Metal clashed in the darkness of night as all were sleeping except the two dark figures fighting each other to win a battle of survival. One of slender build carried two short swords. The other who was taller and built, carried a long bastard sword.

The way they fought was that of years of experience. Sparks flew every time their swords met in the air when their bodies went to clash together. If music played in the background, this would be a perfect scene of immense energy being released on two simple souls… or lack there of.

Holding the two blades in her hands was known to be a Hunter of the Dark Race by the name of Enola. Her opponent was an Incubus Vampire who had killed several women over the country side. Considering this, he took more pride in his sexual encounters. Even though they didn’t know that he was there destroying them while they slept, he made sure that their dreams weren’t as harsh as some of his race would make them to be. If their dreams didn’t contain such a fright as most, they would be more willing to give him their energy.

Now he ran into a woman that would be his demise. She drifted in front of him in their sword fight wearing a leather corset that emphasized her bodice. It connected at the waist to a long leather skirt that had a slit in the front of it that rode along her leg to her upper thigh, bestowing her easier movement in combat, lined in red silk to catch the opponent’s eyes as more of a distraction than a color. Across her back she wore a double sheath that held her short swords at an angle of the other. Her hair flowed long and brown with large ringlet curls that gave her face more emphasis.

Offering a smile now, knowing that the time was near for her to award her final strike as she bowed to him. He stepped away, watching her with interest as a curious raise of his brow was emphasized by his features. With a wave of her swords, she spun at him in a leap of faith and sliced him through the waist like a hot knife through butter. He watched her in with the same inquiring stare before finally looking down to see his legs collapsing beneath him as his upper half fell back. Struggling to get away filled his drying veins as she walked up beside him to stick her swords in the ground on the sides of her. Then picking up his sword, Enola raised it over her head to thrash it down hard over his neck… no hesitation stood in her wake.

The sword tapped its ends on the grass in a vibration next to the decaying body while his conqueror watched skin slowly turn to bones and float away in a wind of ash. Grasping the sight of the stars as a pendant grazed her lips she embarked on her next journey… finding a place to sleep for the remainder of the night.

Dark and sinister clouds rolled over head in a city located on the eastern coast of Ireland called Dublin. Thunder and lightning had already made their presence known with the passing line that began a tremendous storm that was predicted to last for a week or more.

Most of the residences of Dublin found solace within their homes or pubs along one of the main streets of the city which were filled slightly with a few cars here and there as all signs of life disappeared.

Down one of the deep alleys rested a woman on her haunches, waiting for the cover of night to fall before she would emerge from her place. Her curly brunette hair draped over her face as her mind reeled over how she had come to be here and knowing that if all went as planned, her quest would soon end. Relaxed hands rested between her knees which were covered in black silk pants while her upper body in a leather tank top that stirred to her breaths. The wall behind her supported a compound bow with a quiver of arrows that glinted in the crooked strands of light above her. The bow had been crafted from pure silver and made light to fight in combat, giving it a quick response. Other instruments of violence could be found upon her body that few had enough time to venture they were there.

Hours past as she rested like this against the building before slowly her fingers twitched as she stood, grabbing her belongings and waltzing as if on air from the alley and onto the main streets. She seemed to be unseen as she took her time walking to her destination against the direction that passerby’s headed, speeding around her as if on fast forward to get shelter from the one moment drizzle to down pour of rain.

Her eyes glazed over from all emotion as they stared out at the road in front of her. Not once did her eyes make contact with another’s. The destination was firmly outlined in her mind of she needed to go and her body prepared for the fight that was about to come… but what she would face would be everything she had not prepared for.

A rickety fence came unhinged with the placing of a gliding finger upon it as she turned into a frail stone building that at one time had held memories to the brim. Now with age and weathering it barely held any of the tales that had been committed within its walls while glass windows were now shards on the decrepit wooden floor boards. Where the shards had been were replaced with plywood boards to keep out all light. Drips of water came from the roof to make their journey down the three floors where she now stood holding her bow at her side, notched and ready. She could smell… almost taste her prey in her veins, every sign of their existence scorched in this place.

With the silence becoming deafening she almost jumped with the footsteps that now seemingly pounded in her head. A grin played at the corners of her lips after the paralysis wore off. With the grace of a ballerina in a music box that spun for all to see, she turned to her challenger while one hand moved to notch the arrow… and stopped. Not finding what she expected at all, irritation coursed through her, a gun pointed in her direction… at her heart. The officer and she only stood there in silence… not a word exchanged. Her voice caught in her throat as she looked him over and noticed some familiarities in his face with a name tag to permeate her suspicions.

“Put down the bow, ma’am,” he spoke softly with a hint of Irish accent.

No movement was made to obey the request. He shifted uncomfortably at the knowledge that she wasn’t going to let down. He reinforced himself by telling her that he would shoot if she didn’t stand down.

“What ever happened to being a doctor?” she asked decisively.

Now it was his turn to appear shocked at the question coming from a woman he didn’t know and confused at how she could know that. He didn’t respond at first, but then replied that an opportunity arose and he took it. This woman who was threatening his life and visa versa made it easy for him to tell such truths… but there was something familiar about her voice. Dark shadows hid her complexion from him to make any certainty as to her identity.

“Who are you?” he asked, lowering his weapon a couple of inches.

“Duck…”

“Duck?”

“Duck!” she yelled, pulling her strings taught to release. The arrow parched the air and dashed inches from his head to strike an object behind him. The officer ducked and turned, watching the arrow strike true into something that headed straight for him. A creature of human form writhed to the ground in pain as ash rankled the skin to make its way up to completion around the body.

The woman lowered her bow and placed it on her back considering her mission was not going to be completed tonight. The second she realized who the man was her mission met failure head on. This was going to set her back on finding the final destination which etched at her soul.

The officer reached out for the woman to finally see the face that saved his life as the shadows moved away from her when she headed towards the door. When the epiphany crossed his face in a wild fire spread, she knew she was caught.

“Enola?” he asked.

Uncertainty on whether or not to explain the circumstances flickered once in her eyes before it extinguished. He didn’t have time to think before she turned and left. By the time he reached the door, the woman of past was gone, only offering a slight scent of Jovan White Musk in the rain.

Plopping down on a time worncouch, Enola removed her boots and tied back her hair as she stood to look out a window that had a spectacular view of the city. Lights sparked in an out across the landscape as people retired to their dreamy abodes or were traveling to get there. Sometimes this helped her to relax her cramped mind of everything she knew one day would come to greet her in an ugly standoff. Hours went by of the many possibilities the future had yet to foretell before keys were forced into the lock of the front door and it swung open. The proverbial scent of vanilla wafted its way throughout the room to announce her homecoming.

Her friend moved around the small apartment and placed something heavy on the kitchen counter before heading in Enola’s direction, asking her how the events of the evening went.

“I didn’t finish it…” she mumbled, followed by a why.

“Someone recognized me…” she responded, placing a hand to her mouth, thinking that this was not going to be a good outcome. When her friend asked her who this was Enola continued to gaze out the window before finally responded.

“He and I used to be friends back in the day. A couple of friends and I had gone out to a club where I found out they set me up on a blind date with him. He was fun to be with and really awesome… but something made me go the other direction. A couple of years later I met my husband… which he didn’t like. He even became daring enough to ask me to leave my lover… That’s when I dropped all contact and haven’t spoken to him since.”

Considering the emotion “Love” had a touch of “not good” for Enola and ended all protruding into the dark past where it was. Moreover, she also knew that this news would hinder something along the way. Having foreseen that something would change Enola, Kaley held the unfortunates of time to find out if this would be a good change or a deathly one.

Weeks passed before Enola finally decided to venture out and release some energy. No leads were met on her endeavor as to where the next target would be taking into account her appearance at the old building cleared out every target she had at finding what she was looking for. The only thing that could quench her vigorous thirst was a nightclub that she had frequented in her short time living in a city that bound her with invisible chains to stay and complete her task. Wearing silk, she and Kaley submitted themselves to the night for the three block travel to the club. Once there, she walked up to the bouncer at the front of the door, smiling as he let her in.

The club mainly consisted of a dance floor where it was crammed full on a Saturday night. Stairs along the sides led up to the upper floors where dancers satisfied their thirsts and socialized. Bass echoed from wall to wall as lights flickered in the same manner. Everything was dark… just the way Enola liked it so she could easily hide and dance her life away.

Kaley positioned herself up at the bar as normal so she could easily watch for trouble… trouble meaning anything that posed a threat to Enola or herself. Without realizing it, dancers closed the gap between them and the loner to aid in the coverage of prying eyes. Never did the hunter dance with anyone except sometimes Kaley… but that was always rare. Enola always had a ritual when she danced to close her eyes and her senses, zoning out to the music after tipping the DJ to play her song… Persian Teardrop remix. Every note would fill the sometimes considered empty shell as she let her body move to the music. Most of the male watchers found her erotic, but never approached her after she looked at them with death at a single touch upon her skin. To them, she was poison.

The tune and beat of the song pulled at her, swayed her… swooned her to become one with the words and beat with released energy spilling onto the dance floor. Several songs had gone by before Enola glanced up at Kaley like she did occasionally and noticed a questionable yet alarming look appear on Kaley’s face.

“Didn’t your mother ever teach you that it’s rude not answering a question that’s been asked of you?”

Enola paused to hold her breath as warm fingers slid their way across her bare waist while the voice hummed to her ear. For some reason this man wanted to make things most difficult for her. Turning with a small step forward she gave a calm look to Loren as she continued to dance. Taking a few steps towards him, she placed her hands on his upper arms to move with him like they were always meant to… even being so daring enough to grind against him. They danced with close contact for a seemingly endless few minutes to Loren… arousing him as she once had that no other woman could do in such a short time. With her movements like oil on water she eventually swayed herself so that her lips met his ear.

“You don’t want to do this… don’t get involved with me or you will die, Loren…” she whispered seductively.

“Shouldn’t I be the judge of that?” turning his head to eye her, she gave him a testy response with her eyes before leaving to provide him with a perfect example.

And just like that she slid from his grasp to another man behind him where she began to dance with the stranger, whispering something in his ear with an offer for him to follow her. Loren and Kaley watched as Enola led him up the stairs and back into a private room that the club kept reserved for her when she made an appearance. They had an agreement that if she kept the vampires at bay, they gave her anything she wanted.

“You might not want to do that,” Kaley said, her arms crossed as she stood five feet away from Loren, “You don’t want to get mixed up in this.”

Kaley and Loren had followed some feet behind Enola and the stranger until the two disappeared behind a door. Even though the warnings fell on deaf ears, Loren paused before entering the room that Enola hid in. When the door opened, he found her down on her haunches with a pile of ash in front of her and a silver stake dangling in her hand between her legs. The crimson line that streamed down her skin disappeared with an absentminded swipe over it.

“What the hell is going on here? What happened to you?” Loren closed the door, locking them in and Kaley out. Sounds of protest on the other side made Loren frown when he heard the faint hope that Enola would “kick his underestimating ass”.

“Now is not the time, Loren. You don’t want to be in this fight. If you continue to pursue getting in the middle of this I will take action to remove you. I’ve warned you twice now so don’t make me say it a third time,” Enola responded with little feeling. The spot where she stood was firmly holding her in place as ash drifted from her now standing form.

“Now is the perfect time… and you are not leaving until you tell me. You need to remember this is my jurisdiction and I will have you arrested here and now,” he was speaking to her in that tone that always made her feel small. It wasn’t yelling but it wasn’t kind either.

“You’ve seen what’s going on and you refuse to use your common sense? Besides, you have nothing to arrest me on. Now move out of my way or I will be forced to take drastic measures.”

Moving to reveal that she was being serious, she tied her hair away into a messy bun. She had always done this when she was about to get into something that would take her concentration. Care was the last thing he contained though as he responded with the same look that she gave him until finally one went for the other and their first fight commenced.

Every punch that either threw out was blocked in one form or another. High kicks and hard blows to the stomach were maneuvered around in the same manner as if they were reading each other. Enola finally got the best of him when he let his guard down for just a mere second. A drop spin was issued, kicking out his legs from beneath him where she pinned him to the ground by sitting on his chest. Raw emotions were exchanged as their silent eyes searched the others. When attempt was made on her part to leave she was spun around and the stats changed in his favor, holding her hands with his to the soft carpet. The urge to kiss her after their performance was overwhelming and couldn’t be helped but acting upon it. Their chests rose in the heat of the kiss, passion rising… but when he least expected it she kicked him over her and disappeared from the room by the time his bearings returned.

A speechless Kaley was grabbed as Enola left the room and dragged her through the club. By the time Loren made it to the railing that overlooked the dance floor of oblivious onlookers, she already made it to two feet from the door. Hitting the rail with the palm of his hand, his hand slowly made it to the electrifying contact that had been created on his sore lips.

“He flustered you didn’t he?” Kaley dared to say as she grinned.

Enola hadn’t said anything the entire way back to the apartment except giving off a glare. The death grip on her friends arm still remain as the stifled woman half dragged her down the street. About a block and a half away from the apartment Kaley finally managed to get her bruised arm away from Enola.

A glowering stare seized Kaley for a moment, but then softened. She knew that it was partly true. At that moment in time, she didn’t want her emotions to surface. Hard work had been enforced to pushing them under the rug in her heart that to have them come out now would certainly kill her in more ways than one. Deciding to retire for the night, Enola said her goodnights and left, hearing Kaley chuckle softly.

An hour passed and all was silent in the apartment. Kaley lay in her bed reading her book and listening to her dear friend in the other room, sobbing. Whether or not Enola knew this, she mourned in her sleep, crying and screaming as she dreamt that horrible nightmare that scarred her for life. Even among the wretched dreaming a presence was felt that wasn’t supposed to be there. Putting her book down, she moved smoothly from the bed and withdrew her sword from between her mattress. Suspicions were made true when movement in the living room groaned against the floorboards. The entirely untrained Kaley took a deep breath, reached for the doorknob and went out with the sword above her shoulder ready to strike at anything moving. Her sword was caught though when she went to bring it down on the first thing she saw. Enola caught it at the hilt. Confused, Kaley looked around and saw Loren standing across the room, startled that he had been trapped.

The silence between the three of them could have been sliced with a knife. Bruised and battered, Loren didn’t move a muscle in the off chance that it might bring on more. He had returned to his apartment to find a swarm of dark creatures waiting. Barely making it out with what damage he did take, he went to the first place he could think of. This confirmed Enola’s thoughts when he first came along that they would connect him to her and try taking him out. Now there was no chance of him going back to his old life… he was forced in the middle and there was nothing any of them could do about it.

“How did you find me?” Enola crossed her arms and demanded him to answer.

“I’m a cop, remember? I pulled it up in our records.”

“This place isn’t listed under Kaley or my name. How did you find us?” Enola knew that he hid something from her.

Finally giving in, he knew that she would see through any lie he gave. He told her that he had a friend trail her and report back to him. It was part of his routine that anywhere he went; a friend of his went as well. Before he made it home he received the call that confirmed her whereabouts.

“Don’t you know it’s illegal to break into someone’s home?” Enola growled.

“I know what happened to Sebastian, Enola, and I am really sorry,” he whispered with deep sympathy… but also trying to change the subject that he did something he wasn’t suppose to.

“Is that why you came, to give your condolences? That still doesn’t even reach the factor that you broke into my home,” her temper was starting to rise. The feeling of not having control over the situation angered her… and he was the main cause of her grief.

“I had no other choice. Besides, the manager downstairs gave me the key to get in. I told him I was your brother.”

“Sorry sack of…” exhaling her tension, she turned to him with eyes that seemed to glow crimson in the dark, “There’s the couch, goodnight,” Enola turned and left the room, leaving the other two to stare at her disappearance.

“That’s her subtle way of a hello and welcome? I’m sorry for your bruises and cuts?” Loren looked at Kaley with a quizzical look.

“Yep. There are ointment and band aides in the bathroom. Goodnight,” Kaley turned and followed suit.

“It’s not like I asked for this…” Loren whispered.

“No one does,” was the response given along with a slight smile as she closed her door.

The next morning, Enola rose early and left without a word as she went about her daily routine. She did make a slight nod towards Kaley to watch their new visitor before closing the door with a snap and leaving.

“Where’s she going?” Loren voiced from the couch, rubbing sleep from his eyes.

Kaley stood in the kitchen, busying herself with making eggs and bacon for their morning meal. The smell of a fresh pot of coffee wafted through the apartment, singing to the senses for those who liked to drink it.

“If I told you, I would have to kill you,” she smiled. Considering every morning Enola would leave and then return a couple of hours later, she wasn’t quite sure she knew where her friend disappeared off to. Never once had she questioned it either.

Offering her guest a cup of coffee, Kaley served up some plates with wonderfully smelling food for the grumbling stomachs. Setting the table, she ushered Loren to a chair and told him to eat.

“So what’s… the deal with her… anyway?” Loren mumbled in between chews.

“I don’t think that I should tell you the story. It’s better to come from the one who was there.”

Enola returned a couple of hours later and locked herself in the spare room that she used for training. Two years had been spent studying different types of meditation and a few martial arts. Learning something new always came easy to her whenever she put her heart and mind into it. Her master had pretty much pushed her out the door the last day she saw him, stating that there was nothing more she could do but complete her mission.

When she had met her husband, both were very heavy in weight. With events of the past, she spent three years losing all of that excess weight that she knew would do her no good to carry around if she wanted to finalize what she needed. She had weighed in at 300 and had lost 150 pounds. Now she was a knockout… but the only one that had an opinion that mattered was dead.

The sound of creaking floorboards reverberated as Enola was in the middle of closing her meditation, and with frustration, she voiced for them to enter. As Loren came in, he saw her sitting in a pensive state. Her long coiled hair had been pulled into a tail and flowed down her straight back.

“What happened to you?” he asked. He couldn’t stop himself even though part of him knew the answer and shouldn’t ask.

“It is none of your concern, Loren,” Enola finally stood, bowing for a moment before turning to him and crossing her arms.

“I mean, you… what happened to you? You’re cold and lifeless…” he had known her to be full of life and smiles but now could freeze over hell with even minimum touch.

“My life died with Sebastian,” she responded smoothly.

“Please tell me what happened, Enola.”

“You aren’t going to drop this, are you?” she asked, already knowing the response when he shook his head. A deep breath and a sigh with little effort to release it started the citation of the nightmare that haunted the woman.

“Alright… Sebastian and I had gone on a camping night for his 23rd birthday. The timing was perfect along with the weather as it wasn’t to hot and not too cold. We were enjoying ourselves the last night we were there when a truck full of men and a woman came into the camp site next to us. They were very noisy and played really loud music,” Enola moved to the window and looked out again over the bustling city. Her heart already started hurting even though she hadn’t gotten to the worst memories of it all. The pain never seemed to stop even with her putting her emotions on a halt, “We called the cops that night because the men were taking turns with that woman… raping her… bleeding her. We went home feeling a little shaken up by the event when we found out that they had punctured her with their teeth. Sebastian and I had gone over to my parent’s house a couple of nights later to pick up our daughter, Lillian. When we got back, we sat in the car for a moment listening to Lillian tell us what fun she had with her grandparents… The doors flew open… Sebastian and I were ripped from the car. I was pushed to the ground by two men and a knife was put to my neck. Six men took Sebastian and started beating him to death before taking turns draining his life. I kept screaming that it wasn’t his fault and that it was mine… I was the one who called the cops. When they finally killed him, someone whispered in my ear that I had been warned… They stabbed me in the back before they left… just barely missing my heart and lung, a centimeter in either direction and I wouldn’t be standing here. I found out afterwards that Lillian had crawled into the trunk… but they still found her… They took her from me… That’s why I’m here. I know who it was that took her and I tracked him here to get her back.”

All was silent in the room for what seemed like an eternity. Enola continued to gaze out the window as it began to rain whilst small tears came to her eyes at the wondering if her three year old daughter was still alive… now she would be six.

“I always wanted to come to Ireland… The feeling isn’t the same anymore…”

“Enola, there was nothing you could do,” Loren took a few steps towards her before stopping to see the deep loss in her moist eyes when she progressively turned.

“There was something I could have done… I knew what he was… We had a deal… I left him alone and he did the same… And I failed my part when I called the cops.”

Tears came down her face now like the sheets of rain behind her and Loren endured a horrible sensation for making her relive those memories just so he could have a part of them. Now he felt that there was more to the story than she was telling… but didn’t push it. When she turned back to the window, he slowly backed out… knowing he overstepped some hidden boundaries.

He emerged from the room with a look of dread on his face, seeing Kaley marching in his direction to wind her arm back for a slap. He looked at her with shock as he held his cheek asking her what that was for. A too soon comment was the only thing that was muttered from her frowning lips as she rushed past him to console her friend. A flinch rippled through him as the door slapped shut with a loud bang and then a click to signify the lock to keep him away. Kaley held Enola in her arms, rocking back and forth with soft reassurances issued forth in whispers until the sun hid from view in that long distant horizon. With time passing by, Enola stood to wipe her tears away to grab her sword and depart without another word.

Kaley came out and saw Loren sitting on the couch, almost afraid to even make eye contact. A plop was made on the couch in front of him when she simply walked over like nothing happened. The look that he received made him want to sink deeper into the already low couch to get away from the feeling of being studied.

“You will get to her… but that was a step in the wrong direction.”

Over the next little while, she tried to make pleasantries when the stillness in the apartment became too much for her to bear by indulging him with who she was and how she came to meet Enola. They worked together at a low paying job of billing people in an out of a cheap motel. Kaley was the only person to get Enola to spill what her plans were and convinced her to take her on this mission. Never once had Kaley told Enola that she knew what would happen to the loved ones missing in her friend’s life considering she knew the future by her dreams… but couldn’t intervene with the design of life and death. It hurt her so much that to repay the debt she felt she owed… she wanted to help Enola get her daughter back.

The door finally opened the late hours of the night and Enola walked in on Kaley and Loren laughing. As soon as they saw her, they quieted down, watching her silently like they had just broken some powerful law. She only walked right passed them, opened the door to her training room and closed herself in… When she wheeled past them a sentence of attacking at dawn forced the silence into terrified hiding, after which Kaley glanced over at Loren with a look like, “You’re up.”

Enola had once again taken her position at the window with the knowledge that her abrupt entry would stir curiosities and questions fleeting to answer them. In the meantime her feelings went to somewhere out in that vast city of lights that shined like light on water, shimmering in a fantastic show of colors, knowing her daughter was out there… and without a mother. So deep in thought about her child, she didn’t realize that Loren had opened the door and was now standing by her side.

“Why did you stop talking to me?” he whispered.

“I didn’t want to argue with you anymore,” normally this was something that she tried to weasel out of answering but her energy was in the negative.

“So, we could have worked it out…” Loren replied.

“You wanted me to leave Sebastian… for you. How did you think that made me feel?” Enola turned.

“I loved you… I didn’t want to lose you. What did you expect me to say… congrats on getting married to someone that isn’t me? Damn it, Enola, you didn’t even bother telling me you were getting married, nor that you had a child!” he yelled.

“Now is not the time to start this. This is the reason I left, Loren… We fought over too much and half the time it was over pettily things,” Enola went to walk away when Loren grabbed her by the arm to push her against the wall. Too startled, Enola didn’t bother to struggle. For some reason this man was tearing down three years of work to hide her whimpering emotion in a matter of a few days.

“This is the perfect time. Let’s get it all out on the floor!” Loren yelled, waving his hand to the room around him, getting mere inches from her face, “Why did you leave?”

Now he was pleading with his eyes and emotions to know the reason his one love left. He never wanted things to turn out the way that they did, but he didn’t hate her for what she did to him. Never once had she been honest with him nor willing to give them a try at loving each other fully. Now, he would do everything in his power to at least have a little truth from her.

“I loved Sebastian. I left because I also loved you,” she pushed so hard on getting that out that she actually screamed it, a bit of hatred on her face for him making the admittance finally be revealed. Guilt held her heart like an addiction because she knew that if she had gone with Loren, Sebastian would still be alive. But because she was afraid of the love she held for Loren, it got her husband killed… the one that she had known was her true love. Knowing what she would have with Sebastian came easily to her and without question… but when it came to Loren, she didn’t and it terrified her.

With the energy ball that grew in his chest, their eyes illuminated with the raw emotion that weighed heavily between them… both glaring at each other with this festering sentiment becoming almost too much to bear. Loren’s feet couldn’t seem to stay still as hands clutched together to pump sense into his mind. But instead of getting wisdom to leave and never come back to this woman who had the same effect that he had on her, his mind filled with a crazy awareness of something he couldn’t help but to act upon it. Pinning her against the wall even harder he crushed her lips with his in a deeply heated kiss. Like the savage beasts that she hunted, their clothes were ripped from their bodies with breathes so shallow that the new burst of energy egged them on. Still pinned against the wall, he wrapped her legs around him and hesitated not to enter her with such a force that she quivered against him with a loud moan of satisfaction. The wall against her back made movements to groan in protest as they continued wildly lusting over the vulgar vibrations that filled their every equivocal nerve. Without any words being exchanged, Loren held her up and carried her to the door where he barged through the living room, Kaley giving off a look of disbelief. Enola moaned in harboring quakes in need of being released as she was carried through the living room and into her bedroom where she was tossed on the bed. Loren went to her, their lips meeting with a passionate tongue-filled kiss as the door slowly closed behind them with a click.

Kaley sat outside the two rooms, cheeks slightly red at the thought of what just happened. When Loren had gone into the room to try his luck again, the last spectacle she expected to see was the one that just flew past her, even though it was still too early to tell if this outcome would be for the better or for the worse. After a pause, she only picked up a book that she had been reading and continued, periodically hearing the moans and beats of ecstasy.

Hours had passed while they slept in the first night of real sleep that any of them had embraced for a long time. Kaley had fallen asleep on the couch with her book splayed across her chest. The moon as high in the sky as the two fresh lovers, it indicated it was at least three o’clock in the morning. No sounds could be heard except for the occasional creaking of the building when it shifted or the light breathing of its residences. Enola and Loren still held each other in their arms, totally oblivious of everything around them.

It happened so quickly that neither of the three knew what had happened as their minds were ripped back to their bodies. Glass shattered all over the place where men in hooded cloaks came at them with swords and punches, screams being heard from the living room where Kaley was. Panic detained Enola’s heart as she tried to get Kaley to only let her guard down for mere seconds as something hard hit her back in mid-stride to knock the victim out cold. As the floor rose to greet her in open arms, she heard one of the men say to bring the other two… they would make great fun for the men and women of their clan… Everything had gone from an increasing crescendo to silent again in a matter of minutes.

Enola woke to cold water being thrown on her and men laughing in the background. Shaking her head, she looked around as her eyes came into focus with the white dots flickered from semi real existence. A cold rush of air reiterated that her body was still without clothing while her raw hands and ankles were securely shackled to a wall of a three sided cell for display, apathetic clapping brought her gaze back up once more to her culprits. Her face furrowed in anger as she realized the face behind the loud sound that made her head pound like an overworked heartbeat.

“Well, if I had known it this easy to capture you I’d have done this a long time ago. Bravo, men… bravo,” he said with a smirk.

“Michael…” Enola gritted between her clenched teeth.

The satisfied man stood a foot in front of her as she leaned towards him with every inch she could give… seeming to stand each other off with a gaze, angry at herself for even allowing her guard to drop as long as it did. All of her training was for what… to get caught because a man distracted her?

“Clothe her and bring her to the thrown room where she and her friends will be sentenced,” the man said with arrogance as he turned to leave the cell. The men behind him chuckled at the thoughts of what they would do to her first before being disappointed when the man who had left told them not to harm her in any way with an emphasis on ‘any’.

Two hours later, Enola was pushed into the thrown room after fighting… biting… and screaming at her captors. She even smirked as one of them went to hit her and stopped when he was warned again not to harm her. They tied her arms behind her back as they lifted her from the floor and walked her to where she was summoned.

The thrown room had been adorned in red drapery and gold elements everywhere, walls covered in crimson silk from top to bottom, swaying with a slight breeze that glided through the room. Red sheer fabric draped from the ceiling in wide loops to the walls where they finely blended with the silk and all the way down to the red oak wood flooring. It made the room look more like a ballroom than a thrown room except the literal thrown that rested at the other end of the room where Enola was being ushered.

Thousands of vampires laughed and snarled at her as she walked up the path between the two groups on either side of her. She only gave them an evil grin as she walked past to be shoved to the ground in front of the thrown.

“Welcome one and all, my fellow kindred. I have a special treat for you… Enola, the Hunter of the Dark Race,” the man in front of her announced with such pleasure that the venom of it seeped from his veins with the delight of his plans coming to light barely being held.

Everyone in the room cheered at this with a feeling of succession. All of them had been terrified of her for so long… but by purely seeing Enola under their control made them feel powerful.

Her attention was brought back to the man in front of her as he instructed two men to bring out the prisoners. To her left they brought out Kaley and to her right they brought out Loren, placing them about five feet from her on either side. At the sight of this, Enola felt ashamed that she had brought them into a situation such as this. They both looked at her with immense fear in their eyes.

“Enola, you now have a decision to make… your life for theirs,” the man on the thrown now walked towards her.

“Do you promise to let them go safely along with my daughter?” Enola proposed.

“The bargain was only for their lives,” Michael felt insulted that she would throw Lillian into the predicament.

“Then trade hers for one of theirs,” Enola continued to try and change the deal.

“She is not up for trade, Enola. You don’t know how precious she is to us. Their lives for yours… or, all three of you,” he still had that obnoxious grin on his face that always made Enola’s blood boil.

Minutes passed in silence as Enola looked from each of them, trying to come up with a plan, but not having any achievement. The decision had already been made when the proposal was offered.

“Let them go and you will have my life, Michael,” Enola felt defeated. She had lost this fight… but she would not lose the war.

“Stand her up,” Michael directed to the two men behind her.

Taking a handful of her hair in a tight fist, he pulled her head to one side as the other hand went to the small of her back. Total control was given to him in this way; he could easily snap her with minor resistance even though there was no intention of death for her. No… that would be too easy… He wanted her to suffer for eternity. The scent of her mortality intoxicated him as he took in her smell.

“I will make you pay for what you have done to my people,” Michael whispered in her ear as his fangs of death unsheathed.

“And I will still kill you,” she remarked with promise.

Opening his mouth to the rebuttal, he seduced the nape of her neck before taking the plunge, feeling her tense as he entered. Before long she relaxed as he sucked the life from her, savoring every bit of her he took, wanting it to last as long as possible. She tasted so sweet… like chocolate melting in his mouth. Before her heart stopped, he let her sink to the floor while he removed a knife from one of the guards next to him and slit his wrist. Once again, he took her by the hair and this time reversed the tables.

At first he thought she would hesitate, but a surprise awaited him. Enola fiercely attacked his wrist like a starving animal trying to take as much in as viable. The blood she took boiled within her as her eyes hazed over in a crimson tide that blinded Enola from everything she once knew. Force had to be inputted by Michael to rip his new creation from him to cease the offering. It had taken the last of her life to take from him what she needed to stay alive before falling cold to the floor.

“Take her to her new quarters and lock her in. In four days time when the hunger has become too much, bring these two in to Enola for her to feed on. We’ll make her suffer,” Michael backed away and dismissed everyone.

“You said you would let us go!” Loren growled.

“… I lied,” Michael shrugged as the two prisoners were dragged away.