Hey! I'm totally excited to see that so many of you have already reviewed my last chapter, so I figured that I'd put this one in now. Umm, not much to say about this chapter other than you shouldn't miss the fact that, yes, I have switched narrators. No more obnoxious Plum! Yay! I hope everyone likes it, and remember, R&R is always appreciated!

Rivett

Aiden

Chapter 24

Thump. . .

No, this couldn’t be happening. Not like this.

Thump. . .thu—

It was as if someone had ripped out my cold, still heart.

No!

It was supposed to be me there, holding my Beloved, feeling her heartbeat, taking her. Not him, not this imposter. My breath caught in my throat as I stared down into her weak little face, her features smoothed out in a waxy, unnatural way.

The silence hung in the air like a thick blanket of death, my mouth open, gaping as I watched Dante take away my only life, his teeth embedded deeply into her white skin. And, instantly, I couldn’t believe my foolishness of letting her go.

It had only taken me moments after we had driven away from Plum’s dorm to know that something had gone wrong, but by then, it was too late. For weeks I attempted to break into Appletree Homes, Dante’s asylum, but only to be attacked and turned away by the guards. Only hours ago I had been tipped off to a secret way to enter the building, but by the looks of it, I was too late.

Had it really been a month since I’d laid eyes on my Beloved? My body did not feel much weaker since the last time I had fed from her, but I knew that the consent she had given me had boosted the nutrients she allowed me to take. Now she had given herself to this man, and by some way Dante believed that she would give him a heartbeat, for he felt for it carefully as he sucked away her life. When the last beat uttered and she gave a small whimper, I knew that the process had begun. An acidic, unnatural stench filled the room, a smell I knew to be Dante’s essence, his venom, pressing into my little Plum.

Although it was only seconds until the ritual was over, I felt panicked, knowing I must do something. Plum was my Beloved, as she would always be. Although I could see nothing but his bent, black head, I could tell that Dante was grinning, rejoicing at my defeat. No! I couldn’t allow this, and even if it meant that Plum would live a half life, she would not be a slave to this man.

Giving a snarl, I crouched down, shoving Dante to the side. I knew he was slightly weakened because of his concentration, and he rocked on his heels and crashed to the side, the left side of creamy, white flesh appearing as he grappled to right himself. Plum lay dead in his arms, her heart still, but I knew it would only be seconds before Dante’s essence started her again. I wouldn’t allow it.

Never.

He couldn’t release his mouth from her to call the guards unless he wished to end the exchange and kill her, and so he could only give a muffled cry as I grabbed her left shoulder and, squeezing my eyes shut, bit hard into her stiff, waxy neck.

It was terrible. Dante had already sucked most of the blood from her body, and the little that was left was already tainted with his venom. My hand reached out instinctively as I sucked in, pulling stinging blood into my mouth, no longer her sweet fragrance, and pressed my palm against the left side of her chest, listening for her heart. I felt my venom sink into her, and since there was no blood flow to wash away, embed itself in her skin.

Dante tried to move away, to push me off his prize, but I refused, holding still, knowing that it would only take moments—ah, and there it was, the soft thump, the first, delicious churn of new blood, my blood, no, our blood. Her first breath, whimpering but strong, came out, fluttering my hair slightly. My eyes opened and I stared at Dante, seeing his golden eyes glaringly furious at me.

I watched placidly, wondering how strange we must look, two vampires stuck on each side of this woman’s neck, our bodies crumpled against the carpet, our hands holding either side of her chest. With my white hair and his dark, I suppose for a moment we looked like both sides of the spectrum, Yinand Yang, connected solely by the small body that held us together.

Neither of us wanted to let go first, but both knew that we had to seal her wounds and let her begin to heal. I closed my eyes and was the first to patch her wound, my tongue running over the small pinpricks I had made, thick saliva coating the abrasion. It mattered not to me anymore; the deed had been done, and although I had not been able to take her heartbeat, I had still made her, even if only half, mine.

I pulled my lips from her chilled skin, kissing the wound gently, my hand going out to touch her broken, bleeding wrist. I flashed Dante a dark look, but he said nothing, his mouth contracting as he began to heal the other side. I pressed my fingers against her broken skin and closed my eyes, feeling the small healing powers I have flow from my fingertips into her. The wrist clicked, moved, and just as Dante lifted his head, slid neatly back into place and held.

For a moment we stared at each other, breathless, Dante’s eyes afire with fury as he silently acknowledged the fact that I had managed to ruin his plan. A dark, threatening snarl rose from his mouth, and I felt the hair stand up on my neck, a furious snarl ripping from my throat in instinctive defense. I hunched my shoulders, ready for him to pounce. So be it, my job was done. Let him come.

Being the coward that he is, Dante gave a low growl, but stepped back and lifted his head, giving a yell to shake the drywall.

“Guards!” Instantly, as if they’d only been waiting in the shadows I was accosted by at least a dozen vampires, all dressed ridiculously in black and yellow jumpsuits. I raised an eyebrow at Dante as they grabbed my arms, knowing that fighting back would only result in my expulsion from his lair. My eyes traveled to look at Plum, still and white in Dante’s hard grip, and knew that the main focus would be to stay by her. If I couldn’t be near her, then there was a large possibility that both of us would perish. Dante stood, shaking but attempting to look composed, and gave a low growl. “Take him away.”

“That’s original,” I said, smiling as the guards nearly lifted me to drag me away.

“You’ll be singing a different tune as time passes, dear friend.” Dante growled, his golden eyes light, menacing. I smiled as the guards pulled me away around a corner.

“Cheery-o.”

The guards, silent except for the amusing swish of their jumpsuits, paraded me down a darker corridor, the lights flickering from lack of proper maintenance. I watched the faded wallpaper, white and more clinical than the other hallway, fade in and out with the gray lighting.

“Where are we going?” I asked the guard plainly, genuinely curious. What could Dante do to me that he hadn’t already? My only other concern besides Plum was my sister, but I knew that she was safe at the hotel I had left her at. She’d been angry with me for leaving, but since plans had not gone as we’d expected, we both knew that it was better for me to get caught than she. Which, invariably, seemed to happen.

“Shut up!” The dark voice made me smile, but I held in a sarcastic comment as the guard shoved me forward. We approached a small steel elevator, and, when the doors opened, I nearly slammed into the small box as the guards pushed me inside. I didn’t know why they were being so hostile; I’d shown no resistance. I figured they were so bored with their jobs, I might as well let them have their fun as one decided to slam my head against the steel wall. I gasped, stars swinging in front of my eyes, but only grinned at his dark face.

Their faction was ridiculous, really. Dante was so full of hot air that he thought he was some kind of ruler of the Underworld, controlling all vampires with a twist of his wrist. It took all my energy to hold in a snort as the guards crowded around me, the elevator beginning to descended, ridiculous caps that made them look like scuba divers twitching slightly as they tried to get a good look at me, the traitor.

How Dante had gained so much power was beyond me, but I knew that many of his followers had indeed been patients of his at one point, until he had changed them. He was the king of fools, the ruler of the insane. It was a pitiful way to hold together his little revolutionaries, but, to my disappointment, it actually seemed to be working.

The elevator dinged open, showing an uncomfortably lit hallway lined with linoleum and bad, faded wallpaper. The scuba-guards grabbed my arms and hoisted me forward, and despite myself I began to feel a small prickle of uncertainty against my throat. The soft click of combat boots in the silent hallway echoed around the walls, making it sound like I was utterly surrounded. I blinked as we rounded another corner, into another hallway that was lined on either side with metal doors, each heavily equipped with thick locks. I pursed my lips, but said nothing.

The asylum.

I was a little taken aback, but nevertheless watched as a guard appeared with a large key ring, opening a random door, its hinges squeaking from misuse. I blinked harshly as he cleared the way, a tiny, padded cell greeting me.

“Let’s talk about this, boys—“ I began, but without so much of a word they shoved me forward. I tensed automatically, not wanting to be trapped in such a small room. My shoulders grew stiff, and it took three guards to shove me forward anymore. “I don’t think I’ll be going in there,” I snarled, feeling my teeth growing into fangs, anger welling up inside of me. I twisted around, glaring at the guards and snarling. There was no possible method they could use to get me inside.

“Shut up, Aiden.” I heard a soft, slightly accented voice behind me, and turned around, seeing suddenly with shock that one of the guards sported spiky copper hair from underneath his cap. I raised my eyebrows.

“Felix.”

“Get in there, now.” Felix snarled, his eyes dark. I tried not to smirk; we both knew I could snap him in half with my strength, the strength he lacked.

“I don’t think so.” I looked around to the other guards, all of whom were crouched and ready to fight. Subconsciously I shifted my stance, a low growl pulsing at my throat.

But, suddenly, as if Felix had shouted a silent order, the men jumped on me, pushing me inside the room. I tried to bat them off, but they were strong, and caught off guard I couldn’t seem to release myself from their grasps. I felt Felix come behind me and grab my ears, his cold fingers gripping at my skull tightly. I winced and gave a dark growl, knowing what he was going to do.

“Payback,” He laughed, his nails digging into my skin. He twisted, and I heard the crack of my neck as, instantly, everything went dark.