Alaric was in the dining room, waiting for me. Hidden behind a newspaper, his long legs stretched up on the table and grossly, his dirty boots on it. I guess to the vampire that hardly ever used a table, it didn't seem gross.

Finding Alaric in this place had taken a few minutes of searching. Beyond the lounge room, there were a few doors to choose from but I followed the corridor and found the kitchen and the dining room was directly opposite.

Putting the jacket over the back of one of the seats alerted Alaric to the fact that he wasn't alone anymore. The paper was lowered, almost crushed against him as he stood.

"Is everything okay?"

He was staring at first, his eyes darting away and then returning to me.

"Sure. Feeling better?"

"Much. Nisha has great taste in clothes."

Alaric nodded, gesturing to the plastic containers on the table in front of me.

"I hope you like Chinese."

"Love it."

I pulled the chair out, sitting down to the meal that looked like it was enough to feed a tribe. As I peeled back the lid, I thought that Silas sure knew how to buy good food but the man needed to dial down the amount he purchased.

"So, would you like to air your grievances first?"

I nodded, swallowing the chicken. Damn, that was good.

"Jumping me like that was wrong. Saying I need to turn you into a hybrid was the right thing to do. You scared me and put yourself in a really bad position in my mind. Trusting you is incredibly difficult in the best of situations, now it's shot to pieces."

"You didn't seem too concerned when you slept beside me."

"What choice did I have? My point is that you need to speak first. Then I wouldn't have freaked out and you know, telling me that I'm going to go into a deep sleep and when I wake I'll be in a coffin would be another good idea."

"Duly noted." He said softly.

Alaric folded the paper, setting it aside. Stretching back in his seat, Alaric gestured for me to continue.

"Can I go out in the sun?"

"You can but you will burn instantly. That pale skin will go pink and your skin will peel and blister. I, however, can't. Your ability to go into the sun is because you are still human but the vampire in you can't handle it so it tries to regenerate the skin when it burns and it can't cope. I would suggest that you refrain from going in the sun unless you like looking like a pink, bubbly mess."

Okay then, no sun. That was a little depressing. I guess that it didn't matter now that I was going to be a part of this world.

"How long is this going to take?"

"The agreement or the grand plan?"

"The grand plan."

He shrugged, almost like he didn't know.

"This is my life that you're toying with Alaric. I'm getting older by the second and at some point, I'd like to find someone and have kids."

"Okay, you're not getting older by the second, you're a hybrid which means that your life is in limbo. You can go one of two ways, become a vampire and have eternal life and beauty or let the clock run out on being a hybrid and slowly settle into being a human again. That would take a few years but after that, you'd be free to pop out as many kiddies as you want and then grow old and die."

Getting off the seat, Alaric moved around the table to the seat next to me. His arm draped over the back of the chair as he moved closer.

"It is your decision Emmeline but you would be better off completing the transition. I'm not going to toss you out the door when I get what I want. There will always be a place within our group."

"As what though? I'm confused. You say that you want a partner to help get you to the top but what happens when you get there?"

"That's up to you. My thoughts were that after a few months of being at the top, we could fake a fight if you were bored with the situation and wanted to be free again. If you don't want that then we can continue on for as long as you like."

"In a loveless relationship?"

Alaric grinned as he leaned closer.

"That is no different to what the government was prepared to toss you into."

His head lifted, narrowing his eyes at the large double doors on the other side of the room. I had no idea what was behind those closed doors, I'd come through the single door behind me. Alaric smiled as he turned back, tracing his fingers over the skin on the nape of my neck.

This shirt was rather lacking when it came to the material over my back. The low cowl neck was held up by shoestring straps that crossed over my back and connected to the material at my waist. A piece of material kept the sides together, sitting on the small of my back.

As his fingers toyed with one of the straps, I looked at Alaric and wondered what was going on. Like the universe heard my thoughts, the double doors swung open, revealing a group of people.

One of them headed the group, a man that was dressed in a finely fitting suit. He was tall and thin, the perfectly styled blonde hair swept to the side. Sharp blue eyes found me instantly, a sneer like smile emerged.

"So, it's true Alaric, you've found love with a human girl. How positively endearing."

Soft and taunting laughter broke out between the people behind him, the man raised his hand and instantly they stopped.

"And look, he's fed from her. How ingenious of you Alaric. Well done."

Alaric's hand moved to my shoulder, firmly pressing into the flesh. I didn't flinch, I held strong as he smoothed his hand over the curve of my neck. His fingers splayed out, scratching over the scabs. I could feel them tear away from the skin.

It was like he was taunting them with the open wounds, I could see their attention turn to the marks. Fearing what might happen if they caught the scent of my blood, I turned my head and looked at Alaric. With a gentle smile, the fingers of his other hand caught the tip of my chin and ensured that my gaze remained on him.

"I have and what a treat she is. Feisty and stunning in her temperament, Emmeline is perfect and she is an exquisite beauty to have beside me and to carry our many children."

Wow. Okay. Dial it down Romeo.

"Is that before or after you fool the world into believing your lie?"

Alaric let go of my chin, darkness filled his eyes as he turned to the snarky man.

"She is human and survived the night in my bed and she shall survive all of them as a human until she decides to become a vampire. How I live my life isn't your business."

"Oh, but it is Alaric. You've swanned into our world and demanded the return of what you believe is your birthright."

"I proved it." Alaric snapped back.

"Indeed."

His tone was hauntingly soft, the look of superiority on his face. This was the kind of vampire that I was raised to fear, the one that thought he and his kind were better than the human race.

"If you don't mind, you're interrupting Emmeline's dinner."

The man's gaze lowered to the meal and then returned to Alaric, giving him a stiff look.

"Alright, Alaric. You won this round."

With another flick of his hand, the group of followers turned away. The vampire turned without another word said, walking through what looked like a more formal lounge room. At the far side of the room was a shadowed vestibule.

Nisha appeared at the doorway, watching as Silas shut the main door.

"Lock it," Alaric demanded softly.

"It was." Nisha returned. "You know he has lived in this place for many years so he has keys to every single door."

She entered the room, sitting opposite us. Even Silas came in and sat down.

"He will watch every single move that we make, you especially."

Nisha was looking at her brother but I knew that she meant me.

"The time limits are weighing down on us."

Ah, so the silent one can speak. Silas wasn't that different to Alaric or Nisha. Tall and thin bodied, pale skinned and had a dark nature. The differences were small, mostly that he had rich auburn hair and vivid green eyes. He was still dressed like he was Alaric's driver yet the way that he spoke and the fact that he was sitting at the table with us, it made me think differently.

"I know," Alaric said with a heaviness to his tone. "How was Chinatown?"

"Busy," Silas responded. "But ideal."

"Good. We'll start there tonight."

Alaric nodded at the food.

"Eat up Emmeline, we've got a busy night ahead of us."

I leaned forward to eat, feeling his fingers slide down my spine. It sent a shiver of ecstasy shooting through me and as my heart rate spiked, I wondered if the vampires sitting at the table could hear it.

Silas stood, pushing the chair back.

"I will bring the limo around."

"Thank you, Silas."

Nisha stood as well, offering a knowing smile.

"Well, if we are leaving soon then I guess I'd better get ready."

She wasn't ready now? The woman looked amazing in her tight jeans and leather vest.

"Hey, thanks for the clothes. You have great taste."

Nisha tilted her head slightly, barely smiling at me.

"Of course, and thank you."

Taking the door handles in hand, Nisha pulled both of the doors closed.

"Okay, explain everything."

Alaric sighed heavily, returning his arm to the back of my chair.

"That's Hendrick. He was an advisor to my father in the days before he mysteriously disappeared. Even though it wasn't called for, Hendrick took up the position and stated that if my father happened to return alive and well then, he could reclaim the title. Of course, he knew that wouldn't happen considering that he murdered my father which I can't prove because I've only got what my mother said and no facts. She was pregnant with Nisha and me at the time and only she and my father knew that, so she fled, fearing for her life and ours. We were birthed in secret and hidden from him. My mother lived long enough to ensure that we were safe in the care of her brother. Silas pretended that we were his own children and raised us away from the view of the vampires in this town."

Uncle. Damn, I knew he looked like them.

"We were told why things were and how they would be, right from the beginning. He wanted to make sure that we wouldn't fall to a monster as our parents had."

"Then why are you living here when the monster has keys to your front door?"

"This is my parents' home, Emmeline. That monster killed my father and took this place as his own without a single care for the lives that he ruined. You're too young to remember but you ask Silas what life was like when my father ruled the vampires. Like what he told Nisha and me, he'll tell you that it was a good world. It wasn't perfect but it was better than the anarchy that we have now."

"So where do I fit into this?"

Feeling full, I put the lids back onto the containers and collected the napkin to wipe my mouth. Silas sure knew where to find a great meal.

"To reclaim the title that my father held, I had to prove that I was his and that I was the eldest living child, which I've done. I then had to agree that I'd form a relationship that would ensure the longevity of the line but finding the right person wasn't easy. There are dozens of vampires that I could have picked from but none that I could have trusted."

"So, you picked a human that was free from this world?"

He nodded.

"And dragged her into it, kicking and screaming?"

Alaric offered a sheepish smile, nodding again.

"How do you know that he won't try and kill you and Nisha?"

"Hendrick knows that he's being watched and that a lot of people believe that he was involved in my father's disappearance. He won't do anything to us because the suspicion will fall directly to him."

"You need to put a bolt on that door and any others that he can use to get in here."

"Unfortunately, that won't stop him. This place is filled with tunnels and hidden doors. It was built in a time when slayers were an issue so there had to be an alternate route out of every room. We've searched this section and blocked off the ones that we've found but that doesn't mean there aren't more."

That was a worrying thought. I didn't want to wake and find that Alaric had been impaled with a stake. It was almost guaranteed that Hendrick and his cronies would point their fingers at me, blaming me for it.

"I think you need to do more. You talk about this place like it's not safe yet you sleep soundly of a day. How do you know that they won't come in here and kill you, blaming me for it?"

Alaric looked at me curiously and nodded with a heavy sigh, relenting that I was right.

"Our trip to Chinatown will be short. When we return we shall make a few changes."

"Good."

He laughed, pulling me in for a hug.

"See? I knew I'd picked well. You're already worrying about me."

I smiled and said nothing, not pointing out that I was more concerned about being accused of murder. In a small way, I was concerned about Alaric as well. He was a jerk but he had his moments.