When Jenner came to, he was tied to a chair in the kitchen with a ball gag latched around his face.

"I found that in Duchess' room, she's a bit of a freak huh?" Matilda bent over and smiled in Jenner's face as he struggled to speak out against her. "Jenner, I'm so glad I don't have to lie to you anymore. All I've wanted all this time is to tell you how I really feel, when he sent me to watch your house and Jasmine was lingering around outside I knew I had to take my chance."

Matilda touched Jenner's face and he felt bile rising in his throat. She leaned in closer and smelled his neck, then nibbled on his ear lobe as he tried to pull away from her.

"I have to admit it's been difficult to keep Duchess quiet, I think she's been on to me this whole time but thankfully he's taken care of her."

Jenner's chair bounced as he felt his rage intensify and he fought painfully against his restraints. He tried to force vulgar slurs out from around the gag and slammed his forehead against Matilda who screamed and pulled back.

"You fucking bastard! Jesus! What's wrong with you?"

Jenner shook his head, continuing his muffled onslaught of terrible insults as he ignored the pain in his limp right arm.

"Don't worry about Duchess, she's fine. He's decided she'll be the second, after me of course, but he won't be happy to hear about Gloria. He really enjoyed her sadistic attitude." Matilda rubbed her throbbing head, lifted herself up onto the counter and picked up what looked like an ornately decorated dagger. "You know, I'm not who you think I am. I'm no vampire, and neither was Gloria."

Jenner didn't want to listen to her anymore, he squeezed his eyes shut and tried to hum a song to drown out the sound of her voice.

"He's the only vampire in town, though he very graciously allowed Gloria and I to be his faithfuls. He visits me in my sleep you know? I can't see him but he touches my spirit and fills my veins." She leaned over and dipped the blade into the pot of sweet and sour sauce, then licked it with a grin. "Now you're only one step away from becoming one as well."

Jenner remembered the taste of Matilda's cooking, although the astringent flavour of her bright red sauce was strong he finally recognized what it was he tasted along side it.

"You know, in treacherous times like these you probably shouldn't be accepting meals prepared by other people, you never know what kind of secret ingredients they may be using." She tossed a small vial at his feet, it was empty but Jenner could smell the blood crusted around its rim. "We're going to make beautiful babies Jenner, I just can't wait!"

The doorbell rang and Matilda squealed with excitement. "That's him! He's here!" She dropped the knife on the counter, hopped to the floor and ran down the stairs while Jenner tried to free himself. "Oh I'm so happy you're here! I've been waiting so long for this moment!" She said from the front door and Jenner heard her coming up the stairs with another set of footsteps.

"Well Matilda, I am glad you have been so patient." That voice...that smooth and pompous sounding voice. "As lovely as Gloria is, she was just so rushed in her actions, she exposed herself far too soon."

"Oh um...there's something about Gloria we should talk about she...she's..."

"I know that Gloria is dead Matilda, I felt it as soon as it happened. No worries though, we will just have to continue on without her. It is a shame though, such a beautiful woman would have been the perfect mother of my children. But alas, we will just have to move forward without her."

Matilda led the way into the kitchen and Jenner's stomach clenched as he saw the curly black hair following behind her. The tall, well dressed figure of Mohammad burned against his eyes as he felt bile rising in his throat.

"Mr. Costas! How have you been?"

Jenner renewed his struggle, the pain from his arm shot through his body as his chair bounced across the floor.

"Oh come now, there is no reason to be so upset." Mohammad came to Jenner's side and squatted down to make eye contact. "You are about to play an integral role in the changing of the earth!"

As Mohammad's hand slid down Jenner's face he pulled away, his chest heaving with each breath.

"You know Mr. Costas." Mohammad's fingers tightened around Jenner's chin and forced him to look up. "You are probably wondering now, 'if this was his intention all along, if he was secretly plotting against me, why bother telling me everything that he has?'"

With his other hand, Mohammad began unbuttoning Jenner's shirt but he didn't fight back. A feeling of compliance settled into every inch of Jenner's consciousness. He stared into Mohammad's eyes and sat quietly as his chest was laid bare.

"The answer is quite simple." Jenner blinked and the action was slow and deliberate. Mohammad's voice was all that he could hear now. "I love a good game of cat and mouse, but where is the challenge if the mouse does not fully understand the threat? Considering my plans with your body, however, I have decided to cut short the chase and get to the heart of the issue." Mohammad's fingers dug into the flesh of Jenner's chest and he felt his eyes growing heavy.

"What was that sound?" Matilda's voice cut through the thick silence and Jenner started to feel his pain returning.

"I do not know! Dammit woman, go find out!" Mohammad's angry voice snapped Jenner right out of his trance as he started bouncing in his chair again. "Mr. Costas, please, relax."

"Hey! What's going on here? Who are you?" Matilda yelled from the hallway. There was the sound of a struggle and Matilda screamed again before hitting the wall.

"Damn it!" Mohammad moved away from Jenner and turned to stare as the red haired hunter entered the room. "Helena, how nice it is to see you again."

"Fuck off," Helena said.

"Feisty tonight I see, well, what are you waiting for?" Mohammad put his arms out and Helena circled him.

"Look vamp, I'm going to say this once so listen up! I've been hunting your kind for longer than even I can remember and there's no way you're getting away from me again."

"Prove it Helena! Attack me, take your pathetic wooden toy and plunge it deep into my chest! Why are you waiting?" Helena screamed and raised her stake into the air as she lunged at Mohammad. He grabbed hold of her wrist and twisted her around, putting her weapon to her own neck. "Really? This is what you bring to the table? This is all that you have to throw at me?"

Helena gasped for breath, then swung her elbow back into Mohammad's gut. Jenner heard a sound like a spring loaded trap and the man's eyes went cold. "Oh my...that was unexpected..."

As Mohammad's hands moved quickly to hold his bleeding stomach, Helena pulled away from him. Jenner could see a knife protruding from the sleeve of her long jacket, it was coated with blood. Mohammad fell to his knees and then his back as Helena kicked his head.

"I'm full of surprises vamp." She raised her stake high in the air and Mohammad started laughing. "What? What's so damn funny?"

The twisted laughter filled the room and Mohammad blinked tears from his eyes. "You, my darling, are what is so damn funny. You have been such a pain in my side for so long, I cannot believe I have not killed you already!"

"What the fuck does that even mean?" Helena pressed the point of the stake against Mohammad's chest as she lowered her face to his.

"It means, you have killed me over and over again and you still believe that your over sized splinters are the key." He laughed again, a little more sinisterly. "Once I secure a new host I will be sure to slit your pathetic throat the first chance I get!"

"Over and over again? What the fuck are you talking about? This is the first, and last, time I'mma smoke yo' ass bitch!"

Mohammad laughed even louder. Helena sat up taller and as she was distracted by his erratic behaviour she didn't even notice Matilda's foot. It sailed through the air and made contact with her head. Mohammad laughed some more and clapped his hands as he struggled to his feet, clasping his bleeding stomach.

"You bitch!" Matilda kicked Helena in the gut and the woman rolled over onto her side, clutching herself as Matilda's foot slammed against her spine. "How dare you try to hurt me!"

Mohammad laughed as Matilda laid into Helena and the woman's face was quickly covered in swollen bruises. "Matilda! Matilda please, that is enough, that is enough." Mohammad wiped tears from his eyes and moved towards Jenner. "We have more important things to do now."

Matilda spit at Helena, who lay half conscious on the floor, slowly writhing and moaning for help. "Here," Matilda said as she handed the dagger to Mohammad.

"I cannot believe how close I am to possessing a seer! A male seer no less!" Mohammad left one hand on his wound as he put the point of the blade against Jenner's naked chest. Jenner squirmed in the chair and screamed his restrained screams. "With your body, Mr. Costas, I will shift the balance, I will bring about the end!"

The knife cut into Jenner's flesh and pain shot through him like a jolt of electricity. He clenched the fist of his good arm and tried to bounce the chair away from the vampire. Mohammad stared into his eyes though and shushed him, forcing that familiar sense of calm compliance over Jenner's frantic mind.

"All I need now is a taste," Mohammad said as he lowered his head towards the blood, all Jenner could hear was the sound of the man's voice. Slowly, though, there came from the thick silence a faded screaming which Mohammad seemed to ignore. "Just one...small...ta--"

Matilda screamed alongside the gunshot that interrupted Mohammad, Jenner's heart was racing and the smell of gunpowder filled the small room as a rush of black shadows and angry whispers erupted from Mohammad's body.