Moonlight Denial: Shades of Moonlight Book One

The Fairbrooke house was all abuzz. There were witches and vampires huddled together, trying to get everything ready for the task at hand.

As soon as the clan had arrived Conrad demanded answers to his question from before, of how Amelia and Preston could possibly be any help at all. Cecile calmly explained to him that the older generation of Fairbrooke’s would not be able to help in the fight or in getting Nicoli out of the house. They would have to concentrate solely on the teleportation spell they were going to cast.

Not only would it take hours to gather everything and cast the spell, but once at their destination, the older Fairbrooke’s could not break their concentration or else the spell would be lost and they would have to start again, leaving them stranded and vulnerable. In essence they had to keep the pathway through time and space open while the vampires went in to do battle, and Cecile assured Conrad that he was going to be in need of Amelia and Preston’s assistance to make the mission that much smoother.

Once everyone had sat down and tried to plot out a strategy, the different ideas began to merge together until everyone was satisfied with the result. It was decided that the two families would be split up into three groups.

The first group consisted of Cecile, Tabitha, Hailey and Roderick. They were Team Get-Away. The only job they had was on keeping their magic in focus to ensure they had a way to get home quickly and efficiently.

The second group was made up of Conrad, Gavin, Ethan, Andre, and Cora. They were Team Distraction. They would go into the enemy house and engage Dimitri and his clan in combat. It was the best way they could think of that would keep Dimitri’s focus on them so that he would not be aware of the last team’s existence.

The final group was made up of Amelia, Preston, Faith and Felix. They were the most important faction. They were Team Rescue. They were to slip into the house, amidst the chaos, find Nicoli and get him out of there.

Amelia had asked why Faith wouldn’t be with the other vampires doing the fighting and Faith simply said she had no desire to fight. Besides it was pointed out that it was better if she were on Amelia’s team for protection in case they were discovered. This was met with approval and the subject was dropped.

“All right,” Cecile said as she stood up from the powwow circle they had made to do their planning. “My siblings and I will have to start the spell right away, and as we do I suggest that the rest of you make sure you are fit and ready for the ordeal ahead.”

“What do you suggest we do to prepare?” Andre asked, chewing on the end of his cigarette holder. He had been forbidden to smoke in the Fairbrooke house, so he settled for his usual gnawing of the holder.

Cecile closed her eyes and sighed.

“For the vampires, as much as I would rather not say it and I’m sure a few of my family will object as well, I suggest you all go out and feed.”

There were many wide eyes from witches and vampires alike. It was as if Cecile had begun to convulse on the floor and speak in tongues.

“You want them to do what?” Preston asked in disbelief.

“You’re damn right we’d object!” Hailey fumed. “You want them to go kill and feast on people in our town?”

“Heelllooo, we’re right here,” Cora said, her eyes narrowing and chest puffing out. “We’re not monsters, you know.”

“Just because you don’t have to drink human blood doesn’t make you better than us,” Andre added, appearing just as offended.

“Now, now, you two,” Faith shushed them.

“No one thinks anyone is better than anyone else,” Cecile said, which received snorts from both Preston and Hailey. “I am more than certain that they will not be killing anybody. They have marvelous self control.” She smiled playfully at the clan. “If they didn’t I’m sure some bodies would have turned up by now.”

Conrad did not smile or laugh. He stared at Cecile with a blank expression. The clan knew he was never much one for humor.

“Yes, we do not need to kill to sustain ourselves. We have perfected the art of drawing little from many to get us through the day,” he said.

“See, nothing to worry about,” Cecile assured her family.

“I still can’t believe you want them to go do that,” Amelia mumbled.

“In order for this to have any chance of working all of you are going to need to be in fine form. If that means the clan needs to go feed, then that’s what has to be done,” Cecile told her. “It’s dangerous enough that myself and the others will be going into the teleportation spell with no rest. All of you need to be prepared to your fullest.” She turned to her daughter and nephew. “With that said, it is time for you both to go to bed.”

“What!?” Amelia exclaimed. “How can you possibly think I can get any sleep with all of this going on?”

“You need to try, and before you ask why, think back to what I just said,” Cecile said before Amelia could open her mouth. “You and Preston will be the most at risk. You need to be ready.”

With that, the crowd dispersed awkwardly. The vampires hesitated to leave, knowing they were given permission to feed, but feeling uncertain about it. The older Fairbrooke’s began to move furniture to prepare room for the spell, but a few cast uneasy looks to the vampires. Preston lingered about his family, desperate to help, but knew he would be forced to his room. Amelia, on the other hand, stomped towards and up the stairs with a great huff. Preston followed a few minutes later.

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Ethan sighed heavily when the chill of the night air hit his face. It seemed to caress him and tell him everything was going to be all right.

“Come on, Cuz,” Andre said, shoving Ethan’s shoulder playfully. “Let’s go get us some dinner.”

Ethan nodded and watched as Conrad and Gavin broke off from the clan and vanished into the night in separate directions. Conrad would hunt with another of the clan on occasion, but mostly went out on his own. Gavin, however, was completely solitary. He never went hunting with anyone and would reject any invitation to. In all of Ethan’s years as a vampire he had never once seen how Gavin picked his victims or went about feeding. He supposed it added to that air of mystery around Gavin.

That left him, Andre, Cora and Faith to go hunt together. Or so he thought before Faith started padding away from them to the side of the house.

“Now just where are you going?” Cora called after her.

Faith did an odd leap, like a ballerina, and twirled around to face them, making her pure white dress flare.

“No where in particular. You guys go on without me,” she said with a wave of her hand to shoo them off.

“Aren’t you going to eat?” Ethan asked, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets as he tilted his head.

“Yes, but not right away. Like Cecile said we have hours before the spell is ready. Now the rest of you go on,” she told them. With another spin she was off again and disappeared from sight.

“She’s up to something,” Felix said, hovering beside Ethan.

“When is she ever not up to something? It’s Faith,” Andre said as he walked down the pathway to the street. “Come on, we all know from experience that it’s better to leave her to her own devices.”

Cora nodded and followed after him. Ethan lingered a bit longer, staring at the place Faith had gone. He shared a look with Felix before joining Andre and Cora. He wasn’t sure what his sister was up to, but he just hoped she wasn’t going to cause any sort of trouble.

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“Do you think that would really work?” Amelia whispered in the darkness of her doorway. Her eyes cast a wary glance in the direction of the stairs, but the adults were busy with their preparations.

“I think so,” Preston said, doing the same cautious looking about. “I don’t see why not. After we get Nicoli we can use it to make sure those vampires don’t follow us so that all of us can get away safely. I’ve never used one before, but it sounds like the perfect thing in this situation. As long as we don’t over do it, of course.”

“And you really have one of those?” Amelia asked, amazed that Preston had kept a secret from her.

“Yes, Mom got me one a few years back to add to my collection. I’ll take it with us when we go and we’ll see if we have a chance to use it.”

“Sounds great…um, should we tell the others?”

“I was wondering that myself. I think that, for now, we’ll keep this to ourselves. We just have to make sure it doesn’t interfere with anyone else’s plans.”

Amelia blinked at her cousin, whose features were cast in shadows. She abruptly giggled.

“Man, you’ve been hanging out with me way too much. Now look who’s being all secretive and sneaky,” she teased.

Preston smiled faintly and rubbed the back of his neck.

“What can I say? Your evilness is contagious.” He gave a pat to Amelia’s shoulder and smiled. “Now try and go to sleep. Like Aunt Cece said, we all need to be ready for what’s ahead.”

Amelia’s smile faded and she nodded. She watched Preston walk off towards his room before slipping into her own. When the door clicked closed she leaned back against it and sighed.

“How can anyone think that I can go to sleep right now?” she whispered to the darkness. She didn’t bother turning the light on and instead walked about her room, wondering if there was a possibility she could sleep. There was no chance. Every time she closed her eyes all she could see was Nicoli’s terrified face and her mind kept wandering to the worst possible scenarios that could be happening to her friend.

After a few minutes Amelia changed out of her clothes and into her pajamas to try and get comfortable – having to rip the shredded tights off that we’re still caked in blood – and curled up on her window seat.

She stared at the starry sky that appeared to be lightening somewhat. Dawn was close at hand, marking hours and hours that Nicoli had been gone. A whimper passed her lips and she felt weepy.

“Oh, Nicoli. What’s happening to you?” She leaned her forehead against the glass and closed her eyes, facing the nightmarish images behind them. If he was hurt, if they killed him, Amelia was going to make each and every one of those miserable creatures pay.

Before she could give into her anguish and let the cloud of misery envelope her completely, a light tap vibrated through the glass against her skin. Amelia blinked open her eyes and found herself staring into a pair of green orbs set into a delicate, pale face. She thought she was hallucinating until the face smiled at her.

“Eek!”

Amelia toppled off the window seat that resulted in a thud on the carpet floor. She sat up and rubbed her head, before quickly looking at the window to see if the figure was still there. Framed by the window was a little girl and she waved while an innocent smile played on her face.

“Faith?”

“Amelia, was that you?” Cecile’s voiced called from the staircase. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine!” Amelia was quick to call out. “Got tangled in the sheets and fell out of bed trying to get out!”

“Be more careful, Baby,” Cecile said with a laugh in her voice.

When she was sure her mother was gone she crawled back onto the window seat and stared at the little vampire with great suspicion. Faith was patiently standing outside the window with nothing holding her up. Amelia had never seen an airborne vampire before and it was a curious sight indeed.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I came to say hello,” Faith said simply, her voice slightly muffled from the glass. “Could you open the window? It’s a bit chilly and who knows when someone will see me.”

Amelia was hesitant, but knew Faith was right. She really didn’t want one of her neighbors to look out there window to see some little girl hovering in the air. That would cause all sorts of trouble.

When the window was opened the tiny vampire slipped inside. Once Amelia closed the window she turned in her seat and stared at Faith, who stared back with a pleasant look.

“So…what do you want?” Amelia asked uncertainly. She crossed her arms and leaned forward enough to rest them on her knees.

“I wanted to see how you were doing,” Faith said, a touch of worry crinkling her brow. “I know how upset and angry you must be. This is hard on all of us, but I know it must be especially hard for you with how close you are with Nicoli.”

Amelia had to clench her jaw not to blow up at Faith. Of course she was upset. Of course she was angry. Why wouldn’t she be? Her best friend had been carried off by bloodsucking monsters because he was involved with other bloodsucking monsters and it turned out that he knew that they were bloodsucking monsters all along! She wanted to cry and scream her frustrations to the sky and not stop until her voice gave out. She wanted to pummel in Ethan’s face for starting all of this in the first place. She wanted to shake Nicoli so hard his eyes spun then crush him in a hug and never let him go…but she could do nothing but sit there and let people dictate what was to happen then be sent off to bed like a child.

“Don’t you have people to go eat?” Amelia asked gruffly as she jerked her head to the side so she wouldn’t have to look at Faith. She closed her eyes when Faith giggled. The sound was atrocious at the moment.

“Yes, but that’s not a very pressing matter right now. Unlike my family I don’t have to feed as much as they do. One of the benefits of being me, I guess.”

Amelia tilted her head and looked at Faith curiously. She saw an opportunity to change the subject, to think of something besides Nicoli, and she sank her teeth right into it.

“Why don’t you have to eat as much as they do?” she asked.

“Look at me,” Faith said, gesturing to herself. “I’m much smaller so I don’t have to intake as much blood as the rest. I couldn’t completely drain a full grown human even if I wanted to. Not unless I wanted to feel all bloaty and gross for the next month or so.” Faith stuck out her arms and puffed out her cheeks and began waddling around in the room.

It was such a spectacle that Amelia couldn’t help but laugh. She covered her mouth with her hand to stifle it and felt ashamed. How could she laugh so carefree when Nicoli was being held hostage by dangerous vampires? She jumped when fingers touched her arm and looked at Faith who had drawn closer without her realizing it.

“Don’t look so sad. It’s going to be okay.”

“Don’t,” Amelia said and shrunk from the touch. The hand drew back as requested. “How do you know it’s going to be okay? How do you know Nicoli is even still alive?” she demanded. With the latter question she could feel her eyes water and rubbed at them.

“He is,” Faith said simply. “He is still alive.”

“How do you know?”

“…it’s hard to explain, but I do. He’s alive. Besides, there would be no point in Dimitri taking him just to kill him. I know for a fact that my uncle would never do anything that he found pointless and killing Nicoli now, without getting anything for it would be pointless,” Faith explained.

“And what is he going to get out of kidnapping Nicoli? What does he want with him?” Amelia asked.

“Father already explained that. He wants to hurt us and Nicoli just happened to be handy. If he has any other wants outside of that then I don’t know what they are.”

Amelia stared at Faith, who was standing so close that if she shifted her leg it would brush against the other, and anger swelled in her chest. Anger she couldn’t keep back.

“You’re lying,” she hissed through her teeth. “You do know why, but you won’t tell me.” She got up from the window seat and began pacing the room. “You’ve all been lying right from the start. That first day I met you, you said that Ethan just wanted company and I wanted to believe you. I wanted so much that that was all there was to it, so much so that I just gave in and turned a blind eye. You said he just wanted company and it was a lie. Ethan told me that he wasn’t going to hurt Nicoli. That he was going to protect him from anything that tried to hurt him and look – look what happened. He – He…”

Amelia couldn’t hold back anymore and tears dribbled down her face. She stood in the middle of the room, her arms stiff against her sides as sobs and hiccups escaped her throat. She collapsed to her knees and covered her face with her hands, trying hard to keep her crying quiet so those downstairs wouldn’t hear her, but wanting to just scream and pound on the floor with her fists.

Faith’s voice brought her back from a complete meltdown and what she said made Amelia’s sobs stop with a watery huff and gasp.

“Everyone lies.”

“What?” Amelia rubbed at her eyes and when she calmed down enough she turned. Faith was still standing beside the window seat, but she was staring out the window at the sky, just like Amelia had been.

“Everyone lies. I lied to you. Ethan lied to you. Nicoli lied to you and you also lied to Nicoli. I’m sure your mother lies and your aunts and your uncle and even your cousin lies. Just like my father lies and my brother and the rest of my family lies. Lies make up a big part of the world. If everyone told the truth I think the world would be unbearable. No one would stand to be with anyone else if all they told was the truth. At least that’s how I see it.” Faith’s voice was very whimsical and her eyes distant, as if she were seeing the secrets of the universe in the stars.

“That’s a very cynical world view,” Amelia said as she rubbed at her runny nose.

“Is it wrong, though?” Faith asked, but Amelia was unable to give any sort of answer to debunk it. “Come, I want to tell you something,” Faith said before walking over to Amelia’s bed and sitting down.

“Are you going to tell me what’s really going on and why this is happening?” Amelia asked hopefully as she rose to her feet, but hesitated going to the bed.

“No, that will have to remain a lie for the time being,” Faith said then patted the spot beside her.

Amelia took a tentative step before drawing in a deep breath and going to the bed to plop down besides Faith.

“Then what are you going to tell me?” she asked once she was seated.

“Just a story about myself. It has little relevance to what is going on now. Some, but not a lot.”

“Then why tell it?”

“I’m not sure. Maybe just to show you that I have fears. I am vulnerable to doubts and pain and suffering just like you. Maybe I just want you to know that vampires aren’t the ferocious, invincible creatures as you believe. We hurt just as much as you. Just because we’re vampires, doesn’t mean we have been completely stripped of the humanity we once had…will you listen?”

Amelia worried her lip as they stared at each other. After a moment of contemplation she nodded.

“There is a reason I wanted to be on the rescue team and not the distraction one. Can you fathom a guess why?”

“I could try, but I don’t feel like doing any kind of guessing game right now,” Amelia mumbled.

“Of course. The reason I do not want to go against Dimitri or his clan is because…I cannot bear the thought of bring harm to him. It turns my stomach just to imagine it.”

“What?” Amelia asked in disbelief. “How can it turn your stomach to go against such an awful man that’s doing who knows what to Nicoli? This guy is a monster in my opinion.”

“Yes, for what he has done he could be considered a monster, but that’s because you did not know the man he was before all of this. I have walked this earth for six hundred and sixty years. Six hundred and fifty of those years have been as a vampire and for five hundred years I knew Dimitri as my loving, caring uncle that had the warmest smile and the gentlest of touches. He loved and he loved hard and he gave that love freely to anyone that would take it. To be wrapped up in that man’s affection and benevolence was to know happiness itself.”

Amelia stared at Faith, her mouth slightly open. That didn’t sound like the monster she had envisioned, the monster that had Nicoli in its claws. How could the man Faith described be the cause of all of the grief she saw and felt.

“Then what happened to change him. What happened to make him do what he’s doing now?” Amelia asked, desperate to understand.

Faith hung her head and her face was hidden behind wispy strands of blond hair.

“I wish I knew. I think that’s the one aspect of this…this war that I hate most. It’s that I don’t know why all of this has happened.” She lifted her head and Amelia saw, for the first time, anger in Faith’s green eyes. “If only Isaak and Dimitri had never fought over leadership…maybe none of this would have happened.”

“Wait, who’s Isaak?”

The spark of anger diminished and she blinked at Amelia.

“Oh, that’s right. We haven’t told you that part. Isaak was Dimitri and Conrad’s eldest brother. This war started because it is believed that Dimitri killed Isaak in anger for not getting leadership of the clan.”

Amelia’s eyes widened and her hand went to her mouth. Now the image of the monster was coming back. She could not believe that a brother would kill his own kin. She knew it was possible. It had happened countless times throughout the world, but she was unable to grasp the concept. It was like trying to think of one of her own family killing another. That wouldn’t be possible. She knew Aunt Hailey and her mother had their problems, but Aunt Hailey wouldn’t go so far as to kill Cecile. They fought, but they loved each other deeply, no matter how much Hailey denied that.

Amelia was pulled from those thoughts when she realized Faith’s choice of words and how odd they were.

“Wait, what do you mean it’s “believed” he killed the Isaak guy?” she asked.

“No one knows what happened the night of Isaak’s death. He sought out Dimitri on his own and the next thing we knew he was dead, but what happened is a mystery to us all. Conrad believes with all his heart that Dimitri killed Isaak.”

“But you don’t?”

Faith turned her head away and stared off into a corner of the room. She was quiet for a long time before sighing.

“I…have my doubts. I know Dimitri loved Isaak. In my heart I don’t believe that he would raise a hand to harm Isaak, but his actions of late only condemn him more.”

“Has he said anything in his defense? If he didn’t do it he would try to defend himself, wouldn’t he?” Amelia asked.

“No, Dimitri has never denied the accusation of the murder, but neither has he admitted to it. If he really didn’t kill Isaak I don’t know why he’s letting everyone believe he did.”

Amelia sighed and shook her head.

“All of this is making my head hurt. Your family sure is screwy.”

Faith nodded.

“I suppose we are and I wish we weren’t. Like I said, I can’t fight against Dimitri. I love him far too much. I love him and his daughters Ira and Lillian. I grew up with them, in a sense. They were my family and as much as Conrad wants Dimitri’s head…I can’t help him. I can’t raise a hand against the people that I loved more than the world.”

Faith’s voice had gone soft and sounded so sad. Amelia wanted to wrap her arms around the little shoulders and hold her close, but held back that desire.

“If he killed your other uncle, don’t you want vengeance for that?”

Faith tilted her head as she considered the question.

“If Dimitri really did kill Isaak, yes, I suppose that some sort of justice should be laid out, but even then I’d have no desire to see it. It may sound cold of me, but I was not as affected by Isaak’s death as everyone else. We were never close.”

“What? Why?”

“In Isaak’s eyes…my creation was a sin.”

“Sin? How could he possibly think that?” Amelia asked. She knew that there were many people, Preston being the main focal point in her mind, that viewed the vampires’ existence as a sin. She never once thought that a vampire would look down on another vampire in such a way.

“There aren’t many rules in clans. There are some, but they vary from clan to clan. One of the rules set down by my father’s sire was that a child never be turned. Ever. Obviously, in making me, Father broke that rule and Isaak did not take it well, being the clan leader at that time and all.”

“…oh. Why is it so bad to turn a child?” Amelia asked. She knew how she felt about the subject, and it was not a kind feeling, but she had no idea how vampires felt.

“Because children don’t know what they’re doing. They have no choice in the matter because they don’t understand the concept of what will happen to them,” Faith explained and her voice grew distant again. Amelia had the feeling Faith left the present time a lot. “Besides, the life of a vampire is hard for any adult to adapt to, for a child it’s nearly impossible. Plus, it puts so much strain just not on the child, but on the person who turned them. During the long time of my Blood Rage Father suffered so much. He hardly survived the process and he wasn’t even the one going through the changes. I suppose Isaak’s disapproval made it that much harder for him.”

“Did he do anything against you and Conrad?” Amelia asked tentatively. She wasn’t sure it was right to ask, or if Faith should go into explaining further for her own sake, but Amelia’s curiosity had always been relentless.

“No, I suppose that was the kindest thing he did for Conrad, it was never for me, mind you. Since he loved his youngest brother with a passion he went against the protocol that was supposed to be carried out when a child is turned. At least in our clan.”

“And what was that?”

“To put them down immediately.”

Amelia couldn’t help the little gasp that escaped her. Faith was meant to be killed just for being turned? That was horrible.

“Why…why would they do that?” she asked.

“It’s seen as a mercy killing. Trust me, I lived through it and, on my worst days, I agree with the rule, but that’s beside the point. As a show of leniency and love Isaak let me live, but, as punishment, and maybe to show his disgust on having a rule broken, he would have absolutely nothing to do with me. He did not help Father in the slightest, which made the situation worse since a vampire’s first fledgling is a hard process on all accounts for both sides. Me being a child made it that much harder. Father went through so much trying to get me under control, to try and help with my insatiable frenzy, to help me break through the Blood Rage. He did so much and it almost completely unraveled him.

“Luckily there was Dimitri. He did not share Isaak’s disgust of the situation and did everything he could to help Father. When Father would make himself weak from lack of eating and sleep, Dimitri would come in and force him to go rest and promised to look after me while Father regained his strength.”

Faith giggled, jarring Amelia by the sudden sound.

“In fact, I think I was one of the main causes of Father’s affliction of insomnia. I still have yet to repay him for that. Anyways, if Father refused to leave my side, holding me protectively as I scratched and bit him like a wild animal, then Dimitri would stay in my cell with us and they would take turns holding me, trying to soothe me.”

Faith looked Amelia square in the eye and a shudder passed through Amelia from the intensity of the gaze.

“Think of someone doing that for twenty years. Helping with someone that wasn’t even his problem, using his time and energy, just because he wanted to help his brother through a difficult time and he asked for nothing in return. That is the kind of man Dimitri is…” Her eyes lowered. “Or was.”

Amelia could say nothing. Her mind raced, trying to form words, but they all eluded her. How was she supposed to view this man that had taken her best friend, the man that Faith clearly loved? She could not imagine having to fight against someone she cared for so deeply and it was then she understood why Faith refused to do it.

“What makes this war all the more painful,” Faith continued after a moments pause. “Is the hatred Father now carries for Dimitri. He admired Isaak more than anything. His strength, his leadership, everything. Everything Isaak was Father wished he could be and after Isaak died that admiration mutated into a fearsome, loathing wrath that he wields wildly against Dimitri. It’s like he has gone blind and won’t remember all of the good Dimitri had done, how much they had loved each other. All of it was forgotten in an instant.”

Faith tucked some of her hair behind her ear and Amelia noticed that she was shaking. All of this was hard on Faith, but still Amelia could do nothing to comfort her but listen.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Faith said. “I am not condoning anything Dimitri has done. While I am not sure if he killed Isaak or not I know he is guilty of the other accusations placed on his head. He has blood on his hands, the blood of people I loved, and he took my very heart from me and that is something I will never forgive him for.”

Amelia found the words growled through clenched teeth to be perplexing. So Dimitri really had hurt the family, but she wondered what Faith meant about Dimitri taking her heart from her. Amelia was certain it was something separate from the blood of people she loved, but for the life of her she could not figure out what it could mean and she wasn’t about to ask Faith to elaborate. She was drawn from her puzzling when Faith let out a long, drawn out breath.

“I guess the point of what I’m telling you is that I love the man Dimitri used to be. The kind uncle that helped both Father and me through our darkest hour and shared the blessed, happy times with us. A pathetic part of me wishes that time would just go back to those days. That we can just forget all of this and go back to the way things were, even though I know it’s impossible.”

Amelia was shocked when a dark tear formed at Faith’s eye and trailed down her cheek. The room was dark, but Amelia knew the tear was a deep red. The tear of a vampire.

“What terrifies me is that I know how all of this is going to end,” she said, and her voice had lowered into a whisper.

“H-How?” Amelia asked, her voice hardly audible.

“Either Father or Dimitri is going to die, possibly even both of them. Father won’t stop until he has had his vengeance and Dimitri may just have to kill him in order to save himself. Either way it will all end in tragedy.”

More tears flowed and the crisp, pure white of Faith’s dress was stained and sullied, acting as foreshadowing to Faith’s ominous words. Amelia finally released her reservations and wrapped her arms around Faith and held her close. It was all she could do for the other. While she had believed she would be told nothing but lies from Faith she knew she was told nothing but the truth. Faith had bared her soul to Amelia and there was no way to fake that. She almost wished she hadn’t learned what she had, but, in a sense, it made the angry tightening in her chest lessen.

She understood that there was more to all of this than she could have ever possibly imagine. She was not the only one hurting. Everyone, in there own way, both human and vampire, were hurting. When seeing it through those eyes, there was little difference between the two races.

She intended to hold Faith for a long while, but Faith pulled away to look at her.

“I know it’s unfair that we have dragged your entire family and Nicoli into our conflict. If it had been my choice none of this would have happened.” Faith took Amelia’s hands in hers. “You have my word that I will do everything in my power to get Nicoli back. Not for me, not for Ethan, but for you. I will make sure he comes back, though I can’t promise unharmed, but we will get him back. Together.”

With no regard to her will, tears sprung up in Amelia’s eyes. She fought them, but they grew out of her control until they spilled down her face and her chest heaved.

“I’m so scared,” she admitted in a soft sob. “What if we don’t get him back? I can’t lose him. I can’t lose someone else. I can’t handle that.”

Faith tried to calm her with, “Shhh’s,” and little fingers brushed her hair as cold lips pressed against her cheek, obstructing the trail of tears.

“It’s all right,” Faith whispered. “We’ll both get through this. Even though I’m destined to lose someone, I will make sure that someone is not Nicoli. I won’t let you be a victim in this pointless fight.”

Now Amelia was the one taken in by gentle arms and she cried against Faith. She couldn’t help it. The embrace extracted the tears from her and she was too tired to hold them back.

She cried for several minutes with Faith cooing soft words in her ear and little fingers stroking her hair. Finally, after Amelia was exhausted and spent she laid with her head in Faith’s lap, the hand still caressing her hair. No words were spoken. There was no more to say.

Her eyelids grew heavy and she could feel herself succumbing to the Sandman. She resisted, not wanting to depart to the dream world and leave Nicoli trapped in his nightmare, but a soft, melodic song came from Faith’s lips. It wrapped around her as a comforting blanket and she let sleep take her. When she awoke she would be ready to fight with all of her heart to get Nicoli back and, though she would never admit it, it reinforced her heart and will to know Faith would be there beside her.

************************************************************************

Ira strode through the dilapidated mansion with quick steps. Her feet wanted to fly and run, but she restrained them. There was no use in running about the mansion like a wild woman.

When she arrived at her destination she threw open the doors to Dimitri’s room. Being Dimitri’s second child and being so close to him earned her the right to go in unannounced when there was an emergency.

“Dimitri, a crisis just showed up on our…” Her feet stilled in mid-step and her words left her unfinished when she took in the scene before her. When the slight alarm was over she huffed and rolled her eyes. Typical.

There was a giant, luxurious bed in the middle of the room. The whole clan could have slept on it comfortably if they wanted to. On the bed were two figures. Both nude from the waist up and the waist down was currently being attended to.

Seth raised his head from Dimitri’s lap, abandoning the zipper he had just successfully pulled down with his teeth, and when his eyes met Ira’s a feral growl rose from him.

“Really? There is no possible way you can interrupt us twice in one night. Do you just wait out there until the time is perfect to sully the mood?” Seth snapped at her.

With Seth’s long, sleeveless coat gone Ira could see Seth’s lean body. It was almost ghastly how thin he was, though he had been worse when Dimitri first brought him home to be turned. Red stained his chest and a crimson trail flowed down from one of Dimitri’s love bites on his neck that had already begun to heal.

“Believe me,” Ira said, upturning her chin. “I have far better things to do with my time than to walk in on you and Dimitri, which, by the way, is hard not to do since you can never seem to keep that wretched beast in your pants for more than a few seconds.” She was in no mood for Seth’s complaints. Her nerves were still on fire from her discovery and if Seth didn’t watch himself she would take great pleasure in reminding him of just where his place was.

“Now, now, children,” Dimitri said in his smooth voice, placing a hand on Seth’s shoulder when it looked like he was about ready to leap at Ira. “What is the matter, Ira? It’s rare to see you so…agitated.”

He swung his legs over the side of the bed and righted his zipper, making Seth pout.

“We just had a trespasser on the premises,” Ira informed him and even Seth had to lose his glare of hatred for the moment to take on a look of surprise.

“A trespasser, you say?” Dimitri said, but he seemed oddly unruffled by the news. “Do you know the identity of this trespasser?”

“I do. That scent was unmistakable,” Ira said, her skin prickling at just the memory of the smell that had assaulted her nose, one that she had smelled a hundred times before that had once given her comfort and security, but now filled her with fear. That’s what angered her most was the fear that had sparked in her heart with the first whiff of that scent. She promised herself she would never be afraid of anything ever again, and there she stood, pretending to be strong and immovable, but quaking terribly on the inside.

“It was Gavin, Dimitri. Gavin of all people was here,” she told him after she put her emotions in check.

“Gavin?” Seth said, his head perking and a gleam coming to his eyes. It was a gleam of hunger. “And I missed him? Drat, there goes another chance to show that bastard up.”

“Don’t worry, Seth, you will have your time,” Dimitri said as he ran his fingers through Seth’s long hair.

It struck Ira how calm Dimitri was. He hadn’t even flinched when she told him who the intruder was.

“Dimitri, didn’t you hear me?” she demanded. “Gavin found us. We were lucky he didn’t come in here and rip us all to shreds. We have to flee as soon as possible.”

Dimitri chuckled in amusement, causing Ira’s bewilderment to increase. Had her sire gone mad?

“Ira, my sweet dear, why would we flee?” he asked as he rose from the bed. “Everything is going exactly according to plan.”

“According to plan?” Ira echoed softly. It was true that Dimitri kept his plans to himself, only telling her bits of info when she played a direct part in it, but she never thought them being found would be part of any plan.

“Yes,” Dimitri said simply as he took his shirt from the floor and put it on, making Seth’s sour look return and increase. “I always intended for my brother to find us. Albeit this is just a few hours ahead of schedule,” he admitted.

“Then what is the next part of this plan?” Ira asked as Seth slinked off the bed and retrieved his own garment, and he looked oh-so-thrilled about it.

“To simply sit back and let them come to us,” Dimitri said and the smile that curled his lips was terrifying. Ira felt like she was facing a giant, grinning shark.

“And what about the boy?” she asked next, banishing the image from her mind.

“Ah, yes, I suppose I do need to hurry things along with him, don’t I?” Dimitri finished buttoning up his shirt and turned to Seth. “Could you set the basement up like we discussed earlier?” he asked.

The grin that Seth sported outdid any malicious smile Dimitri could do and he nodded eagerly.

“Of course, I’ll get to it right away.”

With that Seth left the room, throwing one last dark look Ira’s way before he was gone.

“What are you planning on doing to him?” Ira asked. She had no concern for the boy. Such an emotion for someone she didn’t know, let alone a human, was ridiculous. No, what made her ask was curiosity itself because she realized that Dimitri really hadn’t told her anything.

“Nothing yet,” Dimitri said as he retrieved his suit vest and slipped it on.

“Then why have Seth set up…whatever he is setting up?”

“Just as a precaution. It’s in case Nicoli refuses me again and, if he does, it will be the final time he gets to do so before he experiences my…tough love.”

Ira couldn’t help but flinch. She knew what he meant. She knew what he was capable of. She had never had the “tough love” let loose upon herself, but that was because she never truly resisted Dimitri. Once he had earned her trust, which in itself was nearly impossible to do at the time, he had her forever. She made sure of that.

“There, do I look presentable?” Dimitri asked after fixing his clothes.

Ira stepped towards him and straightened his hair, making sure each perfect, ebony strand was in place, framing the handsome face that she associated with kindness, love, and, most importantly of all, protection.

“You look amazing as always,” she said and leaned up enough to press her lips softly to his cheek. When she pulled back Dimitri was smiling and he brushed the back of his fingers against her cheek.

“Get rid of that worry in your eyes. Everything will turn out all right,” he told her.

Her cheeks flushed. It was a rare sight indeed. Dimitri was always able to see right through her. She always found that both terrifying yet comforting at the same time.

“Come, would you like to accompany me while I go deliver my final show of mercy to the boy?” Dimitri asked as he held out his arm, as if he had just invited her to join him for a formal ball.

Ira nodded and slipped her arms comfortably around Dimitri’s and they walked out of the room together.

“I’ll follow you wherever you go, Dimitri,” Ira whispered as she leaned her head against his shoulder and she meant that from the bottom of her barricaded heart.

======================================Ch. 52 End