Author's Note: Uhmm ... Yeah. So it's been EONS since I last updated this story. The worst part is that I even had the entire thing planned out before I started, so it's not as if I didnt' have the direction planned. I just got ... stuck. Silly writer's block. Well, tonight I decided to say screw it, I'm wrapping it up right now. So while I might have been expecting another three or four chapters out of this story, I'm leaving it here. I hope you enjoyed the story, even if it was a little rushed. Thanks! ~Michelle

Chapter 12

"So why did you turn him back into pottery?" I asked, confused.

"He'll report back to Qin that we are both dead, then he's going to help us sneak into Qin's compound."

"And why do we want to go directly to him?"

Carlo sighed as if my ignorant questions were irritating. "So that we can kill him before he finds out that we're both still alive and that there has been a breech in his security."

"Why couldn't we just lay low and let the Aedilis assume that we're dead?"

"Because it won't take Qin too long to realize that he doesn't have full control over one of the soldiers, and that soldier just so happens to be the one he sent after us. If the Aedilis find out that we managed to break through one of Qin's spells, they'll come after us full force, and trust me when I say that you don't want that."

"Oh, so now we're just going to draw attention to ourselves by killing one of the most powerful members of the Aedilis. That makes a whole lot more sense," I said, nodding vigorously as I finished. Wasn't sarcasm wonderful?

He smiled. "That's true, depending on how we do this."

I frowned, confused again. "Why would that make a difference?"

"If we make it look like something else happened, like we weren't responsible, then no one will be coming after us."

"But that's not possible," I said, shaking my head. "How could we possibly frame someone else for killing someone like Qin?"

Carlo grinned at me. "We're not going to blame someone else; we're going to let someone else kill him."

"I'm really, really confused," I said.

***

Clay soldiers were everywhere. I was a little uncomfortable being surrounded by statues that could kill us without batting an eyelash. Come to think of it, I wasn't sure that they were able to bat an eyelash.

But we were perfectly safe until we made our move. According to Carlo.

Our terra cotta friend was 'escorting' us. We were apparently playing the role of prisoners. Our friend had reported to Qin that he had been successful in his attack on me, even after Carlo had shown up. Now he had the two of us in tow as he brought us to see his master, and we were being flanked by dozens of terra cotta soldiers. I personally thought Qin was acting a little paranoid.

"Ah, Jasmine and Carlo. Together. Fancy that," Qin said, grinning down at us from his throne. "I must admit, I am rather surprised by this turn of events. Carlo, I had thought you dead. It seems Jasmine wasn't up to the task I'd expected of her. And you, Jasmine. What was Carlo doing coming to your apartment as soon as the sun set?" He glanced between the two of us, both doing our best to look stubbornly defeated, something that wasn't hard to do. "Ah, you were working together," he said, grin widening. "I'm surprised you stooped so low as to work with one of my kind. Especially one so powerful."

I crossed my arms and continued to glare. "What do you want, Qin?" This was really all I knew of our plan. I was to keep Qin preoccupied long enough to let Carlo do whatever it was he had planned.

He laughed. "Well, last night I would have said I wanted you dead."

"Why? I didn't do anything to you."

"You kill my kind, and –"

"Only after they kill mine."

"– You're a reporter. You are a threat to all of my kind, including me."

"So if you'd have said you wanted me dead last night, what's changed? What do you want now?"

He licked his lips, then flashed a fang in my general direction. "I have you under my control now. I think I shall make you serve me."

I frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

"I haven't had a new slave added to my collection. You shall feed me every week for a while. And every night you will join me in my bed. And when I tire of you, I will turn you, cursing you to join the ranks of those you have killed."

I squirmed uncomfortably, standing right in front of this incredibly powerful vampire. There was no way I could handle him alone, let alone deal with him and his soldiers. Carlo's plan had better work. Now I needed to keep him talking before he decided to do something to either of us. "And what about Carlo? What are you going to do to him?"

Qin shrugged. "Does that really matter?"

I licked my lips and looked down; this was going to be a long shot, but it was one I was willing to try. "Please – Please don't kill him." I fought not to look at Carlo and see how he was reacting to what I'd said. I figured he was either shocked or not reacting at all.

Qin cocked an eyebrow. "Well, that I certainly hadn't expected."

I looked up at him, trying to play shy. "What didn't you expect?"

"I thought the first rule of vampire hunters was to never fall for the hunter?"

"I – I don't know what you're talking about."

He rolled his eyes. "Oh, isn't it clear, hunter? You've fallen for your own prey!"

"I didn't fall for anything."

"Sure you did. You –" He frowned. "What's going on?"

I frowned too, not knowing what was happening any more than he did. "Soldiers!" our soldier was shouting out. Carlo was grinning wildly, his eyes twinkling as he watched chunks of terra cotta smashing against the ground. "Soldiers! Qin has kept us imprisoned all these centuries!"

"What is going on?" Qin hissed.

I grinned, knowing what was going on at last. "I think you're about to be destroyed."

The soldiers were all cheering, grinning madly as they reached for their weapons and started pushing forward. Our soldier turned to us, and pointed to the door in which we'd come in. "You should leave before you get trampled. I don't think they're going to want to stop for you."

Carlo nodded and wrapped an arm around my waist, bolting for the door before I could react. I didn't think I would have pushed him away anyway this time; even I was willing to admit that his speed was greater than mine. And this was a time that speed was necessary.

There was a series of screams, desperate cries from the vampire we'd abandoned. "You know, Carlo. I almost feel bad, listening to that."

He looked down at me, his arm still wrapped around my waist. I thought about pushing him away, then decided it would be worthless. I knew I liked him; he knew I liked him. What was the point?

"How could you be sympathetic? He tried to kill us."

I shrugged. "I said almost. And because ... Are you listening to that? It's horrible." I'd never heard such pained cries.

"Yeah, he sounds tortured. Think about what he did to those people who served him loyally. They've been stuck as mere pottery for thousands of years. Buried underground. And half of them were destroyed like that. And did you see how many that were still here that didn't have a nose? Or an ear? He deserves everything he's being dealt right now."

I leaned against him and closed my eyes. "Yeah, I know."

He placed a kiss on the top of my head. "We could leave, you know. We don't have to stay here and listen to this."

I squeezed my eyes tightly as I thought about that. "I would, but I think we should make sure they really do succeed, don't you?"

So we waited. For fifteen minutes we stood there, listening to the sounds from the next room, doing everything we could not to watch what was going on. Finally, after what seemed like forever, our soldier came out grinning. "It is complete. He is dead."

***

The club was just as crowded as it had been last time. As soon as we walked in I noticed a woman sitting at the bar, grinning as she saw us enter. It was the woman from the bathroom, the woman who had been depressingly right. I nodded in her direction, feeling surprisingly cordial. Then Carlo steered me onto the dance floor, where I lost all sense of time and danced the night away.

THE END