Our Deathly Love

"She is going to tear us apart with her bare hands. Mark my words, this is not going to end well," Rose said, her green eyes flashing as she applied another coat of red gloss over her already stained lips.

Biting my own, I thought about her words and what was happening.

Natasha, the Queen of the freaking Vampires, was coming to dinner and as far as I was told, she was not coming alone; no, she was bringing along unnamed others.

Great. Just what I wanted. Me under the same roof as a hoard of Vampires. Vincent would have done well to have mentioned this before, and so would have Fredrick. Must have slipped their minds.

I had just gotten comfortable with Fredrick, but now I had to face my fear head on. I know I have been trying to look past what people are and look more into who they are, but, damn, a girl can only try so hard, right?

'Sick' was a word that made a lot of sense to me at the moment.

I was sick.

I was sick.

I was sick.

It was as simple as that.

Wait, no-it never is that simple. Nothing is ever that simple, is it?

I could not help but have a feeling of dread wash over me. I was so confused. This was not right, something was not right, but I was unsure as to what it exactly was.

"She is not going to kill us. If anything she will just yell at Fredrick and me and complain. Nothing to worry about, nothing at all," Vincent replied, but something was off in his tone, something was not right with what he was saying; it did not feel right. His voice had been tinted as if filled with false hope, almost worry.

Why would he be worried?

Vincent was very emotional-that was just how he acted. So he might have been over dramatic. Hell, I had hoped he was being a drama queen, but Fredrick's behavior was no laughing matter.

Unlike Vincent, Fredrick was able to hide his emotions. He was cool and calculated, he was what one would expect of a Vampire, of course, when not involving Phillipe. The Fredrick that had been waiting at the house when Tristan, Jasper, and I had arrived 45 minutes ago was not right. This Fredrick was twitchy, jumpy, and took the time we were using to worry to pace the room like a caged animal. Something was off, something neither of them wanted to tell us.

The entire household was here. Most of us were in the living room, all far too dressed up for a Thursday and wondering what the hell was going to happen. Chloe, Tristan, and Jasper unfortunately were preoccupied at the moment, leaving me feeling awkward.

Jasper was fixing the pantry hinges which had somehow broken in the mayhem of the preparation of dinner and Tristan was doing his best to assist Chloe in what ever she needed to finish up.

I was growing annoyed. Fredrick was scaring me. I needed to know what the hell was going on.

"Fredrick, I think you need a cigarette break, right?" I said, quickly grabbing the worried Vampire's arm and, pulling him away from the crowd, I led him to the back of the house and out the back door.

I allowed him a moment to light up, something I knew in that moment he really-really-really needed. As soon as the first puff of smoke left his lips, I started.

"What the hell is going on? Vincent and you are scaring the shit out of everyone. What is going on that we need to know about? Why is she visiting us and what has you so god'damn fidgety?" I asked, rambling almost.

The words felt good sliding out of my mouth. The air around us became pungent as he waited a moment, taking another drag out of his cigarette before he started, speaking much slower than I had.

"We don't know what's the problem. She doesn't do things like this; mingle with others. Vincent thinks that she is only coming to yell at us for our choices in women, but I-I... I think it's something much bigger. She would not be dragging everyone down here if it was to just yell at us," Fredrick said quickening the pace of his words as he went on, his eyes set on the woods behind the house as he took another mouthful of smoke.

"Who is 'everyone'?" I asked, suddenly worried. I had the notion that it wasn't just Natasha coming down but I was not familiar with exactly who she was bringing with her.

"Reska, and Albrecht for starters. She is also picking up Phillipe," Fredrick said, anger filling him as he said the names. This shocked me. It was his family and the anger he showed for Phillipe was unusual.

"What is wrong with that?" I asked, almost hesitant.

"I knew adding Demon blood to the line would taint us," He growled out.

Shocked, I gave him a weird look, wondering what he was talking about.

"Albrecht was the first Bloodlett to be made. He was before me. We've hardly seen him at all in the last five hundred years, except when he needs money or something like that. Then one day, right before Phillipe, Vincent, and I leave for here, he shows up with a Demon girl who he says he is going to marry. Since she has become a Bloodlett, much to my disdain, she has wrapped herself close around Natasha, and so has Albrecht. They are keen on the old ways. It has taken me so long to get us headed towards the future but being here, away from Natasha, has allowed her to be corrupted by those two. I am worried that Reska is here for Phillipe. She has had her eyes on him since she first caught glance of him. I think they are going to try and take him from me... I can't let that happen, I won't. Not to mention, I have a feeling that Natasha thinks of everyone here as pawns at her disposal. She is recruiting, like the Faeries, but Natasha does not take no for an answer. Actually, I am kind of worried for you, Emmy. You need to not be noticed. You have to be here, that is for sure, but do not get their attention," Fredrick said, suddenly grabbing my shoulder as if that would make what he said stick with me that much more.

I hated to ask, but I knew that I needed to. "Why should I be careful?"

"Because Natasha likes to collect and she doesn't currently have a Necromancer at her disposal," He said quickly, giving me a frightening look as he added something almost silently to himself and to me; "And you are a collectible-don't forget it."

The words made me sick. Okay, they made me sicker. I was so tired of being treated like an item and not a person. The closer I got to Oliver and Tundry, the less I felt like an item, but just because they acted laid back about the unasked question in their motive to be near me didn't mean that it still wasn't present in any of our minds. Not to mention others, of and not of their Courts, who I often found staring quite creepily at me.

Finding out that I needed to watch my neck (enjoy the pun if you will) around Natasha added annoyance. I would just have to lay low. I could do that, right?

I just needed to calm myself down, take a breath, and figure out what I was going to do to keep myself from being noticed.

I could have used a Glamour. I had spent little time on trying to work them. Those spells were meant for fae and I had little talent for it. If I had tried to use one, I would easily fail.

Memo to self, work on Glamours.

I could have also worn sunglasses. My eyes were what gave me away, but wearing sunglasses inside at night would only make me look suspicious and definitely draw attention to myself, so I opted out of that option as well.

By time Fredrick and I got back into the house our Royal guests had arrived.

I quickly moved to the back of the group of my roommates. I did what I could to keep unnoticed as I watched Fredrick walk quickly up to Natasha giving her a small kiss on the cheek. After doing so, he did the same to Reska, although I could easily tell it was a pained motion. Although it would have been funny, he did not give Albrecht a kiss as well, only a strong handshake. I watched as Vincent did exactly as Fredrick had done.

Both of the boys were worried. Fredrick did well at hiding his fears, showing a cool emotionless facade while as Vincent easily gave away his fears. Really, as if the quick looks he shot Rose would not tip Natasha off that something was going on between them?

"It is a pleasure to meet you all. I am Natasha. This is Albrecht, his wife, Reska, and this is my son, Phillipe. Please, do not stand on my account," Natasha said, her voice filling with a royal air that left little doubt that she held great importance to herself. She was what I was expecting. Perhaps I had imagined someone a little more 'goth' to be the Queen of the Vampires, but she sure had that Royal edge to her that let you know exactly who was in command.

She was pretty, that was true. Her skin held the usual pale shade associated with Vampires and her eyes also holding the same, being a deep red. She was tall, thin, and aristocratic by definition. She had light blond strands of hair pulled up in some complex bun-thing that had to have taken hours to make, with jewels woven into her hair in strands. Matching gems were present, dangling around her neck in intricate strands matching those wrapped around her wrist.

It was a good thing that everyone had gotten the dress code memo because she was wearing a floor length black lace dress. Underneath the black lace was a neutral tan material that looked almost too good on her.

She reminded me of Alissa, that frost girl Fredrick had an obsession with. Natasha could easily be the Ice Queen. The looks that she would shoot across the room were icy and calculated. She was sizing us up.

That scary thought in mind, I made sure not to make eye contact with her. As long as she did not see my eyes, I was safe.

Instead, I took my chances by looking at this Reska. I could see what Fredrick had said. She had an aura about her that meant business.

She had bright redish-orange hair that matched her deep red eyes perfectly. She was dressed fancy, like Natasha. She wore a strapless green floor length dress that flowed out at her legs. Her red hair was held in a loose ponytail. The ponytail would seem plain if it wasn't for the fact that the cord holding her curly hair was made out of silver embedded with what looked like real diamonds matching the large diamond choker, wedding ring, and bracelet on her wrist.

Obviously, if the jewelry had anything to say, the Vampiric Court was not in any financial trouble.

Looking at their dresses made me self conscious about what I was wearing. These girls looked like they were going to a ball or a wedding. I looked like I was going somewhere nice, but not that nice. My dress was not floor length and I was not adorn with diamonds and jewels. I was dressed formally for myself-nice, sophisticated, and simple. Above all, simple. I looked pretty, I suppose, but not in the way the others did. My dress went down to my knees and the black skirt part of the dress was tight, but not too tight. The upper part of my dress was grey, something comforting, and the sleeves were longer than my elbows. The cut of the top was round and did not show too much off. I, of course, had my key necklace on. Even if I now knew that it was Clarrissa and not Hecate, I was still comforted by the feeling of the chain around my neck.

I had a slight amount of makeup on. Eyeliner, a light lipstick, and a bit of blush was all I cared to put on.

No one as far as I could tell was happy about Natasha coming around, mainly because no one was sure what she wanted.

It was not like having Oliver over because Oliver was like us. I guess that somehow it was easy to forget who Oliver really was. It was only at times where he would get serious and say something truly stunning or unexpected that I would really see him for what he was.

Like earlier today, when he had brought up the idea of offering himself instead of Arya or when he had easily taken on Tundry's vines like they were toys. Not to mention when we were fencing in P.E. and he even beat Fredrick...

Although Oliver could be a pervert and cocky and even slightly annoying, he had a warm personality and had a way of making his presence something near normal-even enjoyable.

These people, though, were nothing like him.

Natasha's comment of making ourselves comfortable only made things worse, if possible.

Yet, none of us wanted to piss her off. Even Gabriel took a seat. I made sure to sit off to the side between Tenabe and Sammy, somewhere no one was likely to really look.

I was uncomfortable. The doll in Sammy's hands seemed to stare blankly at me with it's clear black eyes. Tenabe was fidgeting more than anyone and he had nothing to even do with what was going on here in the first place.

I had to wonder who was really on the chopping block. Was it Fredrick? Were they after Phillipe? Were they here to criticize Vincent and Fredrick on their choice in women? I knew that Vincent and Rose thought so.

If they were really after Rose and Vincent, then Rose was ready for battle. She looked amazing. She had on a Margaux Lace Dress and her hair was pulled back in a french twist with her bangs curled around her face. Her makeup was done with exquisite care. She had on black eyeliner, mascara, and the deep red lipstick and gloss she kept applying over and over.

She looked amazing. I could not find a single flaw in her attire. If Natasha was here to judge, then she would be spending a long time trying to find even a little detail wrong with Rose.

Something did trouble me, though. Where was Monique? If we were being evaluated, where the hell was she? Shouldn't she be here?

Apparently, Natasha was thinking the same because after a moment, she made it clear of her feelings.

"Fredrick, darling, where is Monique? Reska dearly wanted to meet her," Natasha said smiling, although it was easy to tell that she was happy that Monique was not here.

"Monique will not be coming tonight as we are no longer together." Fredrick said with a strange amount of detachment. I had seen them together only hours before. Although most of the time they had been fighting, there had been a moment of normal conversation. I had thought it was normal; most couples fought.

"Oh Darling, I am so sorry! I told you she was no good for you. Don't worry though, I know this girl, her father is a duke. I think you have met him, Duke Albert? His daughter, Tabitha, is stunning-everything you could want in a Vampire," Natasha said smiling, showing little grief over Fredrick's loss.

I noticed for a moment that a flash of anger entered Fredrick's face. It quickly left him, though, moving him back to a state of emotionless life.

It was easy to see Fredrick was not happy at all. He was like a statue. Sure he was here, but he was not really here.

Although I hardly knew Fredrick, I had been around him enough to know that this was not like him.

Though most of us were sitting down, I noticed that Albrecht and Reska were not. They stood expressionlessly behind Natasha, who was sitting in between Vincent and Fredrick on the couch. Phillipe sat quietly on Fredrick's lap, not even uttering a single word.

Looking at Phillipe, I realized that something was not right. He looked upset and his eyes were slightly puffy as if he had been crying. That made me defensive. Phillipe was a sweet and troubled little boy who needed to be taken care of with love and compassion and from the look of that couch, he would not be getting it from any of the stony faced people, besides Fredrick, that is.

"Thank you, Natasha, but I do not need any help. I am thinking of dating someone else," Fredrick said quickly, wrapping an arm around Phillipe's waist as he bounced the boy on his knee.

"You always have bounced back quick. Who has caught your eye this time?" Natasha said, a slight smirk on her face as she patted Fredrick's shoulder.

"An Ice Faerie. It's not that big of a deal. I think I will need sometime to myself before I try and start anything." He said fluidly, trying to downsize what he was saying.

I thought for a moment about this. He could not be talking about Alissa, could he? He had warned me about her being dangerous to the living, but Fredrick himself was not living and she was the only Ice Fae I had seen him talking, okay, signing, with.

Now that I thought about it, I had seen him with her a few times this week... I had not really thought about it that much. I mean, he had a girlfriend and he had said that she was helping him learn sign language...

She did not seem like his type. He had shown me pictures and told me about some of the girls he had dated before and they had all been the same; curvy, opinionated, and lively. All of those things Alissa seemed not to be. She was tall, thin as a rail, no curves whatsoever, and could not speak a single word. From being in class with her, it was easy to tell that she was timid and easy to fright. She was whimsical and almost unbelievable in presence, not realistic at all. She could easily be there one second and then gone the next, like a dream person.

"Vincent, speaking of girls, I have heard through the grapevine that you yourself have a girlfriend? Not just that, but that she is one of the famous Gable girls," Natasha said, smiling as she waited for Vincent to explain himself.

"This is Rose and her sister Sammy. They are the The Inventor's daughters, and yes, I am dating Rose," Vincent said, quickly walking over to Rose and, offering her a hand, he helped her out of her seat. He did the same for Sammy. Both girls walked forward to Natasha, Standing next to each other, they both curtsied at the same time.

"It is a pleasure to meet you again, Natasha," Rose said calmly, placing her hands over Vincent's, whose were over her waist.

"Yes, last time we met you were a little girl, seven I think. Mortals age so rapidly it startles me time and time again when I meet them. One day they are here and the next," I watched as she snapped quickly before continuing, "They are gone." The words leaving her voice sounded sinister, almost a threat.

Apparently, Natasha had found a flaw in Rose.

I watched as Reska leaned over the couch, whispering something in Natasha's ear that made her chuckle.

"Indeed, you are right Reska..." Natasha said, laughing lightly to herself.

I had half a notion to wonder what Reska had said, but not really sure if it would have been something that I would have liked to know.

Even though I had a feeling that the joke had been about Rose, she showed no shame, holding herself up with dignity.

I watched as Rose and Sammy walked away from the couch back to their seats and a new conversation that did not involve them started.

I had to say that this was kind of rude. The group had made sure everyone was here yet all of their conversations did not involve anyone but the six of them.

You would think that Natasha would show love towards Phillipe, as he had spoken well of her before when he was angry with Jasper, but as minutes ticked away, she showed little interest in her son. She showed more interest in finding out what Vincent and Fredrick had been doing.

I found this really odd. She came here a few times a week from what I had heard, but from the looks of things she wanted an audience for this meeting.

Although those sitting on the couch paid little heed to everyone else, Albrecht and Reska kept scanning the room, staring the rest of us down.

The lump in my stomach only grew as the comments started to turn towards Phillipe.

At first it was subtle and gave me hope that she actually did have warm feelings for her son, but from the constant poke of questions to come, it was easily noticeable she was trying to put Fredrick on edge.

I watched as she quickly put him over the edge, watching with a strange face as she made her next comment. "I think that he would be better off at home." Those simple words made Fredrick's face crumble and Phillipe jump.

"Mommy, I like it here," Phillipe announced, saying his first words of the night.

"We talked about this in the car. You want to come home with Mommy, Uncle Albrecht and Aunty Reska, right?" Natasha said, trying to reach for Phillipe as if to touch him. I watched as Phillipe quickly pulled away.

This angered Natasha and for the first time, a real emotion entered her face.

"I feel better with him here Natasha," Fredrick said quickly. I watched as his hand held at Phillipe's waist like a death grip as if Natasha would try and rip Phillipe from him.

"He needs a mother figure, end of discussion. His things will be sent later on this week and he will leave with us tonight," Natasha said suddenly, her voice having a hard edge to it that made me jerk back in my seat slightly.

"So you are going to step up and take on your responsibilities as his mother?" Fredrick asked, venom in his voice showing for once his true feelings for this matter.

I watched as Fredrick quickly stood up, Phillipe never letting go for even a second, as he pulled the little boy away from Natasha and the others of his family.

"How dare you question me and my methods. I do everything for this family and as Phillipe's mother, I think that it would be best for him to be home," Natasha said. I noticed that she did not answer Fredrick's question.

"No, Natasha. How dare you walk in here and upset everyone, always questioning, not accepting, and then you have the audacity to try and take Phillipe from me and give it to this snake? She does not belong as Albrecht does not belong. Even if you take Phillipe with you, which I will never allow, he will not do as you wish. He is not a puppet, he is a child," Fredrick said, yelling.

No one moved and no one said a single word. This was not our fight.

"Phillipe likes no one. He does not like any woman who is not like us. Why should I even think to leave him here without an adult besides yourself who could watch out for him? You can't get him to behave, I have heard what has happened here. He will be safer at home. There is too much water here. He will hurt someone or he will be hurt himself. He needs to be locked and kept safe. Unless you are willing to give up your entire life for a child who will never age, I suggest you bring him over here now," Natasha said, regaining her calm sick tone that made me shiver.

Fredrick was losing and Phillipe would leave.

Worst of all is that I could feel it. I could feel Phillipe, his energy, his emotions, radiating across the room. I felt like I was going to puke.

"I would give up everything to keep him near me," Fredrick said, quickly grasping Phillipe as he now held him at his waist. Phillipe's eyes peered at me over his shoulder, tears streaming down like waterfalls as he pressed his lips to Fredrick's neck like he had done to me.

"If you want to keep him, you will come home, Fredrick. You will leave this behind," Natasha said, knowing that she had him in the palm of her hand. I had a feeling that she was punishing Fredrick for something that I did not understand.

"You have never been this cruel before, Natasha," Vincent said, butting in for the first time since the conversation had started.

"Things have changed. I would feel better if you came home too Vincent," Natasha said, showing the real reason she was here in the first place.

Taking a breath, I realized that things would change. Fredrick would be gone, Phillipe would be gone and Vincent would be gone.

I did not like Vincent that much, but Fredrick was my friend and Phillipe, Phillipe was something that I could not describe. I wanted to help him, I wanted to fix this. Maybe it was because I was an empath when it came to Ghosts, but I could not allow him to leave.

Taking a breath, I did what I knew I had to do-give Natasha a reason to keep Phillipe here and, inadvertently, keep Fredrick here, as well.

Standing up, I looked her straight in the eyes, my voice booming as I spoke. "Wait."

My legs shook as I walked over to Fredrick's side. The air almost suffocated me as I did so. My legs felt weak and I had a nasty feeling in my gut as if I was going to puke.

Somehow, I think this was a sign from Clarrissa, a sign that I would do well to follow. She had said she would be watching, but that did not mean that I would have to listen.

For once, this was not going to be about me. I could not just sit back when I could very well help. A time to want to be the hero, right?

It was too late to back down. This was something I just had to do.

"And you are? This does not involve you, mortal," Natasha practically spat at me as I took my spot next to Fredrick.

I did not curtsy to her and I did not bow. I just stood there. The realization of what I had just done dawned on me in one swift moment.

Looking up at Fredrick, I could see a tangle of emotions in his eyes ranging from worry to anger.

Somehow I had a feeling he was going to yell at me later on for doing exactly what he told me not to do.

"I am Emelia Badica. I think that I may be of service to you. Phillipe has been the same age for how many years? What is a year to you and your people? Allow Fredrick and Phillipe to stay and I will swear that he will age as a normal child," I said, quickly pulling out confidence that I did not know existed.

What was another promise? I knew it was a bad idea to add another one on my plate. I had already promised to help Rowan, Oliver, and now Phillipe? Not to mention if on some strange miracle I did fix Phillipe, shouldn't I promise Jasper the same thing with Cee'Cee?

I was screwed and placing myself in needless danger for someone else, but I had to do it.

I had to stop being scared of living, and living involved risks, right?

Quality over quantity, right?

Shit, who was I kidding. I would like to have both, no one said I was perfect!

"Fredrick, Vincent, you never mentioned you knew a Necromancer... Shame, I would never have brought up this conversation had I known. I think dinner is ready. Emelia, I want you to sit next to me for making my trip so pleasan., Albrecht, Reska, please go check for us." Natasha said, clapping quickly.

Although her comment should have calmed me down, something still bothered me. Passing me, Fredrick made a comment so low that none but us heard, but still the meaning was clear. "You are stupid. To make deals with the devil is to lose. She will want something. Are you ready to give it up-for us?" He growled, pulling Phillipe closer to him as he walked down the hallway to go to the dining room.

Although Albrecht and Reska had not given us an answer, we went into the dining room anyways.

I did not want to sit next to Natasha. I was scared now that Fredrick had commented. Plus, I had no idea how I was going to fix Phillipe... Or if I even could.

What had I done?

What was I going to do?

What did it even matter at this point, it was done and over after all.....

Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down as I took a seat next to Natasha. It was not to my satisfactory. I would have rather sat at the other end of the table with Chloe, Jasper, and Tristan.

Instead I sat next to Natasha and Albrecht. All of the Vampires sat down at the side I was on. I was surrounded. I could take Phillipe and Fredrick and sometimes even Mikey, but this was making me nervous.

Chloe had prepared a feast. The entire table was adorn with delicious looking food. I would have tried to ignore the situation and just eat, but it was hard to do so when everyone's wine glasses around me were filled to the brim with blood.

Yeah, lost my appetite there for some strange reason.

I tried to keep my eyes off of others and the glasses and instead, I took large gulps of my water, which I believed Chloe had put some kind of flavoring in because of the odd taste. Not that I was complaining, it was really good. While I drank, I ate a bit of a loaf of homemade bread.

Whoever Chloe does end up marrying one day is going to get really fat.

"I thought the Badicas died out. I have had advisers from your line. You have a wonderful bloodline and it is good to know that your family is still thriving," Natasha said, a twinkle in her eyes as she added the comment.

This was odd. I had not read of any of my family having worked with her. I also had a feeling that she knew I was the last one and that this was a joke to her. Yet, she could not know that...

I played along for her though. I was not going to put out what she wanted to hear. "Hopefully it will be thriving for many more generations," I said.

"Fate can be awfully cruel at times, but perhaps you will find a bit of luck?" She added, laughing slightly. Now I was worried.

What the hell did she mean by Fate?

"Speaking of which, I am interested. I was not told how you met Fredrick and Phillipe." Natasha said, not waiting for me to reply to her last comment.

"I have classes with Fredrick and I watched Phillipe for Fredrick and such..." I said, not going into specifics.

"Fredrick must like you if he let you watch Phillipe. As you can tell, he gets a bit over protective. I am surprised that Phillipe himself let you watch him. He does not take well to women," She said, laughing slightly at the end.

"Phillipe is fine with me. He is very even-tempered." I was able to stop myself from adding 'for the most part,' thank god.

As if to back me up, Phillipe shot me a large smile, something he rarely has done since I have met him.

"I would like to take a walk with you so we can talk more after dinner. I can't leave my faith in just anyone, now can I?" Natasha said, practically dismissing me for the moment so that she could talk to Reska.

This felt like a very, very bad idea. One that I had no control over either. I was now really sick.

Fredrick did not look happy at the mention of the walk, and if Fredrick wasn't happy, I did have need to worry.

I couldn't very well deny her though. I had a feeling that there was no option in the matter and when it was time to finally leave, I couldn't help but be scared.

Reasons to be scared shitless!

1. It was dark outside.
2. I was going to walk in the woods with a Vampire.
3.She was bringing Albrecht, Reska, and Vincent.
4. Fredrick had to take Phillipe home so I was alone with them.
5. Did I mention they are all Vampires?

Walking slowly, I nervously followed next to Natasha as we walked farther and farther from the house. Farther and farther from my safety...

The woods were oddly chilly for this time of year, and horribly dark.

The path was, of course, vacant as we walked on it. Ya, because normal, sane people are smart enough to stay inside at night.

Natasha did not speak a word as we walked. I was not comforted with idle conversation, nor was I relaxed by the presence of the other three behind me.

Reska and Albrecht walked hand in hand behind us. Vincent was farther back, though acting as if he enjoyed the stroll.

I bet he was because I had a feeling that they had something planned for me.

Okay, so the odds were like four to one in their favor... I was a Necromancer, but even my abilities had limits to them.

So, that made me the underdog right? The underdog always won right? Hell, reality check even, I would vote against me....

You know that stupid girl that decides to go for a walk at night by herself and gets hacked up by some serial killer? Ya, I was that girl, except stupider.

Claps for me, right?

I would not roll over that quickly though. I had a plan. If this wasn't some nice little walk, I would hit them with a fire ball... That usually did the trick. Vampires really didn't like fire.

A simple fire ball would be all it took.

Heck, I had it all prepared. All I would have to do is aim and fire.

Natasha stopped about half a mile from the house and her voice cut through the air like a knife through warm butter. "You are very useful. I want to tell you that. I thought I would be here for such a long time... You see, Necromancers usually don't give themselves away so easy. Young people these days, never enough common sense to last them," She said, smiling as she nodded to Albrecht who had me pushed on the ground before I could even move.

The ground hit me, causing the air to rip from my lungs and causing me to gasp as I threw my hands at him, trying to hit him with the spell that I had prepared. Blood dripped from my elbows as I did so. I had cut them on the way down.

Pain erupted in my back, which he had landed on, tackling me to the ground. I was easily disoriented and confused as my spell did not work. Screaming, I hit him repeatedly, now yelling the spell out loud, trying for the life of me to get it work. I think I tried to summon like five times without effect.

"Stop moving. Your spell won't work," He growled, his breath on my face as he grabbed my wrists. Pulling me up from the ground, he quickly pulled me to him, holding my wrists at my waist and waiting for instructions from Natasha.

"I would attack a Necromancer at full power, I have enough sense in my head Darling. You will find that you wont be able to use magic for the next day, you were easier to drug than I thought possible... Perhaps next time you should be suspicious of odd tasting water?" Natasha added laughing as she circled Albrecht and me.

I could not move, even squirming hurt against him. I was trying to get into a position that I could kick him, I may not be able to use magic, but I could sure as hell screw him up a bit.

I was not going to face what ever was to come willingly or helpless.

"I think that we have found what we need, wouldn't you say Vincent?" Reska asked laughing as she too started to circle me. Her movements even more cat like than Natasha's.

"No, actually I think we should stop now." He said startling not only me but the others as well.

Everyone stopped, turning slightly I got a good view of Vincent. He looked angry, I was confused.

"Are you backing out now? You were the one who told us about her! This was your idea from the start Vincent, if you are the one who wants to do it, you may she was your sighting after all." Albrecht said quickly pushing me down in front of Vincent.

Somehow this reminded me sickly of what had happened in the beginning, me on the ground bleeding and Vincent.

Jumping up I tried to run away, only to have Albrecht push me back down hard.

"Try that again and we will break your legs, and trust me it will be hard to mend after we do what we will to you." He growled anger pooling in his eyes as he gave me an extra shove.

Tears sprang to my eyes as I sat there praying for a way out.

There was no way out, they were all around me.

In a moment Vincent was going to kill me and it would all be over.

Everything would be over, I would never get to see all the things that I wanted to.

I would never get to go on that next date with Jasper.

I would never get to see my mother again.

I would never get to help Rowan.

I would never help Arya, and Oliver would end up getting himself killed. The UnSeelie Court would end and it would be my fault.

I had only wanted to help Fredrick and Phillipe and now I was going to die for it.

My thoughts pored out almost as much as my tears.

Suddenly I felt Vincent grab my hand, biting my lip I allowed him to pull me off of the ground.

"There is a change of plans Natasha, she is not the one I met before, she would not be useful. I just realized that now. She is hardly a Necromancer, as you can tell she had not enough sense to avoid that potion, how could she be of use to you?" Vincent said quickly, defending me.

He was lying?
To save me?
I knew he was lying, I was the one he had met before, he had told me that I was the only one he has ever met....

Why?

Why would he sell me out and then after being punished for his crimes try and save me?

"Vincent, it is sweet that you have had a change of heart, but she is Necromancer enough that Fredrick wants her help, that means that she is Necromancer enough for me to Change. I want her, I will need her, if there is a war to come, I will not allow her to be used by the Fae, or anyone else for that matter. Decide do you want; her dead or with us, those are your choices." Natasha said nodding to Albrecht who quickly grabbed me again.

Squirming I tried again to get out of his grasp only to fail.

This was useless. I was weak, and could do nothing. My magic was everything.

And Vincent wasn't saying anything! Why wasn't he saying anything? I thought he was trying to help me here?

"Fine, have it your way, Albrecht you decide." Natasha said shrugging lightly as Reska and her took a seat on a large rock for the show.

"Natasha, let her go, I will keep an eye on her... You will get in trouble for this." Vincent said trying again to get her to stop.

By this time Albrecht had his lips on my neck. My heart was beating like a drum. I did my best to pull away, but I was too weak to move against his iron grip.

"I don't care about Witch-Rules, now Albrecht, we have wasted too much time." Natasha said ordering Albrecht what to do.

A scream left my lips as his fangs tore into my skin, pain erupted pulling at my veins as he began to feed on me. This pain was worse that I remembered Vincent's bite to have been. I realized now that Vincent had been careful when he had bit me, considerate even compared to Albrecht, who was digging into my skin, taring at it trying to get to the best vein possible.

I don't know what would have been worse, had he covered my mouth so I could not scream, or the fact that they were so sure of themselves that they allowed me to scream all I wanted.

And I did scream, until my voice became hoarse and I started to become dizzy. What was worse is that I had little clue as to what he planned on doing, was I going to become a Vampire or die?

Which would be worse.

Minutes ticked away, my knees started to give out, but it did not matter Albrecht's iron grip never failed, even as the blackness as I started to pass out came in.

I did not wake up as I hit the ground, but I remember the sight of a tree on fire as I laid on the ground, the sound of running, and the sound of arguing, in the background.

I could not understand what was going on, one moment I was being held, the next I was unable to move as I laid in a pool of my own blood on the ground.

The smell of pungent smoke filled my lungs as I laid there, keeping me ever so slightly awake.

I was unable to move an inch.

A fireball had been thrown, but by who?

I could not move to see who had done it, but at that point I really did not care.

I blacked out quickly, but not before I could hear the sound of Clarrissa's voice, "Not today," it was all that took to allow me to accept the blackness that surrounded me.

I liked the blackness because it gave a break to the pain that was filling my body. My entire body felt like it was screaming at me, dying, I suppose.

The blackness did not last long, it would come and go, giving me smells, sights, and flashes of strange movements that made little sense to me.

The first time I gained a bit of conciseness I was being carried, by Vincent... Through the forest back to the house.

The next I was on a couch, blood was every were, I had a strange understanding that it was my own, Vincent was covered in it, as was Fredrick, although I had little understanding of how he showed up in the picture...

The blackness threatened to swallow me up again but I was pulled back by a scream, this time it was not my own, this time it was a mixture of Chloe and Mikey's an odd combination that I would muse over if I was not dying.

The blackness then swooped up under me taking me down and then spitting me back out only moments later to see Vincent being attacked by Tristan, and someone yelling into a phone.

The next moment I was airborne, being held again, but this time it was different, this time it was Jasper who had me.

I had things I wanted to say, but I could not remember in that moment how to speak, nor did I think I would be able to anyways.

As I was ran out of the room I caught a glimpse of Chloe covered in my blood, Tristan was holding her back for some reason. Even in my messed up state I realized that she had tried to heal me. That meant the blood was hers as well as mine...

I was not sure how to feel about that because the blackness filled me up again, pulling me down to its depths for the last time.

At first I was nothing, nothing at all, then pictures appeared, odd things that made no sense, flashes from my past, flashes of shapes and colors that I had never seen before in my life.

The colors faded pulling me into another dream this one of my body in the school pool, the pool was filled with a jello substance, I was swimming and no matter how hard I tried I could not get to the top, at first I was scared, I could not get to the top to breathe, and when I thought my lungs would bust I took a sharp breath of the substance. The jello like substance somehow sustained me though, breathing in the gooey gunk I placed my hands forward and started to swim. I was not sure what I was swimming to, but I kicked and kicked and kicked, until the blackness came back as it always did claiming me it pushed me into another dream.

This one was not nearly as nice as the last, this one involved needles poking and prodding me shooting substances into my body, I was glad when that one ended, and my friend the darkness came back to get me.

I think that I stayed in the blackness for a while now, I was unsure after a while when the blackness had transformed into a dream, because although it was black I could hear voices.

My mother, Jasper, sometimes Chloe, Tristan, and the other's were present. This dream went on nearly as long as the pool one did.

But like usual after a while the darkness swallowed me back to its soundless depths.