A/N: Revised and edited. Read and enjoy.

Chapter One

The Fall Of The Rulers

"I'm sorry. Did I hear you right? Did you just say I'm pregnant?" Celia's eyes were as wide as saucers.

Vincent's smirk grew wider in response. "Yes, I did."

"How…what…eh…"

"I should have told you. Vampires can easily impregnate."

Celia pondered that fact for a moment and wondered how in the heck a dead man was able to reproduce.

"Oh, well that's just great! Vince! I should be angry at you but…I'm not. I guess since I'm a vampire now it isn't so bad…but…what will it be? A pure? Half?"

Vincent rubbed her back soothingly. "I do not know, ele'mina. Only time will tell."

Celia sighed and leaned back against her mate. "Vince?"

"Yes?"

"You have to teach me to hunt."

Vincent chuckled darkly and led her towards the forest. It didn't take long for Celia to learn the basic concepts of hunting. Vincent had a different way of hunting though, much easier and more successful. Instead of pouncing on them, the key was to remain hidden until one came close enough and use all your weight to smash it to the ground and then proceed to feed. Celia found this very easy and succeeded almost every time.

A few days passed after the battle, Shamrock and Brenda went back to their castle in Maragos. They wanted Vince to come with them but he declined and stayed with Celia, vowing never to leave her again.

Timothy went back to the North. He came back occasionally to see Celia and Samoda but other than that he stayed where he was. Sandarac, Duraz and Haiti had gone on a holiday overseas, saying they would be back. Zaltian remained in the ruined canyon with Mira. Haiku and the other dragon had passed away; the poison from a small dagger had evidently killed them both. Samoda had disappeared completely, leaving nothing but a small smile in Celia's direction.

Celia and Vincent finished high school, very much bored.

"So, everyone is either busy, on holidays or left us completely," Celia murmured to herself, staring at the door to her bedroom in case her parents came in. Vincent sat beside her on the bed and gave her a sympathetic look.

"Everyone knew that this adventure would have consequences, Celia. Do not worry, they will all come back."

Celia nodded making an attempt to be positive, even though she did not feel it. Her parents hadn't noticed the change in her skin colour or features. She had had to put contacts in but other than that they had no clue. Marie and Karen had gone to university and rarely saw her.

Celia sighed and curled up in Vincent's lap. "I hope everyone comes back."

15 years later…

Clarice growled quietly to herself the second time that day as her Society and Environment teacher prattled on about something to do with pollution.

"Hey! Clarice!" A boy with sandy blond hair and blue eyes grinned at her from the other side of the classroom.

"What!" She whispered back. The boys in front and behind him murmured to him and he turned back to her.

"What say you and me go out tonight?"

From the start of year eight she had been the beauty of the school, with her long black hair, hazel eyes, lovely complexion and a very alluring body with all the right curves. Unfortunately she attracted all the boys' attention. Even now at fifteen they still didn't understand that she had a year seventeen year old boyfriend. Vincent and Celia didn't know, luckily enough. Another problem was that everyday she was dropped off in Vincent's black Aston Martin. Sometimes Vince even walked her to school but never went further than the gate.

Clarice didn't even know what her parents were.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Nick? No!" She hissed at him, her hazel eyes blazing with fire.

Nick only smirked and the other boys around him laughed. For the rest of the lesson, Clarice took notes on what the teacher told them only to ignore the boys shooting desired looks in her direction. Sometimes she hated her looks. She got her gorgeous hair from her father and her hazel eyes from her mother.

The bell for the end of class rang and Clarice packed her books up and walked out. She made her way briskly to the canteen area where all the students were filing in for recess. A few boys in year 12 waved at her and she walked over to them, sitting beside her newest boyfriend.

"Hey, babe," he said huskily, placing an arm around her shoulders.

If there was one thing she didn't like the most of Sean was the fact that he couldn't keep his hands to himself. Pretending innocence she shrugged it off and gave him a look.

"No touching." She stated icily.

Sean sighed and looked away from her to see a tall, busty blond walk past. His friends whistled at her and she winked at them. Clarice sighed to herself; boys would never change for as long as they live. If only there were men like her father around. She ate her recess, ignoring the chatter around her.

The day passed, uneventful. She exited her last class and walked toward the gates when an arm jerked her back.

Sean was holding her. "You want to come with me to a club tonight?"

Without thinking she smiled and nodded. "OK, sure."

"I'll pick you up at ten." He walked off.

It caught up with her a little too quickly as she walked out the gates, stopping on the sidewalk to wait for Vincent. Sean wanted to take her out tonight! She would be caught if she tried to sneak out but it never hurt to try. In her mind she planned a breakout plan and thought of excuses if either of her parents caught her sneaking out. There was a loud rev as the Aston Martin came flying down the street and swung around to settle next to her. Students clapped and whistled as she opened her door and got in, slamming it behind her.

"How was your day?"

She turned to face her father. Vincent Malta hadn't aged at all. His long black hair as silky as ever, and the true colour of his eyes concealed by contacts. He still wore the same black.

"Perfect. Dad, how many times have I told you not to do that?" She growled at him.

Vincent just smirked. "You have to have fun in your life, my darling."

"Are you implying something?" She glared at him and he stared back. She could never beat him when he did that and quickly looked away.

"No, I was merely saying that you should have more fun."

Something clicked in her mind. So she should have more fun? Tonight was an excellent example of that.

She didn't notice Vincent's eyes narrow slightly as he heard the thought directed to him.

She was planning something.

Vincent had been overjoyed on the day of his daughter's birth and so had Celia. The one thing that made him more protective of her than anything else was the fact that she was a mortal.

Shadowstep, the mighty necromancer, stepped out of the shadows.

"So here you all are," he muttered to himself quietly. His focus was on the three beings chained to the cave wall in front of him. One female and two males. Reaching out, he placed a hand on each of the separate chains in turn, chanting something in a different language under his breath. Wind rushed through the cave and his robes fluttered around him in the harsh breeze. Without warning the chains disappeared and the three figures dropped lightly to the ground, straightening immediately. They gazed around the cave as though they had awoken from a deep sleep.

"Anna." The male with short blond hair spoke to the female. "Where are we?"

His accent was Romanian and he seemed to have trouble pronouncing his words in proper English.

"I do not know, Rufio," she replied coolly. Her long blond hair flew out around her as the wind picked up once more. Both vampires were identical to each other, twins as they were. The other male said nothing, but merely eyed the necromancer with curiosity.

Anna flicked her hair before turning to the ominous dark clothed man. "Necromancer, would you care to explain?"

Shadowstep chuckled quietly. "Of course. You see my brother, the mage of the north, put the three of you under a binding spell three thousand years ago. Only another member of his family could undo it. As such, I am the last of his family."

"He is dead then?" Rufio said, a slow grin starting to form on his face. Shadowstep nodded once and smiled in return.

"Now, you should continue with your quest."

Rufio grinned, his fangs flashing in the faint firelight. "Of course. I can't wait to get my claws into that Shamrock."

"I'm afraid to say that you will have many problems." Shadowstep said mildly.

"What?" Anna hissed but Shadowstep cut her off.

"Fifteen years ago, Shamrock was murdered by his eldest son Volante. Vincent his youngest son killed Volante in return and brought his mother and father back. Now you have five members of the Malta's to get through. Vincent, Shamrock, Brenda, Celia and...Clarice,"

Rufio rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "Well, what we are waiting for?"

The necromancer led them out of the cave, a cruel smirk appearing on his lips.

Once these pure vampires destroy the Malta's I will kill them and summon the Shadow Titan.

"Oh, and one more thing," Shadowstep said to the three vampires before letting them venture into the darkness. "You cannot attack humans for the prophecy has finally come true. Vincent's mate is the holder."

Anna sent him a charming smile. "Well we're going to have to change that, aren't we?"

Rufio smiled in agreement with his sister and they walked away into the darkness. The other male stayed behind; his shoulder length silver hair, resting across one blood red eye while the other watched the necromancer closely.

"Shadowstep,"

The necromancer literally jumped as he heard his name uttered softly. The other vampire appeared beside him. "If you even try to plan something I will know about it. I will not have you doing any harm to my coven."

Shadowstep composed his face and looked up at the leader of the Bloodlust coven. "But of course not, Deon - never,"

The Ancient vampire inclined his head and melted into the shadows as though he were apart of them. "I will be watching you'

Shadowstep glared into the darkness. Satisfied that he could no longer feel the vampire's presence he muttered a message of his own, "No you fool, it is I that will be watching you."

With that he disappeared back into the darkness of the cave, waiting.

Vincent paced the living room of his house, glancing at the clock as he did. It read . Every Thursday, Saturday and Monday Celia went to stay with Zaltian. Today was Monday so she wouldn't be back until tomorrow. He could hear Clarice moving around upstairs. The door bell rang and Vincent eyed it curiously. Who could that be? He looked up at the stairs and faded into the shadows as Clarice came down in a black crop top and a very revealing mini skirt. Vincent revealed his fangs in a snarl. How could she dress like that? His eyes flashed to the door again as she walked up to it, unlocked and opened it. A teenager with brown hair and green eyes stood there. Vincent snarled again. So she had a boyfriend? One that was definitely older than her.

"Where is he?" Sean whispered to her.

Clarice looked around. "I don't know. His car is in the driveway, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"He might have gone for a walk or something."

Sean stepped inside and examined the place before he grabbed her and took her outside.

"Let's just get out of here and have some fun."

Clarice didn't like being touched one bit and gasped as he kissed her roughly. For her first kiss, it was certainly going to be disgustingly memorable. Vincent froze as he watched the teenager. For a few seconds he stood unmoving before he leapt with his vampire grace and came up behind Clarice, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her against his chest.

Sean staggered back in surprise to see a very shocked Clarice in the arms of her father.

"How dare you," Vincent hissed, livid. "How dare you touch my daughter!"

Vincent seemed to grow in height as he towered over Sean. The teenager was afraid and tried his best not to show it.

"Look, mate, she's my girlfriend and you have nothing to do with her life or mine."

Clarice was completely shocked. She had hated that kiss and hated Sean even more for not asking permission but now that she was in the protection of her father's arms she felt relaxed and safe. She started as she heard Sean's words. Not once had anyone ever spoken to her father like that.

Vincent let go of Clarice and pushed her behind him. "Is that so?" His tone had gone to its lowest most deadly note - the one that he used before killing.

"Yeah," Sean said confidently, ignoring the change of tone.

"Here's news for you, Sean Malcolm." Vincent hissed and Clarice and Sean gasped. "If she ever was your girlfriend, she isn't anymore. I have everything to do with her life. You don't. As for your life, no I don't have anything to do with it."

Sean stared at him wide eyed. "How do you know my name?" That was the only intelligent question that came out of his mouth.

Vincent smirked and advanced on him. Sean tried to run but Vincent's hand wrapped around his neck and lifted him a foot off the ground effortlessly.

Clarice gaped at her father. How could he do that?! Was he strong or what?

Sean started as Vincent's blue eyes glowed furiously and something snapped. His contacts fell out and the teenager was staring into burgundy eyes. Vincent let him struggle for a few minutes, not letting him break his gaze.

Clarice stared at them and whispered, "You go, dad."

Vincent, upon hearing his daughters praise, allowed a small smile before continuing to glare at the boy.

"Look, man," Sean gasped, trying to loosen Vincent's hold around his neck, "you're choking me and you're going to kill me if you don't let go soon!"

Vincent chuckled quietly, glancing up at the sky. When he looked back his eyes blazed with murderous intent. "Who said I wasn't aiming for that in the first place?"

In one swift movement he swept his arm back and forward, letting Sean become air born toward the boy's car. Sean's scream had reached its pitch when he smashed into the window of the passenger's side. He lay limply over the door. Clarice couldn't see what her father had just done and took a step back into the house as he turned around. Almost immediately she froze mid-step as she stared into his eyes.

"D-dad? Why are your eyes red?" she stuttered. It was very disturbing. A minute ago his eyes had been blue.

Vincent's mouth curved up into a smirk. "Before you go asking me questions, young lady, how would you like to explain your boyfriend?"

It took a few seconds to register what he had said; she turned on her heel and bolted into the house, running madly for her bedroom. She dived in and slammed it shut but it was forced open.

Clarice stormed to her bed and threw herself on it, burying her face in her arms so she wouldn't have to look at him. The door closed quietly. Clarice felt his hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not angry yet…well not so much anyway."

Clarice sighed in defeat and sat up as he sat down next to her. "How long have you had this boyfriend?"

"Three months," she answered quietly, averting her eyes.

"Why was he here tonight?" Vincent didn't like playing stupid but it was what he had to do.

Clarice fidgeted anxiously, staring down at her feet, her words spilled out in a rushed sentence. "Well, he asked if I wanted to go to a club tonight and I said yes without thinking."

"Apparently not,"

The teenager frowned and sighed.

Vincent nodded and stood up. "Any idea as to what he was planning tonight?"

Clarice shook her head and started as she heard the rage creep into her father's voice. "He would have taken you there and gotten you drunk. In all likely-hood he would have raped you."

Defiantly she lifted her head to meet his gaze.

"How would you know that that's what he intended to do?"

Vincent looked down at his daughter. Being one of his family meant that she would be in danger if a threat arose. It would be vital for her to know what her family was, wouldn't it? But what would her reaction be? Would she be angry at Celia and him for keeping it a secret? Or would she flee?

"Clarice, have you ever wondered why you are the most attractive person at your school?"

What an odd question? He could sure careen off a subject fast!

"Yes…I have wondered but, I haven't put too much thought into it. Isn't it natural for some people just to be good looking?"

"For us, yes it is."

What did he mean by that? Us? Clarice frowned in frustration. "What do you mean, dad?"

Vincent started pacing. He didn't want her to panic if he told her but he didn't want her to hate him for it either. It didn't matter anyway. It would still be a negative effect. With a swirl of his coat he turned to face her, impassive at her searching eyes.

"I'm a vampire."

At first nothing happened then Clarice's shoulders started shaking. Vincent thought she was crying but was proved wrong as she flung her head back and laughed.

To be perfectly honest the vampire was shocked. He hadn't expected that reaction.

"Well that explains a lot!" She was struggling to talk between laughs. "Why you went out at night. Why I never see you eat or drink and why your eyes are red. I guess that explains the good looks too!"

Vincent stood completely still, waiting for her to settle down. "You're not angry? Not even bothered that I have kept this from you your whole life? Your mother is a vampire too."

"Wow. Cool. Mum's a blood sucker!" She started laughing again. Clarice abruptly stopped and smiled. "Angry? I'm not angry. I can see why you kept it from me - makes sense. So can you see in the dark and all that stuff? Come on dad, details, details!" She demanded.

Vincent grinned in what seemed like years; well it really had been years - fifteen years to be exact since he hadn't been allowed to reveal his fangs. Upon seeing the fangs Clarice jumped up in fascination. "Are they sharp?"

The vampire put his finger against one of his fangs and prodded slightly; it started bleeding but healed instantly.

Clarice grinned. "Cool. Come on tell me stuff…tell me everything! I want the truth. How did you and mum meet? What are your skills?"

Vincent explained absolutely everything to her; the battle and how Celia had been brought back. He told her about Zaltian, leaving no detail out. He explained the vampire's skills and how they hunted. When he told her about being blind in the sun, she had done the exact same thing as her mother, she'd laughed. But since the prophecy had been fulfilled vampires could now see in daylight without problems and no longer thirsted for human blood. They talked about him being the Prince for a few minutes before they stopped for a break.

"But wait! Are there others?"

Vincent looked sad for a minute. "Yes."

"Tell me about them!"

"Well, there's my mother and father; King and Queen of the vampires that remain. Samoda the Dragon Lord; he's an elf. The rest are vampires. Sandarac, Haiti and Duraz."

"Awww. Wasn't there ever more than that?"

"Yes, but I already told you. In the Great War I killed many enemies, at the time most vampires were my enemies."

Clarice was excited. Her parents were both vampires and there were more! But, something still plagued her mind. Her expression turned serious, all traces of humour gone from her voice. "So why am I mortal?"

"Because your mother was still human when you were…created…so to speak,"

"But you're a pure vampire; wouldn't that mean that it would overcome mum's genetics'?"

"Entirely the opposite. Pure vampires are a rarity. There was a one in a million chance of you being pure or a vampire for that fact."

Vincent didn't like it one bit. She had vampire traits in her and that would mean she had a soul mate, one that would come looking for her soon, just like he had looked for Celia. Valanki stirred and growled a warning at any male that dare come near her. Vincent smiled at her. "Well now that you know everything, I suppose it will be free to say things in front of you."

Clarice smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I'm going to hunt. You'd better be asleep when I come back."

Before her very eyes he disappeared. Clarice stared at the spot he had currently occupied, then shrugged, changed into her nightgown and crawled under the covers of her bed.

"Vampires are so cool."

Rufio spat on the ground as the weak deer's blood gushed into his mouth. "Urgh! This is disgusting!"

Anna combed her hair with her fingers, getting rid of any knots. "I agree, dear brother, absolutely."

The dark forest around them quivered with the slight breeze passing through. The animals stayed in their homes, fearful of the three ancient vampires who now stalked the shadows, always on the hunt for fresh blood. The night sky held no stars, just a fully visible moon. They were standing on the outcropping of giant granite which looked down at the city below.

Deon stood under the shadow of a tall elm tree. He watched his two companions bickering about the blood and sighed quietly to himself. He redirected his gaze to the city below them, Maragos.

"Rufio, Anna," he uttered quietly. The twins immediately stopped their ridiculous argument and looked over to him. "We hunt for Shamrock. Now,"

With astonishing speed and grace he ran forward and jumped off the granite, bounding down the cliff face with the other two tagging along behind him. They reached the bottom and raced into the town.

"Split," the eldest vampire ordered. The twins went in separate directions, fading into the shadows. Deon walked down the pathway. Humans stared at him as he passed.

Ahead of him, a man walked out of a side alley. From this distance Deon could see that the person was wearing a black robe, a hood concealing his face.

The man whipped his head around to stare at him with furious burgundy eyes. Deon refrained from acting surprised but he was. Another vampire? Hadn't they all been wiped out? Without a second to lose the vampire turned away from him and vanished. Deon raised a delicate eyebrow and continued walking. What was that?

Anna stopped completely as she came put of the forest to come in front of a large black castle. This was it. The Malta's home. Rufio came to a halt beside her, his red eyes glittering with excitement. His claws lengthened and a green substance ran from his nails down to the ground. The earth started to decay as more of the poison dripped onto the vegetation. Anna hissed as a drop splashed onto her boot.

"Rufio!" she snapped. "I know you're proud of your poisonous claws but keep them away from me!"

Rufio withdrew his nails with a hurt look. "I was excited. It's not my fault. By the way, as soon as we get in there, you kill Brenda first."

"Easily done, just make sure you don't kill Shamrock before I get there."

"Agreed. Where's Deon? Shouldn't we wait for him?"

"Unnecessary." A voice said from the shadows and the silver haired vampire came up behind them. "Kill Brenda fast."

The twin vampires nodded and smiled at their leader. Deon strode forward with the two vampires flanking him. The castles doors were locked and quite possibly bared from the inside. Deon put his hand gently on the door and his mouth moved in a quiet speech. The door trembled and for a spilt second nothing happened until it broke into pieces, landing in a pile on the ground. The three vampires entered and went into stealth mode

Brenda sat in the library, reading a few books of her interest when she heard the loud crash. She was alert immediately. Shamrock was in a different room on the other side of the castle. If it was an attack she would never reach him in time. She rose fluidly and rushed to the door. With a startled hiss she leapt to avoid the flying pieces of wood. Three vampires stood where the door had been.

"Hello, Brenda," Anna said sweetly.

Brenda stepped away from them, her lips peeling back slightly. "Who are you?"

"That is of no importance…to you." Anna replied and walked forward. Brenda dodged to the side but Anna was faster. A red dagger appeared in her hand and she drove it into Brenda's chest. The Queen opened her mouth in a silent scream before dropping to the ground.

Anna clucked her tongue. "What a waste of beauty."

Rufio and Deon shared a look and smirked. An enraged roar echoed around them and Shamrock appeared in the door way. His eyes widened as he looked at the still figure lying on the ground.

"Traitors!" Shamrock hissed and his furious blood red eyes flickered up to glare at them.

"Come now, Shamrock," Deon gave him a small smile. "Is that the sort of greeting we get after so long?"

Shamrock glanced down at Brenda again, baring his fangs at the vampires. "How dare you! You murdered my mate!"

"You murdered our father!" Anna and Rufio shouted together. Deon glared at the King,

"You murdered my son."

"Killing me isn't going to bring them back," he hissed.

"Not at all," Deon said reasonably. "It's the pleasure that comes from killing you is what we want. After we kill you we're going after the rest of your family. Once you are all dead we will summon the Shadow Titan. He will destroy our enemies and bring back our kin!"

Deon, Anna and Rufio all leapt forward at the same time. Rufio sank his claws into the King's shoulder, Anna stabbed her dagger into his heart and Deon slashed his throat with his claws. Their revenge was fulfilled as the King fell to the ground alongside his mate.

Shadowstep arrived at the castle a few hours after the vampires had left to find the other Malta's. He wasn't interested in the dead bodies of the King and Queen as he stepped over them. He searched the book racks, looking for something. He looked in an older section with scrolls and dust littered everywhere. The spine of a book under a pile of scrolls caught his attention. He pushed them off and gazed at the cover. The book was jet black with red outlining it.

"Finally, I have found it! The Vampiric Families and Summoners." he cackled quietly to himself until maniacal laughter filled the air. He flicked through its pages, passing the different families of vampires, only one family was left, the Malta's. Each vampiric family had a summoner that was capable of summoning their particular symbol. In which case was the Shadow Titan. The symbol for the Malta's was a black wolf with the silhouette of a moon behind it that was the Shadow Titan, the black wolf. He ignored everything else in the Malta's section, going straight to the summoner of that particular family. Normally, if one was trying to summon a particular object that person would have to control the summoner in order for them to do it. It's a long tedious project and hasn't worked yet, but the necromancer knew it would, it had to.

"Oh, no, oh, no, no, no, NO!" Shadowstep shouted, he stared at the page unblinking.
"How can this be? Not that it really matters that much. I wonder if he would be easy to control…oh well. Might as well go there now."

With a quiet sigh the necromancer dropped the book, uncaring as to where it landed. The book landed on the floor with a dull thud, sending dust everywhere, remaining on the page he had just been reading.

Clarice woke with a start. She could hear someone shouting downstairs. Something was wrong. She quickly had a shower and got dressed into a long black skirt and a beige spaghetti strap top. Brushing her hair, satisfied that she looked all right she opened her door and bounded down the stairs. She stopped at the bottom; voices could be heard coming from the living room.

"…Sandarac it is good to see you but we can't hear a word you say if you keep shouting like that."

Her mother was back! Who's Sandarac? Clarice listened closely.

"I saw a vampire last night," Clarice listened to the voice, deep and silky. Did he look as good as his voice sounded? "He wasn't a local resident…I went to warn Shamrock and Brenda but…I didn't make it in time."

Clarice covered her mouth with her hand as she heard Vincent hiss and growl. It sounded like an enraged animal. Her grandparents were dead then? A vampire killed them?

She stood stock still as Vincent came into the hallway and vanished into thin air.

"Shouldn't you go with him?" Sandarac said softly.

"No, I have to look after Clarice."

"How is she? Have you told her yet?"

"Vincent, I believe, told her last night. He said she was rather excited about it."

"Really? Could I talk to her?"

"I think you'd scare her, Sandarac." And then Clarice remembered, her father had said he was one of the pure vampires. Sandarac was one of his best friends! Clarice peeked around the wall and saw the spiky blonde hair. Celia looked up at her and smiled warmly.

Sandarac looked around and stood up. Clarice stared at him; he was as fair as her father. But had spiky blonde hair. Over the 15 years it had grown longer and reached down to his lower back.

He's cute, she thought to herself and jumped in surprise as he grinned.

"Why thank you." He gave her a polite bow. "May I say that you're not so bad yourself,"

Celia raised an eyebrow. "Typical."

Sandarac winked at Clarice before turning back to Celia. "What's typical? She sent her thoughts to me."

Clarice gasped in surprise and then had another memory of Vincent telling her that vampires could hear thoughts about them. Sandarac turned back to her and walked over. He basically towered over her since she was so short. He took her hand gently and she marvelled at how cold his hand was.

"Allow me to introduce myself properly. My name is Sandarac and I am at your service." His lips brushed gently over her skin.

Clarice smiled. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Everything came back to her as she realised she couldn't stay in this fairytale forever. Her hand ripped out of Sandarac's and she rushed upstairs shouting, "I need to go to school!"

She came flying back down and tripped on the hem of her skirt. On reflex Sandarac caught her, wrapping his arm around her waist. For some reason the contact didn't bother her. Didn't she usually hate it when boy's touched her? No, she felt comfortable because he was a vampire.

"Like mother like daughter." Sandarac chuckled and Celia glared at him. It wasn't her fault she tripped all the time.

Clarice blushed bright red and cleared her throat, hefting her bag onto her shoulder, back straight and strode towards the door.

"There's definitely Vincent in there too." The vampire added in an after note, amusement clear in his voice.

Celia allowed a small smile. "Clarice?"

She turned back to her mother in question and Celia continued, "How are you getting to school today?"

"Walking?"

"School starts in five minutes. You'll never get there in time."

Clarice was just about to say she could ride her mother's motorbike until the law came into her head like a stop sign. The damn law! Why did she have to wait until seventeen?

"I'll take you." Sandarac offered.

Clarice looked at her mother and she nodded. "O-ok."

She walked out and Sandarac was about to follow her when Celia's voice stopped him.

"Where's Haiti and Duraz? I sure have missed them."

Sandarac smiled at her. "Enrolling into your rebuilt school as teachers,"

Celia gaped at him. "Why?"

"Vincent has already implied the fact that he wanted to protect his daughter."

"Yes, that seems reasonable. Will they come over tonight?"

"Without a doubt,"

"You have matured, Sandarac."

"Well what can I say? With Haiti as a father I don't get to be stupid a lot anymore."

They smiled at each other and Celia waved him off. "Go on. Just don't scare her with your driving."

Clarice stared at the car in the driveway. It was a red Lamborghini Michelago.

"Nice, isn't it?"

She spun around in surprise as Sandarac came up beside her.

"Y-yes, it's nice, very nice."

Sandarac led the way over to the car and flicked a button. The doors opened up and Clarice got in, awed into complete silence. Sandarac smoothly started the engine. The loud motor made her smile slightly. Sandarac reversed out of the driveway and watched as the gates closed.

"Put your seat belt on."

Clarice obeyed immediately and squeaked in surprise as the car lurched forward down the street. In a few seconds the vampire spun the car around so that it slid sideways to stop directly next to the path. Students who had been standing nearby jumped in surprise and some even fell over.

"Whoa." Was the only word that came out of her mouth.

Sandarac smiled. "Would you like me to pick you up after school?"

Clarice managed to smile over the shock. "Yes please, if it's not too much trouble."

"Not at all."

Clarice got out and the door closed automatically behind her. The Lamborghini spun its back wheels as soon as she was on the sidewalk. The students cheered as its back end swung out sideways and the car shot away down the road.

The students surrounded her, asking who was driving. Clarice sighed quietly to herself.

As soon as she walked into English, Clarice knew something was different. Where was Miss Melina? With a shrug she walked over to her desk which sat directly opposite to the teachers so that she could usually talk to her teacher without any nosy students overhearing. The rest of the students filed in. As usual the boys whistled at her.

"I'm way out of your league." she snapped. Her family was full of vampires! She deserved no less than that. The boys laughed at her and she ignored them.

Everyone sat down at their desks and talked. The boys were playing a game of poker and the girls were fixing their makeup.

Clarice glanced behind her and asked the girl there, "Where's Miss Melina."

The girl shrugged. "How am I supposed to know?" she applied the rest of her lipstick before continuing. "I heard we have a new teacher."

Clarice's eyes flickered to the door as a tall man entered. He was positively gorgeous with silver hair and forest green eyes. The teenager completely froze as the green eyes locked on her.

The girls whispered to each other, fluttering their eyelashes at him. Clarice looked up at him as he spoke to the class. His voice was light and very friendly. "Good morning, please organise yourselves."

There was the scrape of chairs on the floor as the desks were rearranged to their original positions. Clarice glared at Nick as he blew a kiss at her. Their new teacher walked down the aisle and came to a stop in front of the boy's desk.

"I do not think it appropriate for you to be sending this young woman inappropriate gestures during class. While I am your teacher, I do not want to see it. Is that clear?"

Nick nodded eyes wide with fear. Clarice stared at the man as he glanced at her. She could have sworn she saw him wink.

At the front of the class he wrote his name up on the board with an elegant hand.

Haiti Macruz was what it read.

"Now, you may call me Haiti if you wish but if you believe it to be inappropriate feel free to call me Mr Macruz."

Clarice blushed lightly as she stood up. As the class representative it was her job to welcome any new teachers to the school. As their eyes met she saw something in his eyes, something she didn't recognise.

"As the class representative, I'd like to welcome you to Feingold high school."

Haiti inclined his head and smiled warmly at her. "Thank you, Clarice. It's a pleasure to be here."

Clarice blushed and sat down a little shaken as the girls behind her hissed their displeasure. How had he known her name?

The session flew by, unusually so. He was an excellent teacher. When the bell rang she stood up, shouldering her bag and prepared to leave before he called her.

"Clarice, could you stay back please."

Clarice looked at him in surprise. Had she done something wrong?

The girls glared at her as they passed. The classroom door slammed shut and Clarice sat back down in her chair. Haiti went and sat in the seat next to her, angling the chair towards her.

And then it hit her again! He was a vampire!

"Hello, Clarice," he said softly. "It's been a long time; I haven't seen you since you were a baby. Look at you now, a lovely young lady."

Clarice smiled brightly at him. "Nice to meet you too. If you don't mind me asking, what are you doing here?"

Haiti sighed. "How did I know that that would come up?"

"Hey wait a minute!" Clarice gasped. "You're Sandarac's father!"

The vampire nodded. "Yes, met him this morning didn't you?"

"Uh-huh," she said quietly. "Only because…of what happened,"

Haiti grimaced. "Yes, I worry now. I had thought there were no more vampires other than Celia, Vincent, Sandarac, Duraz and myself. Let's not talk of that now; I'm here because Vincent asked me to. He want's Duraz and I to protect you."

Clarice raised an eyebrow. "Why would I need protection?"

Haiti chuckled quietly. "So they haven't told you the implications of having vampire genes in you. You are aware of how Vincent found Celia because she was his mate, yes?"

"Yes..."

"Somewhere out there, a vampire will be looking for you. He will be your soul mate. Seeing as you are Vincent's daughter, you naturally come from a powerful vampire family which means you will have a powerful soul mate. That is why Vincent wants to protect you."

Clarice froze, remembering what Sandarac had said about the vampire that he hadn't seen before. Was her mate the vampire that had killed her grandparents? She sure hoped not.

Haiti sighed warily. "You'd best go to class, Clarice, I will speak to you at recess."

Clarice stood up and rushed to the door, turning back before she walked out. "Where will I find you?"

Haiti smirked in the famous vampire way. "Do not worry, I will find you."

Deon's eyes scanned the streets for any sign of the Malta's. The three were riding black motorbikes, their coats flying out behind them. The suburb was vastly populated; it would take them awhile to track down any of the family members.

They stopped at a red traffic light and an idea popped into Rufio's mind. "I just had an epiphany."

Anna snorted. "How can you be capable of that, brother?"

"I am!" he snapped irritably, reacting exactly the way Anna had hoped he would. "Just because I don't act smart all the time like you, doesn't mean I'm not capable of getting brilliant ideas!"

Anna prepared to argue with him when Deon held up a gloved hand to stop her. "Enough arguing. Please, enlighten us with your idea when we stop."

The three vampires drove into a car park and stopped. The parents at the playgrounds looked at them warily.

Rufio smiled lightly and drove straight into his epiphany. "Well, you know how Vincent has a kid? She'd have to be fifteen years old so she would still be at school, right?"

"The law is still standing, so yes, I believe she would still be at school." Deon muttered and gestured for him to continue. "We check all the high schools that we pass!" he said excitedly. Deon and Anna exchanged looks.

"It could work." Anna said, smiling at her brother. "But where?"

Deon flicked his head, his hair falling around his face in a silver curtain as he watched the road. A red Lamborghini Michelago sped past them, sliding around the bend and disappeared around the corner.

Rufio pushed his hair back. "What a maniac."

Deon smelt the air and a small smile spread across his lips. "That wasn't a human maniac, Rufio. The only people who drive like that are vampires."

Anna, Deon and Rufio smiled cruelly at each other. Deon got on his motorbike and started the engine. "Whoever that is, is definitely a friend of the Malta's. Their stench is everywhere around here. This is what's going to happen: I will go to the nearest high school. Rufio follow that Lamborghini."

The blonde vampire nodded and got on his own motorbike; he jumped the curve and sped around the corner.

"Anna, you will look for this Celia. Don't kill her if you find her."

Anna nodded and the two drove out of the car park, driving in different directions.

In the shadow of a building, blue eyes glittered dangerously as they watched the vampires drive away.