Constantino pulled my arm, dragging me towards the opening that had been formed. The guards were close; it was down to the last few seconds. As we plunged into the gate, Constantino grabbed the box and key, shutting the circle behind us.

It felt like I was falling a great distance, delving deep into the cold winds of a frozen land. My body shuddered when I hit the snow. A second later, Constantino thumped down beside me. He groaned as he struggled to get up. Me? I stared at the sky above me. It was a pale blue, the kind of blue that could send a shiver down a spine. That was not possible of course, not when I was laying in several inches of snow.

Constantino moved into sight, and I giggled. Snow covered him, making him look like an odd snowman.

"Yes, thank you." He grumbled, flicking it away.

He helped me sit up and then sat down beside me.

"Well, we made it."

"Yeah, wonder what the guards and those people on the road thought about it."

"It's going to cause problems."

I nodded. It was guaranteed that they would try and figure it out, then try to make it work again. If Nelson were alive, he'd be all over it. He'd be clambering to get there, just to be a part of it. Even if they made him the assistant to the leading professor, he'd be happy. A part of me believed that he could be put onto cleaning duties and he'd still be smiling. All he wanted was to be a part of something big.

"Right, let's get going. It's a long walk to the nearest town, and by the look of that sky, I'd say that our time outside is almost over."

"Will we make it in time?"

"I hope so."

Constantino helped me up to my feet, then put the box and key away. With our bags in hand, we made our way to the nearby dirt track.

"I am seriously cold."

"I know, but after a century of being dead, I can be forgiven for not remembering what season it is here, right?"

"Sure. Still doesn't solve my issues."

"Our walk to town will warm you up."

I rolled my eyes and said nothing more about it.

"You know, I just realised that I only know your first name. Do you have a surname?"

"We have house names. I am Constantino of House Auberon. If you accept a life with me, then you will be known as Lucy of House Auberon."

"Why wouldn't I accept it?"

Constantino shrugged as he looked at me.

"I try not to assume things."

"Would it be because you're scared that she will refuse you?"

We stopped at the sound of a man's voice. He was behind us; we'd walked straight past him and not seen him. Either that or he'd run here from somewhere far away.

Constantino chuckled as he turned around.

"I am going to kill you."

"Not if I do it first."

Slowly I turned around and saw a man that equalled Constantino for height and stature. He was dressed in a thick coat that looked so warm. I wanted to snuggle into him until I could figure out a way to steal it.

The man looked at me with a sly grin and a tip of his head.

"Well, hello." He purred with a seductive tone. "When I'm done giving Constantino a good thrashing, you can come back to my place, and I'll keep you warm."

"Goodness me, Martel. Do you ever stop?"

His hands went to his hips with a defiant smile on his face.

"What for? It's fun. How fast can I lure her away from you? It would seem that the offer of a warm house is all that I need and lucky me, I have one really close by."

Constantino perked up.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

This guy, Martel, he walked over and wrapped an arm around Constantino's shoulder and then mine. It was odd, but we walked a slow path, him between us. At least I was a little warmer.

"When I saw them dragging a large box out of the castle, I feared the worst. I tried to catch up to them, but they were quick. It would seem that they'd planned a lot of that mess and my intervention was expected. I was too late, and for that, I am incredibly sorry old friend."

"It's alright," Constantino grumbled.

"I watched the gate as it closed, I'd gotten to that bridge. The gate was shut, and I couldn't open it. No one knew how because your abductors took everything with them. I've been staying in the house just over there and have spent my days trying to figure out how to open the gate."

"Did they come back?"

"They sure did. Refused to offer anything so, we did what we thought you would have wanted. There they are over there."

Martel stopped and turned us to face the side of the path. Gently swaying in the breeze was a row of hanging skeletons.

"I needed a reminder," He said, squeezing us closer in his hug. "I needed something that would help me when the nights became too hard. When the scholar's words were not enough, when all thoughts and leads became nothing, I looked at them. I remembered that I had to keep going, for you."

I was hugged a little harder.

"And it would seem you too. What's your deal?"

"This is Lucy, the one that I am bound to."

"Oh, curse you, did they? That's rather rude."

We turned and began walking. Martel was a curious vampire, a little cheeky and way too personal.

"Never mind. Now, let's get you two warmed up."

Crossing the bridge, we walked a small path beside the river and through a low wooden gate. Martel opened the door to a small stone house that was so deliciously warm. I smiled with pure relief.

"Now that's a happy lass. What's wrong with you? Coming out into the snow like this."

Martel frowned at Constantino.

"I've been dead for a century. They impaled me; they put me into that damned box and dragged me to another dimension, one that is inhabited by humans who apparently don't like vampires."

"It's debatable." I offered, remembering the girls that pinned for Edward. "There are some that would be happy to let you bite them so long as they got to live afterwards."

That seemed to perk Martel up. He looked at me with a happy face. The wavy golden locks hung loosely around his pale face; the smile was fiendish and full of lust filled hope.

"Enough." Constantino hissed. "Find something warm for Lucy and then tell me what I've missed."

"Please," Martel said dryly.

He returned with a pile of blankets, and we settled by the fire on a lounge that was remarkably like a Chesterfield. Martel produced a bottle of blood and a couple of metal cups.

"What is this impaling you nonsense?"

Constantino shrugged.

"I don't know. Maybe they thought that I would lose my immortality in a different dimension."

Martel hummed darkly as he leaned back in the seat.

"Impaling does little to us anyway; I don't understand why they'd bother with it. I wish that I'd known that before I hung them, I could have asked their reason for doing it."

"It's done," Constantino responded. "We can't change what's happened. Now, tell me what I've missed out on."

"Nothing much has changed. No one has taken over leadership; no one has even tried. Maybe it's because they saw what I did to those who removed you from this world, maybe no one wanted to be in your position. You know, I was just about to go to sleep when I heard the gate clunking. I dressed and rushed out, hoping that it was you, but then I saw the lovely Lucy fall through first."

"That's why you didn't appear straight away?"

Martel nodded.

"But then I saw you, and I couldn't believe my eyes. I walked behind you for a few steps, praying that I was not dreaming."

He smiled deeply.

"It is a good morning, isn't it? Now, I am tired, so I will bid you both a fond farewell and see you in the afternoon. I have had a room prepared for your arrival, but I did not think to consider that you might bring a friend. Lucy, you're more than welcome to share my bed."

With a wicked wink, he turned away like he knew that I'd refuse.

Right now, I just wanted to sit and do nothing. To defrost and think about what has passed. A new world for a new life, it was crazy and odd, but I knew that there was little choice. I was a vampire because that sleazy man had tried to kill me. I was in another world because I could not remain on Earth.