A/N: Finally an idea that’s been floating around for quite some time in my head is now words!

REWRITTEN. Again, lulz.

WARNING: This story contains dark themes as vampire fics are wont to have. There will be a large amount of sacreligious/blasphemous content; a good amount of CONTROVERSY. There will be detailed violence/gore. Alcohol and drug related situations will occur. There will be male/female, male/male, and female/female relationships and a bounty of SEXUAL CONTENT.

If any of this offends you, discontinue reading right now. Don't say I didn't warn you. No bitching and moaning plz.

Lux Perpetua Luceat

(Chapter I: The Man in the Mirror)

-For the dead, Lord, may eternal light shine

You know, sometimes I wonder how I ended up like this. I mean, now that I look back on it I know I made, um…a few mistakes. Yeah, let’s call them mistakes. A lot of the blame also goes to my ancestors too ya’ know! And to Catholicism and an underground society!

And to, uh, God.

So how exactly did I end up the bride of the King of Vampires and Queen to their entire race? Well, even if you don’t believe me, I think we better go back to the beginning for this one…

. I .

Lilith Devereux was a normal girl, young woman she would say on the account of turning eighteen in only three more months, despite the fact that her eyes would sometimes go far off and one would wonder if she was really there or not. She was creative and a fantastical dreamer. She was very scrutinizing when it came to details and she never missed a beat. She was intellectual, cool and composed, and could handle any situation thrown in her direction. She was exceptionally attractive, able to bring hordes of men to their knees with a simple fluttering of auburn lashes. Nothing like that annoying Katie Ashby with her tacky poser fried blue hair and sizeable cantaloupe breasts-

“Lillums, what the hell are you doing? Hel-lo, are you coming or not?”

She was completely kidding herself if she believed in half of those things. Lilith threw sarcastically out of the deep recesses of her mind. Well, except for the obvious boob envy. Sigh. “Hey!” the girl barked, subconsciously elbowing the kid behind her. “What have I told you about calling me…the name.” she breathed out dramatically right in her friend’s ear while making wiggly motions with her fingers.

Celine grimaced and attempted to push Lilith’s hands out of her face, failing miserably as they dismounted the over-packed school bus. “We have to be the only seniors who still ride this thing.” The wavy brunette commented, sounding a little unhappy. It was torture riding home in it everyday, the students boisterous and prone to throwing food around despite the bus driver’s efforts to control them.

Lilith scowled and gave her best friend a dirty look. “Well it’s not my fault that you can’t drive but it is your fault that you totaled my car.”

“Your dad’s car.” The teenager corrected, flipping open her humming cellphone.

“That makes it even worse!” the redhead exclaimed, smacking Celine, jealously eyeing the way her fingers fluttered at hyper speed over the digits. “So now, we will be doomed to continue riding this atrocity for the rest of our sad little high school lives.” She spun around and sneered at the bumblebee-coloured apparatus. “Whatever, it’s better than walking anyway.”

“Indeed,” her friend nodded trying to sound sagely, before adding on: “It’s alright; you’re too short to reach the gas anyhow.”

Lilith rolled her eyes. “Sure thing, Socrates. Remember, I’m the one who busted my ass off playing your personal chauffeur.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Celine waved her off, returning to her text messages. “Whoo, boy safari this Saturday! Dave’s supposed to be hosting a wicked party.”

“Uh huh, that’s the one who’s hard into cocaine right?” Or so the rumors go.

“Fuh! Like it even matters! A rich man is still a rich man, no matter what he does!” The taller of the duo had the tendency to unleash her inner valley bitch when it came to potential new relationships, even if they were mooching off of their wealthy parents to support a drug habit…

“You’re so obsessed!”

Celine scoffed. “C’mon, you know I’m not that shallow; it’s just nice when a guy can buy me something a little more extravagant than a ring from a gumball machine.” It was an obvious reference to Lilith’s first boyfriend.

As she considered the best attack strategy to brain Celine, something out of the ordinary caught her eye. It was a man dressed entirely in black leaning against one of the front doors to the school. We usually go through those… Lilith thought suspiciously. Lately she had become increasingly paranoid, often feeling that someone or something was watching her. It passed occasionally, but it seemed like her ghost-like stalker was incredibly vigilant. He was always watching. The redhead had deemed the unnatural presence a male after the first week or so of discomfort. She didn’t have any viable evidence, she just knew.

Her parents didn’t believe her, chalking it up to stress and lack of sleep.

Several strange incidents had begun occurring since the eerie feeling, one of which was the frequent coming of cryptic dreams. Sometimes these visions came to her while awake. They were usually triggered by trivial things that she would not have thought twice about before. The colour red now made her nervous and the sight of blood itself brought about a terrible ominous dread. Sometimes when she looked at herself in the mirror, another woman would be standing in her place. This woman would be accompanied by a freakish specter of a man on the off chance. He never stayed in the frame long enough for her to piece together his appearance.

The hallucinations had worsened after the episode a week ago in which she had been walking home from the local mall at dusk:

The walk home was usually quite pleasant and always tranquil. Massive ancient trees oversaw the small patch of open field on the opposite side of a trickling creek ambling ‘long side the concrete biking trail just behind some fenced off homes. Lilith thought it to be a very beautiful spot. It gave the block a charming aura and friendly character that only came from old-standing houses.

The sun had set low, painting the sky a warm scarlet and casting amber light down through the lustrous leaves. The barest tinges of purple and night touched the clouds. This time, the sound of her own footsteps was not welcome. The October air grew ever cooler as autumn progressed. Lilith huffed for breath and tried to convince herself that she was alone. It made her scared; the last thing she wanted was to be alone with it. Her pace quickened as she took the right in the forked path taking her out into the neighbourhood. She wrapped her arms around her upper body when the air turned icy.

Abruptly, someone nuzzled into the crook of her neck. The redhead froze, breath feeling solid in her lungs. She could feel the person’s angular profile clearly. From the size alone she could tell it was a man. Panic took over and in sheer instinct Lilith whirled around to slam her fist into his nose and hopefully nail him in the stomach or crotch. Her limbs made contact with nothing, overthrowing her balance.

“Go away!” she screamed into the empty air, breaking off into a frantic run. Something snatched at her face and a sharp pain blossomed over the expanse of her cheek. Her destination seemed a million miles away as she raced down the sidewalk, the ill notion that the haunting phantom was flying above, waiting to dive down at the right moment to carry her away.

Wendigo, coming to take your soul, carrion flesh-eater-

Seeing her quaint house propelled her to go faster. She crashed into the locked door painfully, punching and clawing at the wood, wrenching at the doorknob. “Open- hurry! Please! Someone help me!” she shrieked unintelligibly. Monstrous hands grasped at her hips, pulling with demonic strength. As swiftly as her feet left the ground, she was in her father’s arms. His expression was stunned.

“You’re bleeding.” He seemed at a loss for words, wiping the fluid away with the cuff of his shirt.

“Oh god, there’s something out there, dad! A guy!” she sobbed, holding tightly to him.

“What!? Who!?”

“Joel! What’s going on?” Annette sprinted down the hallway, flabbergasted at the spectacle that was her daughter and husband collapsed on the floor with the door wide open.

“It’s- I- I don’t know. Here, take Lil and don’t leave the house!” he grabbed a crowbar out of the closet and cautiously stepped across the threshold.

In the end, her father had found nothing. Her mother was convinced she’d been cut by a stray tree branch or bush in her fright. They had suggested the possibility of seeing a psychologist.

“Stop thinking about it.” Celine was staring at her with solemn intenseness. The subject made her extremely uncomfortable. She didn’t want to believe that anything, not even the tiniest thing, was wrong with her childhood companion.

Lilith shrugged it off. “I know what I saw.”

“You didn’t see anything!” the brunette stated resolutely. “Now leave it alone.”

“If it would leave me alone,” she hissed inaudibly, turning her attention back to the stranger in black. He couldn’t have been some overly dressed goth kid because he looked like he was in his thirties or older. Maybe he was some sort of talent scout or new teacher, but were teachers allowed to wear trench-coats like that?

Upon further inspection, he appeared to have nearly pitch white skin, wore a pair of thick sunglasses that held no reflection, and had long platinum blonde hair tied up loosely behind his head. “Jesus, he looks creepy,” Lilith muttered, shivers creeping up her spine.

“What?! No way! You’re talking about that blonde hottie over there right?” The other teen swooned, hands clasped over her heart. “I think that’s my future husband.”

“He looks like a friggin’ pedophile or something.” The girl eyed him uneasily. Other students didn’t seem to be paying him any mind.

“He’s so sexy! And loo- ook, he’s standing in front of OUR doors.” Celine squealed, rocking back and forth where she stood, eyes glazed over.

“No way! I’m not going anywhere near him!” Lilith shouted with unnecessary force, trying to free herself from the arm her friend had looped around her.

“Whhhy?” Celine whined, “He looks just like our type.”

“Our?” she repeated, a little bothered by this statement. Since when had her best friend started analyzing their relationship compatibility?

“Oh come on,” the brunette said, stopping and turning around in the crowd, hands on her hips. “I know you’re completely weirded out by everything right now, but seriously, what’s wrong with trying to get a gorgeous guy, who’s all dressed up like Sven Schaffer at that?”

“Who the hell is Sven?” the redhead asked curiously, trying to steer the conversation in another direction.

“Funny how you get so easily distracted.” Came the sarcastic reply.

“Honestly who’re you talking about?”

“The actor in the new zombie flick we saw on Tuesday!”

.I.

“Riiiiight,” I remember saying back to her. Like I was actually gonna know whatever celebrity she was infatuated with now. The part that comes next is forever going to be ingrained into my head like when I accidentally clicked on a link my uncle had sent me.

.I.

As the two approached the doors, the man moved aside. Celine pulled open the door while giving the stranger a cute glance with a dramatic fluttering of the eyelashes. Lilith could have sworn the man was eyeing her the whole time. She followed after the others into the main foyer.

“It makes me so very happy to see you again, Sarah.”

“What?!” Lilith gasped, jerking around to stare at the black figure. There was only one problem. He wasn’t there anymore. No, it couldn’t be, wasn’t possible- it was It, Him.

I’ve waited long years for you, my love.

“Why are you doing this to me!” She yelled at the ceiling, fists clenched at her sides and eyes closed, trying to shut out his voice. There was something so wrong about it. Something cold felt like it was coiling itself around her body, her insides, her mind, dear god soul. Icy ghost lips touched Lilith’s own, trailing a down to the pulse point on her neck. All mine…it whispered. Invisible hands slid up and down her body, felt like they were slipping inside-

“Are you okay?”

Jolted, Lilith opened her eyes to see Celine and a number of other people in the foyer gawking at her. “T-that guy! Didn’t you see him?!” the alarmed girl ran up to the confused brunette and began to shake her shoulders.

“Y-yeah I saw him.” She replied, startled, wondering for her friend’s sanity.

“LOOK! He isn’t there anymore!”

“He could’ve just walked away.” Celine offered in a small voice, unsure of how to calm Lilith down, thinking that she was being more than a little unreasonable.

“HE DIDN’T! That greasy stalker just vanished! He’s the one I’ve been telling you about- and you didn’t believe me-”

“Lilith, you need to calm down!” She said assertively, removing the redhead’s hands from her shoulders and holding on to them tightly.

Soon we will be together again Sarah, without shame, just like we always wanted.

“STAY AWAY FROM ME!” Lilith screamed, hands to her ears. What was it about this supernatural man that scared her so much? Her vision seemed to be warping and the people talking to her sounded like they had been trapped behind thick glass.

I’ll never be far from you again. Cease this nonsense, the bodiless voice echoed.

“…go to hell.” She managed vaguely before the world spun before her eyes and the floor suddenly got a lot more personal.

.I.

Bright fluorescent lights were what Lilith woke to. It took her a second to recognize the place until she tilted her head slightly, catching sight of the curtain obscuring the next cubicle from view. I’m in the emergency room. What happened to me? Then she remembered the man in black, the disembodied voice, the feeling of intense cold along with the hands… “I must have passed out.” She said aloud, not really talking to anyone in particular. Her head was exceptionally fuzzy; nothing made sense. A strange apathy had come over her emotions.

“You did.” A smooth rich voice answered. It sounded so…off. Like there was some sort of electrical buzz over it. There was a slight European accent but Lilith couldn’t tell from where. Doctor? Her addled mind supplied.

“Not quite.”

Lilith felt every nerve in body rocket to life as she flew up, coming face to face with the blonde man from earlier. A strong wave of dizziness washed over her with the motion and she fell over. Arms caught her head and back, letting her hands fall limp beside her body. “H-h-hhuh?” she groaned, reaching for one of the arms, only to find nothing where there should have been something. A violent scream rose in her throat but when she made to open her mouth, no sound came out.

“I will not have that. Did I not tell you to settle earlier?” the last part sounded demanded but the voice was still very soft and stoic. Lilith could almost picture the man frowning. Or maybe he was and she was just seeing him through her mind. That seemed the most logical explanation for what was going on now. What’s wrong with me? Why do I feel so weak?

“It is most likely the mental exertion of communicating with a vampire for the first time.” All the words seemed blurred out except for vampire. Even though she’d used the phrase many times before this was the truest time her whole self had ever felt ‘WHAT IN THE UNHOLY SEA OF ENGLISH DO YOU MEAN’.

“Vampire?” her jaw dropped and the world seemed to be spinning quite a bit more than the first time.

“You daren’t faint again, weak woman,” he warned, annoyance able to be heard in his quiet dangerous tone. “I hate your kind.”

A vulgar “Fuck you!” had left Lilith’s mouth as a natural reflex she’d unfortunately learned.

“…your distasteful belligerent kind.” Footsteps to her right. “It appears as though I’m to train you. How irritating. Why would this be the form Sarah would choose to come back in?” It seemed to almost a rhetorical question, like he knew the answer but was just on the edge of grasping it.

“My name’s not Sarah you utter creep, now who the fuck do you think you are? Train me? Are you out of your mind or something? I’m not a slave!” Lilith slammed her hands down on the bed and propping herself up to properly glare at the supposed vampire evilly.

“You seem to recover rather quickly. Especially that tongue of yours. Very well, my name is Cain.” The blonde man stood up, drawing himself up to quite an impressive height. He had to be, at the very least, seven feet tall. The ire in his voice was apparent. Not a good sign.

Crap, this is going to be a difficult one to get out of, Lilith thought. Narrowing her eyes, she asked, “Where’s the doctor? Don’t I get to see him?” And don’t think you’re getting away with just your name you stalker freak!

“You will be well enough in another few hours, there is really no point in one attending to you; he will diagnose what I already know. I would also appreciate it if you stopped referring to me as a…stalker.” Cain enunciated the word with much disgust, insulted.

“I call ‘em like I see ‘em!” Lilith shot back, giving him the finger in the process. In less than a fraction of a second, Lilith felt cold steel wrap around her wrist. It felt like it would snap in another moment. Suddenly Cain’s face was mere inches from her own. She tried to move back as fast as she could but smacked into a brick wall immediately behind her. “What’s with all the circus tricks?!” she cried out, hoping she hadn’t just given herself a concussion.

“Listen to me and listen well,” the vampire’s tone was deadly and serious. “You will stop spewing your discourteous filth or I will teach you not to. It will be a supremely unpleasant experience at best, so I suggest you follow my instructions carefully.” His voice was level and rather neutral. Lilith suspected he talked this way all the time. Oh Christ, this is going to be monumental, something in her gut told her austerely. It had to be a hostage situation, there was no way he was going to murder her here, right in the hospital. The reality did not sit well; Lilith still felt gut-wrenching fear for her life. This was the culmination of weeks of paranoid terror. He wanted something from her, there was no doubt. “So are you going to kill me or what?” she whispered, ignoring his warning altogether. “It’s what you’ve been waiting for, right? Or are you the type of sick fuck who rapes girls first?” Go out in flames; don’t give this guy an inch! Her conscience rallied.

His slap almost rendered her unconscious. Lilith could taste blood as pain bloomed in her temple. “You will be punished for your words, female, do not forget it!” the words were harsh and full of anger, but his voice did not change in volume or tenor. “To do such a thing-“ Cain’s eyes became soft and distant, no longer boring into Lilith’s. The grip he had on her wrist loosened.

“I would never lose you again Sarah. Death is not something you will ever experience again.”

The gentleness was surprising. It was her first chance to get a good look at the man simply called Cain. She studied him while he was distracted with his thoughts. In the fluorescent hospital lighting he looked sickly white. His face looked like it had been carved out of marble. Like a statue. This thought seemed horrible to Lilith for some reason. As the light hit Cain’s hair it could only be compared to a river flowing, the sun reflecting diamonds in the water. It almost looked…alive, if that was possible. His eyes were the most disturbing though. They were bloody red and had the appearance of jewels in a skull. He was simultaneously horrible and mesmerizing to look at.

He was familiar, but why- “Gah!” Abruptly, shards flashed across her vision, a million reflections of the hazy mystery woman shattering to pieces.

Trance broken, Cain’s eyes snapped to meet hers and they stared at each other for a moment before he pulled her upright with inhuman speed. Unable to look away or say anything, Lilith felt like a ragdoll.

Time to go home my queen.

.I.

And so began my journey into something I could never have begun to even fathom. Little did I know, the things he told me were lies and the promises he made…he couldn’t keep.

.I.

A/N: And we are off to an ominous beginning! Go to my profile where there’s a link to my deviantart account to those who want to see artwork done for the story.

In my humble opinion, riding the bus back in highschool was incredibly hilarious though. ;)