Saturday, February 7, 2009

sixteen
chapter one: fight in the moonlight

A young girl, in her late teens walked down the moonlit streets of Chicago. She walked alone despite the obvious dangers of a pretty girl alone at night, especially since the recent attacks that had been taking place in the city. The girl either oblivious or uncaring to the potential danger continued her walk.

The moonlight caught her hair as she walked making her shine with an unnatural glow. As she rounded a corner and set off walking down a deserted street a large clatter was heard. The girl stopped and turned slowly to check the dark glistening street, she saw no one but the dark haired girl didn't seem scared of the noise, more curious as to where it had come from. The girl gave a small shrug before stuffing her hands into her black jacket and continuing her walk.

Only a few moments later the noise was heard again, louder and once again the girl stopped and looked around for any sign and again there was nothing. By now a small amused smile played on the corner of her lips as she continued her journey. The girl turned once again and left the safety of the lit streets, instead turning on to the dark and shadow filled side streets.

The only noise that could be heard now was the dull thudding of her shoes against the concrete. The girl passed a particularly grimy building when it happened, she suddenly felt arms grab her from behind, pulling her back against a hard body. The unfamilar arms held her neck back and exposed. A cool voice spoke to her.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to walk alone at night?" The male voice asked her mockingly. The girl said nothing but remained stiff in the mans arms. "Come on girlie, don't ya wanna say anything? No final words?" He jeered at her. The girl still didn't speak, nor did she seem afraid of this man, this situation.

The man scoffed."Well, you're going to die now." He told her after her refusal to speak. She turned her head a bit and saw a gleaming flash of white. Quickly the girl drew back her elbow and slugged the man in the stomach with it. Obviously the man wasn't expecting the girl to be as strong as she was and he quickly fell to the ground. The dark haired girl whipped around to face her would be attacker.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you to keep your hands to yourself?" she asked. A flash of white caught in her grin. The man on the ground scoffed but made no attempt to get up.

"I see I underestimated you." he said as he clutched at his side. The man now stood and faced the girl. "You are one strong human, but nothing I can't handle." he said confidently as he rushed towards her at an highly inhuman speed. In a split second the girl was dashing to the side, avoiding the charging man. The man missed her and he turned angry, his fist raised high to strike her. He charged forward once again, the girl barely managing to grab his fist before it connected with her jaw.

She now held the mans fist trapped within her own hand. She gripped his fist tighter, her nails digging into his pale flesh. She twisted his arm until she heard a satisfying 'crack'. The nonhuman man dropped to his knees, howling in pain as she held his now broken arm still in it's unnatural position.

"You are quite possibly one of the weakest vampires I have ever met." she sneered at him as he clutched at his broken arm, a scowl formed on his rough face.

"Who are you, a human to call me, a vampire weak?" He yelled at her, his high level vampire pride now insulted. The girl laughed as the moonlight broke through the cloudy night sky, drowning the two of them in the white light. The man looked up at the supposed human who had beat him. A grin on her face large enough for him to now see, he could now see the long white canine fangs in her mouth.

"You-You can't be a vampire! You smell nothing like blood!" He protested, refusing to bElieve the site before him.

"I owe you no explanation as to what I am." She told him as she frowned.

"What clan do you belong to then? If you're really a vampire then what clan are you from?" He asked as if he bElieved her to be lying. He peered at her, possibly trying to find any sort of familiarity in her face. The girl stared back at him, the anger and cockiness now long gone from her face. She turned her back on him and again stuffed her hands into her long black jacket.

"Beckett." was all she said before she started walking away, she didn't wait around to hear his response. "Don't follow me. I don't want to have to hurt you more." She said as she walked away from the injured vampire. The girl started back on her walk though she was more heavy hearted then before. The man hadn't been successful in defeating her but he had succeeded in reminding her of where she was heading, where she didn't want to go.

The girl made her way down the winding streets of Chicago and before long she ended up in a middle class neighborhood, the kind of place where all the houses were built the same. She walked down the nearly empty street, the further she ventured along the street the more 'people' she noticed hanging around outside, the more 'people' noticed her.

"Ah, look who came back!" One of the men on the sidewalk said loudly as he nudged his friend. The girl ignored them and kept her pace. She was having a hard enough time coming back here on her own, she didn't need their taunts to dissuade her from continuing. Finally, she saw it in the distance, the largest house on the block, as well as the most livEliest. It took every ounce of will power the girl had to force herself up to the front lawn of the house.

It was a large two-story plus home, fine and on the slightly fancy looking side. It was painted a fine shade of dark brown, it's many windows covered as to not let one ounce of light in. The girl moved up the pathway and across the fresh green yard, moving up to the white heavy front door. She gave one quick knock and stood there, knowing she had been gone too long to just enter like she used to. The girl wondered who was going to answer the door, she just prayed that it wasn't Beckett...or him.

The door opened and a short man appeared before her. The girl was rElieved that it wasn't either of the people she so desperately didn't want to see. The man who had opened the door, took one look at the girl before his mouth dropped open.

"You..." he said, his voice sounding astonished and the girl just nodded.

"Yeah." Was all she said as if that gave an explanation to everything that had happened. The girl was desperate to get in the house before she gained any unwanted attention, before he noticed she was here.

"Who is it David?" An all too familiar voice asked from within the confines of the house. The girl's insides froze as she knew who it was, just like she knew it was too late to run before the other man showed up at the door. The one man she didn't want to run into, the second to last person she wanted to see. The man's gaze met hers and for a split second shock took over his handsome face. He quickly regained his composure as a sly grin spread across his face.

"Ada, welcome home." He said as if she had only been gone for a few hours or a day at the most. The man was still smiling as he took her hand and lead her inside the house.



chapter two: home is where the man who might kill you is

Ada allowed herself to be pulled into the house by the man she knew all too well. Despite her better judgement, she also let him continue to hold her hand, cold skin against even colder flesh. The two of them stopped in the doorway as David shut the door and quickly walked past them, knowing his place in the house full well and leaving Ada and the second man all alone. Ada avoided his burning gaze by watching David walk away but when he was out of sight, she had no real reason not to look at him.

"I don't get a hello Ada?" The man asked, his voice low and just slightly amused. He was smirking at her as looked down into her violet eyes. Ada let a fake smile slide onto her pretty face as she looked up at his face, her insides clenching, she had thought about this moment for sometime now. The moment when the two of them would be face to face once again.

"Why hello, Caiden, whatever are you doing here?" She said, her light voice laced with sarcasm. The man named Caiden didn't looked amused and she hadn't expected him too, she barely understood why she was coping an attitude.

"Heh, I think that's my line Ada." Caiden said as he grinned down at her.

Ada found herself drinking in Caiden. He was a very handsome man, with slightly shaggy, inky black hair, deep, deep brown eyes, and full lips. He was also tall, slim yet tight and muscular and he looked to be about twenty years old. Ada came back to her own thoughts, a now awkward silence settling between them but she could think of nothing to say to the man, at least nothing she wanted to say to him.

"What are you doing back here Ada?" Caiden asked the question that she knew was on all their minds, everyone who had seen her at least. His voice was serious now as he finally broke the silence between them. Ada wished she had thought of something to say first.

"I am part of this clan. I belong here." She insisted but even to her the anwser seemed weak and unable to explain her lengthy abscence fully.

"Funny, that's not the attitude you had when you left." Caiden replies, Ada knew he had all the right in the world to be upset with her but still she wished he wouldn't be and she found herself missing the Caiden that had been here when she had left.

"Can-Can we talk about this later Caiden? I kinda just want to get settled again." It was true upon re-entering her long time home she had felt oddly unwelcomed, an aire of hostility, the whole house feEling foreign to her. It almost scared her to think that maybe she wouldn't have a place here anymore. Caiden nodded and seemed to lay off her, at least for the time being.

"I assume you want to see Beckett?" Caiden asked, Ada nodded though she could swear she felt her heart stop. She really didn't want to see him. Not yet.

"Yeah, I probably should." Ada said, as she attempted to keep the uneasiness from her voice.

"He'll be so interested to know that you've returned Ada." Caiden said softly, that amused tone slipping back into his voice as he stroked her hand, her hand that he still held within his own. Ada looked down at their entwined hands as she spoke.

"Yeah, well hopefully he won't kill me on sight." She told him as she slipped her cool hand from his. Caiden gave her a surprised look, arched an eyebrow as if he didn't bElieve the words that had left her mouth.

"He would never kill you Ada, you're one of his best." Caiden was trying to reassure her, a paranoid feEling slunk into her stomach and she thought that Caiden was being far too nice and understanding for her liking.

"That was before I left." Ada points out. Caiden said nothing and tore his gaze away from her for the first time since her return. It was all she needed, that simple act was all she needed to know that Beckett had been furious at her for leaving. Sure, he might not kill her but injure her enough so, she'll never attempt another escape? That seemed likely and coming back suddenly seemed like a huge mistake.

"It's been about a month and half since you left. I'll tell you, Beckett was none too pleased to find you'd gone." The man told her. Ada thought that maybe Caiden was waiting for some reason, some explanation as to why she left but she wasn't planning on giving him one, at least not yet.

"I-I was hoping I guess." Ada began and Caiden looked her way "That when I came back it would all be the same."

"I thought that's why you left in the first place? Because it all felt the same?" He asked, she blew off his question because all that mattered right now was seeing Beckett once again.

"Come on" He began "Let's go see Beckett." Once again Caiden claimed Ada's hand in his own and lead her from the doorway, lead her to the left through the kitchen, where many of their fellow vampires sat.

An instant rash of harsh whispering errupted in the room, Ada trying her best to ignore it. "Holy shit it's Ada!" One of them cried but Ada paid no mind. She had already expected this reaction, besides she was far too busy trying to think of what she would say to Beckett upon seeing him once again. Caiden led her from the kitchen, through a dinning room, from the dinning room through one of the many closed doors in the back hall. The one door in paticular that lead to Beckett's room.

They moved down the small hallway incased in darkness since Caiden had shut the door. From the small hallway there were three other doors, the one they had just come from, one to the left, that led to no doubt more hidden rooms and doors. The one door that layed straight ahead of them, this room belonged to Beckett.

Caiden and Ada moved to the door, Caiden stopping her before he opened it.

"Listen Ada, I'm going to go in first and tell him that you're here so, don't move or do anything until I say so." He told her and as much as she hated taking orders from him she nodded, because her annoyance with him was nothing compared to her fear of an angry Beckett. Caiden gave her a smile, a real one this time and patted her face gently before knocking on the door. Ada moved to the side as to not be seen prematurely by Beckett.

"Who is it?" The silky smooth voice of Beckett asked, Ada's heart, her whole body freezing just at his voice.

"It's Caiden." The dark haired man said, his gaze flickering back to Ada. The girl returned his smile as she felt the resurgence of feElings, feElings that she had tucked away nearly two months ago.

"Come in." Beckett said, his voice so smooth and full of power. Ada remembered that Caiden was one of Beckett's favorite 'children', Ada herself had been one but she wasn't sure if that rank existed any longer. Caiden slipped into the room and closed the door, leaving Ada behind in the darkness. The dark haired girl pressed herself against the wooden door, quiet and desperate to hear every word spoken between the two men. Though she was disappointed to find that she could not hear much of anything.

Ada did managed to catch her name here and there and she listened for any huge angry yells to be issued, relaxing when there was nothing, nothing but silence. The girl didn't think that there would be, that just wasn't Beckett's way. Ada waited a good three minutes before the door reopened and Caiden came back out a small smile on his face.

"Beckett wishes to see you now." He told her, his hand coming to rest on her shoulder. Ada nodded, voice locked up tight in her throat, Caiden's hand slipping off of her as she passed him by. It was a simple act, one to calm her nerves but she knew nothing in this world could keep her calm right now. Ada slid gracefully into the room and came face to face with one of the strongest vampires in the world.

The vampire named Beckett.



chapter three: you said you'd keep me honest

Ada was now standing face to face with their clan leader Beckett. She closed the door behind her, shuting out Caiden and leaving just the two of them in the room. Ada looked anywhere but at Beckett, she was far too nervous to see him again. Her deep violet eyes scanned the large room, the largest in the entire house, with it's golden walls and black carpeted floor. The king sized bed's headboard was pressed against the wall leaving the bed to jutt out into the middle of the room.

Beckett was sat in a leather chair, placed somewhere between the door and the bed. He sat there looking as proud as ever, a small crooked smile placed on his face. His long fingertips were touching their mates as he watched her in absolute silence. Beckett was a gorgeous man. He had thick, wavy, chocolate colored hair that barely grazed his shoulders, large brown eyes that held so much expression in them, not to mention the aformentioned crooked smile.

"Hello, Beckett." Ada said weakly, when she could no longer take the silence between them. Beckett smirked at her before speaking.

"Ada, my dearest child, my favorite daughter." Beckett greeted, voice like silk surrounding her, as he stood from his chair. Ada wished he wouldn't say such things, picking favorites did nothing but ignite jealousy in the others. Ada smiled at the words none the less and Beckett made his way over to her, slowly, stopping in front of her. Beckett brought his icy hand up to rest on her cheek, the cool caress of his hand brushing over her flushed cheeks.

"You have come home." Beckett said affectionately, Ada nodded.

"Yes, father Beckett. I have returned." Ada said and despite Beckett's warm demenor she didn't calm down. Ada knew Beckett well enough to know that there was no way he had completely forgiven her. Beckett smiled again, large and closed lipped and he embraced her, pressing his mouth to her ear.

"So, tell me my child. Where is it that you've been?" Beckett whispered, Ada's heart stopped because she was afraid, afraid that he knew exactly where she had been.

"I've been here father, here in Chicago." She told him, he looked down at her with slightly hardened eyes before he released her suddenly.

"Really Ada? Because a very rEliable contact of mine had mentioned that he thought he saw you heading through New York. Just where were you going Ada?" Beckett's voice, much like his eyes had grown hard as he sauntered away from her, reclaiming his seat. Ada's heart beat quick, she had been so careful, so sure! How could anyone connected to Beckett have seen her?

"I'm sorry father, but I'm afraid your contact must've been wrong. I've been here all along." Ada lied through her teeth to Beckett, an incredibly dangerous move that many lower level vampires wouldn't be able to get away with, a move that Ada hoped she could still get away with. Beckett looked slightly skeptical and Ada worried that perhaps she had pushed her luck too far.

"Really now Ada, one would think that if you were here in Chicago all along, that someone would've spotted you before today." He replied and Ada cursed the fact that their leader was so smart.

"I've been laying low father. I-I didn't want to be found." She admitted to him, figuring that the truth would be better in the end. This time Beckett nodded slowly, seemingly accepting her excuse but she knew she wasn't out of the woods yet. She knew he'd still want to know where she was, why she had left and as though he had read her mind Beckett asked the question.

"Why did you leave the clan to begin with Ada? Why couldn't you tell me that you wanted to leave?" Beckett was speaking honestly but his voice remained void of emotion. Ada knew that he was being honest with her and half of her wished she could give him back the same honesty.

"I-I just needed to get away from it all father. I needed a break..." Beckett nodded as if he understood her feElings and maybe he did, after all he was their leader he more then anyone should want a break.

"My dear, I'm just curious. Was it something Caiden did?" He asked his eyes shining with something Ada couldn't place, nor could Ada help her self from wondering if Caiden had asked Beckett to squeeze this question into the conversation.

"No, father, it had nothing to do with Caiden." And for once that was mostly the truth. It wasn't exactly Caiden's fault that she left, but he also didn't make her want to stay. Beckett smiled and stood from his chair.

"Very well, regardless of the reasons you left Ada, I am so very glad that you came back." Beckett told her as he strode to the door and pulled it open. Instantly the light poured out into the closed off hallway and the temporary blinded Caiden moved back from the door. Ada nodded and gave Beckett a sincere smile before she attempted to make her way out the door. Ada nodded and moved softly, carefully out of the room, Beckett touching her shoulder, stopping her just before she left and she turned back, puzzled to look at him.

"I'm afraid that you will have to be punished Ada."Beckett said calmly, Ada froze. That had been what she feared since stepping foot into the room. She knew full well of Beckett's ill temper and she could only wonder what kind of punishment she'd recieve. It seemed highly likely that Beckett would beat her until she would know better then to ever leave again. She knew if that happened nobody, not even Caiden could help her.

"What-What will my punishment be father?" Ada asked, trying to sound calm opposed to frightened. She turned her gaze up to meet his face, she felt small, like a child compared to him. Caiden who still stood outside the door looked like he wanted to say something but they both knew that he knew better.

"Your punishment Ada, will be that you are not to spend the night with Caiden." Ada gasped in surprise and Caiden's face dropped. Beckett smiled like he had succeeded in punishing her and proceeded to let her leave his room. What Beckett didn't know was that Ada had no intention of spending the night with Caiden anyway.

As the two of them left the room, Caiden looked positively crestfallen, as if he had every intention of keeping Ada in his room tonight.

"That's rather dissapointing. I was hoping to get reaquainted with you tonight." Caiden told her as they moved through the now nearly empty kitchen. Ada let a frown show on her face.

"Really Caiden, next time do tell a girl ahead of time." She told him and he could tell that he had used the wrong words. It wasn't so unusual for Caiden to want that, to want to be with her. They were together when she left, it was the reason Beckett had set that punishment, he had expected Ada to be desperate to be with Caiden once again.

"Ada, you say that like you don't want to be with me, when you left we were-" Caiden began but a voice cut their conversation off.

"Ada!" the duo heard a voice say and the two vampires looked up to see a young teenaged boy standing in the doorway. Upon seeing Ada the boy ran forwards and threw himself at her, his arms wrapping around her waist as he tackled her to the ground.



chapter four: Gray, red, green and all the colors inbetween

Ada had been more than surprised by the boy who had tackled her to the floor. She was now laying on the dinning room floor with the scrawny boy on top of her and Caiden looking down with a scowl on his handsome face.

"Miss Ada! Miss Ada! You've returned! I knew you would! I told them all that you would!" The boy said, his voice bursting with excitement as he clung to Ada, his head pressed against her chest.

"Gray, I'm happy to see you but you're crushing me." Ada told the boy named Gray. Gray stopped and looked at the girl below him before blushing a bright red and leaping off of her. He quickly offered a hand to Ada before Caiden could. Ada took his hand and allowed herself to be pulled up, surveying the grinning boy.

Gray appeared to be around seventeen years old, he was very thin and tall. Gray had dark brown, almost black hair that was styled in the pefect scene or emo kid fashion. Thick bangs that covered the entire right side of his face, his dark brown eyes were warm with happiness, all in all Gray was a cute guy.

"Gray, you're hair got longer." Ada said, her nimble fingers coming out and pulling gently through the sleek, straightened hair. Gray nodded happily.

"Yes, Miss Ada! I didn't cut it while you were gone! I know you like it long." He told her as he practically teemed with execitment. Ada smiled at the young man and Caiden's frown grew deeper.

"I've missed you so much Miss Ada!" Gray cried as he went to hug her again. "Why'd you leave? Where'd you go? Why didn't you take me with you?" he rambled out, the words falling out of his mouth too fast.

"All your questions will be anwsered in due time Gray. For now I think we should let Ada rest." Caiden said sounding less than pleased, jealousy ebbing into his tone. Ada couldn't help but wonder how Gray had managed to survive while she was gone, she would've thought for sure that Caiden would've killed Gray once he had the chance.

"Of course! Come on Miss Ada! I'll show you to your room." Gray annouced as he took Ada's arm and attempted to pull her away. Caiden stopped the young man by throwing his arm out blocking their way.

"no, Gray. I meant she should rest alone." Caiden said, still blocking the duo's way, the same scowl on his handsome face. This didn't surprise Ada, Caiden had always been severly jealous and he was especially jealous of Gray.

"Oh" Gray said his face dropping as he let go of Ada's arm. The girl turned back to look at Caiden, by now Ada decided that she had, had quite enough of him and his irrational jealousies.

"Actually, I'd love to have Gray spend the night with me." She said as she stared right into Caiden's eyes. She was doing this on purpose, she considered this payback for Caiden carelessy assuming that she'd spend the night with him. Caiden's face went blank for a moment before he recovered and looked upset.

"Whatever." He said as he turned and strode away leaving Gray and Ada alone in the kitchen. Ada thought that usually Caiden would argue more but they both knew that they weren't permitted to spend the night together anyway. Gray then proceeded to lead Ada through the back halls of the dinning room and around a corner, back to the back right side of the house where her room was located. She was one of the lucky ones, she didn't have to share a room, mostly because she was one of the only females in Beckett's clan.

The two of them reached her room and she pushed the door open, sighing in rElief to see that everything was for the most part the same as when she had left, probably Gray's doing. Her room was a good size with it's green walls that Caiden always said weren't meant for a vampire, and it's dark carpet, and the medium sized bed pushed against the wall because Ada liked sleeping against the cool surface of the wall.

Ada waltzed into the room and made a bee line for the bed flopping back onto it. It felt softer then it ever had and Ada was thankful because she hadn't slept in a decent bed in weeks. She heard Gray shut the door and in moments she felt a dip in the matress as Gray climbed on with her, he turned on his side to face her and she did the same, the two of them now face to face, inches apart.

"I really missed you Ada." Gray told her, his deep brown eyes searching hers.

"I missed you too, Gray." She told him, and in truth she had missed him while she was away. The night she had left she had been so fed up with him that she left without saying goodbye, without telling him that she was leaving, an action she later regretted as she came to miss him more and more.

Ada had a huge soft spot for Gray. She took care of him and wanted to keep him happy because she liked when he smiled.

"I'd do anything for you Miss Ada." Gray said as he pressed himself closer to her body, his face pressing soft and warm against her neck. Ada reached out and petted him, running her hand through his silky soft dark hair. She knew why Gray was so devoted to her, why he cared so much for her. It wasn't just because Gray was attached to her, because he was young, no, he was no ordinary vampire.

Gray was a semi-new vampire and the reason he was so devoted to Ada, the reason she took care of him, was because she had turned him. She had changed him from human to vampire.

The boy was still young by vampire standards. He had that blind devotion that came with being freshly turned. Ada saw that same devotion every time Beckett turned someone and Gray was no different.

Gray drew away from so their eyes were locked, brown's on violet and slowly, softly, gently, they pressed their lips together. A sharp click of teeth, their tongues meeting. Ada brought her hand up to rest on Gray's face and perhaps she had missed this most of all. The simple intimacy between a turner and turnee.

It was a deep and special relationship, at least that's what Beckett told everyone. It was what every vampire was supposed to feel when they were changed, even the most powerful vampires turned into beings like Gray around the one who turned them.

Gray deepened the kiss and slid his hands to Ada's waist undoing the knee length jacket that she still wore. Ada knew they were slipping too far and that she had to stop so, she broke the kiss.

"We can't Gray. I don't want to do that." She told him and he nodded. She would be tempted to sleep with him if it wasn't her first night back. If Gray had been a normal boy then maybe he would've argued and insisted but he didn't. He just lay back in his spot on the bed. Ada, feEling far too vunerable in that moment, stood and shrugged off her coat hanging it on the back of the door.

Ada could still remember Gray when he was human, the memory of that Gray still floated around her mind. He had been a student at a high school that Beckett had sent her to, so she could recruit new clan members. She had met Gray one day in class, two weeks after she started going to the school, they had met when he started talking to her, she hadn't even liked him at first but in a matter of weeks the two of them grew close.

Yet even though they had been friends Ada still never targeted him. It was only when Beckett told her to stop going to the school and she realized that she'd never see him again did she decide to turn him.

It had been easy to turn him, he trusted her and she used that, bit him, and took him home. Beckett was none too pleased to see she had changed someone, an act usually left to only the high powered vampires. Gray would've most likely been killed if Ada hadn't begged for his life.

When Gray was a human he was a womanizing, punk kid who wore obscenely tight jeans, loved music and gaming. Basically he was the average teenager but after she had turned him he seemed to lose all that and it wasn't the same, he wasn't the same. Ada realized then that she acted too rashly, without thinking and took away the young boy's humanity.

If she had left him alone who knows what he might've done or what kind of life he would've led but now no one would know because now all he was, was a ghost, a faded memory in someones mind, something unholy. It was a mistake that Ada felt guilty for every day of her life, something she wished to repent for and that's why, that's the reason she so fiercely protected Gray the way she did.

It was all her fault.



chapter five: jealousy is the cousin of greed

That day Gray and Ada slept side by side, Gray turned in and cuddled into Ada's body and Ada's arm wrapped losely around the boy. Ada knew it was a good decision that the two of them hadn't slept together because within a few hours of sunset Caiden came bursting into the room, no doubt eager to seperate Ada and Gray, or to catch them in a compromising situation.

"Gray wake up! You have chores to do!" Caiden said sternly as he shook Gray awake from his spot on the bed, trying to move him from his position of clinging to Ada's chest, Ada's eyes flickered open and she looked up at Caiden.

"What are you talking about?" She asked as she streched and yawned, annoyed that he had awaken her.

"He's been doing chores while you were away to earn his keep." Caiden said sounding unhappy and practically glaring at the dazed and groggy Gray.

"Well I'm back now, so, he doesn't have to do anything." She said defensively as she sat up and Gray fell back away from her. Ada slid off the bed and Gray made like he was going to get up but Ada stopped him with a soft hand on his shoulder. "If you're still tired then sleep here Gray." She told him. Gray looked uncertain if he should accept or not but in the end he collapsed back onto the girl's bed, his hair fanning around him.

Caiden gave her a look but she breezed past him and out the bedroom door. Ada didn't know why she was so eager to leave the safety of her room, considering that she'd have to face her fellow vampire breathren. Just because Beckett forgave her didn't mean the others would and she imagined her welcome would be less then warm. Caiden caught up with her in the hall and began walking in stride with her, she noticed his face looked softer now that they were alone.

"Did you do anything with Gray last night?" Caiden asked, Ada shot him the same look he had given her just moments ago.

"Nothing but sleep." She anwsered in a less then pleasant tone, her arms folded across her chest. Caiden seemed unconvinced.

"You smell just like him!" The boy shot back, his face wrinkling up as if the thought of them together disgusted him.

"Well, I was sleeping next to him!" Ada replied, growing more and more annoyed with Caiden by the second. "I am allowed to do that you know?" she snapped at him. While she was gone she had been enjoying not having to anwser to anyone but herself, now that she was back, she wasn't too fond of anwsering to Caiden.

By now the two of them were almost to the kitchen and Ada wanted to wrap up this conversation. She didn't need to be walking in there arguing with one of the only people on her side.

"That doesn't explain his scent on your lips." Caiden hissed at her and Ada cursed his superior smell.

"Fine, Caiden, it was just a kiss!" Ada admitted, she didn't know why Caiden was getting upset. He knew that Gray and Ada had been together before, this was not a first time sort of thing. The girl figured that it was just his stupid pride getting in the way. Caiden was angry that she had chosen Gray over him. Caiden looked at her and sighed.

"What's going on with you Ada? Ever since you got back you've been acting like you don't wanna be around me. Before you left we were together-you said you loved me!" Caiden whispered harshly at her. Ada wished Caiden wouldn't bring up the past right now, the person she was then and the one she was now were different but Caiden had always been like this, far too jealous for his own good. "I missed you while you were gone. Did you not miss me?" Caiden asked, his voice soft as his hands come up to settle gently on Ada's waist, stopping them there in the hall.

"Don't play so innocent Caiden. I know you were with someone else while I was away. Did you really think I couldn't smell her all over you?" Ada asked, Caiden grimaced and in one quick movement that was too fast for Ada to catch, his hands moved from her waist, instead pushing her against the wall, preventing her from rounding the corner and going into the kitchen.

"You know no one could ever replace you Ada." Caiden whispered as he brought his face close to her's, his lips ghosting over her's. Ada stood there frozen for a long moment. She was staring up into Caiden's deep brown eyes and he was grinning slightly, just a small quirk at the corner of his mouth. Ada sighs before she pushes Caiden away and walking into the kitchen with Caiden following on her heels.


chapter six: prelude to a nightmare

Inside the large kitchen sat ten or so vampires, all young males that were seated around the table. Upon seeing Ada their faces either went into complete shock or grew tight with anger. The male who was sitting nearest Caiden and Ada jumped up from the table.

"What are you doing back here traitor!" The man snarled as he pointed an accusatory finger at the girl. Ada who had already expected this wasn't at all surprised by the sudden outburst from the man.

"Milo, sit down man." Caiden said to the man as he came up to stand infront of Ada, in what could be considered a protective way. The man named Milo was a tall man, broader than Caiden, he had medium length shaggy blonde hair, bright blue eyes and his face was dusted with light stubble. He was a normally handsome man who one would think had the apperance of a college student, but in this moment Milo's handsomeness was lost in his anger towards Ada.

His lips were drawn back into a snarl and his teeth glistened in the light of the kitchen, Milo turned his angry gaze from Ada to Caiden.

"Caiden! How dare you forgive this traitor!" The blonde boy hissed at Caiden.

The thinner boy grimaced at the man before glancing back to look at Ada. "Listen Nic, it's fine now. Beckett has forgiven her." Caiden tells him, still Milo seemed less then convinced.

"Perhaps Beckett has made a mistake!" Milo argued though his voice was lacking the confidence it previously held. "She can't be trusted Caiden! Why would she suddenly return after so long?" He asked, Ada felt as though she should anwser and defend herself but Caiden had taken to doing the job for her.

"Milo, you are one of my oldest friends so, please, do not insult my intellegence by saying that Ada cannot be trusted! You know as well as I do that Ada is one of the most loyal of our kind!" Caiden half shouted back, as he glanced back at Ada again and even though he was saying these things, part of Ada wondered if Caiden himself held some doubt as to whether she was still that loyal person.

"She was loyal. Who knows what she is now." Milo said as he peered past Caiden, his light gaze locked on the girl. Ada was tired now of keeping quite and even though she knew it best not to come out the gate running her mouth she couldn't help it.

"Rest assured Milo, if I had any intentions to betray you all, it would already be done." She said as she came to stand beside Caiden, her voice exuding a sort of calmness that was almost innapropriet for the situation, of the accusations. Milo gave her an intense I-so-am-loathing-you-right-now sort of look before he scoffed and turned his back on them.

"say what you will but I am not convinced." he said as he reclaimed his seat at the wooden table, his back to Ada and Caiden.

"You are quite overdramatic, aren't you Milo?" A male voice says from the second enterance of the kitchen. Ada turned her head to see a male vampire standing there, leaning against the arch in the doorway. The vampire Ada recongized as Remy, another of Beckett's favorite 'children' if Ada was the favorite female then Remy could easily be considered the favorite male.

"I for one am so please to have dearest Ada back home again." He said in an all too cool, somewhat snobbish tone. Remy was frail and lean, beautiful enough to be mistaken for a woman on several occasions. He had very girlish features, big brown eyes and a girlish smile. Remy's hair was a sleek and shiny light brown and again styled in that oh so trendy scene kid fashion. Remy's bangs fell heavy over his left eye but not long enough that you wouldn't be able to see the honey brown eyes that Remy took such pride in.

Ada smiled at Remy, she had always gotten along with him pretty well, she had no real complaints about him. The thin boy returned her smile and strode his way over to her and Caiden. He slid inbetween them and drapped his arms, one on each of their shoulders.

"And besides, she always knows how to keep Caiden in check." He adds, as he accentuated the last word with a click of his tongue and a flick to Caiden's earlobe before he just as smoothly slid away from them and moved over to the table.

"Just like Beckett keeps you in check Rem?" Caiden said, a sly grin plastered on his gorgeous face.

"Hmmm do I detect a hint of jealousy Caiden? What do you wish Beckett would take you as a lover too?" Remy asked as he returned the sly grin and leaned against the table. It was a well known fact in the clan that Remy was the lover of Beckett, hence why Remy was one of Beckett's favorites. Most say, either out of jealousy or honest opinion that Beckett only favors Remy because Remy is willing to use his body to get ahead in the clan.

Caiden laughed because despite exchanging insults he and Remy were actually good friends and they had been even before Ada was turned. Ada was pleased that things seemed to finally settle down in the kitchen and a sense of ease washed over the room. Ada made her way over to the table despite Milo's constant glares.

Before Ada could be seated though another voice filled the room.

"Oh my, were my children fighting?" Beckett asked as he rounded the same corner that Remy had emerged from moments earlier. Beckett made his way into the center of the room, all attention on him just as all noise, good and bad fell silent. Milo looked nervous and his eyes darted from Caiden to Ada, apparently afraid that one of them would snitch on him. Ada didn't think about telling Beckett about Milo's suspicions, in the end it would prove her loyalty more if she said nothing at all.

"No father, just a lively conversation." Ada told him as she smiled warmly at him and her fellow vampire brethren. Beckett returned her smile and he seemed in a much better mood today, probably due to Remy.

"Good to hear, after all, we can't go turning on one another." Beckett said as he moved to the window in the kitchen. He pulled back the curtain and peered out into the twilight sky. The sun had already gone down and the sky was painted a glorious purple color. Already Ada could smell the excitment in the air of the kitchen as Beckett turned around to face them.

"Are you hungry my children?" He asked, a grin spread across his pale, beautiful face. A few of the vampires nodded and some anwsered him directly. Upon his question Ada's stomach dropped and she tried to ignore the nagging in the back of her mind and the thumping that rang through her body and into her teeth.

"I hope you are...because tonight we eat." Beckett proclaimed as he turned to stare back out at the ever darkening sky.


chapter seven: I need my posion to keep me sane

Ada's heart beat fast as the excitment filled the kitchen. The others around her were grinning their toothy grins and she could smell their need already, after all they did all need it. They needed to go and drink blood, they needed to attack humans but Ada didn't want it...she didn't want to need it. Caiden slid up beside her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"We get to feed, aren't you excited Ada?" He asked and Ada let her lips pull into a fake smile as she showed false enthusiam for the nights feeding. It seemed that the clan hadn't fed in a few days as nearly everyone grew excited at the prospect of eating. It could be that they were hungry or it could be that they were just excited for the chase.

"Get ready children. We leave in an hour." Beckett said as he waltzed away to his room, the others began talking amoungst themselves, perhaps to make plans for the night.

"Caiden, I'm going to go and tell Gray that we're eating tonight." She informed the boy and for once Caiden was too wrapped up in other things to notice her so, she slipped away easily. Fear and dread filled Ada as she made her way back to her room. She couldn't go on the hunt tonight, there was no way she could go! They didn't know, none of them knew that she hadn't drank blood for nearly a month now.

Ada burst into her room only to find that Gray was already awake and gone, she didn't care in the moment where he was because her need to think of a way out of the feeding outweighed everything else. Ada closed the door behind her and grabbed for her long black trench coat, it was still in the same spot as last night hanging on the back of the door. She made for the pockets greedily sticking her hands inside, upon finding what she was looking for she pulled it out.

A long vial rested in her hand and for a moment Ada calmed down, that is until she took a closer look at the vial and noticed it was empty. She dropped the empty vial on the floor letting it rest at her feet as she dug around in search of more. Ada pulled out five more vials and to her horror each was empty, the last drops of an acidic green substance clinging to the glass.

Ada continued her search in vain because she knew that all the vials were empty and she knew she had exhausted her supply. She stood frozen to the spot in the room before slumping down against the door and resting her head on her knees. She was completly defensless without the serum. The bright acidic green serum was an antidote of sorts that allowed a vampire to survive without drinking blood. Ada had been using it before she left and hadn't looked back since. She had had a large supply but as she grew closer to home the antidote dealers became scarcer and scarcer, too afraid to deal in the heavily populated areas.

Most, if not all vampires were anti-serum, thought it was a disgrace and unnatural, no one used it or at least no one admitted to using it.

Ada knew now that she couldn't stop it, she couldn't protect herself from the unbridled bloodlust that all vampires had, no matter how hard she fought. Ada knew that tonight she would be won over by the truly animalistic side of herself.

She sat like that for a long time, unmoving and letting her mind soak in the realization of it all. Back when she had first been turned she hunted like all the others and she drank blood to survive. She did it for all those years and god help her she enjoyed it but after she had turned Gray the thought of drinking from humans became less appetizing, the thought of hurting humans seemed less fun and Ada felt herself changing.

She was no longer like the others, she had developed a concious. Ada knew all along that she was different, knew it from the very moment she was changed. She knew this because she could remember being human and she could recall being changed. Ada could remember these things while the others could not.

Ada being different was also the reason she had left the clan. She couldn't take hurting people anymore and she was feEling more human then ever despite the dark cravings for blood. Ada also knew Beckett's grand plan, the one he was so ready to put into action and Ada thought that maybe she could stop it all if she went to get help.

So, that's what the girl had done, she had left her clan to seek help in the form of people like herself; vampires who remembered too much about who they used to be, vampires who didn't want to be vampires anymore. Ada had travled from Chicago to New York where they were located.

The things that had happened there, Ada's draining mind did not want to think about so, she instead sat there against her cool wooden door. She sat there for a good amount of time before she heard a knock on her door that served to startle her.

"Ada, you here?" it was Caiden and once again he had come to look for her, Ada looked back at the closed door contemplating whether or not to open it. She wasn't feEling the loathing and annoyance for Caiden that she had been earlier, she blamed it on the rapidly increasing need of blood in her system. No matter what it was, Ada still stood and opened the door.

A grinning Caiden stood before her and part of Ada warmed towards him because she could remember how much she did in fact like him, even maybe love him like he had said.

"You ready? We're leaving soon." He asked as he offered her his outstreched hand, she hesitated for a moment still trying to figure out a way to avoid the hunt all together but as Caiden's smile widened and her brain grew fuzzier she found that saying yes was far easier because it didn't feel real, it didn't feel like her. She placed her hand in his and he lead her away.

The clan, her makeshift or only family, met up on the front lawn. Some sort of unholy congregation. The twenty or so members of said congregation standing assembled on the front lawn. Ada pleasantly standing in the front row next to Caiden and Remy. Their leader, the closest thing to god that they'd ever meet, Beckett, stood out before them basking in the glow of his children, his minions.

They all stood drenched in the moonlight and Ada felt nearly perfect in this moment. She was in her group, in her element and without the aid of her antidote, the reasons for her leaving this perfection seemed to melt away. Just as the reasonable, sensible, Ada was slipping away, rapidly being replaced by the truly vampric Ada, the one who lived on only one thing. The pure animalistic instinct.

The cool night breeze blew around them and Ada could feel the excitment already, it was nearly intoxicating. After so long of not hunting, of not doing this, she had forgotten how exhilarating it could all be. She remembered the basic animal instinct and a part of her still felt afraid of it but it was a very small part. It was taking her over and normally it would be terrifying to have the unholy creature become her but right now she didn't care because right now she wanted to be anyone but her. Ada felt her heart beat much too fast and she felt dizzy, she heard mumbled talking and she felt the last bit of her concious slip away.


chapter eight: while the city sleeps we rule the streets

In a mere ten minutes time the clan had left the homestead and proceeded to break into small groups, prowling the city, five to each group. In Ada's own group was Beckett, herself, Caiden, Remy, and Gray. They all headed to the same place, the area of downtown Chicago. It was friday night and because of that, they all knew that humans would be there. Ada looked at her fellow comrades all who seemed just as excitied as she and there was only one thing she wanted in that moment, to eat and feed that part of her that was clawing for blood.

In five minutes time they all arrived at their destination. A place chosen by Beckett, he always chooses the places they hunt and tonight he had been extra clever and had chosen a party, a natural hang out of intoxicated humans. This was bound to be an easy hunt. As they approached the party Ada could see the group's arriving, standing loosely converged around the house. They were waiting, waiting for Beckett's go ahead.

Ada's whole body tingled and her mind kept repeating only one thing 'eat, eat, eat.' She could smell all the people already and she wanted more then anything to be set loose among them. Finally with the flash of a grin and a nod Beckett had signalled them to go and in a second flash the clan was speeding towards the house.

Caiden was light, quick so he made it to the door first and proceeded to kick it down. He had a knack for things like that. Ada spotted Gray to her left and she gave him a sleek grin as they entered through the broken doorway, Beckett hot on their trail.

Once inside the party Ada lost all sight and thought about her comrades as she wanted only one thing, blood. She needed it more then anything at the moment and she didn't really care who she took it from. She heard a squeal and knew that someone had just been taken. Ada scanned the room, it was packed with people ranging from the very young, what Ada assumed to be thirteen year old kids all the way up to late twenty young adults. The room was thumping out loud music and Ada found the sound to match her heart beat.

She could see from the corner of her eye, Caiden holding a struggling girl's body in his arms as she attempted to fight him off, it was usless though as Caiden was too strong and in seconds he had the girl's throat ripped out and he was drinking from her. A chorus of screams errupted and people began to flee in fear, people attempted to flee out the front door only to find that it was blocked by Remy and Milo.

Ada was about to grab someone out of the crowd when someone instead grabbed her.

"Hey, don't you see what's happening? Come on, I'll get you out of here!" A young boy probably nineteen, said as he took hold of Ada's arm and attempted to pull her along. Ada grinned it was cute, he was trying to help her, it was sad that the action would be his downfall. Ada smiled wide enough to reveal her fangs.

"I don't need your help." She told him, he looked stricken with panic and he instantly released her but it was too late. Ada pulled him into her and in seconds she had broken his neck, ending his life like that but at least she had spared her would be hero some pain. She bit into him, soft flesh giving way to warm crimson fluid. He filled her mouth, so warm and wet and it was all too perfect. She clutched his still warm body tightly as she drank him dry. It was everything her body needed yet instead of filling her up, it only made her want more.

She continued that way grabbing people and biting into them drinking them, her fellow vampires doing the same. She constantly saw Remy and Caiden attacking people and even a spectacular attack by Milo, who had jumped down a flight of stairs to land on a young man. Ada saw Beckett feeding and was amazed at how he always did it with such a grace. Beckett smiled at the people he would kill and he would hold them oh so gently, as if they were lovers instead of food.

Ada trolled upstairs having already eaten quite a bit she wasn't attacking as frequently. as she reached the top of the stairs she saw Gray there. He had pinned down a teenaged boy, someone who was likely the same age as him. The boy struggled under Gray's weight but even though Gray was a mostly new vampire, he was already much stronger than a human. Gray ignored the boy's pleads and promptly killed him before seizing the neck as his own.

Ada did nothing but stand there and watch him, watch him as he devoured the blood. He was a sloppy eater she noted, as crimson blood spilled from the corners of his mouth, blood also covering his pale hands. Gray made the most satisfied noises while he ate, if there was anyone Ada was interested in seeing eat it was Gray. It was only because it was her doing, she made him crave this, she made him have this unholy hunger and she was always transfixed watching him become so animal like. The memories of Gray the human mashing and melding with the image of Gray the vampire until the boy became a murky mess in her head.

Gray stopped feeding and looked up at her, his mouth stained a deep red. He didn't say anything, just stood and was beside her in a flash, he was grabbing her just as suddenly, pressing their mouths together in a searing kiss.Gray tasted like the humans blood and she loved it, Ada kissed back, licking into the boys mouth, chasing the tangy coppery taste. She was kissing Gray just as fericely, it was nothing like their soft kiss the day before, suddenly their passionate kiss was interrupted by an ear shattering shreik.

The duo broke apart and looked to see a teenaged girl emerging from one of the rooms with what looked like a broken leg of a chair in her hands, her clothes were covered in blood and she was shaking.

Gray broke their kiss but still held Ada close to his firm body. "Are you gonna attack us?" Gray asked, his voice deeper with the need of blood or the lust from the kiss. The girl nodded as she held the wood at the ready.

"I-I already killed one of your own!" She yelled and it was then that they noticed the wooden leg was also covered in blood.

"You killed one of Beckett's children with a chair leg?" Ada questioned, the girl still shaking nodded. Without another thought she charged at the two of them but before she could reach either of them Ada flung her arm out, knocking the girl sideways and right out one of the second story windows that were across from them. If the cuts from the window didn't kill her then surely the fall...or the vampires on the ground would.

Ada and Gray rushed to the window and peered down onto the ground. There a few vampires stood looking up while the body of the girl lay sprawled and motionless on the ground.

"Ada, she said she killed one of our own." Gray reminded her, Ada nodded and nervously wondered who had been so unfortuante as to get themselves killed. She and Gray made their way over to the room that the girl had emerged from, moving inside. There laying on the wooden floor of the room was a male vampire by the name of Eli. he was a recently turned vampire which explained why the human had been able to kill him.

"I don't think he was ready for a hunt." Ada said as the two of them turned away from Eli's corpse, Gray nodded.

"Beckett isn't going to be happy about this." he muttered and it was Ada's turn to nod.

By the time Ada and Gray made their way to the ground floor things had settled down significantly. Dead bodies littered the floor, humans staring up at them with glassy eyes and bloodied throats. They knew that by now most, if not all the humans at the party had been killed. They exitied the home to find most of their breathen collected on the lawn. Beckett too stood there beaming at them as they made their way to him.

"It's almost time we be going." Beckett said and his vampire children nodded. "Though we must dispose of the evidence first." Beckett said, he turned to face the group of vampires.

"Is everyone out of the house now?" he asked, silk voice washing over the lot of them.

"Yeah," Remy began "Everyone except Eli." He added, Beckett's pretty face turned into a annoyed frown.

"Well, someone should go and retrieve him." Their leader said sounding every bit annoyed at the newbie vampire, who was now dead.

"There is no need to go and collect him. He's dead." Ada said deciding that, that would be the moment she told him, Beckett scowled.

"You're kidding? How'd he die?" Beckett asked, sounding not as angry as Gray and Ada had thought.

"A human girl killed him." Gray informed their leader, Beckett's frown deepend.

"Ugh, he was killed by a human? What a waste." Beckett sighed "He had so much potential but I suppose he wasn't so strong if he was taken down by a human." The man added "Oh well. Back to the matter at hand, we need to burn this place to the ground."

Within a moments time, the house, that previously held the party was engulfed in flames and the clan left, watching as it burned a vibrant orange color. The house was semi-secluded so, it would be awhile before anyone noticed that it was burning and juding by how quickly it was going up they knew the bodies would be nothing but bones and ash.

Beckett was jovial as they walked home and he was nearly constanlty engaging in hot, wet, kisses with Remy. It was another common trait after feeding, something they called blood lust. It was just what it sounded like, an incredible lust brought on after drinking blood. Ada felt an arm wrap around her waist and she smiled up at Caiden who drew her in closer.


chapter nine: blood lust

Ada and Caiden stumbled through the house as they kissed feriously, strong arms wrapped tight around one another. They're kissing deeply, the need was frantic and they couldn't reach Caiden's room fast enough. Upon entering the room Caiden pulled off his shirt and Ada did the same. Caiden took in the sight of her and she liked the way he looked at her.

"God, Ada, I missed you so much. I want you so badly, I hope you know that." He nearly growls at her. Caiden moves towards her and she nods.

"Yeah, I know that." She replied as she laid back on his bed, a seductive smile gracing her wet lips and their victim's blood pumping through their veins.

Caiden grinned and undid the buckle on his pants before slidding them off along with his boxers. Ada's eyes drank in the sight of Caiden, the long stretches of pale muscle and she never realized how much she missed him. It all felt familar, he felt familar and right. The black haired boy kicked his own clothes aside before he makes his way over to the bed, slow, almost predatory. He crawled up beside her as she undid the button of her own jeans, trying to match him. She raises her hips up for Caiden as he helps shed her of her clothing.

Ada was left lying in her underwear but no part of her felt self concious. The two of them had done this so many times that their bodies seemed to memorize each other. Ada could still feel a new rush of excitment though, a rush because the two of them hadn't done this in such a long time.

Caiden helped her out of her underwear and in moments she's laid out naked before him. He gazed down at her drinking in her body.

"You're as beautiful as ever." The boy whispers as he comes level with her face before leaning down to plant a kiss on her soft lips.

"Mmm, now I remember why I like you Caiden, all the wonderful compliments." she teases as she laughed. The boy allowed himself a laugh before kissing her again, their tongues fighting for dominace in their mouths. Their kisses were hard and deep as if they needed to taste one another completely, like they'd never do this again, constantly searching for the taste of the human's blood in their mouths. As they kissed Caiden moved to settle himself between Ada's legs and she opened to accompany him.

He licked at her neck, causing her to moan out into the room. His slightly rough hands were stroking down her sides, teasing pink nipples until they were hard and she was writhing under him. Caiden licked down her neck, over her chest, across those hard pink nipples and down her stomach, desperate to taste every inch of Ada's skin.

The girl didn't want to wait, she didn't want foreplay. Ada needed Caiden to fuck her, it's been so, so long since she's had sex that she can't possibly wait any longer.

"I need you Caiden."The girl moans as Caiden presses kisses against her flat stomach.

"Okay." He mutters out and she nodded, panting from their heavy kissing. It was true she was ready.
Caiden settled himself between her legs again, Ada could feel his hardness pressed against her inner thigh. In a flash, the boy is inside of her and she's gasping in pleasure. The hot, hot drag of him inside her, of his hands clutching at her hips, it was perfect.

Caiden didn't move at first, just remained still inside her as they both adjusted to the feelings.

"Keep going Caiden." she whispered to him, he nodded as he gripped her tighter, Caiden pulling out, not all the way before pushing back in. He drops his head forward, mouthing wetly at Ada's breasts, her hands wrapping around his back. This earned him another gasp and Ada arched her back. Caiden's rythm was slow at first but gradually he picked up the pace and soon they had a steady rythm of him sliding hard and fast inside of her.

He has her legs propped open wide as he starts thrusting himself deeper. Ada wrapped her slender legs around him, letting her hands scratch red marks down his pale back. She did miss this, being with another person, being with Caiden. They were together for so long and then apart but now she was back and yeah, she could used to this again.

"Cai-Caiden go, faster." She urges him and he obliges, snapping his hips faster, their skin slapping together obscenely. "Fuck, yeah, yeah like that." Ada told him, she dolled him out compliments while they fucked. Her back arched as Caiden hit a paticularly sweet spot inside her and her violet eyes slipped closed tight, her mouth hanging open in a silent moan.

"Harder, Caiden, fuc-fuck." She was crying out, begging for anything and everything he could give her, everything she wanted. Caiden grunted as he obeyed her pulling out all the way only to slam back into her, he was fucking her hard enough to move her across the bed. She shuddered as they fucked, bucking her hips up to meet his. The pleasure was exquiset and her mind thought only of Caiden and the delicious pleasure he was giving her.

Ada gasped and moaned into the hot air as Caiden fucked her. He was growling, shaggy black hair falling into his eyes as he worked her over, Caiden leaning down and nipping gently at her lips. They moved in a rythm, wrapped in one anothers body, Caiden's mattress squeaking in protest at the actions taking place.

This is what she wanted, pure fucking, nothing fancy just real and animalistic much like their feeding. Ada was reaching the end now as Caiden steadily drove into her tilting his hips so he hit Ada's sweet spot, over and over again.

"God yes! Caiden yes!" She moaned breathy into his ear, this seemed to both turn on and encourage Caiden as he repeated the actions and Ada knew she wouldn't last.

"Ah, Caiden, I-I'm close." Ada moans out, Caiden is nodding and continuing his frantic pumping actions. It only took a few more thrusts before Ada saw stars explode before her eyes and she clutched onto Caiden, sharp nails digging into soft flesh as he continued the pumping, sending earth shattering shockwaves of pleasure through her body. Caiden quickly followed suit and Ada watched with dark eyes as he came, thinking that in that moment there was nothing else she'd rather see.

After his release Caiden pressed down ontop of Ada their breath mixing together as they kissed, soft and wet, not much more then panting into one anothers mouths. Caiden was stroking her, his hands slidding across her sides, making her shudder and shiver under him.

Caiden remained like that inside of her for a few silent moments before he slowly pulled out and Ada whimpered as she felt him leave her. "Don't worry." He whispered, "I'm not going anywhere." He says before he's rolled over next to her and pulling her close. Caiden is holding her protectively, his lips soft on the back of her neck. His free arm finds the blanket and tugs it up over their naked bodies. Ada rested her head against his chest, it felt good to be taken care of again, to let Caiden be possesive of her, let him make her feel so good. Ada's thoughts ceased and she proceeded to fall asleep in Caiden's strong arms.

Ada awoke the next night not in her own bed but lying in Caiden's bed. The boy in question was breathing heavily next to her, still fast asleep. Her head was pounding...oh and she was naked. Ada's head thumped a bit and she felt sluggish, almost like she was hung over. Ada turned her body, which felt overly heavy, turning over to face Caiden. He's still sleeping soundly and for a moment Ada wants to join him. She rests her head back down on his chest and listened to the non-existant heartbeat.

It was calm and still in the room. Ada allowed her eyes to close as the darkness and silence enveloped her, a flash, almost like a scene from a movie played before her eyes. It was of what had happened last night. Distinct scenes of humans being tackled to a wooden floor, of her hands wrapped around a teenagers neck, the sharp sound of a breaking neck, and the warm wetness of crimson blood filling her mouth.

Ada could remember eveything that happened and it made her stomach churn. She had always compared a vampires need for blood as the same as that of a person addicted to drugs, all that mattered in that moment was getting a fix and that was what she had done last night.

More often then not this is how Ada would end up. Waking in the early evening with that same dead sort of shame filling her entire body. She had never wanted to drink again, she never wanted that empty sort of shame again and she most certainly didn't want to hunt. A part of her would wish in vain that she was like the others, that she hadn't developed a concious for the humans, that she couldn't remember being the human teenager she was so long ago. Part of her wanted to remain in that animalistic state because hell, it would be so much easier that way, to never think and to only live on basic instincts alone.

Ada was pulled from her thoughts by Caiden's body moving next to her. She watched him and a small smile spreads across her face despite herself, because she did love Caiden in a way and she was more glad then regretful that the two of them had gotten together last night.

Caiden stilled but he opened his eyes and was watching her, the deep browns survevying her. He reaches a hand out, lazily touching the her lips, she grins against his fingers reaches out to him slowly, brushing her fingertips over his knuckles.

She liked Caiden when he was like this; soft and gentle, she could forget the things she'd seen him do and wonder about the person he used to be. Caiden wasn't a bad guy, not necessarily and it was only natural for him to be posessive of Ada, after all, in the beginning aside from Beckett, Caiden was all that Ada knew.

After she was brought to the very same house they lived now, after she was turned, after Beckett had taught her, he had put her under Caiden's care. She remembered all the way back to when she had that blind admiration for Caiden, the same kind of undying love and devotion for him that Gray had for her but somewhere along the way that devotion had faded and Caiden realized that he would have to work harder to earn Ada's devotion.

Ada often wondered if one day Gray's love and devotion for her would also fade. It might happen, it could happen but she wasn't so worried about that right now. She and Caiden sat in his bed staring warmly at one another and she wondered if Caiden missed those days, back when all she knew was him.


chapter ten: you tell me that you love me, I'll tell you that you don't trust me

Later that night after she was showered and dressed, Ada sat in the living room of the expansive house. She was sitting in the corner near one of the windows, seated in a red velvety plush sitting chair. Gray was sprawled out on the nearby velvety green loveseat, listening to music on an ipod he stole from one of their victims. Caiden was in the kitchen having a lively discussion with Milo and Remy about the other vampire clan's that called Chicago home.

"It would be best to avoid the south side for awhile, I heard Tarian has been getting more violent lately." Milo said as he tapped his fingers against the map of Chicago.

"Yeah, but Tarian is always doing that. He's trying to scare us and we shouldn't give in!" Caiden argued a deep frown on his young face.

"And we all know that Beckett doesn't like being given bounderies, restrictions as to where he can and can't go." Remy adds as he looked from Milo to Caiden.

Ada listened to their conversation half heartedly, flipping through a book from the shelf that sat behind her. Things had changed since she'd been gone, when she had left Tarian was nothing but a naiive newly changed upstart of the south side clan but now from what she had heard Tarian had gained a massive power and took over making it his clan. Tarian was also partial to calling out challenges to Beckett.

Ada knew that Beckett was none too pleased about this because Beckett had been here in Chicago longer then anyone else had, they all knew that he wouldn't give any of it up. Their clan had already stopped going on the south side as much, not since one of Tarian's guys killed one of Beckett's.

Beckett mostly ruled the north side, a clan of young punks ruled the east side lead by their leader Ryder, the west side belonged to other somewhat rouge vampires with humans sprinkled into every side.

Talked changed from where they should and shouldn't go, to what they should do about the next hunt. Ada felt a bit of panic rise in her throat, they were talking about going hunting again, about feeding very soon. She knew they would but still she didn't want to think about it, she didn't want to feel that burning sickness, that shame, and she didn't want to remember what it felt like to kill.

Ada already knew that she couldn't go hunting again, she had slipped once and she was determined not to do it again. Ada knew what she needed, she needed more of the serum, the antidote to the craving of blood. When Ada had left Chicago nearly two months ago, it was easy finding the serum and she had aquired a large supply but as she grew closer and closer to home, the places to find said antidote were becoming scarce. The girl balmed this on Beckett and his strong anti-serum stance, a stance which led many to be afraid to even deal the serum here on the Chi-town streets.

Ada knew though that the antidote exisited here, it was all just a matter of finding it. She closed the book she had been reading, setting it down on the table next to her. She glanced over at Gray, who was to her surprise staring back at her. their gaze holding for another for a long moment, Gray's face a perfect picture of blank. A part of Ada wondered if perhaps Gray was upset with her because she had slept with Caiden last morning.

Gray slid from the couch and slowly crawled over to Ada, moving like an exotic animal, slinking along on his hands and knees. the boy stopped infront of her, his hair covering his eyes and hands coming to rest on the girl's knees. Ada was used to this, how sometimes Gray craved attention, needed to know that she cared about him, she chalked this up to one of those times.

"Ada" he began, voice as soft as a whisper. He took out one of the headphones and offered it to the dark haired girl. "Listen to this song, I think you'll like it." Gray tells her as he reaches up, hands brushing her hair and cheek as he slides the headphone in for her. Ada smiled and grabbed for his wrist, wrapping her pale fingers around the soft skin, keeping him up close to her. They listened to the music that Gray had offered, it was loud and just on this side of angry, he was right, she did like it.

Ada held her smile as her eyes burned into Gray's. He was smiling too, grinning wide enough to show off his gleaming white fangs.

Instantly another scene played before Ada's eyes, the image of Gray, his face buried in a humans neck, his mouth stained crimson swam before her. She felt a cold ball of dread, quickly squeezing her eyes shut and shaking her head to free herself from the image.

"What's wrong Ada?" Gray asked, worry taking over his young face.

"Nothing." Ada breathed, she knew something was wrong but she couldn't tell Gray, he'd be the most likely to understand but still, she couldn't tell him. Ada didn't want to admit it but she had grown hungry at the thought of Gray feeding, of the warm fluid staining his pale skin. These thoughts weren't good and Ada knew she could wait no longer, she had to go and find the serum. there was no other option.

Ada gently released Gray's wrist, letting his hand drop down next to it's mate, the warm limbs still resting on her knees. The dark haired boy took it upon himself to remove his hands from her knees as she stood from the chair, Gray now kneeling at her feet.

Ada said nothing to Gray as she walked away from him, her slightly clawed hand slipping through his dark curtain of bangs, petting him gently. The girl had slipped away from Gray, who didn't move, didn't dare to follow her as she made her way into the kitchen. Caiden had noticed her presence, looking away from the map to grace her with a wide smile.

"Hey, what are you doing?" He questioned, Remy and Milo shifting their gaze to her too.

"Oh, nothing, I'm just going for a little walk, you know, to get some air." Ada tells him, she tries for casual, tries not to rouse supicions in Milo.

"Oh, I'll go with you then." Caiden is saying, standing from the table and smiling at her.

Normally she wouldn't mind Caiden's presence, especially after the night they had spent together but not right now, right now it wasn't okay. "No, no it's fine. I can go alone." Ada insists, she drifts gracefully towards the door, nimble fingers outstretched to clasp the knob.

Caiden gives her a frown, the other two vampires at the table watching with interested eyes."Ada, it's not safe out there. I'm coming with you." Caiden tells her, like there's no other option, like he won't take no for an anwser. The boy moves around to stand beside her, the constant protective side of him already kicking in, they're already returning to the way they were before they left.

Ada sighs, Caiden couldn't come with her, he wouldn't let her buy the serum, she already knew he wouldn't and he might even bring it up to Beckett in an effort to keep her clean. It wouldn't work, he couldn't come.

"I don't need you to come with me Caiden, it's just a walk!" Ada snaps at him. It's ruder than she intended but she needs to make him angry, to dissaude him from wanting to join her. Remy, who had been watching the two of them like they were an interesting television program, taps his long fingers against the map and eyes Ada.

"Ada dear, last time you went for a 'walk' you didn't come back for a good month and a half." Remy notes cooly, as if attempting to make her understand why Caiden isn't exactly eager to let her go out on her own. Ada's hands slide to her hips, her violet eyes buring into Remy's.

"That was before, this is now and I don't need anyone to come with me!" She tells them firmly, Caiden is grimicing, a familar look for him, and he seems to know that he can't win this argument, that Ada is stuborn as hell, that she does whatever she wants. Caiden, sighs and even though he's obviously pissed at the girl, he still leans forward and presses a cool kiss to her forehead before he strides out of the room. Milo is watching her with curious eyes, she knows that he still doesn't trust her, this probably isn't helping. Milo slowly turns back to his map while Remy continues to stare at Ada, his foot tapping the tiled floor, matching the beat of his fingers.

Ada breaks their gaze and leaves the house, intent on returning.


chapter eleven: when the past comes back to bite you in the ass

Ada was now walking down the sidewalks of Chicago's north side. This was their side, the safe side, the side that belonged all to Beckett. The north side was by far the safest for both human and vampires, Tarian's south side being the most dangerous. Ada knew that there were no serum dealers on her clan's side. It was better that way though, no one familar to spot her, and no one to go and snitch to Beckett.

She decides to go to the east side where Ryder and his vampire punk's tend to hang out. If she was lucky, she could get in and get out without too much attention. It took the girl a good ten minutes to reach the east side, already the sidewalks and streets were filled with vampires who were partying it up, or sitting on curbs already too far gone to walk. Loud, angry music, much like what Gray had been listening to, filled the streets and Ada remembered why she didn't care for this part of town.

It took her three blocks, and several catcalls before she saw one, a serum dealer. He was a short vampire, standing on a street corner washed in a streetlamp's glow. He stood watching the darkness around him nervously, one hand tucked in his pocket and the other making small, barely noticable gestures as people walked by. Ada approached him, the man turning when he notices her.

"Hey, there pretty lady. You want a fix of the old emerald kiss?" He askes, Ada rolls her eyes at the cheesy opening line but finds herself nodding. The short, scruffy man nods and grins.

"How much of this stuff will it take to fix you up?" He's asking, as he opens his jacket, flashing a dozen or so gleaming vials of deep green liquid.

"Everything you've got." She tells him, she can take no chances with this. The man's eyes widen greedily.

"It's going to cost you big." He grins at her, the girl shrugs off his words.

"I don't care, really." All that mattered was that in moments she would have her fix. She paid him the money and he slipped her the vials. The girl pocketed the multiple vials before she turned to go back home. She was around two blocks from home when she bumped into someone. Ada was flung back a few steps as the mystery man shouldered her hard. Ada looked up and gave a quick small apology before attempting to pass him.

The man reached out lightning fast, seizing her shoulder and pulling her up to look at him. It was then that Ada noticed two things; that he wasn't a stranger, he was the man that had attacked her on her way back home and two; that he had two companions with him. Ada wondered if the man remembered her, judging by the smirk on his lips he did.

"What is it Harry? Let the kid go. We've got much more important business to attend to." One of the man named Harry's friends asked him. Harry gave a sort of grunt.

"This is the girl, the one who attacked me a few days ago." He tells them, his voice dripping with venom and his eyes never leaving Ada. Harry's two companions looked shocked.

"This kid? But she's a teenager!" One of them said, surprise heavy in his voice.

"She's stronger then she looks." Harry replies, his voice still low and dangerous. Ada grew cold at the his tone.

"If you don't let me go your friends will be able to see my strength for themselves." Ada said through gritted teeth.

"She's got a mouth on her." Harry's other friend added with a grin on his face. Harry kept silent but still continued to stare at her. Suddenly he let go of her arm and motioned for his friends to follow him as they began to walk away. Ada thought maybe she had dodged some kind of bullet. She thinks she could probably take the men, if she tried hard enough but still, she was glad they were leaving. Ada rubbed absentmindedly at her arm and watched them go before turning back to resume her walk.

The girl never saw Harry whirl around and pull out the gun. It was too late to move once she did see, the bullet piercing her chest and seconds later she hit the ground.


chapter twelve: saving lives has never looked so cool

After being shot Ada felt the inital pain and realized it hurt much worse then she ever imagined it would. She thought that maybe the bullet was special, one of those kind that are laced with something. She was finding it hard to move, finding herself unable to speak. Ada was lying face down on the grimy sidewalk of the east side and all she could do was stare up at the sky.

In a few hours it would be daylight and if Ada couldn't move by then...well, it meant a certain and painful death.

Ada couldn't see too many people walking the streets anymore, nor could she see or hear anyone around her. She assumed that the men had moved her to a secluded area of the city, where she'd be completely alone and unable to call for help. Ada must've fallen into a restless drug induced sleep where scenes of her body being found by Caiden and Beckett, Gray weeping over her swam in her mind. Caiden's voice saying "I told her not to go."

She was awaken by a voice, one she didn't know. It was a male voice, lost somewhere between deep and soft. Either way it was calming.

"Um, Miss, are you okay?" She heard the voice ask. Ada's mind was groggy and she wanted to speak but her lips wouldn't move and her tongue lay flat in her mouth. "Miss?" She heard him ask again and she felt her body being flipped as motionless as a rag doll. She was now laying on her back, face to the sky and she could see the man but barely as her vision had gone fuzzy as well.

"Fuck, you're hurt!" He said nervously.

Ada knows that it must be bad if this person can notice

"You need help." He said and before she knew it her body was being lifted by the man. Ada lay limp in his arms and she found herself once again unable to stay awake as he carried her to god knows where.
*************************************************************************
Ada's eyes were closed but she could feel her body once again. She could feel that she was lying on something halfway between soft and lumpy and she wondered vaugely if she was home? Or maybe in the hospital? She desperately wanted to open her eyes but they felt too heavy, the dark was so welcoming.

Suddenly Ada heard voices speaking around her again.

"I still think this is a bad idea Noah. You shouldn't have brought her here." A male voice, a bit harsher and rougher then the one she had heard before.

"What was I supposed to do Lane? Leave her on the east side to bleed?" He asked the man who Ada assumed was named Lane. Ada recongized this voice as the one from earlier, as the man who had found her. His name she thought was Noah.

"Still why not take her to a hospital? Why bring her here?" The harsh voice of the man who, by process of emlimination had to be Lane, asked.

"This place was closer then any hospital." Noah said and Ada suddenly felt something cool and damp being placed on her forehead. "Besides, Bram got the bullet out and said the wound wasn't fatal and that she's healing up well." He adds.

Ada wondered if these people who had saved her were vampires? Or if they had found out that she was a vampire? She didn't have to wait long for an anwser in the form of Lane and Noah.

"She's healing a little too quickly for my liking." The man named Lane said, he was obviously very much against her being here, wherever here was.

"Lane, you already checked her for a bite and she doesn't have the teeth." Noah argued as if this sort of thing happened all the time.

"Yeah, but teeth don't count anymore. Not now that they can hide them." Lane retorts, Ada had to agree because that was exactly what she had done. She had hid her teeth with false human teeth whenever she went out, whoever this Lane person was he was smart.

Ada decided she had waited long enough and was now curious to meet her saviors. She cracked her eyes open as much as she could and looked up at the two men.

"Holy crap! She's awake!" The man who had to be Noah said as he practically leapt from his chair that was seated right beside her. From Ada's vantage point she could see another man sitting behind her, he looked more bored then anything.

Ada sat up weakly much to the disapproval of Noah. But Ada remained sitting up, she took the opportunity to get a good look at the two men. Noah who now stood infront of her was a devilishly cute a broad, slightly muscular man who had to be in his early twenties. He had dark brown hair that fell just this side of shaggy but he was a cute guy with deep brown eyes, and a soft easy smile.

Ada then turned to survey the man named Lane. He was more dark whereas Noah was light. Lane had dark, jet black hair that fell heavy and in odd angles in the front and shorter in the back. He was sat in the chair, his arms folded. Lane, like Noah was cute but Lane had a more sexy image with a gorgeous face and deep burning honey brown eyes that were adorned with massive amounts of eyeliner. Ada also noticed that Lane's face had the same sort of odd shape that one gets when they're a vampire but it could just as easily be an overbite.

"How are you feeling?" Noah asked and Ada redirrected her attention to him. She noticed as he talked that he had no vampire fangs, unless he was hiding them.

"I'm fine I think. Just a bit groggy." Noah nodded.

"What happened to you?" Lane asked and Ada turned to look at him, she definitly noticed his shining white fangs.

"I-uh-I got shot." That's just about all she knows about what happened to her.

"Thanks genius, but that's not what I meant. I mean who shot you? And why?" Lane said as he glared at her.

Ada stalled, what could she tell these two men? It was obvious that Lane was a vampire but Noah, she didn't think he was, even though that didn't make much sense. Why would a vampire willingly be around a human? More to the point how could a vampire be around a human without wanting to kill them? Unless Lane was taking serum. There were so many what if's that Ada wasn't sure what she should or shouldn't say.

"I-I don't remember. I'm sorry." Ada lied to the two men.

"It's fine." Noah said kindly as he placed a pale, strong hand on her shoulder.

"You just rest and we'll take care of you." He said as he helped her lay back on what she just realized was a couch. Ada nodded as she felt overly groggy again and let Noah's voice take that same calming effect. She heard Lane make a noise as she closed her eyes but in that moment all she wanted was to be taken care of by these people.

"What's your name?" She heard Lane ask, his voice lacking any desernable emotion.

"Ada." She whispered before she once again fell into a sleep.


chapter thirthteen: the good, the bad, and the bloody

The next time Ada awoke the room was shrouded in darkness. Ada sat up now feeling more like herself then she had all night. She knew that whatever drug was in the bullet had left her and her head lacked that fuzziness that had been plaueging it.

Ada pushed her sleek, dark hair away from her face and neck where it stuck with the sheen of sweat on her skin. She slowly moved to the edge of the couch, shifting her legs so that her feet grazed the hardwood floor. The girl surveyed the room despite the darkness because being a creature of the night meant that she could see in the night. It wasn't a clear sight though, more dark yet fuzzy as if looking through water.

She was in what looked like a living room. All hardwood floors and dark black walls. It was like the room was already designed to be dark, with heavy blanket like materials thrown over the windows and the front door heavily bolted. From the living room Ada could see directly behind it was the small kitchen, most of it's space being taken up by a large black countertop. To the right of the living room was a small hallway were she could see it split off into rooms, one to the left, it's white door shut tight. To the right she assumed were more rooms but she didn't really feel like venturing around to check.

Ada stood from the couch and instantly her advanced sense of smell took over. She could smell the people in the house, four males, three humans and one vampire. Ada already knew who the vampire was and it was no surprise that it was the man named Lane. That meant that the man who had saved her, the man named Noah was a human. It was in that moment that she figured they didn't know she was a vampire.

As the smell of the humans hit Ada she felt a disgusting wave of hunger rumble inside her and a slight panic overtook her. she definitly didn't want to hurt these people who had saved her, no on the contrary she wanted to know more about them. why they had a vampire living with them? and she wanted to know more about Lane. if he was on the serum?, how he handled living with humans? she was beyond curious when it came to these people.

Ada knew she was growing hungry and the thought of three prone sleeping humans was nearly too much for her to take. it was then that she remembered the vials of serum that she had bought prior to her attack. she knew she wasn't wearing her jacket that held the oh so precious vials. she figured Noah or Lane or one of the other two humans who lived here must've taken it off of her. if they had seen the serum then they probably knew she was a vampire.

either way she needed the serum she didn't trust herself without them. the only problem being that she had no idea where they might keep the coats. she began to move slowly with no real destination because she knew nothing about the house. her feet slid softly across the slightly gritty floor as she made her way over towards the kitchen area.

Ada walked quitely as to not wake the others in the house, but if it was true that Lane was a vampire then he should already be awake. perhaps he was out hunting? Ada reached the kitchen and walked along the counter top she saw the outline of many objects strewn across the counter top and a large thick book that lay open beside a small lamp.

from the kitchen Ada spotted a small door that sat next to the bolted up front door. thinking that maybe it was a closet Ada made her way over to it. she was about a foot away from the door when she felt like she was being watched and she was mere inches from the door when she heard a loud clatter from the corner. turning quickly to face the living room Ada saw a large figure running at her before it suddenly lunged at her. Ada ever the quick thinker ducked down as the figure shot over her and skidded across the floor.

she turned to face the figure as she heard a deep growl and before she knew it the figure was coming at her again, this time Ada threw her leg out landing a deep kick to the figures chest. she heard it groan as the hit landed. the figure didn't stay down long and it was once again coming at her, out of panic Ada jutted her foot out once more for another kick but the figure was expecting it and it grabbed her ankle tight in it's hand. she struggled against the hold which made it progressivly harder to stand and for the figure to hold her.

it seemed that she and the person were of equal strength and she knew it had to be a vampire. wheter it was Lane or some other vampire that had made it's way into the house she wasn't sure. Ada attempted to pull her foot from it's grip but ended up losing her balance and falling to the hardwood floor with a loud thump, along with her the figure had too fallen it's hand still clenched on her ankle. Ada quickly brought her other foot around and landed a sharp kick in the figures ribs.

the person released another groan but finally let go of her ankle. Ada took this as her opportunity to get away and she scrambled on her hands and stomach back towards the couch. she couldn't get up fast enough before the person jumped on Ada's back it's hands grabbing her arms and holding them together. she felt herself being flipped over and she wondered what it was this person wanted.

Ada felt a hand snake up to her face and rough fingers press in towards her mouth. Ada clamped her mouth closed and stuggled to get away from the intruding hands, but without the use of her own hands she was powerless and the hands did manage to get her jaw open instantly a finger was pressed inside her mouth and instinctivly Ada bit down hard on the finger, she tasted coppery blood and heard a loud scream echo through the house. the next events happened so quickly Ada almost didn't realize they were happening.

she heard footsteps and a light was turned on in the hallway throwing light into the dark living room/ kitchen. then the light in the room Ada and the mystery figure were in was turned on, momentarily blinding her.

"what the hell is going on?!" she heard that same calming voice ask. Ada turned her head to the hallway and saw three figures standing there. the one she recongized as Noah but the other two might as well have been strangers. Ada felt a splat of something warm hit her face and she whipped her head straight to look up at the figure.

a panting Lane who was holding his bleeding and possibly broken figure was sitting atop Ada his eyes full of something that was neither shock nor guilt nor sorry. he looked more like he was upset that his friends sounded upset at him.


chapter fourteen: I'm not human (I promise)

"Lane, what-what are you doing to her?" one of the men Ada didn't know asked. Lane still breathing heavy looked at his friends then at her.

"she-she's a vampire!" he breathed.

"what? no she's not. we checked remember Lane?" Noah said as he stepped forward a bit. Lane gave a hollow laugh.

"she was wearing fake teeth, and she's strong, almost my equal." Lane said as he watched his friends faces. "see she bit through straight to the bone." Lane added as he showed them his finger which she did notice was bleeding profusely and she was able to see the pale white of the bone.

the humans made disgusted noises and Lane hid his finger once again wrapping it in the dark red scarf he was wearing.

"well, why are you on top of her?" one of them a tall one with dark curly hair asked.

"she got up, she was hungry, she was going to attack you." Lane said as he stared down at Ada. Ada scoffed.

"I wasn't going to attack them!" she argued as she attempted to push herself up.

"so you admit that you're a vampire?" Lane asked, as he pushed her back down, her back hitting the wooden floor. Ada hesitated, she didn't know what she should or shouldn't say so she nodded.

"yes, I am but so are you!" she sneered at him.

"I may look like one but bElieve me I am not like you!" Lane growled at her.

"enough Lane. get off of her." Noah began.

"but Noah! I was saving you guys from her!" Lane argued and stayed firmly on top of Ada.

"I wasn't going to attack anybody! I got up to get my jacket and you tackled me!" she argued.

"your jacket? why would you want that?" he asked, Ada grimced she didn't want to tell them about the serum, not yet, but she knew she had no other choice.

"my serum is in it, and I need my serum." she told him. Lane's eyes flashed at her but slowly she felt him shift and move off of her.

Ada sat up and Lane stood moving over to the small door that Ada had been heading to all along and pulled it open with his good hand. he pulled out Ada's jacket and threw it to her.

"prove it." Lane said, Ada scoffed once again but dug her hand into her pocket nonetheless and retrived one of the many vials that sat in her pockets. she held up the vial showing it to Lane who grimaced and looked at the humans. "I was only trying to protect you." he told them and Noah nodded.

"we know Lane, now come on and let Bram have a look at your finger." Noah said, Lane nodded and gave a sort of glare to Ada before he walked over and went into one of the rooms with a scraggly haired bearded man whose name was Bram. after Lane had gone the human with the curly hair looked at Noah.

"do you need me Noah?" he asked as he leaned against the wall. Noah shook his head.

"no, james I'll be fine." Noah told him, james nodded and headed back to what Ada assumed was his bedroom. in the other room the one Ada could see from the living room was Bram and Lane. this left Ada and Noah alone in the living room/kitchen. Ada felt awkward she didn't know what to say to Noah, she didn't know what kind of person he was and she didn't know how he felt about vampires. Ada still sat dumbly on the floor the green vial held in her hand.

she glanced at Noah and saw him peer into the room where Lane and Bram were before he walked slowly over to her. Ada listened to his footsteps but made no attempt at moving, she didn't want to scare anyone. Noah stopped beside her and looked down at her.

"are you alright?" he asked and she nodded, Noah gave her a small smile as he offered his hand. she hesitated before accepting his hand and he helped pull her up. she noticed how much warmer Noah's hand was compared to Gray or Caiden's hands.

there was a silence between them and she felt like there was so much that needed to be said and talked about but she couldn't find the words to bring it up.Ada didn't know where to start with Noah, she wasn't used to talking with humans. it had been nearly a year since she did so. thankfully Noah spoke first.

"you...wanna take a seat?" he asked and she could feel the twinge of awkwardness in his voice. Ada nodded dumbly and Noah lead her into the kitchen.he took her over to the large black beat up counter that was covered in broken pieces of what looked like half made gadgets and tools. many seats were placed around the counter and Noah pulled one out for Ada before he took a seat at the counter as well.

Ada sat still holding the vial in her hand. despite Noah being so warm towards here she just couldn't shake the feEling that she didn't belong here and in the very depths of her mind she could she Caiden looking out the front door waiting for her to return.



chapter fifteen: interview with a vampire

Ada glanced at the clock in the kitchen. it was three in the morning yet here she sat with Noah the two of them seated in an awkward silence. "I-I'm sorry about Lane." Noah began, Ada looked up from her own hands to face the young man.

"it's alright." she said quietly, Noah shook his head.

"I mean he shouldn't have attacked you like that but really he's not a bad guy. he's just kinda suspicious you know?" Noah said and Ada nodded even though she didn't know. she didn't know anything about these guys.

"forgive me if this sounds rude but if you're all humans...then why does he live here with you?" she asked unsure if Noah would give her an anwser. she noticed Noah's kind face pulled down into a frown that really didn't suit him. he gave a deep sigh and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Lane, well he wasn't always a vampire." Noah began and he must've realized how stupid that sounded because his face cringed a bit after the words left his mouth. "I mean he was changed, turned by one of them...about two years ago." he said and she watched him intently noticing his eyes taking on a far away look and she knew he was rEliving the event in his mind. "but after he was changed he didn't become like the other vampires...he stayed the same on the inside, he thought the same things and did the same things but he just wasn't human anymore." Noah finished and he looked at Ada letting his eyes sweep over her before he looked down at the table.

Ada had to admit she was surprised, she was surprised that Lane was like her. that he retained his humanity after being turned except by what Noah said he had retained it from the start. she wanted to know more about Lane but she didn't want to ask and she knew it wasn't Noah's place to tell.

"what do you do about his need for blood?" she asked, despite thinking that Noah didn't want to answer. Noah seemed to perk up just a bit and he shifted his gaze to the big old fashioned white refrigerator that sat across from them pushed up against the back wall.

"there's this blend I make. it took me forever to get it right but I make it and he drinks it. it's like a blood subsitute." Ada's face took on a look of surprise. she had never heard of anything like that. the only thing that stopped the craving as far as she knew was the serum.

"Lane can't use the serum, it doesn't really work for him." Noah added as if he had sensed Ada's next question.

from the next room Ada and Noah heard Lane cry out "damn Bram can't you be gentle?" they heard Bram sigh and Noah grinned.

"really Lane is a baby but you did do a number on his finger." he said as he turned that warm grin to face Ada. Ada felt a small smile break on her own lips but then the thought of biting Lane and the warm blood that had filled her mouth came into her head and Ada felt that same sick familar throb of want.

the smile faded and Ada held up the vial in her hands. "do you have a clean needle?" she asked her voice filled with slight desperation. Noah looked at the vial then her before he seemed to come to and nodded.

"oh yeah-yeah I'll grab you one." he said before he left the counter and made his way into Bram's room. she could hear the trio's muffled talking as Noah explained what Ada wanted. she heard the distinct grunt of Lane and she was sure he didn't bElieve that she needed the serum. Noah returned moments later with a fresh needle in hand. he handed it over and before long Ada had it loaded and placed with the needle point squarley over the prone flesh of her upper arm.

Noah watched her intently as she did this, he watched as she pushed the acidic green substance into her veins. it would take a good three or four minutes to take effect but she knew she could last that long. she discarded the needle and she saw Noah watch as the needle wound healed over quickly.

"that stuff works for you?" he asked the curiousity apparent on his face, she nodded.

"been using it for the last month and a half now." she said as she ran her fingers over the spot she had just injected herself in. Noah seemed intrigued and he stood suddenly before leaning over the counter and picking up the same brown leatherbound book that had sat next to the small metal lamp on the table. Noah brought the book up to his lap and held it almost in a protective manner.

"this" he said motioning to the book "is a sort of journal or log I've been keeping about Lane. everything that's happened to him over the past two years I've written down and kept track of it, so I can learn about what he's going through." Noah said as he opened the book and flipped through the pages that were filled with Noah's neat loopy handwritting.

"but I see now that not all vampires are like Lane that there are differences like the ones between Lane and you, so I was wondering if I could write stuff about you too?" Noah asked and was taken aback for a moment. he wanted to know about her, what had happened to her in the past she wasn't sure she was ready to go back to her past but for Noah she would try.

"like an interview?" Ada asked with a grin on her face, Noah nodded.

"yeah, an interview." he said mirroring back that same grin. Ada turned to face Noah completly.

"an interview with a vampire" she smiled.


chapter sixteen: the hunters and the hunted

two days had passed since Ada had been staying with the men. she had found out that they were on the lower east side of Chicago far enough away to be out of ryder's aka the vampire punk's juristriction. they lived in a medium sized slightly dilapitated apartment building on a semi dead end street. Ada had learned that the four had been friends for a very long time and had grown up around this area. but perhaps the most surprising thing she learned was that the three humans and one vampire were in fact vampire hunters.

they had been sitting in the living room when she found this out and it seemed that they were almost reluctant to tell her, everyone but Lane who had still not found himself able to trust her. "you hunt vampires?" she asked her surprise clear and they all nodded.

"yeah, ever since Lane was turned." Bram said

"so the only reason Noah saved me that night was because he thought I was human?" Ada had asked and Lane anwsered for her.

"exactly. if he had known that you were a vampire he would have left you out there to burn." Lane had said all too casually. Noah shot Lane a look and Lane rolled his eyes.

"it's not like I enjoy killing vampires...it's just you know 'kill or be killed'" he said and Ada nodded because she did understand. it was the same thing her clan did with humans, kill them or be killed by them. suddenly a small thought popped into Ada's head. 'what if they had tricked her and were planning on killing her?' she wondered.

"but don't worry Ada. we're not gonna hurt you." Noah began. "you may be a vampire but you're like Lane." at this Lane scoffed. "I mean in the sense that you're more human then anything." he added.

"in fact" james began "we were wondering if you'd stay here with us? you know help the movement." he said putting his fist up in what he assumed was an empowering move.

"what? but you didn't even ask her if she had somewhere to go home to first!" Lane exclaimed upset that his friends had gone off the 'script' of the conversation.

"fine Ada, do you have a place to go home to?" Noah asked imitating Lane almost perfectly. it was decision time for Ada, does she go home back to the clan? back to Caiden and Gray? and back to the feedings? or does she stay here with the humans and the emo vampire? and help them fight the vampire army?

"no, I don't have anywhere to go home to, I-I don't have a home." she lied to them but she knew in the end it would be for the better because they were giving her the way out she needed so badly and giving her what she left home in search of in the first place. so that was how Ada came to stay with the men.

james had taken it upon himself to show Ada around their home. the main level had the kitchen, living room or as it was now known 'Ada's room', the bathroom and the four bedrooms. there was a set of wooden stairs to the far right of the kitchen that led downstairs to a basement that Bram had renovated into some sort of training room.

the back wall was lined with thick dark blue padding sort of like the pads found in high school gym classes. punching bags and paper targets were also hanging lined against the wall. to the left was a large rack of weapons ranging from guns to oddly designed stakes. "Noah made all these." james had told her as he looked at the rack of weapons almost lovingly. that had surprised Ada she couldn't see Noah having a penchant for creating weapons and she couldn't really see any of them besides Lane as a killer.

Noah had created a new log one just for her where he wrote down the details of her vampirism and compared what the differences between she and Lane were. Noah, Ada realized was very smart and did invent a great deal of the things the group used to fight with. as well as the blended drink that subdued Lane's thirst for blood. she had taken to spending a lot of time with Noah the two of them talked about all sorts of things but the two of them never got too heavy with their conversations.

Noah never asked what Ada's life was like before he found her. nor did he ask about how she was turned or when or if she ever had fed on people and Ada was content with him not knowing. she knew that these hunters would know of Beckett and if she told them that she was connected with him then she was sure they would cut all ties with her. yes, Ada and Noah had been spending lots of time together but while she enjoyed this Ada wanted to know more about Lane.

Lane on the other hand wanted little to do with Ada. he was stand-offish at best and avoided Ada most of the time. sometimes she caught him staring at her but they never spoke, she wondered if they both wanted to talk about the same things, to know the same things about each other? it was odd that they were both doomed to the same fate yet neither could bring themselves to talk about said fate.

but overall Ada was happy with her new living situation. she could feel the previous heaviness that had been with her all through her time at Beckett's place slowly drift away as she spent time with the humans. she found herself smiling more easily at james and Bram's stories and the talking came easier with them all. these times when Noah, james, and Bram were all chatting with Ada Lane would be in his room sulking at the fact that he felt his friends had abandoned him. Ada felt a twinge of guilt for this fact because to her it seemed that Lane's friends meant the world to him.

a few nights Ada would be awake in the living room sitting up indian style on the couch when Lane would come into the room stopping in awkwardness to see her awake. he'd paddled to the kitchen not saying anything to her while he perpaired himself some of Noah's blend. Ada wouldn't look at him or say anything and the two would end up in an awkward silence. it was these silences that made Ada want to talk with him more then anything.


chapter seventeen: plots and plans

"we're going out on a hunt tonight." Lane annouced as he plopped down in the chair opposite the couch. Ada looked up from one of the log books that Noah had kept and raised her eyebrows.

"a hunt?" she began as she closed the log and looked up at Lane. he nodded "yeah, but don't get too excited blood sucker I mean we're gonna hunt some vampires not humans." he quipped as he brushed his dark bangs out of his eyes. Ada rolled her eyes but ignored his insult.

"what side are you going to hunt on?" she asked and Lane stiffened a bit as he hadn't realized that Ada would want to continue the conversation.

"the west side" he said as he settled his gaze on her. Ada nodded

"okay that's good." she said as she looked down at the log in her lap and ran her fingers over the thick brown leather cover. Ada had to admit that she was rElived that Lane had said they were going to hunt on the west side. albeit she had never seen any of them fight but she didn't think they could take on any of Tarian's boys or god forbid Beckett's clan.

"are you saying we couldn't handle the other sides? you don't think we're strong enough to take on Tarian? or ryder?" Ada had expected him to mention Beckett, to bring him up but he never did. Ada didn't bring him up either she just shook her head.

"no, that's not what I meant, I don't care where you go really." she said to him as she avoided his gaze.

"well, what about you Ada? you seem to know your territories pretty damn well. just where did you live before we found you?" he asked his eyes narrowing a bit on her. Ada was silent she knew she wasn't going to tell him that she lived on the north side, that she knew it like the back of her hand or a lovers body. she was perpaired to lie but found she didn't have to because Noah and Bram walked into the living room in that moment instantly killing the conversation between the two vampires.

Noah and Bram came and sat on the couch with Ada and moments later james came in and settled on the floor by Bram's feet. "did Lane tell you were hunting tonight?" Noah asked as he turned to look at her, his face caught in half curiosity and concern. Ada nodded as she glanced from Noah to Lane.

"yeah" she said as she unfolded her legs and let them dangle off the couch.

"you don't have to go if you don't want to." Noah told her and Ada shook her head.

"it's not a big deal...I mean I've killed other vampires before." she told them and they didn't seem too surprised. she looked at Lane as she said this wanting to know his reaction to this statement. he didn't seem too surprised either just gave a slight nod as he slumped back in his chair.

"what about humans Ada? have you killed them before?" Lane asked and she stared him down as a slight smirk appeared on his face.

"Lane, that's really none of your business-" Bram began before Ada raised her hand to silence him.

"no, it's alright...yeah, Lane I have killed humans before...but I bet you have too." she said so calmly right back. this obviously wasn't the reaction that Lane wanted and she saw a deep surprised scowl replace his smug grin.

"whatever...let's get back to the hunt tonight." Lane said obviously wanting to change the subject. the others agreed but Ada could see Noah staring at her and part of her wished that she hadn't told them that she killed humans before. she didn't want Noah or the others to be afraid of her, or to think that she would ever attack them. the thought of even doing that made her stomach turn.

Lane sat up straight in his chair and reached down to the side of the chair before pulling up a huge rolled up sheet of paper. he looked to james "hey will you go get the crate?" he asked as he jerked his head towards the kitchen. james nodded and pushed himself up before walking out of the groups view and returning moments later carrying a beat up wooden crate that he set down infront of Lane.

Lane moved to the edge of his seat while james reclaimed his own seat on the floor. Lane unfurled the paper and spread it out on the crate for his companions to see. james scooted himself closer while Noah and Bram moved to the edge of the couch to better see the paper. Ada herself moved forward and peered at the paper but as far as she could tell it all looked like nonsensical scribbles and arrows.

when he was sure that everyone could see the paper Lane cleared his throat and began to talk. "okay, so this is tonight's plan." he began as he glanced down at it and then up at the people surrounding him. the group was silent as they peered down at the paper and Ada just looked confused. was she really supposed to understand the plan by looking at Lane's chicken scratch writing? she glanced at Noah and Bram who were looking intently at the paper and she wondered if they could understand it or were still trying to dechiper his pictures.

"yeah, Lane you're gonna have to explain this to me because I can't make sense of it." james said suddenly as he looked up from the paper and then to Lane. Lane scoffed.

"come on james it's not rocket science." Lane said as he looked down at his own plan, his face showing semi proudness.

"actually Lane, remember when I said you get really into something and then you just kinda scribble everywhere?" Noah said and Ada grinned because this was obviously an event that happened often. Lane gave a deep sigh before he lazily pointed at Bram and Ada.

"you two can't understand it either?" he asked and both of them shook their heads. Lane pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a soft sigh. "alright, I'll explain it." he said. "so you guys know that plan we always wanted to do but never had enough people to pull off?" he asked and the other three guys nodded while Ada sat silent. "well...we're gonna do it tonight." he said as he folded his hands into his lap.

"what?" Noah asked "how are we supposed to do that?" he asked.

"easy, we have Ada now." Lane said as he pointed at Ada who still sat confused at just what the hell the boys were talking about. Noah looked unconvinced and he shook his head.

"no, I don't think we should." he said and Lane opened his mouth to argue but before he could Ada interrupted them.

"now wait, just what plan are you guys talking about?" she asked as she rested her elbows on her knees and looked at the boys.

"it's a plan we came up with a while ago. we set two of our people in a secluded area and then the rest of us hide and when the vampires come for an easy meal we attack and kill them." Lane told her as though it were the most brilliant plan. Ada nodded as she listened to him speak.

"sounds like a good plan, why'd you never use it?" she asked.

"there were never enough of us before." Bram told her as he folded his legs and pressed his glasses up on his nose.

"but now there is so we should do it." Lane half comanded and Ada nodded.

"I think we should too. it's a good plan." Ada said and both Lane and Noah seemed surprised at her anwser.

"fine." Lane began "we'll do it tonight."


chapter eighteen: the set up

three hours later Ada and the rest of the boys were piled into the large black beat up van that used to belong to one of jame's cousins. Noah was driving his hands tense on the steering wheel. Ada was sat next to him and Lane next to her in the front his face pressed against the cool glass of the window. either out of boredom of he was trying desperately to spot any vampires as they drove.

james and Bram were seated in the back seat with their weapons in their laps. behind james and Bram's seats were the rest of the weapons and a few dozen first aid kits and steaks.

the van clattered down the nearly deserted city streets and Ada herself was keeping a close watch on the streets. they also had the windows cracked a bit just in case Ada or Lane would be able to catch a whiff of blood or other vampires in the air. Ada found herself wondering when the last time Beckett's clan had eaten and she wondered what would happen if it was on of her former clan members they stumbled upon tonight.

Noah drove down the streets for awhile until they could see a group of hills in the distance. as they grew closer the hills turned into a high rising cliff overlooking a valley of land. Noah pulled into empty clearing surrounded by nature. the group waited in silence to see if their secluded spot was actually full of vampires. when nothing or no one could be found Noah killed the ignition he got out of the rickety van on the one side, Lane exited on the other with Ada following behind him.

james and Bram got out of the backseat and joined the group as they stood shielded on the side of the van. "okay, let's get into positions people." Lane whispered as they stood in a semi circle. the five of them had gone over the plan before they had left the safety of the apartment.

the plan was for Ada and Bram to be inside the van pretending to be unsuspecting lovers and completly helpless while Noah, james, and Lane would wait outside the van in the dark hidden away with their weapons. when thevampires showed up it would be then that Noah and james and Lane would come out and take care of the vampires.

in five minutes time everyone was in position and Ada only felt a bit awkward as she sat close to Bram in the front seat. she was pressed close to him and she could smell his colonge and the kind of shampoo he used and she could hear his heart beating. they didn't know when or where or if the vampires would strike so the two of them would have to hold their charade until they did show.

she looked up at him as he turned his body to face her. his dark eyes shined behind his glasses and a small smile played on his lips. "this is more awkward then I thought it would be." he said his voice a low whisper but he was never really that loud normally. Ada allowed herself to grin but she didn't feel awkward but she blamed that on her years of vampirism, it left her with a lack of embarresment.

"I think we should kiss." Ada suggested and Bram's face fell blank in surprise. it was an example of Ada's lack of embaressment. all she was concerned with was pulling off a convincing act, she wasn't interested in Bram like that but she would kiss him if it meant that they looked convincing.

she saw him blush a fair crimson spreading across his pale cheeks. "are you sure?" he asked his voice rising a bit. she nodded and he copied her and she saw him swallow hard in the moonlight. Ada kept her eyes locked on his as she moved closer into him. she felt his arm slide around her shoulder and her chest bumped into his side as their faces came close.

Bram's wavy hair brushed against Ada's face and she could feel his breath mingling with her's. Bram brought his free hand over to brush the hair from her face and she took it as a cue and pushed forward slightly pressing their lips together. it was all warm and soft but in Ada's mind a picture of Noah flashed and she wondered vaguely what he thought was happening in the car. the two of them only kissed for about half a minute before a tremendous thunk was heard on the hood of the van.

they broke apart to see that a bleach blonde vampire woman was crouching on the hood of van her pale face peering inside to get a glimpse at her future meal. Ada could hear Bram's heart beating faster and his breath hitched.

Comments (0)