Being that Azreil was across the street a short distance away, he decided to hobble to the limo quickly as his guise would let him. Then he heard something that made his skin crawl with verocity, a speeding car coming to a screeching halt. Dropping his cover he ran with a slight limp, and when he got to the limo the Hunter was tapping on the window.

With a gun of all things, as he walked up he tapped the Hunter in the ribs with his cane "This may be a bad neighbor hood, but you are a fucking amature making so much noise with so many ferels around. Not to mention you are waving around a shotgun that reeks of silver? Are you trying to take others with you to your grave?" He inquired heatedly but getting the gist of what was going down. Octavius that sly bastard was employing hunters to circumvent the situation, otherwise this one would probably not have enough good sense to find the face of the octus.

Shaking his head with a look of disapproval he began to limp away with parting words "Now a real night stalker has a job to do, I'd say watch me but I sincerely doubt that you could learn a blasted thing." He stride was as stretched as he could manage with his shorter limbs.

His amber eyes glinted under the street light with ashen skin making them seem more ereathral, as he noticed that the female of the two peering intently in his direction he raised his voice not slowing "Is this a party for two? I appologise, it seems to me that three is a perfect crowd." He said pulling the roll of nearly antique dimes from the back of his jeans.

He was close enough to smell fresh blood, his eyes picking out tears of it and cuts as the turned and pure were a finite distance from eachother. He didn't shoot yet but was poised to do just that "Don't the two of you know that freaks are all over the place?" He said trying to coerce them. On top of him irregularly tapping his cane, no rythem just inconsitant tapping that could drive a normal person mad. If anyone tried to listen really hard they might think he had been tapping morse code in gibberish.

Klaus allowed himself to relax with her arm looped in his. He knew he would find allies in Chicago, but he didn't expect to so quickly nor ones not perfectly aligned with The Octus. Not that neither he nor this woman were stupid enough to openly oppose The Society, but they both lived with little regard for the laws. And if Klaus doubted it, her conversation with the bouncer confirmed it. He was quiet through it, only offering a fanged grin when he was addressed near the end. "Pleasure, really."

The grin faded as they entered the club and he noted the humans clearing space for Caroline. "Trust," he repeated doubtfully, but kept any further comments to himself. With so many people--so many mortals--trust seemed like a hard word to grasp. Caroline, however, seemed comfortable, and so he followed lead and offered another smile.

May, though, was a new sight altogether and his eyes dropped to her legs and followed her figure back up to her uncomfortable gaze. It amused Klaus, at least, and the glint in his eyes was similar to cat's watching a mouse. Caroline relaxed the human, though, and she reapproached him with a new found confidence, earning a raise of an eyebrow. "Anything from the early '90s, love," he responded, disinterest returning as she winked at him. He sighed and looked to Caroline again. "So this isn't yours?" he asked, gesturing about the club. "How do you know the owners?"

Albeit shocked Katarina mildly nibbled on her bottom lip trying to conceal an ever widening smile. Although they could be facing humans or other vampires of ill intent at that moment she could not help but beam from ear to ear. It was Katarina's smile which sealed her fate as vampire bait the first time. How could something so truly beautiful be a monster underneath? Those kisses, diversion or not, told her at this moment not to think of herself so mundane.

“Umm, I-I...” Words failed as he inched closer like a predator closing in on its prey and she gave up trying to speak. How embarrassing it would be to fumble words at a time like this especially in front of an audience. Nerves played a small role during the draining of Mr. Pinkis in front of the feral rave but this was different...it was intimate.

Questions arose inside her mind whether it was alright to embrace him; hesitant at first hands soon moved on their own, and they rested on his muscular shoulders. She tilted her head closer to his lips to hear him whisper. His words, though not particularly on a subject she wished to hear, felt wonderful. Instead of discussing an escape she wanted her name to grace his lips instead.

“K-Katarina.” She finally managed to say during an inviting caress from the pureblood.

Katarina always fell under the spells of other powerful vampires. She thought only humans could be enticed so easily yet she found herself time and time again following behind these beings without question. She knew this cycle needed to stop... perhaps tomorrow. She knew Alric, her sire had deep seeded issues and that many vampires questioned Aldaric's cause but Ehren seemed different.

Nothing in his crimson hues suggested that he was misleading but all vampires had that ability to mystify another; purebloods were the only ones that could actually make it stick though. Could it be that he wanted to use her against Aldaric? She would have to find that out in due time.

“Who are you?” She said awestricken to the pureblood.

Some would argue the platinum blond too tender for a vampire. That her actions were not remotely considered vampiric at all but they hadn't seen her vicious side. She did not purposely lure others but instead they willingly were drawn to her without any particular rhyme or reason. This worked in her favor as she did not need to actively seek out blood. It was not in her character to play games and she enjoyed the process of ingesting strangers little. If it wasn't for her addiction of vampire blood she'd probably starve long ago.

”Is this a party for two?” Katarina heard from a nearing voice.

While leaning in for a kiss Ehren unexpectedly snatched her hand instead causing her to gracefully spin on the balls of her feet toward the exit of the ally way. She cleared her throat feeling embarrassed and thanking her dead soul she could not blush.

“Don't you two know that freaks are all over the place?”

Within one tap of the strangers cane Katarina had silently materialized behind the man and nudged his right shoulder. Arching a brow the man turned around only to glance at his dead heart being held in the petite vampire's hand. The quick snapping sound of bones breaking the only audible evidence that this had actually happened...but this was all in her head, of course. Quite the pleasant imagination she still held onto since being aware that complete recklessness had killed stronger vampires than herself.

“Freaks? Yes, there does seem to be some lurking about in the darkness...oh wait, you mean ferals.”

No one said anything about the otherwise demure vampire stepping back from intimidation, and clearly this vampire was not on their side. She owed him nothing and her personality began to shift when something unwarranted began intruding.

“Pardon my impudence.” She said adding a playful shrug.

“Yes, this neighborhood is a tad bit overrun with freaks-as you say but they are gradually sprouting up everywhere more and more. Anyway, is there something we can help you with perchance? Hopefully it has nothing to do with committing something unspeakable. We wont assist you with that, unfortunately.”

Katarina had turned the suspicion on the stranger instead. Implying that he was out here requiring the aid of vampires to help him find ferals to drink from.

“We wont tell anyone the reason you're here but if you've nothing else; three is a crowd.” Her hand was clutching onto Ehren's tightly trying to control the gradual rage welling inside from this assumed feral hunter. Why else would he freely walk up to vampires not knowing if they were feral unless he wasn't afraid and held things to destroy them. She also wished she could warn Aldaric at this moment but would risk Ehren's life. That was not an option.

Caroline sighed, reclining herself against a seat. That May, always a flirt. Even having a daughter and a loving husband hadn't changed her. Some things never changed. The old vampiress sight rested on Klaus. "Hah, it is surprising, isn't it?" She answered. "How things appear and seem to you." She smiled, her typical smug smile of hers. "What belongs to a vassal, belongs to a lord by proxy. So in the strict sense, this isn't mine, however, I can make use of it as I see fit." The Serpent chuckled. "And oh, do I know the owners. Both of them owe me their lives now."

She playfully looked at her nails. "May for example, was just a teenage with a dream, so she ran from home. And in the world of men, she was easy prey. She was used, and abandoned overdosing in an alley. And I found her. I saved her, and used her as a counter eyecatch at my clinic." Her stared returned to Klaus, fixating her eyes on him. "As for Johann, he was a cab driver I found bleeding to death after a taxi mugging. He drove my ambulance for years."

"And then i caught them in the middle of business in a locker." She let out a laughter. "It was a good laugh, I tell you. The rest is a life history, I guess, mon cheri!" Caroline said, slamming the table as she stopped laughing.

"Of course eventually they learned of my nature, without me revealing it. I try to keep the Octus nominally appeased, see? But decades and decades of saving life and make the backstreets of chicago a slightly livelier place make people flock at you I guess." Her tone stopped being teasing once more.

"Treat your soldiers like your own sons and they'll follow you to the deepest Valley, Klaus. The Octus is far too dimsighted, and too caught in centuries old stereotypes to realize we all are connected as a whole. I can have 20 or 30 people ready to become vampires and fight for us at the snap of a finger. But of course, the Octus will -question- me if I do it right away. I may need others to support me, and agree with me."

She then looked at an approaching girl in her early twenties, which was somewhat nervous and shaky. She was a bit scrawny, but she had fair skin and blonde hair. She wore tattered jeans and a tubetop. And of course a snake tatoo. "H...hi." She ventured to say. "I...um... excuse me." The blonde sat next to Klaus blushing heavily. "I'm your...ah..." She added as she exposed her pink, pale neck.

"But for now, enjoy your drink, Klaus. Just don't squeeze and scare her too much." Caroline smugly eyed the two.

Ehren had to admit that he was relieved when he wasn't slapped between the moments of when he started and when he was able to explain himself. The feeling of her arms around him only encouraged him, but he had to remind himself - more than once - that someone was watching.

"Katarina." He repeated with a fanged smile, brushing the tip of his nose against her ear. "Ehren." He said lightly in return to her question. Focus!

When they stood at the entrance with the newcomer, he went to say something when it was Katerina that spoke up first. Smart and beautiful...

She's not yours to take...

But she didn't pull away!

So what? I'm not going to take advantage... Obviously something was bothering her.... But her hair.. Her skin - she smells like heaven...

A little unfocused, without unlocking their fingers, he lifted his arm over her head and pulled her body in close. He dipped his head down back into her neck and inhaled her scent again, placing a light kiss behind her ear.

You have an audience. With a small grunt, he picked his head up to look at the other man. It was getting easier and easier to keep up the ruse where she was concerned. Ehren avoided any and all public displays of affection, but he'd already tasted her and the only thing on his mind was that he wanted more.

Looking up, he caught gaze with the intruder, almost thanking him for allowing Ehren to keep his head on straight.

"As long as we don't run into any other pure bloods, I think I may be able to protect the lady." Ehren said with a smirk, his red eyes dark. He studied the man, looked to see what relied on for weapons. Silver ... Wonderful.

"If we're done here, I'd like to get this little lady home before you completely ruin the mood. We're not much for an audience."

Max glanced up at Bernard's hand. His eyes were still wild with fight but they seemed to soften when he looked over at her. It's really him, she thought. He wasn't really what she expected though. He appeared rugged and battle worn but his face held no threat to her. He wasn't...scary. If anything, he fit the guardian angel idea she had convinced herself of. She decided to take his hand and used it to stand. She did, however, back up slightly so that she was pressed against the wall again. She started to speak but shut her mouth. She had so many questions but wasn't sure where to start. Instead, she decided to answer the question he asked. "Uh, yeah, I'm fine. I think." She looked down and adjusted her shirt that had pulled up, exposing her midriff. She smoothed down her hair, hoping she didn't look completely disheveled.

The questions then started to pour out. "Was that a feral vampire? Why was she after me? Are you going to get in trouble for killing her? How long have you been watching me? Were you here the whole time? Why haven't you contacted me? Why did you turn me?" At the last question, she crossed her arms across her chest, feeling as if she needed to hide herself. What if he's going to leave without answering. The thought of that scared her more than anything. She glanced up into his eyes, waiting for his response.

Carrie was slowly coming to. Her head hurt, her throat was dry, and she was feeling numb all over. "Oh god, this is not a good feeling for a night at the club..." Speaking of night, Carrie wondered what time it was, and what had happened. Everything was a blur, like a dream. A bad dream. She remembered going to the club, a rave, and then... Then there was a fight. Blood everywhere. It kinda made her hunger. Carrie got up and rubbed her eyes before realizing she was inside someone's car. "Am I being Kidd-napped?" Considering that she was Carrie Kidd who seemed to have just awoken from a nap, she concluded that yes, she has been kidnapped. However her possible kidnapper was also sitting just across from her. Surprised at the turn of events, Carrie took out her knife, pointing it at the man.

"Who are you and what did you do to me!?" This person in front of her was some sort of tall, dark, and handsome motherfucker (Likely literal) who may or may not also be a a drug-addicted vampire (More likely than she realizes) if he kidnapped her for some dark and nefarious purpose. Seeing that she wasn't bleeding out or getting itchy, Carrie could guess that this person didn't have any guns or exposed bullets around, and in such confined quarters she was confident she could take on this unknown person, though getting out of here was also top priority.

And grabbing a taco. Carrie was really hungry right now.

Azreil took the verbal abuse with a grain of salt and a smile the size of Texas, the tapping stopped and he acted as though he was going to turn around. Instead he ripped the paper lid off the verdant paper and flung the first dime between them! Four dollars and ninty cents. He kept count mentally, verbally "Now where as I hate to interrupt a lovers first date... you see there is feral activity just down the road." he assumed and yet did not.

He knew the actions that a vampire took before feeding, and he also knew how easy it was to agitate a feral. Agitating them meant little as that could simply be a personal flaw. He sighed briefly "Before you decide to run I should introduce myself so that neither of you could be mistaken about getting away from me..." He trailed slowly, he trailed intentionally letting all his breath go and inhaling deeply to the bottom of his lungs catching both of their scents "I Am the angel of death Azreil, the bloodhound of justice. If you do not know of me that is just as well, just know that I do not lose my prey. I do not forget a scent, and I do not know how to give up." he monologued eyeing them both and gauging them with scrutiny.

He took a few steps closer stopping around ten feet away "Now then if you cooperate, I may have no choice but to let you go. How ever I will not let coincidence save you a second time." He instructed them. His personality was generally not like this, but he was hunting and there was nothing like a righteous self important attitude to push someone over the edge.

He topped the nerve wracking conversation with "Are you nervous? You seem nervouse." This would generally cause one to ramble on about how they could not be nervous, it was pretty much all he could do. Of course he never stopped tapping, he just changed it to the tune of 'I know a song that gets on everybody's nerves.'

Bernard frowned when Maxine backed away from him, taking a moment to glance at his hands. Due to the burst of action, he had failed to notice the sticky blood staining his fingers. It was hard to see in the low light, but it stood out to him like red rubies on pure white silk. A disgusted look crosses his face as he considers just how many vampires the feral he had killed may have drained, and he wipes his fingers on the back of his coat until they are relatively clean. The leather was waterproofed, so the blood would wash away easily when he got around to cleaning it or standing in a rainstorm. When he finally returned his attention to Max, her barrage of questions left him stunned and reeling.

"Ah, well... Yes, she was feral. That seems reason enough for her to come after you, you're fairly young and compared to her, weak. And I doubt any trouble will come from her final death. Unless she has some major powers behind her, nobody's going to call me to heel for taking out the trash. If any of them even remember that I exist. As for the rest of your questions..." Bernard sighed heavily again, mentally preparing himself. What he was about to tell her probably looked bad, really bad, and certainly wouldn't help her adjust any. While he didn't want to look like some creep, Max deserved the truth.

"I've been following you and watching since I turned you. Had to know the kind of person you would become, and protect you from those who would end you before you got the chance to adapt. I've been... away from things, for a long time now. I didn't want to draw attention to you by suddenly reappearing in town, so I stayed in the shadows. Speaking of which," he says, the last being an aside as he reaches under his coat to produce an older model phone from an inner pocket. Sliding it open, he rapidly tapped out and fired off a message to an old acquaintance before replacing the device. Octavius would want to know he was back, and with the dead feral in the room it was only a matter of time anyway.

Back in town. Made a bit of a mess. Will explain later. Let me know if you need something.
~Bernard

"Why I turned you..." Bernard had been avoiding the question, saving it for last. The answer was complex, and even he didn't really understand it all. "I guess when you get to the bottom of it... I was lonely, and tired of it. I've spent more than a century away from my own kind." The explanation was severely lacking, but he couldn't come up with anything better. He looked away from Maxine now, gazing out the broken window as he awaited her response.

Klaus watched Caroline as she spoke, the corner of his mouth pulling back into an amused grin as she told him of how she met May and Johann. He didn't particularly care for the details--how could he? He didn't care for the people. But seeing the vampire so clearly invested in human life was, well, so human. It was surprising to him, inspiring almost. Much like Caroline, he seemed to surround himself with mortals over fellow vampires, but it was rare and fleeting when he grew too attached.

When she mentioned the Octus, he offered a shrug. "I don't agree with them much either," he said--not that it needed to be said, "but I think it'd be best to align with them at the moment." He paused, eyeing the blonde as she approached and added in a bitter tone, "Their new contempt for ferals is refreshing," before grinning to the girl in greeting.

"Thanks, love," he said--probably to Caroline, though his brown eyes remained glued to the young woman and her fair neck. Then he brushed her light hair aware from her throat and his other arm pulled her closer before he bit into her skin. He wasn't harsh, but the large gulps he would swallow would be--but slow, so he could feel her squirm just slightly in his hold.

A delicate kiss placed behind her unpierced ear and his able arm securing her body close to his gradually began calming a fierce enmity near boiling point. His charade establishing a nice distraction though Katarina's jaw nearly dropped by how blunt Ehren spoke about relations to this stranger. She desperately wanted to bury her face within locks of platinum hair cascading down her shoulders. Katarina proved a contradiction to the vampire race. Up until this moment modesty and well behavior in public were a constant, and rarely anything she said or did could be considered flirtation.

Meanwhile, the odd vampire revealed his name to be Azriel and that he was indeed a hunter. He did not care about their acts of affection but questioned them nevertheless. His sermon was a bore and she figured that they would be standing here for a very long time staring at one another unless he decided to torture them with silver dimes, which she found quite bizarre. This night was starting to unfold more action than she previously anticipated.

When he brought up the word cooperate Katarina arched a brow in revulsion. Cooperate with what? He had not outright asked any questions but rather hinted at inquiries. This tactic would not work on her and she would not submit to interrogation. He had not seen her drink from another vampire so he could assume all he wanted. She was already pretty sure he knew she was feral but proving it would not be possible unless he followed her for days on end. She was pretty sure he was much too busy for that.

There were still humans to drink from if she had to watch her back for a month or so, no matter how unappealing the thought. On another note, at present, Ehren was in the picture. Her orders were specifically to keep an eye on him after-all. Maybe if she pleaded her case or begged he would take pity and she could just drink from him once. She immediately shook these obsessive thoughts away.

Blue-gray irises scanned the corner of the street where the club entrance neared. If Azriel went into that rave suspicion would fall to the couple further but she just wanted to get away from him to collect herself lest she do something idiotic. So silent she remained while listening to words that began sounding deeply slurred while her vision began to gloss over as if she were enjoying a dip underwater.

“Nervous, are you nervous?”

By this point Katarina had been feeling a rather disturbing sensation in the pit of her stomach which gradually traveled up to her throat. Although the experience of enduring food poisoning had been lost ages ago she assumed this is exactly how it felt. Unfortunately there weren't 24 hours leading up to this incident; it happened much sooner than that.

Quickly peering over a covered shoulder she freed herself from Ehren's grasp, as much as she hated to; after locating a suitable spot where she fled to in a blur like motion. Hopefully her back wouldn't feel anything with silver pierce into it as the contents of a bloody dinner left her mouth, and landed on the asphalt next to the rusted dumpster. The two men could hear faint coughing as Katarina finished throwing up. Great, just great she thought.

"Jävla skit..." She quietly cursed in Swedish to herself feeling like a teenager who could not hold their drink. Passing out was possible if she waited here much longer without feeding and she was much too weak to travel alone. Her head was spinning like someone with vertigo causing her to begin massaging her temple.

She hoped The Society did not have or call in a vampire forensic team that would analyze whose DNA the blood belonged to because it only belonged to one, and that was Mr. Pinkis. She had been so nervous prior to the initiation that she could not eat. The traitor had been her only meal and since she was now empty she felt severely ill and weak.

Perhaps the hunter would leave her alone now. He would not get much information out of a famished vampire and she simply wanted to disappear from shame, that much was clear to see.

Azreil's first reaction to the initial movement of the female vampire was to shoot, buy instead he shot it up as a counter reaction as he came to realize that the woman was wretching. Looking away with a somberly embarrassed expression that entailed that he felt guilty enough to take some of the responsibility. How ever he did not feel as he should take all the credit of the or he would entertain the thought of being a narcissist, of which he did not enjoy to any degree there was something loath some about that type of behavior. It was almost like a bitter sweet taste in one's mouth, almost as though you know how you can tell that being their faults yet doing very little for them.

Turning his head back his shoulders instantly relaxed and he put the coins away raising his cane to point at the gentleman in front of himself, the cane was at an illusionary angle to which a person looking at the cane could not discern the distance or depth of it. He let loose a breath of anxious air "I regret playing any part of this discomfort suspicions or no. I do not wish meaningless iritations on any living creature. Please do take the lady to find something to consume, I also do not wish to meet you two under these circumstances again. I'm sure you share the sentiment." He explained with an obvious change of attitude. While knowing that neither of his tactics were going to work in the furture, he also felt that this would not be the last time the three of them would encounter each other again in time. After all he at least was just at the climax of his life time and soon ready to sleep for the eternal night.

In the midst of his words he had lowered the cane but had taken a heavy lean onto it as though his knee was bothering him deeply. He looked at the male with careful eyes this time and stroked his young looking face with his free hand "I do sincerely appologise for putting you two through that, I hope that you do not begrudge me for being cautious. After all if one has a job to do, they must do it thoroughly, yes?" he queried with a knowing eye. He could see a person of character when he saw one, even if they were simply following their own set of rules they attempt not to break.

He did in the next moment smile naturally and ask with a polite tone "Might I know your names? I do have to be a bit more thorough, you understand me?" As a show of good will he turned his back after waiting to hear the response, and began helping himself to the limousine with a comfortable hobble, he did keep his ears tuned for the sound of someone cleaning up the sticky mess on the ground. He fully intended to take a sample or two of the bile that the turned vampire spent onto the ground. Also if anything he was sure that the two that he found would show him to the next feeding, at least one of them would and it would be a fair idea to make sure that he kept their scents well memorized.

A fierce growl came to Ehren’s lips, one showing the full length of his lethal fangs. If Katarina hadn’t been sick he would have very well went after the other vampire for his reflexes. He hadn’t flinched earlier with the first threat, and paid no attention to his taunting words, but when it came to near violence over an innocent act it hit a soft spot in him which released his own violence. That got worse as the time went on from being feral, though his mind did seem to have some healing process going on during the months he purged himself of vampire blood. He knew he would never heal completely, but what was eternity when you couldn’t spend it protecting the ones you loved?

Coming up behind her, Ehren put a comforting hand against her back, stroking in soft circles. With his free hand, he pushed up the side of his jacket and retrieved a handkerchief to hand to the woman for her mouth. He glanced back to the other, only to have a cane pointed at him which further proved his suspicions correct about the silver. Ehren had a different air about him now; one not so much of the man ready to jump the females bones, but of a calm man simply taking in his surrounds and caring for what was at hand. The hand left the woman’s back to give her space as he nodded towards the man.

“No, I cannot blame you. You cannot blame a man for doing his job – only for doing his job incorrectly.” Ehren eyed the fellow vampire, holding a bit of a grudge for Katarina’s sake, but he didn’t make any motions that he would be a threat.

“Our names? Perhaps next time when we meet on friendlier terms and you’re not nearly killing an innocent woman.” He noticed how ashamed Kat looked and simply gathered the woman in his arms, holding her bridal style so that she could rest her head on his shoulder.

“Let’s find you something a little more satisfying.” He said lightly with a gentle smile. To keep their ruse, he placed a warm kiss to her forehead as if he was caring for his loved one and started to walk her down the street. At first he walked at a normal pace, keeping his attention on those near the limo so see if he would be followed or not. Just for both their safeties, he would take them to a hotel for the night away from leading their enemies to their homes.

“Oh you crazy man, I hope you’re prepared for this.” He murmured quietly into Katerina’s hair, thinking about Aldaric and the other ferals he had around him.

Where had it all gone wrong, Elijah wondered. The hunters and their vampire allies had attempted to raid the club where supposed ferals were, and at the end of it, they hadn't killed/captured anyone, and the rookie had died in combat. Not that he hadn't predicted it, but Elijah was hoping the kid would have proven him wrong this time. The ferals knew the society and hunters were onto them, so the element of surprise was now gone.

Octavius, in the wake of the failed raid, had ordered a mandatory meeting of all local vampires. This was no longer something a small inner circle could deal with. The meeting was to occur at the Four Seasons Hotel, as Octavius insisted on it. The Four Seasons Hotel was a posh, elegant hotel, usually reserved for Chicago's richest. Elijah's disheveled appearance did cause hotel security to confront him and ask if he was lost, but Octavius's invitation to a supposed extravagant party quickly dispelled any of their notions of kicking him out.

While he did hate the smug bastard, Elijah had to admit Octavius did know how to pick a place for a meeting. The hotel felt more like a mansion, with a beautiful interior and servants at his beck and call.

It seemed he was the first guest there, and Elijah ate some pastries as he waited for the meeting to commence.

It was nearly turning to day when Ehren had gotten Katerina tucked into bed. He spent time and care to clean her up after feeding her some of the bellboy who he had sent off with false memories of the nights occurrences. When she was asleep and recovering, he took his place on the floor at the foot of the bed. A pillow was mushed underneath his head, most of his clothes folded neatly next to him. He lay merely in a pair of jeans, trying his hardest to close his eyes and sleep the day away.

It was hours after staring at the glow of the curtains that he finally rested his eyes, but the ache in his fangs didn't allow him to sleep long.

I can rip arms out of sockets.. tear throats from unknowing victims... I can run faster than the blink of an eye and change the memories of the humans I drink from, but the fucking light is enough to burn me to ash while it keeps me trapped and starving!

A calloused hand pulled through long blond locks impatiently as he got up to start to pace the room. His bare feet padded silently against the carpet as he moved along the side of the room away from the window. Back and forth. Back and forth. The man kept glancing over to Kat, each time his fang piercing his tongue harshly to remind himself that she was in no position to sustain him. He would then look back to the wall and begin his pacing once more as if he were a caged animal.

When the sun was no longer a threat, he roughly pulled his clothes on and left the room, pulling on his shoes as he trudged down the hall. There was a place he knew of that could get you just about anything you needed. The only problem was the Society but at the moment he was desperate. He had taken too much time with Katerina that he skipped a night of feeding, and when that happens the next night was never pretty unless some kind of control was forced upon him.

Blood bags. I'm going to have to resort to freakin' blood bags. Ehren mumbled to himself. He was a strong, feral pureblood vampire. Why on Earth should he care about whether someone lived or died on the behalf of his survival? It was because if he allowed himself to do that, he wouldn't be able to stop. He'd be a hypocrite for preaching to others that no one had to die - that no one should die for the lack of his self control. The fact that all he wanted at the moment was to sink his fangs into the woman he left back in bed made it worse.

Ehren had a hard time letting go, especially recently in the middle of his feral diet again. His feeding habits always got worse, always got more crazed when he took this route, but the threat of others and his past experiences pushed him to find more strength, and if that meant being a little crazy, it was worth it.

Wasn't it?

Finding his way to a rumored place that would help him, he shoved his hands deep into his pockets and continued to grumble to himself about what he was about to do. He walked up and down alleyways, listening for anything that would give Caroline away. Anything, he pleaded to himself, but it was getting harder and harder to concentrate. All those he passed on his way here still had their scents lingering in his nose and if didn't find something - someone - to eat soon, he'd fear he'd gnaw his tongue off in his attempts of self control.

Klaus stood outside the hotel, pouting as he gazed up the Four Seasons. This is what you came to Chicago for, he reminded himself, dropping his gloved hands into the long coat. But the idea of hunters and The Society being in one place gave the vampire anxiety. His dark eyes dropped and he caught the doorman staring at him curiously, but he politely glanced away when Klaus caught him. So he sighed and ascended the stairs and entered the hotel; unlike some of the disheveled trash bags called hunters, Klaus and other vampires had a better idea of what it meant to blend in. Or maybe they were so pretentious that they didn't have to try. Either way, he entered the hotel with ease and was only talked to by its workers to be politely greeted.

He found his way to the ballroom...And it was nearly empty. He would have scowled had he been the only one, but seeing someone at the pastry bar, he instead donned a lazy smile and approached. The hunter was stuffing his face, but Klaus greeted him anyway. "Hello, love. Staying warm?" His tone was friendly enough--even opened by talking about the weather--but his smile didn't quite reach his eyes and the red glint was almost playful.

"Who are you exactly?" The man was relatively young and even a little skinny but he remained tense. Hunters had all sorts of tricks up their sleeves, and he wasn't going to be so stupid to relax around one. Even under the pretense of peace.

---

At the first sign of trouble, Natalie had ditched..whatever the hell happened at the rave. Once a safe haven for "ferals"--dubbed so by The Society--it had become exactly not that. Now she was holed up in a dingy motel, contemplating what her next move would be. It was clearly too dangerous to stick around Chicago. And yet... Her gaze flickered to the windows. Satisfied that the sun had set, she hopped off the bed and put on her beanie, leather jacket, and fingerless gloves.

She stepped out into the cold and locked the door behind her. She needed to feed--she would figure out what to do after. Vampire would be nice, but she supposed it would be a good idea to stick with human for the night. So she started toward downtown, glancing over her shoulder as she walked. "Fuck," she muttered as the anxiety caught up with her, which gave way to irritation. She couldn't be afraid of other vampires--they should be afraid of her. And they clearly were, organizing failed raids and...who knows what else.

Natalie came to a crosswalk and stopped, watching the hand across the street. Her foot tapped impatiently as she continued to debate her choices.

"Mmemgh". Caroline grumbled as she lazily rose from her messed up bed, stretching out like an overgrown cat. Catching up had been nice, but both her and Klaus had now things to do. Flipping her cellphone, eyes lingering in the message, she let out a small grunt. "So, the top dog wants to snap his whip and summon us, uh? Why doesn't it surprise me?" She said rethorically, as no one else was around to hear her.

After a quick, refreshing shower and some fast dressing, she then headed out to the meeting. Or at least intended to, as she noticed a shambling figure down the street, converging on her position. Hands reaching quickly for her silver needles, she suspected of a crazed feral vampire sneaking up on her.

Until she recognized his face.

"¿Lord Ehren?" She asked, curious as to why he had decided to show up precisely now.

"Oh sweet Caroline..." He murmured with a smile to his face, slowly coming to a stop in front of her. What a great relief! He pressed his hand against the side of the building, leaning his weight against it to keep himself upright.

"I need sustenance. I don't care what it is." Ren tried to keep the desperate tone out of his voice, but the ache in his fangs grew too much. As a pureblood, he needed to feed just about every night. It didn't have to be much, but it had to be often.

"Though, I suppose I should ask for a bag or two. It's been too long." Ehren gave a firm nod as if he were telling himself that. Just about everyone who knew him knew that he refused to kill unless his life or the life of his loved ones were in danger. His red gaze dropped to the ground at her feet, his nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath to calm himself. He realized his mistake the moment he did so - the scent of the woman in front of him so intoxicating. Gritting his teeth, Ehren pushed himself to an upright position, standing tall in front of her. He posed no threat to the woman, but he didn't want to look so weak either. With a tug to the bottom of his shirt to straigten it, he brought his gaze to her face and gave a sheepish smile.

"Please?"