Five Months Later

As Nick sat there staring at the wall he thought of everything that had changed in his life. He wanted to go back to his old life more than anything but that had been stripped away with two major events. First his soon to be wife, at least he was hoping that she would say yes was torn away from him by someone that he had vowed himself to hunt down and kill. Then someone had made it so he could never go back to that life by killing all those people who were closest to him and making it look as though he was the one responsible; that person also had to die by his hand.
It was then that the phone that sat beside his bed rang and with a groan he ran his fingers through his now long hair. He lay back down on the bed and reached for the phone, knowing exactly who was calling him.

“Hello Andrew. What is it I can do for you?”
The person on the other side of the phone paused for a second or two before answering and Nick let a smile come to his face. It was one of the simple pleasures he still had left.

“Nick. I know that it has been a long time since we have talked but there is a report sitting on my desk about a nest in the city. I was wondering if you could go and check it out.”

Nick let out another groan, “Can you not get someone else to go and check it out?”

“We could, but by the time they get there it might be too late. And besides, you are still the best that we have.”

That statement wiped the smile from Nick’s face. He had always wanted to be the best at everything he did but he never wanted to be the best at killing. Even if they were vampires and they would kill him without even thinking a second time there was still something to it; as though he was losing his soul.

“Okay, I’ll do it. But I have a condition. I want Taelyr there with me.”
He could feel the wheels that were moving in Andrew’s head and wondered what he was going to say to that statement.

“You can take Taelyr with you. I think that you have been a bad influence on her.”
The smile was back on his face.

“I’ll see her tomorrow then.”
He put the phone back on the receiver before Andrew could say another word and knew that he would be saying some very choice things back at the base.

With the smile still on his face Nick got up off the bed and walked to the bathroom. This was the one time that he needed a nice long soak in a bath. He looked over at the shower as he filled up the bathtub and wondered if he should just take one because it would be easier but looked at the water and knew this was what he needed.

He took off his clothes and looked at the water that was sitting in the bathtub as he dropped them to the floor. All that he wanted was that bath right now. He wanted to forget everything that had happened up to this point; the phone call, what he had been thinking about, everything. As he sank into the water he let out a sigh and felt the tension flow from his body. It was the only thing that he could do to keep functioning he thought to himself as he grabbed the soap and started to wash himself; feeling each small bump of a scar as he did so.

Every time he did so he wanted to let out a shout as he knew what had been taken away from him with each one. There was one that he dreaded to touch though and as he lathered up the soap and started to wash his face he felt the ragged tear that ran down from his hair line to his jaw. As he did so he remembered how it had come about; what had given it to him and wanted more that anything to cry out but knew that no tears would come, that he had not shed a tear in more than a month.

As he rested his head against the back of the bath Nick went through everything that had happened that night, about how Violet had run away from the table into the ladies restroom and reappeared half an hour later with blood flowing freely from her throat. They had both been taken to the nearest hospital where he thought he had lost her only for the love of his life to come back to him. Just when he was at his happiest it was ripped away again by what she had done to him; his hand going up to the scar that ran down the length of his face as he thought about it.

He wanted so much to scream out, he would have given everything at that point just to have her back but he knew that it was not meant to be the day she clawed her way out of her grave. She had tormented him while she sat there in the hospital, a ghost of the woman that he loved with her voice still clawed at his heart. He did not want to admit that she was still alive, that she could reach out to him when he least expected it.

It was then that he felt the wetness of tears on his cheeks and let a small smile come to him. It told him that in some way he was still human and would be so for at least a little while longer. That fact alone made him hope that he could claw his way out of the grave that he had made for himself, that grave where he had buried Jason Richards.

He slowly got up out of the bath and as he did he was aware of the fact that the phone was ringing once more. With a loud groan Nick walked back to the bedroom, not even caring to throw a towel around himself; who was going to see him?

As soon as he picked up the receiver he heard a person he had not heard from in almost a month.

“I heard that you wanted to work with me. Why is that Nick? We haven’t talked to each other in a month and suddenly Andrew tells me that you want to work with me.”

“You know that you are the only person that I will work with, especially with a nest of them.”

He heard a sigh from the other side of the phone and Nick knew that she was trying to come up with a reason why she didn’t want to work with him. He knew though that there was nothing from stopping that happen again.

“Okay. Seeming as I cannot train people anymore because they are scared of me I will come and work with you.”

“I will meet you outside of the palace tomorrow then Taelyr. I think that you will recognize me.”

Taelyr didn’t say another word before she hung up which left Nick to put the phone back down. He then looked down and realized that he needed to get dressed as he was getting cold and tired. He just hoped that he wouldn't have the same dreams that he had every night

Lightning forked across the sky, arcing its white brilliance with the beat of the rain that pounded on the rooftop of the car. Long, slender legs crossed at the knees unwound as a red tipped hand reached over to press down the electric window button. The glass glided down without a sound, droplets of rain finally allowed to splash against the garish red leather as the slow moving car kept going on its predestined route. A soft voice issued from the owner of the legs, disapproval clear in the feminine tone. "Why do you insist on walking, Sweet?"

Beside the car, rain lashing her slight frame, walked a bare footed angel. At least, at first glance, she seemed to be an angel. Her soft white dress wrapped around her frame, the rain slicking it to her body, moulding the white material with unerring accuracy. Dark, waist length, raven black hair plastered itself atop her heart shaped head, winding its way around her shoulders and running slick against her back.

A long neck followed by slightly rounded shoulders flowing into large, full breasts which narrowed to a thin waist flaring into rounded hips and ending in long, luscious legs. Her feet were petite, the curves of her arches placed just so and her toes perfectly aligned.

The wet dress was of course, coming wet and thus completely see through. Small pink nipples stood out, hardened by the cold water and surrounded by a small circle of pink flesh. The junction between her thighs was completely bare, the curve of her ass defined in such a way that it swayed hypnotically with every step.

Her voice, when it came, was soft and low; throaty with an undertone of lustful menace that was hard to match, "I like the rain. Do you remember, Natasha, that we first met this way... well... after you Turned me."

The beautiful, busty blonde in the relative dry of the car smiled then, in memory. "I remember Sweet. You were so lost and alone... I rescued you." Then the brusque commanding tone the other was so used to came back, "Now get in the car. You'll get sick."

Sabriel smiled, "Vampires don't get sick."

The reply was short and terse, "Physically, no."

Sabriel smiled again, letting her arms fall back behind her as she arched herself backwards, staring into the sky as she kept walking beside the car that strove to be slow enough not to overtake her. This was a new city, a place she had never been in her old life or this one. It wouldn't do to lose her, now would it?

The young vampiress stuck out her tongue, tasting the water that rained down from the heavens. She twirled around in the rain, feeling each and every droplet as it fell on her skin. Each pill of water felt as unique as snowflakes to her enhanced senses. She closed her eyes and grinned, enjoying the tiny pellets that struck her skin with an uneven rhythm.

Again the blonde's voice intruded on her seclusion, "Get in here now. I won't be taking you to the Elder in that state!" the tone was rising steadily and Sabriel knew that hysterics were soon in coming. She sighed.

Natasha started as Sabriel spoke up, suddenly seated in car next to her. "You don't have to be so mean."

"Don't do that! You know I hate it when you sneak up on me."

"Sorry." There was no sincerity in the reply at all.

"You know that you can't just go out on your own around here. This is Talon's jurisdiction. We have to obey him and his rules. You may have flaunted your strength and speed back in San Fran at him, but you can't do that here. He has power here. Just like Michael did back there."

"You just don't want him to see how good I am," came the petulant reply.

"Stop being such a baby. Now come here, Sweet. I want a kiss..."

Sabriel, of course, complied.


***********


Lightning flashed, striking white light into the dimly light manor. Candles flickered in errant breezes that wafted from shuddering casements. Rain pelted the roof in a steady stucco as people padded back and forth in near silence along the plushly carpeted hallways. The main dining hall was, as always, full with mingling beings. There were an assortment of cultures, tastes and fashions here. Dark, red velvet drapes hung heavily alongside the wide arching windows. Lightning cracked across the sky, the booming of thunder was muffled by the thick, elegant lushness of the manor's decor.

A winding staircase dominated the dining hall. It wound up from two sides onto the landing above. Gold filigree was inlaid into the railings, dark red carpets lining the steps with the feel of a lush field of grass.

Old heavy oaken doors faced the staircases, they too gilded with pure gold. The familiar dark red featured here too. Surprisingly, the hinges were soundless as the door suddenly swung inwards. The occupants of the dining hall all turned their gaze to the newcomer, some arching their eyebrows in question.

There stood a bedraggled and wet rat. A woman completely encased in a white dress that was plastered to her skin and showing more than it ought to, dark long hair slicked back over her head. Her fangs glinted in the flash of lightning as she grinned, a glint of lunacy deep in her sea green eyes.

A tall, leggy blonde followed, irritation clear on her finely chiselled features. "Sabriel! I told you -"

"Ah there you are. I've been waiting." The blonde was interrupted by a deeply masculine voice that belonged to the man that was just now moving down the staircases. Sabriel's eyes visibly tracked the man's progress, even when he disappeared from sight, down the heavily gilded steps. A lightly tanned hand rested on the railing, guiding the man's progress with a feather light touch.

When he stepped onto the highly polished wooden floor of the dining hall, Sabriel grinned and moved to stand directly in front of him with so much speed that her white dress and hair were instantly dry. There were some barely inaudible gasps from those present. Not even some of the older Vampires in the room had had success tracking her movement.
She stood before the man, a defiant grin on her lips, her back arched in pride, her head tilted to the side.

Talon simply smiled in a gentle, grandfatherly fashion, "Welcome to London, Young One."

As Nick opened his eyes he knew that he had to meet Taelyr but it was that last thing that he wanted to do. They had not parted on particularly good terms and he still didn’t know why he had asked to have her back. He had worked by himself since that day and the call from Andrew had been the first since he had left her; a month ago. The group had cut themselves off from him which was okay with Nick as they were beginning to meddle with the way that he was doing things. He just hoped that Taelyr would say that she would help him; even after clearing out the nest. He knew that it was strange of him to even think of something like that after he told himself he wanted to work alone, that it was the only way that he could get to whoever had taken Violet out of his life. He told Taelyr that before she had left him and she had told him that it was the stupidest thing that she had ever heard.

Very slowly he got up off the bed and fell to the floor to start this day as he had started every other one. Minutes later he got up off the floor with perspiration dripping off him. He looked towards the bathroom and knew that he should take a shower but something else came to him instead and he walked over to where his dresser sat. With a quick pull of the handle the drawer opened and a smile came to Nick’s face when he saw the knives sitting there as if wanting nothing more than to be back in his hands. As soon as he picked them up he felt more alive than he had in days. As he moved away from the dresser he felt the weight of them in his hands and began to cut through the air with them, moving slowly as he did. He looked at them in his hands and watched as they moved with him; it was as if he could feel them slice through the air itself. He knew that he could keep this up all day but would be late if he did; he hoped that Taelyr to be late also.

It was then the alarm that sat near his bed began to beep loudly which made Nick look at it then at the knives in his hands again. He hated the fact that he had to stop but he knew if he didn’t Taelyr would not be in a good mood and this was a time that he wanted her to be in one. He moved back to the dresser and pulled it open, sliding them back into their sheaths with a practiced skill. He flicked his hair out of his face and realized that he had to have a shower now; much to his annoyance.

As he walked into the shower he went past the only window that looked out into the city and stopped. He had been here for just over a month and had still not had the time to go out and look around. The only time he had ever seen the city had been at night and it always looked different during daylight. He shook his head to clear that thought away before he moved into the shower and turned it on, standing under the nice warm water. He felt it slowly run over his face and over his hair to his back and wanted nothing more than to stay here until the hot water ran out. The last thing that he wanted was to go out into the city but he had asked to meet with Taelyr and he knew the last thing he should do was stand her up.

Several minutes later he walked out of the shower and grabbed the towel that hung on the rack. As he wrapped it around himself he walked out into the bedroom and stopped as soon as he saw himself in front of a mirror. It was as if the person that he had been was completely gone now to be replaced with the seasoned killer that now stared at him. He could tell by the look in his eyes that he had killed several people and would have no qualms about doing so again. He knew that they were only vampires but as he thought about it knew that it was only a single step and he could kill humans without thinking twice. He shook his head, trying to clear it but the thought stayed with him as if telling him that it was the truth; that he was a killer and nothing more.

Turning away from the mirror Nick looked over at the dresser and wondered what he could wear out to the meeting with Taelyr. He knew that he usual night wear was something he couldn’t go out into the streets of the city with but it didn’t leave much for him to wear and with a sigh walked to the wardrobe. As he opened the door he hoped that he could find something to wear but in truth didn’t really care. He knew that he was not going outside for a fashion show but he also knew that he didn’t want to be noticed either. He had found that blending in with the crowd was the best thing for a person in his profession and started to look through the clothes that hung there.

After he pulled out a dark colored shirt and pants he looked over at his coat and wondered if he should wear it. He knew that it would be stupid of him if it was going to be a warm day but almost laughed out loud as soon as he thought of it. He pulled it out and threw it onto the bed without a second thought then reached down to grab his boots. He knew that if he fucked around that he was going to be late for the meeting with Taelyr and he knew that would be the worst thing that he could do as she would readily walk away from him and he would be stuck trying to empty a nest by himself. It was a job that he did not want; at least not by himself.

As soon as he was dressed Nick looked once again in the mirror then let out a slight laugh. It had been the first time that he had done something like that in more than a month and yet here he was doing it because of Taelyr. He knew that it was strange of him to worry about what she would think of him but when he looked in the mirror he knew that was what it was. After what they had said to each other a month ago he was worried about this meeting. He knew that she was the only person that he could truly trust in this world which in itself was something hard for him to say but he knew that it was the truth.

As he walked towards the stairs that led to the main floor of his home Nick hoped that Taelyr would listen to him when they came face to face with each other. He knew that the last things they had said to each other had been hard and hoped that they were things she would forget. The last thing that both of them would want was a fight to happen in the middle of London, especially where they were going to be. He knew that he needed to talk to Taelyr; that he wanted to be back with the only person that he could trust.

He cleared his head of that thought before he walked to the front door. After he locked it he walked to where his bike sat, got onto it and started it up, watching the faces of the people in their windows as the deep rumble echoed up the street. Nick looked at them with a smile before he put his helmet on, brought up the stand and turned the bike around to roar down the street.

As he rode the bike down the street Nick knew that he would probably never get used to the streets around here, they were either driving on the wrong side of the street or they were so crowded that he was worried about having a major accident. The one thing that he wished more than anything was that he was back in his home town, even with the memories that was associated with the place. He cleared his mind of that thought as soon as he had it and turned the accelerator handle even harder, listening to the rumble of the bike turn into an almost roar as he weaved through the traffic. As he did he heard some of the drivers cursing at him but he did not care about what they thought. He needed to make it to that meeting with Taelyr. If he didn’t she would never forgive him.

Before he realized it the palace came into view and the first thing that Nick saw was Taelyr standing there with a somewhat impatient look on her face. The first question that came to him was how long she had been waiting for him but that was replaced by a more important one; where was he going to park. He knew that parking in front of the palace was out of the question so he went with the flow of traffic until he saw a parking sign off to his left. He guided his bike in that direction, ignoring the honk of the horn behind him as he did and when he came to the parking area went for the closest empty parking spot.

As soon as he got off his bike Nick put his helmet onto the handle bar and set the trap for it then turned and walked back towards the palace. As he did he was glad that he had brought the coat as it was somewhat cold out here. It was replaced though by the first words he was going to say to Taelyr. He knew that he had to pick the right words to say to her but he still didn’t know what to say.

Minutes later he was standing in front of the palace looking at the back of Taelyr who was looking the other way. He wanted to shake his head at that but knew that she was doing it so anyone would think she had an unprotected back. As soon as he took another couple of steps forwards she turned around and looked straight at him.

“Hello Nick.”
“Hello Taelyr. It has been a long time-“
“Okay, that is enough with the pleasantries. What do you want me for?”
Nick was taken aback by this because if he didn’t know any better he would have sworn that he was talking to himself.
“The first thing that I can say is that I am sorry-“
Taelyr’s eyes widened and Nick knew that it was not a good thing.
“You are sorry. You tell me in no uncertain terms that you want nothing to do with me and then disappear without a trace. Andrew had a lot of fun tracking you down.”
Nick winced at that. The last thing he wanted was for Andrew to know where he was until he was ready to come back. He knew that it wouldn’t be long until they found him though and pulled him back to the fight.
He looked at her and took a deep breath, “I am truly sorry Taelyr. I know that I said some things I should not have and that I hurt you more than I can ever put into words. I just hope that you can forgive me as I need you with me again. Not just for this job but because you are the only person that I can trust in this word. I know what I said before but I do not believe that now. I know that I cannot do this alone. Please; will you help me.”

As Nick looked at Taelyr’s face he half expected her to start shouting at him but it was then that he noticed the look in her eyes. It was as though there was defeat and relief written in them. Nick looked at her and wanted to ask her what she was thinking but he knew that it was best not to.

It was then that she let out a loud sigh, “I will help you. I will be your partner again Nick but on several conditions. That you trust me with everything and I do mean everything and that you talk to Andrew again. He needs you to come back into the fold so to speak and wants to talk to you; just talk.”

Nick let out an exasperated sigh. He knew that it would be coming but he still didn’t like being blindsided like that.

“Okay. I will talk to Andrew but I have one condition for you. How good are you at holding onto a speeding bike?”

He saw Taelyr give him a questioning look.

Natasha was not pleased. Sabriel's lack of obedience since coming to London, to both her and Talon to whom she had to defer to had been seriously lacking. Her heels clicked busily along the marble hallways. Her steps were short and sharp, echoing along the walls. Her companion could not be as easily heard, bare feet padding gently across the stone beneath them, lighter than air, it seemed.

Occasionally Sabriel would reach out to her sides and skim her finger tips along the walls, a completely vacant and uncaring look on her face. The corridor was cold and she could feet the grains on the smooth marble beneath her bare feet. She revelled in it. The sensory information that was available to her had never ceased to amaze her. She had only expressed this once to Natasha, the other woman had simply snorted and told her to stop being such a child. She was so old that she took it for granted while Sabriel was determined to experience the world through her new found powers of observation.

"Come along!" intruded the blonde's thick, sultry voice into her thoughts. Sabriel suppressed the urge to sigh, instead sulkily padding faster along the corridor, almost stepping on the high heels of the woman leading her down to her chambers.

"How old is Talon?" she asked, somewhat absentmindedly.

"Don't ask such questions. He's an Ancient, that's all you need to know."

Sabriel nodded absently. So he was far older than he cared to admit? Or was he older that others cared to admit? She still didn't know just how old Natasha was. The only things she ever hinted at were the wars at her time, however, studying history hadn't been a strong point with Violet. Sabriel was the same; that much had carried through her previous life. She looked around her, not really noticing anything in particular but drinking in everything around her. She noted every crack in the marble face, every line of age, every finite mark and pattern was indelibly etched into her mind's eye. Her sight alighted on the blonde strands of Natasha's free swinging hair.
The young vampiress had to admit that the blonde before her was rather attractive. If you didn't count in her pettiness and arrogance. A rather good example of inner and outer beauty not matching as perfectly as people would have liked. Still, those long legs attached to those hypnotically swaying hips took the breath away.

"I'm hungry." Sabriel suddenly piped up, her voice somewhat higher pitched than normal. She had learnt that this tone of voice could either irritate or soften the blonde's unbeating heart. She knew that this time would be the latter as she could practically feel the blood draining from the pale woman's body. Natasha was starving after their little trip overseas and that was when she was most vulnerable to Sabriel's wishes.

"I know, Sweet. I know," came the somewhat distracted reply as they moved further and further underground.

After a while, Sabriel came to realise that the manor on top of them was simply the tip of the iceberg. Due to Vampires being somewhat affected by the sun, the majority of the coven were dug deeply underground. There was an enormous maze of corridors and hallways that lead to numerous rooms, both public and private.

Sabriel remembered every turn they made.

She gave a small whine, indicating she was hungry yet again, only stopping when Natasha threw her head backward and gave her a glare, intending to shut the young woman up. Natasha was actually quite lost and her Hunger was only making things more difficult.

Every where they went, every where Natasha led them, they attracted curious glances and more often than not, stares. Word had spread quickly about the 'prodigal' vampire that had come from the States. Some were repulsed, some sceptical but most were simply curious.

Sabriel didn't give any of them so much as a flick of her attention.

Natasha rounded a bound in the corridor and nearly bumped into another vampire that had been crossing the hall in the opposite direction. Blake reached out a hand to steady her as she took a reeling step backwards. He chuckled, his voice a deep, rich rumble. "Have you lost your way again, Natasha?" his tone was less than friendly, although it couldn't be said that he was threatening in any way.

He swept his blue gaze over Sabriel in a quick, assessing glance.

Natasha pouted, "I was simply looking for Talon," she lied, blood heating up her face. She tugged herself away from what turned out to be a fairly firm grip on her shoulder. She found, much to her annoyance, that he wouldn't let go. A flash went unheeded in Sabriel's eyes.

Blake grinned, fangs flashing, "You know Talon rarely comes down so deep. This is my territory and I don't remember giving you permission to be down here."

Natasha hissed, her own fangs showing as she snarled at him, "Don't presume to tell me what to do," her eyes scanned the hallway and she scented as far as she could but they were alone. It was just the three of them.

The male vampire ignored her and switched his gaze to settle firmly on Sabriel once more. "And what's this? Your precious Sweet? Is this the one that Talon is so interested in?" he sneered. He reached out to run the back of his index finger down Sabriel's right cheek. Unblinking, she took a step back, avoiding his touch. He hissed, "Come here, bitch!"

When she didn't comply, Blake went to forcibly grab her. That's when Natasha stepped in. Rather, she ripped herself away from Blake, hissing as she brought up her palm to smash against his nose. Blake, clearly faster and stronger, simply back handed her across the face with enough force to knock the vampire out cold. Natasha fell to the floor between them.
Sabriel looked down at Natasha, then looked up at Blake. He snarled at her, advancing a step. "Are you Talon's favourite?" she asked, her voice low and calm with that self same low menace that she could never quite mask. Blake's pupils dilated and his eyes narrowed, "What is it to you? I'm far stronger and faster and more able than you could ever be. Do you enjoy killing as much as I do? Are you really faster? Stronger?" his voice was full of scorn as he asked, his mouth twisted in a derisive sneer.

Sabriel took a long quiet look at him, tilting her head slightly as she considered, her gaze traveled from the prone body of her sire on the ground, to the menacing countenance of the male vampire before her. Her voice came out softly, barely able to be heard, even by a fellow vampire.

"Yes."

Blake roared and was in the process of lifting his arm to, claws extended as he used his speed and strength to attempt to slash at her body when he was suddenly up against the wall that had been two feet behind him, his feet dangling above the ground, his pale blue eyes wide and shocked as he stared deeply into the glittering sea green gaze of the woman that held him off the ground with but a single hand.

He hadn't even seen her move.

Sabriel studied him, her eyes cold and hard as she looked at him as a lioness would look at potential prey, calculationg when and where to strike next. Her clamping grip on his windpipe did nothing to block his airflow as vampires didn't actually need to breath, it was simply an echo of the past that their body's remembered and something done out of habit. Her grip could, however, break his neck. Something that would bring instant death.

Blake found himself praying as it suddenly struck him that Sabriel was indeed considering him her prey. It did not matter that he was a fellow vampire, did not matter that there were strict rules against attacking another vampire, or indeed, killing said vampire. Staring into those cold eyes made him realise that he could very well be seeing the last thing he would ever see.

"Let him go," a deep baritone voice pierced the air.

Sabriel looked back, recognising the unique timber of Talon's voice. She smiled, "he struck my Sire."

"I know, but let him go. He is useful, if only for hunting." Talon didn't raise his voice, he was neither insistant, nor uncaring. But there was a note in his voice that warned her not to go against his wishes, if only this time. "If he does it again, I will do nothing to interfere, I give my word."

Blake's eyes went wide. How could Talon, a man that had been grooming him since being Turned to lead in his stead when he was finally gone suddenly be abandoning him now? This upstart, this woman was suddenly better than him? How could this be?

Sabriel grinned, "Next time," she whispered intimately into Blake's ear before she loosened her grip, letting him slide down to the ground.

"You must be hungry, come Young One, bring your sire." Talon turned on his heel, the danger passed, and began walking back down from where they had come. Sabriel reached down, sliding her slender ivory arms beneath Natasha's body. She straightened up, carrying the older woman with barely a blink of her eyes. Dismissing Blake, she also turned to follow the Ancient.

"Why?" came Blake's wheezing voice. Sabriel had managed to damage his voicebox. Silently, he wondered if it would ever heal.

Talon turned back, his voice was mild, "I wasted time on you. I rarely make mistakes, Blake, but you were one of them. You were never going to be fit to lead this coven, no matter how hard I was on you."

"And her?"

Talon simply looked at Blake for a long time before he abruptly turned on his heel and continued to walk away, leaving Blake without an answer, Sabriel following readily behind.

As soon as they walked into his home Nick turned to look at Taelyr. He wanted to smile at her, to say that she was welcome inside his home. That would not go over well and he knew it so he kept his mouth closed and walked into the hallway.

"Okay, so where do I start?"

"You can start by calling Andrew. He really wants to talk to you Nick," Taelyr said as she moved closer to him, sadness written clearly in her eyes and on her face.

Nick let out an exasperated sound and turned quickly to look at the stairs. He turned back to look at Taelyr and opened his mouth to answer her back. He shut him mouth though and started to slowly walk away. That was one thing his father told him that he had never forgotten; If you cannot win a fight then the best thing you can do is walk away from it. He knew though that his father had never had to fight someone who was as stubborn as Taelyr. It would have been a fun thing to see though and he wished that he could. There was no way that he could ever see his father though which made him want to cry out.

"I'll show you to your bedroom if you wish to stay here. If not then I know a good hotel where you can stay."

"Don't do that to me Nick. Do not shut me out and start to walk away every time I mention Andrew. You have to talk to me-"

Nick turned quickly to look at her, trying as hard as he could to keep the anger out of his voice.
"Why do I have to talk to you? I asked you if you wanted to come with me a month ago. I asked you whether you thought we were doing the right thing? I am nothing more than a killer because of what they did to me-"

"They had nothing to do with that. You turned yourself into the person that you are. You shut yourself away from everyone that could care about you because of what happened to you and for what reason; to keep those that you care about safe. To me that is a crock of shit and you know it. The only reason you are the way you are and why you ran away the way you did is because you cannot handle what happened to you."

Nick took a deep breath of air, "Can you see your parents, your best friends, the people that you love the most? Do you have to hide in the shadows just so you can get a glimpse of them because you are supposed to be dead?"

He took a step forward, his eyes never leaving hers, "The reason I came here is because I could not take that anymore. I want nothing more than to call them; to tell them to their face that I love them more than anything. I just want them to know that I am alive. I don't what their last memory of me to be that of an accused murderer and the funeral. In this world I am totally and utterly alone and I know there is nothing I can do about that. I just want everything to be the way they were before that night. I want to have Violet in my arms. I want to tell my parents how wonderful she is and hope that they accept her into the family-"

Taelyr let out a gasp and when Nick saw her eyes go wide and her hands fly up to her mouth he knew that something was up.
"I- I didn't know. Nobody told me."

Nick took another step towards her before reaching into his coat to pull out a gold chain, an emerald ring hanging from the end of it.
"Nobody knows because I didn't want them to know. I was going to ask her that night. That is why I took her to the restaurant; because I wanted to make her my wife. Before that blonde bitch took her away from me."

Suddenly Nick's mood changed and he turned back towards the stairs. He started to move towards them which left Taelyr standing there in total confusion.

"Wait, where are you going. We haven't finished this conversation."

Nick continued to move, slipping the chain with the emerald ring back into a pocket on his coat.
"Yes, we have. Now if you want to see where your bedroom is I suggest that you follow me. If not then we can discuss this business about the nest."

Taelyr just stood there for a second, her eyes still wide and looked at Nick as he started to walk up the stairs. She knew, just by the way he was walking that there was no way he was going to stop and started to move quickly after him. By the time she had caught up with him he was pushing the door open to a room. He stood to one side as she looked into it.

"This is your bedroom. If you don't like it then you can sleep where ever else you wish to except for my bedroom. I'll meet you downstairs whenever you wish to talk about this nest problem. Just don't be too long because there isn't much sunlight left and I would rather get this over and done with as quickly as possible."

Taelyr just looked into the room before turning around to look at Nick, "This room will be fine. If you will give me a second though there is something I have to do first but I will meet you downstairs asap."

Nick just let out a grunt before turning and walking away from the door, "You just come down when you want to."

Taelyr stood there and watched as Nick walked away before she closed the door, moved to the bed quickly, unzipped her bag and pulled out the satellite phone Andrew had given her before she left. She dialled the number on the phone and waited for someone to pick up, hoping that someone was home and they would answer before Nick came back up.

As soon as someone on the other side picked up Taelyr said, "Hi Mom, it's me Taelyr.... No Mom, I'm not there anymore..... Mom..... Mom; there is something important I have to ask you......"


* * * * *

When she came back down the stairs Taelyr could still feel the weight of her mother's answer pressing down on her. She could not help but look at Nick and feel the sadness well up within her. In that quick conversation she knew more about him than she ever wished to know and hated everyone for not telling her the truth. She walked slowly over to him and watched as he raised his head slowly from the map that he had been studying.

"Oh good; you're here. From what Andrew told me the nest is somewhere in the Charring Cross district. I know that it isn't very discreet of them but what is about a vampire. What I was hoping was that we could get to the nest before it turns dark and try to kill as many of them as possible before it time for the bastards to rise. We can then kill the rest; if there are any of them alive."

Taelyr just looked at Nick and wanted to talk about the conversation they had just had, about what he had just said but knew that there was no way he was going to talk about it this night. He had his mask back on and she knew from lots of experience that there was no way she was going to get to Nick once the mask was back on. She was so startled when he straightened that she could only stand there and look at him, not hearing anything that he said until he spoke again.

"Do you need a weapon? If so then follow me."

She slowly turned and started to follow him as he led his way to the door under the stairs. He punched a code into the box near the door and then stood aside. As soon as she walked to the door Taelyr saw the stairs and turned to look at Nick. She wanted to ask him what they were there for but knew that there was no way she was going to get an answer from him. Instead she just walked slowly down the stairs, wondering what she would find. Once she reached the bottom of the stairs she let out a loud gasp and turned to Nick who had just come into the room.

"I hope that you find something to use," he said with a slight smile before he walked over to one of the racks and pulled off a pistol.

The night was dark and stormy. Something the woman loved. She lived for nights like this, were the chaos in her mind was reflected in perfect sync in the world around her. Thunder crashed, lightning arced across the sky and ran fell in bruising pellets.

Sabriel reached out her hand and collected a few drops of the clear, cold liquid in her palm. Ruby red lips smiled as she brought her cupped fingers to them. She scented the earth and air and her smile grew wider. Then her olfactory senses picked up the scent of fresh blood and her fangs flashed in a brilliant strike of lightning.

“I don’t know why, but she gets like this on stormy nights.” Sabriel turned to the voice and smiled even wider as she betook the scene before her.

Natasha stood, completely naked, rivulets of blood streaming down her smooth ivory skin. Hanging upside down from the ceiling above her was an equally naked woman. Her neck hung at an odd angle, the red gash so wide you could see the white bones of her spine glistening red. Blood rained down onto Natasha and Sabriel felt her own excitement grow. The damp heat between her legs melted and she longed to pull off her clothes and take the blonde there and then. But the second occupant in the apartment stopped her.

Talon moved from within the shadows, “Put some clothes on.” He was short and curt and didn’t bother to acknowledge Natasha’s uncharacteristic pout. He crossed over to Sabriel and took her hand, turning her around to watch the chaotic skies once more.

“I like it too,” he murmured, “it just seems right.”

Sabriel said nothing. She was fast learning the internal politics in this new city. She had also found that silence was the best key to use when dealing with Ancient Elder. He seemed to like talking to her. As soon as she started talking, however, he would stop and she soon found that she didn’t like it when he did. And so she remained quiet, her sensitive hearing picking up the faint rustling of cloth as Natasha dressed herself.

“Yes, I find that one can truly think when one looks on such disorder,” the Elder tapped the side of his head, “it all just seems so clear.”

His other hand kept a tight grip on hers. His fingers wrapped over hers and he tightened his grip until her was fairly crushing her. For all that she wanted to, though, she did not pull away. A second later Talon seemed to nod to himself and he released her. His voice was ancient and soft, barely able to be heard over the crushing thunder, “You will Hunt with another tonight. Celeste. Teach her what you know but be gentle, she is new to this life.” Then he turned from her and held out his hand to the now fully dressed Natasha, “Come my lovely, you and I shall rule the night together.”

Natasha shot a look of triumph to Sabriel. The younger vampire simply smiled which seemed to anger the blonde even more than anything she could have said.

Frankly, Sabriel did not care. Though she had been burdened with an even younger vampire, she was for the first time in a fortnight free of her overbearing Sire. She couldn’t fathom just how much she despised the woman who had given her this life but there is was. If she could get away with it, Natasha would have been dead long ago. But the blonde had powerful friends and she had used her years to insinuate herself into their inner circles. Despite what she was, Sabriel knew that she was simply not powerful enough to go up against her Sire. Not yet at least.


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

Hours later, Sabriel easily looped along the rooftops, running barefoot over the buildings, luxuriating in the feel of concrete and brick beneath her. At her side, doing a credible job of keeping up, ran Celeste.

Sabriel had no idea why she had been chosen for the honour of teaching Celeste about her new life. Hunters had killed Celeste’s Sire some time ago and she had been drifting from Master vampire to Master vampire every since. Though Sabriel was too young to be a Master vampire yet, it was clear that Talon had thought her capable of such a role. And now Celeste was hers! Sabriel revelled in the power she now had over someone else’s destiny. Celeste was there for moulding and Sabriel was certain in what direction she would push her new protégé.

Stopping abruptly, Sabriel paused on the edge of a three storey apartment block. Celeste barely stopped beside her and Sabriel frowned to see the other woman’s breast heaving in effort to draw breath. Sabriel herself was breathing easily, their run having taken nothing from her.

Reaching out, Sabriel touched Celeste’s shoulder, “Never show what you don’t wish others to see.” Crouching on the edge, overlooking the city, Sabriel removed a small dagger from the sash that now hung from her waist. The dark red colour clashed with her white dress and had been a gift from Talon. Aside from the colour, it also sported an extraordinary amount of small pockets and hidden loops. She wore it always.

Taking the dagger, she suddenly stabbed herself in the thigh. She uttered not a word, though surely it must have hurt as the blood welled up around the blade and ran down her leg. “No pain.” She smiled and laughed right into Celeste’s face. Then she pulled the dagger free and the wound began to heal.

“I will teach you what being a vampire really means,” she laughed again and stopped when she detected fear in Celeste’s eyes. The grin grew feral, “Yes! I will teach you how to be feared by others like you fear me now.” She deposited her dagger back into the sash and stood, her voice a semblance of normalcy now, “But only when you want them to.”

Sabriel turned and held her hand out to Celeste and the other woman would in that instant see that Sabriel was never ever what you thought she was. Conflicting emotions warred inside her. The desire to hold the same power Sabriel held fought with her over whelming desire to run screaming and hide.

In the end Celeste took Sabriel’s hand and together they jumped from the edge and for Celeste, into a whole new world of possibilities.

As soon as Nick got off the bike he knew he was being watched. He did not ever bother looking around as he knew there was no way he was going to see them. He looked at Taelyr and could tell just by the look on her face that she knew they were being watched as well. He walked slowly towards her, helped her off the back of the bike and looked at her as she stood beside him.

“Do not show that you know. Even if they can read our minds I rather them not know why we are here.”

“I know what I am doing. Just because we have not been partners for five months it does not mean I have forgotten how to do things.”

Nick just let out a loud sigh. He knew there was no arguing with her and in doing so it would expose them even more than they were. It would also slow them down even further; something both of them could not afford to have happen. As they moved away from the bike Nick adjusted his backpack and coat, hoping he had not exposed any of his weapons as he did.

“Whose idea was it to come here at this time of day? You do know how close it is to sundown.”

Nicked stopped and turned to look at Taelyr, “Yes, I do know what time of day it is and I do know it is just the pair of us. I could say that they will not be expecting this but I know your will just argue that point which will just slow us down.”

Taelyr opened her mouth to argue her point but closed it quickly as Nick walked away from her. As he walked towards the closest alley Nick kept his eyes on the building they were walking beside for any movement. He knew it there were any vampires watching Taelyr and himself from any of the windows he would be lucky to see them. From experience he knew they were watching both of them though and if he gave any indication he knew it they would have a nasty surprise waiting for them as soon as they got into the building. As soon as Taelyr and he reached the alley he stopped, pulled out his earpiece and slid it in, waited for Taelyr to do the same before he slid off his backpack, pulled out the crossbow and assembled it. He looked over at Taelyr to see that she had pulled out the silenced Uzis she had picked from his basement and was now pulling out the two silenced pistols from it. She slid them under the jacket she was wearing before looking at Nick. He could tell by the look on her face that she wanted to smile at him although he knew not to and bent down to pick up the packs.

After she packed their packs in a hiding spot Nick walked up to the door on his left, knelt down and checked it. He reached out to turn the handle but stopped as soon as he noticed the wire near one of its edges. He looked at it closely before reached into his coat and pulled out the small can of liquid nitrogen. He began to spray around all the edges of the door, listening to the crackling sound as he did. Nick then slowly stood with a rare smile, pulled out a pistol, turned the handle of the door and walked into the building. He turned as soon as he heard the footsteps and squeezed the trigger, shooting the person square in the chest with a slight pop. As the person fell to the ground Nick turned to the next one as she came closer and squeezed the trigger. She fell to the floor with a soft thud just as Taelyr walked into the building, the silenced Uzis in her hands. She looked at Nick but did not say a word before she walked further into the building.

Nick stood where he was for a second or two before he followed Taelyr further into the building, pulling out a second pistol as he did. It was then that he heard the slight popping sound ahead of him and started to run in that direction. He stopped as soon as he reached Taelyr just to see her firing at several people as they moved towards her. Nick could tell, just by the way they moved that they were vampires and brought up his pistols, squeezing the triggers on both as he did. As he first at the vampires he knew there was no way he should stop firing for any reason because the vampires would not give him a chance to do so again. He watched as one of his bullets struck a vampire in the head and as it fell to the floor he heard another one off to his right. A he turned in that direction he knew there was no way he was going to be fast enough and readied himself for the hit that never came. It was then e saw the vampire on the floor, a bullet hole in the middle of its head. He looked over at Taelyr to thank her but it was then that he saw the vampire coming up from her side and without a word of warning raised on of his pistols. As Taelyr looked at him with wide eyes Nick squeezed the trigger, the bullet slamming into the vampire’s shoulder. As the vampire let out a shout Taelyr turned and squeezed the trigger on one of the Uzis, the bullets ripping his head apart. As that one fell to the floor Nick slid magazines into his pistols and walked even further into the building, Taelyr by his side. As they walked along Nicked thought it weird that no other vampires or human guards had appeared.

Just then Nick heard a shout off to his right and looked in that direction. When he saw the large male vampire running towards him, two long bladed weapons in his hands he shook his head, let out a sigh and shot it through the head. He turned to Taelyr who looked like she was trying hard not to laugh and opened his mouth to say something to her. It was then that he noticed her eyes were wide and wondered what she was looking at. When he turned it the direction she was looking he was surprised to see the number of vampires standing there looking straight at him. His first thought was the question of how many he was going to kill before his ammunition ran out. Even as that thought entered his mind one of the vampires stepped forward and said, “Not enough. You know that you and your friend will be dead before you run out of bullets.”

Nicked looked at the vampire as he gripped his pistol even tighter, “I guess you are the leader of this nest.”

“If there is a leader that would be-“

Nick did not let the vampire finish as he raised the pistol and squeezed the trigger in a fluid motion. As the bullet struck the lead vampire in the head, causing him to fly off his feet the other vampire let out a sound that was between a hiss and a growl. As the sound echoed through out the room they were in Taelyr turned to Nick with wide eyes.

“You know they are not going to let us leave here.”

“They were not going to do that in the first place. At least this way we know we do not have to go hunting for them.”

Taelyr’s eyes grew wider, “You had tis planned all along, didn’t you.”

Nick did not get a chance to answer. As one the vampires ran at the pair, giving Nick just enough time to fire off a couple of shots which hit two vampires in the chest, drop the pistols to the floor and pull free his two knives. He ran at the two closest vampires and without a sound sliced deep into them. He then started to move quietly and quickly through the vampires, cutting them down as though he were death itself and his knives were scythes. As he did so he wondered how Taelyr was doing and as soon as he heard the continuous popping sound from her Uzis he knew she was alive, letting a smile come to his face before he cut down another vampire.

As he cut down another one a thought came to Nick. What would Violet thing of me if she saw me like this? Would I be so different that she would not recognize me and end up trying to kill me? That thought made him pause long enough for a vampire to strike him across the back and send him a few steps forwards. As soon as Nick stopped his forward momentum he turned, let out a shout and ran at the vampire. Before the vampire could offer any sort of defence Nick started to cut and slice into him so deeply that the blood was flying through the air. As he cut it into the air Nick let out shout after shout until he stopped abruptly and looked down at the mutilated corpse. When he did so all he wanted to do was fall to his knees in anguish but stopped when he heard footsteps.

He turned quickly, his twin knives in hi hand but stopped himself when he saw Taelyr who just stood there looking at him. Nick could tell that she wanted to say something but he knew no words would ever come to his ears. It was then she cleared her throat and spoke.

“I think they are all dead. What should we do next?”

Nick lowered his knives out of sight, “You should know the answer better than that. We go and find their coffins and kill the bastards that are asleep.”

“But it is almost nightfall. They will be waking up soon.”

“All the more reason to hurry, “Nick said as he pumped the slider on the shotgun he had just pulled from underneath his coat. Without another word he ran in the direction the vampires had come from and after letting out an exasperated sigh Taelyr ran off after him.

She found him standing in front of a bare wall, staring intently at it. She walked up slowly behind him and started to speak but he raised his right hand to stop her.

“What do you notice about this wall?”

Taelyr moved closer, looked at the wall then turned back to Nick, “Nothing. There isn’t anything interesting about that wall.”

“That is where you are wrong. You cannot design building without knowing a thing or two about hiding a room or two.”

With that Nicked started searing the face of the wall until the suddenly stopped, reached out with one and pressed it.

Just then the wall in front of Taelyr opened up and she was surprised to see the coffins in front of her. As she tried to contemplate the amount Nicked walked into the room and lifted the lid of one of the coffins. As soon as he did a vampire rose out of it to attack him. Nicked squeezed the trigger of his shotgun quickly and as the vampire fell back into its coffin, turned to Taelyr and said, “What are you standing there for? We only have a short amount of time to do this.”

The voices of excited children hung in the air, their laughter wrapping the two women up in joy. The night air was clear and the stars above shone like happy fireflies against the velvet darkness. Bright lights twinkled in their eyes and Celeste could not help but smile as she remembered her own happy childhood. The woman that walked beside her laughed as a stray little boy came up to her and handed her a red balloon. She watched as Sabriel bent to pluck the balloon from the boy's fingers and looked up as the mother came hurrying into the scene.

The flustered woman gave her thanks for finding her errant son and Celeste waved as the boy was led of, waving back at them. Then she turned to Sabriel and caught the vampiress's odd expression. Before she could ask, Sabriel's soft voice came to her ears, "He said he strangest thing. He gave me the balloon because he thought I was sad." Sabriel turned to look at her, her eyes bleak for a moment. Then she shook herself and closed her eyes, the balloon string sliding through her fingers. When she opened her eyes, Celeste determined that Sabriel was back to her enigmatic self, the bleakness gone, if it had ever been there.

Celeste wasn't sure what had happened. Sabriel had been a hard task master since she had been sent to her, and she had had some very difficult lessons to learn. But for all the time they spent together, Celeste was still nowhere nearer in uncovering Sabriel's true nature under all of the layers of manipulation and deceit. As such, Celeste was not sure how to take this momentary show of weakness. Was it a trick? Was it another lesson to learn? Or had Sabriel's hard shell finally been cracked by a little boy, no less? Celeste was uncertain, and so said nothing. Her face blank to her inner confusion, just as Sabriel had taught her, she silently watched the balloon float up into darkness. Sabriel paid no more heed to it and when Celeste finally looked down again, she found the other woman already moving through the crowd again. With another brief look skywards, Celeste hurried to catch up with her mentor.

When she arrived at Sabriel's side, the other woman said nothing. Instead, she silently led Celeste through the late night carnival crowd, the London Eye staring down at them all the while. Celeste made sure to note and process everything she saw. Though she did not have an eidetic memory as Sabriel did, she was quickly realising the uses of memorizing every detail of her where-abouts. At first she had done it to satisfy Sabriel's training technique. Her mentor had had a knack of questioning her on odd details, sometimes hours after the fact. The first few weeks, Celeste had been a miserable failure on this front But soon after she came to expect the questions and soon became more and more proficient with the exercise until Sabriel began to ask less and less questions. And when she did, it was often further and further back in time. Tonight would mark the fifth since Celeste had had to answer on of those questions. She wasn't sure when it had happened, but she no longer took her memorizing task as a chore. It had become challenging and enjoyable to her. She began to revel more in where she was, in the sensations she could feel, on the noises and scents around her. As Sabriel had once said to her, "Being a vampire does not mean being dead. It means being more alive than we have ever been before."

This was not the first time Sabriel had taken Celeste out in public but it was the first time that the vampires had not been actively hunting. The sexual cloak; the sensual movements of her hips, the swaying of her shapely butt, the precise movements of her legs beneath that white dress and the seductive pout of her pale lips were all gone. The pale ivory glow that almost always surrounded Sabriel nowhere to be seen. The predatory glint was carefully blanked from her eyes and her smile seemed more innocent than malicious. As she watched the woman buy two candy apples and delicately bit into one before giving the other to some random child she had met a moment earlier – Celeste was struck with realisation. Sabriel, tonight, amongst all of the carnival revellers, looked human.

Celeste had a quick look around and noticed once again something that she had filed away in her newly acquired memory moments before. Amongst the crowd were several other vampires. Women mostly, but some were men. Celeste had assumed that she had known they were vampires from their scents – but she realised that she could not smell them. Her sense of smell was not as refined as an older vampire’s, especially here amongst a crowd of so many. Celeste watched the vampires, unobtrusively and soon realised why she could mark them out from the humans. Though they were all doing a credible job pretending, they didn’t quite get it right. Once male vampire, long hair sweeping over broad shoulders, had the normal colouring of life, but his eyes looked dead. There was something unsettling about his gaze and she instinctively knew that his Hunt would be unsuccessful tonight. Another vampire, a woman this time, seemed normal enough. She appeared young and carefree, attracting some young men’s glances; but that was all. Celeste soon understood why. Although her sexual aura was in full swing so were her predatory instincts. Her movements were too fluid, too graceful. She moved through the crowd like an eel through water and there seemed to be an air of wrongness about her. Of something not quite right, of something weird. Celeste turned to face Sabriel and found the other woman staring at her, “That’s it, isn’t it? That is tonight’s lesson.” Understanding dawned and she watched as Sabriel slowly nodded and smiled. She felt a tingle up her spine at that smile and couldn’t help smiling back. She hadn’t known when it happened either but Celeste now saw Sabriel as her Sire. One she respected, looked up to, obeyed and loved unconditionally. She yearned for Sabriel’s approval and though the lessons were hard and often life threatening, once she learnt them she understood just how much of a weapon a vampire could truly be.

Tonight was no exception. Celeste immediately understood the use of this lesson; the plethora of uses, actually. Of the five or so vampires at the carnival, only Sabriel had been successful at luring prey to her. Crowds were tricky for vampires and they often challenged themselves to Hunt in them. A crowd made Human’s feel safe – as such though, they were more wary of strangers and also harder to lure from the safety provided by numbers. A vampire couldn’t just overwhelm their prey either, causing a scene was forbidden. Besides it was an ill-disguised secret that there were Hunter patrols at public events such as this one. Unless a vampire had a death wish, they did nothing in such public venues. Having the added ability to actually appear human was a bonus Celeste was sure not many vampires had.

“You’re doing it too, you know.” Sabriel’s voice startled her from her thought’s but she carefully kept her expression normal. “You’re acting like them.” Sabriel smiled at her but something leaked into the edges of her eyes, a malice that left no question as to what she was. “You’re more like them, sound like them, speak like them.” She shook her head, “I taught you how to control yourself, but that was for vampires. Now, you have to learn for humans.”
Celeste nodded but Sabriel said nothing. After a few more silent moments Celeste realised that she would have to learn this one on her own. Sabriel had shown her the desired effect, but now she had to find a way to emulate it.

Celeste closed her eyes briefly and allowed her muscles to relax. She moved her chest to a rhythmic beat, emulating her breathing. She rearranged her features to something slightly more pleasant and tried to blank out thoughts of her Hunger. When she opened her eyes again, she felt she had done a good job. There were no more odd glances her way and she no longer felt the scrutiny of the other vampires. But as she swung her gaze at Sabriel, she found the other woman frowning. Instantly, she felt her shoulder begin to slouch as she visibly wilted at Sabriel’s displeasure. But before she could finish, Sabriel touched her on the shoulder and gave her a small camera.
“Get that clown to take a picture of you.”
Celeste frowned and looked behind her, noticing a clown selling balloons. He was also taking pictures for carnival goers. Not questioning, one of her first lessons had been not to question Sabriel, Celeste turned and began to walk towards the clown. As she did, her eyes ran over all of the little details and she soon came to realise that the clown was armed. She thought it odd, but reasoned that he was probably serving as a security guard as well.

Celeste tried not to think vampiric thoughts as she walked up to him, consciously making her breast rise and fall rhythmically and keeping the hungry glint from her eye. When she reached him, he turned to her and she gave him a warm smile. She gave the quick, assessing glance he gave her, strengthening her idea that he had something to do with security. He was tall, not overly muscled, but under his clothes she could see that he was fit and toned. His eyes were cold and distant, though his smile was friendly enough. His voice was deep and a little gruff when he spoke, “What can I do for you, Miss?”
“Hi! Um, sorry to ask but could you take a picture of me?” She handed him the camera and posed, flashing a victory sign, being sure to blink after the flash had gone off. Thanking him, she took the camera and walked away.

Meeting up with Sabriel, she gave the camera back. She watched as Sabriel flicked through the images and then raised it to take a snap of the clown’s face. Celeste leaned over and saw his features clearly, he didn’t really have much makeup on; just red cheeks, lipstick and a wig. Then she watched as Sabriel made a small gesture, one of the vampire’s she had observed earlier coming to her side. It was the male. He did not say a word as Sabriel showed him the picture of the clown, “I am Sabriel. This image is of a Hunter. Process it and add it to our database.” Celeste’s eyes grew wide and she knew that if she had had a beating heart, that it would have stopped. The male narrowed his gaze and made a move in the clown’s direction. Sabriel grasped his arm, “Talon has strict orders.” The male glanced at her, gnashed his teeth and then moved off. Before he could take too many step though, Sabriel called out, “I want that camera back.” He nodded stiffly, and then disappeared into the crowd.

As Celeste was processing this, a familiar male voice called out, “Ah! Found you!”
She whirled around and came face to face with the Hunter. He smiled, “You dropped your keys when you left.”
“Thank you….” Celeste just managed not to stammer. Now she knew why he was packing the heat.
“No worries. Stay safe.” Then he was gone.

Celeste turned around, her nerves jangling, only to see Sabriel frowning again. Then a moment later, the other woman gave her the tiniest of nods. Holding out her hand she took Celeste’s and they began strolling through the crowd once more.

Celeste had passed her first human lesson, but just barely, and it looked like Sabriel had even more in store for her tonight.

As he stood there Nick once again felt a sense of loss flow through him. It was not the loss of life in this room, that he had faced time and time again but it was once again the sense of losing the person he had been. He shook his head as he looked at the open coffins, the vampires sprawled throughout the room in different places and knew that the person he had once been, the once Jason Alexander Richards would never have been able to put up with all this death. He would have seen it all, that was true but the very next instance he would have been in the corner of the room throwing up. He shook his head and turned to one of the hunters who had come with him and Taelyr, "Make sure that when the cleaners come here that everything disappears."

"I think they should know how to do their job by now," the hunter said, a smile starting to show on his face.

Before another word was spoken Nick grabbed the hunter, pulled him closer and looked into his eyes, "Just make sure they do their damn job properly."

As he turned to walk from the room he heard the hunter say something under his breath. At any other time Nick would have turned around and swung his fist into the man's face but he just shook his head and kept walking. The instant he left the room Taelyr was by his side looking straight at him, "Whatever you are going to say don't. I know what I did was stupid so please do not say a word."
"I wasn't going to say anything. You know what you did so there is no need to."
Nick stopped suddenly and looked at Taelyr but closed his mouth before he could say anything. He knew that there was no need to start an arguement and it was the one thing that was going to happen if he said anything back to Taelyr. Once again he shook his head but this time he let out a deep breath as he did so. All he wanted to do right now was get out of this building, sit down, have something to drink and forget all about this night. He knew this was life he had chosen or more to the point the one that had been chosen for him. He did not have to like it though and as he walked away from the vampire's that littered the inside of this building he found that he just wanted to go somewhere and forget everything that had happened.

It was then that the beeping alarm went off on his arm and he looked down at it with wide eyes. Without even shutting it off or saying another word to Taelyr Nick ran off down the hallway, dodging hunters left and right as he did, most of them trying to get his attention. One of them even got in his way, trying to stop him but Nick crashed into him with such a force that the hunter fell to the ground just as Nick ran past him. He did not even stop to see if the man was alright as he ran closer to the entrance, his sense of urgency rising with every single step.

Just as he reached the door to the outside he felt a hand on his arm, stopping him. He looked behind him just to see Taelyr standing there, concern written clearly on her face. She opened her mouth but before she could ask her question Nick cut her off and said, "Let me go. Now!"

Taelyr's eyes widened as she let go of his arm, letting him run out into the open. As soon as he did the sun started to rise over the buildings bathing him in light. Nick just stood there with his eyes closed, feeling the sun's rays hitting him and letting out a loud sigh as it did. It was then that he heard the footsteps behind him and turned to look at Taelyr.

"I am sorry. I did not mean to-"

She just raised a hand, cutting him off, "It is okay Nick. I understand."