Never choosing the same meeting location twice, Luc reached the abandoned, three-story farm house long before Nyaira. Traveling by way of magic courtesy of a friend of a friend, he seemed to pop out of the overgrown field like a poisonous flower. The noon sun turned a sea of unattended wheat into an undulating golden river surrounding the house. He clasped his hands behind his back and walked toward the house, his steps making him look as if he glided over the weed-tangled ground.
He circled the perimeter, searching for any signs of others. The faded scent of supernaturals who often haunted the house drifted around the various forms of rusting farm equipment discarded around the lawn. But now, it stood empty, the most recent scent from at least two nights past.
With his inspection complete, he entered the farmhouse to await Nyaira’s arrival.


The hour-and-a-half car ride felt like an eternity. The only sound in the car came from the radio, which Nyaira had turned on soon after leaving the street, and Victoria had quickly given up trying to remember the directions after they passed the same building twice. She had the sinking feeling Nyaira was trying to get her lost.
Victoria kept quiet, wringing her hands in her lap and chewing on her bottom lip, while the vampire showed no inclination toward conversation. Victoria kept her eyes averted from the windows, her seat belt offering little comfort as Nyaira now drove down a country road at a dangerous speed. They had been on the dirt road for quite a few miles, when Victoria felt the car slow.
She finally dared to look up. A farm house loomed in front of them, its windows partially boarded up. Weeds and vines clung to the faded white siding, as if nature had decided it wanted to reclaim the property. Not exactly what Victoria had imagined as the evil lair of vampires.
Nyaira sighed irritably and grumbled something under her breath that Victoria did not catch.
Nyaira pulled the car over to the side, flattening a few wheat stalks. “We’re here,” she said darkly. Displeasure pulled at her face for a moment, before it turned into a mocking grin. “Welcome home, mon petit mortel.”
Nyaira quickly left the car, came around to the other side, and pulled Victoria out none too gently.
Victoria drug her feet toward the farm house, her hand again clutching her pendant as she stared at the house in terror of whatever waited inside.
“Hurry up!” Nyaira shoved Victoria forward, making her stumble. She gripped Victoria’s forearm tightly and pulled her toward the rotting door. She scowled at it, then carefully pushed it open.

Alex grumbled to himself as he realised his mistake. Luc was very careful. They wouldn't still be here. There was no trail, however, so he was going to have to start from scratch... Unless. "Illyad." He whispered.

"The abandoned farmhouse just outside of town." Came the ominous whisper of Illyad, who wasn't presently there. Alex moved out of the shadows and made his way to the outskirts of town.

Illyad, meanwhile, continued watching. He could only see the two vampires. It was possible there may be more supernaturals around, but Illyad knew this was a crucial moment, and if he didn't get Victoria out of there now, it would be unlikely that he would be able to. He quickly appeared beside her, put his hand over her mouth and made them both completely invisible to the vampires.
"Don't make a sound." He whispered.

“So zis is ze girl?” Luc stepped from the shadows lurking beneath the decrepit awning that spanned a good part of the house.
The aura radiating from him made Nyaira seem like little more than a lost puppy. A pit formed in Victoria’s stomach, and her heart beat impossibly faster.
He cocked his head at her, his expression unnervingly even.
“Indeed, mon cœur,” Nyaira purred, her demeanor changing instantly. She looked more relaxed, her body impossibly sinuous.
“Not quite what I ’ad expected.” He brushed a strand of his platinum hair from his face and stepped toward Victoria.
She exhaled shakily, incapable of looking away.
Luc gently, but firmly gripped her chin.
Victoria’s legs turned to Jell-O at his cool touch as he turned her head to either side.
“But power comes in ze most unsuspecting packages, no?” Luc’s lips quirked in a smile. “Come!” He released her, and turned to the open door. “I ’ave arranged for our transport.”
Victoria swallowed as Nyaira stepped to follow him, pulling her after. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she used both her strength and weight, and yanked her arm free. She hissed as Nyaira’s nails scraped her skin, leaving stinging scratches in their wake, and stumbled backward at her unexpected success.
She shouted, her eyes wide when the man from the car appeared beside her. The sound cut off when he clamped a hand over her mouth, Victoria reaching up instinctively to try pulling it away.
“Don’t make a sound.”
Victoria tried to slow and quiet her frantic breathing as the vampires snarled.
“She can vanish?” Nyaira growled as Luc pushed past her.
Victoria held her breath as Luc looked through her and Illyad.
“No.” Luc’s face darkened. “Zere’s someone else ’ere. I can feel zeir magic.”
“You can what?”
“I zought it was ’ers.” Luc spun around to Nyaira, his accent thickening. “Zey’re still ’ere. Find zem! Guard ze perimeter!”
“With pleasure.” Nyaira raced from the front of the house, her figure a blur in her speed.
The anger and murder on Luc’s face made Victoria’s blood run cold. She held her breath as he stepped toward them, his eyes ever searching.

Illyad smirked. Guarding the perimeter is all well and good when someone has to pass through it. There were several ways he could avoid detection. Knowing that this other vampire could sense his magic did make him a little uneasy though. He had never been tracked before, but he had a feeling that this one vampire might just have the keen senses to be able to do it.
Unfortunately for Illyad, magic wasn't just like a scent you could cover up. It was disguisable, but not easily. He breathed silently. Slowly and evenly. Remaining calm to prevent panic.
He pulled Victoria tighter to him and whispered "Don't panic." As he moved them just slightly off the ground so they were floating. He wanted to move, but he didn't want to leave tracks or make any sound against the grass.

Alex neared the farmhouse, but as he got closer, he noticed as guards began to patrol the perimeter. They didn't appear to be looking for anyone coming in though, more for people getting out.
He smiled to himself slightly as he thought of the trouble Illyad and Victoria must be causing them.

Nyaira ran a couple laps around the farmhouse before she came to a frustrated stop near the road. Watching for anyone leaving was all well and good... when you had more than one person to do it. In the short time it took to circle around, someone could have passed through. She needed a good vantage point to watch for anything out of place.
Spotting a small grouping of trees within the property, she redirected her efforts toward climbing to the top, grumbling as she expertly avoided messing up her clothes or nails.
He owes me for this.


Victoria inhaled as he pulled her tighter. She snorted a humorless laugh at his order, panic already well ingrained in her, and glanced down as well as she could when she felt her feet lift from the ground.
Luc, who had passed them, stopped and cocked his head in their general direction. He nonchalantly turned around, his hands clasped once more behind his straight back, giving him a royal appearance. Dark humor pulled his face into a smirk.
“I know you’re ’ere, jeune,” he called in a sickly-sweet voice. “You and your sorcier. You’re wanted alive, if zat iz what worries you.” As quick as lightning, he lashed out with graceful swings that would make any martial arts master cry in joy, trying blindly to hit that which he could not see.

Illyad deftly avoided the attacks sent toward them by Luc. He knew he could still be traced, but a promise was a promise, and he was a man of his word, if nothing else. He moved them, quick as lightning, to a more secluded spot. He readied himself to open a small portal, one that could get him and Victoria to a safe place, and then he could reveal their location to Alex once they were safe.
He knew he would have to be quick, before anyone found him.

Alex watched from the shadows as Nyaira moved to the trees, climbing them. There was something he was missing. She wouldn't go to all of this effort for him. Could they know about Victoria? And if so, why did they want her?

He breathed a frustrated breath. He wasn't going to get any nearer without being scene, and the last thing he needed was to be captured as well.
He moved away quickly, running back to the edge of town. He needed to rethink his strategy.

Victoria’s eyes widened at the speed in which they moved, her hair fluttering over her face, as Luc’s attacks came to a stop. She glanced back at him, a frustrated scowl on his face. Then, he bowed his head slightly, and closed his eyes. She glanced to Illyad, her gaze pleading with him to hurry with whatever his plans of escape were. She would rather take her chances with the sorcerer--or whatever he may be--than a couple of vampires.
She looked back to Luc as a smile caressed his lips. He turned, his eyes still closed, and ran along the same path the two had taken.
Victoria nudged Illyad with a panicked elbow to draw his attention to the quickly nearing threat. By the time she tapped him, Luc was already nearly upon them.

Illyad spun, moving the two of them out of the path of the oncoming Luc. He was still building his energy, but he would soon have them out of there. He just needed more time. He moved them further from Luc once again, then, within half a second, he had opened a portal, dropped himself and Victoria through it, and closed it up behind them.
He kept Victoria pulled tightly to him as they swept through the portal. A purple haze blocked everything from view and a smell of burning filled the air. Illyad changed their course several times, as to keep the vampires confused, should they be able to track him, until the finally landed.
They were in an apartment, the smell of incense was strong, and mismatched furniture coated the room.
"Mi casa es su casa." Illyad said, gesturing around the room they were in. "You're safe now." He added. "Make yourself comfy. I can't let you go just yet."

Victoria inhaled as he pulled her through the portal, the putrid burning smell making her want to gag. She returned his tight hold until the purple turned into an apartment. She pulled away from him when he released her. Victoria took a couple steps back as he gestured to the tackily furnished room, and looked for the nearest exit. She had had more than her fill of supernaturals for the rest of eternity.
“What?” she squeaked, spinning around to fully face him. From being abducted by vampires, to held hostage by a magician? Wonderful. “What do you mean, you can’t let me go?” Not that she had anywhere she could go that she could not be found. She pushed the heart-sinking thought aside.
For the first time, Victoria got a good look at her rescuer-turned-captor.
“Who are you?” she finished in little more than a whisper. She took another small step back, the back of her legs tapping the cushions of a recliner, and sneezed at the overwhelming scent of the incense.

Illyad sighed. "I'm not abducting you, I'm trying to keep you safe. If you leave here now, they will find you, probably within minutes, meaning we'll have to go through all of this all over again."

He gestured to the recliner behind her. "Please, sit. I will explain everything. Would you like anything to eat or drink? I'm not exactly a master chef, but I'm sure I could arrange something." He moved his hand in a twisting motion and the air cleared, the incense being a mild background scent, rather than an assault to the senses. "I apologise. I left it burning when I came to find you. I didn't realise how long I'd be gone." He was obviously trying to be a good host, and wanted her to be comfortable.

Alex suddenly felt a shiver. He heard a familiar voice in his head. "She's safe, but she's terrified. I'll calm her down before I let you know where we are, you can take it from there." Illyad's voice rang clear through his head. He sighed and began making his way back to his apartment.

Victoria wrapped her arms around herself as if to stave off a cold that followed only her as he voiced her thoughts. She felt something wet just above her elbow, and moved her hand. A thin smear of red dusted her fingertips from the shallow scratches Nyaira’s nails had made below her short sleeve.
She replaced her hand, avoiding the cuts, and glanced behind her at the chair when he gestured to it. She did not sit.
Victoria shook her head at his question with a nearly inaudible, “No,” directed at the floor. Even if she thought her stomach could keep anything down, she had no intention of accepting food or drink from a stranger, let alone one who was a supernatural, no matter how nice he seemed.
Victoria glanced up when he waved his hand, making the smoke disperse.
“Who are you?” she asked again. “How do you...” She swallowed and bit her bottom lip, her gaze falling again to the floor. “How do you know Alex?” she finished quietly, casting him a quick suspicious glare.

Illyad noticed the cuts, and thought about offering to heal them, but wasn't sure she'd let him close enough to do anything, at least not yet anyway.

"My name is Illyad. I am a warlock. I have lived a long time. I helped Alex with his... Reformation as it were. In his younger years, after he became a vampire, Alex was as uncultured as any newly turned. He was even a little vicious, however, after he regained his sentience, he realised what he had done, the mistakes he had made, he began to feel guilt. It is a rare trait in a vampire." He looked into the distance, as if seeing what he was saying. "Alex spent time trying to rectify his mistakes. We found each other in the beginning of his epiphany. He wanted help, and I could give it to him. I helped him find his human morality again, and together we worked to save lives, rather than end them. We started slowly, saving individuals, removing Alex from the group he had been so invested in before his change." He sighed slightly. "Nyaira and Luc, the vampires you met today, they were his closest friends before he changed his mind. They still want him to change back. However, if they feel there is no hope for him, they won't hesitate to kill him." Illyad looked back at Victoria. "Alex has lived a long time, and kept himself apart from people. He hated the fact that people got old and died while he lived on. It saddened him if he got close to anyone, to have to leave them." He looked at her, curiously. "But you. You he got close to. Of all the people in the world, you are the one he feels is worth the pain. You are the only person in this world Alex cares more about than himself."

He looked back, almost through the walls of the room. "After separating him from the vampire group, we worked to stop them. We decimated their ranks, over time, made some friends, made more enemies. Luc and Nyaira, though, have escaped every time. They keep recruiting, and tomorrow night, they plan an attack. The vampires will be attacking the college, which is why Alex wanted you to stay at his place, he wanted to keep you out of danger. There will also be attacks at various other important points." He looked back at her. "And again, the vampires wanted you. They know you have the ability to see supernaturals for what they are. That is why you are in danger. You probably noticed there are a lot of supernaturals at your college. Some of them, like me and Alex, are there to protect the populace, and happened to be in the right age group, physically speaking. Some of them are enemies, and are going to join in on the attack."

He looked at her arm once more and sighed. "Would you mind if I healed your arm? I don't want to get blood all over my floor."

Luc snarled at the loss of the girl. He stopped where the portal had opened, knelt, and placed a hand against the ground. He closed his eyes again, trying to follow the signature through a map that formed in his mind, but he lost it after its fourth change. Whoever had taken the human knew what he--by scent he had caught—was doing.
“Nya!” he called, his coat flaring as he spun toward the house.
Nyaira was by his side in just a couple seconds. She looked around a moment before her gaze settled on Luc. She opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off.
“Zere gone,” he snarled, his stride toward the house never wavering. The feral anger on his face could have made even the bravest man shrink back in fear. “Escaped zrough a portal.”
“Seems like a lot of trouble for a single girl, powers or not.” Nyaira got in front of him and pressed her body against his, bringing him to a stop. “Come, mon cœur. She can’t be worth this much trouble.” She raised her left hand to brush it against his face.
She tensed when Luc grabbed her wrist in a grip tight enough to crush a human’s bones. “You ‘ave no idea, mon chéri.” he snarled. “And if Alexander ‘ad a ‘and in ziz as I suspect...” Luc’s words trailed off, and his gaze shifted to her hand held in his. “You scratched ‘er, no?” His angered tone turned contemplative. He continued without waiting for Nyaira’s answer. “Touch nozing, and follow me.” He released her, walked around her, and headed to the door. “Per’aps ziz mis’ap may yet redeem itself.”
Nyaira stared at his back for a moment, confusion on her face, then followed.


Victoria listened to Illyad’s story quietly, her gaze once more on the carpet. She bit her lip at the prospect of the other two vampires killing Alex, a concern in her eyes from years of friendship even a supernatural race could not erase.
“But you.”
Victoria looked up as he continued, searching for any sign of misgiving.
When he finished, she sat, hard, in the chair and tangled her fingers in her hair. This could not be happening.
But it is, her mental voice whispered.
“Is my... ability really that rare?” she asked in a hoarse whisper. “That I..” she swallowed, “that I’m being hunted for it?” Her pitch rose with the last word. “And the monsters. At the school. You can stop them, right?” She took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm her nerves and thoughts.
Victoria glanced to her arm at his question, uncertainty on her face. The scratches looked a bit worse than she had first thought. She snorted at his statement. “It might be an improvement,” she muttered in an ill attempt at lightening the situation. She released her breath and carefully pulled her fingers from her hair. “I...” she hesitated, part of her wanting to say yes, and the other screaming at her for even considering it. “I can take care of it,” she finished quietly, standing. “Just point me toward your bathroom?”

Illyad nodded gravely. "Your ability is very rare, among humans. Among supernaturals it's rarer not to be able to see each other. But for a human to be able to see us for what we truly appear to be is an amazing thing." He told her.

He nodded, understanding her request. "Down the hall, first door on the left." He said, pointing to the hall that branched off to the left of the room they were in.

He sighed and sat in one of the other chairs that were littered around the room. He knew she had every reason not to trust him, or Alex for that matter, but he had to somehow appeal to her. He had to show her that they were trying to help. "We're working on stopping the attacks. Whether or not we succeed is a different matter." He told her. "We have people in place to try and protect as many people as possible. That includes Alex. You were his first priority. Of course, thanks to this mess, he's also injured. I wouldn't be surprised if he isn't able to be part of the fight..." Illyad trailed off, seeming to be thinking to himself.

Victoria nodded her thanks, and headed toward the hall he indicated. She paused, turning her head toward him as Illyad answered her second question. She swallowed at the reminder of Alex’s injury.
But, vampires heal quickly. She stared at Illyad a moment, his conversation turning inward. Don’t they? A drip of blood sliding down her arm reminded her of her destination. She turned her attention from the warlock, and went to the bathroom. She closed and locked the door, her hand still gripping the handle.
Victoria leaned her forehead against the door and let out a quivering breath. A sob bubbled from her chest, and she felt tears well in her eyes. She wanted to curl up in a corner and pretend that everything was just a nightmare, that she would wake up back in the dorms and Alex would be the Alex she had known, that the college was not in danger, that Luc and Nyaira were nothing more than figments of the darkest parts of her imagination. But it was not a dream. The gentle stinging that had started to radiate from the cuts attested to that. The college was soon to be under attack. And she was being hunted by the some of the deadliest of hunters.
Her mind shifted to her aunt and uncle. She inhaled at the sickening thought that they could be used against her. They were fighters, the leaders of a branch of a supernatural resistance group, but they were only human. Panicked, she reached to grab her phone, to call them and make sure they were okay, but realized she had left her purse in Nyaira’s car.
“You’ve got to be kidding!” she cried.
She hurriedly grabbed a wad of toilet paper, held it against the cuts to stop the bleeding, and rushed out of the bathroom to the only person she had to help her.
“Illyad!” she called, stopping at the hall’s opening. “My aunt and uncle. The vampires. They wouldn’t...” She could not bring herself say it. “Would they?”

Illyad was snapped out of his thoughts by his name being called. He turned to Victoria and shrugged. "There are a lot of factors. It's possible they would do something, depending on locality, ease of access, whether it would interfere with their plans for the attacks. Vampires may be obsessive but they aren't stupid. They know when something could risk the bigger picture." He looked at her. "Where are your aunt and uncle now? How far away are they?"

He began to realise that this was way beyond the call of duty, but morality kept him going. He had become hardened over the hundreds of years he had been alive, but his emotions had begun to stir once more, and he was willing to fight the good fight again... But maybe not a lot...

Victoria’s brows furrowed at the nonchalance in Illyad’s shrug. “They’re…” she faltered, debating on how much she should tell him.
She had already broken many of the rules her aunt and uncle lived by--she was standing in a warlock’s apartment, for crying out loud--and the last thing she wanted was to put them in harm’s way. So far, Illyad had only helped her, shown kindness, but she had read one too many books where the antagonists implemented the “good cop, bad cop” shtick to gain someone’s trust. She had no intention of ruling that out quite yet.
Victoria inhaled. “They’re about a six-hour drive from here, depending on who’s behind the wheel.” She adjusted the tissue paper on her arm, wincing slightly as it pulled from the cuts.

Illyad nodded, sagely. "Well then I would guess that they are safe. 12 hours is too much time out of their plans." He said, looking around at the apartment. "I can't imagine the vampires would want to risk delays." He looked up at Victoria's face. "Alex wants to see you." He told her. "I know you have a problem with him, and I understand that you feel you can't trust him because he never revealed his true self to you. But you have to remember he wants to protect you. If he didn't you would still be with Luc and Nyaira now. That's if you weren't killed by that Shade." He turned to his incense burner and changed the scent that was in it. "You'd be surprised just how human he is, compared to the average vampire."

Victoria stared at Illyad intently as he answered her. “What about after tomorrow night?”
“Alex wants to see you.”
She exhaled and looked away. She snorted and shook her head slightly at his observed reason for her mistrust, his partial reason, and subconsciously fingered her pendant with her free hand.
She bit her lower lip and took a deep breath at the rest of his words, at the reminder that Alex had been the one to send Illyad in the first place. And the injury he had sustained blocking the Shade from her had, it would seem, not healed as quickly as she would have thought, if it would hinder him a day later. Which was something she suspected he would have known.
“I need to finish taking care of this,” Victoria said softly, indicating her arm. “I’ll be back.”
Glad for the excuse to delay any further answer, she returned to the bathroom, once more locking the door behind her.

Illyad shrugged. "After tomorrow night is anyone's guess. It depends on what happens." He answered her quickly as she returned to the bathroom. She was avoiding the subject of Alex. Of course she was.
Illyad knew she must be conflicted. But he wasn't sure how to approach the subject. He knew, of course, that she could trust him. But he also knew that it was a conclusion she would have to reach on her own. He couldn't interfere. Right now he was barely managing to keep her. He didn't want to jeopardize that by breaking her trust.