowly opens her mouth wide and lets her razor-sharp fangs slide out from deep within. She gently lays them on top of my skin. The instant she does, I gasp.


    "I promise you I would never hurt you, Breyden."


    I let go of my body and whisper to her.


    "I am ready."


    One by one, she pierces my skin and drives her fangs into my neck. I freeze for a second, but the moment she nestled firmly and sucks, I let out such a deep moan; the pleasure drives my erection to become even harder.


    She drags her fingers down my spine and digs them deep into my back. I lift her legs and throw them around my waist and press myself deep between her thighs.


    Her fangs are nestled firm, and she is sipping each glorious ounce of my blood while rubbing herself hard against the ache that is building deep within her core. She stops for a second to find my eyes.


    "Are you still feeling okay? You must tell me if I should stop."


    "Please not yet, just do it for a little while longer. I love the way it makes me feel."


    This time she slams in and draws even harder, she screams out my name, and I can feel her legs starting to quiver. Too afraid that she might be hurting me, she pulls her fangs away from my neck


    "Please don''t stop."


    Without out further hesitation, she crushes her fangs into my neck and sucks even with more force than before. I hear her moan, and it only increases my own arousal. She utters my name at the top of her voice. I drop my pants and slide her panties to the side. I effortlessly slide my hard length deep into that aching between her legs. I am thrusting into her mercilessly, over and over again, delving and diving, pounding and pumping. She is on the brink to let go and give in to the tingles of pleasure.


    "Oh my god, Breyden."


    She is screaming out my name as I find my release. All it takes is one fierce drive, and I am over the edge. The hot waves of pleasure start deep in my core and shoot out in every direction. She drives her fangs in deep just as she is about to crash completely.

 Chapter 131 - Trouble To Our Doorstep

    It is for a change that I can say that my beloved and I have not been the cause for great worry around the Belmont House. Lilith and her newfound love, Breyden, have had us all quite alarmed for the past day. Now to say that I am not truly pleased with myself for being the cause would be some sort of a small little lie. I have, in fact, achieved what I set out to do and that is to complete the union between a love that should have gone this way more than many years ago. I did not quite expect it to come so soon, but I am still very much satisfied.


    Though, there is a great question yet to be asked, why was Lilith indeed capable of drinking the blood of Breyden for she should by all intent and purposes be dead now. Now what made the woman think that she can do so in the first place, lies beyond my understanding. The thing left to understand is why? Can our dear sister truly be so innocent at heart that she is left unaffected? But should this not then have turned her back to her human form? Still, then she needs to possess her soul, and that I would have noticed a long time ago.


    So the only thing that remains to ask, should I investigate this any further or should I let a love that is yet to blossom be the way that it is? The biggest concern, should I go scratch where no scratching is needed, will I end what is truly so great between the two of them? Well, this shall just be one of those mysteries that shall never be solved. I shall not stand in the way of what is pure and what, I in my own way believe, seems to have been destined to come. Though I do hope that they will keep that part of their relationship discreet, therefore I shall not worry any further.


    What shall carry my worry, is the face of Edward, now I wish to believe that the fear it holds is for the survival of Breyden and Lilith''s relationship, but yet there is trouble coming over the horizon. And when I do say horizon, I fear that it is coming over the horizon from far across our borders.


    It is believed that there is a group of mortals that find themselves to be half immortal too. A group that possesses the strength of a Vampire yet not the weaknesses of one. These creatures, as I would prefer to call them, but they refer to themselves as The Walkers, are making their way into Europe soon.


    The simple reason is to seize victory and claim ground, and unfortunately for us, we find ourselves in the way. Now from what I have heard, and I have never been in contact with any one of them, they are far more powerful than any Vampire and are just as difficult to overpower too.


    Now, my first instinct was thinking that they are just a different form of a version of a hybrid, but after seeing the carnage they created with their last battle, it did somewhat shook the deepest of my bones. I did, in fact, promise my beloved, and of course, the Windchaser boys that I shall leave the fighting to the Hunters, but unfortunately there shall be no way that I am sitting this one out.


    So, on my instruction, Edward has called on our own Vampire Hunter to show his presence while I am rallying up the rest of our team, which Breyden has now become part of too. Now if looks could kill then I would be dead as I am pulling our Angel away from the arms of Lilith.


    "Sebastian, I promise you, let one hair fall in a different way on his body, then you shall have hell to pay."


    "My dear Lilith, my beloved is already going to let me hell to pay once she discovers why I am ripping her from her much-needed beauty rest."


    "Sebastian," I hear the stern voice of my beloved coming from the room, "For one, you shall find yourself in the far corner room for referring to my rest as much needed. And," She pauses for dramatic effect, "You are dead for you promised no more battles."


    "My beloved, the boys are busy therefore it has now become our concern."


    "The boys are not busy, I spoke to Ethan this morning regarding the matter with Lilith and Breyden and they were pretty unoccupied at present. You wish to do this yourself for you cannot sit still for a matter of five minutes."


    "My beloved, these are The Walkers, they are some sort of a legend in the Vampire world."


    "Yes, and so are we going to be legends once they have killed us all."


    I only but chuckle at her, well pretty much to her disgust, for she fails to see how I can see this as a laughing matter at this time, but yet I still continue to convince her that the idea in defending our own ground is by far a greater feat as letting it be done by two boys that see this as their day job.


    So I carry forward with my plan while I wait for all to be seated. Now I can with all honesty say that I am the only one that is finding this exciting, so it shall take much convincing and of course to my own disgust now, voting to see if we shall indeed push forward with our plan now.


    But push forward I am, even, after my very disappointment, every single one that carries presence in the room votes a firm no against my plan on defending our own ground. The Vampire Hunter, well very much for the fact that he is scared of me, was going to vote in my favor, but he seems to be somewhat more terrified of my beloved as he soon ended up against me. Now, do I need to even dare and throw the old card on the table? Do I dare to claim that as their Master that they need to do as I wish to bid? Well, let us just not go down that road, so with utmost confidence that I can still persuade them, I step into the middle of the common room.


    "I do understand the worry that you carry for not only your own lives but those of the rest in the room, but I please need to remind you that they do not carry the worry for our lives in their hearts. I fully understand your willingness to rather wait for the Hunters, but what will we do when we wait while we wait for them? Hide in the corner? Hide from the danger that brings itself to our doorstep? I do not believe that I shall do such a thing. I will fight this battle if I have to fight it myself. Now if you find yourself not able to, then retreat to your room at once and wait out the storm like a coward."


    With that, I step out of the common room and make my way to the study where I shall arm myself and wait for the danger to come. And as I do so, I have Edward come rushing up from behind me in absolute haste.


    "Sebastian, they have just crossed the border into London."


    "How many?"


    "They have counted twelve, lead by one man. The man they believe is the leader."


    "Seems that they are taking this one seriously. Somehow I don''t think they are here to claim our stake?"


    "No, they are coming with the purpose to kill, and only kill."


    "Well, then you see if you can get sense into that downstairs. I will contact the elders and get the rest of the community to stay in the shadows once all of this has passed."


    With that Edward makes his leave and returns to the common room, we cannot be divided at a times such as this but yet they wish to remain hard-headed and claim to wait for someone else to come to their rescue. They will be fools to think that the boys can make it here in time and even greater fools to think that the boys can take twelve super Human-Vampires out by themselves.


    So once I have made my call out to the Vampire community, not sugarcoating any of what is about to come, I find my way back to the common room myself, where I find it very much empty, apart from the presence of Breyden that is waiting for what will be his very first battle for the Belmont House. Now the man does look a little petrified, but I think there is that hint of excitement that I do feel radiate from his skin.


    "Well, I guess it is just me and you, my friend."


    "I guess¡­"


    His words do not even leave his mouth completely and there is a loud thud against the front door.


    "Now, I am not expecting any visitors, unless you are?"


    "No, I am afraid nor do I."


    "Then I guess our guests have arrived."


    Much to Breyden''s horror, he watches me approach the front door to open for whom we are guessing to be the enemy at hand. So as I am about to turn the knob and greet whoever finds themselves behind, there is one rather loud crash of a foot coming into the door.


    And then, it swings open.


    "Well, I do believe this is no way to announce yourself. What do I owe this rude interruption to?"


    "Are you Sebastian Belmont?"


    "The morning when I glanced at myself in the mirror, I do believe I still was. And who might you be?"


    "The reason you wish you never opened that door."

 Chapter 132 - Game Of Cat And Mouse

    The lush green bushes are the only barrier to safety we have from imminent danger. In the dark of the night, they are hiding, ready for the attack. To say that there is not one nervous bone would be a lie, for, amongst the excitement, there is a sense of dread. The enemy is ruthless, and we shall not take kindly to their invasion; we will come done with force.


    My only mission is standing in front of me in his own delusion grandeur. Revenge is going to be swift but very much sweet. I am not a man that holds a grudge and stew on things, but there are certain things that you shall not forgive. He has taken too many of my kind. Tonight I will get the closure that I have been seeking for. The minute I watch his body drop to the floor is the minute that I can safely go ahead and live my life in peace.


    This I not only need for me, but I need to do this for us, the Vampires of not only London but around Europe. I cannot be a Master if I cannot protect my followers. My beloved knows what I am set to do tonight, and she gives me her unconditional support.


    But let us not get distracted; I need to focus on the battle ahead. So as the rain starts pounding harder, it creates the perfect condition to make their move. This is it; this is now; we are doing this.


    With a few hand signals, I show for everyone to make their attack. As sleek as a tiger, they move out from under their cover, and we take absolute haste in making our way out to them. I feel the wet leaves brush against my skin as I slowly move through them. My feet sink into the mud. The rain beats against my face. Exhilaration consumes my body. With each step, the adrenaline starts pumping. Everything around me seizes to exist. It is the enemy and me. It is me and the elimination of danger. I check my gun. I secure my dagger. I push forward. I need to find the coward that has retreated into the darkness after he so rudely bashed down my door.


    And then¡­one¡­two¡­three, I step over the edge of safety into danger. With Edward in sight, we spread out and fill the garden. We are coming from all sides.


    Then, I push the point of my gun past the opening of a bush. With one loud BANG! I let the full force of my bullets fill every corner. All chaos breaks loose. From out the brushes, from everywhere, they start to pile from their safety.


    From deep inside the garden comes a man that towers me. He has his gun pointed to my face. Well, that is not happening. With one soft squeeze of the trigger, he tumbles to the floor. From behind, I hear the loud scream of a brave soul running up to me. In mere seconds he falls to the floor in a piece of bundled flesh.


    And, as they clear the way for me, I find my way to seek for him. He has not yet come from his hiding place. What a coward. He can torture, but he cannot face a bullet. He is mine. He will see the sight of darkness. He shall move into nothing. I shall not falter. I am here to make him pay. I cannot, and I will not either let him untouched.


    So I find my way through the garden. The shots are short and scattered. It makes contact with each Human-Vampire that is brave enough to try and overpower a force that they cannot defeat. Take no prisoners. It is you or him. If you falter for one second. You shall meet the fate that was not intended.


    While I hear the sounds of death fill the air, I come up for a thick, lush bush. From inside, I hear a struggle with a gun. A loud curse. The growl of a man''s voice that I listened to absolute torture. This is it. This is now. Now is the time. And as he emerges from his bush rather confident, he stops dead in his tracks. Has he noticed me? Does he know the ghost that faces him?


    With an overconfident, cocky voice, he stares me down. "And what do you think you are going to do with that toy."


    "Would you not love to know you sick bastard."


    "You say bastard, what does that make you then?"


    "Far better than you; you are a waste of space."


    "And you are a bit over-ambitious. Do you have any idea who I am?"


    "Well, unfortunately, I do. Now let me ask you the same. Who am I?"


    I stand steady as my focus remains solid. My gun does not move an inch from his forehead. My hands do not tremble. My voice is firm. He has no power over me. The field is laid equal. If he so much as presses that trigger, he will find himself in a pile next to me on the floor. I can say with certainty that I can easily say I have lived my life to its full purpose. But I am not dying today. It is the filth that shall blend into the mud.


    It has been five minutes since we have been under attack. Five minutes it is taken too long already. This should have been in and out. That should be fairly easy. Take no prisoner, leave no one alive. Protect the lives of my kind and my family.


    Adrenaline is pumping at a steady pace. A steady pace three fractions too fast. Three factions that have you on the edge of your toes. And that is where you should be. Alert and pumped up. This is what everything leads us up to. Not the battle where you can sit back easily saying that, hey, look what I have done. No, these ones will take every skill you have and put it into action.


    But I have taken my eye off the prize for one second too many, and he has now made his way into the Belmont house, along with the rest of his soldiers. This is becoming a game of cat and mouse. So I do feel a sense of dread. There is no time for clouding your head; I need to be alert. Distraction is what makes you part of the Vampires that have been killed.


    It has now been fifteen minutes since we have been under attack. The mood is building up to a steady pace of nervousness. Edward is motivating them with some stupid speech of you can do it. The man is damn clever, if I may say so myself. I never anticipated going on such a battle so soon, so motivating myself is what drives me to be a Vampire


    It has now been twenty-five minutes since we have been under attack. The weather has not played much as a friend to us, so we find a great deal of mud. Mud is not what you want. Not what you want when you run. You can not slip; that one second too long that you stand on the floor might be that one second that you do not have. So we find ourselves under the cover of two buildings, preparing our plan of how we shall proceed.


    It has been five minutes since we have set foot back into the Belmont house again. Easy? Don''t ever think that anything is easy until you have actually done it. So we make our entry through the back door, and in one¡­two¡­we are clear.


    We step through the back door. Scan the entranceway and head in further, teaming up two by two, clearing each room as they come up to the right. Fairly easy? No, for in one¡­two¡­we enter a room where there is a clear scuffle. I check my gun and proceed to point it to eye level as I enter under the cover of Edward. Then as I turn to look behind the door. I am faced with them. The first feeling coming through my mind. Are they hostile?


    It has been fifteen minutes that we set foot into the Belmont house again. We have entered a room that is not clear. I have four sets of eyes staring at me in such a way that I am not sure if they are terrified or relieved. I have in front of me two boys that I can guess are not even older than sixteen. Do they have guns? I scan their body and the surroundings. Nothing.


    I wait for several seconds; now, what do we do with two kids that are clearly not supposed to be here? Well, we cannot be babysitters. With that, I see them quickly run out of the building, hoping that they shall be fine, thinking nothing more about it.


    It has been twenty-five minutes since we set foot into the Belmont house again. We have cleared three rooms and are making our way up the fairly deserted hallway with ease. Yet, ease that one should not feel. We soon find ourselves entering the last room on this floor, in fact, the very same direction the two boys made their way into.


    We once again. As by the book. No falter. No, fail. We once again, swiftly and with complete thoroughness, clear the next first floor, then we do the very much same with the second one as well. The guys are starting to feel a lot less tense, which in the first place is a mistake. Never think that you can ease your mind and relax your body. You become sloppy, and you become dangerous. A weak link in the chain brings the rest of us down.


    It has been twenty-five mines, and ticking towards another five at a rapid pace; we find ourselves entering the very last of the room. As I filter in first to clear, there I find the boys standing again.


    The guys enter the room behind me. Mistake one, they ease into the fact that it is only two kids. Mistake two, they lower their weapons. Mistake three, they turn their backs on the door.


    In only but¡­one¡­two¡­three, there is a voice that comes through the doorway; in an absolute instant, I, as with the rest of the group, know that it is not one of ours. With that, a group of five men enters the room. Dressed in complete dark uniform, they have their guns directed in our line of sight. The biggest man, the leader, pat the boys on the bank and thank them for a job well done. Well, I am guessing that meeting the two boys was merely not just fate.


    With that, two men come to take our weapons away, while another two tie our hands behind our backs. They are not being gentle. They are doing this with utmost force. Much to my horror, Edward makes a grunt at how roughly the man is trying his hand behind his back. In an instant, the leader smashed his gun against his face, leaving him with a gashing wound.


    It has been five minutes since we have been taken captive.

 Chapter 133 - Do Not Give Up, Do Not Surrender

    What defines fear? The feeling that grips your stomach, suffocates your lungs, and tears your heart will slow agony from your chest.


    What is fear for a Vampire? The joke that you tell at night around the fire. It brings you only but a sense of what you truly are. You fight, and you fight to the end.


    But what is fear when you see it on the faces of the Vampires that you vow to protect? It is a pain that rips your flesh from your body to an agonizingly slow pace.


    We have been forced to sit down on our knees in front of what seems to be some of the most intimidating men that most of us have seen. What do I see them as? They are fools; they have no idea the error they have just brought onto themselves. But the question now remains what do they intend to do? It shall be their downfall even further as what it has become.


    Now, a Vampire is taught that you do not say a single word when you find yourself captive, now that is if you do not find yourself being Sebastian Belmont, for then there is no end to the words of threats coming from your mouth. Therefore all that is present shall remain silent until I have said that there can be spoken. Edward that has been by my side for so many of these only glances in my direction as he fears that he knows what has brought them to our doorstep. Well, here goes a little of a secret that I have not revealed to my beloved before.


    A perfect day to die by either the hand of your enemy or those of your wife.


    So it has now been ten minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. They have not made their move that we are anticipating. They are speaking a language that I had not heard for several years, and yet they seem to think foolishly enough that I do not understand it. From what I can listen to from their whispers, they have no idea what to do with us either yet. Well, I think they did not quite expect us to put up the fight that we did.


    But yet I have spoken yet too soon. The first man to be taken from the room is Breyden; now, I think they have pretty much by now become aware that he is truly not a Vampire. Yet, even though he does not carry the same urgency to kill as us, I still see the terror flood his eyes like a rapid-fire. It feels that I have just hit an iceberg head-on, and I am slowly drowning. He cannot do this, he is a force to be reckoned with, but he cannot do this. In fact, no man in this room can do this. Even I, I cannot do it. None of us came into the fight tonight thinking that we will be tortured.


    It has now been twenty minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. Lilith would have by now realized that something is amiss. Let us hope that she does not enter into this trap herself. But yet again, I am sure that they have been thorough; it might be any minute now that they join her in Stefan in this very room. They would be rather reckless if they have not assured that the house has indeed been cleared.


    And reckless is about how they are going to get, or should I rather say ruthless. We have just bare witness to a scuffle amongst themselves where the one has gone as boldly as ending the life of the other. They are here with intent, and it seems that not even their own shall stand in their way.


    It has been half an hour since we have been taken captive in our own home. They have now taken Breyden much to the sensations for horror into the next room. You do find the incredible urge to cover your ears if they are going to torture him. But that shows weakness. No matter what move you make, weakness cannot be one of them.


    So as expect. There is a voice raised a pitch too high. Clear words are spoken. "You are going to tell us where it is." There is absolute silence. Yet more words are spoken. "Do you want to die today? Tell us where it is." They have two changes, shit to nothing. But do they care? No. Breyden will pay for his silence. Then. BANG. There is an echo of what is clearly I gunshot that echoes through the house. Terror sets in. Edward looks at me. I only but close my eyes for one brief second.


    It has been forty minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. As I play the echo of the gunshot through my head, I know that there is nothing I could have done. But then the man speaks again. "Next time I shoot, it is for real. Tell me where it is." Relief beyond anything one can imagine fills my being.


    But yet Breyden does not say a word. I hear the man say, "Give me your knife." God, there are so many things he can possibly use that for. This cannot happen to Breyden. This will not happen.


    It is fifty minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. The reality has set in. The man has now cut Breyden, where I do not know, but from the slight hitch in his voice, it must be bad. Then once again, "Tell me where it is." Then there is a loud thud, more like a snap, as he once again fires, this time though he has shot Breyden. Breyden, which one can truly understand, lets out a whimper of agony. Once again, that is not enough. Another shot rings through the air. To a frightening horror, he has once again shot Breyden again.


    I have now decided, my intention is clear.


    "Take me to your leader."


    The man that has been guarding us while his leader has been ripped his ravage on Breyden looks at me somewhat in shock. But yet he does; he leaves the room with only one man and the rest of my group with his gun shoved into my back. I briefly glance at Edward, and he knows what is about to happen.


    It is an hour since we have been taken captive in our own home. I am not doing everything that goes against the rules. I have done this before. Does this make me feel brave enough to do it again? Some would say foolish. I say honor, courage, and commitment; we live by these values. It is courage and the commitment to my kind that shall make my choice to do this without hesitation.


    As I come to stand in front of this rather towering asshole, which is only but an inch of what I am. I look him straight into those empty merciless eyes.


    "Take me instead."


    There is a look of somewhat surprising on his goddamn ugly face as he watches me offer myself up for what he is yet to do to Breyden. He only but laughs at me, "Guess you both shall die today, and if you are any clever, you shall speak now and save your friends'' lives." But it falls onto death ears. He might as well be gargling on his words, for the one that shall be dying to today shall be him.


    It is an hour and ten minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. I have been tied up next to Breyden, that is begging by the mere look in his eyes not to do it. And if eyes can speak for words, he knows they plainly refuse to listen to him.


    So it begins as if the man is stuck on a record player, "Tell me where it is." I look him square in the eye to taunt him; well, does he think I am half as stupid as he is? But he is not done, "Tell me, or I shoot your friend." Yet, I still remain quiet.


    It has been an hour and twenty minutes since we have been taken captive in our own home. I have made one fatal mistake, I have underestimated the determination of a ruthless monster. I thought that if I come and save Breyden from the torture that is yet to come, I have been sorely mistaken.


    "Well, look here, a brave Vampire Master. I do believe torturing you is going to provide me just as must satisfaction as seeing you suffer while I end your friend."


    It has been an hour and a half since we have been taken captive in our own home. I am sitting tied up to a chair; next to me is Breyden. We have been repeatedly asked to lead them to the location of what they have come to seek before they will end our lives. We do not give up. We will not give in.


    But then there is another man that enters the room.


    "We have found it."


    The leader turns to face me once again, "Kill them all."

 Chapter 134 - Playing Hide And Seek

    I am sitting here slightly terrified if it is my life, Breyden or both that shall be taken today, that I really do not know. They say that you will see your life flash before your eyes when you are near about going to die. Well, I say it is bullshit. All I can see is an asshole shoving his gun before my eyes. I know that it is only but a matter of time before he is going to pull that trigger.


    And then it happens; it is as if you watch the entire world come to a dead stop; his finger makes the agonizing flick near enough to a crawling pace. The click as the bullet enters the chamber gives you enough time to take your one last breath, and when you take that breath, you only have but one option and the is to close your eyes. You feel the incredible urge to try with the last fight in you to try to outsmart the skill he has behind that gun.


    Yet you can only but hope, then¡­


    "Get down!" As I open my eyes, I see Edward come behind the man with the gun. With all the skill he possesses, he takes the man down even before the bullet comes near the direction of our heads.


    Relief does not come near enough to describe them saving our assess out of this situation. Luck, that damn well is. I hate even to think that if he was one minute too late, even perhaps only that few seconds, then the outcome would have been different. But yet there is something I do want to know.


    "Who was it?" I ask Edward.


    "Who was what?"


    "The gun, whose head?"


    "I am not telling you."


    And with that, he leaves the room; he does not even need to tell me; it was written within his eyes. I don''t know how Breyden''s would have taken such a thing, but I can say that I was at least there to see him through it until my end.


    So with that, we continue our way through the house to find the direction the leader has disappeared off into. He has the box, and he cannot leave it here with it today. Do they honestly think that we will run away now and go hide in a corner until we think it is safe to come out? This only means that we will have to move even faster.


    As we come to the next set of buildings on the property, we do not even need to enter to see that it is not empty. We are about to take fire head-on. Now the true battle start, you always, not that I am saying it is good to think this way, but you always want to get some action while you are out there. You get restless fingers, and the need to scratch an itch is truly there. And some scratching is about to take place.


    Yes, we move head-on into them, but seriously now, do you think for one second we are going to turn around? Well, that shall only lead them to us, and a Vampire fights until the end.


    Then I instantly see them disappear into the buildings. We don''t exactly know where they are and how heavily still shaken up. This means it only leaves Edward and me with the most experience. So at a toss of a coin, yes, by far crazy, but we toss to see who will be manning the Colt. And of course, I have the greatest luck in the world, for unfortunately for Edward, mine falls on heads.


    So I get my footing right and slowly, for I do not wish to have my head blown off before I even stick it out; I lift my body through the bushes and position the gun in hand. Now we wait for them to give up their location. It is not like I can just randomly shoot the buildings to pieces, though every desire in my body feels that I want to.


    With a crawling pace that even is slower than a second, we make our way through the buildings. We know it is only but a matter of time; they will want to get rid of us as fast and in as little time as possible. But we have a fairly good idea of which building they have gone into.


    And then it happens, there is a sudden round of shots directly aimed at me. I can hear them zing past my ear, but I cannot see where they are coming front. I scan the building in front of me and those on the side. I do not have any sight of the enemy. Edward that is next to me has come under fire himself. We are like a turkey sliding through Sunday roast, everyone wants the pickings, but they are too afraid to come forward.


    And somewhat awkwardly, they are shooting past us, which only says to me that they are a bunch of idiots that was shoved with a gun in their hands and told to just to shoot. That is your most reckless enemy. Not only are they erratic, but most of all, they are the kind that does not have much to lose. As with a Vampire, they will die until the end.


    Then another burst of rounds zings past my ears, beating hard into the thick wall. It sounds like loud snapping sounds; it is rather deafening and sends a chill up your spine. At any minute, if you just so must as move your head into the wrong angle, one of those snapping bullets will snap off the only brains that you have left. Why? Who sits behind a bush and lets people shoot at you so you can shoot them back. A Vampire, of course.


    And just as I thought I am getting no action, god, that sounds awful, but just at I think we are going to sit here and stare into a building, there is a new round of shots coming from the building next to ours. I have a clear vision of them. I grab firmly onto the gun; with a rapid pumping action, I snap right back at them, but with a far brutal force that their weapons can return. And it is that force that makes me take all four of them out.


    As I scan the rest of the building, I find another two peaking their way out from the bottom of the window, but before I even lay waste to them, I spot the sniper at the roof. Well, absolutely fantastic; the only thing that sets me at unease is a sniper. Their precision is sometimes very much unanticipated, the skill most of the time under judged. They are the worst kind of enemy that one can have and obviously the worst kind to take out. Which means I need to get out of here and let one of the best shot between Edward and me take over. I will honestly say this is one thing that I am not good at.


    So drop down and let Edward take control. As I look at the men around me, I can see they are eager to get out there, but I do not yet feel safe to let them out. They shall just have to hang in for a few more minutes. With this in mind, I look over to Breyden which has been able to control things on their side. The fire stopped. They are still playing cat and mouse with us much to my frustration.


    Now it is with absolute anticipation that we wait for Edward to take his target out, but he has just let us know that the guy is no longer there. He must have moved will we have changed places. This is a big fuck up. Now we are really that sitting duck. If we continue to move further down the road, we get out the fire, but we do not clear the building or the enemy that finds themselves in there. And it might just be this enemy that will take the lives of a bunch of Vampires. Or do I even need to mention the Lilith and Stefan that are held at the house?


    With that comes the newfound urgency to get this job done and to get out of here. We have been out here for far too long. We need to move, but next, we come under fire, and you can hear the bullets hit like hail against the sides of the buildings. With a jerk of the gun, Edward laughs and starts his own round of rapid-fire, which instantly stops every other bullet from hitting the skin of the walls.


    But next, with a rather nervous and hollering voice, he shouts the one word that you do not ever want to hear.


    "Incoming."


    As I turn my head in the direction that he is pointing, everything instantly freezes to a deafening stop.

 Chapter 135 - Knocking On Heavens Door

    Incoming.


    I watch as if in an instant, Breyden is struck down. His body snaps back as the bullet hits him into the chest. In mere than seconds, his body drops lifeless down to the floor.


    I abandon any attempt to stand my ground against the enemy and rush to his side.


    I immediately abort my side and hunch my way over to him, where he has fallen into the line of sight. I pull him back to the side and try to assess the extent of his wounds. But there is so much damn blood that it is truly impossible to see without taking his gear off.


    But the most frightening thing is that his eyes are closed, and he does not seem to move. I shake him frantically to get any reaction out of him but to no avail. He is lying completely unresponsive. As I stick my hand underneath his shirt to feel where the impact of the bullet has taken him, I get to a large mass of blood by his stomach.


    "Fuck!"


    I start furiously shaking him, "Breyden, wake the fuck up! Breyden!"


    Yet, there is still no response. I cannot feel his goddamn pulse as my hands are still trembling from the fire. And as for listening to his breathing, well, that is pretty useless under this chaos.


    "Fuck Breyden. Wake up!"


    Still not a single movement.


    "You are not fucking going anywhere. Get that ass up!"


    Nothing at all.


    We need to get Breyden back to the house.


    The sight of his body motionless shocks an incredible pain to my core. I have to keep my composure not to burst out in tears.


    The man is not looking well. I fear but do not even want to say that it, that he might not have made it. So as we take him back home, we all huddle around his bed while Lilith assesses his wounds. But much to our frustration, she tells us to leave as we are making her feel uncomfortable and intimidated.


    Well, guess what? I do not give a fuck.


    I stay, and I wait. I watch as she takes his shirt off to reveal just as I suspected. He has been hit in the stomach.


    And my god, it looks bad.


    I swallow really hard and try to get my words out as calmly as possible, but I do believe that I fail. She places her hand on my shoulder and looks at me with genuine compassion in her eyes.


    "I promise you that I will do everything I can."


    It does not reassure me; I take her hand from my shoulders and stare back into her eyes, "Then fucking start."


    I have put Breyden into danger; the very thing I was protecting him from has now threatened to take his life. My decisions were reckless, and it has left a man lying on a bed fighting for his life. If anything bad has to happen to him, then I shall simply just fall into shattering pieces to the floor. He was there for me when life threatened to take my light away, and I shall be there for him.


    Lilith has just attended to his wounds, and he is lying completely motionless. I have been the only one that is allowed to sit by his side; even if I were not, I would have still have done it.


    As I watch his frail body lying tucked underneath the white sheets, he looks calm, too calm. I cannot help but move my ear to his mouth to listen to his breath; he is still breathing. It comforts me for just one moment.


    What else does comfort me is that wherever he is, that he knows that I am here for him. That we all here for him. He cannot, and he will not leave any man behind; he cannot leave us behind.


    With this strong in my heart, I lean further into his ear and softly whisper for only him to hear, "You are fucking going nowhere. Do you understand me?"


    But as I order him that he shall not leave us behind, I think to myself, did my orders not go too far? Did I not push the boys too far? Maybe we should have come back after they took us a prisoner. Was that not a good time to realize it is not safe to be out there? But he knows the risks, though should that be a comfort when you are lying on a bed fighting for your life?


    And fight I know he is going to do, he will fight with every last bone that he has in his body, and even beyond that, he will fight some more.


    So this is where I sit, I sit with him, and yes, a big old Vampire is sitting and holding the hand of Angel. They will have to carry me out on this chair if they want me to leave, and even after then I will still come back.


    Then a short while later, I hear Edward at the entrance of the room calling for me.


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, Edward?"


    "May I come inside?"


    "Of course, come inside."


    I see that he is studying my face, which has no emotion whatsoever, "Sebastian."


    "Yes, Edward?"


    "How can you remain so calm? I would be going beside myself."


    "For one, you need to show strength, and two, Breyden would not want you to lose your head over something he knows that he is going to overcome."


    "If I may ask. How do we know for certain?"


    "We don''t. But what we have, that none of those assholes out there have, is faith. Not only in ourselves but in each other."


    "Well, then I will have some extra faith just for him. But I need to get back; we are going back out."


    "Oh, really?"


    "Yes, this has now become personal. As he says and eye for an eye, but even better a bullet for a bullet."


    With that, Edward leaves the room, putting some newfound faith that I thought I was lacking back in this fight. This is a battle, a whole new battle. And this is one that we will win.


    And yet another battle to be won is the one of love, and it is that very love that has Lilith standing at the door.


    "Lilith, I know you are hovering there; come in before you kill yourself with frustration."


    "You sure?"


    "Come before I change my mind."


    With very small hesitant steps, she comes and pulls up a chair on the other side of Breyden''s bed.


    So, once she is able to speak, she clears his throat, "Is our boy going to get through this one?"


    "He will; I don''t think for one minute that he will give up. Yet, and I think I have said this so many times too often, this is what happens under my leadership. It happened before, and it has happened again."


    "Come on, listen to yourself. You cannot decide for those assholes; if they decide to do the shit they did today, then they are going to. It has nothing to do with what you say."


    "But that is where you are wrong. He should not have been up there."


    "Okay, then who? Someone had to be up there. It is just how it works."


    "It should not be."


    "Listen, we know what we signed up for; this was something that we wanted to do. There is always going to be the risk."


    I know that she is right.


    But this is not about me; this is about Breyden. The man that is normally big ass and strong, the man that lays here with what seems to be but a mere shadow of himself. A shadow that will become a light.


    And as I look up at the clock, I know that the start of the countdown has begun. Not the countdown of staring death in the eyes, but the countdown until he is going to open his eyes. And believe me, once he does, I am punching him in the fucking face for scaring the shit out of me.


    So with not really caring for much, I take his hand into my own once again. Now, if I thought he would be warm to the touch, I have just been sadly mistaken. He is and has somewhat less color on his skin. Once again, I put my ear closer to where he is lying to hear the faintest of his breath. He is still breathing. It is shallow, but it is still there.


    And from across me sits Lilith, somewhat nervous to hold Breyden''s hand; she only but sits there and waits. That woman is not moving until you make her move, and so is this man. Right now, Breyden needs friends, and we are the only two that he has got.


    So we prepare ourselves that will be the longest night of our lives.


    Now, now all we can do is just wait...

 Chapter 136 - End Of A Walker

    It has been an endless wait.


    Breyden has not come to yet; to say that my nerves are not killing me would be such a lie. I am being tormented by thoughts that should not be running through my mind. Lilith, who is still very much here and, much to the annoyance, refusing to move.


    But is it a determination that is beginning to falter?


    What is beginning to falter is that I need to see if Anastasia is okay. So it is very reluctantly that I step away from Breyden''s side to go call her.


    Though before I can even think of finding her, I need to gather my composure. She cannot hear that I am falling apart, not truly falling apart, but my mind is not where it should be.


    So I take one rather large deep breath and count down from ten and step out of the room where I find her waiting for me.


    "My god, Sebastian, are you okay?"


    As I try to speak, my voice starts to tremble beyond my control. Why can I not get a hold of my emotions? I am looking weak; I am not weak. I need to not only be strong for myself but for Breyden too. So I bite into my lip and start again.


    "Yes, my beloved. I just needed to see you."


    This is what I needed. She always knows how to make me feel better, even when she sometimes does not even know it.


    So it is very refreshed that I turn the corner to enter the room. I see a very distressed Lilith sitting and with her head bowed down. My immediate thought cripples my body, and I need to stop every part of me from caving in. I am dead scared to ask him what is wrong as he sits over Breyden.


    I walk towards the bed and drop down onto the chair; with a loud roar that can be heard throughout the entire house, I utter only two words.


    "God no!"


    Lilith looks at me, somewhat confused; I shake my head at her in disbelief.


    "What? What happened?"


    Just then, I feel the touch of a tender but very much manly hand wrap over mine. I am completely scared of another dimension. Out of stupid reflex, I rip my hand away and nearly jump off from my chair. As I move my gaze to Breyden, I see, with eyes that have grown larger than the water bottle that Lilith is holding, that he has woken up.


    "Fuck, Breyden! You finally decided to join us," he tries his best not to burst with laughter, but yet he does and cringes as the pain shoots through his body.


    Then I look at Lilith, "Why are you so distressed?"


    "I am not distressed; I am happy."


    "Damn, then I do not want to see when you are distressed."


    And just like that, my spirit is lifted; the man that is like a brother to me has pulled through this one. Guess faith is far more powerful than I thought, but yet again, it is not just faith; it is a bond that forces you to keep it strong. A bond that, no matter where you find yourself, it will keep on fighting to stay strong.


    So as the relief starts to calm our hearts, and we feel like we can once again breathe, in comes Edward again. He seems to be highly spooked and somewhat pale. All I can think to myself is, what the man messed up now. But as he comes to stand next to me and can barely utter his words, I know that it is not just some bad news that he has brought.


    "My dear Sebastian."


    "Yes, Edward?"


    "We need to get out there; I am afraid that their numbers have increased, and they have taken over the outside buildings."


    Yes, they are still playing cat and mouse with us.


    We soon find our way winding through the buildings, which by comparison to last time, is fairly eery. Now, as with all things around here, you do not know which of them holds a gun in their hands or, even far worse, are making our arrival known. But this is a chance that we have to take and a chance that we are soon taking as we enter the first of the outbuildings once more. It is time to search and clear again.


    And with this, we enter the very first of our buildings. Lilith is covering the roof for it is easy to access to escape from here. Yes, she has joined us in her very first battle. We, as always, are not splitting up at this stage. Lining off on the left and right, Edward signals to enter, "Go, go, go."


    We filter in, guns pointing straight ahead of us, ready to rip off your head at the sight of a gun. We spin. Left. Right. Clear. Next room. In. Left. Right. Clear. And so we go, with great ease. But the corridor splits from left to right. Edward goes left, and I go right.


    With the next room, the same routine, but as everyone filters and move on, I take it at one pace to slow. Within as little of a second, I feel a blow against my chest so hard that it knocks me off my feet. I find myself being dragged by the collar and lifted from the floor. I see one rather large man hovering over my body with a godawful smile on his face. It is the leader.


    This is the moment that I have been waiting for since he so rudely kicked in my front door.


    It is with absolute haste that I rid him of his gun; there is no way that a silver bullet is entering my body today. But the moment my hand makes contact with the barrel, he grabs me by the wrist and flings my body, dropping me on my back to the floor. Then with a loud thud, he drives his foot into my chest, sending tremors through my body, shaking me to the core. But just as he is about to drive his heal into me again, I instantly grab him by the ankle and jank him down. With great speed, I rise to my feet, but he soon matches mine, and I find myself face to face with him once more.


    With great force, I slam my hands into his chest, sending him sliding across the floor; the moment he makes an impact with the wall, there is a slight crack; he only but grunts and advances for me again. He slams his fists in my chest. I recover from my stumble, but he gains control and drives my body straight into the far sidewall.


    He shifts his feet at an incredible pace towards mine and reached his hand for my face. With one snap of his arm, he smashes his fist into my cheek. He retracts his arm to launch at me once again, but I grab it in midair. I twist it behind his back; I step closer.


    "You made a mistake coming here today, for today, you shall die."


    Then he looks at me and laughs, "The only one dying today is you."


    He reaches for my throat and clamps his hands firmly around, but my strength surpasses him by far, and I slowly snap his fingers back one by one.


    I push him off from his feet; he slides across the length of the room and crashes over the side with a loud thud on the floor.


    I make my way to where he finds himself and yank him up by the shoulder; with utmost ease, I lift him in the air and toss his body to the other side of the room.


    But the man is a fool; he rises from his feet. He has not yet learned that his attempts are futile.


    "You are wasting your time, my friend. It is not that easy to kill me, but it is easy to kill you."


    He only but laughs at me and advances for me once again; this time, he yields his dagger from his pants. I tackle him to the floor; he lands with a loud thud. I push my knee hard into his chest. I twist and turn his hand. I try to gain control of the weapon in his hand. He flips me over and tackles me to the floor.


    "You are going to pay for that."


    "Oh, what are you going to do, dear Vampire Master."


    He is cutting inch by inch into my skin on my cheek; I can feel the pain sting straight into my bone. But within seconds again, I have him turned flat on his back.


    "I will show you."


    "Oh, please, you? Don''t make me laugh."


    Then he drives the knife deep into my leg.


    "Aaahhh, you fuck."


    Finally, as he lifts the knife up again, I grab it from his hand. I slam it hard into his chest. But I miss, on pure purpose, he is not going to die that quickly by my hand.


    He only but grunts at me.


    I close my hand around his throat one by one and grip as hard as I can. My grip goes firmer. Then he slams his hands around my shoulders and tosses me. I rise to his feet in less than an inch of the second.


    And an inch of a second is all it takes for me to reach for his gun. There is an incredible fear in his eyes as he realizes that he has just met his fate.


    With absolute slow agony, I softly squeeze the trigger; I feel as the bullet enter the chamber and slide with perfect precision through the barrel. As it leaves the barrel, it glides elegantly through the air. I watch as it pierces the soft skin of his chest, and in an instant, his body snaps back and falls to the floor.


    With that, I pick up it, the very thing that we have been fighting to protect.


    Once more, Pandora''s Box is safe within my hands.

 Chapter 137 - A Perculiar Illness

    The battle of the Walkers has by far the greatest battle that we as the Belmont house have fought. It not only united us as a family, but it has made us grown stronger. It taught us the valuable lesson of what a bond holds and that love above all shall always prevail.


    To say that it was not the most testing yet shall be a lie. Not only did it test our faith, but it also tested the limits of our minds and bodies. What else it has brought to the surface is, once, and yet again, another secret that I have been holding back on my beloved.


    Now I am expecting the full wrath of her disappointment to come down on me, but she has to understand that what lies in Pandora''s Box is a power so great that I have been left for so many years to keep the very existence of it a secret.


    Now the power it holds is not truly known, but what is said is that it shall manifest whatever the desire is of the one that opens it. I have, on many occasions, felt the desire to do so myself, but once the power is unleashed upon the world, there is simply no way of reversing it back.


    It was the year 1751 when I found myself in a sexual union with a rather questionable lady of leisure. Now, by leisure, I mean the kind where one shall pay for the services that she provides. Well, to say that it was not one of my proudest encounters is to be left unsaid, but the things that this young beauty did with her hands was by far every penny worth that I spent.


    It was on one occasion while I was awaiting her presence that I came across this very peculiar box that she held on her nightstand. Now, of course, my very first instinct was to open it. Much to her relief, she stepped inside the room just before I could do so. After using my endless charm and giving her the greatest pleasure that she has ever had in her mortal life, I convinced her to reveal what the contents of this box might be. Much to my surprise, she herself had no knowledge but was told that she is to never open it.


    Upon asking her how she came about the box, she rather amusingly continued to tell me about this story of an encounter that she had with a female. Well, this did indeed sparked my interest, and I pushed her to describe some more.


    The story goes. A rather wealthy and powerful lady of stature came to the very establishment one night rather distressed. She had just caught her husband taking a woman that was not her in so many ways that she could even have dreamt of in their own marital bed. Out of pure anger, she came to seek the very same, but instead of finding the perfect male to take revenge upon her husband''s betrayal, she came across this young lady. Now it is not sure if it was the alcohol or pure lust, but they soon found themselves hot and steamy under the covers. From there, a very and rather unusual affair blossomed. Now, of course, in those days, things such as these were frowned upon, and it did cause a rather big uproar that left the young bride''s husband rather embarrassed. But she was in no way prepared to end her relationship with the other woman.


    One day the young bride invited her lover to her home, purely in the effort to only but infuriate her husband more, and also her need to be sexually pleased was growing out of control. There was no stopping the passionate relationship, and with each day, it grew stronger and stronger. But there were at times concerns if the lover did, in fact, share the same feelings as the bride. So on this day that she was invited to the home, there turned a rather heated argument between the lover and the husband of the young bride. The bride was made to chose between her life of luxury and the life with a woman that had nothing but the clothes to her back.


    And surprisingly to say, the young bride chose her husband. The lover totally devasted and scorned laid complete waste to all was in front of her eyes to see, but as she came to this very box that was held in a secure cabinet in a study, she was drawn to it. The urge to open it there and then was great. The husband, who was later found out to be a great warlock, let her have it in return for the heart of his bride, but before the lover left, he warned her never to open the box. And so she never did.


    So, of course, once I laid my very own eyes on it, I too was drawn to the power that it possesses. After ending a very long and sexually gratifying relationship between this young lady and me, I then took the box for myself. I, too, had the desire to open it many times, but after doing months of endless research, I came to the knowledge of the true nature of the box. For fear that it ever would fall into the wrong hands, I kept it well hidden in my own study and never returned to it with the desire to open it.


    And now its existence has become known.


    And it is my determination to keep it hidden that has now brought me with a very furious Anastasia in front of me.


    "My beloved, I beg of you to please listen for me for but a moment."


    "Sebastian, I do not think there is one word that you can say that is going to change the fact that you have lied to me again."


    "My beloved, I do not see it such as a lie; I was merely protecting the contents of the box. It holds great power that can corrupt the hand that opens it."


    "Do you not trust me?"


    "It is not that I do not trust you; it is what lies inside that I do not trust. Please let me explain."


    I proceed to explain to her the great spell that the Warlock placed on the box. He had done so to create an ultimate source that can destroy all in its path. So after what seems like the better half of an hour, I manage to convince her that I only but did hold the protection of all at mind.


    Not needing to have to argue further, I safely retreat the box to its safe hiding place with the hopes that it shall never be spoken about again.


    Once back in the quiet of our room, I take my beloved in my arms. Her body is still somewhat shaken, and there is a rather unsettling paleness to her face. It seems that the battle has taken a great deal of strength from her, and she does seem somewhat drained. So I gently lay her down onto the soft satin sheets while I proceed to go to the bathroom to run her a very much-needed bath, though she very reluctantly agrees to join me.


    I watch as she rises from the bed and slips her shirt that is drenched in blood off her shoulders. Much to my shock, even her body seems to have drained from color. It appears that she is almost near to fainting. I immediately rush to her side,


    "My beloved, what seems to be the matter?"


    "Sebastian, I feel kind of odd."


    "Odd in which way?"


    "Well, it feels as if my body wants to turn inside out. I have the incredible urge to get sick, yet I am not able to."


    "Sick? Sick in which way?"


    "Sick in the way that a human would get nauseous."


    I softly chuckle at her as I take her by the hand, "My beloved, Vampires do not get sick. I am sure you are just feeling a bit uneasy after all the action."


    "No, Sebastian, in fact, I have been feeling like this even before we started the battle."


    This does immediately trouble me. Why has she not mentioned this before? But more importantly, what is it that is the matter? It is not that I can particularly take her to a Doctor¡­but wait.


    "My beloved, you are a doctor; you surely should know what is wrong?"


    "Sebastian, I were taught to diagnose humans, not Vampires."


    She slowly lets go of me and proceeds to turn around to go to the bathroom, but she only but gets halfway, and I see her body crashing to the floor. In an instant, I am there to catch her, but as I am just about to pick her up, she does; as she said, she does get sick in a rather spectacular way. Well, I have never seen the day that a Vampire''s insides turn out in such a way.


    After what seems to be an agonizing few minutes, she takes my hand as I lead her back to the bed. Reluctantly I leave the room to go find the only man that will be able to sense what is wrong with her.


    "Dear Breyden, please come quick. There is something rather oddly wrong with Anastasia."


    "My god, Sebastian, has she been injured from the battle?"


    "I wish I could say so. There is something completely else the matter with her. Well, she¡­well she just got rather violently ill, ill in a way that a Vampire should not."


    Rather puzzled, he follows me to the room where Anastasia is lying even more pale than before. There is absolute concern on Breyden''s face as he approaches her; the pure agony in her face alarms him. But then, as he touches her hand, something rather strange happens.


    He smiles.


    Now this man can be peculiar at the best of days, so what he is finding rather pleasing at this very present moment does set my mind at unease. So I approach him where he softly whispers into Anastasia''s ear. Now it is unclear if there is terror or the same pleasing expression on her face, so I very reluctantly go to stand by their side.


    "Please could someone tell me what is so pleasing about getting violently ill?"

 Chapter 138 - Uncertain Unknown

    I have Breyden staring back at me with a rather ridiculous smirk on his face that I do wish that I could slap off. Now, what has the fool smiling so broadly that I do not know, but I am very sure that I shall soon find out?


    But, before I can even get the opportunity to hear the words coming from his mouth, I am blessed with hearing the thoughts come from my beloved''s mind.


    Now, do I wish that I did not listen?


    "You are what?"


    "Sebastian! What did I say about reading my mind."


    "Well, my beloved, you are not thinking particularly softly at present. Now please say that again, and I wish for it to come from your mouth."


    Breyden stands to make his exit from the room, but in one swift movement, I have him by the wrist, "Oh no, you don''t. You are not going anywhere. Now tell me once again what the problem is."


    "My dear friend, it is not a problem; it is a blessing."


    "Do I need to remind you that I am a Vampire? I do not believe in such things as a blessing. How is this possible?"


    "Well, I do not think I need to explain how these things happen, for you were practicing it rather well, if I may say."


    I tighten the grip on his wrist with just but a fraction of a bit tighter, and he quickly refrains from carrying that goddamn smirk on his face any further. But this does still not answer my question.


    "My beloved, I do need for you to explain this to me."


    "Sebastian, you know when a boy and a girl have sex, and they do not wear protection, well, those are the times that these things happen."


    "Yes, I am aware of that, but you should not have in the first place¡­" I stop to hesitate if I truly wish to say the word. "Ah, what the hell. How did you manage to find yourself pregnant? Vampires do not get pregnant, my beloved; your womb should not be able to bear life."


    "Geez, you are just a ray of sunshine; what happened to being happy?"


    "Please do not get me wrong, I am experiencing some sort of feeling which I do not yet know. But my question remains. How is this possible? You should not have been able to conceive. You should not have been fertile.  How else do I need to explain this?"


    "Sebastian, I think we get the idea. My insides should be dead. Well, guess what, they are not."


    Much to both of their frustration and rather irritation, I start to pace the length of the room. There must be a logical explanation for this. How did this happen? Yes, I am fully capable of impregnating a human¡­


    "My god! You were human!"


    "Yes, we all know that before you turned me. But that my dear Sebastian is ages ago."


    "No, my beloved, the time that you temporarily stopped being a Vampire."


    I see the color to her once pale face returns as she recalls that night that we spent together. I can remember it like it was only yesterday. It was by far one of the many spectacular nights that I have spent with her. But it was also one of the nights that I gave my entire soul to her, and they do say that the moments of pure sexual bliss create the perfect harmony to conceive. Now that is one that I never thought of.


    So the only questions remain.


    "What do we do?"


    "Well, Sebastian. What do you want to do?"


    "I do not know my beloved. If this were when I was at a far younger age, I would have run a mile away by now."


    "My god! You are the perfect gentleman."


    "Oh, believe me, that I was not when I put that little¡­well what on earth do I even call it?"


    "A baby, Sebastian. Now, please explain to me what is going to happen to my body?"


    "My beloved, you are the Doctor; you should know."


    Before I know, there comes a pillow flying from across the room with great force. It seems our expecting mother already has a slight hint of mood swings on her side.


    But all this aside. What indeed are we going to do. So I turn to Breyden, who is still firmly attached to my hand, "Is the child healthy? Can you tell?"


    "There is a steady heartbeat."


    "A¡­a what?"


    "A heartbeat Sebastian, I am guessing that the child is either human or, in fact, half Vampire, half-human."


    "Can this not get any more interesting?"


    With that, Anastasia dashes from the bed and races her way into the bathroom. Next, the most grotesque sounds come from the direction she left. I cannot help but to cringe, and there is a small bit that has an inner chuckle at myself. And as she returns, I quite amusingly turn to her.


    "Now, tell me how long that is going to carry on, for it is not pleasing on the ear."


    "Then, Sebastian, you can take your unpleasing ear and take a room on the far side of the mansion."


    "But¡­"


    "But do not even think that you shall get that either. Just look what you have gotten us into. Now please tell me, what are we going to do?"


    "My beloved, it appears that we are going to have a baby."


    "Is this what you truly want, Sebastian?"


    Well, she does have a good question here. Is this, first of all, a risk that we are willing to take, for I have no idea what her body will do, and second, is this something that I am ready for, or rather, that we are ready for?


    "I would not want it any other way, my beloved. Now, we need to get you to see some sort of a Doctor to tell us what exactly is going on. There has never been a Vampire that has bare a child before. Your health, and most of all, your life is most important than it all."


    Just then, I show for Breyden that he may now leave us in peace, for I can hear the rambling thoughts that are racing through her mind. And I can honestly say that I, too, feel the same. This is by far the most frightening thing that  I shall encounter in my life. But most of all, I do not want to lose her, and this is a big uncertain unknown.


    So as Breyden makes his exit, I take a seat next to her, her body is trembling visibly, and I can hear her breathing is hitched and heavy.


    "My beloved, this will be fine. I shall not let anything happen to you. We shall find our way through this."


    "Sebastian, I am scared. I have never once given thought to having a child, and now having a child with a body that most parts are supposed to be dead. That is absolutely terrifying."


    "I think that we have come to know by now that we are capable of overcoming anything, and I do believe that some sort of a transformation has taken place with your body in order to still carry a fetus. Whatever the reason, my beloved, I need you to trust that I will not let anything happen to you. Now, please rest. I need to go speak to Edward in finding a Doctor that will willingly help without asking too many questions."


    I lay a gentle kiss on her forehead and reluctantly pull away. She needs me now more than anything, but now there is someone else that needs me just as much.


    My child.


    I am going to be a father.


    Now there is that exhilarating feeling that comes to mind. The feeling that I have been waiting to feel. It does bear true that there is some sort of accomplishment and pride that comes with the knowledge that you have created a life. I never, in all my years, thought that anything greater could happen to me. I always thought that being the Vampire Master shall be the ultimate, the ultimate accomplishment and power that I shall have.


    But bringing a youngling into the world seems to hold a far greater power in your hand.


    So it is with great pride and a rather large smile on my face that I make my way outside and downstairs to the kitchen. Now, at least Breyden has kept the knowledge to himself, for neither Edward nor Lilith mentions a thing, though he still carries that smirk of which Lilith is desperately trying to enquire about the reason.


    Without having to keep her in much suspense any longer, I come to stand with a rather nervous and most annoyingly bubble in my voice.


    "My dear Lilith, Edward. We have news from Anastasia."


    "My god," Lilith interrupts. "Is she fine, Sebastian? She did look rather unwell earlier."


    "Yes, she did indeed. You see, the thing is, well, rather surprisingly, and somewhat hard to explain at present, but the thing is that she finds herself pregnant."


    Just then, Anastasia, which I have not truly noticed early, comes entering the kitchen with a rather noticeable pregnant belly.


    "Anastasia, how long did you say you are pregnant?"

 Chapter 139 - The Great Unknown

    Behind me is a very pregnant Anastasia.


    I am rather alarmed as she clearly seems as she has indeed been pregnant for what could easily seem as four months. Now our encounter has surely not been that long ago. She should, by all reason, only be pregnant, but what should be a few weeks.


    So it is out of rather a concern that I lead her back to the bedroom.


    "My beloved, how are you feeling?"


    "Well, where should I even start. This morning I was only but plagued with what one calls morning sickness. Then after resting for several hours, I did, much to my very annoyance, realize that my clothes do not seem to fit me anymore. Now, you better start explaining to me why this child is growing so fast."


    I feel as she starts to dig her nails rather deeply into the skin of my hand as she we enter the room. Now, if I did not know any better, I am guessing that she is not leading me to the bed with the intention of giving me pleasure; she is, in fact, trying to force an answer from these lips that I do not have.


    "My beloved, I can assure you that I have no explanation for the reason why you are carrying this pregnancy in such a rapid state. I fear I will need to go ask the advice from one that would know."


    "And let me guess? An ex-lover?"


    "No, my dear, he is very much a man. Now, do you think that I can leave you for but a few hours?"


    "No, I am afraid I am coming with."


    "But, you are¡­"


    "I am pregnant, not injured. Just give me a damn minute to get into something that is not so tight. This child of yours¡­ugh¡­he is just as impossible as the father."


    I only but chuckle at her while she goes to find something much¡­loser to wear. As I sit and watch her, I am but in awe at how beautiful she looks. Her skin is absolutely glowing under the moonlight that is now shining through the open window. She has the perfect raised belly that seems so smooth yet firm to the touch. I cannot but help myself to move closer and wrap my arms around her from the back, gently resting my hands on her belly. It is the greatest sensation of feeling a life growing underneath your hands.


    I turn her around and deeply look into her eyes, "I love you, my beloved. And now I am yet to love another just as much."


    "Oh, Sebastian, I love you too. And, if I have to be honest, I have never loved something so much that I cannot see. But you are going to pay for this. Look how fat I am!"


    After several moments of feeling the presence of my child, I go to seat myself on the bed again so Anastasia can continue to dress.


    So I fall back onto my bed and close my eyes, and as with so many times before, I see my child running circles through my mind as he is chasing a butterfly in the wind. I can clearly hear his laughter echo through my ears as he comes so close to catching it every time.


    And for a brief moment, his soft little brown eyes meet mine. And my heart can almost die.


    My little boy,


    We haven''t met, and yet I''ve held you as close as I can. Even though our eyes haven''t locked, you have me wrapped around your little finger. You might have heard my voice already but have no clue who it is.


    I am someone who will play a rather significant role in your life.


    I am your father.


    That''s right. That guy with brown eyes, strong arms, and a loving heart. That guy who looks like he knows what to do, but yet it is obvious he really has no clue


    I am that father who will be staying up late at night; in fact, I am the father that does not do things such as sleep. Yes, that shall be one that I am going to need to explain.


    I''m that father who worries so much because I care so deeply about the family you are about to enter. I''m that father who wants to provide for you so you can live a life I never lived. I''m that father who wants to give you the experiences I couldn''t have.


    Yes, I''m that father.


    I''m that father who will do anything to make sure you are safe. I''m that father who will make sure you come into a loving home and are cared for the moment you enter into this world.


    Yes. I am that father.


    To be honest, son, I have no clue how to parent. I may go back and read some of those parental books, and you will see I will still have NO CLUE. I would even argue that I still don''t get this whole parenting thing. But you know what? I''m going to try my best. I can''t promise I will get it right all the time, but I''ll do my best. That''s all you can really ask for, right?


    Yes ¡­ I am that father who will at least try.


    I''ve loved you from the moment we knew you were coming our way. I will love you from the moment I hold you in my arm to the moment I take my last breath. I know it is difficult to realize that I won''t always be there for you, but it is something that I am grappling with myself right now. I won''t always be there for you and your mother. And you know what? That keeps me worry more/


    I won''t always be there to tell you right from wrong. I won''t always be there to stand in your doorway, watching you play in your room. I won''t always be there to give you that fatherly advice that you need. I won''t always be there to tell you it is going to be okay when your girlfriend breaks up with you and that someday you are going to find someone as great as your mother. I hope I can make it that long.


    I want to be that father who has it all put together. I want our family to be the one who looks like it has it all. I want to be that father who will always love you ¡­ no ¡­ matter¡­ what.


    Son, the next, however many years are going to be interesting, fun, hysterical, difficult, and happy ¡­ yes, probably all at the same time. My hope is that you can bear with me as I try to be the parent you want me to be.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    I still can hardly believe that he is growing inside me still, despite the large, healthy swell of my tummy. Until today, he seemed so fragile and vulnerable, but I''m finally starting to feel his palpability and strength. Despite the astonishing images of him resting inside me, I used to worry that he was somehow not real or that he would disappear into thin air one day. I''ve still yet to feel him move, but I know he is in there, enjoying this peaceful time to grow into the beautiful person I know he will be.


    It''s amazing to have a human life developing inside of me ¡ª there''s just no other way to put it. It''s the most simple and yet complex miracle there is. It''s not easy by any stretch ¡ª not physically, mentally, emotionally, or financially ¡ª but miracles probably shouldn''t be.


    He was never part of any plan, nor did he arrive at some premeditated moment in my life, but I can''t imagine a more perfect way for him to come into it. Not being the most structured person, I probably wouldn''t have ever gotten around to feeling "ready" for him. I can''t think of many things in my life I did feel ready for when they happened. But seeing now that every step along the way brings him closer to me ¡ª perfect, unique, extraordinary¡ª makes it all seem divinely right.


    I am so sorry if I haven''t always been strong, and I know I have not been brave all the time either. It''s just that he seems so very precious. I don''t always know how I am going to protect him, keep him safe and happy. How can I teach him all the things I have yet to learn myself? I guess we will have to learn some things together. We will have to remember that we were once connected in the most sacred and finite way, and we will have to lean on each other as only family can. I promise to always be there for him, even if I don''t always know what to say or do.


    He has already given my life a purpose beyond what I could ever have imagined. My day rises and sets with him. I am thankful for him giving me the greatest purpose in my life and being my proudest achievement. I am grateful to him for healing my heart from a lifetime of heartbreaks, for revealing not only my strengths but also teaching me humility, for showing me how to have faith and ask for help when I am not strong. For helping me live my best life and grow into the best version of myself, I can be.


    And as I see Sebastian lay with his eye closed, I know that somehow he is thinking the same thoughts as me.


    So with not wasting any more time, I take him by the hand,


    "Now, let us go see this man."

 Chapter 140 - Written In The Stars

    It is with somewhat great difficulty as we prepare to leave the Belmont House. My beloved, rather battling with the wonder that one call morning sickness has been much to my very amusement, found herself firmly seated at the one thing that a Vampire shall never use.


    Now she does not hold the same sentiment of joy as me as I watch her going through these stages of what should be the most treasurable of the life of a woman. Yes, I do believe that finding your stomach turning inside out should not be seen as a joyous moment at all. But for me, the mere thought of having a part of me growing inside her belly gives me more joy than she shall ever know.


    So as I patiently wait for her to overcome this sudden bout of sickness, I try with the deepest parts of me to listen if I can, in fact, hear the very Vampire that is growing in her belly. Yet nothing, I am only but able to hear her rambling thoughts, most of how she shall be killing me once this pregnancy has passed.


    With what seems to be the better half of two hours, she joins my side as gracefully as her body can carry.


    "My beloved, you look absolutely¡­"


    "If I were you, Sebastian, I would refrain from saying another word. Now, please, can we go see this wizard."


    I lace my fingers in her somewhat shaky hand and lead her downstairs to where Edward and Breyden are waiting for us. She only but gives Breyden one look that could kill as he still carries that goddamn smirk on his face.


    "Breyden," she warns, "If I was you, then I will wipe that awful thing off your face." She pauses for but a few seconds and then continues, "And you, Edward, don''t think I did not see what you just whispered to Sebastian. All you damn men get the satisfaction in entering us so gracefully, but when the graceful truly happens, all you do is but sit back and smile. Well, guess what," she then turns to faces me. "No more gracefully entering this, Sebastian."


    "But my beloved, how was I supposed to know that my essence is so fertile."


    "Your essence, fertile? My god, I truly hope that my child is not as insane as you. Now take me to this wizard before I have this baby on these very steps."


    With that, we leave in a rather huff towards the very dungeon on the closer outskirts of England where we shall find this wizard. Well, perhaps dungeon is not quite the word; in fact, the wizard finds itself in the deep forest behind a rather spectacular waterfall in one of the greatest caves that I have come to see in all my years.


    So as we sit rather quietly in the car, mostly out of fear not to upset our dear pregnant companion, I see Anastasia look at me with a rather strange look of what I can describe as a look between fear and excitement.


    "Sebastian!"


    "What is wrong, my beloved."


    She grabs my hand in an instant and places it against the tight dome of her belly. And as I look at her rather strangely, there is a rather odd feeling of something moving underneath my hand, just like a little squirming worm.


    "My god, what on earth is that? Is there something wrong with our child?"


    "No, Sebastian, that is our child moving."


    "Moving? You mean it is alive?"


    "Well, I would hope so. But feel, there he is doing it again."


    There is the soft tickle of what feels like a little toe against the palm of my hand. A feeling of complete warmth sets through my body. It is as soft as a feather yet as firm as a gentle push. I have just felt the true essence of what is growing in my beloved. It is not just a little thing that is consuming her insides, but it is a person, whether immortal or mortal, that we do not know, but it is there, and god, it is very much living.


    So with a newfound haste, I force Edward to hurry even faster towards our destination. I need to have the reassurance that my child shall be fine. I need to know why he is growing at such a rapid pace. I hate to even dare and say that we will get there too late. But these are feelings that I should not have. This is the great unknown, though, I do not wish to play fate in the hands.


    After several hours and numerous stops, we find ourselves stopping at the entrance of the forest. Now begins the journey deep inside to the raging waterfall that we shall find in the center. Our presence, even if we wish to make it unknown, shall immediately become known. We shall either be allowed to enter or forced to turn away and leave.


    And it is with a great fear of this that I find myself standing at the brink that is the border that shall let us step inside. Much to my very relief, there is no barrier; there is no dome that shall prevent us from entering. It seems that I still carry a relationship with our dear wizard that is pleasing to the heart.


    Well, let us just wait until we get there.


    So I take my beloved once again by her cold tiny hands and lace my fingers with hers. As we step through and take the winding path, there is nothing but beauty around, but none of this beauty compares to the woman that is walking next to me with her one hand gently resting on her belly. Even though I know that she is starting to experience greater joys as an expecting mother, and she is terrified beyond belief, I know that she is embracing this. She shall become a great mother and even be a greater woman than before.


    As we wind our way through the wet earth, long, lush green leaves surrounding us as we move, and the most beautiful sounds that come chirping from above, we soon approach the waterfall in all its spectacular glory. There is absolute awe as it towers from high above and falls down in a great splash to the pool down below. The rush of water and the beauty that the rainbow beholds is near enough to render you speechless.


    But the silent moment in our mind soon disappears as from in the middle of the pouring water, we see it slightly part and out steps the wizard.


    "Well, well, well, if it is not Sebastian Belmont."


    "My dear Morgana, it is a pleasure as always."


    From next to me, I see my beloved looking at me under a rather wicked grin. Now it is not the type of grin to get you excited; in fact, as I can read her mind, she softly whispers, "Sebastian, she is a woman!"


    "My beloved, do you see me keep my company with men." I stop and hesitate for but a second, "On second thought, please do not answer. The fact remains that she will be the only one that shall be able to give us answers. Now please can you look past the rather supple breasts and, well, I can''t remember those legs being so elegant¡­"


    Next, the very minute before I even start to form another word on my lips, I feel the flat of a palm against my head coming from behind me.


    "My dear Edward, now was that necessary?"


    "Sebastian, there is definitely the need to give you a good slap now and then. Can we please focus on the real matter at hand and get out of here. The woman seems to be undressing me with her eyes."


    "Oh, she can undress you right from where she is standing, but yes, let us focus on the real matter at hand."


    With that, I step closer to Morgana, hoping that she shall not strike me down with on great bolt of lighting. The previous time our paths crossed, I left in a rather hasty manner and left her, as they say¡­hanging. Well, the woman was in things that did scare me somewhat. I think being tied up to a rather ice-cold pole and being¡­spanked is not quite my idea of foreplay.


    But as I approach, I am very much relieved to see her step forward and give me an rather uncomfortable hug.


    "Now, I never thought I would see you again. Now to what do I owe this pleasure, Sebastian?"


    "Well, it seems that my beloved has gotten us into somewhat of a¡­situation."


    "Mmm, a pregnant Vampire."


    I turn and look at Morgana in disbelief; well, I should know that she would be able to sense such things. So, without further hesitation, I call Anastasia over. Morgana goes to place her hand softly on Anastasia''s belly and smiles, but then her smile soon turns to one of concern.


    "Come, let us go inside. I need to know all about this pregnancy."


    With that, we follow her into the depths of the cave towards an open clearing where there is nothing but lush green leaves, beautiful flowers, and the sounds of great melodies coming from so many birds. As we take a seat around the warmth of a fire, she turns to look at me again.


    "How long has Anastasia been pregnant, Sebastian."


    "Well, it should only but be about six weeks."


    "Sebastian, really, this woman is near five months pregnant. Now have you forgotten to count?"


    Then my beloved interrupts us so elegantly, "Listen, lady, does it look like he is joking. Now, can you tell us how this is even possible and why my baby is growing too fast?"


    "It is simple, my dear," Morgana starts to explain. "It is the prophecy. This has been written in the stars since the beginning of the time of the Vampire. But," Morgana stops to catch her breath, "You were never supposed to have become a Vampire."


    "My dear, Morgana, what do you mean?"


    "Sebastian, your beloved was never supposed to have turned back into a Vampire after she rid herself from being an Ancient."


    "What does this mean?"


    "Sebastian, it means you have a Vampire carrying the life of what will one day be the greatest Vampire Master in the world, but¡­"


    For a brief second, I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. I somehow think that I am not going to like what is next to come.


    "Your beloved," Morgana continues. "Should have carried your child as a mortal. The child inside her shall be born far quicker than it should."


    "Morgana, just tell me what you are getting at."


    "Anastasia shall give birth within the next week." Then her face goes a different kind of serious than I have ever seen it hold. "But that is not all¡­"

 Chapter 141 - I Want All Of You

    I know the look on Morgana''s face. I have seen it many times before. What she is about to say next will not be news that will be welcomed.


    So I pull my beloved deep into the depths of my chest, "My beloved, we shall overcome whatever it may be."


    After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Morgana continues to speak, "Both shall not survive."


    "What do you mean that both shall not survive?"


    "Upon birth, either mother or child shall perish," Morgana takes my beloved''s hand into hers and whispers softly. "I am so sorry, my dear Anastasia."


    Now, if I did not know the power that Morgana possesses, then I would have taken my wrath and destroyed all that is in my path, so instead, I calmly speak again, "Is this part of the prophecy?"


    "No, my dear Sebastian. Not both bodies can survive during childbirth. You need to understand that a powerful Vampire is born, your beloved''s body might not be able to sustain."


    "But what if it is a human child?"


    "Then the child would not have made it once your beloved was turned back to a Vampire again."


    "Are you certain about this prophecy?"


    "Yes."


    Now I shall not lie if I did not have a warmth in my heart knowing that the child that my beloved carries will be a Vampire, but we have seen that none that is written or believed are in fact true. Morgana can be wrong; my beloved might, in fact, carry a mortal. But this is not to debate right now. We have a week, I can find a doctor that can help, and we can fight whatever they claim is written in the stars.


    So after much argument between Morgana and me, we find ourselves out of the forest and making our way back home.


    The drive home is very quiet, and I can see the great concern in my beloved''s eyes. As we finally find our way back home, she makes her way immediately to the privacy of our room.


    Now I am not a man that knows how to deal with a situation such as this. I have, in fact, never been faced with anything where a child was involved. How do I comfort a woman that is so close to throwing herself out of a window?


    "My beloved, I am not a man of many words. So please excuse me if I get this wrong.


    Until I saw you first, love, at first sight, was just an overrated phrase for me.


    When I saw you, I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew.


    From the moment we first met to this day, if there is one thing that has always been constant is love, care and excitement, and the fear of the unknown. I was single and likely to stay single until I didn''t meet you. Going back in time, from the day I saw you first, stared into your eyes, and dived deep into your soul, and everything appears to me as a fairy tale. Time has never passed so fast. This is, by all means, the best time of my life. It''s like I have got everything I ever asked for. A partner for life, a best friend, and my partner in crime. I have never felt luckier.


    I''ll be lying if I say I am not scared. I''ll be lying if I say I am ready. I''ll be lying if I say this is what I planned for. I''ll be lying if I say I believed in marriages. I''ll be lying if I say I want to settle down.


    I don''t.


    I am scared, but I know perfect love drives out all fear. I am not ready, but the idea of being with you looks just perfect. I never planned for this, but you are the best thing that happened to me. I don''t believe in marriages until I met you. I don''t want to settle down, and with you along, I just want to stargaze and see the clouds pass by in slow-mo.


    So it''s not going to be easy. It''s going to be really hard; we''re going to have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, every day. You and me¡­ every day."


    No matter how long we dated and how long we have been together, I want you to know the real me. I want you to learn the deepest and darkest secrets of my short life so far. I know you are more scared and confused. I understand you are very unsure, and it''s perfectly fine to be.


    I want to start the journey of my life from the very bottom with you. I want to reach the pinnacle of this journey only with you. I want to eventuate a haphazard journey and travel through the length of the roads and flow of the rivers, take a road as it comes by without any pronounced destination. Only with you.


    I want to stargaze with your hands in mine and keep looking at them till eternity. I want to play those eye contact games with you until I lose. I want to listen to you, talk to you and look at you for my entire life. I want to travel the globe and walk across all the roads with you by my side. I want to dance in the rain and kiss the sun with you in my arms. From the extreme sadness to the times of super happiness, I want to cherish all of it only and only with you. From luxurious life to making this world a better place to live, I want to achieve all this only with you. From realizing my dreams to live the life you always dreamt of, all this only with you.


    I am honored to have you by my side. I am elated with the idea of spending my entire life with you. Thank you for holding my hands; I swear to life, I will keep them safe forever. Thank you for loving me once; mark my words; I will love you for life. No matter what, no matter where no matter when, you can always count on me. Go ahead and win the world, and whenever you turn back, I''ll be there as your strongest pillar of support.


    We fight a million times. At times you are disappointed with the way I think and at times me. At times I hurt you so much, and sometimes you do. I apologize for all the times I made you feel so bad. And we will fight a million more times. I know, and I am very sure about it. I can''t promise we won''t fight. But I can promise I will never give up on you. NEVER. I promise after every fight and post all disagreements; you''ll still find me poking your cheeks and irritating you. Despite all this, I promise I won''t let a night of loneliness creep into our lives. I promise every day will be a new day. I promise I''ll be there if you need to feed at 3 AM. I promise I''ll be there to hold you and cuddle you whenever you have been through a bad dream. I promise I''ll love you. I''ll love you till my last breath.


    We are different. Very different. And that''s the most beautiful part of our relationship. We complete each other. We compliment each other. While you are full of life, I am an introvert. While you are a shopaholic, I am a miser. While you believe in investing in experiences, I believe in investing. While I forget everything post-fight, you keep a manual in your head (every woman, I guess). I have learned so much from you. You make me a better person.


    We are very similar as well. We both are demanding. We both love each other like there is no tomorrow. We are ambitious. Both of us want to make this world a better placed to live. We love to teach. And last, hold on, both of us love to kiss.


    Thank you for all love, happiness, care, and surprises. Thank you for parking your heart in mine. Trust me, that''s the safest place for it to be in the entire universe. Thank you for trusting me for your happiness. Thank you for all the songs. Thank you for the most meaningful conversation of my life. Thank you for all the learnings, experiences, and adventures. Thank you for all the surprises. Never, I was so excited for anything as much I am for you. Thank you for completing me. Together, we will win the world.


    I want you¡ªall of you. I want to look into your eyes when I wake up, every day, every night. I want to lie beside you in bed and snuggle for warmth during winters. I want to feel your sleep-laden arms around me, feeling me up in your dreams. I want you to wake me up in the middle of the night to have your fill of me.


    I want you¡ªall of you. I want to know the tiny details of your everyday life. I want to know who told you what, who made you feel what, what you saw on the way to work, and what you thought while you nibbled on the sandwich during lunch. I want you to share every single detail of your life until it becomes mine. All of it, until it fills me up¡ªmy body, soul, and mind.


    I want the security of your arm as my blanket. And I want the freedom of our travels. I want to feel the smooth skin and sooty smell of your body against mine. And I want to feel your lashes blink against my cheeks as you fall asleep.


    All this and more, until your life becomes mine, and mine yours.


    I want to carry the warm, invisible stamp on me¡ªthe mark that says I am a taken man, owned in entirety. That I''m a man conquered.


    A man who finally, willingly, chose to admit defeat and surrendered his life at the feet of happiness. That I''ve been touched so deeply that no one other touch matters.


    I want to love you until you''re my sun, my sin, and my heaven. And I want you to love me back. I want you to smile into my eyes and laugh at my jokes, poor as they may be. I want you to share your dreams and your fears, your likes and your dislikes, the things that you love, and those that fill you with awe. And I want to take those and make them mine until I practically see through your eyes.


    You see, I was once a man who kept a part untouched, hidden away from the world. I was once a man who sought to hide in frivolous flings, uncaring and distant. I was a man who didn''t appreciate the full intensity of love. I once ran away from all this.


    Not anymore. Not with you.


    Today, I want to give you my all and more. Today, I want to be with you. Today, I am combustible, and only you know how to light me up. Today, I am yours. Today, I am you.


    We shall overcome whatever lies in our way, my beloved."


    Just as I go to move closer to her, she cries out in agony as she grips her belly

 Chapter 142 - A Picture Tells A Thousand Joys

    Absolute terror strikes me as I leap my way over to her Anastasia, "My beloved, what is wrong?"


    "I don''t know; I just felt the most incredible pain."


    "My beloved, let me go speak to Edward for a moment. I shall be right back."


    "No, please don''t leave me alone. Please."


    With that, I hook my arm around her waist and pull her frail body. Her entire body is shaking, and she has gone paler than all fifty shades of white. My heart sinks, and I feel completely helpless; it looks as if she is in total agony, and there is a terrified look in her eyes.


    God, I do not know what is wrong, but I shall fix it. So for what seems a few moments, she softly whispers to me, "Sebastian, I am scared."


    "What do you mean, my beloved? What is wrong?"


    "I don''t know; something does not feel right."


    "Why don''t you rest? I will get you an appointment with the Doctor first thing in the morning."


    "Are you going to come to lie with me?"


    "I will be back just now."


    But she does not want to let go; she holds onto my hand so tight that I can not feel any sensation anymore.


    "Please don''t go, don''t leave me."


    "My beloved, I promise you that I will never leave you."


    With her wrapped tight in my arms, she slowly closes her eyes. But even though there is some sort of peace in her eyes, it does not calm the storm that I feel brewing inside of me. I never have, and not even beyond my imagination, but I have never seen someone so terrified.


    And terrified I remain the whole night.


    The next morning it is difficult; she feels far worse than the night before. I have managed to get her an appointment with a very good doctor in the city. It will be the first time that I have ever seen him, so to say that Anastasia is not beyond scared would be a total lie. I am trying to tell her that everything will be fine, but she firmly fears the worst.


    So it is hard; after having to help her into the bath and bathing her, I have to carry her to the room and help her get dressed. The sheer willpower to do anything has left her body. It breaks me to see her this way. One minute she was fine, now she is not even half of the woman that she used to be.


    I stand and watch her while she is standing in front of the mirror looking at herself, and I can see that she, she is just not there. Her beautiful smile has drained from her face. Her eyes seem black and sunken deep.


    "My beloved, what''s wrong?"


    "How can you love me, Sebastian? Look at me."


    "My beloved, I don''t love you for your body; I love you for you. The woman that has stars in her eyes, the sunshine in her smile. Her voice is gentle, and her laughter is addictive. Her touch is as soft as clouds. She is beautiful inside and out. Her fire and energy can light up a thousand candles. She is absolutely beautiful. She is the best thing that has ever happened to me."


    I hear her breath hitch, and I pull her into my arms, and we stand in silence for a few moments. Then she looks at me and asks me a question that I really do not know to understand.


    "Sebastian, is he going to hurt me?"


    "No, my beloved, he is here to help you."


    "You are going to stay with me all the time?"


    "They not taking you anywhere without me."


    "I am scared."


    "We will be okay; we are always okay."


    ¡­.Anastasia POV¡­..


    Today we are going to see a Doctor. To say that I am not beyond scared will be a blatant lie. Sebastian himself has not stopped babbling about how forward he is looking to see the baby.


    It is hard to say how far along pregnant I am now.


    The morning sickness has passed, and I am starting to feel what should be the best parts of being an expecting mother, apart from the pain. I have stopped counting how many times Sebastian has rubbed my belly. He has, in the times that I really get sick, he has started reading to our baby. We decided that we do not want to know what the sex of the baby is, even though I still firmly believe it is a boy.


    So it was with great difficulty that I found something to wear. Even though I do not keep much in today, I have grown rather bigger than what Sebastian likes to refer to as a bus. This rules out the option of trying to fit into one of my favorite skinny jeans completely out. With much frustration, I slip on my very favorite dress and meet up with Sebastian that is patiently jumping out of his skin.


    "I have always love that dress," he says as he twirls me around in a circle. "But it looks far sexier with that little baby bump."


    "Oh no, mister, get that idea right out of your head."


    "What? I was only going to kiss you, my beloved."


    "Yes, says him that could not keep his hands off me as he was bathing me. Now come, we are already late."


    I pull him by the hand and lead him out the front door. Yes, I am beyond excited too. It is hard to find the right balance between feeling sad and happy these days. My greatest fear is what Doctor Jackson will say to us today.


    It is what seems like an endless hour that we are finally at the hospital, walking down that corridor that used to be like a second home. As we get to Doctor Jackson''s rooms, he is already standing waiting for us.


    "Morning, Anastasia, Sebastian. Come right through; I am excited to see the little one."


    I know he is hiding the fact that he is concerned about me, so I only but brush this off as I follow him inside the examination rooms. While Sebastian sits patiently in the corner chair, I quickly change into that awful gown that, for the life of me, I still don''t understand how to wear. Sebastian then helps me on the bed, and we wait for Doctor Jackson; as Sebastian takes my hand, he softly whispers in my ear.


    "I love you; everything is going to be okay."


    I only but give him half a shy smile; I am so scared; in fact, I am near to damn terrified. All I want is to hear that little heartbeat; even if I don''t get to see him today, all I want to hear is that little heartbeat.


    So Doctor Jackson comes to sit next to me and take my hand, "Are you ready?"


    "Please, Doctor, just tell me that my baby is fine."


    He goes to pull my gown away to show my big baby bump that is growing far bigger than what we all expected it to be. I watch in anticipation as he puts the gel that is freezing to the touch over my tummy and rub that funny-looking stick thing over the edges and inside of my bump. My body shivers, but it is pure shivers of joy.


    Then we wait.


    And it seems like we are waiting for almost forever.


    But then we see it, and god is it the most beautiful thing that I have seen in my life. There he is. And his little heart is beating at a perfect drum. Our little baby is fine, he looks very healthy, and he is fine.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I can hardly believe what my eyes are seeing. It is a baby, a beautiful bundle of perfection safely tucked in its mom''s belly. How I wish that he could perhaps just remain there, there I need not have to worry about all the evil that awaits him. If he is set to become the ultimate Vampire, then I do wish that he would remain safely where he finds himself today.


    But my god, "My beloved, it is a baby."


    "Yes, Sebastian, it is our baby.


    I feel a sudden swell of laughter coming from deep within my chest, and so I sit and laugh for what seems to be a good five minutes, but then it sets in, the tears. The moment that they roll so freely down my cheeks, I see Doctor Jackson look at me rather oddly.


    It only takes me but one lift of the brow, and I warn him firmly, "You shall keep that to yourself, my dear Doctor, or you shall not see this child being born."


    With a very rather nervous stutter, he hastily steps away from his chair for a brief moment and leaves the room.


    Next, a feeling of, "Well, okay, what now," settles like autumn over my mind. We have not thought this far. So with an overwhelming love that I can honestly say hurts but hurts in what is only a good way, I turn to my beloved.


    "I told you that you are doing fine. I told you that you both are doing fine. I told you that you are strong; you both are fighters. Now you need to have that courage and see this through, you hear me? I love you."


    And then they come again, the instant happiness, the tears of joy come streaming down my face beyond anything that I wish to control. I can, strangely enough, say that I have never loved someone as much as I love my unborn child now. And yes, perhaps it is wrong, for am I saying that I love him even more than I love my dear Anastasia? In fact, not, but at this very present moment, the love that consumes my being is far greater than any feeling I have ever felt before.


    So after what seems like a good half an hour, Doctor Jackson returns to the room once more. As he settles in his seat, he stares at the monitor again. I can see the confusion, and yes, there is somewhat of a fear in his eyes. Now, I do not know if it is because he shall deliver the baby of a Vampire or if it is just the way that I am staring down at him.


    But whichever way, he soon, after a few deep breaths, find the right words to speak again, "Sebastian, the child seems to be in very good health, but we do have another problem."

 Chapter 143 - Before I Die

    There is a great fear on the face of my beloved. The very words of the Doctor send a tremor through my body. We have been told by Morgana that there shall be difficulty with the child, but does the Doctor bring the same news as what Morgana told. Do I even ask?


    So I refrain from saying a word at the very moment and wait for the Doctor to speak.


    "Sebastian, now I do understand that both Anastasia and you are Vampires, and by all truths, Anastasia should not be able to bear a child. Now what you also know is that a Vampire''s body, as I understand, is frozen in time."


    With a brief moment, a smile appears on my broken face; his knowledge of our kind is rather intriguing, but that is not a question to ask at the current moment, so I only but nod and speak, "You are indeed correct that our bodies should be frozen in time."


    "And," he adds, "The organs that make you tick forward inside your body should in fact not perform. Now, something must have happened when Anastasia was briefly human. All in her body returned to its way before, yet her womb stayed alive."


    "Yes, Doctor. That is what we have been told. Now, what is this problem?"


    "First, Anastasia shall not be able to give normal childbirth. And," he hesitates for but a few brief moments. "As Anastasia is a Vampire, we shall not be able to put her under when we need to, well for all purposes, I shall say, cut her open. The pain shall both be unbearable, but she or the child or even both shall not survive."


    And just as we were told, Morgana has, in fact, told the truth. Where does this leave us? Can both Morgana and the Doctor be wrong? Well, I  would love to believe so, and what I also believe is that there is always another option. But the Doctor is not yet done.


    "Also, Sebastian, the child is set to be born within the next five days, if not even sooner. I do not know what you wish to do."


    "Well, what are you saying, Doctor?"


    "I need you to consider the consequences."


    "There is nothing to consider, my beloved has come back from far worse, and I know deep within me that she and the child will survive. There is another way. There always is another way. I beg of you to find one, for I shall not rest for the next five days until I have found one."


    "I understand, Sebastian."


    "No, in fact, you don''t; being a Vampire does not mean that she should be treated any differently. I shall lay waste to all that is you if I should find that you are not willing to help her because of who and most importantly, what she is."


    "That is not the case, my friend; I am stating the medical facts to you. If you can find me something that is strong enough to put Anastasia under and, god do I even dare to say, a blood source to keep her alive, then we can save them."


    "Why can you not just go to the blood bank?"


    "You are surely not suggesting I steal blood."


    "Well, Doctor, if you are not willing to, then I will, unless if you want a mortal that is alive next to her bed."


    "God no, do what you need to do. You have five days."


    With that, we leave the Doctor''s room rather defeated. It seems easier said than done. Where do I find that one thing, that miracle that shall save my beloved?


    Where do I find not one but two miracles?


    My beloved, my wife, my life partner, and the mother of my child might die.


    I would love to believe that I am doing fine, but my heart has now, in fact, seized to exist. I cannot bear the pain anymore. It has been suffocated to such a brink that it is only but lying like a dormant vessel in my body, one I can by all honesty say, I do not wish to revive.


    What has revived itself with a newfound urgency is the rate that the bleeding irises find themselves watering up with tears every day. I am trying to stay strong for Anastasia, but most of all, I am trying to remain strong for the small little person that will make his way into our lives in a little less than five days.


    And as with so many nights now, while she is resting, I am sitting here in the dark with the only reminder of what is really real about our lives in my hand now. A small black and white photo of an angel growing in a precious mother''s womb. Protected and safe. But do I even wish to say for how long? But I cannot dwell on the bad side of what-ifs.


    Another what-if is what I found underneath her pillow as I was checking up on her a few moments ago. As she calls it, a ''note before I die.'' Reading every bit of this rips my heart to pieces.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    "It''s a strange thing to realize and accept. It''s just one of those things you ignore. The days tick by, and you just expect they will keep on coming; until the unexpected happens. I always imagined myself growing old, wrinkled, and grey, most likely caused by the beautiful family I planned on building with the love of my life. I want that so bad it hurts. But then I met you, and I wanted to be a Vampire even more. I wanted to live for all eternity.


    But that''s the thing about life; It is fragile, precious, and unpredictable, and each day is a gift, not a given right.


    I don''t want to go. I love my life. I am happy; I owe that to you. But the control is out of my hands.


    I haven''t started this ''note before I die'' so that death is feared; I like the fact that we are mostly ignorant, for we are Vampires, and that it should never happen. It has been a bit tough.


    I just want you to stop worrying so much about the small, meaningless stresses in life and try to remember that we all have the same fate after it all, mortal and immortal, so do what you can to make your time feel worthy and great.


    I have dropped lots of my thoughts below as I have had a lot of time to ponder life these last few days. Of course, it''s the middle of the night when these random things pop in my head most!


    Those times you are whinging about a ridiculous thing, something I have noticed so much these past few months, just think about someone who is really facing a problem. Be grateful for your minor issue and get over it. It''s okay to acknowledge that something is annoying but try not to carry on about it and negatively effect other people''s days.


    Once you do that, get out there in that fresh air. Look at how blue the sky is and how green the trees are; It is so beautiful. Think how lucky you are to be able to do just that, just be alive.


    Let all that shit go. I swear you will not be thinking of those things when it is your turn to go. It is all so insignificant when you look at life as a whole. I''m watching my body waste away right before my eyes with nothing I can do about it, and all I wish for now is that I could have just one more day with you. Just one more.


    I tried to live a healthy life; in fact, that was probably my major passion. Appreciate your good health and the parts of your functioning body. Look after it and embrace how amazing it is. Move it and nourish it with fresh food. Don''t obsess over it.


    Be grateful for each day.


    Whinge less. And help each other more.


    Give, give, give. It is true that you gain more happiness doing things for others than doing them for yourself. I wish I did this more. More than I could ever get return.


    Value other people''s time. Don''t keep them waiting because you are shit at being on time. Get ready earlier if you are one of those people and appreciate that your friends want to share their time with you, not sit by themselves, waiting on a mate. You will gain respect too!


    Use your money on experiences. Or at least don''t miss out on experiences because you spent all your money on material shit.


    Put in the effort to make that day trip to the beach you keep putting off. Dip your feet in the water and dig your toes in the sand. Wet your face with saltwater.


    Get amongst nature.


    Try just enjoying and being in moments rather than capturing them through the screen of your phone. Life isn''t meant to be lived through a screen, nor is it about getting the perfect photo, enjoy the moment! Stop trying to capture it for everyone else.


    Get out early sometimes and listen to the birds while you watch the beautiful colors the sun makes as it rises.


    Listen to music, really listen.


    Cuddle your dog.


    Talk to your friends.


    Travel if it''s your desire.


    Seriously, do what makes your heart feel happy.


    Say no to things you really don''t want to do.


    Don''t feel pressured to do what other people might think is a fulfilling life; you might want a mediocre life, and that is so okay.


    Tell your loved ones you love them every time you get the chance and love them with everything you have.


    Also, remember, if something is making you miserable, you do have the power to change it ¨C in work or love or whatever it may be. Have the guts to change. You don''t know how much time you''ve got on this earth, so don''t waste it being miserable. I know that is said all the time, but it couldn''t be more true.


    Anyway, that''s just this my life advice, advice from someone that is facing death in the eye.


    ''Til we meet again."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    I tuck the letter deep away in my pocket and sneak out of the room to go find Edward. As per usual, I find him in the kitchen. He need not have to ask the question, for he can see the look on my face.


    "My dear Sebastian, where are we going?"

 Chapter 144 - Forever Inside You

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    This morning I do not have the strength to do anything at all. Even the dreaded steps that I need to the bathroom every time my body decides to give in is even too much for me.


    Much to Sebastian''s horror, I started getting really sick throughout the night. God know knows why, but I somehow think that it cannot be morning sickness.


    What is bad is Sebastian insisting on holding my hand every time I do. I so wish that he did not have to go through this; in fact, I do wish that I did not have to go through this. But I guess that this is the hand that we have been dealt, and even though it is incredibly unfair, I need to find that strength that Sebastian wants me to.


    But I can''t.


    The sad thing is, I am going to die.


    So as Sebastian takes me back for what seems to be the fourth time this morning, I turn to him. I try to put on the best smile I can, but it is fake; all that is real is the burning inside that is eating me up at such an awful place. It feels as if everything is twisting and turning, and it is being gutted to pieces. It is agony, and I just want it to end.


    I want it to end.


    I want to experience the joys of being an expecting mother, but instead, I am a mother that might be expecting to die.


    Yes, I sound like the world has come to an end, but guess what? It has, and I need to find that strength.


    So as Sebastian comes to lay next to me and curl me up in his arms, I search for his eyes. He does not want to look at me. He is crying, and he is trying to hide it. He, too, wants to be strong. But it seems that at times he cannot find it himself.


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved."


    "It is going to be okay. You are going to be okay."


    "What is okay? Is this okay? I somehow don''t feel okay. I am supposed to look after you and protect you, and I cant. I am your goddamn husband, and I cannot even do that. It is not okay. This is not okay."


    "Then tell me, where do we find that strength so that it will be okay?"


    "My beloved, I really wish I knew. I know it should be in my hearts, but right now, my heart is so damn sore."


    I listen to his voice as it is starting to tremble, and for the so many times this morning, he breaks down and cries. He is right; where do we find that strength? Where? I¡­


    "Sebastian."


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    "I don''t want to die."


    And the very words are too hard for him to bear. He rips himself away from my body and rushes out of the bedroom. What seems hours later, he comes back into the room; I can see the blood on his knuckles. He must have hit a wall. He is hurting; not only is his heart breaking, but his body is hurting.


    After standing in the doorway for what seems to be a few uncomfortable minutes too long, he comes to lay down next to me on the bed again. I can hear by his strained breathing that he is exhausted. I lean over and give him a peck on his cheek.


    "Why don''t you rest for a bit? I am feeling a lot better now."


    "No, my beloved. I am not leaving you for but one second."


    "Sebastian, please. I will let you if I am not feeling well."


    "Promise me?"


    "I promise."


    With that, he slowly closes his eyes.


    As I look at him, he seems so peaceful. I would love to believe that he is thinking about only good things, but I know that he has nightmares raging through his mind.


    So with nothing but my thoughts, I turn my mind back to the what-ifs. And it is this what-ifs that take Sebastian''s hand while I whisper to him, but then much to my very shock, he opens his eyes.


    "What is wrong, My beloved?"


    "Sebastian, I know that the heaviness inside your heart may seem too much to bear, and we don''t know if things are going to be okay. I know we need to find that strength, but for now, for now, will you just sit beside me and tell me that you love me."


    "My beloved, I love you with all my heart, and if I could, then I would have traded places with you."


    "I know that it probably hurts more than anything else ever has, and it sometimes feels like you just cannot go on."


    "My beloved, what I feel must be nothing compared to what you are going through. The agony and pain on your face kill me. I wish I knew how to take the pain away."


    I squeeze his hand a fraction of a bit tighter, my eyes narrow as my heart feels that I need to tell him how I truly feel. Yes, it is going to break him more than me, but perhaps, perhaps if he knows how I feel, then we can find that strength.


    "Sebastian, I am so sorry. My body, I just don''t know if I can do it anymore. There is nothing more that I want than to spend a lifetime with you and our child. I will fight with every ounce of my being. I want you to know that my love for you will never cease to exist. I know that the love that we share needs to carry us through this, but I just don''t know if my body can take this."


    "God, my beloved, I did not know. It feels like I can scream out in loud agony. Every time I have to pick you back up off the floor, it kills me. I want you to know that I am here, my love is here, I am not letting you go."


    "You have always had high expectations of yourself, Sebastian. I know that every cell in your being wants to give up and wallow because the sadness and pain are unbearable. I want you to take some time and allow yourself that, but then I need you to put two feet on the ground for me. If you cannot do it for yourself, do it for me."


    I can see the tears are starting to build up in his already red and puffy eyes. I know that it sounds like I am saying goodbye, but I feel I need to prepare him; I need to prepare us. Tomorrow is not guaranteed, what we have is now, and now I need him to know how I feel.


    "Sebastian, you know that sometimes I just want the world to stop turning. It feels like I am stuck in the darkness. But I want you when you are stuck in the darkness to wake up and watch the sunrise. Each day, when you feel like you cannot put one foot in front of the other, watch the sun slowly rise through the clouds and know that I am still here for you. And when night falls, and the sorrow rears its ugly head again, go outside and look up at the stars and the moon and realize that when you look up at the universe, I am there.


    "My beloved, please stop talking like this. You are not dying; you are not going anywhere. You and our baby will be fine."


    "But what if I am not?"


    "Don''t ever say that!"


    He sits up straight and takes both of my hands into his.


    "My beloved, you will be here as the Spring showers start to fall, the birds start to sing, and the flowers start to bloom. You will be here in Summer to enjoy the sun on your face, the flowers, the fresh-cut grass, the insanely beautiful summer storms, and rainbows. As Fall begins to come around the corner, you will be here to enjoy the crisp air; you will watch the leaves fall from the trees. You will be here to enjoy each moment."


    "Oh, Sebastian, I really love you so much."


    "Yes, and I love you too. I need you to find that strength. I need you to live with passion and determination. Love is all we have to give of ourselves, and love is what is going to carry us through this unbearable pain. We are going to love big, love fully with every piece of our hearts. We are going to live every day and never leave anything unsaid."


    Then he slowly pulls me up into the warmth of his embrace and holds me as tight as my frail aching body allows.


    "Close your eyes, my beloved, and you will feel me inside you; I am here guiding you every step of the way. You will give me the best of your life. You will not die."

 Chapter 145 - Quest To The Top Of The Mountain

    Leaving Anastasia this morning is most definitely one of the hardest things that I have yet done. But I need to find that one thing, that is, if it even exists, that shall put her under a deep sleep. Where? That I do not know.


    So Edward and I are finding our way back over to Morgana. Now I have not told Anastasia where I am set to go. Yes, I am building trust on lies again, but she cannot know of my intention, for I know that she shall not approve. I have told her that we will be away on council business and that I was not quite certain on how long it would take.


    Now I do hope that this shall be easy for we are running out of time. She shall, as per this Doctor, which I still fully do not trust, she shall be going into labor in less than five days. It can be four; it can be two. I am hoping that it shall be five.


    We have snuck out under silence while she was bathing and have just taken to the long road that shall take us back to Morgana. Edward has kept himself fairly quiet. He knows that it shall be futile to try and talk me out of this. But how do you talk a man out between saving his beloved wife or letting her die?


    Yes, the great fear is there that should we be able to get Anastasia through this childbirth, that our child shall indeed not make it. The thing with prophecies is that they never can be trusted. This we have seen with Anastasia and the Vampire Hunter. Are they, in fact, together as what it was written in the stars? So, therefore, I am not relying on the word of some foolish old man that told too many tales around a fire.


    So after what seems a rather long stretch of time, Edward finds the words to speak, "My dear Sebastian, do you think that such a thing does exist?"


    "Edward, we have seen things that we never thought walked this earth; I am sure that there must be something that shall be that strong."


    "Well, I am leaning towards that it should be some plant."


    I look at him rather peculiar, but I do seem to carry the same thought, "Then let us hope that it shall not be impossible to find it."


    "Perhaps Morgana shall even have such a thing with her."


    Now that does bring some sort of a comfort, but what we have seen also is that nothing is quite that easy. I do believe that it shall take us more than pure coincidence to find what we are looking for.


    And looking for, after endless hours, soon comes into sight as we approach the very entrance of the forest where Morgana lives. Let us just hope that this time our arrival is welcomed.


    But as soon as we step to enter, we are immediately jolted back.


    She has, in fact, enforced the barrier. Now I do hope that it is not because of our arrival. So all we have left to do is wait. And wait, we do not have time for.


    After making a rather frantic call to Breyden to check on Anastasia, we find ourselves sitting under a nearby tree on some rather uncomfortable rocks. Now, if I say that this is not infuriating me would be a lie. It is true that all creatures shall bow to me, but Morgana in her own right is far more powerful than me and have, from our very first meeting, made it clear that she shall not live under my rule.


    Yes, I reluctantly gave in to this, and do I regret it now. These seconds that we are wasting is the very seconds that my beloved do not have. Now, if the woman possessed such a thing as a phone, then I would have called her, but she believes in the old ways. Wait is all that we can do.


    And wait comes until the sunsets.


    As we look far off in the distance, not coming from the forest but in fact the road, we see Morgana approaching, with whom I assume is the reason for her absence. She has, and by the smell of him, a mut with her. The minute she reaches us, my alarm is already raised.


    "My dear Morgana," I say as I pull her to the side. "Now seriously, a mut? What on earth are you doing with the creature?"


    "Sebastian, a woman, gets lonely, and this¡­man knows a few things that I find rather pleasurable."


    And those things come spilling from her very thoughts, "My god, could keep that silent."


    "Mmm, you seem to have an ability that I was not aware of. Please do tell?"


    "Not sure when, but it came with a little thing called a soul."


    "Even more intriguing. Now I do have a rather pressing question, but let us go inside, and you can tell me to what I owe this pleasure¡­again."


    With that, we make our way into the forest, winding our way through the thick brush and endless rows of beautiful flowers. And as before, we reach the magnificent waterfall, well, only Edward and me can see, for she has blindly led her new pet. I do believe that I, and of course Edward, are the only ones that know how to find the way.


    So once we find ourselves deep in the depths of a cave that she has transformed into a beautiful home, she turns to me once again.


    "I am guessing that this is about Anastasia? Has she given birth to the child yet?"


    "No, she has not, but she has less than five days left. Now we have taken her to a human doctor, and he has, as per what you said, agreed that both should not survive."


    I see Morgana drop her head and start to stutter at finding the right words to say, but I interrupt her, "He said that if we are able to find something so strong to put Anastasia under, that she might just survive the birth. And of course, she is going to need a lot of blood, which I have already find the source. Now please tell me that you know of any such thing."


    "Sebastian, I do not possess any such potion or even plant. But¡­" Morgana goes silent; she seems to search the deepest corners of her mind for an answer. Then after a while, she does speak again, "I know of a plant, the Blood Thorn Laceflower. You will find it on the top of Mount Ben Nevis."


    I look over at Edward with a newfound hope in my eyes, "Edward, it seems like I will be going home."


    With that, we thank Morgana, but before we can even disappear down the long corridor, she shouts after us. "Wait, Sebastian, I think I was wrong¡­"


    But I do not give her any moment to explain, it takes Edward and me less than five minutes, and we find ourselves in the car. Now I am faced with two problems; for one, I am going to have to leave Anastasia home alone for at least another fifteen hours, and secondly, I won''t even last halfway up that path. I attempted it in my young years, and I doubt that I can attempt it again. So I will be left with asking a very willing mortal.


    But that aside, I shall do whatever it takes to get what my beloved needs to survive.


    So with absolute haste, we find ourselves at the airport waiting to board the next plane. It feels like just the other day that we were traveling Europe, once again one of us is looking for something. There is a part of me that has this incredible fear that we shall not find what we are looking for. But I need to have that faith; I promised Anastasia that I should fight and I shall push forward.


    And forward, we push after a very short flight; we are stepping into Scotland. Now I never thought I should come back home under these circumstances, but I can honestly say that apart from the fear and panic, it does feel great to be home once again. If I have the time, I would have loved to revisit my youth and get reacquainted with the many Vampires that I spent so many years with.


    Well, this is not a holiday; we need to get to the foot of the mountain and convince a mortal to do this task for me. Now I do believe that the plant is rare and therefore endangered, so I am guessing being in possession of it might just land you in jail.  But this does not put me off from my quest.


    After a half an hour of struggling to find a rental, we set off to make the two-and-a-half-hour trip to the mountain.  I can see that Edward is also starting to grow intensely nervous. He has refrained from stating what is the obvious even though he dreads the possibility just as much.


    So I rest my hand on his shoulder and try to reassure him of something that I am not sure either, "Edward, she shall hang on until our return. Breyden said that she is resting and looking well."


    "I have no doubt of that, Sebastian. I am scared that we shall not find this flower."


    "If we don''t, then we shall find something else. I am not bound to give up though I hate that we are running out of time."


    Then he looks at me with a newfound worry in his eyes, "Sebastian, what do you think Morgana was talking about?"


    "I have no idea; the woman was probably just rambling."


    For the rest of the drive, we just make small talk and try to keep each other motivated. Then as we finally get to the lodge at the foot of the mountain, we start with our search for a mortal. Now let me be true to myself; they all look rather stuck up. This seems that it might just be more difficult than we anticipated.


    So while Edward is finding a willing man, I step to the side to phone Breyden, "Breyden, my friend. How are things going on your side?"


    "I have not checked up on her since an hour ago. Let me sneak my head in for a minute."


    I listen as he places his phone on the kitchen counter and makes his way to our room. After what seems like too many seconds, he returns, "Sebastian, she is not in the room. I shall go look for her and phone you back."


    With that, a terrible worry sets over my heart. I hope that she has not gone into labor. "Breyden, please do it at once. I await your call."

 Chapter 146 - An Offer You Can Refuse

    We are finding ourselves at the foot of a mountain, which this Vampire cannot climb. So our quest in a quest begins to find the one mortal that shall do so for me instead. Now we do not have much time to waste; for one, Anastasia seems to have wandered off, and second, there truly is not much time.


    We have now gone into a second day to find the one thing that shall save Anastasia, which leaves us hopefully with another three, but in all honesty, it should be two. Getting us back home will take us into another day. With Edward armed by my side, we head off to the one place where we shall find an eager, so to say, victim.


    So Edward takes a seat next to a rather young gentleman, I would guess the same age I was before I was turned. Now the question begs, what does it take to buy a mortal over?


    With a whiskey in hand and a rather convincing smile on my face, I settle in next to the man. Now the trick is not to sound like I am two-hundred-and-seventy-nine years old, which we have established on numerous occasions is truly not a  skill that I possess.


    Yet, I turn to the man and greet him with the utmost fake smile on my face, "Afternoon, the name is Sebastian."


    He turns at me, looking rather surprised, but then he says something rather awkward, "Listen, man, I am not interested. Hell, I don''t even lean that way."


    "But I have not even asked you yet?"


    "It is in your eyes; you don''t need to ask. So, please, if you don''t mind."


    "Please just hear me out first. I will reward you greatly."


    "God, do I look like an escort?"


    "Escort? Is that what they call one that travels up the mountain?"


    Then, he furrows his brows and slightly cocks his head to the side, "Wait, you are not gay and looking to pick me up?"


    "God no! I am very much happily marrier. And the gentleman," I turn around to Edward that can barely contain his laughter, "This man is like my brother."


    The man drops his head shyly and starts to chuckle, "The name is Jasper, sorry about that man. You don''t know the creeps that come out here."


    "Nice to make the acquaintance, my friend, but I do truly want to ask you something."


    "Well, let us hear it then."


    "I need to ask your assistance to get something for me from the top of the mountain."


    "You are a bit odd. What is it that you need from the top, and more importantly, why don''t you do it yourself?"


    "My body is not designed to take such a venture, and, well, I need a rare flower that, as per a friend, only grows on top of the very mountain."


    "You do know that if you say it is rare, then it is protected. So you basically want me to steal something that can get me arrested."


    I tilt my head at him and nod in agreement, "Yes, I believe that it might be the case."


    "You said reward. What reward?"


    "My friend, I can offer you more wealth than you have ever seen."


    "What wealth are you referring to," he stops and hesitates for a moment. "You really do sound old man; how old are you anyway?"


    "The same age as you."


    "Well, I guess all that wealth buys you a good plastic surgeon."


    "Nah, I am afraid it is all in the blood."


    "What did you say your name was again?"


    "Sebastian, Sebastian Belmont, and this is Edward Vondrake."


    Jasper looks at me with great intent and then shakes his head oddly, "I have heard your name before, I cannot place it at present, but I have heard of it before. Now, what is it that you can offer me?"


    "Eternal life."


    "Eternal life? Sebastian, I do want some of the whiskey that you are drinking."


    Must to his shock, I hand him my glass, but he only pushes it back to my way again. Now, if anyone is odd around here, then it must be him, for her says one thing and does another. I am starting to reconsider if he shall be the right man to do this job. But we don''t have time to find someone else; this odd man will just have to do. So with a rather annoyed look on my face, I speak to him once again.


    "My friend, I said eternal life. If you can bring me the flower that shall save my beloved, then I shall give you eternal life."


    "And how do you intend on doing that? Last time I checked, Vampires do not exist."


    "Think again, Edward and I are as real as you are going to get to one. Now, if you do not believe me," I stop and glance around me to see if anyone else is near and expose but a fraction of my fangs from underneath my lips. I watch as the eyes of Jasper grow wider than the rim of my whiskey glass.


    "My god," he says as his words stutter, "You are a real fucking Vampire? Not those kids that go around and drink blood for fun?"


    "No, my friend, I do not go around and drink blood for fun. Now, if you help me to get this flower, I shall give you eternal life, that is if that is what you would desire, or we can always pay you handsomely."


    "Sebastian, don''t you think you should have rather started with the last option? Who says that I desire eternal life?"


    "Does all not?"


    "My friend, as you will say, my days on this dear earth are already numbered. What is eternal life going to give a man that is dying?"


    "Well, then Jasper, you shall be healed from whichever illness it is that you possess. But I am afraid that I am going to have to push you for an answer. I, too, do not have much time to save my wife. So what shall it be?"


    "What does this flower look like?"


    "It is a deep pink; it has the elegance of a lily but holds the classiness of a rose. Morgana said that one should know once you see it."


    "Morgana? Like Morgana, the wizard?"


    "Yes, my friend, wizards are real too. But we are wasting time."


    "How do I know that this is not some silly prank."


    I look over to Edward that has been eager to feed from the moment we landed, and show for him to take our dear friend for a brief show and tell to the bathroom.


    Very reluctantly, Jasper follows him, and not even moments later, Edward returns with a satisfied look on his face. Our dear friend follows behind close. As he passes, he happily whispers, "I shall see you in under nine hours."


    So with that, the waiting begins; well, wait is not something that a Vampire enjoys to do, for he always has what he needs at the tip of his fingers. And should he not, well, then he has a Jasper that will gladly go to fetch it for him. Now, I do hope that this man is just as real as what I am, for I hate to feel disappointment after an agonizing nine-hour wait.


    While Edward finds us a comfortable corner to wait out the hours, I step outside to give Breyden a call. The man said that he would call and he has not yet done so. It only takes but a few seconds, and he answers.


    "My dear, Sebastian, I am so sorry. I forgot to phone you; Lilith distracted me, she¡­"


    "Oh, please spare me the details. Please tell me that Anastasia is still okay?"


    "Yes, she returned to her room, and she sounds fine to me."


    "Do you know where she was?"


    "She stepped into the study to find something to read."


    "Fair, I am sure she needs to take her mind off the stress that she is feeling under."


    "Now, how are things going on your side?"


    Well, now do I tell him how I just convinced some mortal to steal a flower for me, and then I shall turn him into a Vampire? I think he shall have my head for that one, but yet I forgot one tiny detail.


    "Sebastian, I truly hope that you do not really intend to turn the poor man?"


    "I keep my promises, Breyden, and the man in his own way is also dying; if I can save one more life, then that is something that I will gladly do."


    "As long as you get that flower, I guess nothing else matters."


    Yes, nothing else matters. A thought that has come to my mind very often for the past day. What is defined as nothing? The life of my beloved? Or the life of my child?


    But the thought soon disappears as I hear a loud band and a horrific scream coming through the phone¡­and it is not Breyden.


    "Breyden, what is the matter?"


    "Sebastian, I will phone you back."

 Chapter 147 - Pandoras Box

    There is a loud bang, then a deafening scream.


    Panic sets over my body.


    Has the Belmont House come under attack? What great force as laid siege over my home?


    It is with short, little stuttering breaths that Breyden speaks through the phone, "Sebastian, something has happened upstairs. I need to go."


    "Breyden! Wait! Is it Anastasia?"


    He hesitates for a few brief moments and need not even have to answer. My entire body feels like it has been struck stiff and thrown into an abyss. Has Anastasia gone into labor?


    I understand that she shall scream, but what was that loud bang for?


    I need to get back home; I cannot wait here for this man to return.


    So with absolute haste, I make my way back over to where Edward has taken a seat, but just as I am about to sit down, I get a call from Breyden.


    I immediately drop down into a panic next to Edward, "Breyden, what is the matter? Has Anastasia gone into labor?"


    "Sebastian, she appears to be fine."


    "Then what was that loud bang? Why did she scream?"


    "Well, you, she, the thing is¡­"


    "Yes, spit it out, Breyden."


    Well, she has¡­uhm¡­she has taken something she should not have. And¡­I don''t know how to stop it."


    "What on earth are you talking about?:


    He goes quiet once more again, much to my very frustration. And as he stumbles through his sentences, my patience seems to grow even slimmer. What has Anastasia done now that has this Angel in a flat spin?


    "Breyden! Get a hold of yourself! What has Anastasia done? What has she taken?"


    "She opened it. She took it, and then she opened it."


    "My god, what are you talking about? Did she drink something that she should not have?"


    "Oh, how I wish she did that instead. I am afraid that you need to return home, for I have not idea what to do, my friend."


    "I shall be home on the first plane out. But please, tell me what has happened."


    "The box, Sebastian, the box."


    My entire world stops on its axis. The little life that is left in this Vampire gets sucked out like a vacuum. The skies grow dark, and my mind blank. If he says what I think he means, then we are in for some trouble.


    "Is it THAT box?"


    "The very one, there has been a great force unleashed that is still contained within the house, but I fear that I do not know for how long. I am even frightful to say that you won''t make it."


    "I will contact the boys, but I also fear that they won''t make it, and even more so, they won''t be able to help. Where is she now?"


    "She does not want to leave the room. She threatened to kill me if I try to take the box away from her."


    "My god, I am on my way."


    With that, I drop the call and look over to Edward that has been staring at me with a very puzzled face, "Edward, Anastasia has opened the box. I need to return home. Would you be able to settle business for me?"


    "The box? How on earth did she find the box?"


    "The woman can find anything. I shall return home immediately."


    "And this man? Must I turn him?"


    "If he so desires, you may. I can unfortunately not wait to hear his decision."


    And so I make my leave in an instant to get on the next plane home. I am hoping that the evil would not have consumed her, but I am afraid that is asking for the impossible. Whatever drove her to go seek out the box from his hiding place, that I do not know, but then to open it after I told her about the consequences, that I truly do not understand.


    She has not only put her and our child into danger, but she has put the lives of many others too. How can she be so irresponsible? It is as if her mind has left her body; if I did not know that she was pregnant, then I would have said that she has been possessed by some other force. She has just not been herself since her near-death experience.


    But that aside, I am boarding a plane that shall have me home in less than two hours. The Windchaser boys shall, well, let us hope they are on nearby business. Now Connor is for sure going to kill me this time. They are very much aware of the box''s existence, but they do not quite know that I possess it.


    So after a very short flight, next to an extremely bubbly teenager, I step my feet onto home ground again. And as I raise my eyes to the skies, I can already see it. The evil is creeping into the city. She has unleashed the power. I can almost with certainty say that she has been possessed herself by now.


    Then just as I am about to find my very own vehicle, I see a familiar face walking up to me.


    "What have you done now again,  old man?"


    "Connor, who says that I have done anything?"


    "Well, who else would it be. Or wait¡­your beloved?"


    "You make it sound like my beloved is trouble."


    "Do you want me to answer that?"


    He comes forward to give me a rather tight and awkward hug. Now I should be used to these by now for with the company I keep; lately, they seem to happen quite frequently. Then next from behind him come, Ethan and Bobby. Well, that was not a face I was expecting. Now I have for certain give the man a reason to punch me.


    But all that aside, "Why are you here? Thought you should meet me at home?"


    "Your Angel gives me the creeps," says Bobby. "We thought rather to meet you here."


    "Now, what have you and your beloved done now?" Connor asks.


    Now how do I break this one to him? Guess the straightforward option?


    "My beloved open Pandora''s Box."


    I hear as all three of them topple over from laughter. Connor, in fact, is laughing so loud that there are speckles of tears around his eyes. But I continue firmly.


    "I am serious. She opened the box."


    "Listen," Connor starts. "Did you ask us over her for sex advice? I mean, seriously, man, don''t you know how to handle a woman?"


    "Obviously not, for this one keeps on snooping around. Now I am serious! Look at the skies. Do they look normal?"


    Connor raises his head to the sky, then looks over at Ethan with a rather oddly familiar concerned look on his face.


    "Okay, now let me get this straight," Ethan says, "You have Pandora''s Box?"


    "Yes, my friend, I have had it for years. No one knew that I possessed it until a very greedy Walker tried to come to take it."


    "Wait!" Connor stops me. "Are you the one that took out the walker?"


    "Yes, my friend."


    "Why did you not invite me?"


    "It was crazy; I did not have time to make a call. But as I was saying, no one knew until then. I honestly thought I had it well hidden, but guess the sneakiness of a woman is underestimated."


    "Well, there, I agree. So we have like all the world''s horrible problems?"


    "Not quite; this box has a horrible twist, see it holds horrible things."


    "Things like creatures?"


    "Exactly."


    Connor only but shakes his head at me while we finally arrive at the Belmont House.


    "So you want to tell me that we have a small little apocalypse on our hand."


    "I am afraid so."


    And if I thought that Connor should understand, as he walks past me to enter the house, he gives me a rather large slap against the back of the head. Next to follow is Ethan, and even know I know that he would much rather like to punch me, Bobby slaps me even harder than both of the boys.


    "You idiot!"


    "Well, I guess that I deserve that. But do I need to remind you that I did not open the box?"


    "Now, I would slap Anastasia on the arm," Connor explains. "But something gives me the idea that we are not going to get close to her."


    "But we need to; the woman is set to give birth in two days."


    Connor stops dead in his tracks and spins around to face me, "Anastasia is a Vampire? How on earth is the woman going to go into labor?"


    "That I do not know myself, but she is due to deliver my child."


    Then I hear Bobby whisper to himself, "Balls, not another one of you."


    But Connor only chuckles and continues to speak, "Sebastian, there is no way that Anastasia can be pregnant."


    "Well, I am telling you, Connor, the woman is pregnant. We have been to the Doctor, and I clearly saw the child in her belly. And Morgana has told us of the prophecy."


    "What prophecy?" Connor asks.


    "That the strongest Vampire shall be born. He shall be half-human, half Vampire, and possess great power."


    "Oh, that one," Bobby says, "And I guess you think it is your child? Well, I must tell you that you are wrong."


    "Wrong about what?"


    Then from behind, the voice of a woman comes, "The prophecy. I was wrong about the prophecy."

 Chapter 148 - Greater Evil Than Known

    My beloved, Anastasia, has opened Pandora''s box.


    Now the girl has done some crazy things, but this is by far the worst that she has done. I am starting to understand that if you tell a woman one thing, she does the opposite. Well, next time I shall tell her what to do and then she will not do it. But somehow, I don''t think that I need to test that theory.


    So the Windchaser boys and me, inclusive of Bobby, have just arrived at the Belmont House. I have no idea what lies ahead of us. The box is set to release all the evils that one can find. It is also believed to confess what one deeply desires. Now, don''t we all desire things that are pure evil and selfish in a way?


    Well, this brings me to why? Why did my beloved open this box? The girl should be in bed nursing the baby in her belly.


    But before we shall come to that matter, I have Morgana standing behind me telling me that she has gotten the prophecy wrong. So this does indeed spark my attention first.


    "What on earth are you talking about, Morgana?"


    "The prophecy. It was said that a very powerful Vampire should be born. Now I did immediately think that it is the, well, we will get to that just now, but I thought it was what Anastasia carries. But I am afraid I was wrong."


    "Please do not tell me that I am yet to fight a far greater evil than what I have done so far?"


    "If you chose to fight yourself, then please let me know, for I wish to witness such a thing."


    "You are making no sense, woman. Please explain yourself."


    She steps closer to me and lays her hands gently on my shoulder, now I have seen affection in her eyes before, but this is indeed beyond compare. The woman has never shown me such great respect before. Then she continues to explain.


    "You, Sebastian. It is you."


    "What is me? What have I done now that I am not aware of?"


    "You are the Vampire."


    "Yes, my dear. I know that I am a Vampire."


    "My god," she exclaims as she gently slaps me on the shoulder. "You have always been so impossible; I doubt that you shall ever change."


    "Where is the fun in changing. Now, I beg, please get to your point before my beloved brings the world to its knees. God knows what the woman desires."


    "Evil, only pure evil. Not by choice, though."


    "Now, you are truly not making any sense. Please start from the top. The prophecy?"


    I stand in total agony of anticipation as I wait for her to explain. Then, our dear Bobby, that is equally getting frustrated decides to step on.


    "This is going to take forever. You are the damn prophecy. You are the Vampire. You were reborn, and do not ask me how. But you possess your soul, and along with that, you have a very much beating heart, also; let us not forget about your powers.."


    "What powers?"


    "Balls! I should not have said that. Forget that. The thing is that you are the prophecy. Now can we go stop your crazy wife before she kills everyone?"


    "Oh no, my friend, you not getting away from this one. But do I even dare to ask, what is growing inside my beloved then?"


    Connor looks at me rather concerned and then looks back over to Morgana.


    "Must I tell him, or are you going to?"


    Morgana only but shakes her head. "Oh no, you can. He is going to have my head for getting it wrong in the first place."


    Connor then looks back at me with a very awkward and shy smile on his face. Now I do believe that I am not going to like this one the least bit.


    "Well," Connor starts. "She is given birth to something that is going to rip her wide open."


    "Yes," I admit. "That is why we are getting the flower."


    Then Morgana clears her throat rather deeply and speaks in almost a whisper, "I might have been wrong with that."


    "What!" My voice comes through as it vibrates against the windows. "You are what?"


    "I thought the child was Vampire or Human, and therefore I did not foresee anything bad to happen."


    "I am starting to get rather frustrated, and reading the bunch of you''s minds is just as torturous. What is going on here? What is my beloved giving birth to?"


    "Well," Connor starts. "We have debated this."


    "Debate? Is that what you consider Anastasia''s life as? A debate?"


    "My god, Sebastian, give me time to speak. We think it is the same evil power that is looking to possess the evil powers of the box."


    Yes, and the thought comes to mind that I should have never taken the darn box in the first place. It seems that of late, that everyone wants to possess its power. Was the Walker after the same power, or was he, in fact, only trying to protect the box himself. Well, that was a question that I never got to ask.


    All I am truly concerned about now is that I get my beloved back, and well, I am not starting to doubt that she is truly carrying my child. But yet there are so many questions that I shall leave for later. So, after aimlessly running around in circles trying to go get the answers, I give up, and we set our plan into motion.


    So, I shall attempt to make the very first and obvious move in approaching my beloved directly. I shall pretend that I know nothing of what is truly, which I still do not know, but what I shall continue to believe that it is, in fact, our child that is growing in her belly. I shall reassure her that Edward,


    "My god! What about Edward? He is waiting at the mountain for a useless flower."


    "Might not be," Morgana says, trying to reassure me. "Let see how this all plays out."


    "Well, you are rather full of reassurance today. I think you should refrain from speaking."


    Ethan, who has been rather oddly quiet, only but bursts out in laughter. That is when it hits me.


    "My dear Ethan, you find our dear Morgana¡­"


    He immediately slaps me against the head to stop me from speaking further. So I only but chuckle to myself as I make my ascend to our room.


    "Now, do wish me luck that she shall not kill me."


    This time it is Connor that bursts into laughter, "Like she has not done it before."


    So, pushing all the jokes aside, I make my way down the hallway to our room. I can hear my beloved very strangely talking to herself. Not to startle her a great deal, I make a rather loud fumble as I try to enter the room.


    Now I don''t know what to expect. She has opened the box, and I do not know what shall be present with her in the room. But I am guessing that if she did not wish for one to enter, then the door would have been locked.


    Or this can be a trap.


    Not wanting to waste any more time, is slowly steps inside. I find her standing in the corner of the room by the table. She has the box very clearly open next to her. Now at first glance, I do not see anything odd, apart from the skies above.


    So I continue to make my way over to where she is standing. At first, she seems to be hesitant, but the moment she realizes that I come with no harm intended, which the woman should not for one minute think, but once she sees me come smiling, she smiles in return.


    Rather nervously, I take her hand and whisper, "Are you doing fine, my dear beloved?"


    She only but nods her and looks at me closer. I know that whatever is inside her is trying to read my mind; therefore, I have closed it off. I do hope that this does not cause any alarm.


    Then I look over at the box, which she has now picked up, and started to hold firmly. I have the greatest desire to ask what she does intend to do with it, but I ignore its very presence, not making it known that I am aware that she has it in her possession.


    For what seems like an eternity, we just stare into each other''s eyes.


    She looks down at my slightly parted lips, and I know what is about to happen. We both lean into each other in slow motion, never breaking eye contact once. My heart skips a beat, and my knees get wobbly, even though I am not standing on my feet. I curl my hand around her neck and tangle the other in her long wavy hair.


    Our lips brush softly against each other. Her lips are soft and delicately. They dance against me like butterfly wings. I pull away, hesitating for a moment. She felt new yet oddly familiar. Her lips seemed molded to the shape of mine. My hands curled around her so perfectly as if they were made just for her. She tastes like passion, like pure, unrestrained passion, and I want more.


    Then we begin to close the gap even more than before. What begins as a small peck becomes more passionate. The rest of the world spins so fast it becomes non-existent. I lean even further into her, and my body melts into hers. It is as if I can feel a fire blazing within me, out of control. We are completely and utterly in sync at this very moment.


    Everything about her is perfect. The sheer softness of her hair as I run my hands through it. The taste of sweet cotton candy that lingers on her lips. Her breath that warms my cheek. The way she plays with the hair at the back of my head that tickles my neck.


    She presses her lips against mine even harder. Lightning passes through me. I feel lost in a different universe, and she is slowly taking me away. Her cold hand creeps from my neck down my spine and pulls me closer. Her touch makes my body shiver. Her delicate, innocent kiss makes my heart flutter. Then it races. My body surrenders. I let her kiss me as long as she wants. Every time I let go, I go back and kiss her again softly.


    After what seems like being away for hours, we part and put our foreheads together.


    She stares at the ground and softly whispers. "You should not have done that."

 Chapter 149 - Preparing To Welcome A Child

    I look into the eyes of my beloved. What stares back at me is not her soft blue eyes, but instead, bottomless black holes. There is an evil on her face that stretches her smile far beyond of what her face is capable of holding.


    I have, much to my own disgust, kissed some ungodly creature, and it is not my beloved. Well, yes, it is the body of my beloved, but it has been possessed by some greater evil. What, that I truly do not know. But we shall soon find out as the boys step inside the room.


    The immediate reaction of my beloved is a clear look of terror. She, or should I say this evil, must know who the Windchaser boys and even dear old Bobby are.


    So I step back from Anastasia, where she is clinging to the box with great force, and I join Breyden by his side. Now, I do not care how this plays out; all I need is for my baby to be protected. But then, Breyden, much to my annoyance, needs to remind me of one simple fact.


    "Sebastian, we do not know if that is a Vampire. Let Morgana come, and she can tell us."


    I did not wish to involve Morgana in this fight, but it seems that her presence will now be required. She shall be able to tell us what creature the child is that my beloved carries.  And god, I do hope that it is Vampire, I will even settle for Human. But since the child is not the prophecy, well, there is no idea in telling what it is.


    So as Morgana enters the room, we all see how Anastasia''s eyes widen. Now, of course, it will; she only met Morgana but a few days ago. But then, from a deep rumble in her chest, Anastasia starts talking in one ungodly voice. I can see next to me as the boys nearly tremble.


    "Well, look who it is. The witch."


    "Wizard, my dear. And I thought you were dead."


    With that, we snap our heads to the right to face Morgana. Connor is the first to speak, "Please do explain, Morgana."


    "Well, it seems that dear Sebastian and his Vampire army did not kill the King of the Underworld."


    "My dear, Morgana, I did kill the monster. If my Anastasia were in her mind, then she would have agreed."


    "Then tell me, how is it that Elloise could have taken his essence and placed it inside Anastasia?"


    "First of all, Morgana, Elloise is dead. And second, what do you mean inside Anastasia?"


    I can see Morgana fighting the incredible urge to laugh at me in a rather amusing manner, but I can safely say that the impression on my face is letting her decide against that. So she only but continues to explain while Anastasia is starting to step backward.


    "Sebastian, your child, the baby you think that is a Vampire growing in your Anastasia, well, that is the very own King of the Underworld, Lucius, that will be reborn."


    Then Connor speaks from beside me, making his very own observation, "That shall explain the opening of the box to gather the power."


    "To build a new army," Ethan adds.


    Then Bobby bursts out, saying, "God, you know how to seriously mess things up, Sebastian. Now, what do we do about this problem?" He points towards my beloved''s belly that has grown far bigger than the last time that I saw it.


    "Well, Morgana, please tell me that there is a way to rid of the Kind of the Underworld without having to leave Anastasia''s belly."


    But just as Morgana wants to speak, there comes the deep rumble of laughter from Anastasia again. Now, I can safely say that my beloved is not present at the moment, and something gives me the idea that she has not been for a while. With that, we hear Lucius come through clear as he speaks, "My dear Sebastian, your beloved is dying either way. If you kill me, she dies; if she delivers, she dies. You might as well give up, for it is futile."


    "Please do humor me for a second, but I saw your body fall to ash at my feet. How is it possible for you to be here?"


    "Simple, you were not looking when I left the vessel. You have no idea how long I have been looking for a witch that hates you as much as I do. But then I found a fairy."


    "Guess I am not used to killing demons then, but I can promise you, my friend, you shall not survive."


    But then I have Connor bumping my shoulder; well, if I thought the man knows how to kill this creature, then I am wrong. The thing is, he knows how to kill a demon, but not quite one that is in the belly of a human, or should I say, Vampire. So the question begs, what do we do now.


    Then, as if I even had to ask, I hear the door behind us open. Now I think that I have a very good idea of who it is, but as I turn around, I am sadly mistaken.


    "Stefan, what are you doing here?"


    "Sebastian, I came to see my father."


    "But how did you know?" I turn around, looking for Lilith.


    "Oh," Stefan starts to say, "She is having a nap. She has been driving me mad."


    "But," I hesitate for a moment, then it hits me. "Lucius, your father, he has been in your body all this time?"


    "Wow, that only took you forever. Not even your Angel here got that one figured out, but then again, he has been chasing Lilith so relentlessly that he has not been thinking with his mind since he got here."


    Well, now I did not think I would have ever expected this move. I must say, well played and patiently waited. But why my beloved, now there is only one answer to that one.


    "So you and your father get revenge on me and take Anastasia?"


    "How else then," Stefan says. "Did you ever think that I was going to be comfortable living here between these Vampires?"


    "But you¡­"


    "Yes, I played the part very well."


    "This is insane."


    "The only insane thing, Sebastian, is us taking your beloved and the box."


    "Ha! But you are only one. We are five."


    "Yes, five idiots that have their backs turned on the door. Now dear Elloise, please find me a pathway out from here."


    With that, there is a large thud as lights of bolting strike the floor just as we are turning to face the door. In steps Elloise, casting a spell for Stefan to leave the room safely with Anastasia, but Morgana is one faster and places a bubble to protect us from being struck down by the lashing of fire that Elloise is sending our way.


    It is with pure horror that I see Stefan leading Anastasia past us towards the door. My cries to Morgana to let go of her spell goes onto complete death ears. But I know if she does let the dome drop, that we all, every single one of us, will be dead.


    And once Stefan has gone with Anastasia and Elloise, the boys come together with a newfound fight.


    "We cannot let Lucius be born," Connor says.


    Then Bobby adds, "He will rip the world apart."


    "Forget the damn world; he is going to rip Anastasia apart," I say.


    "Sebastian," Morgana starts. "I don''t know if there is a way to save Anastasia."


    "Morgana, by the looks of Anastasia, it is only, but a mere day then she shall give birth."


    "Then best we start finding them, they would not have gotten far," Ethan says. "We can do a location spell. We shall worry about the birth once we have found Anastasia and that box."


    Just then, the door in front of us slowly opens. Now the chances that they have comes back are slim to nothing. So as the door finally swings open, in steps a rather exhausted man with a little box in his hand.


    "Please tell me that is Pandora''s box, Edward?"


    "No, Sebastian, it is the flower. Now can someone tell me I am dreaming, for I just saw Stefan and Elloise leave with Anastasia?"


    "My friend, it is a long story. But I do not know if the flower shall be useful anymore."


    Then I hear Morgana speak again, "Well, don''t think that so fast. What if we allow the child to be born?"


    "And kill Anastasia?"


    "Wait," Connor says. "She is right. Let the child be born."


    "But how do we get the flower to Anastasia?" I stop for one second, then add, "And the blood?"


    "Leave the flower to me. I need to return home to prepare it." Morgana says.


    Then I ask, "And then the little thing about the child, well Lucius?"


    "That you can leave to us," Connor says. "We will track them so long."


    "Well, then I shall need to go find some blood then."


    I watch as the boys look at me in horror; I know exactly what they are thinking.


    "Don''t worry your little heads like that. I am merely paying the blood bank a visit. Now, Edward, it does look like you can feed. I shall meet everyone back here in an hour."

 Chapter 150 - Preparing For The Birth Of Evil

    I can recall clearly the first time that I was daring enough to break into the blood bank.


    I was a youngling at only the age of a few months. My Maker, who was also my Master, was trying to teach me restraint. Yet even though in the beginning he thought that he was succeeding, I soon prove to him how spectacularly he was failing.


    I had, after having quite the encounter with a sweet your nurse, I came to realize that there was an abundance of blood that can be freely taken. Well, that was my firm belief.


    Now I did soon realize that it was not the same as the heavenly nectar that so warmly came from a very much living mortal. It was quite a different taste to get used to, but what was an added bonus is that you could choose your favorite blood type.


    Well, to say that I did not get carried away is an understatement. There was soon a shortage of blood, and at first my Master did not put the pieces together. But the moment it became known that the blood is being taken, then did he only start to tie my absences and the missing blood together.


    Years after that, it became a good old joke that we spoke about often. Now never did I think I would find my way there again.


    So this is where Edward and I are finding our way now. I don''t think I even need to mention what the Vampire community shall say when they get wind of this. We shall try our best to make our way in and out in less than only but mere minutes.


    Now, let me picture you this. It is one of the coldest days I have felt in London for years. The skies above are turmoiling in circles. When I refer to turmoil, yes, they are turning in thick dark clouds in circles. It is like the skies can suck in the world at any minute.


    There is the awful rumbling that I am safely guessing is not thunder. The rain that beats down came like little drops of acid. Whatever was unleashed from Pandora''s box is either bound to take us in or let out the unspeakable.


    So with the dread looming over, I can see Edward looking at me somewhat concerned.


    "Sebastian, do you think this shall work? I mean, Lucius must have thought this out; he shall be prepared for the interruption."


    "Then we shall be prepared to interrupt. But sitting back, even giving up, is not an option."


    "I fear for Anastasia''s life. I could not give much concern for Lucius."


    "That makes to off us, my friend. Let us just hope that everyone is able to achieve what is desired.


    ...Morgana POV...


    I feel like a complete fool for misleading the signs. I was clearly convinced that the child was human, even the possibility of being a Vampire. Have my powers become so weak that Elloise''s spell could also deceive me?


    Well, that shall not happen again. This time I am for certain. It is indeed Lucius, and must I say what a brilliant plan they put together.


    Now I do not know if I can save Anastasia. The look in the dark eyes of the Vampire Master did set me at unease, and I did not even wish to make a mention.


    So I shall set out to prepare the potion as precise and perfect as possible.


    And with that thought, I find myself back in the middle of my potion room. With only but a flick of my fingers, I call for the best of my fairies to come to show some assistance.


    "Now, Isabelle, we need to get this down to absolute detail and perfection. And I hate to say that time is not on our side. Any ingredients shall need to be collected with absolute haste."


    Isabelle brings me the book that lists pages and pages of potions. I flip from pages to pages until we find the one that shall bring temporary paralysis to Anastasia. This shall slow down the rate that she loses blood while keeping her under in a sort of comatose state.


    "Isabelle, let us get started."


    "You shall need the following, the bark of an ancient tree."


    "That we have, what is next?"


    "The hair of a wolf."


    "Oh, I am sure you can find that on my sheets."


    Isabelle only but clears her throat and continues, "Blood of a Master. Wings of a fairy."


    She looks at me, half relieved as she won''t be on the directing block today.


    "Please continue."


    "A hint of the essence of an angel."


    "Well, let us hope that it does not kill Anastasia. What is next?"


    "The fresh leaves of the flower."


    "Great, then we are settled."


    "I," she softly whispers. "There is one more thing."


    "Please do explain?"


    "Bone of a witch."


    "Oh God, absolutely fantastic."


    ...Daniel POV...


    Yes, well, we are kind of use to saving the world, but that is when we have messed it up. This time, my dear, and do I dare to say, my friend, Sebastian Belmont. Now I am for fucking sure going to kill him once this is over.


    From all the stupid things the man has done, well, this one is by far the greatest. I think I told him with the exact words, "Leave the hunting to the hunters."


    But yes, the Vampire Master is out to save the world and get himself killed. Now I don''t know how this one is going to play out. Let us get the skies to close, Lucius back in his hole and well, not sure about the evil Stefan and his sidekick Elloise.


    So let us all get the show on the road, and first up is my dear old brother that has his head stuff into his laptop again.


    "Well, you guys will be shocked to know that according to this, there is no way that Anastasia is going to survive the birth."


    I clear my throat, rather nervous as I look at Bobby that is going through dad''s book, "And you, Bobby?"


    "The same here. There is no way that she will survive. You need to stake the sucker while he is still in her, but then you stake her."


    "And if she gives birth?"


    "He is going to rip her wide open. Too much blood, too much damage."


    "But this flower?"


    "Yes, it will help if she gives normal birth, but I believe that Lucius is going to make quite the entrance."


    "Well, let us hope that we are on the chance side of being wrong. Now I will go grab her brush so we can start this location spell. I doubt he will take her where he used to rot."


    With that, I head back upstairs to go find the brush that Anastasia uses, but as I step into the room, I can see the pockets of darkness that are still swirling around in her room. Now there is no way that I am stepping into that and getting sucked in. Guess we shall need to find something else. So as I get back to the kitchen empty-handed. Sam just stares at me, "Dude, where is the brush."


    "Not going to work; we need to find something else."


    "Well, go scratch in the laundry."


    "I am not doing that," he says as he refuses. "You do it."


    "No way I am doing that," I stand my ground. "I am not scratching between what could possibly be Sebastian''s underwear."


    "Well, I ain''t doing it either."


    "Neither am I."


    From behind, I hear Bobby curse to himself as he chucks a dress over onto the table, "Just start the damn spell."


    Within mere seconds I have the pendulum swing over the map of London. It only takes an inch of a second.


    "I have got them."


    ...Sebastian POV...


    We have just stopped in front of the section of the hospital that houses the blood bank. Quite a fitting name, I shall say, for you can come to withdraw what it is that you need. Now with anything where you just take something without permission, it is seen as stealing. So yes, we are two Vampires robbing the bank.


    But let us leave the jokes for later.


    Edward and I have entered the building on the pretense of visiting a patient, but the moment that no one was looking, we slipped down the corridor that leads us to the entrance of the blood bank.


    I shall be honest, I am slightly nervous, and in the back of my head, the terrifying thoughts are playing off with what is happening to my beloved.


    As we reach the entrance, we were hoping that it shall be unlocked and that we will find a poor young girl that would be willing to help us. But to no avail.


    Edward, while I am keeping a lookout for any trouble approaching, goes ahead and starts to pick the lock. Well, the man used to be quite the rebel when he was young, so he does possess a skill or two that comes in handy.


    Once we are satisfied that no one has seen us, we sneak in through the door. Rather to our surprise, there is no alarm activated. We start making our way to the back where the refrigerators are, where they store all the blood, conveniently together as per blood group.


    Now, if we were to be picky, I would go for AB, but there is no time for being foolish.


    After grabbing as many containers as what we can possibly carry, we start to slowly fill the containers with the little bags of blood.


    But just as I am about to pack the last container, I hear a scuffle behind me. Then a click. Then a voice.


    "Drop the blood."

 Chapter 151 - On The Wrong Side Of The Law

    "I said drop the blood."


    I hear the click of a gun and the footsteps of a man coming closer.


    My first instinct is to spin around and tackle him with great force to the floor. But I do not know who is behind me. So I do as he says, and I place the packet of blood gently onto the table.


    "Now," I hear the man start to speak again. "Put your hands on your head and slowly turn to face me."


    I look over at Edward that only but shrugs his shoulders. Very reluctantly, I place my hands on my head and slowly turn around to face the man that has a gun firmly pointed against my head. And as I finally face him, it is what I expected.


    We have just been caught red-handed by law enforcement.


    Well, there are only two ways that this can go. I can either overpower him and take him down in a spectacular way and most probably bring the Vampire''s existence into question, or I can give in and let the man take me to what I presume is going to be jail.


    So, just as I am about to consider the first option, in comes another man through the door. Well, I guess he is clever enough to have called in for back-up. It seems that we have been cunningly fooled by a silent alarm.


    And as we are standing what seems to be rather helpless, the one man comes to place handcuffs on our wrist. Now, I would love to tell him that it is absolutely futile, but yet again, I cannot make my true identity known.


    After much resistance from an annoyed Edward, we are led out the door and down the hallway. Now, if I ever thought that I could not be more embarrassed, then is this is definitely it. As we walk past so many shocked faces, we are taken to a police vehicle that is waiting outside by the exit.


    Now, if I thought that Edward would realize that he needs to go freely, I am sadly mistaken for as they are about to show his head into the car, he elbows the officer square with his elbow. I can see the sheer brute force that he puts behind it; if he did it even a fraction harder, then he would have broken loose from his cuffs.


    So I only give him but a scolding eye and show for him to back off. I hear him grunt underneath his breath and curse softly. The man has always been a rebel, but now is not the time for it.


    It seems that we are now for sure heading for jail.


    ¡­Morgana POV¡­


    Well, this is just fantastic; I have never sat comfortably with the witches around here. Now, first of all, I have had the habit of stealing what is theirs from underneath their noses, whether it was ingredients for potions or a variety of men for pleasure.


    So as Isabelle looks at me with somewhat amusement on her face, I feel the need to remind her.


    "You know, I can always do with some more fairy wings. Now wipe that thing off your face and help me think of a plan here."


    "We can always get one of the wolves to sneak in and take it."


    "Mmm, now there is an idea. But where do I find a wolf that is not pissed off because I dumped him."


    "True, you do have kind of a backtrack record. Well, guess there is only one other option."


    "And that is what Isabelle? I am not going to make peace with a witch."


    "I shall have to go steal it."


    Isabelle looks at me with a rather wicked little smile on that tiny face; then, she excitedly continues on speaking. "And I know the perfect witch."


    "God, know. Do you want to get yourself killed?"


    "No, you are going to cast an invisible spell on me, and please do not disintegrate me."


    "Hey, that was only once that I did that. Now, are you sure you want to do this?"


    "Yes, we need to hurry. I am sure Sebastian and Connor have gotten what they needed."


    ¡­Connor POV¡­


    Now, trust Sebastian Belmont to take his sweet time to bring that damn blood, and as for the wizard, witch, whatever, I simply don''t trust her. What else I don''t trust is the skies that are continuing to grow darker. There is an awful rumble that is coming from above, and much to all of our horror, there is ass fallen from the heavens. Well, all I can say is that hell is falling onto the earth, and I definitely don''t want to be around when that happens.


    What else I don''t understand is that Elloise and Stefan have moved Anastasia for a third time now. They are circling in around the same place, but they are moving to different sorts of locations. The one that alarmed me the most was the catacombs. But then even worst is a graveyard, and now they are finding themselves in the basement of a church. I must honestly say that Lucius has one awful sense of humor.


    But what annoys me the most, what is driving me fucking batty, is Bobby pacing the floor of the kitchen.


    "Bobby, can you please sit that ass on a chair? You are making me nervous."


    "Connor, have you see the mess up there. All hell is about to break loose on us, and you know what? We are not prepared for it. Where is damn weird, Angel? Can he not stop this shit?"


    "He is with his Vampire girlfriend."


    "What?" I hear Ethan utter next to me. "An Angel and a Vampire? God, don''t tell me that they are, well, you know what."


    "No," I say to him. "I don''t know. What are you talking about."


    "That, you know, that."


    "What is that?"


    "The funky monkey, you know."


    "God, are you five. And thank you for putting that goddamn picture in my head."


    Just as Bobby is about to come on over and slap both of us against the head, my phone rings, I stare at my phone, not recognizing the number, thinking that it is Hunter business, I answer.


    On the other side, I hear a frantic voice come through the phone, and it shocks me to my core.


    "You got what?"


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Well, it seems that we have just been dragged into the police station. Now, if we thought that it would be a quiet affair, think again. Apparently, our little heist has caused quite a stir, more like a stir of laughter. I swear if I break loose from these cuffs, I will punch those goddamn teeth parades of their faces.


    But, I need to keep on reminding myself that I am doing this for a far bigger picture. So while Edward is being booked, I am granted the very pleasure to phone home. Well, don''t I just feel like E.T. At least he can fly and won''t get himself into this kind of trouble.


    Yes, as poor Connor answers the phone, I shock him straight in his core.


    "You got what?"


    "We might have perhaps got arrested."


    "You might have, or you have?"


    "We have. Now, I know you boys flash around fancy badges; I think you should bring them along here and use them."


    With that, the very odd police officer ends my call and proceeds to book me. Once he has messed up a perfectly good manicure, he shoves Edward and me into a very small, and need I even mention, filthy little cell. It smells like someone has urinated in the corner, and the one and only bed in here has not seen the side of a cloth in years.


    "Well, my dear Edward, it looks like we shall be standing. Let us just hope the boys get here faster than that rodent gets closer to us."


    Edward hops a few steps backward as he sees one awfully large rat roaming the farside corner. Now, does this not remind me of my recent visit to the dungeon. Well, I am not about to rot in this little hell hole. I would rather sit outside and fear what is about to drop from the skies.


    Then Edward turns to me, "Why don''t we just pick this lock and get out of here."


    "Please explain to me how you intend on doing that?"


    "I mean more like break the gate down and walk out of here."


    "An elegant exit. Well, I am always up for a good show, but I think we should stick this one out. I have faith that the boys shall get us out of her."


    So we stand in the middle of a cold little room with god knows what creatures lurking around us. And as I stand here and my mind wanders, I cannot but worried myself to a stupid fear if Anastasia is still alive. I don''t know how we are going to save her now without the blood, but I shall find another way. Trust me to have failed one simple task to save the woman that I love.


    "Sebastian," Edward says as he places his hand on my shoulder. "Stop overthinking it. She will be okay. She has come from far worse than this. She will be okay. We have so many people fighting for her."


    "I know Edward. It is just hard to think that one will love the person that you most love."


    "Stop thinking that way. Think of what you are going to do once she is home safely again. I think it is time that you two go on that proper honeymoon."


    "That sounds like a good option."


    Then, with the keen sense of my hearing, I can hear quite a commotion building in the front. Now, if I am not mistaken, I hear the very welcomed voice of Connor.


    So it is much to my amusement that I hear him speak to the one officer.


    "I am Mr. Tyler, and this is Mr. Perry from the bureau. I believe that you are holding two prisoners that belong to us."


    "Now, what makes you think that they belong to you," I hear the officer say to Connor.


    "This badge says that they belong to me. Now, do you want me to phone your superior? In fact, I will phone mine and have that piece of metal that you call a badge away from you in seconds."


    "Mr. Jones, if I may ask, what have they done because we found them? Well, they were stealing quite a large amount of blood from the blood bank. What kind of weird nonsense are they into."


    "They think they are Vampires. Now I can show you a photo of the one cop they killed. We found the poor man hanging from the roof by his feet. They were draining his blood. I am glad to see that they are doing it in a more civilized way now."


    With that, I hear the officer fumble with his keys as he comes rushing to the back. I watch as his handles tremble while he is trying to open the gate. Then he looks at Edward and me.


    "Just get out of here and take that damn blood with you. I don''t want to see you here again."


    I only but chuckle as I snap my fangs at him.


    The poor man goes whiter than his shirt and falls like a bag of shit to the floor.

 Chapter 152 - Catacombs & Graveyards

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    There is a burning inside of me that I can no longer fight. It feels as if my body is going to be ripped open any second. The turmoil I feel inside of me is beyond anything I have ever felt. Yes, this indeed not the way any pregnancy should feel like; well, that is what I guess.


    Now, I have not been present in my own body for far too long now. Lucius has taken over and has been keeping me suppressed no matter how hard I have been fighting. The whole sick thing of this is that I can feel his every thought and emotion. And god! The things that he has planned the moment that he rips himself out of my body are beyond what I ever can imagine.


    I would like to believe that Sebastian will make his elegant appearance before that even happens. But we all know that in order to kill Lucius then, they will have to kill me. I cannot see how I will survive childbirth with a, well, let us call him a baby for now, but I will not survive with the rate that he has been growing.


    If you ask me, he has been stalling to make his appearance, but for what I do no know. I can only guess it is for the army that he is starting to build together.


    The dark skies have left and, if I can say, a portal that has let in so many demons that will serve him in a heartbeat. I hate to so, but Sebastian and whoever shall be fighting by his side have no idea what they are up against.


    Now, as for where we are, well, they have been moving me. Something about finding the place that has been marked. Well, I seemed to have gotten it wrong, so they are moving me once again.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    We all are back at the Belmont House; after getting very creative, we all achieved to get what we required.


    Now, as I understand, they have been moving Anastasia around; we are therefore not sure if she is, in fact, where that little pendulum thing says. The boys reassure me that it is very accurate, but I am not going to take any chances.


    So we are off to the very first location, the catacombs. We all, which consists of the two Windchaser boys, Bobby, Edward, Lilith, and Breyden, are taking the fight to Lucius. I think Lilith is mostly going after Stefan for betraying her the way he did. As they do say, there is no woman more lethal than one scorned.


    The problem that I am finding with the catacombs is it is the final resting place for Vampires; why Lucius wishes to choose this place for his birth is unknown. Now Connor has a theory.


    "Sebastian, perhaps he is being, let us use the word kind, to leave Anastasia where her final resting place will be."


    "Now, my dear Connor, you can be glad that you are so far behind me, for I would have punched the shit out of you. How can you say my beloved is dead already."


    "No, don''t get me wrong."


    "I think for the remainder of this trip, you need to remain quiet."


    "Only stating the obvious, my friend, we need to prepare ourselves for the worse. None of us, even experienced Hunters, know what to expect. We need to close that hole in the skies before the entire underworld comes pissing down on us."


    "Fair enough."


    Yes, the man is stating the obvious, but thinking of losing my beloved is the very last thing that I wish to do.


    So, we soon find ourselves stopping down the road from the catacombs, making our arrival at the entrance shall be far too obvious, and I do not wish to have my head eaten off before I set my foot inside. Going in unannounced is far better to our advantage.


    Now, Lilith, Breyden, and Bobby shall stay outside to keep a lookout for any nasty surprises while the rest of us will be heading inside. The catacombs are rather bigger than it appears to the eye; winding through the passages shall take us quite some time, but we have this theory that they shall have this ceremony where the Masters are.


    With the boys in front, with rather impressive weapons, Edward and I trail behind. Silver bullets, Ancient daggers that are what we believe is going to kill whatever comes in our way. Elloise, well, I am pumping as many bullets into her just for extra effect. I am still yet to find out how she managed to place the spell on my beloved.


    Or wait, I think I have got it, but let us wait for the confirmation later.


    We are winding our way through the passages. Now they are lit up, which means that someone is or has been down here. There is generally a caretaker that shall do this, but only when he is requested to do so. This makes me believe that he was either forced to or that whomever we shall find at the end had done so themselves.


    Ethan, who has been rather quiet most of this time, turns to me and softly whispers.


    "Why shall they find themselves with the Masters?"


    "It is believed that there is a spell, well, mainly to do with the burning of the bones, that shall allow you to harness the power of a Master."


    "God, don''t tell me that Elloise has this spell?"


    "No, it is kept secret by the member of the Council, which means our dear Edward here. Even I do not know of the location thereof."


    "You don''t¡­"


    "No! Do not even go that way. Edward shall never betray the Belmont House. I believe the aim for Lucius is just to be born. Perhaps he is trying to do it at the place that we will least expect it."


    "Let us just hope this is the place."


    With that, we continue our way down the path, now; to let one understand this, it is a dark evil that sets between these walls. One needs to appreciate that some of the most ruthless Vampires are laid here to rest, and it is only natural that their presence shall be felt. Further, there is the smell of death, not only by Vampire but by humans that have been slaughtered down here for many years.


    But what makes it bearable to be between these bodies of so many Vampires is the essence of vanilla that is burned to filled the catacombs. It is believed that vanilla shall take a Vampire in peace over into the afterlife.


    And then, finally, I turn to make the last corner. With slow, hesitating but somewhat urgent steps, we count the way to the entrance. The boys shall go in first, for they are far more skill, then Edward and me, who are faster, shall kill off what is lingering around.


    Finally, we steady, with¡­one¡­two¡­three steps pile into the room.


    It is completely empty.


    "Fantastic! Only two more places to go, and we do not know if she is still alive."


    "Sebastian," Edward rests his hand on my shoulder. "You have a bond with Anastasia; you shall feel if she has left this earth."


    "Indeed, you are correct."


    With that, we make our way out of the catacomb rather disappointed. There is not even a sign that shows that they were here, but only the instructions of a pendulum.


    Let us hope that we shall find her next.


    So we, in a rather upbeat mood still, make our way to the next location. A graveyard.


    Well, this is kind of odd in itself. Is the man trying to raise the dead? Has he run out of options with a demon army that he is moving to what seems to be a more deadly alternative? It is not known, but Bobby has a theory.


    "I think that he is looking for vessels for his monkeys that are falling from the sky."


    Then Connor turns to Bobby, "Did you just heard what you said?"


    "What? Monkeys?"


    "No. You idiot. Demons possessing the dead. That is by far the stupidest thing that I have ever heard you come up with. You are really getting too old for this."


    Then for a brief moment, we all chuckle at the banter between the two. It brings somewhat a relief to the dread. But it does bring the question if we shall be faced with the undead, which none of us has the experience in fighting.


    So as we stop at the back of the graveyard, we have no clue where they would be. Much to the horror of the suggestion, we decide to split up into groups. Lucky for us, this is not a particularly big graveyard, and we shall spot any lights from a distance.


    I pair up with Edward, and I move towards the south side of the graveyard, Bobby, being brave, has gone east on his own, with Lilith and Breyden west and the boys taking the north. We shall move our way from the outside in and meet up where the biggest of the tombstones are held. We are hoping that the center is where they shall be.


    Now, a graveyard has never been my most favorite place for hunting; yes, it is perfect, but there is just something about walking on the ground where dead humans are underneath that makes my skin crawl. And I know that Edward shares the same sentiment.


    It is with rather awkward steps that we move around the graves; I can see Edward stepping oddly as his body cringes.


    "God, Sebastian, I hate this place."


    "I agree, Edward. Who on earth wants to be born in a graveyard."


    "It seems like Lucius does. Yet, I don''t somehow think so. I mean, the catacomb has the smell of death; here, there is a smell of fear. And please don''t forget about that goddamn scary owl."


    "Let us pick up the pace. I would like to get Anastasia and get the hell out of here."


    With that, we start walking faster to the middle; as we get there, though, the rest of the group is waiting. They, too, seem to have come up emptyhanded.


    "This only means one thing," Connor says confidently. "She must be at the church."


    "Well, guess we a bunch Vampire and Hunters are going to church then."

 Chapter 153 - Right Under You Nose

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    They have brought me to what seems to be like a basement. My eyes have been blindfolded so I have no idea exactly where I am. What does strike me, though, is that it has some oddly familiar smell which I am unable to place at the moment.


    At the moment, Lucius is now starting to show signs that he is ready to make his arrival, but yet there is something that they are waiting for.


    Now I am not complaining, for I truly do not want to see this birth through, that is, if I am going to survive it. But as he is reminding me so often about whenever I try to resurface, he has made it quite clear that I shall not survive this.


    Well, I guess that is just one thing that I have to start accepting, though I wish that Sebastian was here. I do not wish for him to see me dying; I just would have like to say my goodbyes.


    As for my own goodbyes, by the way, that Lucius is ripping my insides out, from the inside, I wish that it would come soon.


    But just as this thought runs through my mind, I start hearing an unexpected scuffle.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    Never did I see the day that three Hunters, three Vampires, and a Wizard make their way in church. Well, Breyden is not debatable, but as for us, well, our lives are pretty questionable.


    Now we are not here for confession, and that we make very clear as we burst through the doors and start making our way around looking for the basement.


    A very nervous-looking priest, who can sense the very evil that we are, only stands aside and shows us in the direction.


    As we find the winding stairs that take us to the darkness down below, I cannot help but start feeling nervous. I do not know what to expect, but all I know is that I wish for is to see Anastasia.


    If Morgana is right, then Anastasia is due to go into labor within the next following hours, before the next day has come. So finding Anastasia has now become urgent.


    So as we get to the doors that lead into the basement, we can see that there is light on, which makes us believe that they are indeed down here.


    Now there is only one way in here, so we all shall be going in at once, except Lilith and Morgana that shall carry the blood and potion. We are hoping that it is only Elloise with Stefan that is by Anastasia. The last thing we wish for now is to be fighting a bunch of demons.


    But if I take by the reaction of the terrified priest upstairs, then I believe that he has seen far worse than us tonight.


    With that in mind, we arm ourselves once more, and slowly but small hesitating but soft determined steps, we make our way into the passage that shall lead into the opening of the basement in the middle.


    Connor, who is the first to go, turns to the rest of our group and softly whispers, "This is no time for heroes. We do this back to back together. If they overpower one of us, then they overpower us all."


    I then turn to Lilith and Morgana and give them each a weapon, "Use this if you have to, but do not leave our sight for one minute."


    Back at the front, Connor signals, and we all move forward. Much to our own horror, though, the basement is wet, and our feet are making squishing sounds as we go, though what can be seen as a relief, although it is not, is the skies above are rumbling far greater for anyone to hear.


    Unlike a Vampire basement, this one does not have the smell of rotting flesh or dry blood on the walls; this one, in fact, seems to smell like nothing at all.


    We should at least smell a demon from a mile away.


    This does trouble me, though.


    But I put this aside and push forward at a slow torturous pace. We cant particularly storm in like a bunch of Vikings and let everything rip loose, even though I would love to. So step by step, hunched together, we crawl towards the main opening of the basement.


    Then the moment we approach the corner, Connor shows for all of us to stop. He makes some strange obscene gesture with his hand, which I am assuming means ''Let us go get them.''


    And that is what we do; we rip loose and storm for the entry.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    There are the most godawful noises coming from deep within the basement. I have heard these noises before, and I know exactly what this wall now does hold.


    Demons.


    That is what has been falling from the skies for the past several hours.


    Lucius has been speaking of his army that he is building, and I am going to safely assume that these are some of them. The reason why they are down here is not known, for there is so much of a scuffle and screams going around that it is hard to say.


    But let us put that aside.


    There is this incredible pain that I am feeling deep within my belly. It is so overwhelming that it feels like the world is disappearing, and the only thing that exists is this pain.


    I can hear Lucius let out this terrifying laugh, for he knows exactly what he is doing, and it is scaring me shitless.


    It is like he is scraping away at my insides with a hot butter knife. My body feels as if it is being pricked by a thousand dull needles, most of all my lower back.


    With every agonizing scream I make, the monster just continues on laughing.


    I don''t know what is happening. It feels like a bowling ball has landed full force on my spine and is rolling up and down my spine, crushing it the whole way. Then finally, it comes to land on my pelvic area.


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    As we step around the corner¡­nothing.


    The basement is empty.


    Once again, a dead end. But this is the last dead end. Where can Anastasia be then? Bobby did say there were three places. Well, he needs to check again.


    "Bobby, check that thing of yours again."


    With that, Bobby takes out his map and the pendulum; after say a short chant, we all watch as it starts moving. Now to say that it is not a slower than a snail would be an understatement. But yet we sit, and we look at this thing spin around and around in circles.


    After what seems to be almost five long agonizing minutes, Bobby looks at me with a rather weird expression on his face. I cock my head and look at him, rather annoyed.


    "What is the matter, Bobby?"


    He points to the location on which the pendulum has stopped. It takes me a few glances and even confirmation from Edward that my eyes are not deceiving me.


    Then, I can''t help but feel a fit of anger build up in me, but I know that it is not one of us present here''s fault. So I calmly ask Bobby, "My dear Bobby, are you telling me that Anastasia is in the basement below the Belmont Mansion?"


    "Yes, Sebastian. They have seemed to have taken her there."


    "How long have they been there?"


    "All this time, they never left the house."


    Now, I do not wish to know how he even got this wrong, but he only explains it as a spell cast by Elloise. My only question now is, why are they allowing us to find them. And then my second question is, why my basement?


    That is when Edward looks at me, concerned, "Sebastian, the pentagram. They are going to use the pentagram."


    I watch as Connor''s face goes even paler than that of Ethan. After a few seconds, he looks at me with eyes that I can truly not place.


    "Sebastian, what are you doing with a pentagram underneath your house?"


    "It previously belonged to a bunch of witches. They were resurrecting all kinds of evil, so Edward and I killed them and then took residence in the house. Lucius must have found out about this."


    "Well," Ethan says, "It seems that the skies are the least of our worries right now."


    "Then best we get there, Ethan, for I have seen what evil has walked through the doors there."


    But then Connor adds, "I am starting to worry that we are not enough in numbers to take on this army that Lucius is building."


    "Then what are you saying Connor," I ask him, rather concerned.


    "We need to get some help down here."


    "What help are you suggesting."


    "God, I don''t know. It is not like I have a hotline to the ghostbusters or something."


    "What about the Vampire army? Or your Hunter friends?"


    "Anyone we can get," Connor says. "They will be protecting Lucius in their numbers."


    Then Morgana speaks, "I suggest that you get that help rather soon; I sense that Anastasia has gone into labor."

 Chapter 154 - Tunnel To Danger

    It does make me furious that my beloved has been right in our own home this entire time. Now I cannot blame the boys for it, but the fact that Elloise shall be so bold just shows her nasty ways of playing one for a fool. I shall get very much pleasure from bringing her down. But before her, there shall be Lucius.


    Now how big Lucius will be is rather debatable, but we will assume that he will be like any other nine-month baby. So I shall be faced with the vision of a child in front of me when I need to decide if I kill the evil. Which does trouble me some bit.


    As for the demons that are most definitely roaming my house, well, we have the rest of us bunch that shall make good of it. But, what is troubling, is the skies and, do I even dare to say, the sidewalks as we drive by.


    It seems that people with viable vessels have been taken over. Now I have no idea how these things will be taken, or removed, or what you call it, but how will they leave these humans that they have possessed. It has indeed become a complete mess. I guess Lucius has, after all, get what he wanted, well, almost. He still needs to be born.


    And this means that my beloved might have to die.


    We still don''t know how we are going to kill Lucius without killing Anastasia.


    The thought has been there that we will let him be born and then keep him until he has become an age that we all will feel comfortable with taking. But the only problem then being is that his demon soldiers will keep on coming back. And I, for one, do not feel like babysitting the Kind of the Underworld.


    So once again, my question, "Morgana, any new idea on how to save Anastasia."


    "Sebastian, the only one that can be considered is letting Lucius be born and then save Anastasia."


    Then Connor adds, "Staking Anastasia to kill Lucius is not an option. You cannot bring a Vampire back that has been staked"


    "Dear Connor, never say never. I never thought my beloved would carry the King of the Underworld. I was so hoping that it was our child."


    "As I told you, Sebastian," Connor reminds me. "Vampires cannot have children. Lucius is a being on his own."


    "Yes, but how did he get in there in the first place."


    Then for one of the very first times, I hear Lilith speak, "I believe that it might have been Stefan. They have spent a lot of time together lately. Elloise could have easily told him how to do the spell. Perhaps I should have kept a better eye on the boy."


    "My dear Lilith, do not for one blame yourself. We did not know that the boy was possessed by his own father." I stop for a few moments before I continue. "Now that sounds rather disturbing."


    "Whichever way," Ethan says, "We have a shit load of demons to fight, and they seem to be growing by the minute. We need to get that hole closed before we even think of starting to run around and swing daggers."


    But then Bobby adds, "Let us not forget about the Pentagram that our dear Vampire has in his basement."


    I only but chuckle at him even though it is truly uncalled for. Now I never knew that such a thing would be a problem. Well, I guess I can be relieved to say that we are soon back in our original home, so we need not to worry about this nonsense.


    But nonsense is not the life of my beloved. I cannot even begin to think about what she is going through. She must be so terrified with what she is experiencing. I think, in fact, I know that I have not had the time to sit back and reflect on the sadness that I feel that we are not going to be parents. It is a big blow to the heart.


    Then, I can say in another breath that perhaps our lives, the things that we do, things like this, are not made for children. But I would have still wanted to become a father.


    But, my only concern now is saving Anastasia.


    So as we turn the corner that leads the road to our house, I hear Bobby speak.


    "Balls."


    Well, as I look up, I wish that I, in fact, just stayed with my head down. It looks like there is a festival in my street. Yet, it is not the kind of festival that one would wish to go to, for these goers are a bunch of flesh-eating demons waiting for people just like us.


    "Now, what do we do? This will take us forever to get through."


    "Sebastian," Connor starts to speak as he slowly turns the car around. "Is there a back entrance?"


    "Yes, there is a tunnel."


    "Wait," he says. "Let us guess. It leads into the basement?"


    "Yes, it does."


    "Well, that is just fan-fucking-tastic. We don''t know how many of them are down there."


    "Now," I say. "I believe that there is far less space down there than up here. But then there is the problem with the pentagram."


    "Now, thank you for reminding us on that one," Bobby says as he slaps me against the head. I am getting the idea that he seriously dislikes the fact that I have a pentagram in my basement.


    Well, that is done; now we just have to get a way past all these demons and get to Anastasia, but I hope as well that the other portal has not been opened, for it shall suck everything in that is not from there originally.


    Such a lovely mess this is.


    But I think I have an idea.


    "Edward, how fast do you think you can get the Vampire army together?"


    "One phone call, Sebastian. They are always on standby."


    "Connor, Bobby, how would you feel if we get the help of our army together?"


    I watch as Bobby gets a rather wicked smile on his face, and I know exactly what he is thinking.


    "No, Bobby, you cannot kill them afterward."


    I see as Connor only, but bursts out in laughter, and soon Ethan joins in. Well, these boys are scaring me, but I think that we have not other option. We won''t be in time to kill a bunch of demons and save Anastasia.


    "Edward, please will you phone and let them meet us at the entrance of the tunnel. I think to get our dear little Vampire Hunter involved. He can lead one half and you the other."


    "I shall do it immediately."


    With that, Edward gets on the phone and gets the instructions through. Much to my surprise, the boys have no further problem with this, for they know that we are seriously outnumbered. Our focus is on Anastasia and Lucius.


    So here we go again; this seems like a good case of d¨¦j¨¤ vu.


    In fact, we have been exactly here before, perhaps more feet on the ground, but yet the same problem.  Lucius.


    It only takes us about another twenty minutes, and we find ourselves at the entrance of the tunnel that is securely hidden between a great number of trees and brush and, of course, a spell that makes it appear invisible. The chances that the demons no of the entrance or slim to none, but if they have found the opening on the other side, well, that is still debatable.


    We are walking into trouble no matter which way we go.


    Only another ten minutes and the Vampire Army is all in full force and soon joined by a very bewildered and scared Vampire Hunter. What intimidates him the most, the army or the demons, that story is yet to be told. But I am leaning towards the demons. Now leading an army, I am sure the boy is going to enjoy that.


    "My dear, Zachariah. Thank you for agreeing to do such a crazy thing."


    "Well, you can be glad I don''t rip your head off for not telling me earlier that Anastasia is in trouble."


    "We thought the dear girl was pregnant, well with a human or Vampire, not a demon."


    "Now, there is a reassuring thought; I hope you know how to save her."


    Now, for that, I do not have an answer, but yet we all remain quiet, hoping that we do.


    So Edward goes ahead and splits the army up into two groups. One that path the way for us in the tunnel and another that shall take the masses on that has gathered in the front. Edward shall go with these in the front, and our Vampire Hunter will lead the group that shall go ahead of us.


    We all arm ourselves and not need to, but still somewhat appreciated; Connor looks over his shoulder and smiles at us all.


    "Let us go get some demon ass."

 Chapter 155 - Breaking The Barrier

    We are standing in front of the door that shall lead us into the tunnel that goes to the basement. Ahead of us is the Vampire Army, lead by a Vampire Hunter. We have a group behind them that consists of three Hunters, an Angel, three Vampires, and a Wizard.


    What a truly bizarre combination.


    Our mission is to save my beloved and end the life of the King of the Underworld before he is even born. In our way is an unknown number of demons, and behind them the power of a fairy.


    So it is with great fear in all our minds that I release the spell to open the doorway to the tunnel.


    We are met by the stench that makes our stomachs cringe to pure horror. These vile creatures have done what they have done the best, and that is feed of the flesh of each other. I can for sure say now that after this mission has ended that I am burning this house to the ground.


    So we step into the tunnel with this ever-increasing nauseating smell filling our senses, but we need to keep in mind what we are here for. Now, if they are in the tunnel or only filling the basement itself, that we still do not know. And with this in mind, the Vampire Army slowly steps foot by foot into the tunnel. They are trying to make their presence as unknown as possible.


    But as with a Vampire, the demons shall smell us coming from a mile away. Even if we are not expecting any trouble at firsthand, we are bound to be by halfway through.


    It is with pure concern that I watch over my brothers and sisters that are now almost slowly disappearing into the inside.


    It is now time to make our move.


    We arm ourselves, all with guns and daggers, and move into the tunnel. Just as I set our final steps insides, then it begins.


    The Vampire Army is only but a third of the way in, and they have encountered the first of the resistance. From the front comes the loud bangs as the army lashes a round of fire onto the demons that find in their way. After two more rounds of snapping sounds, we hear as the Vampires take to their daggers.


    There are sounds slashing and cries; at first, I can only hear that of the demons, but then as they start to overtake and infiltrate the army, I can hear the deep growls of each Vampire that gets slain to the ground. I can, even though how horrid it may sound, I can thankfully say that it has only been about three that have made their final fight for our kind.


    So we continue to move forward as we cannot stand and wait for all the demons to be slain. Yes, we will still find the resistance in front, but we are hoping that it will not be as severe as it is now.


    The boys shall be ahead of us, Edward, Lilith, and me. Morgana shall be between casting spells as we go to protect us from the onslaught.


    We seem to be running a perfect team.


    Now that is only until we are set to make contact.


    I hear from the front as Zachariah yells to us behind, "They have broken through, they have broken through."


    The demons have broken through the wall that the army provided. They are making their way through the middle of the pack and are pushing through to the back. It seems that they have abandoned their fight with the army itself and are only pushing through to attack what finds itself at the back.


    I watch as Connor looks over his shoulder where he stands in the middle of Ethan and Bobby, and he calls for us, "Get ready."


    "We are as ready as we are ever going to get, my friend."


    And then it happens¡­


    The first demon breaks through the back.


    Bobby only put points the barrel of his gun at him once, and the silver bullet hits him in the chest. The demon''s eyes lit up in a fiery red, and he goes up in a black mass. Well, let us hope he goes back to where he came from.


    Then next¡­another one¡­and another one¡­


    One by one, they come¡­


    Far too slow and far too little¡­


    But yet I have thought too soon for; next, they burst open in their masses, and we are in for a full battle now.


    I look over to Lilith and Edward and only but nod my head. A silent word of reassurance. A way to say let us do this and an acknowledgment of gratefulness for making this sacrifice. Well, we all shall make this, I am merely stating."


    "Let the fucking monsters die."


    So we launch at them with all the firepower that we have, we unleash every single bullet that takes its place in the chamber of our guns, and then after that still loading more. Every single demon that gets past the boys is ours to take. We lash at them in full force. There is blood splashing, there are bones cracking, and flesh splitting. It is absolute chaos.


    Then the thing that we all fear would happen happens.


    We run out of clips.


    Now we need to go one step closer and take them out with each slash with the flick of very skillful hands. This is what a Vampire is made for. We are not ones that fight with bullets; we fight with our hands, we kill with our hands, and god, if we could now, we would have killed with our fangs.


    With that, we come to a dead stop, and now we wait for them to come towards us; I am not charging blindly at a demon. He shall try to take me from my feet, and I shall show him how mistaken he is in the way he was thinking.


    So demon for demon comes towards the boys at; first, I see Bobby smash them with on perfect movement into the chest. And god, do I even dare to say it, the man is enjoying every minute. And so does Ethan and Connor. Now Connor has something to say to all of them, but mainly, ''Die you fucking flesh-eating monster'' or ''Take that bitch."


    Well, I would lie if I say that I am not standing with an inner chuckle, but I know that once this is all over, I am going to get it from the boy. But let me say this, but I am not making promises that I think my hunting days are coming to an end.


    But that is a thought for later, for the demons have broken past the boys that are now completely surrounded by them, and they are heading our way.


    As the very first monster, that is somehow rather on the larger side, towering me in a rather tall way, too, I steady my feet and stand my ground. As he reached for my shoulders, I retract my arm slowly and launch it back hard against his chest. My dagger pierces his skin on impact and slices into his flesh. The moment the tip rages through his heart, he lights up like a fire and combusts in a spectacular way.


    Now that was far greater to watch than shooting them.


    But they keep on coming. One after the after. And one after the other, I slice them into the softness of their flesh, slams it through the point, and hit the spot that sends them back to where they came from.


    And this we do for the next half an hour.


    And we are getting tired.


    But then the impossible happens. The thing that none of us thought would happen, well, we just simply not think of it at all.


    From behind where we are standing, Edward, Lilith, and me, there comes a group of demons. I shout over to Connor.


    "Where the fuck did they come from?"


    He looks for a brief moment over his shoulder, and then comes to a dead standstill.


    "God, they are coming from the front. We need to get inside and close this door," Connor says to Morgana as he comes to join us by our side.


    We leave Morgana and Bobby at what is our back now and the entrance to the tunnel and start taking the onslaught from this side. With each step we make, we move back to the entrance from the tunnel.


    Now back to back, we all try to keep the demons at bay.


    Then the unthinkable happens. Breyden speaks.


    "Go inside; I will hold them off."


    "No!" we hear Lilith scream from the side of us. "No, you will not do it."


    "Lilith," Breyden pleads, "I can keep them off far better than any of you can."


    So coming to stand in front of us is Breyden that takes over the fight, pushing us back into the tunnel. Meanwhile, all this time, Lilith has not cried out for Breyden to stop.


    But Breyden continues to fight the demons off, one by one, until all but him are in the tunnel. Then as we are about to close off the tunnel, he turns to face us.


    "Se¡­"


    Before his words can be spoken, it goes dead dark. The tunnel has been closed.

 Chapter 156 - The Evil Is Born

    It is with a heavy heart that we make our way through the tunnel; as we go along, we slay whatever we find in our path. The sole purpose now is to get to Anastasia. The thoughts of leaving Breyden behind are sitting deep in our throats and are rather hard to swallow at the moment.


    Then out of nowhere, I hear the shrill screams of Lilith echo down the tunnel. I immediately rush over to her side. The first thing that enters my mind is that she must have been overpowered by a demon.


    But as I come closer, I see the very thing that she has been expressing her terror at.


    "My god, Breyden. Where? How? I thought you are dead."


    "It hurts that you have such little faith in me. My dear Sebastian, you know that I can teleport."


    "Oh, that is true. Now, I am glad to say that we all are feeling far better now that we have seen you. But it is time to push on."


    I hear Connor only but chuckle at me and shake his head, "You are surely dumb for someone that is as old as you."


    "Yes, and I am surely stronger to slap you. Now please, can we get back at the mission at hand?"


    With that, we start to push forward again. There seem to be far fewer demons as we go further to the end. Lucius must not yet be aware, or even far worse, we are walking into a trap. I am leaning towards the former.


    As we get to the last stretch, l can hear Anastasia''s agonizing screams. It brings great terror to my heart. I look over to Morgana, that only but shakes her head at me.


    "I am afraid that they are torturing her. She has not yet given birth."


    I move forward with a newfound purpose; the very man or demon that is laying his hands on her is going to wish that he has never stepped an inch closer to her.


    So, as we get to the very last stretch, we can see the entrance into the basement. The air feels thick; there is a red fog that fills the open space to every corner. The sounds of the monsters that lurk in there are enough to chill you to the bone. God, I can only but think how scared Anastasia must be. But then again, she is deep in her own body as Lucius has taken over.


    And just as I think that I am going to push through, I have Connor stopping me. "We move into a circle. Back to Back. Noone breaks away. We cannot overpower them if we don''t work as one."


    I only but nod my head; well, I am going straight to Anastasia; he will not keep me away from my beloved. So in one¡­two¡­three, we rush into the room. What I see is horrific. Anastasia has been tied in the center of the pentagram. Her body is squirming; it is Lucius that is tearing her apart inside out of pure spite.


    Well, this is not happening today; I step closer to where her body lays, but Connor immediately pulls me away, for there are demons coming in from all over. As we slay each and every monster that comes our way, Morgana moves over to where Elloise is busy trying to cast her spell.


    I hear her laugh deep from her throat, "My dear Elloise, I should have known that you have no idea what you are doing."


    Then all of a sudden, there is a bright bolt of light hitting right off the feet of Morgana. Now, if it was intended or if Elloise is truly inexperienced, that we shall soon find out as Morgana chants at the top of her voice, stopping the very words flowing from Elloise. Then she lifts her up with an invisible hand and throws her with a loud thud against the wall.


    But as Elloise tries to stand, there is a scream coming from Anastasia. It is not the voice of my beloved; it is Lucius that growls deep with dissatisfaction. We are clearly messing with his plans of being born.


    With that, we realize one important thing, that Lucius cannot be born unless Elloise completes the ritual. So our aim is to keep Elloise as far as possible from Anastasia, now; if that means that she needs to come to her end, then that is what we shall do.


    So Bobby looks at Breyden, "What else can you do?"


    "Well, what else did you have in mind?"


    "Take her essence and send it right into hell."


    I watch as Breyden only laughs, "Now, that I can do. But you got to get me close to her. These damn demons are all over the place."


    "Can you not teleport?"


    "Teleport into that," he shows to where the demons are now protecting Elloise; even Morgana cannot get to her.


    So we all form a stronger circle; with daggers in hand, we move from inside to out, slowly piercing the skin and ripping the flesh, watching how each vessel turns into a mass of black before they fall down to the ground.


    While we are clearing the basement, Edward goes to the door from the other entrance. With one loud thud, he slams it shut; Morgana steps forward and closes it with a spell that shall seal it shut.


    Now, the game is one; the stage is set. We are closing in, and we are thinning them out. And as we hear each scream fade into the walls, the final demon takes his leave.


    Then I turn to Breyden, that has Elloise up against the wall. In one swift flick of his hand, we all watch as he draws every single inch of her essence from her body. She soon disappears into nothing; once Breyden is assured that she is gone, he speaks in an ancient language and sends her very soul into the depths down below.


    With all the danger out of the way, it is time to turn our attention to what we have truly come here for. Now, if they think I am going to be polite, I am not asking even once.


    "Lucius, you shall leave Anastasia at once."


    There is a rumble that comes from Anastasia''s belly as Lucius makes his presence known, "You have a better chance at going to hell."


    "Well, my friend, that is where you are going. Now I shall not ask again."


    "What are you going to do? You know that either way, your beloved shall die today."


    "Now, you have a better chance to join your brothers and sister down there."


    Then the moment comes where we need to make the decision. Shall we let Lucius be born, or shall we drive a dagger into his heart, which means in turn that we will kill Anastasia? But the biggest question is, how do we get the potion to Anastasia?


    Now, the boys have their own theory here, and god, am I scared. So I watch as a sensation of horror creeps up my spine. Connor and Ethan storm towards Anastasia with the intention of pinning her down. Bobby shall then, must to my protest, shove the flower down my beloved''s throat. It is going to be with so much force.


    With that, on one¡­two¡­the boys set forward, and with a great struggle, they finally have Anastasia pinned down. Edward and I rush closer and pin her legs into place. The agonizing screams that come from her bring nothing but tears to my eyes. But I need to remind myself that it is Lucius; I cannot show weakness now. Then as on cue, Bobby sits on top of Anastasia''s chest, and with much force, I shove the potion down her mouth.


    It only takes but a few seconds, and both Anastasia and Lucius fall under the spell of deep sleep. What comes next is the most terrifying thing that I shall ever do in my life.


    Morgana hands me a scalpel and shows me where exactly where to cut Anastasia open. With each slice I make, my body cringes, but I shall be the only one that touches her.


    The moment I am halfway there, the blood starts gushing out like rivers. From inside, we can see the godawful monster that is growing in her belly. The entire group comes to circle me; the moment I am through, they need to grab Lucius before he gets away. Breyden shall stand ready to use his gentle hand to force the darkness that is Lucius into oblivion down where he belongs.


    So as I make that final slide, out comes the awful cry of what by all rights seems like a baby, but the moment that deep darkness sets into his eyes, he loses all that looks so innocent to him.


    Breyden grabs the baby, and I turn my attention to Anastasia that is losing blood far faster than we anticipated she would. Morgana comes to stand next to me and inserts a needle and tube that shall pump the blood into her; now, of course, with a little bit of magic, we shall push it in faster than normal.


    I watch in patience as each packet of blood is pushed into my beloved''s veins. The nervousness takes over my mind and body as I restlessly force myself to take a seat next to her on the floor. I take her hand into mine and gently kiss her softly.


    "Hang on, my beloved. You can do this; you are not leaving us today."


    Then finally, the last packet of blood disappears in her veins. Morgan finishes stitching her up and then covering her with a blanket.


    Now, all we can do is wait.

 Chapter 157 - All Died Out

    It has been a long night, but only but a few moments ago, my beloved opened up those beautiful blue eyes. Now her first words.


    "Can I stop dying, please."


    I only but chuckled at her and held her close in my arms, never wanting to ever let go.


    This was a very close call. It brought a weird bunch of men together, but we save my beloved, and that I shall be forever grateful.


    Now, after much convincing and a few threats, my beloved and I are heading downstairs to go thank this very weird group of men. So as we come around the corner into the common room, they are all just as surprised to see her.


    The weirdest of all is dear Bobby; now the man has jumped from his seat and is giving Anastasia an awkward hug. A Hunter is hugging a Vampire, definitely a moment to treasure. Then Connor comes with the very same sentiment.


    "Can you people stop dying now? You damn Vampires are dying more often than our humans."


    We only but burst out in laughter as Breyden steps forward to feel if Anastasia is altogether. Now the only thing that shall be missed is the idea of becoming parents, but we both agree that Lucius is definitely not the child to have.


    With thankful wishes, Morgana soon leaves to make her way back home. The boys stay for an hour or so still, but before they go, Connor pulls me over to the side.


    "Sebastian, now really, you guys need to leave the hunting shit to the Hunters."


    "I believe that you are right. We have a good ride, but I think the rollercoaster is now becoming dangerous."


    "Well, I am glad to hear that. Now phone us when there is a monster that you are not chasing."


    So with that, Connor turns to leave, but then Ethan strangely steps up to Anastasia and me, "I am sorry the baby thing did not work out the way it should have."


    I only but pat him on the shoulder and try to reassure him, "It is fine Ethan, one can only hope."


    "Well, take care. And yes, stop fighting monsters."


    And with one last slap from Bobby, we all are left to ourselves. Lilith and Breyden disappear, Edward and Zachariah head for the pub.


    As we make our way back upstairs, I turn to Anastasia, "My beloved, what do you say that we take a little vacation? We can leave in the morning."


    "Where would you like to go?"


    "Well, I don''t know, where would you like to go?"


    "Mmm, I will think about that."


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Now I can honestly agree with the boys; I am done dying and most definitely done with this monster hunting thing. I want to enjoy living for eternity; right now, I am fighting for eternity to live.


    It was the worst experience I have ever had in my life. What was by far the greatest terror that consumed my body was having that man inside me, and I had absolutely no control over my body. I felt trapped in my own skin; it was as if I was in a cage in my own mind.


    But when he started to torture me from inside, I actually did wish that I would die. He was clawing his way at my insides with absolute pleasure. He knew what he was going to do to me, and he enjoyed every moment of it.


    Yes, I wish I was indeed pregnant, but that experience will definitely scar me forever. Sebastian says there is hope; I don''t know if I can give hope to him. He has become a legacy; it is his life that we are now supposed to be concerned about.


    They will come for him¡­our own kind will come for him.


    So, I go back upstairs to change. I am standing naked in front of my closet, trying to figure out what the perfect outfit to wear. I don''t notice him behind me until his arms are covered around me.


    "What are you doing?"


    "Creeping up on you."


    "Didn''t take you for the creeping kind."


    "What can I say? You make me do this I did not know how to do before."


    His fingers brace my skin as he pulls my hair away from my shoulder. He places soft little kisses against the nape of my neck; my body starts quivering in excitement.


    "Do you know what you taste like?"


    I can barely mutter a single word, "No."


    "Sweet cotton candy."


    His hands are resting on my shoulders, his breath lingering over my ear, then completely unexpected, he gentle nibbles my ear. The deep groan that has been building in my belly finally rolls over my lips.


    "Sebastian!"


    "I have always told you that you will scream my name, my beloved."


    "Oh really, and what else do you think you can make me do?"


    His hands start sliding down my shoulders; they are rough, they are melting my skin like butter, they feel like they belong around my body. He slowly moves his fingers to the underside of my breasts, caressing the soft skin, coming close to my nipples but never touching them. He forms circles around my breasts, even closer to my nipples, occasionally brushing them as if by accident. My back arched against him as he moves closer and closer each time. I release a shattering moan.


    "Tell me what you want?"


    "Sebastian, all I want is you."


    "Can we? Is it okay if we do?


    He turns me around to face him.


    I watch as he does the most agonizing strip; he removes every bit of fabric of his body so slow he is almost going backward. He has a perfectly sculpted chest that runs down to a tight, rippled stomach. His skin glows in the morning sun.


    There is a glow about him, underneath a raging fire waiting to be released. He tangles his hands in my air as he seeks my lips. He lightly touches my lips with his. Every time I step closer to kiss him, he pulls away. He takes my lips again and pulls away; he lightly hovers his lips over mine. He is taunting and teasing me.


    "Sebastian, please."


    "Ssshhh, my beloved, we have all the time in the world."


    He closes that final gap between our hesitating lips. Hesitating, not truly, for I really want this with every craving bone in my body. And it is those cravings that make me place my lips gently against his. They feel even better than I imagined. His lips are so damn soft; it feels like a thousand feathers are tickling my lips.


    Then ever so soft and sensual, he brushes his lips against mine. He bites and nips and nibbles. As he threatens to slip through my seems, I grab him by the shirt. His passion and hunger grow even greater.


    He takes my face between his hands and tangles his fingers in my hair. I go to scrunch my fingers in his hair and pull his lips even closer into mine. This time when he growls, I am right behind him, answering him with my very own moan. I can see his eyes are burning with passion and a deep hunger.


    Unable to contain himself anymore, he pulls me into a fiery and passionate kiss. All my thoughts are obliterated, and the world gives away. It is a sensual dance of lips...but this...I want more. He slips his tongue through my lips and entwines me into a deeper kiss.


    The kiss is growing greedier, our mouths are locked together, and it feels like I am walking on air. Nothing around us matters; it is just me and him engulfed at this moment, in this perfect kiss.


    Then he stops and hesitates for a moment, "My beloved, are you sure. I don''t want to hurt you."


    "Yes, Sebastian."


    We do not make it to the bed; the carnal desire deep within our bodies takes over before we can even reach the edge. He clears the dressing table; cream and perfume are scattering all over the room as he places me on the hard surface. He grabs my ankles and slides me closer. With gentle trembling hands, he lays me back on the table.


    I stare into his brown eyes as the tip of his erection drives into me. I arch my back and close my eyes as my body absorbs him inch by inch. When he is fully in, he begins to move. His strokes are hard as our bodies slam together. As he pounds into me, I am at his mercy. He snaps his hips, withdrawing just enough that I feel the loss of him before filling me again in a soul-shattering thrust.


    Without warning, he pulls me off the table and takes me to the bed. He flips me over, pulling my hips up until I was on my knees before thrusting inside me again. Gripping me by the back of the neck, he pushes down until my cheek was against the bed. He held me there as he grinds into me over and over.


    Curling my fingers into the sheets, I surrender to all he is doing to me. He fucks me mercilessly until I was moaning with the intensity of being driven from one climax to another. He picks up speed, slamming even faster. With every violent need driving him into my body, he seeks his own release inside me. And when I cum one last time, he finally finds his own release.


    "Fuck Sebastian. Where did that come from?"


    "I missed you, my beloved."


    With that, he falls down next to me on the bed, and we both just lie in silence as we stare at the roof. Even though the words are unsaid, we both know that now things will be better. We had done what we set out to do. Then after gathering my breath and composure again, I turn my head to look at him.


    "Have you decided where you wish to go to?"

 Chapter 158 - The Roadtrip

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    So we are off to Scotland. To be precise, Edinburgh, where Sebastian was born and also where he was turned. My childhood is very little known, so after much discussing and pulling of straws, Sebastian won, and we will be taking the seven-hour drive to Scotland this morning.


    We decided against flying to, as Sebastian says, get the experience of a couple on holiday. Now, if Vampires have holidays, that I do not know, but we both need to get out of this godforsaken place. The fact is, no matter where we go, there will still be Vampires, and god forbid, some creatures around. Just as long as we are not hunting them, then I am pretty fine with that.


    My terrible experience is still very much cemented in my mind, and that is, unfortunately, one that I shall carry with me for an eternity.


    Sebastian has been very patient and understanding, and I love him for that. I do understand that he, too, is going through his own demons, that he has been just affected by this.


    So it is early morning, and I am busy getting dressed while he is watching me with great intent.


    "My beloved."


    "Yes, Sebastian?"


    "How much longer are you going to take?"


    "Just give me five more minutes."


    He turns around and lies on his back while he is staring at the ceiling. I know exactly what he is doing, and I wait for it to come.


    "It has been five minutes, my beloved."


    I softly chuckle at him, for he was counting the seconds off. I only but look at him with a frown on my face, "Five more minutes, please."


    Well, the problem is that I do not know what to wear. What does one wear to Scotland? What is the weather even there like?


    "It has been ten minutes, my beloved," he says patiently as he urges me on.


    "Just five more, Sebastian."


    So I settle on a pair of black hotpants that just barely covers my ass, a slight hint of bum crease visible, just below my belly, but not too low. Then a tight little red crop that is just barely covering my breasts. My stomach is very much bare, slightly tanned, and toned.


    As he lifts his head to urge me on again, I watch as his eyes grow wide and his jaw drops to the floor.


    "My beloved, are you really going to wear that?"


    "Yes. What is wrong with it?"


    "How am I supposed to concentrate on anything when you look like that?"


    "Easy, I can concentrate when you look that."


    I push Sebastian back onto the bed, straddling his lap. He cannot move. I place my lips on him, but I do not kiss him yet. They move down his jawline to his neck. They run down the sensitive parts of his bare skin. I feel his body tense; he lets out a deep moan. My lips move to find him again. I run my tongue over his bottom lip until he allows me in. He kisses me with untamed raw desire; I kiss him with an unfulfilled inner craving. I let go of his tongue to come up for a breath, to exhale; he takes me and kisses me again.


    "I seriously suggest that we leave now," he says from underneath his strained breath.


    I can feel him hard and throbbing between our bodies. I let my hand wander down his sculpted chest, my fingers stray down to the lining of his pants. I let one finger slip in, he growls. My hand wanders to find his hardened length.


    "God, my beloved. You are going to be the death of me."


    "Lucky you are already dead then."


    I pull my body deep into him and give him one last passionate kiss.


    "I think you right; we should go." I slide off his lap and come to stand in front of him, where he is still lying frozen and trembling.


    Sebastian leads me by my hand out to his car. His hands feel rough but yet soft. I can smell his cologne; it smells warm, fresh, and spicy. Having that body wrapped into mine would be nothing near like heaven.


    He finds me staring at him; he looks at me for a few seconds before he speaks, "Can I ask you something, my beloved?"


    "Yes?"


    "Do you always stare at people like that?"


    "Like what?"


    "Like you are going to eat them?"


    I only but chuckle at him, and we set off onto the road. I can see that he is somewhat excited but yet nervous to be going back home.


    Our first stop is Milton Keynes; Sebastian takes me through the crisscrossed redways to the museums, then afterward to the open green space of the Buckinghamshire countryside. And do not forget the Snozone, I honestly never thought Sebastian could skie, but it was absolutely great fun. Now two Vampires are having fun, that is one thing that you shall not see every day, well it beats chasing monsters.


    Our second stop is in Birmingham City, now not that a Vampire gets tired, but Sebastian wanted to show me the Bull Ring, now not that I truly felt like taking a photo with the said iconic Bull. But what did grab me is the exquisite 19th-century buildings and the Art Gallery. Now, of course, Sebastian has his own stories of where and how many mortals that he has slain on these streets.


    So soon after feeling strangely refreshed, we set on the road again.


    The next little town we end up stopping in is Stafford; we do not spend much time here as we are a bit all museum-out. We make a brief stop at Stafford Castle, where Sebastian says the yet is best to come, well, this is not happening in this town.


    We soon get onto the road again.


    We find ourselves in Warrington, as with the other towns, they too have far too many museums. There are beautiful canals with wildlife and also a zoo that I had to beg Sebastian not to visit. Not that I think it is awkward for a Vampire, I just feel very strongly about locking an animal in a cage.


    Another few stops at Preston and Carlise, we are finally in Edinburgh.


    Now, as per Sebastian, which I did not doubt for a second, he owns property out here, but he does not want to say where and what. So the man forces me to close my eyes when we get nearby.


    As we finally come to the end of what seemed like a very steep driveway, he tells me to open my eyes.


    "Sebastian?"


    "Yes, my beloved?"


    "Please don''t tell me you own this thing?"


    "Yes, I do, my beloved."


    "It is a goddam castle."


    "Yes, I believe that it is."


    I only but chuckle at him nervously as I step out of the car. This thing is big and very old looking. God, it is probably as old as Sebastian. Of course, a Vampire like him would own a castle.


    "Is this where we are going stay?."


    "The is a small little house at the back if you wish to stay there."


    "No, Sebastian, this is perfect; I can''t wait to see the inside."


    The first place I go to when we get inside is the giant bedroom. And of course, the man has a servant that brings the suitcases along.


    He gets that damn sexy smile on his face, and I swear my knees give in all over again. With a husky voice, he speaks, "So what do you think, my beloved."


    The tone of his voice vibrates over my skin. I take two shallow breaths and exhale. In a whimper, I speak to avoid my clear fluster to be seen. "Now, you want sex now?"


    He bursts out in laughter, "Trust you to turn that one around on me. I meant of the castle."


    In total embarrassment, I change the subject, "So what do you do out here in the middle of nowhere?


    "Whatever you want."


    "Do we have satellite?"


    "Well, it is a castle, but I have made provision for that."


    "A pool?"


    "Yes, there is an inside pool."


    He looks at me and slightly cocks his head; he knows that I am not done with my questions yet.


    "Do we have animals?"


    "Just horses."


    "Are we going to go riding?"


    ''Yes."


    "Do you have¡­?"


    "You playing twenty questions again?"


    I walk over to where Sebastian is standing; I take my fingers and tangle them in the seems of his shirt. Slowly I start pulling his shirt up to his chest, past his shoulders, over his head, and toss it to the floor. I run my finger down from his collarbone, over his rock-hard chest, running circles around his nipples, moving over the ripples of his perfectly formed abs. I run my fingers along with the fabric of his pants around his waist and drag my nails up his back. He growls from the deep of his chest.


    But then my eye catches a glimpse of what I thought I saw earlier on; I slowly pull away from Sebastian and lead him to the window.


    "Sebastian, that car has been following us ever since we got into town."

 Chapter 159 - My Dear Brother

    The moment that my beloved spoken those words, I felt as if my world came spinning to a halt. I can simply not take another surprise, especially if it is the creature kind. Now I came here to relax and not to be disrupted, so whoever is the driver of that vehicle is going to see not such a pleasant side of me today.


    So as I look through the window, there is a great relief that sets over my body, well, that is only for but a brief moment, for I am about to get it from both directions.


    Now for the first one, I will have to make my way downstairs.


    "My beloved, I know who the driver of the vehicle is."


    "What do you mean that you know who the driver is? Did you pick up that it was following us earlier?"


    "I am afraid not; I have known the person for rather a few years."


    "How long is few."


    "Perhaps as long as what I have been a Vampire, maybe a few years less."


    "Sebastian, what are you not telling me."


    "My beloved, let me go downstairs to welcome him, then I can introduce you both."


    It is with a very angry glare from her that I leave the room with trembling legs. If she is not going to killing me today, then he most certainly will.


    So it is with long hesitating steps that I make my way outside to where he is, now if I thought that this would be easy, I am near damn close to faint.


    As I get closer to the vehicle, I confirm as I suspected. The minute he knows that it is me, too, he gets out of his vehicle.


    "Well, Sebastian Belmont, I never thought that I would ever see you coming back home."


    "Well, Roberto Belmont, I never thought I would receive such a welcome."


    He steps forward and gives me a rather awkward hug. Now, these are arms that I am so familiar with. After what seems to be a second too long, he finally steps back and gives me a once over.


    "You are looking great, my little brother."


    "And the years have carried you well."


    "All thanks to you. Now tell me, I saw you with a divine beauty. Are you up to your ways again?"


    "I am afraid those ways stopped many years ago, but please come inside let me introduce her to you. Now I must warn you that she might kill me, for I perhaps have neglected to tell her about you."


    "There you go again trying to protect me. Let us go see how feisty this woman is."


    I only but laugh at him, but I know for a fact that if she does not kill me, she is definitely going to cause some serious bodily harm. If I say that Roberto is not going to enjoy this, well, then I would be telling a blatant lie.


    Now, this is not a story that I have told very often, as my dear brother said, I have tried to protect him for all these years.


    It was the year 1744, Roberto and I were creating havoc around Scotland. Now he was fully aware that I was a Vampire, which he did not felt frightened over the least bit. It kind of made him felt invisible being around me. I loved my older brother with all my heart''s worth.


    One night on one of our many adventures, we found ourselves in one of the establishments where one shall find ladies of leisure that gave you any pleasure. Now my dear brother was always up to some mischief; this very night, instead of taking one of these ladies upstairs, he finds himself taking one of the girls that were sitting at the bar.


    Now what Roberto failed to take notice of is that this young lady was there with another gentleman. The moment that this man saw this encounter playoff, he finds himself following both of them upstairs. It is unknown how it all unfolded, but Roberto and this man got involved in a scuffle.


    Well, my brother was always good at holding his own, but this man caught him with his pants down. A few fists and a scream later, the man stabbed him several times. He then left him for dead, and that is where I found him only moments later.


    He was on the edge of breathing his last breath; then, I made the decision to bring him back to life. I turned my big brother into a Vampire. At first, I thought he would kill me for doing it against his will, but he embraced it completely.


    When I decided to move onto London to claim being the Vampire Master, he stayed behind for he loved living here. As years past we still kept in contact, but I always tried to keep his existence quiet, for the fear was great that some brave Vampire should take his life to get revenge on me.


    So here we find ourselves reunited, and we are walking toward my beloved, that is surely going to kill me for keeping this major detail from her.


    As we step inside, she is already there waiting. There is fear written over that beautiful face; it is going to take a lot of sugar coating to get myself out of this one.


    "Sebastian, do you know this man."


    "Well, my beloved, I  think that you will need to sit down for this one."


    And as I say this, my brother''s face snaps to me next to him, "My dear brother, do not tell me that you have found your beloved."


    "Yes, brother, this here is Anastasia."


    Now, lucky for me, Anastasia has not picked up, for I do call almost every male Vampire brother. So this might not be so bad as I think, but yet she is not yet going to accept this as it.


    "Well, Sebastian, who is your friend?"


    "This is¡­ Well, this is¡­"


    Then much to my horror, Roberto decides to fill the gaps in.


    "Roberto, my lovely lady. I am Sebastian''s brother."


    "Well, it is great to meet you, Roberto."


    It seems that she has still not made the connection. Well, I am patiently waiting for her to do it because I am beyond terrified to tell her.


    It only takes her but another five minutes. I watch as she tilts her head to the side, now the frown on her face should tell me all. I am about to be discovered.


    "Sebastian, I do notice something."


    "What is that, my beloved."


    "Well, the thing is, now I do not know that my eyes are deceiving me, but Roberto does seem oddly like you. Now how do you explain this?"


    "Uhm, you see, well you know¡­."


    "No, I am afraid not, I do not know. Kindly enlighten me."


    "The thing is, there¡­"


    "Sebastian, has the cat caught your tongue. If he has not, then I am surely going to."


    I step a few steps back from her; I know this feisty little vixen has a mean punch. Somehow today, I don''t think she will be punching my shoulder. So standing further than an arm''s length away, I finally have the courage to admit what I have neglected to tell her.


    "My beloved, Roberto is my brother."


    "Can you stop calling every male Vampire your brother? Who is this man?"


    "He is my brother."


    "You are testing my patience."


    "I understand your patience is tested, but this man is my brother."


    She then steps those steps that I have just manage to get away from her as casually as what one can fear. Well, then, just as I think she is going to slap me, she only but grunts and folds her arms.


    "Do you want to tell me that you have a real brother and you never told me?"


    "Yes, my beloved, I am afraid I have to get this minor detail from you."


    "Sebastian, this is not minor. We are in the union of a marriage, and you cannot even trust me with this information."


    Well, if I thought I could not surprise Roberto anymore, he only but clears his throat rather loudly, "Marriage Sebastian?


    "Uhm, well, yes, I did wed my beloved. Now she might be very close to killing me, but I love her very dearly."


    He only but chuckles at me as Anastasia scrunches her fist into my shirt, "Sebastian, let us have a word; I do not wish to discuss our domestic in front of Roberto."


    I turn to Roberto with pleading eyes, now; if I thought the man was going to save me, he only but walks away in another direction, "I shall make myself at home."


    With that, Anastasia drags me by the arm into another room. The fury is very obvious on her face. This might not go as well as I am hoping it would. And I am soon proven that I am indeed correct.


    As she comes to stand in front of me, I can see the anger boiling, the last time I saw this was when she turned Ancient.


    And then I fear for what happens next.

 Chapter 160 - Please Lie To Me

    My beloved has just found out that I have a brother, a real brother, which many years ago we were, in fact, blood brothers. Now, I am his Master and his Maker. Now, if I thought that the little vixen would take this well, it does depends which side you see it from. So I have just told her and Roberto has left us alone, well, I wish that he never did.


    "Anastasia! Aaahhh, god, why did you do that for? You just bit me?"


    "Oh, come on, Sebastian, I know you enjoyed it."


    "Well, perhaps just a slight bit, for one second there I thought you were going to rip my throat open."


    "The thought did come to mind, but I think we both do not want me to turn all Ancient again."


    "That is so considerate of you. Now please tell me that you are not mad?"


    She looks at me for a brief second; as she starts stepping forward, I start stepping back. The woman is about to leave another gash in my skin. I think she is enjoying the pleasure far greater than me.


    "Sebastian, I am furious, but what does it help me for? I know that somehow somewhere in the future, some secret is coming up again."


    "Well, my beloved, I am glad that you are facing the truth now."


    "It still does not mean that I can not bite you again."


    "My beloved, rather give me lips that give pleasure than pain."


    She looks down at my slightly parted lips, and I know what is about to happen. We both lean into each other in slow motion, never breaking eye contact once. My heart skips a beat, and my knees get wobbly, even though I am not standing on my feet. I curl my hand around her neck and tangle the other in her long wavy hair.


    Our lips brush softly against each other. Her lips are soft and delicately. They dance against me like butterfly wings. I pull away, hesitating for a moment. Her lips are molded to the shape of mine. My hands curled around her so perfectly as if they were made just for her. She tastes like passion, like pure, unrestrained passion, and I want more.


    Then we begin to close the gap even more than before. What begins as a small peck becomes more passionate. The rest of the world spins so fast it becomes non-existent. I lean even further into her, and my body melts into hers. It is as if I can feel a fire blazing within me, out of control. We are completely and utterly in sync in this very moment.


    She presses her lips against mine even harder. Lightning passes through me. I feel lost in a different universe, and she is slowly taking me away. Her cold hand creeps from my neck down my spine and pulls me closer. Her touch makes my body shiver. Her delicate, innocent kiss makes my heart flutter. Then it races. My body surrenders. I let her kiss me as long as she wants. Every time I let go, I nip at her lip until it trickles with blood and kiss her again softly.


    After what seems like being away for hours, we part and put our foreheads together.


    She stares at the ground and softly whispers. "I think that you should lie to me more often."


    "Oh, this is not done yet, my beloved."


    "Let us go join your brother; I cannot see a better way to spend our little holiday with family.


    "True, for he is your brother."


    With that, we join Roberto in the entertainment room, where he has put on some godawful music that sounds like he is about to serenade a young lady.


    "Please tell me that you do not charm a woman with that nonsense."


    "You shall be surprised you many women like this, my brother. Now, I believe that I have a sister now. Please do tell me of this union, for I do believe that Vampires do not get married."


    "There is not much to tell; I thought that I simple Vampire ceremony was not enough to show my love for Anastasia. We decided that we wish to marry as humans do."


    "And the beloved part, I never thought you would settle?"


    "Her beauty captivated me from the very moment I laid my eyes on her."


    Anastasia bursts out in what can only be seen as hysterical laughter. Well, what does this woman find so funny about the way that we met?


    "Roberto," she starts. "The man could not keep his hands off me; in fact, he could not keep those fangs out of me."


    "Yes," Roberto begins, "That does sound like Sebastian. Now I do believe that we need to celebrate. I suggest that we head our way to a little place that I know."


    I only but shake my head at him, "Let me guess it is a place that provides all types of pleasure?"


    "No, not this time. There is a Vampire ball that I have the privilege to be invited to."


    "You do know that they shall then know that I am in town?"


    "Sebastian, you are not discreet; I saw you coming from a mile away."


    "Sneaking around was never an art that I perfected."


    I turn to my beloved, that is standing with a slight frown on her face while she is biting into those sweet cherry lips.


    "God, Anastasia, do not do that. You shall force me to take you here."


    "Sebastian, you have definitely not perfected being discreet either."


    "Why keep on the mind that needs to be said. Now, what do you say? Do you feel like having some fun for a change?"


    "Well, I have yet to have fun with you, for it is just non-stop action."


    "Then, Roberto, lead the way."


    "Yes, Sebastian, I think you should get out of that designer suit first and put some jeans on. You are sticking out like shit on a blanket."


    "If you state it like that, then give me a few minutes. My beloved, I wish for you to please get out of that dress."


    "Sebastian, are you telling me what to wear?"


    "You are sticking out like shit on a blanket too."


    "Sebastian, you better run."


    Well, I do not know if the vixen is serious or not, but I do make a rather faster dash upstairs than I would normally do. After a few seconds later she casually comes walking into the room with a big smirk on her face.


    "My beloved, you are teasing me today."


    "It is call grinding your ass."


    "Oh, really. Show me how this grinding works."


    "God, Sebastian, do you think of sex all the time?"


    "Yes, in fact, I am even now."


    "You are impossible. Now put some jeans on; I would love to see that tight ass in them."


    "My beloved, you can see my tight ass without them."


    I step closer to her and swing my arms around her waist, in only but a mere second place her delicate body onto the bed, her body getting lost between the softness of the red satin sheets.


    "My beloved, we do not make love nearly enough."


    "Sebastian, your brother is waiting."


    "He can wait, we have all eternity, but right now, I wish to explore your body."


    I lock my hands around her wrists and pin them about her head. She squirms and tries to release herself from my firm grip, but I am far stronger. I can see it is driving her crazy, and it flames the desire to take her.


    "This is for teasing me."


    I lean in and kiss her, soft, slow; then I completely devour her. With my free hand, I start pushing her dress up to expose her breasts. My god, I forgot how firm and soft they are. As I gently begin to caress them, she leans deeper into my touch. Her body is squirming as she quivers.


    As I let go of her hands, she grabs my hair and yanks me closer, taking my lips for hers to taste. She slams her fangs deep into the soft skin of my neck; I gasp but give in to the sensations that she brings to my body. She drives them in deep, even deeper than ever before. The moment she closes them firm and sucks, she peeks my arousal.


    "Oh, Anastasia, go harder. I want to feel you deeper."


    She draws with force, sending sparks to every corner of my body. I can feel the rush of arousal build up in my core. Strong lust and simple desire take control of my body and mind.


    Then my tongue trails down to her belly, I run it over her navel. Tasting every inch of her glorious body. Moving down toward the elastic of her panties.


    I slam my fangs in the tender skin of her thighs.


    She gasps.


    I slide my fangs slow and agonizingly painful, blood flows from the open wound. She watches me as I slide my tongue over the delicate skin and lick every drop slick and graceful.


    "Sebastian..."


    She can barely finish her words, and I smash them hard into her thigh again. Her body quivers, my tongue tremble.


    "Oh god, my beloved," I moan deep from my throat as my lips press firmly into her thighs.


    Then I gently ease her legs apart and slip my fingers between her damp folds and slide my finger deep into her wetness. My thumb surrounds her sweet spot in a perfect rhythm. I watch as her eyes roll back in her head.


    "That is it, my beloved. Enjoy it."


    I twist and turn my finger; then, I stop my delicious rotation.


    Then I drive my finger deep into her wetness. Thrusting once, twice, three times. I feel her muscles contract, and she pushes against my hand. She shudders against me in a long high pitched orgasm. I feel her legs are quaking. As she finally slows, I look up at her face and see her face glowing.


    After dressing, we make it downstairs to where a very smiling Roberto is waiting for us.


    "What is up with the teeth parade?"


    "I do believe that you have not perfected being silent either."


    "That my brother was Anastasia, not me."


    Anastasia steps next to my side, "I am afraid it was you, Sebastian."


    "Oh, let us just go."


    With that, we find ourselves on the way to this, which I believe, is a very extravagant Vampire ball. It is not very long, and we find ourselves walking down the pathway to the entrance.


    Now, as we step inside, what I did suspect happens.

 Chapter 161 - Boys Want To Have Fun

    The moment we stepped through the door, the attention of the entire room turned to my beloved and me. Now, if we thought that we would not cause a stir, I truly was hoping for the impossible. With their glances firmly on me, they bowed their heads, welcoming the presence of my beloved and me.


    After acknowledging their gesture, they all raised their heads, and I showed for them to continue to with what they were doing. Now the shock in my beloved''s eyes is beyond that that I have ever seen. I have in all my years as Vampire Master not had an entire room full of Vampires bow down to me.


    I guess that no one ever expected the Vampire Master to come out and enjoy an evening. So much to my frustration, I have to go from one elder to another to greet them. My beloved soon breaks away from me as she starts feeling bored by the routine.


    Once I am satisfied that I have done my duty, I scan for her across the room; as I spot her in a far corner, I sneak up from behind and wrap my arms around her waist. In an instant, she spins on her heels and faces me.


    "Are you done playing house?"


    "Yes, my beloved."


    I grab hold of her waist once again and pull her deep against the tightness of my body. I twirl her around and lead her to the middle of the room. I elegantly slide my hand slowly down the contours of her body; for only but a second, I let them linger on her waist. Then I wrap them around until they rest on the small of her back; I pull her deep into my now-building erection. It is growing close to raging. The entire room gasps as I sway her body to the rhythm of the music, as our hips rock from side to side, getting lost in the sensations of the feeling that is rushing through our bodies. The sexual tension and the closeness of our bodies are driving my body to a tormented peak.


    "Sebastian, I did not think you could dance?"


    "My beloved, this is called grinding. I searched it on my phone on the way here."


    "Well, I love the grinding. Do you care to do it a bit tighter into my body?"


    I nip at my bottom lip and slowly whisper, "As you wish, my beloved."


    "Oh, god, Sebastian, don''t do that. I might just devour you in front of all of these Vampires."


    Slowly with each breath, with each inch of a second, I pull her deep cherry lips closer to mine.


    I look up into his eyes; his lips are but less than an eye wink away. All I need to do is lean an inch forward, and mine would be against them.


    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    He takes a lock of my hair and twirls it around his finger, then gently pulls it closer. "My beloved, if I knew what the scent of an angel was, then I would say it was you."


    "Sebastian, are you flirting with me?"


    "Merely trying to seduce you."


    "I love the attempt, but could you do that in private."


    "As you wish."


    He takes me by the hand and leads me away from the dance floor; I can see his eyes searching for something.


    "Sebastian, what are you looking for?"


    "A room where I can seduce you, my beloved."


    "You call that having sex."


    "Well, I can particularly say that in front of everyone. But I think you might just have."


    I only but chuckle at him; this man will be the death of me. And god, does he find a room? Now I am not going to complain as he gracefully lifts my body on the counter. This man seems to have confused the kitchen with a room.


    As he comes to stand between my legs, he takes his thumb to my bottom lip and gently runs it from one corner to the other. Then he moves them between the seams of my lips and slightly begins to part them.


    "Sebastian, are you¡­?"


    "Yes, I am."


    The heat between our bodies is unmistakable. I try to whisper by my trembling lips only but cause my words to whimper. I see my name forming around his lips, but he, too, is drowning in the power I have over his body.


    "Sebastian, I want¡­"


    He does not let me finish; he moves his lips inch by inch, even closer to mine. He looks down to my lips and backs up to meet my eyes. He closes his eyes and moves forward, closing the space between us.


    He tangles his hands in my hair and pulls me closer to him. He touches me only with his lips, and then, without hesitation, he kisses me.


    At first, his lips are gentle, exquisitely careful, as if he feared he was bruising me. The sweet taste of his lips melts onto mine as his mouth settles more firmly, insisting and begging for more. Unable to resist, my lips part to allow him passage, the tip of his tongue slides past my teeth in silken strokes of exploration.


    He strokes the slick insides of my cheeks. He has never kissed me like this before; it is as if he was feeding on me, feeding on my rising passion and that hidden carnal desire. Is way dizzily from his kiss and clutch my arms around his hard neck.


    If only he would hold me tighter and lock his full length against me, but he still touches me only with his one hand and consumes my mouth with patient hunger. He is holding the force of his passion so securely in check.


    My hands flutter to the sides of his face, stroking the bristle of his cheeks and jaw. He makes a quiet moan in his throat. Suddenly he takes hold of my shoulders and eases me away from his body. My gaze locks with his in a moment of searing wonder. He looks at me as if he could eat me with his gaze as if he wanted to possess every inch of my body and every flicker of my soul.


    "My beloved, can I¡­?"


    I do not answer; I want to touch him, I want to feel his skin against mine, I feel a dark burning desire deep inside me that only he could satisfy. I want him. He pulls me back in. The urgency and the passion seemed to have grown. My body trembles and melts; he is kissing me with devastating thoroughness. My hands work their way around his body, feeling each crevasse, each line along with his perfect physique.


    On and on, he kisses me, turning his mouth this way and that, his tongue dancing and intertwining. He continues exploring my mouth; he fills me so perfectly. I groan softly as he takes the kiss deeper; it slowly turns more passionate. I dig my nails into his shirt, pressing my knuckles into him; I clutch his shirt in my fists and pull him closer to me.


    I gasp as he leaves my mouth to kiss the corners of my lips, then my cheek, my temple; he drops his head to kiss the tender side of my neck. It is a sweet seduction that sends a rush throughout my body.


    "My, god, my beloved, nothing feels more right than this."


    Within a split second, I''m there again; it is like I never left. All the lust, all the craving, the desire to feel his hot flesh boils over me again. I close my eyes, and everything around me has faded, everything but him. The only thing that matters is feeling his soft lips tasting mine. I pull him closer by the seems of his jeans; slowly, I start unbuttoning them.


    "Are you sure, my beloved? Someone can walk in?"


    "All the more reason."


    I smile and continue to unbutton his pants. His body is trembling against my touch, my hands shaking in anticipation. I drop his pants to his feet; if ever I was not sure about this, I definitely am now as he is standing in all his glory in front of me.


    Within seconds, my top is dropped in the pile of clothes that are already on the floor. He wiggles my pants, over my ass, and down my slender legs. I am in front of him only in my tiny red lace panties; he reaches and peels them down my legs, the touch of his rough hands sends a sensation that rocks my core.


    I gasp when his mouth finds my breasts, his parted lips follow their curves, his tongue surrounds my nipples, he sucks them hard until they are wet, stiff, and sensitive, I feel my thighs clench together, the aching between them growing wet. I slide my fingers through his hair, needing something to hold on to as he whisks my nipple with his tongue over and over again.


    Working his way along my body, he circles my navel with his wet tongue before continuing down, finding the part of my body that aches for him. When his breath touches my thigh, a tremor of desire shakes through me. With a few capable strokes, a fire of pleasure is taking me to a whole new height of pleasure. He is exploring me with his lips and tongue, a forbidden pleasure, a wild intimate kiss.


    He lifts from the counter, and I wrap my legs around his waist. We hold on to each other as if the world would burst apart if one of us let go. His hands gently move over my hips, pulling me in even closer; it is not a sexual touch but a comforting feeling. His fingers run along the edge of my hairline as he tucks a rogue lock of hair behind my ears. I look up at him into his brown eyes and feel a burst of tenderness in my chest.


    He leans closer, his firm mouth brush against my lips; with a whispered moan, I part my lips, he kisses me, an open-mouthed invitation that he takes. His kisses are desperate, obsessive, like he consumes me, to take all that I am for himself, to make me his.


    His fingers dig into my thighs as he pulls me in closer, dragging me deep into his groin. My hips respond to his clenching fingers, grinding my body against him, wanting more. He groans with every movement, with every shift, his manhood growing with each second.


    Then he thrusts deep into me, my body absorbing him inch by inch. He thrusts again, my back involuntarily arches, lost in this glorious moment of ecstasy, my back arched, I am seized by a rush of sensation so intense that I cannot contain my cries of pleasure. He pounds harder into me, over and over again, his strokes hard and powerful.


    Our bodies are hot and melting into each other. With the last shreds of self-control, I feel tremors shake throughout my body as I shatter. He pulls me up; he plunges in deeper than ever before; with a whisper of my name, he finds his own release. He buries his face in her neck and pulls me into an embrace; for a moment, I forget there was a world outside the circle of his arms.


    Then much to my horror, someone comes walking through the door.


    Sebastian whispers to me, "You little vixen."

 Chapter 162 - The Love Of A Vampire

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    Sebastian is absolutely sinful; we had all the Vampires that were in attendance at the ball in a complete buzz.


    The Vampire Master and his insatiable beloved¡­that is what they called us.


    We are here in Scotland for another day; hereafter, Sebastian wishes to move to France; it is the next place he went before he ended up in London. I feel privileged to make this journey with him. I know it is sacred to him, and this is most probably the most intimate time that I shall spend with him.


    And as I lay her next to him, I see that beautiful smile on his face that I have grown to love.


    "Sebastian, I would say good morning, but we do not sleep. And if we could sleep, then I would say we did not sleep."


    "Why on earth, my beloved?"


    "Because you cannot keep your hands to yourself."


    "I am only showing you love, my beloved. The love of a Vampire."


    "I am tending more to lust."


    He runs his hands up my body. He runs his soft lips over my skin.


    "What do you say, I show you how more love this Vampire has?"


    Sebastian grips me by the hips and crushes my body into him.


    He lets my body fall back into the sheets; every square inch of my body dissolves into his. He leans over me and centers me on the bed before he settles on top of me. I feel him, all of him, pressed against me; I feel his erection throbbing against my thighs, his warm breath lingering on my skin.


    He feels amazing.


    His lips lock with mine; he devours me with a patient hunger, possessing me soft and slow. Passion explodes through my veins as I whimper. I tangle my hands in his hair and full him even closer.


    I hook my legs around his legs and grab his taut, hard ass. I tug him into me, arching my hips to feel his throbbing erection. I want him inside me. I want to know for certain he is mine. He closes his eyes, and his body quivers.


    "I love you, my beloved," he whispers.


    I link my fingers around his neck and pull him closer.


    "I love you, Sebastian."


    I take his mouth and move my lips move desperately over.


    His erection lays hot and heavy and aching against me; it sends a sensation of pleasure through my core. I rake my nails over his back from shoulder to hips.


    He arches into my rough caress with a low moan and throws his head back.


    His hands cup my ass and press my body even tighter against his chest.


    Leaning on one arm, he squeezes my breast with his other hand. As he lowers his head, his lips surround the point of my nipple. His mouth is scorching hot as he lashes against my tender flesh. As he bites into the tip, I cry out, and my body jerk as a sharp need shoots to my core.


    I clutch at his hair, not nearly being gentle. My legs wrap around him, and I tighten. I need to claim him. Possess him. Make him mine again.


    Then he softly whispers, "I want you, my beloved," He nibbles across my cleavage to my other breast. His fingers tug at my wet nipple, pinching it gently until I push up and into his hand.


    Sebastian is possessing me; he is seducing; he is taking my body over and over. And I am surrendering. My breasts are heavy, my sex wet and swollen. My hands roam restlessly as my legs cage him.


    Then, he slips away from me, his mouth whispering temptation across my stomach. But as I slide down, I feel a hot wetness over my skin. As I look down to see, I can see that he is crying, his gorgeous face ravaged by tears.


    With trembling fingers, I touch his cheek, trying to smooth away his tears that only return the instant it is wiped away. He nuzzles into my touch with a soft.


    "My beloved."


    "Ssshhh, Sebastian."


    He slides back onto his knees, his thighs spread between mine, his erection is thick and hard and laying tight against my pussy.


    Everything in me tightens.


    His big body is carved to perfection. His biceps clench and flex, and his abs tighten with his every movement. He is powerful and elegant.


    It is true, Sebastian Belmont had been designed to fuck a woman right out of her mind.


    He is drawn to danger and has a determination to conquer.


    "You are mine," I say, pushing, pressing my torso tightly into his. "You''re mine, Sebastian."


    He takes my mouth and consumes me. Lifting me, he moves and turns us so that his back is to the headboard, and I am spread over him. Our hot flesh slides against each other, slicken by sweat. His hands are everywhere. He grabs my hips, yanks me forward, then down, his hips bucking upward, and drives his raging erection into me.


    "Oh god, Sebastian," I cry out and grip his shoulders, my pussy clenching against the thick erection.


    "Fuck, my beloved," he moans as he drives his shaft even deeper. There is an ache in my hips as I clamp my legs around his waist, curling my fingers into the sheets; I surrender to all he is doing to me, surrender to everything I am feeling, everything he was feeling


    Then, he pulls out slowly; with a wicked smile on his face, he places his pulsating erection between my legs again. He slowly parts my folds and agonizingly painfully slides into me again.


    He pulls out again; he impales me with this hot bulging shaft deep into my depths. I clench and shudder and raise my hips slightly to further drive his swollen erection into my hot flesh.


    I heave in passion as my resisting flesh split. He slides into me gently until he was completely inside me. I could feel him pulsating, contracting, and releasing his erection as he eases himself back for fear that he would explode.


    Then I gyrate in slow insistent circles; he rocks with every thrust. Our bodies are bucking and arching and colliding in almost perfect rhythm.


    His grip around my arms tightens, "My beloved, I am cumming." He throws his back against the wall; he starts cumming, spurting hot and hard inside me.


    The gush of lubrication opens me; my pussy slides down his pulsing erection until he fills me completely.


    But he is not done.


    He builds up a rhythm and keeps it up relentlessly. With each stroke, he slides his hot throbbing flesh completely into me. He drives in deeper, with each thrust, pushing into me even deeper.


    I moan, welcoming the familiar flush of warmness. My orgasm takes me by surprise; I throw my body back as the heated pleasure tears through me.


    My inner muscles clamp around him like a hot, pulsing glove. The sexual excitement burning in my blood is stronger than any burst of desire I have ever felt in my life. He slams into me, struggling for breath, desperately trying to hold on. His chin rests on my shoulder as his hips drive hard, his erection furiously thrusting into my tight hot flesh, over and over again. His unique scent overwhelms my senses; his breath at the nape of my neck tickles and makes me shiver.


    A moan slips out when his next thrust hits deep. "Oh God," I whisper. "More, Sebastian. Faster."


    "Yes, that''s it, my beloved," he moans hoarsely, his erection is still hard and thrusting.


    "My god, Sebastian."


    "Fuck, my beloved. I am going to cum again."


    His arms fall to his sides. His hands fists into the satin sheets. He clenches and flexes his muscles; his body is glimmering from the sweat. He is taking his body to its limits. He gives in. He gives himself to me.


    He catches me by the waist and slides down until we were flat on the bed. Pinning me tightly, he holds me into place, thrusting upward¡­ over and over¡­ with fast, powerful plunges. The friction of his thick erection is too much.


    I throw my head back and tremble in orgasm; it feels like I am stepping into a room engulfed in flames. My body burns, and I explode, cumming over his still semi-erect length.


    He folds his arms tightly around me until I can barely breathe.


    "God, my beloved." He buried his face in my throat. "I love you. I love you so much."


    He slowly slides off from my body and lays down next to me.


    He goes silent for a brief moment and softly whispers to me, "I cannot live without you, my beloved. I know that now more than ever. Some people come into your life for a short period, while others are destined to stay till the end. You are one of those people that are destined to stay until the end. I''m not ever going to let you out of my life; you are a perfect representation of all the beautiful things in my life. You have always been the reason for my persistent smiles and happy moments in difficult times. I will never love you any lesser than this. I know my feelings for you will continue being doubled and tripled."

 Chapter 163 - Cities Of Love

    ¡­Anastasia POV¡­


    It is early morning, and we are getting ready to head off to France. Sebastian has been trying to convince Roberto to come with him, yet he is reluctant, and as he says, he is truly not in favor of the weather in London. Well, I definitely agree with him there.


    But it is sad to see the two brothers having to say goodbye again. Sebastian is trying hard to keep the tears away, for he wants to keep this from his brother. It is not that he does not trust him; it is what others will do to him to get to Sebastian.


    So I have stepped aside, and I am watching the last of the beautiful scenery before getting onto a train to go to France.


    In the distance, I can hear their final words that will be for a while, and that to a Vampire can be a hundred years.


    "My dear brother, I am going to miss you. Please reconsider coming with us. You can always meet up with us in London in a few day''s time."


    "Sebastian, the offer is tempting, but I have built a life here. I do not know if I wish to uproot and go elsewhere now."


    "Then I guess it is time to bid you a farewell."


    Roberto steps in to give Sebastian a very deep and loving hug, and my heart breaks as I know the pain that Sebastian must feel right now. So after a few minutes longer, Roberto walks up to me and gives me an even firmer hug than that of Sebastian.


    "Look after my brother here."


    "Oh, I definitely look after your brother, Roberto."


    "Well, let you two be on your way; the train is about to leave."


    With that, we step onto the platform and into the train. Now, this is a far quicker way to get to France as we would have by car and to honestly say I have never once been on a train in my life before. So I am rather excited about this part of our trip.


    So as the train starts to pull out of the platform, we see how Roberto gets smaller and smaller in the distance; only once we are about fifteen minutes into our journey does Sebastian speak again.


    "My beloved, are you looking forward to France?"


    "Oh yes, please do tell me some of your stories."


    "You want to hear how many people I have killed?" He farrows his brows and looks at me suspiciously. "I see; you want me to forget about being sad?"


    "Perhaps, I do not like seeing your heartbreak, for when yours breaks, it really breaks."


    "I shall be fine, my beloved. I know I will see him again someday."


    And so begins our journey.


    There is nothing but lush green trees and open spaces, mountains, nothing but pure nature out here. I can understand why Roberto wants to stay here. It looks so peaceful and home-like. But,


    "Sebastian, don''t you run out of humans here."


    He bursts out laughing at my silly question, "My beloved, one can never run out of humans. In fact, it is so much easier to hunt them around here, for they are forever wandering off somewhere."


    He pulls me closer to him, and I gently lay my head on his broad shoulder, "I love you, Sebastian."


    "And, I love you even more."


    And this is how we sit for the next half an hour, just in each other''s arms, watching the most beautiful parts of the world just pass us by.


    Then about twenty minutes away from our destination, he turns to me, "Now, where do you wish to go?"


    "Well, of course, Paris, but first can we to our hotel."


    "Sure, is something the matter?"


    "I am perhaps slightly hungry."


    "Why did you not say before we left?"


    "I did not wish to spoil the moment with Roberto."


    "Then come with me."


    He leads me to the back of the train, where there is what seems a bathroom that is not fit for two people; now, thankfully, there is nobody close enough to see the both of us trying to squeeze ourselves in.


    As we step inside, he firmly locks the door shut. Then with that wicked smile of his, he wraps his hands around my waist and rests them on the small of my back.


    His hands flutter to my face, and he holds it firmly in his hands. The moment that he lay his lips against mine, it is as if we are melting into each other. He kisses me intensely with heated lips that only but burn into my skin. He slightly parts my lips and slowly invades the craving of my hungry mouth. His tongue seeks mine, and we intertwine. Pure, delicious torture is what I feel as he explores my mouth.


    "God, my beloved, I want you."


    ¡­Sebastian POV¡­


    She swallows my answer with her soft lips. I want to touch her body, feel her burning melting hot against my skin. I have the desire to absolutely satisfy her desires. The urgency to have her seems to have grown out of control. Our bodies are trembling and melting. The more she is kissing me, the deeper my hunger grows.


    I slide the straps of her silky dress off her shoulder just to expose her breasts. Then I step back to admire her body.


    "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen in my life."


    Then she runs her hands underneath my shirt over the crevasses and lines of my perfect physique. I lift her from her feet, and she locks her legs tight around my waist. With passion turning white-hot, I whisper to her. "Take me by beloved."


    I watch as she parts her lips and elegantly slides her fangs from underneath them. I tilt my head to the side and feel as she presses the tips of her razor-sharp teeth against my skin. She teases the delicate flesh with the tip of her tongue; it drives my arousal to a deep throbbing.


    "My beloved, please."


    Then slowly, she drives her fangs firmly into my neck, the blood comes running down my shirt as she sucks it with great force. The harder she goes, the deeper I ache. She takes her hand and slips it into my pants, the minute I growl; she sucks even harder.


    "Anastasia, please, my beloved. I want more."


    I watch as she licks the blood that is coming from my open wound, then in an instant, she slams into me again. She grips and sinks deep. She takes drop by drop with total ecstasy from my body. The harder she sucks, the firmer she grows. She takes me in her hand, and she rubs my erection to great torture.


    The strokes me even faster and harder and firmer. The more she drinks, the wetter the tip of my arousal grows. I feel my body build towards a peak as she satisfies me with both her hand and her mouth. With a shuttering moan, she brings me to a climax just as she slips her beautiful fangs from my delicate skin.


    Then she turns to me, "God, that is just what I needed. Are you hungry?"


    "If we do it again, then we are never leaving this space, and I believe we are close to our destination."


    Our first stop is Paris; well, I knew that my beloved would fall in love with the City of Light or, as they also say, City of Love.


    Now it houses all the finest designer names, well I was mistaken when she told me that she is not a woman that likes such early things. So instead, I took her to the Eiffel Tower, Versailles Palace, Sacre Coeur, and lastly to the Notre Dame Cathedral.


    For three days, we got lost in the city that is known for its romantic ambiance, gastronomy, fashion, and art. Sadly on our last day, we made a quick trip to the Luxembourg Gardens.


    Our stop at Lyon was a trip that showed us magnificent architecture. There were several districts that offered their own share of interesting things. We specifically went around to see the Gothic Churches; why I am not quite sure, but they captured her attention. The cobblestone streets took us throughout the city as we explored the shops and other attractions


    Then we moved south to Luberon; we stop here to see the lush forests, the beautiful fields of lavender. My beloved was captivated by the colorfully painted house. Then we got a slight bit naughty and had a quick meal at the farmer''s market. In fact, I think the gentleman was a real farmer.


    Our stop at Marseille was one to remember. The Roman ruins and medieval architecture are a sight to behold. My beloved could not quite take the smell as we went past the ferry boats and luxury yachts. When I suggest we should buy ourselves one; she firmly denied my desire.


    The very last stop we made was at the French Riviera. Now I left this one for very last for I thought my beloved would love this place that is the playground for the rich and famous. I know she is into her tabloids, always looking for a news story on a celebrity.


    The first place we went was to the museums and art galleries to seek Picasso''s work that is displayed in them.


    Of course, we went to St. Tropez and Monaco; unfortunately, we''re not at the right time to make the Cannes Film Festival. But overall, I think my beloved enjoyed the French Riviera the most.


    After a week spent here, we finally boarded a plane that shall take us back to London. Now we did enjoy the trip away, but in a way, we are glad that we are back to where we should be.


    The entire flight home, my beloved tried to convince me of the reasons why we should move to Scotland. Even though the thought does entice me, I will never leave my duties as Vampire Master, and this is what she understands the most.


    Finally, after a quiet flight, we are stepping off onto the tarmac at the airport. There waiting for us is Edward, but yes, this man has a look on his face that does just spell trouble.


    "Edward, I warn you, if you have bad news, then I am turning around and heading back to Scotland."


    "Sebastian, nothing is wrong. Let me take you back home."


    "You seem to forget I can read your mind. But yes, please take us home; I would like to rest."


    "Sebastian," my beloved says, "I somehow think you are not going to."


    "I know, my beloved. I am just ignoring him."

 Chapter 164 - Load Of My Shoulders

    ...Edward POV¡­


    We seem to have become a bit of a problem; now, I do not wish to ruin Sebastian''s return after he had this time to unwind and return to himself. Well, while he was away, we dealt with our great problem. Now, nobody knows of this yet; apart from Lilith, Zachariah, and me, we have kept it purposely away from the Windchaser boys.


    So I have just collection, Sebastian and Anastasia from the airport and we are returning home. While he was away, we moved back into our previous home that is now repaired, and we conveniently burned the one done where this entire incident happened.


    Now I know that Sebastian can read my mind, so I have occupied it with a certain lady still awaiting my return at home. I brought her home from the pub last night, and I am yet still to have my pleasure with her.


    This has now proven as the perfect cover to hide from Sebastian what truly is going on. So as I see him in the rearview mirror, I can see the man has a rather annoying wicked smile on his face.


    "Sebastian, is there any reason for that godawful thing?"


    "Edward, I believe a little petite blonde in red lace underwear is waiting for you at home."


    "You do know that one''s thoughts are meant to be private?"


    "My dear brother, if you have a gift, then you must use it. Now, you can go have your little petite blonde, but after that, you will come to tell me what the real problem is."


    I only but nod my head, well I can say on both counts I am relieved, the pressure on both shall be taken off, well I shall be rid of one big load.


    So as we get home, I head for my room in an instant. I can hear the water of the shower is running; the beauty must be there waiting for me.


    As I shred my body from clothing, I give myself a once-off over in front of the tall mirror. With biceps that clench and flex, and abs that tighten with every move, I make my way over to the hot and steamy shower.


    And hot and steamy is the blonde waiting for me in nothing but her tiny red lace panties on.


    Her hands work their way around my body, feeling each crevasse, each line along with my perfect physique. She presses her soft lips against my skin. Then she pulls me into the shower. I will let her be in control only for a few more minutes; after that, she will be mine to take.


    She sways her hips seductively as she presses herself into me, then I spin her around and presses her into the glass, rubbing her tight ass into me. Then I spin her back around again.


    I step forward, pressing her body against the glass, pinning her hands over her head. The steam has built up, and the water is beating down on their bodies. She splays her hand against my chest and tries to whisper; I only but places a finger against her sweet cherry red lips.


    I hover my lips over the tip of her ear; the warmth of my breath makes her shiver. Then I take my hand to her trembling cheek. I cannot keep the fight against the thoughts that are running through my mind, which is flooding my senses.


    I stare into her deep brown eyes and watch as she melts like jelly in my hand. I smile at her before I gently lean in. The sound of her heart is beating so loud that I can barely concentrate on anything else. I feel like I am going to explode.


    Then I softly whisper to her, "I am going to kiss you."


    I slowly start moving my lips, breath by breath closer to hers.


    The moment they touch, the world vanishes. Her lips are softer than he imagined. My lips are firm against hers, but the kiss remains soft, gentle, and slow. I hold it for a few seconds before our lips begin to move in perfect sync.


    My eyes fall closed; all I want is to feel is her. The warmth of her touch, the sweet taste of her lips, the growing agony that she brings to my body.


    My only desire is to touch her, to move my hands over the smooth curves of her body, and feel her perfect softness. The passion takes over my entire body. I tangle her hair in my hand and lightly pulls her closer to me.


    My hungry mouth is parting her trembling lips; she inflicts sensations that he has not felt before. As I delve inside, the kiss gets deeper and deeper. Her velvety lips are imprinting themselves like a footprint in the snow.


    Then I slowly pull away and looks into those deep brown eyes of her.


    I take her by the hand and leads her out of the shower.


    Then I press her back into the wall behind her. With my left hand, I pin her hands above her head and drives my naked body into her, pinning her completely so she cannot move.


    She gasps, and just as she is about to say his name, I bring my finger up to her lips. I can feel her warms breath rapidly breathing against the tips. She tries to speak, but I suddenly cover her mouth to make her stop. All I want to focus on is her, the warmth that is spreading through his body.


    She tries to free her hands, but he only pins her more firmly into the wall. Every protest she makes, makes me crave her more. Then I slide my hand over her tight ass and push her deep into my raging erection. My mouth moves away from her lips and runs slowly down her neck, then gently over her collarbone; I softly bite into the edge of her shoulders. I grind myself into her as I move my lips to her ears.


    "You are mine. Please just give in."


    She immediately stops fighting and lets me roam her again, coming inches close to her breasts. I can hear her breathing heavily as my tongue finds her cleavage, but as soon as I start, I stop again. I move back to her lips and kisses her; for one more second, I let her be in charge, not truly giving away my true intention.


    Then I spin her around and drops her down to her knees. She does not protest. She trails her fingers over my ever-growing erection. Then she runs her soft, delicate hand up and down my shaft. I growl deep from his chest.


    Then she has my full six-seven inches filling her mouth.


    I grind on my teeth and utters a few strangled words underneath my breath.


    "God, yes, baby."


    She gently bites down on the tip of my throbbing head. Her skillful tongue dance around the tip of my pulsating head. With each flick, she sends sensations that have my toes curling and my ass squirming against the wall. She nips and nibbles; I am growing harder with every glorious movement she makes.


    Then her lips form a tight grip around her head, and she slowly starts to suck. I groan and whimper.


    "Fuck, yes, baby."


    She sucks harder, and god does she know how to suck it just right. I watch her as her head moves back and forth, then up and down, taking me deeper and deeper with every stroke.


    My ass is squirming against the wall; I want her so fucking bad, so I tangle her hair in my hands and start controlling her head, making her take me even deeper and faster.


    I bite down on my lips and tightens my grip; under stuttering breaths, I growl.


    "Oh, god...Fuck...Faster..."


    She hollows her cheeks and sucks me even harder and faster. Her head is bobbing on and over me. Her head is bobbling in perfect sync. Her hands and tongue are doing things I have never felt before, well, at least not from her. But for today, she will just do.


    I can feel the tension start to build; the warm tingles are spreading over my body. I am squirming; I am throbbing; I am coming undone.


    "Yes, baby, that is it."


    I throw my head back against the wall and topples over into orgasm. My knees are shaking, and I go week. With one big hoarse groan, I completely shatter and finds my release.


    As she gets up to go get dressed, I pull her back, "Oh, honey, I am not done yet."


    Our eyes gradually meet; I spin her around and holds her up by her ass and dig my fingers deep into her flesh. Then I slowly drive in from behind her, glorious inch by inch. A growl escapes through my lips. She is soft and warm and every bit so inviting. The sex is raw and fierce.


    The things she is making me feel should be a sin. I slowly start to move within her, taking the edge of the ache, but only to make it so much worse again. With every move, I slam my thick erection in a little deeper but then pulling all the way out again. Then once deeper and all the way out again.


    I can feel her inner muscles clamp around me like a hot glove. I keep up my rhythm relentlessly. Teasing her agonizingly slow. With each stroke, I slide my hot throbbing flesh completely into her. As I drive in deeper with each thrust, I increase my pace.


    Her fingers drive into my tight ass as I keep taking her over and over. She surrenders to all I am doing to her; she surrenders to everything I am making her feel.


    I hit her sweet spot perfectly, and it is almost too much for her to cope with. I know what I am doing, and I love it. I know that I am going to fuck her hard and deep.


    Then a flash of heat spreads over my body; it feels like my entire body is blushing and on fire. For the second time, I relax into my orgasm, relishing in the wave of pleasure that is tingling over my skin.


    As she goes to get dressed and leaves, I have another shower.


    Once I am done, I go to find Sebastian downstairs.


    "Sebastian, do not say a word."


    "Nice, blonde brother. So how was she."


    I watch as Anastasia smacks him real hard against the head. Then he turns to me with a somewhat serious face. "Now, what is the problem?"


    "We sort of lost Stefan."

 Chapter 165 - In Love For Eternity

    I think I have said this before, and I shall say this once again. Edward is nothing but a bearer of bad news. It is like a pesky little bug that follows you around. Now, if I did not love the man so much, I would have slapped him a long time ago.


    But what does concern me is that why he is he coming with this to me now, for I have clearly made a promise to both my beloved and the Windchaser boys.


    My hunting days are over.


    "My dear Edward, I do not see how this is my problem. Yes, it is a concern that the child got away from you, but it is not my problem to go find him. Now I shall inform the Windchaser boys."


    "But my dear Sebastian, it is..."


    "It is nothing. It is not my problem to go solve. But please do amuse me and explain how it is that you did so?"


    "Well," Edward starts. "After the Windchawer boys dealt with Lucius in their way, they suggested that we follow our Vampire Code and take care of our own."


    "Just wait one second there," I step a rather disturbing step towards Edward. "They said what?"


    "Well, perhaps we insisted that we need to deal with Stefan."


    My voice raises two tones higher in rage, and I now have him nearby the throat, "We underestimated Stefan once, and now he has done it yet again. Your suggestion was foolish. That is why they call themselves hunters. The matter should have been resolved, and why on earth do you still make use of the dungeon?"


    "Well, I thought it would still get handy one day?"


    "Oh, believe me, it has just gotten handy."


    I turn back to Anastasia that does not know if she should perhaps just remain quiet or burst out in somewhat uncontrollable laughter.


    "Sebastian, what can a silly boy like Stefan do. He had to get the help of Elloise. The little boy is alone now."


    "He is young and reckless. The worst kind of Vampire you can get. You had my guidance; he shall live as he sees fit and how."


    "But then he shall be taken care of then?"


    I only but shake my head in frustration. The one wants me to go hunt him and the other to leave him alone. What is the purpose of asking me if they are going to make up their minds up the way they want? I am remaining with my choice. I shall not become the hunter. This shall be the work of those that are born themselves to do so.


    "There is no need to further discuss this. I shall make the Windchaser boys aware of the problem. And after they nearly rip me apart, then I am going to live my Vampire life in peace. The only other problem I ever want to hear from you, my dear Edward, is relationship advice. But that I shall recommend not to take."


    With that, I make my leave and head upstairs to my bedroom, but as I turn back, I see Anastasia still faffing around with Edward over Stefan.


    "My beloved, are you with me, or shall we be staying in separate rooms? I shall not let anyone defy my decision, and that includes Edward and you."


    Anastasia only but shakes her head at me and comes in a rather big huff upstairs. From the look on her face, it seems that I shall be getting lip from her the moment we step inside the room, and oh, believe me, it is not the kind that I wish for.


    So as we step through the door, and she firmly shuts it, she slowly walks on over to where I am undressing my coat.


    "Thank you."


    "Thank you for what, my beloved?"


    "For keeping your promise."


    "But I thought you were standing with Edward on this."


    "Oh, no. I just told him that he has awful taste in women."


    "My beloved, you know how some men are, they only...and believe me from the things he was thinking, I would say that I was rather blushed."


    She spins around in a circle and glances over the room with a frown on her face, yet a smile as well. Then she comes to a stop once again and looks deep into the bottom of my eyes.


    "So what do we do now?"


    "What do you mean?"


    "If we are not going to run after things all day and night. What are we going to do with ourselves?"


    "We live normal lives; the only benefit is that we get to live it for longer than most people do."


    "But that does sound boring, though."


    "Was your life not the same as before now? There is nothing exciting about being a Vampire depends on what kind of lifestyle you wish to choose for yourself, but in the end, you are still living the life that a normal person will do."


    "So, can I become some biker girl cruising the streets of London?"


    "I do believe that shall be rather disturbing, and I do not see myself the kind of biker dude."


    She bursts out in laughter once more and clasps her hands around my neck, "You just said, dude."


    "I believe that I did. But you get what I mean. You can be anything you want to be."


    "Then can I go back and finish medical school?"


    "And eat your patients?"


    "Of course not; I would rather hunt for my prey. There they will be given to you and be poorly ill as well. I do like my meals to be up to a standard."


    "If you wish to do so, then you should desire as your heart seeks."


    "And you, what do you desire?"


    She does bring a good question. I have been a Vampire for such a long time that I truly really do not know that it is what I desire from this life.  Yes, my purpose was to always find love. Now I do. Is this where it ends for me?


    I have all the wealth and power in the world and the woman by my side to share this with; what else is it that I could possibly want?


    Should we truly then live our lives as boring humans?


    I am not asking should I become a hunter; that is not the question. What else is out there? What is it that this destiny of mine should be?


    Well, I have an entire eternity to figure that out. As long as I am with Anastasia by my side, there is nothing else that matters.


    As I turn around after hanging my coat off the rack, I watch how she is elegantly sliding her fingers down her slender legs to uncup her stilettos. I admire her beauty for but a moment before I move in next to her and run my fingers down her calf and slip the other and drop it on the floor.


    When I turn back to look into her eyes, I tuck a loose hair behind her ear and softly whisper, "My beloved, I love you."


    Pulling me closer in a gentle hug, she speaks to me slowly, "And I love you too, Sebastian."


    "Do you know that it has been a year today that we met each other in that dark alley?"


    "Really? A year. It feels like an eternity."


    I only but chuckle at her; it has been quite the ride; for the past year, she had taught me more than what I know when  I was a human even. She not only taught me what it is to practice self-control but also patience. Yet there is still a lot to tame about this man, the thing she taught me the most is love.


    After picking her up and softly dropping her body elegantly, and let it disappear between the silk sheets, I shift my body close to her and let my gaze fall on her eyes. For everything that she has been through, her beauty is still beyond compare. After every creature and even losing her beauty, she is still a sight to behold.


    So I gently lean over and pin her between my arms, my lips run down from the tip of the sensitive part of her ear to the nape of her neck. With slow hungry kisses, I cover the length of her shoulder and move back up to her sweet cherry lips.


    Then with one word, "Please." I slide my fangs from underneath my lips and press them hard against her soft skin. I nip and nibble and scratch them up and down her neck, driving her slowly insane. Then from out of nowhere, she sits up straight, and without any elegance at all, she slams her fangs deep within my neck and grabs firm.


    My very first instant is to react, and I drive my fangs even deeper in than hers. I cry out in absolute ecstasy as she starts drawing each drop from me with pure hard force. Just the amount of roughness I desire to feel from her lips.


    With that, I grab hold of her hair and pull her head to give me more access. I dive in with pure pleasure as I suck and take every drop that I so desire. It gives me a complete rush through my body and ignites all that built-up tension that I have been holding in for only but mere hours.


    As she takes and I give, she gives, and I take some more. In a moment of seven sensations of pleasure, we have our fangs firmly held within in the delicate skin of our neck, just feeding off each other.


    After for what is another minute, we both finally drop back onto the bed, and she looks at me, "Now that is better than sex."


    "My beloved, I do disagree, but that feels near like heaven. And heaven is what you are. Let us remain like this for eternity."


    "We shall remain like this for eternity."


    So with another few hours spent in the blissful peace within our room, Anastasia makes her way downstairs to go find Lilith. Moments later, she returns with a rather bothered look on her face.


    "My beloved, what seems to be the matter?"


    "I think we might have a problem downstairs."


    I only look at her in disbelief, "Are you now taken Edward''s role."


    ***THE END***


    SECOND BOOK - CRAVING TEMPTATION: LECAGY OF A VAMPIRE