Chapter 17

Noel sighed. Now he knew what it was that Kaiya had needed to ask Azrael; of course, this question was now directed at him which meant he either needed to tell her the truth or a lie. Usually, he would opt to lie so as to avoid more questions that really weren’t his problem, but as it was, he had said he would answer the question honestly and to the best of his ability which meant…

“Yes, he did erase a few of your memories.”

Kaiya closed her eyes, trying to control her temper; so he had erased a few memories. That would explain a few of her dreams that involved him…but he must have had a good reason. No. There was no good reason for erasing memories; there simply wasn’t. He had erased her memories…memories of him, she knew that to be true. There was no reason for him to do that…no excuse that would justify robbing her of memories.

“Why?”

“I really think that you should talk to Azrael about that,” Noel said, avoiding her gaze. He only knew part of the story behind the restoration of some of her memories and barely knew anything involving the erased memories that dealt with her meeting Azrael. All he really knew for sure was that Azrael had erased part of her memories of him to make life easier for both of them; what those memories involved, however, was a mystery to him.

“Well, Azrael isn’t here, so I’m asking you.”

“I don’t really know that much regarding the erased memories; all I know is that Azrael was somehow involved in the memories that he erased. I can only assume that he erased them because they had something to do with him.”

“Then why would he contact me, if he erased my memories of him before?”

“You honestly think I know? Azrael doesn’t tell me anything about his past or what he’s planning. I only find out things about him from other sources.”

“What other sources?”

“Other High Angels like Raphael; he used to be Azrael’s mentor so he knows a lot about him.” Noel realized that, if Kaiya were to ask Raphael about Azrael and why he had erased her memories, Raphael would probably have to kill Azrael. “You can’t tell any of them that you know about Azrael erasing your memories.”

“Why not?”

“If they find out that you know, Azrael will be killed because he wasn’t supposed to contact you after he erased your memories.”

It’s what he deserves for erasing my memories, Kaiya found herself thinking suddenly. No, it would be horrible if he died because of me…who cares? He erased my memories; he deserves death. No! He only did it because he had to I’m sure…oh, please! He wanted me to forget about him. Him and…whatever the hell I saw he wanted me to forget! If I don’t even know what I saw, then maybe it is best that he erased my memories. I’d know if that bastard hadn’t erased my memories! Maybe it was for the best that I forget…no! He wanted me to forget for his own selfish gain! Azrael isn’t like that! He could be; after all, he erased my memories of him. For all I know, he could be just as selfish as I think he is. He isn’t like that at all!

--

“Blake, do you think it’s possible for Tobias’s vampire nature to become more dominant?”

Black looked up and glanced in Innocent’s direction; he knew what had brought on the question, but he didn’t really want to ponder the question or what the answer could be. “I dunno; I guess.”

“What would happen if he…lost control? What if he became like—well, you know?”

“Tobias wouldn’t lose control; he’d never be like our Master.”

“How can you know that? He’s been more human than vampire up until now; he might change.”

“He won’t!” Blake raised his voice just slightly, a note of finality just barely masked. He didn’t want to admit that he was worried, more worried than ever. It was true that Tobias had always been more human than vampire and that, as a half-breed, he was fence-sitting so to speak. He could swing either to the vampire side or to the human side; whichever side became more dominant was the side that would decide how he was. “He won’t, okay? He’s in complete control of himself. There’s nothing that would change him.”

“You don’t know that; you couldn’t possibly.” Innocent knew that Tobias had changed; he knew exactly why, but he didn’t want to tell Blake his theory. He didn’t want Blake to blame himself for what was going on with Tobias.

“What doesn’t Blake know?” Tobias said, entering the bar with several large bags full of groceries. He set the bags on the counter and Blake began putting the groceries up; Tobias sat down at the bar as though he was a customer as opposed to the owner.

Blake and Innocent avoided looking at him; they didn’t want to voice their worries for fear that Tobias really had changed. Innocent sighed; it would be easier if there was some way of knowing that Tobias hadn’t changed, but all evidence pointed to the fact that he was becoming more of a vampire. This wasn’t a fact that set well with them; in fact, it bothered Innocent to the point where he was worried about what would happen if Tobias were actually to go outside in direct sunlight.

“Well, what doesn’t Blake know?”

“Nothing that you need to be concerned about,” Innocent said quietly, hoping that Tobias would drop the subject.

Tobias stretched and yawned, his tongue touching his fangs. Wait…I don’t have fangs. Tobias walked upstairs to his room and looked in the mirror; he blinked in surprise at his reflection. His hair was more black than red, his eyes more red than green, and his teeth…he had fangs…he was becoming more like a vampire.

This is a sign that I should go ahead with my plan to kill that bastard Dimitri. I’ll be stronger and faster as a vampire; he won’t stand a chance and I’ll be back before Blake even notices that I’m gone. This couldn’t have worked out better if I had planned it. After I kill Dimitri, I’ll be back to normal and Blake will be safe.

He sighed and turned his back to the mirror. The fact that he was becoming more in touch with his vampire heritage was a good thing, like he had rationalized, but…he could sense that Blake and Tobias were already worried about him. He couldn’t understand why, though; this was the best thing that had ever happened to him, with the exception of meeting Blake, of course. His senses were keener than ever; he was stronger and faster than ever. He felt great; true, the sunlight did burn him a bit, but it wasn’t that big a deal. Truly, being a vampire was one the greatest things that ever happened to him, second only to being with Blake.

--

Dimitri looked around his basement room, red eyes narrowed; his servant hadn’t returned to him yet. He knew, of course, that his servant had sought safety with the half-breed he found attractive. He would have to remind his servant where he belonged and who he belonged to; of course, he could just get a new slave. I’ll just kill my old servant and take that half-breed as mine; he’ll make an excellent replacement.

A/N: Yes, finally, an update.