Dawning Horizons

Gyra and I were sitting across from each other in a carriage by ourselves. Ravyn and Darvis were in one at the front of the procession and were were the last one, leaving four total. Everything was taken care of as far as my 'family home' was concerned, and depending on how things went would depend on whether or not I returned. If I didn't, I would over-see if from Ravyn's hometown or wherever else I saw fit.

“Did you read the books this time?” Gyra's voice cut through my thoughts and the silence in the carriage. We hadn't spoken to each other since the night before.

“The important parts, yes.”

“Ariyana” She said exasperatingly.

“Don't start with me Gyra. I picked out the important chapters to read now, I packed the books so you don't have to worry. As time requires I'll read more.” I said evenly looking out the window of the carriage.

“Well, did you at least look into what powers you have.”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I'm human.” I said curtly, giving a sigh as I looked towards her.

“Ariyana, we've been through this.”

“No, WE haven't. I've been told that I'm not human by everyone. I've never noticed any other changes and when I do then I'll explore it further.”

“Ariyana. Stop being so stubborn and stupid. You could really get yourself into some trouble at his estate if you're not careful. “

“And what does it matter.” I say as I shoot her a glare. “Why does any of this matter.”

“I thought after our conversation..” She starts softly.

“Yea well, that's what you get for thinking..” I say smartly, returning my gaze out the window.

“'Yana..what's..”

“Don't” I say softly to her cutting her off.

“You know about the bite..”

“Bite?” I say looking to her. “What about the bite?”

“Oh..uh..” She clears her throat shifting slightly on her seat. “Well..that uhm..”

“It'll make me desire him..yea I read that.” I say softly, glancing down.

“Is that what has you so tense and short?”

“I..I don't know.” I sigh exasperatingly. “What am I going to do Gyra..I read the books. I read up on what powers I could have, but I haven't noticed a change or even felt one for that matter.”

“I don't know maybe you just need to give it time.”

“I guess.” I say softly as I look down at my lap.

“Look, Ariyana..about Ravyn biting you..”

The sound of a horn blowing cuts Gyra short and we both look out the window just as we are entering the gates to Ravyn's estate.

I flash her a small smile. “We'll talk later.” I return my gaze out the widow before sinking back into my seat slightly as I see face after face of vamypre pass me by, followed my occasional weak looking human one. Most of the humans I saw were in rags of some sort, or had slave collars on.

“Don't worry..you won't be mistaken for one..” Gyra says as if reading my mind.

“That's not what I am worried about..” I say softly.

“You won't try to do anything irrational will you?” She asks me cautiously.

“No..I'm not that stupid Gyra..I just never expected.”

“Yea, but those are the ones who refuse to 'play nice'” She says to me softly.

“I know...it's just hard to see..” I say softly.

The carriage stops and a well dressed human male opens our door. “Ladies” he says softly, extending a hand out.

Gyra is the first to stand, taking his hand and giving him a small nod. “Thank you..”

I follow after her, giving the male a small smile while I do my best not to let my gaze linger on the singular golden hoop in his right ear.

“That's to show he's not to be bled. He holds class, and while he may not be free he is to be respected.” Gyra whispered in my ear as she looped her arm in mine and led me into the large castle behind Darvis and Ravyn.

“Ah..” I say softly as I lean a bit closer in against her.

Ravyn stops, talking with what I can assume is the head of the servants as Darvis heads back towards us.

“We've arranged for you two to have rooms right beside each other. You'll have your own maid a piece, but if you choose to go out or to go wandering I don't suggest you go by yourselves. Either go with your maids or each other. Word traveled faster than we expected and some of the..” He paused a minute his voice dropping. “upper class and servants aren't very happy about 'common folk' being here.” He finished speaking just as two females came towards us. Gyra was given a vampyre as best I could guess because my maid had a silver choker on and hers had nothing.

The ladies bowed to us, Gyra's introducing herself as Tori, and mine introducing herself as Amarette. “If you will follow us please.” They spoke in unison in such a creepy voice that Gyra and I shot each other a look before following them.

Gyra shrugged her shoulders a small smile playing at her lips. “I'm.

“Gyra, and you are Ariyana” Spoke up the one named Tori.

“Uh yea..” I spoke softly. “Nice to meet you..”

“Hnn..” She said softly before walking a couple of steps ahead of us.

“Don't mind her” Amarette spoke softly. “She's just mad because your friend has taken Darvis' fancy”

I guess Tori over heard her because she shot Amarette a dirty look. “If you are done talking Amarette you can show your mistress to her room.”

Amarettes' cheeks turned a deep red as she curtsied” Yes ma'am. This way please” She said turning to me.

I gave Gyra a small smile, mouthing the words 'good luck' to her as I was led to my room and she was led down the hall to hers.

Gyra rolled her eyes at me flashing a smile as she followed after Tori. I felt mildly bad for my friend but she had a good sense of humor so she'd probably end up having fun with Tori.

“Your bathroom is attached to the left, there's a walk in closet to your right.” Amarette spoke to me as she moved to open the curtains of the main window, showing I had a balcony. “There really isn't much in there as we didn't know your size. Only what Lord Darvis had sent ahead. We'll go shopping later in the week if you like.”

I smiled to her, she had such a sweet voice I almost wondered how I got lucky enough to have her. Maybe Ravyn set it up that way. “Are you..” I started softly, not really sure how to word what I wanted to know.

“Am I a slave?” She pressed softly as if she read my mind.

“Well no..I mean..” My cheeks turned a soft red. I was more curious to know if she were a willing worker or held against her will. There wasn't much in my book about collars and I hadn't had much of a chance to see other female servants around the estate yet. “It's just..your neck..”

Her hand moved to it and her cheeks turned soft red. “Oh..no. I'm not a slave. I'm...well the groundskeeper is my husband..he's a convert..and so I wear this to show that I'm not touchable.”

“Oh..” I blush a deeper red. “Is that why Tori was so curt with you..”

“Sorta..she doesn't feel that humans and vampyres should mix. My husband was converted before we got married.”

“Oh Well...how is it here.?” I ask her as I look around the room.

“Mistress..Lord Darvis had me briefed on your...situation..” She said with hesitation on the last word. “I believe it's why I was chosen. It's not bad here at all. You have those who are more closed minded then others, but if you steer clear of them they'll generally give you no trouble. I've got to see about getting you some fresh linens and other necessities. Is there anything in particular you would like?”

“No..thank you very much Amarette.” I say smiling softly as she walks towards the door.

“Just..be mindful of his warning. Don't wander unless either myself or your companion or Master Ravyn is with you.”

“Amarette, what is the big deal about not going off by myself?” I ask her just as she goes to open the door.

“It's just...like I said..and your situation is more delicate..you just..” She paused a frustrated look coming on her face.

“What do you mean my 'delicate situation'?”

She flashes me a sad smile and shakes her head. “I'm sorry missus..ask Master Ravyn..” She turns after that and heads out the door, closing it with a soft clack behind her.

“Oh, I intend to.” I say softly so myself. Just as I go to head out onto the balcony there is a soft knock before Gyra comes into my room, shutting the door behind her and leaning against it. Her face is beat red.

“What..”

“I swear, I'm gonna kill that woman.” She hisses walking over to my bed and throwing herself on it.

I can't help but giggle as I walk over towards her. “I take it you and Tori don't get along very well.”

“C'mon 'Yana. You know me. I can hold my tongue really well, but she is rude to me she is insulting and then she acts like I'm below her.” My friend turned to me giving me a smug expression that caused me to giggle. “It's not funny! That's what her face is basically stuck in.”

“So ask for someone else?”

“I tried..Darvis said he's the only one she trusts me with, and when I mentioned to him why she didn't like me because it's painfully obvious he just chuckled at me told me to let my charm work it's magic and that he'd see what he could do.”

“Which basically means you're stuck.”

“Can we trade?”

I shake my head laughing at her. “I don't think I would fare any better with her, and Amarette has been briefed on my 'delicate situation'.” I say to her adding emphasis on that last bit.

“Delicate situation..” She says the words softly as if mulling over them as she looks to me.

“Don't ask me. Maybe because Ravyn is fond of me?”

“Maybe. It could also be that your a half-ling and in case you didn't notice those are few around here. Converts are more common than half-lings.” She says sitting up on her elbows.

“Maybe. Could also have something to do with who my mother was too.” I say softly as I glance down at my lap.

“Do you look like her?”

“I don't know honestly. I can't remember what she looks like and I don't have a picture of her. I have one of my father, but I don't really look much like him at all.”

“Yea..I know. Are you thinking he may not be your real father?”

“I don't know honestly.” I say as I fall to my back on the bed putting my hands behind my head. “Ravyn seems to think I've got more vampyre blood in me than human so maybe I'm the product of a full and a half-ling or two half-lings..”

“So...did Amarette explain anything about your so called delicate situation to you?”

I shake my head turning to look at her. “That's the funny part. She acted weird. Almost as if she couldn't talk about it and told me that I needed to talk to Ravyn if I wanted to know more.”

“Are you going to?”

“Maybe. I'm not sure. I might try to figure some stuff out on my own.”

“And how are we going to do that little miss detective?” She says giving me a nudge in my side.

“With your help of course, we can go explore. Obviously if my mother was tied to Ravyn somehow that would mean he must have something around here pertaining to her.”

“I dunno about that one, all of that happened before the war ended remember? And besides..if you do find something are you sure you want to find it by snooping?”

“Not exactly, but he hasn't seemed too open about talking about her before, so I doubt he would now. And I can't go by myself so c'mon. It'll give you a break from your new friend.” I saw teasingly as I roll on my side to face her.

“I dunno 'Yana. Seems like a really shady and sketchy idea. I mean this castle is huge and what if we get caught someplace we aren't supposed to be?”

“We can claim innocence because no one told us what areas are off limits.”

“Locked doors are usually off limits.” She says to me evenly.

“Well then we won't go into them.”

“And if every door we come to is locked?”

“Where is your sense of adventure?” I say in a mock whining tone ignoring her question.

“I don't recall ever having one.” She says to me, giving me a serious look.

“Boooring” I flop onto my back once more letting out a sigh.

“I'm just saying..it's our first day..”

“And we've been stuck in that carriage for three quarters of it, I wanna stretch my legs.”

“So lets go walk outside.”

“And how do you know that isn't 'off limits' too?” I say copying her tone from before.

“Touche” She says with a soft giggle as she glances to me.

“We get caught I swear I'm putting full blame on you.”

I sit up and laugh gently. “Ah well I'm not exactly on Ravyn's best side as it is so I'll accept those terms. Now come on!”

She shakes her head at me as we stand up. “You're either really stupid, or very smart and you just hide it.”

I stick my tongue out at her, grabbing a cingular candelabra and some matches.

“Really Ariyana?” She says in a motherly tone.

“What? We're less likely to get caught with candlelight.”

“The castle has electricity..”

“And we'll get caught if we enter a room and turn them on.”

“So you DO plan on breaking into locked rooms.”

“No..not exactly..but look at it this way. I can try and see what new vampyre senses I have.”

“I dunno..” She says shaking her head as she walks with me towards the door.

“Oh come on. What's the worst that could happen.”

“We could get lost, and put Ravyn and Darvis in a panic get caught some place we aren't supposed to be and then be punished. This isn't our small little town anymore dummy.”

I wave my hand at her, shushing her as I slowly open the door. “Oh please.” I whisper softly to her. I paid attention to the rooms as we were walking this way, I saw a library down the hall. We'll start small and as we get shown more of the castle go from there.

“Ariyana, this is supposed to be a vacation for me. I don't want to spend the month sneaking around this damned castle.” She hisses at me as we step out into the quiet hall.

“You won't have to.” I say softly, walking as quickly and quietly as I can towards the library.

“And just what does that mean?” She says very nearly in my ear as she follows closely behind me.

“I'll get Ravyn or Amarette to show me around too. I've got a good memory you know that.”

“As most vampyres do.” She says in response, earning herself a dirty look from me.

“Look, we're here.” I say pointing to a set of double doors across from the main staircase leading upstairs.

“And why are we sneaking into someplace with the doors open?” She whispers to me.

“We aren't” I say in a bit of a louder tone, walking normally towards it. Once we're inside I close the door with a soft clack.

“Why did you do that?” She says softly, groaning afterward.

“Because there's probably a study or hidden room around here someplace. He's a Master after all so he's probably got some sort of room where he conducts his business around here.”

“So you are planning on sneaking around?” She punches me softly in the arm.

“Only a little.” I flash her an innocent smile, before my face lights up as I spot a door behind her. “Aha! Hidden door, told you so.”

“Ariyana, what if we get caught? We can't exactly hide from them. They are full bloods, and while the powers differ someone of Ravyns stature would at least have a highly sensitive sense of smell that would at the very least pick YOU out.”

“Then I'll be the one to get caught and suffer for it and you can sneak out once I'm caught” I say dismissively as I walk towards the door. I put my ear against it and when I am sure there isn't anyone inside I push gently until it softly swings inward and open. I let out a sigh when I realize the windows are covered with heavy dark drapes. That means the candle light won't show. I flash Gyra a smile as I light the candle and walk in. “coming?” I say softly.

She comes in after me closing the door behind her. “How did you know what to look for and how to open it?” She whispers to me as I walk over to a file cabinet.

“I used to hunt at night, remember,” I say as I laugh softly and begin to look through the first drawer.

“What are we looking for?” She asks me as she walks over to a bookshelf.

“I don't know really..but if she is my mother, I'll know if I find a picture or something.”

“You mean..like that one?” she says softly, and I look up realizing she's pointing to an oil painting above his desk.

“uh..” My words stop as I look up and come face to face with my own image. Beside my 'mother' stands Ravyn.

“woah..” Gyra whispers softly. “Creepy”

“That's..”

“Yea..but..if you were his..I mean..he wouldn't..it's against..” She stutters slightly as she walks towards me.

“They sure look happy” I say softly

“Ariyana..” She starts

“Lets go..” I say as I walk towards the door of the study.

“Wait” She hisses softly as she grabs my arm and yanks me back. “Someone is coming..put that out” She says as she moves to blow out the candle.

“Are you stupid? They'll smell it..there's got to be another door.” I say as I look around frantically. “There!” I hiss as I grab her arm and yank her towards the back, throwing the door open and darting inside.

“what is this?” She says squinting slightly.

“Probably a secret exit in case the castle is raided. But shh” I say as the voices now get louder and we hear them enter the room. I recognize Darvis' but can not place the one who is with him. The door is heavy, so very little light shines through so they wouldn't be able to tell we were in here, especially not with the light for the room on.

“Did you leave the cabinet open again Stark?” Darvis asks the man with him, walking over to it and closing it.

“I didn't think I had Lord Darvis. But I was called out of here unexpectedly when you arrived ahead of schedule.”

“Just be glad I was the one who found it and not Ravyn” Darvis says chidingly. “In any event are the papers together as he requested?”

“Yes, all we need is the blood sample” Stark says handing Darvis the pile of papers.

“we've already got that. Lets go Ravyn is anxious to get this past him.”

I hear the door close and let out a small sigh as I look to Gyra. “that was close..” I whisper softly to her.

“yea but now how are we going to sneak out? The library door is probably open now and someone could be in there.” She whispers back to me angrily.

“Well..obviously this has to lead someplace and most likely out..”

“Oy..I so hope this was worth it.” She says to me as we begin to walk down the dark hallway.

After what feels like forever, we finally come to another door. Shoving gently it opens into a small cave, that leads out into the borders of Ravyn's gardens. “Phew..”

“Remind me to never listen to you again.” She hisses at me, brushing spider webs off of her.

“Blah blah blah” I say softly to her as we walk towards the castle.

“There you are” Amarette said breathlessly as she walked towards us. “Dinner was over an hour ago. Have you two been out here for the past hour?”

“ah..heh yea sorry..” Gyra said softly, elbowing me in the side.

“Yea the lake was so pretty I've never seen one before..” I say a bit nervously.

“Well, I covered saying you both were resting in Lady Ariyana's room and were too fatigued from your journey for dinner.”

“thank you..” Gyra and I say in unison as we begin to follow her towards the castle.

“We'll take the servants entrance and sneak you in that way. I'm certain you both must be starved so I'll have to cook make you some broth.”

“that would be great.” I say flashing Gyra a smile as we walk into the castle.

She shoots me a death glare and shakes her head as we walk towards the door out of the kitchen.

Once in my room, Gyra punches me hard in the arm. “No more Ariyana...promise me..”

“But I have to..I mean you saw the picture..”

“No I didn't.” She says evenly “And neither did you remember?”

“But..”

“No.” She says to me. “Now I am going to my room to clean up. You should do the same. And just let it go Ariyana.”

I shake my head as I watch her walk out of my room. “I can't..” I say softly. I went over to the closet and open it up looking inside. Amarette had already put the few dresses I brought with me inside, and I saw the ones that had been left for me. Glancing over to the clock I saw it was nearing ten at night and grabbed a sleeping gown instead of a regular one. I walked into the bathroom, running a hot bath and adding some of the bath oils that had been sitting by the tub. I couldn't place the exact scent of the bottle I had used, but it was something floral.

Once I washed all the grime off my body I crawled out of the tub, and got dressed. I had just put my rob on when there was a soft knock on my door.

“Come in”

I was expecting to see Amarette but instead I saw Ravyn standing there. “I hope you are feeling better.” He said shutting the door softly behind him.

“Oh..I'm sorry...Amarette told me I missed dinner. I apologize..”

He waved his hand dismissively. “Don't be, it wasn't a formal affair. However, I would ask the next time you choose to explore my lands you at least alert myself or Amarette. It's not very safe around here like your little village Ariyana.”

My cheeks turned a deep red as I looked up to him. “Oh..I..”

“Yes, Amarette covered for you, but Tori saw you guys sneaking in.” He chuckled softly. “I hear she and Gyra don't get a long well.”

“Amarette didn't know..she just didn't want to get us into any trouble..” I said quickly. “Please don't be mad at her.”

“I'm not.” He smiled softly. “I'd have known anyway.”

“How..?”

He chuckled softly, tapping his nose.

I scrunched mine up shaking my head. “And you may want to find someone else for Gyra. She's a really patient person but you leave her with Tori and she may end up killing her.”

“Yes, I gathered that much from Darvis. I'm looking into it, but my hands are rather tied in this situation. Despite how she is acting towards your friend, she really is the best one for the job. I've had Darvis talk to her, though that may have made the situation worse. If so then I shall talk to her. I do value her as an employee but I will not stand for her treating my guests badly.”

“Yea, it probably will make it worse. I guess she has a thing for Darvis?” I say chuckling softly as I sit down on my bed, motioning for him to take a seat.

He sat down at the desk that was a few feet from the door. “She has been swooning over Darvis since she started work here. Has done everything under her power to win his affection. So you can imagine her distaste when she loses him to a commoner.” He laughed softly, and I realized how rare it was to hear it but how nice it was.

“Forgive me..but I thought she..does she really hold that much rank over Gyra?”

“No. Gyra does not work under anyone, but she has worked in this house, so she holds herself higher. And in a sense she's right to do so, but the line is thin. If that makes any sense.” He said tilting his head slightly. I guess he saw my quizzical look.

“With other 'lower' workers whether they be in this house or not she has rank but not with anyone who is 'free' right?”

“Basically. I'll just talk to her. If I tell her that I feel I may need to give the job to someone else she'll up her game. She's very competitive, and something like that wouldn't go unnoticed she'd be the center of gossip for a while.” He chuckled once more shaking his head.

“That's kinda petty..but..is that the reason you came here? To tell me you know I wasn't asleep?”

“And that I know you snuck into my study. My butler saw you and when he followed after to see if you needed anything he didn't see you in there and came to tell me.”

I swallowed shifting on the bed as I looked down at my lap. “Uh..don't be mad a Gyra..I drug her..”

“Is there a reason you were snooping around in my office?”

“My mother..” I said softly. “Amarette mentioned knowing about my 'delicate' situation..that I should ask you..and..I saw a painting..” I said looking up to him.

Ravyn sighed heavily, shaking his head. “I asked her not to say anything to you...”

“What is my delicate situation Ravyn...? I pressed him, my voice soft.

“It's just..most of the senior staff have been with me since I was a young one..so they know about your mother..and what she did..”

“And the don't like me..?”

“No..i'ts just..”

“Was that her..and you..in the painting..?”

“That was me..and...” He paused a moment looking down. “My previous wife..your mothers sister..”

I looked up suddenly. “Wife..sister...” I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and looked away quickly to stop the tears from falling. Why did it hurt when he mentioned he had been married. “so..”

“Your mother was jealous...she loved me but I did not love her she was deceitful. Your mother and your aunt were twins. An anomaly in the vampyre world. She tried to come onto me one night but I knew the difference. She was furious for a while, but settled down eventually; you see she was married to my older brother. She had begun courting him to hope to win my affection, but I had already fallen in love with your aunt. She married my brother for whatever reason.”

“So..am I..” I interrupted him, daring to look at him through the top of my eye lids.

“No..you are not my brothers child..” His voice sounded pained and I almost regretted asking the question. “But..you are not your 'fathers' child either..”

“Then..” I looked up to him quickly. “Who..”

“Your mother was a half ling like I said, yet you hold more vampyre blood in you than she did in her. That means the one who is your father is likely a very old vampyre. For you to have gained that much. “

“So you don't know who..?”

He shook his head. “You look so much like your mother, the only feature you don't carry is your hazel eyes. But hazel eyes are also an anomaly in the vampyre world. Those who have them are said to carry the blood lines of the ancients in them. Whomever your father is..or maybe even was he was obviously a man of age and power.”

“How would I find him..?”

“I don't know..When I bit you..I took a sample of your blood..I've had it analyzed to make sure you were not my brothers child. The results were startling to say the least. I assumed naturally your hazel eyes were a bi product of your mixed blood. As many humans have hazel eyes, but when I got the results obviously I found out I was wrong.”

“What does it mean Ravyn?” I pressed him, my voice soft.

“It means, that you hold a great power within you Ariyana. But it comes at a cost.”

“A..” I start but he holds a hand up to stop me.

“Usually those with your blood line are weak on power and they capabilities. You however have no limit. That makes it dangerous. For those jealous of you should they ever find out and for those above you. Some would seek to kill you. You see, power such as yours has not been seen in years. The ancients of our race are said to have grown weary of struggling and together combined their powers in one. In doing so the force of it was cut into half, and the results is passed down from ruler to ruler of the vampyre kind. You, hold power power then Lord Daima does..” His voice had softened and it trailed off as he finished his last sentence.

“I..” I swallowed the lump in my throat as I looked at him with wide eyes. “Does..”

“Because I had your blood sample tested, even though it was by my own workers, I was forced to send a message to Lord Daima.” His voice sounded un easy and I wasn't sure why.

“What..what does that mean..”

“I told him however, that you believed yourself to be human and were very adamant about not consuming blood of any sort.”

“And..?”

“And I am waiting for a reply..”

“If I hadn't snooped..would you have told me..?”

“I..”He let out a sigh. “I honestly don't know. It would depend on what Lord Daima's response is. Even I fear him Ariyana. There is no telling what he will do.”

“If..” My cheeks flushed red as I looked down at my lap. “If we were mated..could he..”

“It is not a common act..but there is something you should know..”

I looked up to him, his tone had softened dramatically and he spoke barely above a whisper.

“Lord Daima is my great great grandfather. He does not meddle in many of my affairs because I am the last of my blood line. He however has a long rule ahead of him. Even if we were mated there is nothing stopping him from taking you from me.”

“Taking me..what do you mean..”

“I mean..with your blood being so pure, for him to produce an heir with the mixed blood of yours and his would be like the start of a new race almost. That child would go on to rule after him, for going any others who were next in line.”

He sounded upset as he said that. “Whether or not it was female..”

“It would be male.”

“But how..”

“Because he would make it so. Those who carry the blood line of the ancients and rule the vampyre body have control over what their seed reproduces. The first child is always a boy.” Even those who have a weak line of the ancients always have boys first. It's just how it's been. To secure the legacy and make sure the blood line is passed on.”

“What do you mean make sure the blood line is passed one.”

“I mean, that most of the time males are the carriers of the ancient blood line. Very rarely has a female and if she is, she is killed.”

My eyes widened as I looked up at him. “Would..would he order..”

Ravyn shook his head. “No. Your blood line is more pure. To do that would cause great backlash and he knows it.”

“How..What do you mean..” I pushed quickly, my head was starting to hurt, but I had so many questions. Each new thing he told me produced at least twenty more questions.

“You hold such power, that if he killed you he would be killing a savior of our race.”

“I don't..understand..” I said softly, my brow furrowing.

“The ancients had such strong and pure blood that did not have to drink blood to keep in check. You have heard of the blood lust that vampyres can experience haven't you?”

I nodded to him.

“Good. Basically it is when we go to long without feeding on fresh blood. We don't need much, a few drops will suffice us for months, sometimes years. The more we drink, the longer we can go. If we do not drink it we begin to ache. Every artery in our bodies feels as if it is on fire. Our powers begin to weaken, and if it goes too long we can fall into a fever that will eventually kill us. This is the way many vampyres were killed. By humans and my vampyres alike, though vampyres reserved it for the most heinous crimes. The ancients could merely eat meat, whether it be raw or cooked. From a fish, or even an insect. As long as it had blood pumping through it's veins. Had blood in the flesh when it was consumed they were good. They did not need blood to survive. They could merely get it through daily eating habits. You have grown up thinking you were human. At age 16 a vampyre sapling comes into their true powers. That is, that is when they require fresh blood to keep going and to keep themselves in check. A blood lust spurned vampyre can cause a killing spree on humans and animals alike. We do not need human blood to survive, it is simply the most potent that allows us to go without needing to feed the longest. If you had not been so pure at 16 your blood lust would have hit and you'd have begun feeding on anything and everything in sight. You didn't.”

“But..I don't understand it..I don't have any powers..”

“They're dormant..Ariyana..don't you understand. You've got pure ancient blood in you. You hold the key to our future..”

“No..” I said softly, shaking my head. “It can't be..you're lying..”

“Really?” He said softly, as he walked towards me.

He looked so serious and menacing that I shifted back from him on the bed. “Stop..”

He continued to walk towards me and I clenched my eyes shut, I don't know why I didn't just shove him away or something, but his look was so serious and stern it actually frightened me. I waited for him to hit me, but instead I smelt blood. My eyes shot open and I looked up to find he had bitten into his wrist and the blood was starting to pool out of the tiny pin pricks. “Do you smell it..”

“Smell what..?” I asked scrunching my nose up. “It smells like blood..and it's gonna drip..” I started before I put my hand out to clamp it on his wrist. The instant my hand closed around his wrist a jolt of electricity shot through me, and I saw flashes from his childhood before my eyes, I saw him with my aunt, I saw that she was pregnant, I saw that she disappeared and rumor was my mother had taken her. I saw that he thought I was his child, but the bite on my neck had confirmed for him I wasn't. I jerked my hand back my eyes widening as I looked to him. “You..”

“Ariyana..” His voice was soft and light, he looked pale, and when I looked down at my hand I saw there was no more blood, and that his wrist was healed.

I shook my head as tears welled up. “No..this..this isn't possible..”

“Ariyana..please..listen to me.” His voice sounded urgent, and as he gripped my now trembling shoulders, I could feel the blood that coursed through his veins.

“What's happening to me..”

“Were you serious..?”

“Serious..?” I asked him soflty, looking up into his eyes.

“About mating..do you...do you love me Ariyana?”

My eyes shot open wide and my face turned deep red. “Do..Do I..” I couldn't say the world, I couldn't even form the thought. I had only known him for a few days, there was no way I could possibly love him. I looked into his eyes, watched the emotions that swirled with in them and I felt my stomach churn. “Yes..” My words were soft and breathless. “I..I don't understand..but..you..you're..” There was something about him that called to me. Made me go weak in the knees. “Ever since the night..when you kissed me..my heart hurts when you aren't around...”

He growled, jerking away with such force I fell back onto the bed.

“What..”

“It's the mark..” He hissed through clenched teeth.

“What..?”

“I bit you..because I wanted you..at first I thought it was because you looked so much like your aunt..a replacement but you're so different and there's so much more to you than her. The bit lasts for two weeks. It brings up those feelings...if the feeling is not reciprocated and you do not love me then it dissapears.”

“So the bite..” My mind seemed to haze over for a moment and I shook my head at him. “No..how is the feeling reciprocated?”

“What?”

“How is it reciprocated..? With sex?”

“No..” He spoke sofly. “You bite me back..and if there is true love there.. what..?”

I had stepped off the bed and begun to walk towards him. I gripped his cheeks in mine and leaned up as if to kiss him. With speed I didn't know I had, and something I figured had to be because of the vampyre in me I turned my head and sunk my teeth deep into his neck. I heard him hiss and grip my shoulders tightly, my name starting to form on his lips before he groaned in pleasure. His blood hit my tongue as if it were fire, and with it came a flood of emotions. I jerked my head back the instant the blood hit my tongue and when my face met his, his next move was a blur.

The instant my eyes locked on his he had scooped me in his arms and walked over to my bed tossing me on it. My body felt as if it were on fire now, not in a painful way but in a way that made me crave his touch on me. “Is this..is it..” I panted as he lay hot kisses on my neck, his hands moving to tear the robe and night gown from my body.

“What..” He hissed in my ear as his tongue ran over the spot where he bit me.

“How do you know..if it's love..”

“Don't play coy now..” He growled at me in such an authoritative way that it made me tingle between my legs. He bit down on my neck at the same instance in which is hard member was shoved deep inside of me. My eyes shot open expecting pain but all I felt was pleasure. “It is..” He growled in my ear before his lips covered mine in a heated and passionate kiss. My fingers curled and dug into his back as my own arched up against him, legs wrapping around his hip. My body seemed to give in to each silent and verbal demand he made. He parted his lips from mine and sank his fangs back into my neck, causing me to moan out before I sunk mine into the spot where I had bitten him. I don't know what caused me to do it, but the instant I did I felt a rush of pleasure and electricity course through me. It felt as if our bodies were literally one. I could feel each pulse of his blood, and even though I didn't take any I could still taste it and feel it as it ran through my body. He bit down harder and my mouth freed itself from his throat to let out a cry of pleasure. His hands gripped my shoulders tightly as his head arched back and he growled deeply, lowering his gaze to meet mine. “Mine.” He said as with one final thrust he buried himself deep inside me, shooting his seed within me.

“Yours..” the words were breath less on my lips as pleasure suddenly coursed through my entire body. I felt my lower muscles locking around his member so tightly I felt I might break it. He lowered himself down, kissing my lips softly.

“Ariyana..” He breathed softly, his fingertips caressing my cheeks..” My sweet Ariyana..do you know..what you've done..”

Despite everything, the little voice in the back of my head telling me I was a fool; my lips curled up in a slight smile. “I've chosen my mate..and though I have much to learn, I know you'll teach it to me. But more importantly, I've cleared my past and I've made sure no one will take me from here.” My voice didn't sound like my own as the words slipped past my lips and I wondered where they came from because I couldn't recall even thinking them.

Ravyn chuckled softly as he shook his head, kissing my forehead. “My dear..we have much to learn..”

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A/N

THE END!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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haha, just kidding. =D Though the sex scene might seem rushed, I swear I'll explain it later as the story progresses, probably try to squeeze it into the next chapter or two, but it may not fit. I still want to try to dedicate a whole, if not at least half a chapter to Gyra and Darvis. Plus there's the new news of Ariyana being quite the special lady and the fact that the Lord over all the vampyres now knows of her existance. DUN DUN DUN!!! What will happen to our poor girl now that she's chosen her 'mate' in a fit of emotions. Will she regret it? Find out next time on: Dawning Horizons!!! =3 Thanks for reading and all the reviews. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I hope the longer chapters make up for length of time separating them!!!