Kyla

My heart is beating so fast inside my chest I'm afraid it'll break through, landing in front of us all. To be honest, I'm so stunned in fear, I would just stand there watching it beat on the floor for a while before my body got the memo and fell to the ground. What are we to do now?

His father is beyond pissed off. I know he's going to strike; I just don't know how. The men have all been in the office discussing plans. Trying to talk telepathically as much as possible since I can only hear my cousin Lucas hushed tones now and again.

I hear whimpering coming from Satine's room. Walking to her bedroom door, I place my ear against it. To make sure I heard correctly. Sure enough, I can hear her thrashing around in her bed, crying out for someone who isn't there, but a ghost all the same to her. Begging for them not to touch her and leave her alone.

As I open the door she's screams out in pain, "It burns! Please stop!" Her body is rolling around the bed, arms flailing about. I take a step towards her when Darius comes barging into the room. He touches my shoulders with both hands and pulls me back so I'm standing behind him.

"Stay here. She may attack whoever wakes her up." He whispers to me before stepping up to the side of her bed.

Reaching out his hand, he gradually touches her shoulder. Once one finger feathers across her sweating skin her eyes pop open and she goes in for the kill. She screams like a banshee as her nails turn into long talons and she digs them into Darius's flesh.

He growls in pain as he grabs a hold of both her arms. He pulls them away from his flesh, crimson blood flying around landing on the floor, walls, and bedding. He pulls them up over her head and holds them there.

"Satine! Wake the fuck up. You're not there anymore." He hollers in her face as he holds onto her wrists with all his might.

"You're not in the past anymore. We will never allow them to hurt you like that. They won't get close enough to touch you." The last of his words comes out as a plea.

It is then I can see it, what I hadn't noticed until this moment, between their interactions with one another. I can see with the way he looks down at her just what she really means to him. I know someday once all this is over him and I will have a talk about this. To my utter surprise he does something I never would have expected. She's still not waking up, thrashing around, and screaming in agony. He places both her hands in one of his and holds her head with the other. The next moment his lips are on hers.

I watch in wonderment as her body freezes, the kiss causing her eyes to pop open. She looks like she's confused as to what is happening. Once the confusion dissipates, she kisses him with just as much passion. He releases her arms, and they rap around his shoulders as she crashes his body close to hers.

I know I shouldn't be watching this happen, but I cannot look away. No matter how much my eyes are begging me to. A hand touching my shoulder causes me to jump out of my frozen state. Turning around I see Lucas standing there looking at me.

"Come on. We don't want to see this." He quivers his body dramatically causing a laugh to fall from my mouth.

I allow him to lead me away from the room. Lightly closing the door behind us. As we walk down the hall, I look around searching for Diedrek.

"He went to meet with the witches once more." My brows furrow with his words.

"Why?" I ask.

He shrugs his shoulders. Feigning a false sense of confusion. He isn't fooling me. I know he knows something important; he's just not telling me.

We stop in the living room where he leads me to the couch and sits me down. I can see three bags by the door. We are all packed and almost ready to go. The sound of a match being lit catches my attention. Turning to face Lucas, I see him kneeling in front of the fireplace. He throws the now lit match into the wood starting a fire. I get comfortable where I sit, knowing he has something important he would like to talk about.

He takes a moment to gather his thoughts, gazing into the fire as it pops. I love the color of the flames, they are beautiful. Then a dangerous thought comes to mind, if only I could get close enough to those evil bastards. We could set them ablaze and watch them burn. A cruel smile forms on my lips.

"Well, you must be thinking something devilish, if that smile and the look in your eyes tells me anything." When I look back at Lucas, I see playful mischief in his eyes.

"You could say that. To be truthful I find myself thinking more and more like a vampire than a human being." I look down at my hands, feeling ashamed.

"Hey," he sits beside me and places a hand on top of mine.

"To be fair you weren't really human to begin with." His words cause me to giggle.

"You're not wrong." I look at my cousin, the one who has always been more of a brother to me and think of how lucky I am to have him.

He has the same old boyish smile on his lips that he always does. My hand touches his face, tracing the smile I have grown fond of over the years.

"Can you believe all of this? My mother turned into a deadly being." Dropping my hand, I focus on the fire once more.

"Heck, I'm a deadly being now too." My voice holds so much sadness.

"There is a difference between the two of you. She somehow has lost her soul." His words have my eyes looking into his "You still have yours, and as long as you have Diedrek I don't see you losing the humanity that makes you...well you." He looks at me thoughtfully with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Very true. I just..." I pause with my scrambled thoughts.

Having so many emotions during this time. "I get it." He taps my side with his, getting me out of my thoughts.

"It's a lot looking at her like that. Seeing the death held within her eyes." He shutters beside me, causing the couch to shake below him.

"She was just empty. Like, she was a vessel of who she once was. She looked like her but," he sighs and holds my hand in his.

"She isn't her anymore." He nods his head as we sit in silence. Just the two of us, my closest family I still have in this world. Sitting side by side enjoying the silence together. All we can hear is the crackling of the fire, as the flames turn the once red carpet a shade of gold.

I hear Satine's bedroom door open and a sly smile form on my lips. I watch the entrance as both Satine and Darius Walk through and into the room with us. Satine's lips are swollen and a bright shade of red. She must see where my eyes are looking because her cheeks turn a bright red as the usual outspoken woman looks away in embarrassment.

Looking at my brother I see him and Lucas in a stare off. Darius folds his arms over his chest and lifts one eyebrow. I hear Lucas's snicker from beside me, causing a light laugh to fall from my own lips. When Darius's eyes turn to me, I cover my mouth with my hand and look away.

Trying to compose myself. Clearing my throat, and praying to the Gods that a laugh doesn't fall from my mouth once more I ask, "Do you feel better Satine?" I'm trying not to smile, though I can feel myself failing miserably.

Satine simply nods her head as my brother growls from beside her. Causing Lucas to fall into a full-blown fit of laughter. "We can honestly say we could never see that coming in a million years. I mean the player vampire kissing the outspoken, and out of place one." My cousin smiles at him as he holds up his hands in a just saying gesture.

When my brother takes a step in our direction, I know I need to diffuse the situation. "Okay, okay. Enough." I hold my hands in the air between them.

"Seriously though, what happens now?" Satine looks at me with a grateful smile on her face. She sits down on the floor next to the fire as all eyes go to Darius.

Who simply shrugs his shoulders at us and heads to his chair. Sitting down he releases a long breath. "My best guess is Diedrek went to talk to the witches about some sort of protective spell. Then, we will be leaving through the secret passages and hope to the Gods above we get out and as far away as we can without a hassle."

"Your words are so comforting." I use my sarcastic tone as I roll my eyes.

When his eyes reach mine, I feel a little disoriented. He slides to the edge of the chair. Reaching out he takes my hand with his and rubs his thumb along the back of my hand. "Sis, you don't know how sadistic and cruel the monsters of the night are." Sadness clouds his eyes.

"Believe me, sometimes I find it hard to believe any of us share the same bloodline as them." He peaks up at me through the little bit of hair that has fallen out of its place.

Swallowing the fear that wants to creep up and pour out of me I tell him honestly "You're not kidding." He says nothing, only nods his head solemnly.

"When I looked into the eyes of our father," taking a moment I gather my thoughts. "All I felt was cold." I'm not even sure that makes any sense, but when I look back up at him, I see understanding in his eyes. I give him a small smile and wipe away a lone tear that has creeped its way out.

A clearing of a throat has our attention going to Lucas. He places his elbows on top of his knees and places his chin in his hand. I know he has something to say, I can read him like a book.

"Dad, he said..." My brows furrow with confusion as he tries to make out his words. I drop Darius's hand so I can slide over to him on the couch.

"What did uncle say?" I place my hand on his shoulder. When he looks up at me, I see tears building behind his eyes.

He licks his lips before continuing on with," he said one night as he was drinking, that his sister was still alive. He could feel it in his veins, but that all he felt was death."

I hold my breath as he reveals his secret. "I just thought he had too much to drink." He shrugs his shoulders. Taking a few deep breaths, I move even closer, "When did he say this?"

Looking up at me he simply tells me, "Just before I came here." His words hit me in the heart, my uncle knew that his sister was alive, and he kept it from me. What else does my uncle know?

With newfound determination I stand from my seat and make my way to the door. Everyone follows close behind.

"What's going on?" I hear Lucas ask.

"What are you doing?" I feel my brother's hand along my arm.

"We are going to the witches with Diedrek. I am finding out everything that they know. I am tired of being in the dark and will not allow it anymore." I expect them to argue with me, but they don't, to my disbelief Satine and Lucas join me in grabbing bags, as Darius opens the door.

"Let's figure out a way to finish this." He holds out his hand for me to take. Giving him a small smile, I take his hand with mine as we speed out the door to catchup with Diedrek.