The days passed slowly as I stared at the rock face entry in our yard, hoping that the door will open and Jonah will walk through. I wait for a response from the text that I sent him, neither have happened. My once happy mood had passed and was replaced with a sulk. My mother had tried to drag me into mid jump to go shopping, hoping that a bit of retail therapy would alleviate my sulk, but it did not. I was also worried, worried that something had happened to him and the workers. Humans might have said they wouldn't attack us, but we knew better. I had wished that I could have gone with him but he nor my parents would allow it. A month had passed and out of nowhere a meeting was called, we were requested to the council meeting room within the hour. It filled me with hope that there was good news, maybe he had sent word, maybe construction had begun already. My parents had managed to avoid giving any information to me, not wanting too many ears to know was their excuse. They wouldn't even enter my mind and put up the walls to tell me.

We walked along the corridor, Terrance and Alina were talking in reception, Miranda flittered around the room looking so much better than the last time I saw her.

"Ivy, do you mind waiting in the meeting room? I need to talk to your parents." she says, a gorgeous smile plastered across her face.

"Uh sure."

She opens the door for me, I barely make it through before she closes it again. The room was empty, just the stark white walls and the dozen chairs and table to keep me company. My ear pricked up with the sound of something odd, something like a breath.

"Hey gorgeous."

I spin around to the familiar voice, finding myself in his arms before I know what I am doing. He laughs.

"Missed me, did you?"

I nod as I wrap my arms around his neck. He lifts me up and puts me on the table, kissing me.

"I missed you too."

"You didn't return my text." I smack his chest.

"No network coverage. They are putting in a tower as we speak."

"You didn't come back." I smack him again.

"This was the first chance I had, we had to get the wall up to protect the workers. It's been a scary couple of weeks."

"Are there humans out there?"

"No, wild animals. The lack of water has enabled the animals from Africa to roam freely, there's a few of them out there, got a bit hairy there for a while."

"But it's safe now?"

He nods.

"Work on the building has started, won't be long now."

"How long are you back for?"

"The weekend." he leans into my ear with a cheeky grin. "Coming over for a sleep over?"

Before I could answer him the door opens and everyone starts to move in. He looks at me with eyes wide, raised eyebrows. I play coy for a second and then nod at him, which he finds thoroughly delightful.

The butlers pour the blood, it smells wonderful. I take a sip watching as Terrance flicks through some papers.

"Ok so, the current status... Various vamps around the world are making the suggestions to the humans to move to the northern rim. Most of the humans have listened to them, moving towards what they see as paradise. They are unaware that the vampires were watching and counting, keeping track of the humans that entered through the gate to the northern rim. The werewolves have been enlisted to track the scent of humans, scouring the planet's surface. Now, the project... Jonah?"

"The wall is up; the building has been started. The project manager expects it to take another month to be at lock up stage, then we can move onto the interior but we still need to keep going with more buildings. I don't think that the buildings we've been building are going to be enough." he looks to his father "I think we need to extend the area, put more accommodation in for them."

Terrance nods at him and gestures for him to continue.

"The next project is the lab and medical building and an inner wall for an outside area for the humans. The rock face is in, so at any time you can visit although at the moment the housing is rather substandard."

"Substandard?" Alina asks.

"We live in caravans."

"Oh."

"So the security will need to double at the very least, more so if you are planning on visiting."

"Do you have any problems with rogues or slayers?"

"No, nothing. Just the animals."

"Animals, aren't they dying out?"

"Some are." he shrugs. "Lions seem to be in pretty big numbers. Hyenas, cheetahs. Even had a couple of tigers come through."

"Elephants?" Ariella says in hope.

Jonah shakes his head sadly, knowing that it was probably the truth that they are now extinct. She pouts and sinks back into her chair.

"So, moving forward, the next on the agenda is finding scientists for the lab, how are we going with that?"

"We have found a great team, we have convinced them to turn and join us, their lab, their equipment it is all ready and waiting to go."

"Excellent and the medical staff, we need a fully functioning maternity ward, paediatric doctors, doctors for the adult humans, a dentist wouldn't go astray."

I watch as Miranda takes notes in her little note pad, quickly scratching out the words as Terrance speaks.

"We should probably provide some form of entertainment for them, can't have crazy humans." he chortles.

"I'll do it." Everyone looks at me.

"I'll take some vamps and guards, raid the libraries and take the books, I'll raid the arcades and take the games. The cities will be empty, take in the big trucks, empty out the buildings take them to the compound, easy."

"I don't think it's as easy as you make out Ivy." my father says. "You don't know what lurks in the buildings."

"Better than sitting around bored. Is there a big city nearby?"

"About five hundred kilometres away." Jonah mutters a little unimpressed at my offer.

"Sounds reasonable, your highness." I look at Alina. "If I could have a worthy team of king's guard and helpers I would be most appreciative."

"Of course." she says with a devilish smirk.

"Ivy." my father hisses.

"No dad, you said that the only way this world was going to get any better was if everyone pitched in and helped. I can't do that sitting on my arse at home, can I?"

"No." he groans.

"Patrick, do not worry, I will assign the best guards to her, she will be safe."

"Fine, do as you please." He huffs and flicks his hand.

"Excellent, entertainment sorted."

The meeting progressed for hours, I nervously fidgeted as it drew to an end, knowing that Jonah wanted me to return with him to his place. After the meeting finished we waited by the lifts that would take us to the doors to jump back to our places.

"Did you want to stay at your place tonight?"

"Oh, no, no. It's cool."

"You just seem a little on edge."

"Yeah."

The doors to the lift open and we walk in, followed by my parents.

I don't mind going to your place, I want you to be relaxed and I don't want you to feel pressured. You should be with your parents; they haven't seen you in a month. And by the weekend's end you will be leaving yours and besides, now that I have a rock face, I can return any time, who knows when you will be able to. I look at my parents, my mother now very pregnant, her belly showing out from under her clothes. How about, at your place tonight and tomorrow, my place Sunday? Yeah ok he grins.