Nyaira pouted at Alex when he moved the menus, then slowly sat back closer to the edge of the seat.
“Everything I’ve done?” Raw anger flashed in Nyaira’s eyes, her snarl making Victoria wish she could disappear. Her expression changed to a simple hurt frown as Alex pulled out his phone.
Nyaira opened her mouth, but looked over when Victoria’s phone went off, her anger replaced with curiosity.
Victoria, ever aware of the vampire’s gaze, opened the text from Alex. Her heart skipped a beat. She tried to remain composed as “How?” looped through her mind. He has to mean something else.
“I only want to talk, Alex,” Nyaira said softly, sweetly. She reluctantly turned her full attention from Victoria as the human looked back to the two. “Just for a couple minutes. Catch up. Like the good days.”
Victoria glanced between them. The question of “how” still nagged at the back of her mind, when she noticed the similarities. Their beauty. Their grace. Even a sense of age beyond their appearance.
Alex was one of them.
Victoria felt like throwing up. She put her phone away, trying to hide her realization. She swallowed against a lump in her throat. “I-it’s fine,” she managed in barely a whisper as she scooted out from the booth, hoping her legs would not give out.
Nyaira’s attention returned to Victoria, her head cocked.
“I-I have to go, anyway.” She kept her gaze on the floor. “Thanks for lunch.” Victoria turned on her heels and hurried out the diner. The moment her feet hit the sidewalk, she broke into a run, hot tears making her vision swim.

Alex turned to Nyaira. "What do you want, Nyaira? I'm getting very tired of you being here." He told her. He was itching to get rid of her so he could find Victoria before she got herself killed by bumping into some fiend. He knew there were dangerous ones out there, and he was trying to keep her away from all of that. Of course, he couldn't hide his true face forever, but he needed her to understand.
"Make it quick. I have business to attend to."

Nyaira stared after the human girl until Alex spoke. She gave a long, sad sigh, her face overly animated. “Don’t be so hasty, mon ami.” She exchanged the Southern drawl for her more natural general American accent. She reached across the table and took one of the thick-cut fries from Victoria’s abandoned plate.
“I was thinking about you the other day, and thought I’d drop in,” she said casually. She flipped her feathery hair over her shoulder with a seductive flick of her free hand. “Quite an interesting friend you have. You still hanging out with humans,” she scowled, her voice too low for human ears to eavesdrop on, “or did I scare off your next meal? Which is a new one, I must say.” She popped the fry in her mouth and looked to the door again with suspicious curiosity.

Alex growled quietly. "Nyaira. You know I'm not interested in whatever you have to say. I left that life a long time ago. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things to do." He stood up and, somehow, moved around her to get out of the booth, left some money on the table to pay for his and Victoria's meals and then headed for the door.
He knew things were going on, he knew there was going to be a massive attack, he knew everything was going to fall apart, but he didn't expect Nyaira to just randomly show up in a public place.
Of course there was a small part of him, part of him that he had buried a long time ago, that was beginning to stir now that he was faced with Nyaira in a social situation. A part of him that was no more than an animal. A part of him that lusted for the chase, capture and kill. But he would never give in to that instinct again.

Not wanting to be pushed out of the seat, Nyaira moved out of Alex’s way.
“You can take a man out of the city, but you can’t take the city out of the man.” She smirked, refusing to admit defeat. “You can’t deny who and what you are, Alex.” She walked beside him as he headed to the door, her voice soft and alluring as she brushed her shoulder against his. “I think you know that, mon ami.” She walked slightly ahead of him and draped her hand on his arm, trying to force him into a slower pace.


Though she doubted it would take Alex more than a few seconds to catch up to her, Victoria ran as fast as her legs would go, paying her direction no attention. She bit her lip, hard, trying to keep back tears and bile. How had she not seen it? All those years. All those lies. And it was right in front of her face the entire time. Him being a vampire explained so much. The friendship she had valued for so long, built on false belief. How many times had she almost told him her greatest secret?
Does he already know? Victoria shook her head. She did not want to think. To feel the betrayal that made its way through her like a poison. She choked back a sob and lowered her head as she emerged from the side street she had absently turned down.
The sound of voices and cars brought her to a grinding halt. She narrowly missed running into a man dressed in a business suit.
He cast her a dirty look and snorted. Before Victoria could look away, his head flickered into one similar to an ox.
Victoria whimpered and pressed herself against the wall of the nearest building and quickly shifted her attention to the town square before her.
The streets were congested with people and cars from the lunchtime rush.
Her heart beat faster at the amount of people, her breathing refusing to even out.
Scents. The thought momentarily brightened her opinion of the crowd. Maybe he’ll lose my scent. She glanced down the alleyway, half expecting to see Alex or his ‘friend,’ then darted through the square. She wove between the people, carefully avoiding looking at those around her.
A car honked at her as she ran across the street. She drove herself into an alley that looked deserted. Her legs and lungs protesting her poor excuse of military avoidance tactics, she found a little niche between a dumpster and a fire escape, and leaned against the wall.
She placed her shaking hands over her mouth as she slid down the wall, her chest heaving from exhaustion, fear, and quiet sobs.

Alex brushed past Nyaira and shook his head. "You need to leave me alone. Now." He pushed the door open and stepped out. Before Nyaira could stop him, he broke into a run. He followed the scent of Victoria. As she had been running it was quite strong, and the years of familiarity meant he could pick it up easily.
He blurred through the streets until he came to a crowded town square. He knew there was a possibility that Nyaira was following him, but he didn't care. He also knew that she wouldn't be able to get into his apartment and if he could get Victoria there he could explain everything without having to worry about a vampiress on a mission to destroy his life.
He stopped. The bustling square was confusing his senses. He knew he could pick up Victoria's scent again, but he needed time to separate them out, and time was something he didn't have. He had to think like her.
She avoided people, she had obviously run through here trying to stop him from finding her, but she would have stayed in the crowd for the least possible time.
He noted an alley that was almost completely deserted and it clicked. He ran to it and stopped at the entrance. There was a human in there, but there was also something else... He could smell it.
Of course, the human was Victoria. But the other thing... He didn't recognise it...

Nyaira sighed, and watched him leave. With a quick flip of her hair, she left the diner. Though Alex still clung to the humans, at least, if her suspicions proved correct, the visit was not a complete waste. She followed after Alex’s scent, her pace just faster than a human’s power-walk. After all, it was not like she did not know how to find him or his human... Victoria.


Victoria inhaled as the sound of feet stopped near the head of the alley. She stood quickly, and, forgetting about the fire escape, backed into it, hard. She gasped as the metal bit into her back, the force of her hitting it making a portion of the metal vibrate. She gritted her teeth against the pain just beside her spine, and looked over the dumpster.
Alex stood blocking the entrance.
Though she knew he could catch her in a heartbeat, every instinct inside her told her to run. So she turned, remembered just in time about the fire escape, and made her way toward the opposite end of the alley.

Alex caught up to Victoria quickly, he moved in front of her and blocked her path.
"Victoria listen to me. I am not your enemy. But there is something in this alley and we need to get out of here. I can explain everything if you just come with me. I promise you're not in any danger from me, I would never hurt you." He told her, looking directly into her eyes.
Of course, she was completely within her right to never forgive him, but he wasn't going to give up trying to protect her. Not with Nyaira around. Not with the attack on the college imminent. Not with everything going on.
"I'm sorry I lied to you, but I had to. Don't you see? I couldn't risk you knowing who I was because I knew you'd be scared, I knew you wouldn't trust me. I've been trying to protect you this whole time, from the truth about me and from everything else that might harm you. That's why I invited you to stay at my place. Tomorrow night there is going to be an attack at the college, and I need you out of the fray so it can be stopped without you coming to any harm."

Victoria shouted and stumbled to a halt when Alex all but appeared in front of her. In her haste to keep from running into him, she slipped on the loose gravel and fell backwards. She caught herself on part of the fire escape and just managed to keep from hitting the ground.
“...But there’s something in this alley...”
“Yeah,” she said in a shaky whisper as she pulled herself up and backed away from him, her eyes wide and glistening. “You.”
She shook her head at his request to come with him and his claim of an explanation. She would hear none of it. No more excuses. No more lies. She had chosen to let someone in, and it backfired in the worst of ways. Like it always did. That it was to one of his kind…
“I don’t ever want to see your face again,” she interrupted before he could get past “I’m sorry,” her voice an octave high than normal even in its quietness. “Leave. Me. Alone, filthy bloodsucker!” She managed to shout the last, then turned once more to leave the alley, searching for anything she could use as a weapon to fend him off if he tried to stop her again.

Alex sniffed the air. The something that was in this alley was a Shade. Hidden in shadow. He only realised that's what it was as it lunged.
"Victoria look out!" He shouted as he darted between her and the Shade, which slashed it's claws down his chest, as he blocked Victoria from harm.
The Shade, thwarted, melted back into the shadows and slithered away, leaving Alex bleeding.
Alex gasped, trying to take in as many deep breaths as possible. He healed quickly, but Shade wounds took longer than most. They had a light poison that coated their claws. It wasn't lethal, at least not to vampires, it just meant the wound would take much longer to completely heal.
"Damn Shades. I thought they were extinct." He growled as he pushed his hand against the gashes in his chest, trying to slow the bleeding.

Victoria glanced over at her name. Movement in the dumpster’s shadow drew her attention. The world seemed to go in slow motion as the hideous, skull-like face of a creature lunged out from the shadow itself, bony, clawed fingers reaching for her.
Her scream stuck in her throat, and she tried to throw herself away, but it was too close, and, in the split second it took to register the grotesque face coming at her, she knew it.
But then Alex was standing there between her and it, the monster’s claws slashing him instead of her as she landed on the concrete. She pushed herself away until her back hit the wall as the beast shied away from him. It bore its mouthful of fangs, then fled.
Victoria let out a heavy, squeaky breath. She gasped at the blood soaking into the tears in Alex’s shirt.
Part of her wanted to help him, to thank him, but the other, louder part urged her to take advantage of the situation and run. She got to her feet, one hand gripping her bottle pendant as tightly as she dared, and inched down the alley, but the weakness in her knees made at least part of that decision for her. No matter how badly she wanted to leave, she doubted she would get far.
“A... what?” she breathed, taking another couple steps away, her hand sliding along the rough bricks. She glanced between Alex and the shadow the dumpster cast.

Alex sighed, struggling to his feet after being knocked down by the attack. "A Shade. They lurk in the shadows and attack unsuspecting humans before dragging them back to their hideouts and eating them." He said, gritting his teeth slightly as he moved. "They were wiped out a couple of centuries ago. They aren't very intelligent, so they aren't very subtle. Evidently though, at least one escaped."
Alex leaned back against the wall a second and looked toward Victoria. "Look, I know you've lost your trust in me, and I completely understand that, but Nyaira will be heading this way any second and trust me when I tell you she is dangerous. I can protect you from her, but not out in the open, and especially not like this." He told her, gesturing at his bleeding torso.

Victoria looked away when Alex shifted his gaze to her. She gave a mirthless chuckle as he continued.
“She’s here for you, not me.” She shook her head slightly and swallowed hard, her thumb rubbing the pendant.
She dared a glance at him when he gestured to his wound, but looked back to the ground between them when the pang of knowing what he was hit. Her heart beat impossibly faster from the fear, panic, and hated vampires had instinctively instilled upon her since she was a young child.
“I can’t do this right now,” she said in a pained whisper. “I-I have to go.” She rushed from the alley. She cast a quick glance behind her, a glimmer of concern for him in her eyes, before she pressed on, trying to recall the few streets and directions she had memorized that lead to the college.


Nyaira stood near a building, absently messing with her phone. She had contemplated calling Luc, but thought better of it. No, she would make absolutely certain she had found the one he wanted. The girl had definitely figured out what Alex was, but whether from deduction surprising for a human, or ‘the sight,’ she could not say for sure.
She had easily tracked the two into the alley, and now waited out of view, the alley's opening always in her sights. When the human left at long last, Nyaira pushed from the wall and pursued, careful to keep her scent contained and remain unseen in case Alex was close behind.

Alex sighed. He knew Nyaira. Enough to know that she always targeted the weaker link to get what she wanted. Vampires, when unable to convince people, would threaten the people they cared about to get what they wanted.
He had to go after Victoria, but he knew it would be difficult with his chest in this state. He cursed himself under his breath. His chest was healing, but not fast enough.
"Illyad!" He called out. "I know you can hear me!"
A figure emerged from, seemingly nowhere.

"What is it?" Illyad asked rather shortly. Evidently Alex had disturbed him from something important.

"Victoria. The girl. She's in danger. Nyaira, an old acquaintance of mine, is pursuing her. I can't go after her in this condition. I need your help." He admitted, though reluctant to do so.

"You want me to protect the girl?" Illyad asked.

"Please." Alex begged.

"And what do you offer me in return?"

"Anything." Alex told him. "Whatever you want. It's yours if I can give it to you."

"You know what I want, vampire. I am a warlock, and your essence is particularly rare. A remorseful vampire is a rare find indeed."

"Fine. You can have it." Alex told him, knowing it meant further injury, but not caring at this point. "But not until she is safe."

"And I have your word?"

"I promise you." Alex told him. "As soon as Victoria is safe from harm, you can take it."

"Okay then. I shall return for you." And at that, Illyad disappeared like a mirage.

Alex began moving toward the mouth of the alley, wincing as he did so. He knew he needed time to heal, but he wasn't sure Illyad would be able to protect Victoria for long, and he needed to make sure she was safe. He would heal on the way to finding her.

When Alex did not follow, something between relief and concern for him settled heavily in Victoria’s heaving chest. He had found her once, and she did not want him to find her again. He knew her well. Too well. Patterns, behaviors... from what little she knew, his kind were rather attentive at the worst of times.
When her legs started to protest, she slowed to a brisk walk. She had to act different, opposite. So, despite every instinct telling her to run and hide every time she caught a glimpse of a supernatural, she kept to the crowds, carefully steering clear of every shadow she could. When she finally found a main street she recognized, she hurried down it, hoping she went toward the school.
Her fingers never released her pendant. The feeling that she had let her parents down made her stomach churn. After all, she had let one of the very things that killed them into her life.
He saved me from that... that shade, though, a small voice reminded in the back of her mind.
She shook her head and ran a hand through her hair. But I wouldn’t have even been in that alley in the first place if it wasn’t for him.


Nyaira slunk easily behind the girl, suspicious, yet thankful, for Alex’s absence. She watched the girl as they went, a vulture waiting for its prey to die. Then, she noticed Victoria’s behavior toward a few people; she moved away, fear crossing her face as she looked toward the ground.
Nyaira made it a point to walk near them, and every time, their scent told her they were one kind of supernatural or another.
She had found the one Luc wanted. Of that, she was certain.


“Well, hello!”
The darkly cheerful voice made Victoria’s blood run cold. She choked back a sob when she turned to see Nyaira approaching her. She stumbled back and looked around at all the other people walking the sidewalk. Though not as crowded as the square, a few handfuls of people, both alone and in groups, passed by.
“Victoria, right? Alex’s friend.” Nyaira gave her what looked like an attempt at a friendly smile, but the sadistic glimmer in her eyes made Victoria shrink back.
She turned to run, but the vampire was beside her in an instant. Nyaira locked Victoria’s arm in hers, her grip painfully tight.
Victoria whimpered as she placed an arm around her shoulders. She tried to push away, to stop, but Nyaira easily forced her forward.
“You and I have some things to talk about, peu mortel.” Nyaira pulled Victoria tighter into her side, all but dragging her along with her as a small group of men in suits passed by. “Come. Take a walk with me.”

Illyad remained hidden, watching and waiting. He didn't want to announce his presence too soon, as vampires had a keen ability to adapt very quickly to their situation. Or at least the ones he knew did. They tended to be resourceful, and Nyaira was no exception.
Of course, the difference was, Illyad had some powerful magic behind him. With a flick of his wrist he could reduce Nyaira to a pile of dust. Of course, that wasn't what he was going to do. His promise was to protect Victoria, not destroy her attacker.

Victoria struggled against the woman’s hold, but her efforts were rewarded only by Nyaira digging her nails painfully into the girl’s arm.
“A friend of mine’s rather interested in your...” Nyaira paused and looked around the street, her eyes narrowed. “Gift,” she finished.
Victoria was sure her heart stopped for a moment as Nyaira turned down another street.
“W-what gift?” Victoria managed in little more than a frightened whisper. She looked pleadingly toward a couple walking down the street, trying to catch their eye, but neither noticed.
Nyaira threw her head back and laughed. “Playing dumb won’t do any good, enfant pathétique.” Her sweet voice and vicious smile made Victoria squirm. Nyaira glanced to the couple. “Don’t even think about calling for help. Even if someone did come, I would snap their necks before they even blinked.”
Victoria swallowed hard, and looked back to the sidewalk, her heart pounding in her chest with a vengeance.
“This is me!” Nyaira nodded to a car and single-handedly pulled a set of keys from her purse.
Victoria could not help but gawk at the LaFerrari sitting in the parking space. Its red paint glistened in the sunlight. Her mild admiration of the car ended when Nyaira forced her to it and opened the passenger door.
“In you go.” Nyaira shoved her to the open door, carefully blocking any chance of escape. “Run, and I’ll break your legs.”
Victoria entered the car with deliberate slowness. As soon as she was in, Nyaira shut the door.
There has to be a way out of this, she thought as the vampire headed to the driver’s side, her thoughts frantic and hot tears making her vision swim. There has to be!

Illyad materialised in the back of the car, making sure that he was still cloaked to Nyaira, but visible to Victoria.

"Ssssh." He whispered. "Alex has sent me to protect you. Only you can see or hear me, do NOT let Nyaira know I am here." He told Victoria. "As long as you keep quiet, I will make sure that whatever happens, you will not be harmed." He kept his eyes on Nyaira as he spoke.

Alex eventually managed to find himself back in his apartment, where he bandaged himself up tightly, slowing the flow of the bleeding. Within a few hours he would be fully healed, but he couldn't deal with not knowing until then, so he began making his way elsewhere. Nyaira would want to bargain with him, and therefore would be holding Victoria somewhere. He could find wherever the base she had was easily.

Victoria placed her head in her hands as Nyaira pulled out her phone and made a quick call. When someone shushed her, she screamed and plastered herself against the car door as the man now sitting in the backseat spoke.
Victoria only stared at him, sure he had not been there a moment before. When Nyaira yanked the driver side door open, she pressed herself harder into the door, ignoring the sting in her back from where it pressed into what she was sure was a bruise.
Nyaira eyed Victoria and the rest of the interior. “What’s going on?” she hissed, her gaze locking on the human.
Victoria forced herself to resist looking to the man. The man sent by Alex, if he spoke the truth. What did she have to lose?
“I...” She swallowed and forced in a deep breath. “Nothing.” With no little effort, she forced herself to sit correctly in the leather seat.
“Right.” Suspicion dripped from Nyaira’s dangerously soft voice. Regardless, she got in the car, and quickly pulled out of the parking space.
Victoria gripped the edge of her seat as the car sped down the road, her head tilted to keep the man in her peripherals. “Where’re you taking me?”
The grin Nyaira gave her chilled Victoria to the core and made her sink back in the seat. “I wouldn’t worry about that, peu mortel. At least, not yet.”
Victoria stole a glance to the man, hoping his words proved true despite the foreboding feeling he gave her. He was a supernatural, of that she was sure, but the question was, what kind?
She bit her lip and looked out the windshield, trying to remember the turns the woman took as they sped toward the edge of town at an unlawful speed.

Alex was nearing the hideout, he could smell the supernaturals all around the area. It was almost overpowering, but there were recognisable scents. Luc was here, too. Of that he had been almost certain before he had arrived.
He knew how they tended to travel, and, scouting around, he knew that Nyaira wasn't back yet. He decided to hide out, making sure his scent was masked. He didn't want to be discovered.

Illyad remained still in the rear of the car. He was watching carefully, and collecting information. He wanted to know what was going on before he got involved with anything. He needed to know as much as possible before making anything happen.